"Alright!" Pencil started, placing a hand on her hip as she walked towards the mall entrance. Match, directly beside her, gave the girl her attention. "We are so ready to take on this mall."
Today was Valentine's Day, and unlike most years, Pencil had suggested a different method of celebration. Instead of tradition: buying a bunch of aesthetically pleasing foods and such and indulging by taking the best photos, they'd do the exact opposite, and see how many stores they could trick into giving them free items. The mall seemed like a great place to target, since it's literally just a big collection of them.
"Like born ready," Match replied, taking a look around as they approached the doors. There wasn't much fancy decor, which made sense, because out of all the corporate holidays, Valentine's was pretty minor. A couple of decals containing hearts were stuck to the glass doors they walked through, and there were some posters advertising some deals inside pasted here and there.
Once they'd entered, the liminal atmosphere of the mall made itself known. Pop music drifted from floor to ceiling, bouncing off of the waxed tile floor. Today was a bit busier than usual, so people's voices intercepted the echoing instrumental. Every now and then between stores was a vending machine, bench, or big poster with some cheesy slogan.
Match took it all in gratefully, she loved the mall. When the stores were up to date, they were full of things just for her to look at, comment on, and more than occasionally purchase, which made her want to stay for hours. Having Pencil here made the experience much, much better.
As she inhaled, the ingredients of nearby fast food places wafted over. It reminded her of the time, which was well past breakfast.
"Hey, are you, like, hungry?" Turning to Pencil as they continued onward, she unknowingly started the mission they'd come here to do.
"Mmmm… Yeah, a little."
"Me too."
"Where do you wanna go?" Pencil gazed towards the places nearby, though distance certainly didn't confine where she was willing to go to eat with Match.
"Hmm…" Looking inside herself, Match thought about that question. The first smell that'd reached her was something sugary, and it still stood out to her more than anything. "... I dunno, like, something sweet."
"There's a bakery right over there, they probably have donuts and stuff?" The other girl raised her arm to point in its direction.
"Yess." Match followed her direction.
Pencil liked the mall for the same reasons Match did, which was why she felt so intelligent for suggesting the idea of bargaining in the first place, like no store would see it coming that people would purposefully come and get items today so they were cheaper. It would seriously start to get real when the cashiers were tired of all the business and just went with what they said.
She stepped up to put the two girls as the next in line. There was only one other person, who was currently ordering in front of them, which gave her just the right amount of time to spot a poster besides the menu.
COUPLES ON VALENTINES DAY GET A DONUT *FREE*! It read. Why do only couples get a discount? This was literally the most excluding deal ever. Does this bakery think it's Pencil's fault she's never seen a man with any appeal?
"Hi, what can I get you?" The cashier made their way to the register, interrupting her thoughts. Whatever, they'd just have to pay for it normally. Other stores probably had better opportunities, anyway, so she wasn't too hung up on it.
"Umm… Can I get an old-fashioned?" There was a short moment for the worker to process before Match took her cue to order.
"And, can I like, get a… Chocolate cake one?" The person behind the counter nodded, pressed a couple of buttons, and then stated the price. Match won the race of fishing for her wallet, so she went to pay, pulling out the amount stated. It was kind of unspoken that Match was willing to spend more money than most people, especially if it was at a place like the mall.
In a quick interaction, they grabbed the pastries and sat down at some nearby plush chairs. Pencil glared down at the food she'd just ordered in between bites, thinking.
"Pence-pence?" Match easily pulled her out of her mind, and she looked over to the other, who had noted her discomfort. "What's like, wrong?"
"Nothing, just… We totally should've gotten these for free or something. Did you see the poster in there? Couples get free donuts. That's so unfair. We're just as important!" Once she'd finished her little statement, she brought the treat up and took a bite. Even if she was mad at the store, it still tasted good.
"OMT, really?" The girl beside her hadn't paid attention to the poster herself, she was too busy trying to decide on a flavor. "That's so totally dumb! … Oh, y'know the whole 'galentines' day thing? We need like, so much more of that."
"Exactly!" Pencil sighed, looking over to Match's donut. The red-haired girl noticed this, promptly holding it up to the other's mouth to offer a bite, to which she took one. Vanilla was more to Pencil's liking, but chocolate was a close cut.
