Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

TW in chapter 4 for what is essentially accidental outing.

Further, due to the unintentional nature of this story topic (detailed below) it is not acknowledged by the characters or the story, is not treated as seriously as an outing is, and there is no closure around this specific element of the action provided.

I want to stress right now that this is not a topic I take lightly and that you do not have to read this fic or that chapter  if the topic makes you uncomfortable. There is no judgement here.

For the sake of inclusivity, I will provide a short summary of the chapters events in the notes before chapter 5. If the tw is all you are interested in this is all on that

-

For anyone interested, I would now like to apologise for the inclusion of this element in my fanfic. While it is important to talk about these things, it was neither in my lane to do so nor was it even intentional on my part- but it was my fault for not thinking through the implications of my writing more and I take full responsibility for that. I chose a storytelling decision that came across far worse than I intended due to my own negligence.

I only realised the mistake I had made after I finished the entire fic and aftermath, during the editing phase, and there was only so much I could do at that point to change it due to its plot relevance. This fic, while technically online, has stayed clear of this account until now for a good while for a reason, as I weighed up how I felt about handling this and if I should just leave this story to rest. It is too old for me to have the energy to make vast rewrites, after all.

After much consideration, I have tentatively decided I will post this fic here, since people have shown interest, though with this warning at the beginning now- which was something i was not able to do with the original chapter-by-chapter upload. It is at least some piece of mind that I am able to telegraph the events of this story (intentional or not) at the start so no readers are given a nasty surprise. I hope this upload satiates the curiosity of those interested in the fic, if they feel comfortable reading.

Thank you for listening and once again, I am extremely sorry for any hurt I may have caused. I am trying to be more cautious about the implications of my writing in the future. I hope everyone who read this far has a good day, and remember that you do not have to read anything that makes you uncomfortable.

Chapter Text

Molly let out a loud gasp and bumped her head on the underside of the table.

"Ow!"

Libby jumped, her pen slipping across the page at the noise, before hurriedly glancing down under the table. Even Scratch floated over out of concern.

"Molls?" He fretted, trying to keep the actually audible worry in his voice to a minimum.

"I'm ok..." she muttered through clenched teeth as she rubbed the bump on her head. Her energy returned rather quickly and she whirled around to face her friends."But look!"

Seeing now that she was fine, Scratch instantly was on the sarcasm. "That doesnt look like your pen."

Molly rolled her eyes and quickly pocketed the glitter pen next to her on the floor. "That's not the point- LOOK!" She trust the treasure in Scratch's face like it was made of gold.

"It's..." he squinted. "A crumpled up piece of paper...?" He asked, voice unsure. Libby meanwhile, paled at the sight of the light pink page.

"It's a love letter!" Molly all but shouted. Instantly Scratch's eyes widened- before squinting in a wriggling grin. "Libby!" The girl turned to her other friend who was quickly backing away from the scene. To no avail, however, as Molly quickly rolled out from under the desk and jumped right to her feet in a move of cartoon gymnastics. "You didn't tell me you were asking someone to the dance!"

"Um-"

"Yeah, Libby." Scratch moved his face to the back of his head to show off the ecstatic teasing expression it had gained. "Why didn't'cha tell us?" Before she could respond, he wriggled his way across the floor like a snake and rose up to her height. "I mean," he sprouted some eyelashes that he batted in faux-innocence. "We're your best friends after all." With a poke of her cheek and a tone more teasing than every sibling in the world combined, he continued. "Surely you want to tell us every detail about this:" he blew a chefs kiss and said, with the worst french accent you've ever heard in your life,: "pa-show-ney of yours hmm? Hehehe."

By this point, Libby had sunk so far into her sweater that Molly had to peak over the brim (after pushing Scratch out of the way) to see her. "Oh Libby, don't hide! This is amazing! Oh you are gonna have the best date ever and be so cute together and then be highschool sweethearts and move to the countryside and have 10 kids and I'm gonna be their cool aunt Molly and-"

"Kids?" Libby squeaked.

"Uh, YEAH!" Molly exclaimed, brimming with so much excitement, Scratch had to pull her out of Libbys turtleneck by her jacket. The taller girl merely sank further into it.

"M-Molly, please-" she stuttered, tugging nervously on her collar despite it no longer being around her neck. "I appreciate your enthusiasm- but theres no chance that's going to happen. This person's way too good for me." The faceless mass of jumper in front of them slumped to a sit, followed by a muffled. "Theres a reason I threw that note away." 

Molly gasped. "Whaaaat?? Psh! No way! Libby-" she implored, voice practically pleading. The other girl glanced just over the rim of her turtleneck. Molly took her by the shoulders. "There is nobody too good for you! If anything it'd be the other way around." She chuckled to herself. Libby glanced away, but Molly grabbed her cheeks and made her face her.

"Look at me, Stein-Torres! You! Are! Amazing!"

Slowly, Libby rose a little from her collar. "I...I mean, I don't know about amazing, but-"

"No! Amazing!"

"O-ok..." Libby chuckled, cracking a smile. The collar slipped fully over her head and back into position. "I'm amazing." She rolled her eyes playfully on the word. "But," quickly, her face grew serious again. "So are they. It's not that big a deal, Molly, it's just..." with a shrug, she glanced to the floor. A blush began to form on her cheeks. "...They're really special. And kind and...there's no way I'm enough for them. Amazing or not."

Eyes now soft, Molly let out a quiet "Awwww....!" while Scratch merely fake-retched. The girl still shook her head, though. "Sorry Libby, but I can't agree with that. You ARE good enough, gosh dang it, and I," she raised a hand dramatically to her chest. "Molly Meredith Mcgee, will help you get that date!"

"...Meredith?" Scratch asked, sounding beyond confused. Molly didn't reply and instead shoved the letter into Libby's hands. "Now, whoooo's gonna rewrite this super special love letter and send it to the the most specialist of crushes of all time?~" she laid her head on Libbys shoulder with the cutest, most convincing look she could muster. "Hmm?~"

Libby pushed her away with a giggle, making Molly burst out into giddy laughter too. "Alright, alright! I..." she looked down at the paper, unsure. "I guess I'm...really doing this."

When she turned back to face Molly, the girl was giving her a bright smile and a thumbs up. She sighed fondly and turned away. "Ok. So long as you two don't look!"

"Absolutely!" "No promises!" The two said in unison, in the same dutiful tone. A harsh elbow in the side quickly got Scratch to change his answer, and Libby gave a relieved smile before walking back over to her desk. (Ignoring the independent pair of yellow eyes hovering over her shoulder that Molly quickly confiscated.)

'Ok...' Heart pounding, she smoothed out the original paper and tore a new page out of her notebook. 'Here goes nothing...'

Chapter Text

"Now that that's settled-" Molly brushed her hands off as they walked back inside from the trip to the postbox. "I say we get in some roleplay to practise!"

"Roleplay?" Libby asked, giving her a wary look. Scratch, however, lit up.

"Now we're talking!" He clapped his hands together and started cycling through a few different forms. "What's my role, Mol? Evil poltergeist? Monster under the bed? Or maybe you're going for more of a goofy sidekick role- I can do that."

"Not you, scratch." Molly said gently. The ghost stopped mid-unicycle ride and returned to his normal form, flopping on the floor with a pout.

"Um, Molly?" The Thai girl glanced over at her friend who looked nervous. "I know I've been more confident since the talent show but I'm not exactly an actor-"

"Nonono, it's cool!" Sliding up to her, Molly wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We're just gonna do a little test scenario in here! No audience. Y'know, to help you prepare for your big date so you don't panic."

"I..."

"Well she's definitely gonna need that." Scratch chuckled.

"Hey!"

"What? I'm just sayin'." He shrugged. "'S'useful!"

"But I don't even know if they're gonna say yes!"

"Well do you wanna risk it? Or do you wanna prepare?" He gave her a dry, annoyed look, quirking half his brow.

"I..." Libby looked off to the side- to Molly- for support. "Well...I guess it would be nice to do a dry run?"

A smile split Molly's face. "Great! Now c'mon- let's practise picking them up!"

"Ok..." Libby let Molly lead her to her bedroom door, still wary.

"Now:" Molly said, grabbing Libby's hands and making her cover her own eyes. Libby giggled in response. "Pretend you're outside the door of your one true love!" She dramatically narrated, making her laugh more. Molly's voice grew slightly distant as she snuck behind the door. "Ready to sweep them off their feet and away to the greatest night of their lives...!"

Scratch quirked a brow at her, but Libby didnt react beyond an amused "Ok..." When the sound of a door closing was heard, she asked. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Yes."

Removing her hands from her face, Libby shared a Look with Scratch before playing along and rapping on the wood.

Molly flung the door open in response so quickly she nearly took Libby's hand off.

"Yes? Who is it, what's all the hubbub?" She spoke in a forced, low register. One hand was perpetually holding a strand of hair over her lip. Scratch snorted loudly.

"Seriously, Mol?" The girl remained unperturbed.

"Who are you? What are you selling?" She asked gruffly, eyeing Libby with an overacted suspicious glare.

She blinked slowly, before shooting her friend an exasperated look. "Molly-"

"'Molly'? Who's this 'Molly?' I'm your dates overprotective father! What are your plans with my child?"

Libby facepalmed.

"Nobody talks like this!" Scratch wheezed, holding his stomach. Molly dropped both the act and her hair to glare at him.

"They do too! ...Ahem." She fiddled for a moment, trying to get her 'moustache' back in place. "Well?! Out with it, child!"

Rolling her eyes, Libby nonetheless said (with surprising politeness) "I'm here to take your child on a date, sir."

"Ahhh, is that so? Is that what you think? Tell me: do you have a job?"

"...Noooo. Because I'm 13???"

"Hmm..." Molly pretended to stroke a beard she forgot she hadnt made part of her character. "A car?"

Libby blinked at her blankly. "...No. ...But my mom's gonna drive us."

"Hmm, hmm..." The stroking continued. "...Alright. You've convinced me."

"Wait, really?" Libby and Scratch asked in unison.

"Yes." Dramatically, Molly held a hand to her chest. "I see now the error of my ways and that keeping my child from their love is not love at all...So, good luck!" With a quick thumbs up, Molly darted outside the visibility of the door and right back in, still smoothing her hair down. "So!" She leant on the doorframe with a half lidded look. "Libby~"

"Uh. Hi, Molly-"

"Psst! I'm not Molly! Remember?"