She'd kept her eyes open while taking this bite, looking first at Match's nails and then at her face. Going out shopping on Valentine's Day and then feeding each other was kind of like a couple's activity. That thought had her pulling away and chewing silently, but it also made her think.
Before she forgot, Pencil offered Match a bite of her own sweet in return. What was a stupid mall bakery to say what they could and couldn't do? Match and Pencil could do whatever they wanted, especially if it meant getting free donuts. There was no fairness in letting someone else get free items just because they said they were dating.
… Wait.
Back from another train of thought, Pencil turned to Match. She was holding some tabletop advertisement she snatched off of the small table beside her.
"... What's that?" Pencil asked, peeking over her shoulder to read.
"It's like, a list of stores with stuff off today." She offered up the piece of paper to Pencil as she continued to explain. "The bakery isn't, like, the only place doing free couple stuff. There's like, a bunch of places!"
".... Hey, Matchy, I have an idea." Pencil's eyes drifted down the list of ten or so stores giving free things out to couples, apparently today only. It was stuff like that the two had come for, and to be majorly disappointed by it being only available to more-than-friends had sparked ideas.
"Wassup?"
"We could get all this stuff just by saying we're a couple, y'know."
Match blinked as she processed. It wasn't quite the lying to cashiers she had any feelings towards, just the content of the lies. She'd thought about how close she and Pencil were compared to others, certainly a blessing, but this was entering a new territory. They wouldn't just be joking when saying they kinda acted like they were each other's girlfriends, the assignment was to do so, convincingly.
"... Let's do it!" That idea made her very excited. Only because it seemed fun, free stuff, pretending and all. Had the excitement been any more than that, it'd have to be paired with shame, she was sure.
"Coolio!" Pencil shot an affirm back, taking another bite of her food and swallowing. "Now let's figure out where we wanna go."
Shortly after, they'd plan their mission. Clothing and beauty stores were set to the highest priority, food following depending on their hunger, and any others set to last. By then, they could leave.
In a few minutes, they'd drop the bakery that'd ignited Pencil's spite, making a quick walk to their first stop: a retail selling lotions, perfumes, and such; more specifically anything they could shove a scent into.
A large, saturated display held their most recent limited edition scent, strawberry cream soda, towards the entrance of the store. Candles, soaps, lotions, and body sprays infused with it were laid out among paper cutouts of heart-based, swirly, red, and pink designs.
The deal Match and Pencil were looking for was also clearly stated yet again: that couples could get free products– specifically a pair of products of the same scent– for free.
The two were very attracted to the scene presented, immediately going up and trying a tester on the back of their hands. Aside from the basic strawberry base, the soda part of the product seemed to make itself very distinctive.
"That's, like, so crazy…" Match thought aloud as she wondered how you could get something to smell like a soda. Pencil nodded along, marking it as a possibility for their choice of collection in her head.
Once they'd finished with the attractive display, Match moved further back into the more basic part of the store. Products sorted by collection were on shelves from counter to ceiling, each lit individually. Pencil followed, and they sorted through mainly familiar scents they wondered if they needed more of.
A roster of possible choices they could make was created and then whittled away at. In the background, employees took this as a clear indicator that the two had no trouble finding what they were looking for.
"I dunno, I've been running low on my A Thousand Wishes body spray," Pencil pointed to the far left of their lineup, which was the exact A Thousand Wishes body spray she was talking about.
"I know…! And you like, literally would not be like, the same without it." Her best friend responded, placing her hands on her hips in thought. "... But I need some lotion, like, bad, and I love the Sweet Pea one…"
Match looked towards the right side of the lineup, which had the mentioned lotion. In between the two was the store's most recent release, the limited edition Valentine's Day Strawberry Cream Soda, in hand lotion.
They could either get one of the two's choice in product, Sweet Pea or A Thousand Wishes, or both of their choice. Neither Match nor Pencil had any particular distaste for the other's choice, so making that sacrifice wasn't the problem. It was more of do we get a refill, or do we get this really cool one?
In reality, all of the products really weren't that different. The only thing switching from collection to collection was the smell and color. The packaging was only slightly differentiated, all the formulas were the same, and each was just as tacky as the next.
Accidentally, Pencil brought her hand over to point to the hand lotion in the middle at the same exact time Match spoke. ".... We should, like, get the new one."
Amused by their synchronization, the two turned to look at each other, mouths agape as they exaggerated. That prompted a laugh.
"OMMSF…" Match exclaimed, grabbing her choice of product in an aim to put it back. Pencil grabbed the hand lotion and the body spray, doing the same.
After a short shuffle around the store, they settled on bringing both a body lotion and body spray to the register. They weren't going to pay, however, just walking out felt like something they could still get punished for.
As they approached, Pencil recalled that they had to pose as a couple to get these things. She figured it'd be easy to trick a corporate, it wasn't like the cashiers would care, right? But as she kept thinking, she hung on to the small chance that type of worker could be nearby, dedicated enough to sniff them out.
When they got to the back of the store, nobody was in line yet. The person behind the counter made direct eye contact with the two. Their expression was completely neutral– which is exactly what worried Pencil. How was she supposed to gauge someone's dedication to their workplace?
Pencil looked to her side, lacing her arm with Match's, just in case.
Match was initially surprised by that, but then smiled to herself. Earlier, when Pencil had suggested they play as a couple to get free things, she wasn't really expecting that to involve body language, more of totally sly-and-not-shady verbal convincing. Not at all was getting in on the plan disappointing, in fact, she was hoping it'd go further somehow because it… was really fun.
After setting down her own choice of product, Pencil reached over with her free arm and grabbed Match's spray to set down beside it on the counter. The worker across from them grabbed said items, punched whatever they were into the register, and put them in a small plastic bag. Their expression was still neutral, and as they had, they still didn't seem to care much about who the two girls were.
"... Is this all?" They uttered, looking towards the bag.
"Yeah," Pencil replied.
"'Kay…" A quick turn back to the register brought on a couple seconds of finalizing, and then they'd look towards their customers, one of which seemed slightly dazed, both of which linking arms. "... We have the posted Valentine's Day discount today, so… These are free."
"... There's some coupons on the receipt you can use next time you shop with us." They continued. Some bitter sounds came from the printer beside them, spitting out a receipt which they'd snatch and stuff into the bag. Pencil– who'd done most of the checking out at this point– grabbed the bag casually, matching the cashier's level of coolness.
"... Thanks." It was when she and her friend backed away that she let go of that persona, giggling along with Match out of the store, though she didn't unlink their arms.
"That's, like, crazy!" Match exclaimed, happy that their mission was turning out successful. Since she was fixating on the pretend relationship part, she didn't really participate, but it's whatever. Pencil was used to and sometimes enjoyed doing more handling and planning. She was one of the only people who could handle Match's need for princess treatment (to a degree, of course). "Do you think they, like, had any idea?"
"Probably," Pencil shrugged, smirking at the thought as they walked to the next store, a bit further down the huge hall. "Even if they did, they couldn't say anything, 'cause that's like searching without a warranty, or something."
"OMMSF, you're like, right… Y'think we could like, sue, or something?"
"Maybe?" By now, Pencil had noticed their prolonging touch, quietly side-eyeing their linked arms as Match continued to talk, though she hated having her attention directed elsewhere. She figured there was nothing wrong with keeping things like this. They were going to walk this close to each other anyway. What if the cashier from earlier came back to find them again? They'd need to keep the face up just a little.
Pencil admittedly liked the idea of posing as a couple too, maybe more than she should. She'd been even more excited on the idea of tricking companies into giving them free items, so that's why she supposed she liked it so much.
"... But like, as I was saying," Match trailed on as the two led into another storefront, one they recognized less. This store was really just one to consider, not necessarily a successful visit. "That video totally reminded me of you, with the like, money and the cars and like, everything. Kinda dumb that it was made for boys though…"
The racks here were filled with more unisex clothing, unlike the two's preferred clothing stores. There wasn't a particular rule for the two of them to dress or shop for feminine things, it's just that masculine clothing was typically dull and boring. Men just didn't know how to appreciate fashion with statement colors and animal prints.
A single product stood out to Pencil as soon as she walked in, however, which was a super rare occasion in a place like this. She tugged on Match's arm, promptly giving her the bag of beauty supplies, then rushing to the back of the store alongside her.