"Oh! Right. Uh-"

"This is gonna be a disaster."

"Shut up Scratch! Soo, Libby~"

"Youuuu..." Libby shot a pair of awkward finger guns Molly's way, face pinched in a rough approximation of joy. She'd never been good at smiling on command.

"You look good!"

"Oh! Uh," Libby glanced down at her clothes, unconvinced. "Yeah. Uh...you too?" It came out so awkward it almost sounded like a question. "I mean, uh! You always look good but-"

Molly broke character to break into a large grin, shooting her double thumbs up and Libbys face brightened. Scratch slumped over petulantly at the sudden lack of misery in the air.

Molly leant back on the doorframe and Libby did the same, now filled with some confidence. She tried her best to school her face into something 'cool' that kind of just made her look like she had a lazy eye. "I hope you're ready for the dance, sweeheart~" She crooned, voice warbling on the second to last syllable. Scratch immediately perked up.

"Uh." Even Molly looked a little awkward and Libby instantly cringed and yanked her turtleneck over her face. "Nonono! That was good! Right Scratch?" She looked at him, desperately.

"Nope." He said with a grin, popping the 'p'. Molly's look turned into a glare.

"Look, Libby-! It's ok-"

Molly tried to reach out to put a hand on Libby's shoulder, but she disappeared out from under her and sank to the floor in a heap.

"Ooohhh I'm gonna ruin this...!"

"No you're not!"

"Eh."

"Quiet." Molly hissed. "Look." She put an arm around Libby's shoulder and pulled her close. "This is why we practise! You say something embarrassing here and only me and Scratch know!"

After a pause, Libby said. "That's not as comforting as you think." She raised her head from her wooly shell just enough to shoot a meaningful look in Scratch's direction. The ghost overacted glancing around, before raising a hand to his chest with an offended look. Both girls rolled their eyes.

"Point being," Molly took ahold of the rim of Libby's turtleneck and gently pulled it down to reveal her face. "It's ok to mess up. We're not gonna judge you."

"I..." Libby's eyes searched Molly's for a few seconds before looking away. "O-ok. I'll try again."

"Yay!" Molly squeaked and pulled her closer in a hug so their cheeks squished together. Libby giggled and hugged back.

"But what do I even say?" She fretted. "I-I've never been on a date before and romance novels are far from my area of interest-"

"Just relax. Say how you feel!"

"How I feel is not relaxed."

A sigh came from the doorway."Alright girls, you've convinced me. I got this."

"...Huh?" The two looked towards Scratch who appeared quite fed up of the sappiness going on. 

"Look, romance aint that hard! Trust me, I'm a natural at this. I'll feed ya a couple lines, k, Libby?"

"Wait, you'd do that?" Libby tilted her head and eyed him scrutinisingly. There had to be some kind of strings attached here...

"For a price."

There it was.

"Scratch!" Molly scolded.

"The rest of the potato chips in the pantry."

"Half." Libby said quickly, narrowing her eyes.

"Two thirds."

"Deal."

"Wha- Libby! This isn't-" Molly floundered helplessly as she watched an unbothered Libby and Scratch shake on it. "Scraatch, friends help each other for free!"

"Can't hear you goin'forchips!" He yelled back as he all but dove through the floor.

"Ugh." Molly pouted.

-

The second time around, Molly was merciful enough to skip the protective dad act.

"Hey Libby!"

"Heyyyy...! Uh..." Libby tried her best to look natural as a shrunken down Scratch whispered in her ear (and got crumbs in her hair. She'd have to get revenge for that later somehow). When the ghost pulled away, looking satisfied with himself, Libby just shot him a flat look. "Really?"

Scratch opened his eyes, looking confused and offended when he saw the girls deadpan look. "...What?! That's one of my best lines, thank you."

"Uh huh." She said unconvinced. "Well I am not saying that."

"Fine! Suit yourself! Don't take my advice!" He huffed, turning away and waving at her to get going. She couldnt even get a syllable out before he relented. "...Oh come on, Libs, just try it!"

"Fine! I'll tell Molly what you said." Libby gestured emphatically at their friend, who didnt have a chance to correct her on her identity before she spoke. "Ahem. Hey there, date. Are you from Tennessee?" The cringe was visible in Molly's eyes already. "Because you're the only ten I see."

"Thaaank you." Scratch drawled, still looking proud of himself. He crossed his arms and shot Molly a satisfied look. "So Mol, what'd you think?"

Molly slowly turned to him with a face full of pure confusion. "...Are you sure you're a dating expert?"

"Hey!"

Libby snorted, loudly.

"Ok- let's just try this the old way." She said, politely cutting her laughter short to try and stay on good terms with Scratch. "Molly-"

"Not-"

"Right. 'Not Molly', you look very nice today. I'm here to pick you up for the dance. Ready to go?"

Molly's eyes slowly started to sparkle. 

"Um..." Libby glanced around anxiously and played with her collar. "Did I do something wr-"

Quickly, Molly made a motion as though to centre herself and schooled her expression. "You too. Let's go." As soon as she'd delivered those two sentences calmly, she squealed and dove into Libby's arms.

"AHHHHH YOU DID IT YOU DID IT!"

"Woah-" Libby stumbled backwards a little and nearly toppled over, but just about managed to maintain her balance. Straining to keep Molly up, she gave the girl in her arms a bashful smile.

"T-thanks, Molly..." her mouth sunk just below the horizon of her collar, shyly.

For a moment the two just looked at each other with giddy and shy grins respectfully. Then scratch interrupted them with a loud, drawn out "Geeez!"

Rubbing his pinkie in the 'plasm where his ear would be, Scratch huffed. "You have got to work on volume control, Mol! Think you woke some dead there. Wouldn't be surprised if thats a pass time for you."

"Oops!" She giggled bashfully as she brushed off her skirt, now back on her own too feet. "Sorry. I was just-" she quickly grabbed Libby before she collapsed from the exhaustion of holding her. "I guess I got carried away. I was just so..." As she brushed off Libby's jumper, her eyes started to shine. "Happy. ...For Libby!" She quickly snapped her head up to look at her friend with a large grin. "She's going to do so well on her date aaaaaaaI'msoexctedforyou!!!" The taller girl laughed as Molly shook her frantically in excitement. Both she and Scratch quickly had their hands grabbed. "C'mon, next activity!"

"Woah-!"

Chapter Text

"Next: dance practice!" Molly turned her phone volume up to max and put on her favourite songs playlist. Scratch groaned and covered his ears.

"Not this garbage again!"

Molly just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Uuuugh, have to listen to this every morning!" He whined petulantly, melting upside-down off the side of the couch with his arms crossed. Libby gave him an unimpressed look. She wasn't exactly fond of mainstream music either, but she also knew they weren't going to be playing 1920's swing at the school dance.

"C'mon, Libby," Molly started grabbing her hand.

"Huh-?" Before she could react, Molly had spun her off to the side and started dancing to herself. She just about managed to centre herself enough to see straight in time to see Molly dab.

Libby looked away with an expression of second-hand embarrassment for...whatever Molly was doing (was that air karate???).

"Y-y'know what, Molly?"

"Hmm?" She asked, stopping her flailing. Libby gave an awkward smile.

"I'm not really much of a dancer. I was thinking me and- me and my date could just, y'know." She shrugged. "Hang out?"

"Hang out?" Molly blinked. "But its a dance! Y'know?" She moonwalked up to Libby and nudged her playfully. "For dancing?"

"Yeaah, but...I-I just would rather..."

Molly's eye's searched hers for a moment, before she held her hands up, a look of realisation crossing her face. "No, no you're right." She said, sounding a little guilty. "Its your date. What do you want?" Despite her surprise, Libby smiled at the sentiment.

"Well, um... I just- we can... eat?"

"Atta girl!" Scratch cheered from the couch where he'd reformed and taken to flipping through a stray magazine. "Take it from me, kid, best way to a man's heart is through his stomach." He patted where she assumed his belly was and the ecto rippled weirdly like water.

"Uh, thanks...Scratch." It still felt kind of weird having him compliment her (even if he was off the mark somewhat). She wondered if he felt the same when she was nice to him.

"Yeah, we noticed, Scratch." Molly added playfully, a teasing smirk on her face. "So, Libby," she said, spinning on her heal to face her. "You don't wanna dance- that's fine- BUT we gotta at least get you ready for the slow dance!"

"What??" Sweat started to bead on Libbys forehead.

"Yeah! It's like: a romance necessity. And who knooows~" she slid up to Libby's side, a smirk on her face. "You might get your first kiiiiiss~"

"Pff- Molly!" Libby giggled and swatted at Mollys hands which were poking her cheek playfully. The shorter girl also laughed along, pretending to sound evil but really just sounding like she had a cold.

"C'mon! Just one dance and you'll SWEEP them off their feet!" She wrapped an arm around Libby's shoulder and made a large, sweeping gesture with the other. Libby rolled her eyes, fondly.

"A small dance." She agreed, looking away as she removed Molly's hand. "I can do that."

Molly squealed in a pitch only a dog could hear. (Or a ghost, if the way Scratch was cringing was any indication). "Ok, ok, let's do this!"

Libby's eyes widened as Molly grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her tight against her. "Scratch! Music!"

"What did your last slave die of?"

"C'mon, Scratch, you can control objects." Molly deadpanned, sounding just a touch whiney. The ghost sighed and snapped his fingers, reluctantly. With a brief, magenta glow and a few moments of painful static, the kitschy, 2010's pop song changed to a kitschy, 80's love ballad. "Thanks!" Molly chirped over her shoulder. He only grumbled in reply.

When Molly turned back to face her, Libby couldnt help but burst out laughing.

"Whaat???"

The look on her face had been so over the top '''suave''', Libby had half expected her to have busted out a bad Spanish accent. If this and the Milly incident were anything to go by, she'd do well to keep Molly from auditioning for the school play.

Molly pouted and crossed her arms. Eyebrows that just a second ago bounced up and down like a fallen child on a trampoline now furrowed in irritation.

"Sorry- sorry!" Libby hopelessly tried to save herself through her wheezes. With a harsh cough to clear her throat, she straightened up and shot Molly a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Mollys annoyed look faded, but she was clearly fighting to keep it. Libby felt an amused, affectionate smile tug on her lips. She reached out and gently pulled Mollys hands onto her shoulders. "C'mon..." she encouraged. Her smile grew into a smirk. "You know you want to~"

It only took a second for Molly to crack. "Daw ok- you convinced me!" With a grin, Molly's hands grabbed determinedly onto Libby's shoulders and the taller girl responded by placing hers on Molly's hips. For a moment, the two just beamed at one another- Molly's blinding grin meeting Libby's increasingly more nervous smile.