"... Match…. It's beautiful…" Coming to a stop, Pencil's hand reached out to the hangers on the railing in front of her. She felt up a neutral-ish pink, synthetic, fuzzy jacket. Its texture was like a teddy bear, which is probably what had led her over because Pencil couldn't stop running her fingers over it.
"OMMSF, it's pink…!" Match's mouth was agape for a moment before she turned to the group of hangers it had come from. "They like, need to have this in your size, or else it's like, a crime."
Thankfully, the universe chose to reward Match for her pleas, as there was a large selection of the jackets. She filtered through the small tags reading off the sizes, but ended up just eyeing it and picking the one that looked like it'd fit Pencil's size. Swiveling back around, she shoved it to the girl beside her, who took it graciously, sliding the garment over her arms as fast as possible and gazing in a mirror close by.
"OMS…" Grinning, she spun herself around to get a good look at how it fit her in the reflection, seemingly proud. As suddenly as she'd gone to see her reflection, she turned back to Match expectantly.
"It's soooo perfect!" Match gushed, watching as Pencil continued to pose casually. Her free hand reached out to feel its texture as well but was soon met with a small piece of plastic prodding at her finger. It was the store's price tag, which upon closer inspection read a way bigger number than she thought they'd be able to handle.
"..... Pencil," Voice down to a whisper, she lightly tugged at the paper and plastic to call the other's attention. Sensing the urgency almost immediately, Pencil's eyes followed her friend's direction, gaze landing on the tag. The price was high, even if the jacket wasn't a thousand dollars or anything. "What do we like, do…"
Store pop-radio filled in the silence as Pencil looked around in thought. She glanced towards the cashier, who was busy with stuff on a small monitor, then to the only other person than the girls who were shopping, and finally caught a better look at the store's posted deals for the holiday. Here, it was posted that couples could get two items within a price range.
"... I'll put this up first, and then you get something and make it really last minute, so they don't notice the price. Then we can walk out with both." Attempting to look casual, she mimicked Match's volume. "And they need to think we're a couple."
As if she were receiving a mission like a government official, Match nodded her head. A cosmetics store would just be kind of a letdown had their plan failed, but this was serious. This was an expensive jacket. They could be asked to pay up if her performance wasn't up to par, or worse, have to walk out empty-handed.
"It's like, sooo perfect…" Unpausing her earlier enthusiastic reaction, she continued to compliment the fuzzy garment, putting emphasis on her conversation in case the cashier was bothering to listen. Her hand continued to trail against the pink material, then guided a while upwards, playing with Pencil's hair between her fingers. "And look, baby, it like, twins with your hair!"
"I know, right?" Pencil smiled nonchalantly, disregarding how her face was starting to warm. On the other side, Match started to contemplate if that wasn't forward enough. Someone could still accidentally deem the two as friends, especially if they weren't tuned in enough to hear her pet names, cough, cough.
"You should toootally get it," She made an effort to close up the space between them, which wasn't too much in the first place, ending up just a slight step closer to her friend. Keeping her hands close, she reached around her shoulders, grabbing a hold of the coat's collar in reference to take it off. "Here, do you like, want me to hold for you?"
"No, don't worry, I got it." Hiding any evidence of hastiness, Pencil made sure her smirk didn't waver as she allowed the other to remove the coat for her, then took it back into her arms and folded it slightly. Match's fake advances were making it hard for her to have their game plan first in her mind, regardless of how fake it was.
Match, on the other hand, thought nothing of it. Since they were acting, she was thinking about the opposite of where the line is drawn, and how obvious she should make this fake relationship to trick the cashier, and admittedly for her own enjoyment. Only when Pencil started to worry would she start worrying.
As they approached the cash register, Match linked arms with Pencil again, as she had at the first store. This time, she added in a touch of excessive giggling to seal the deal, which Pencil copy-reciprocated.
The cashier's attention was caught as they made their way up if it hadn't been earlier with the duo being some of the only people in the store. They didn't seem particularly happy, mainly neutral, maybe with a small side of confusion, which Pencil took note of. The selected coat was gently placed on the table in front of the girls standing side by side.