Then Molly let go and pulled out a tape measure.

"Uh-"

"Lets see..." She shuffled backwards a few steps, before grabbing Libby's shoulders again, smile seamlessly back in place. "There! Enough space for The Holy Spirit between us!"

Scratch snorted loudly behind them and Libby tried her best to keep her waning confidence.

"...Molly, you're not religious."

"Better safe than sorry! Let's go-!"

She barely got to yelp before Molly  pulled her sideways into a swirl, disregarding that Libby was meant to be leading. She looked at the shorter girl, a little dazed, before her look turned confident. "Actually, I think you'll find it goes more like this:"

She took one step back, leading Molly with her (hard not to with her at arms length), and span them slowly in a wide circle. Molly looked  back at their path with a giddy laugh. "Ooo!" She turned back with a smug, raised eyebrow. "Well arent you a liar, miss, 'I'm not a dancer'?"

Libby let out a sheepish chuckle. "A-actually I'm just copying what I've seen on TV. I don't really know where to go from here."

"Well, better hope your date doesnt either!" Molly joked, leaning into their next turn as she adjusted to the tempo of the music. "Relaax, this is fine." She soothed Libby when she noticed the taller girl starting to look away, embarrassed. "No middle schooler can slow dance!"

Libby cracked a shy smile, glancing up at Molly before looking around thoughtfully.

"Hey...do you think I could...?"

"Hmm?" Molly tilted her head. "What? I didn't quite catch tha- woah!" She giggled as Libby carefully lead her into a twirl, before being pulled close again (and promptly shuffling back apart.)

"That was smooth!" She congratulated, while Libby blushed. She gave her a light, affectionate punch in the arm. "You got any more moves like that up your sleeve?"

"Heh...uh..." Despite her burning face urging her to hide in her jumper, Libby managed a playful shrug.

"See?" Molly smiled supportively. She made her own glance down at their feet. "Easiest thing in the world! You're gonna do great!"

Embarrassed, Libby buried her blushing face further in her shoulder.

"Just one last thing."

"H-huh?"

Molly beamed at her. "You gotta learn to dip!"

"Wh-what?!" Libby's face somehow went redder- all the way up to her ears. Molly made quick work of pulling her collar away from her neck before it engulfed her. It didnt seem to help her problem.

"Don't worry, Libby, its the easiest thing in the world." She comforted.

"Uh- b-but Molly, I- you know I don't like heights or being tossed around."

"No problem!" Molly patted her shoulder. "You're leading!"

"I..."

Libby sunk lower into her jumper and Molly slowly pulled away in response.

"...Ok. If you don't want to, that's fine."

Libby's turtleneck reached overtop of her ears.

"...What if I drop you?" A muffled voice asked. Molly glanced back up from her shoes.

"Huh? Is that what you're worried about? Libby-" she pulled the wool down to look her friend in the eye. "You're not gonna drop me." She said gently.

"You can't know that! I have very noodly arms."

"All your noodle arms would be supporting is my torso." She encouraged. "I'd still keep my feet on the floor. ...If it helps, we can do a little dip?"

Libby glanced up at her. A few seconds passed where she looked around in thought, before nodding.

Moments later, the two were configured right where they were before- one albeit much stiffer now. Libby took a deep breath as she placed her hands on Molly's hips, before gently leaning her backwards. True to her word, the shorter girl adjusted her stance to support her weight as she moved and Libby managed to lean them over until her back just barely bent before stopping. She stared at Molly with wide eyes for a moment, face flushed.

"I...I'm doing this..."

Molly smiled at her encouragingly. "Yup!" Their eyes made contact and her grin grew. Libby let out a half-huff, half-laugh in response and her own lips twitched upward. The Holy Spirit found themselves awfully squashed all of a sudden.

"...I hate teenagers." Scratch suddenly declared, throwing his magazine on the couch and floating off to the kitchen. The two girls jumped. Molly very near slipped, but Libby kept a firm hold on her and pulled her up- after which the girls parted, awkwardly.

"M-maybe that's enough dance practise." Molly laughed nervously. Libby was quick to agree.

Chapter Text

“Got any corner pieces?"

"Hmmm. Nope. You, Molly?"

"Uh, let's see..." The trio were sprawled in various positions of sloth on the floor of Book Marks The Spot. The bare frames of a puzzle lay in-between them, surrounded by piles of puzzle pieces and half-open books Libby had attempted to get Scratch into.

Molly lay on her back, with her feet propped up on one of the two bookshelves narrowly enclosing them. Usually they'd sit on the armchairs out front, but Libby said she always felt rude taking those spots during business hours, so had instead taken them to her 'secret hideout' at the end of the rarely explored gothic poetry section. The Thai girl sifted lazily through her pile of rainbow coloured pieces, eventually pulling out one displaying what looked like half a cloud. "Noo, but I found the last edge piece."

Scratch lazily extended an arm from where he lay on his stomach on one of the higher shelves and put the piece into place. Libby let out a drowsy yawn.

"Oh Libby dear!" Mrs Stein-Torres' slightly-shrill voice rang through the shop, making the two girls sit up. Even Scratch, despite being hidden snuggly between section W and X, reflexively turned invisible at the noise.

"Yeah?" Libby called out and the trio noticed the elder woman lean around the corner of one of their shelves. "Sorry to interrupted your play time, girls- but ya got a letter!"

Confused, the girl tilted her head. "Really?"

"Yup! And it looks like its from a friend, too!" Mrs stein-Torres said excitedly, lifting proudly aloft a familiar looking envelope. "Look:" she said, showing a now pale Libby the letter and pointing. "Turtle sticker! They know you so well!"

"Haha..." The girl laughed the most forced and empty sounding laugh ever laughed. "Yeah..."

"Well, I'll let you open it- I got books to unpack. Molly, do you need anything?"

"No, Mrs Stein-Torres."

"Alright, keep having fun, girls. If you need me I'll be in the back, ok Libs?"

"Yeah." She said, voice hollow.

As soon as the woman was out of sight, Scratch turned blue again and the two crowded her.

"Ohh no, Libby!" Molly exclaimed worriedly, taking the envelope from her hands, much to her panic. "They sent your letter back! Did they not read the address right-?!" Her eyes glances to the stamp, briefly (Scratch leaning over her shoulder and following her eyeline) before she shook her head. "No, no, it's ok, we can fix this! It's too late to send the letter back b-but-"

"Yeah! Thats right!" Libby exclaimed suddenly, grabbing the letter back and holding it to her chest. "Oh no, now they'll never read it." She held a hand up to her forehead with some of the worst acted sadness ever seen on a person. Scratch narrowed his eyes. "I guess I'm going to the dance alone. Oh well, what a shame-" before she could put the letter in her back pocket, Molly grabbed her arm.

"No! I can still fix this!" She cried, desperately. "If the letter didn't send then you'll just have to ask them in person!"

"I-I don't think so, Molly-" Libby tried to twist her arm away. "I-I'm not really one for direct con-confrontation like that. I-I mean I'm better than I was for sure, but I'm not r-really near that level o- Scratch, what're you doing? SCRATCH!" With her arm pinned by Molly, Scratch was able to yank the envelope out of Libby's hand effortlessly. She tried to reach for it, but even when Molly released her grip, Scratch's ability to float above their heads won out.

"Tell me, Miss Stein-Torres:" He drawled her name in a mocking, fancy voice. "If you really wanted to ask out this crush of yours so badly, why'd you send it to your own address?" Turning the letter around so the front faced the girls, he pointed at the damning words.

Molly's eyes widened.

"I-I made a mistake!" Libby stuttered, quickly. "I was trying to write the return address, and must have forgotten the actual sending address."

"Yeah, scratch!" Molly laughed lightheartedly, though there was an undertone of uncertainty. "Libby just messed up, thats all."

"Uh huh." He said, unconvinced. "Then pray tell, Molly, why was she so quick to accept that? Why did she try and hide the letter from us so quickly?"

"Scratch!" Libby whisper-yelled, feeling sweat on her brow. She'd thought their rivalry was over. They were supposed to be friends!

"C-come on, Scratch..." Molly seemed to be losing steam in her defence with every word. She glanced over at Libby and her eyes widened at how nervous she looked. "...Libby?"

The taller girl gulped.

"You didn't send that back to yourself on purpose, did you?"

Libbys head disappeared in her jumper.

"Libby!" Molly's upset voice cried.

"Aaand, there it is." Scratch crossed his arms, satisfied his suspicion was correct. 

"Libby, why would you do that?" Molly asked, standing on tiptoe to look into the neck of the jumper at her friend. Libby avoided eye-contact. Concern and disappointment came off of Molly in waves. "You did so well in our practise! You're good at this! I thought you said you wanted to try things you were scared of now."

Something in Libby bubbled and exploded. "Y-you don't know what this would mean!" She shouted, rising from her turtle prison with an anger rarely directed at Molly before. Said girl leant back with wide, surprised eyes as Libby got in her face, before the younger girl turned away. Scratch, worried about the unexpected outburst, floated back down into reach and Libby took advantage of the opportunity to try to snatch her letter back- only to just barely miss. "This is WAY more complicated than you think! A-and I don't owe you anything!"

"Libby-"

"Hey hey, hold on:" Scratch interrupted, moving to float above Molly protectively. His tone seemed to grow more hostile as Libby didn't back down from the shaky glare she was sending the two of them. "What exactly is so complicated about this? It's a stinkin' middle school crush letter!"

"You don't know anything!" She spat at him. He simply raised a brow, unintimidated.

"Oh yeah? Well how 'bout I learn?"

Libby's eyes shrunk to pinpricks in an instant.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh i would." With a smirk, Scratch lifted a finger up to the envelope seal.

"Scratch, come on." Molly said, though her voice was uneasy from the argument and lacking the firm tone she intended.

"P-Please don't. You- you don't understand-" Libby whispered, truly panicked.

And for a moment, Scratch hesitated. Because Libby was only Mollys age. And she looked so worried. It was so stupid- he knew this. He'd been a teen once, and knew that in a couple years all this relationship drama meant nothing. But right now it apparently meant 

so much to her she spoke to Molly like shit...

He tore open the envelope.

Libby buried her head in her jumper, mortified.

"This isn't gonna get resolved until you two learn to be honest with each other." He justified, taking the letter out. Honestly, kids and their silly fights. He was being the mature one here. This is what Sharon and Pete would want him to do. He glanced at the paper.

...Well. Plot twist.

His eyes widened. Libby glanced at Molly, horrified, before she let out a choked sound and took off running. Molly floundered between the two of them, looking distraught and unsure how to fix this argument. Just as she made up her mind to follow Libby, the paper floated in from above and obscured her vision.

She blinked at it for a moment, before yanking it out of Scratch's hand- making sure not to look at it. "I don't want to read it, Scratch! It's not for me, it's- whether she lied or not this is Libby's privacy!"

"I-" voice suddenly quiet, and face painted with...was that guilt(?), Scratch said "I think you'd get it if you did."

Molly huffed and tried to turn away, but curiosity weighed on her mind. After a few second of deliberation, her eyes glanced down to see the name- just the name! So maybe she could comfort Libby better...

'Dear Molly'

...What?

Chapter Text

'Dear Molly

Molly, Molly, my beloved friend

When I met you, I hoped we'd stay friends til the end

But with each passing day

My heart started to betray

My mind and now I must say that

I love you

As sure as the sun will rise and the sky is blue

As the morning dusts the grass with dew

As the waves crash I know that you

Are who my heart beats for

Your smile makes me dizzy

Your eyes sparkle and shine

A deep umber that makes my knees weak every time

I've wanted to tell you

For months upon months

What you do to my heart

Pitter patter thump thump

I want to stay by your side every morning and night

Let your stories and laughter fill my life with their light

Hold you close in the winter

Frolic in the summer

And know that I will be lonely no longer

But I'm scared to tell you; each attempt I fluster

Forgive me, for this letter is all I can muster

If I manage to send

Dont be shy, tell me when

You receive it

If you will be mine?

-Libby'

-

"Libby?" Molly whispered quietly. When there was no answer, she gently knocked on the other girls door. Again, no answer, but the sound of sniffling abruptly stopped.

"...Libby, please can I come in?"

When she heard no reply, Molly took a breath before cracking the door open and peering inside. Maybe it was wrong, but she had to see if her friend was ok. Libby's room was as dark as she could make it in the day, with all the curtains closed and blinds drawn. Light still cracked through, of course, and it offered Molly enough to see a large bundle under her friend's bed covers.

"Libs..." With a worried sigh, she closed the door behind her and crept over to the bed. The bundle didn't move, but the sound of hurried sniffling was clearly audible.

"Go away Molly." It managed to whisper, shakily. Molly winced, hurt for a moment, before looking at the floor.

"I just...think we need to talk." There was an uncomfortable silence. She released a shaky sigh. "Scratch showed me your letter."

The Libby-lump tensed slightly.

"...Of course." She scoffed, angrily, voice muffled from underneath. "I knew he hated me."

"Scratch doesn't hate you!" Molly's voice rose, defensively. She quickly glanced away, a series of conflicting emotions passing over her face. "He's just...not always a good friend. ...And I'm very mad at him too right now." Molly furrowed her brows. Her hands came up to hold her elbows, and she looked all around, uncomfortable.

Libby's turtle tank was empty and the reptiles were scattered across her bed. Molly distracted herself by picking up one who was (slowly) making a break for the edge of the bed and sitting him to rest with his buddy on a pillow. He settled down and she pat his shell, absentmindedly. "...But...I think we should talk about..." Her cheeks flushed, and she failed to keep the embarrassed warble out of her voice the next time she spoke. Her eyes stayed glued to the turtle shell. "What you wrote."

A mortified groan came from the blanket pile, and Molly chuckled bitterly.

"Yeah, I get that."

"Molly, please." Libby's muffled voice came again, this time sounding almost pained. The blanket pile lifted just enough for her to make out her pleading eyes through the darkness. "Just leave me alone. I already know you won't want to be friends now. You don't have to say it."

"Wh- you-" Molly fumbled for words, utterly bewildered. "Of course I still want to be your friend!"

"Right." The blankets dropped on her again.

"Libby!" Molly tried to scramble at the edges of the duvet, but Libby held them down tight.

"Leave me with whats left of my dignity!"

"Libby, I don't-! I-" Molly looked away, trying to figure out what exactly she needed to say. She couldnt find it exactly, but when she turned back to look at Libby, her cheeks were red. "...Did you mean it?"

There was an embarrassed sounding huff. "Would you write a super lame love poem you didn't mean?"

"...No."

There was silence.

"...I didn't think it was lame. I thought it was..." Biting her lip, shyly, Molly redirected her attention to Libby's turtles. "Really sweet. ...I think you're pretty cool too."

Another moment of silence. This time however, something in the air seemed different.

The blankets parted again, just enough to show a letterbox view of Libby's eyes. "Really?"

Despite her blush and embarrassed state, Molly managed to smile at her. "Well, yeah." She shrugged, burying her face in her shoulder. "I wish I could write something like that about how I feel about you."

Libby stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment, before the blanket pile collapsed on her again. Then it shuffled and fell apart and a green mass emerged from its remains. Her hair was even messier than usual, standing on end from the static of being under the duvet. Molly felt her cheeks heat up more at the sight of the girl. Pulling down her collar, Libby shot her a hesitant, yet hopeful look.

"Really?"

Suddenly too flustered to speak, Molly just nodded.

"Then..." Libby's brows furrowed and her eyes darted left and right in confusion. "Why didn't you say anything?!" She all but exploded. "You thought I was gonna ask someone else out!"

Looking away, Molly felt a small, uncomfortable smile form on her face. "I just...think you deserve the best. ...Even if it's not me." She breathed.

Libby blinked at her like she was stupid. "You are the best." She said it as surely as if telling Molly the sky was blue. The shorter girl flushed.

"Yeah but-" A hand came up to play with her hair. With a shy laugh, she said "You deserve...whatever you want. Everything. ...I just wanted you to be happy."

"Molly..." Libby reached forward out of second nature and took Molly's hand, immediately making both freeze. There was long moment where they just stared in silence at their joint hands, blushing, before Libby let out a flustered, fond laugh. "This is why I like you so much." She said softly. A smile was forming on her face- a genuine one, not one born of anxiety or bashful nerves. "You want everyone around you to be happy."

"It's my superpower." Molly replied with joking confidence. Libby giggled, while the shorter girl quickly went through the five stages of grief over her lame response to that admission.

"Well you make me happy." She said softly, interrupting the internal spiral. Molly looked into her eyes, before blushing and looking away.

"You too. ...Like, a lot." She giggled nervously and Libby joined in. After a short pause, the taller girl turned away.

"...Sorry I lied about sending the letter."

"It's ok. I...kinda get it now." Another uncomfortable chuckle- more of a breath really- escaped Molly's lips. She glanced back at the turtles for a distraction while rubbing her arm with her free hand. "I'm sorry I pressured you to send it. ...And let Scratch show me it when you didn't want me to read it."

"It's fine." Libby bit her lip. "I mean, I'm still kinda mad at him but," She turned and made eye contact with her, making Molly's stomach erupt in butterflies. Her eyes were so dark and pretty and sure.... "I don't think I could be mad at you." She breathed. With a shrug, she continued. "And, y'know, it was kinda nice to get my feelings down on paper. Thats actually sort of why I went through with it. I thought- maybe if I wrote it all down it'd...go away and I wouldnt feel so weird around you anymore... But y'know, it's dumb so I wasn't gonna send it or anything-"

"It's not dumb!" Molly quickly interrupted, sounding almost offended. "I like your poems. You're really talented, Libs." Molly patted the paper in her pocket and felt her heart swell at having one just for her. With her free hand she squeezed Libby's.

Said girl cracked a small, disbelieving smile, staring at their hands. "...Thanks. ...Anyway, the letter didn't work," She laughed to herself, embarrassed. "I still have a huge crush on you, but...I mean, it's good that it's at least getting some use? I guess? Ugh, I've been talking too long, I'm just making this weird-"

"No no-!" Molly reached out to to stop her and her hand fell on top of Libby's shoulder. The two stared at the point of contact for a moment, then back at how close they now were, with glowing blushes. "Sorry-" Molly said quickly, trying to pull away, only to pause as she felt Libby put her own shaky hand on her waist. When she looked back at her, face even redder, she saw the girl half-burying herself into her jumper, but smiling.

"I mean. I-I-I just figured since you said you liked me too, we, um. ...Y-you know."

"We can...date?" Despite the confirmation that her feelings were reciprocated, Molly still sounded nervous, and the smile she cracked was anxiously wide. Butterflies beat against her stomach.

"Yeah..." Smile now fully hidden in her collar, but betrayed by her eyes, Libby whispered. "I'd like that."

The two stared at each other, overcome with giddy nerves for a few seconds before letting out breathy chuckles.

"This is...wow. I have a girlfriend!" Molly wheezed, looking at their hands. Her smile was frozen in place.

"Yeah. M-me too!" She swung their hands back and forth gently, and Molly squeezed hers tight. Neither were quiet sure if they were supposed to kiss now or what. They were close enough to, but both seemed to get cold feet about closing the gap. Regardless they didn't move apart. Instead they just sat, pink in the face, looking between their hands, each other, and anywhere else in the room with giddy smiles

"So..." Molly broke the silence first, twirling a stray hair around her finger. "You uh...wanna go to the movies this weekend?"

"S-sure!" Libby's smile nearly split her face in two and she sprung fully out of her collar in excitement. "What'd you wanna see?"

Immediately Molly froze.

"...Shoot. I have no idea what's on. Ok, didn't think that date idea through- let's try again-" Libby's laughter cut off her attempt to salvage the situation. The shorter girl swatted at her lightly, pretending to be offended.

"How about just the dance?" Libby asked softly after a minute. Molly blinked at her for a moment. Then she buried her face in her palms.

"Yeah. That." Her voice was empty and dry with defeat. Libby snorted. When Molly raised her head from her hands she was also smiling.

"...I'd really like that."

-

Scratch was upon her as soon as she got downstairs. "Molly-! What happened- is Libs ok?" He scanned her face, biting his lip guiltily. There was nothing there to discern however- at least nothing useful. She just kept smiling and humming to herself.

Despite the fact he was grabbing her cheeks, Molly looked straight through him. A hand reached up and pushed him off with barely a reaction. Scratch blinked wildly as she walked straight past him and skipped out the front door.

"...Ok, I feel like I missed a lot."