"... Have any trouble finding anything?" They asked though it didn't sound like they actually had any regard for if they did or didn't. A hand reached out, pulled the coat close, and searched for the tag they'd then slide beside the barcode scanner.
"No, like, thanks…" Match twirled her hair on her finger, carelessness laced in her voice.
"Good to hear," Was the curt reply she'd get. Their head, what looked like to be muscle memory, started to turn to the monitor beside them.
"Hey–" Pencil snapped their attention right back, almost forgetting her soft tone. "We saw that there's a deal here? For couples on Valentine's day?" She was sure to pull Match's linked arm close when she said that, in case they hadn't noticed how the two were walking arm-in-arm already.
"... That's right," The cashier stared in her direction. "But you have to get two items… Both less than–"
"What would you recommend I like, get?" Match made her interruption the least straight forward as possible, playfully pouting a bit. "I'm like, totally indecisive…"
Some of their confusion had been amplified and turned into annoyance after stumbling over what was supposed to be a simple interaction. The two were quite in their face, but that wasn't uncommon for customer service, so for the most part they were unphased by the pestering.
"Well, for a simple option, there's key chains right below you."
"Oh… But like… Which one?"
"... A red one?"
"Thank you!" Reaching down with her free hand, she pulled off an enamel keychain with a red tone from a metal display hook. It was a heart design with a smiley face. Sliding it across the counter, the cashier took it into their hand and slid it under the barcode scanner once again. "You have like, such good taste in design choice…"
"... Thanks." It was clear they were unsure how to respond, making wavering eye contact while looking at a small printer a couple of inches away from the monitor. A good result came from the friends' efforts, as they forgot to check the monitor before printing, folding, and shoving the receipt into a bag alongside the two chosen products.
They awkwardly placed the plastic bundle on the counter, muttering a 'Have a nice day,' and receiving two 'Thanks!'s in return, then side-eyeing the two as the pushy couple walked out of the store.
Of course, two stores of "hard work" didn't discourage the pair from going further. They thoroughly enjoyed their time in the free-market palace that was the mall, walking from storefront to storefront and checking each visit off their mental list.
After they'd done more than half of their shopping, the donuts they had previously bought started to prove as weak fuel, and by this time, another snack wouldn't hold their hunger off. Now, they sat in the food court at a table and chairs among many, eating a casual serving of mall court pizza– which was another item they'd managed to pry for free with some couple-pretending and weaponized incompetence.
"There is like, literally nothing better than this pizza," Match uttered, setting her slice down after being reminded she didn't have to eat it like it would grow legs and run off. Pencil, sitting across from her, nodded enthusiastically.
Pencil went over the list in her head, chewing on the last bite of her slice. Just as she'd planned, there was one stop the two hadn't made it to, the one closest to the entrance they'd exit from after their trip. It was a dingy discount store, with no key theme to whatever they sold other than cheap quality. Those were her favorite types because they were easiest to steal from. Nobody who worked there really cared.
Across from her, Match sipped her drink and admired her collection of acquired items, all dressed up in various paper and plastic bags. She'd have to tell Bubble the stories of how she got each one of them later.
"... 'Kay," The pink-haired girl uttered, grabbing her used paper plate suddenly and crushing it with a hand. "I'm ready to go! What about you, Matchy?" Pencil turned her head to her side, catching sight of a trash can just meters away. She gauged how far of a throw it'd be, reeled back, and attempted to land her paper ball inside it. That failed, which got a shrug from her.
"I'm, like, ready too!" In reply, Match gathered her things, excluding her newly made trash which she'd leave for someone else to clean up, and stood up in unison with her best friend. She started to talk as they walked, following Pencil's guidance since she assumed she knew where they'd be going next.
"And–...." Just ten or so steps away from the table, she noticed something leftover on said girl's face while making eye contact to ensure she had her attention. "Hold on, Pence-pence, like stop for a second."
The two halted in the middle of the pathway in the mall, unbothered as to whose way they were in. If anything, others were in their way, don't get it twisted. Match squinted as she aimed her acrylics in the perfect direction, swiftly flicking a crumb off of the other girl's face. Pencil felt that, but noticed they were still standing there even after.
".... Is it gone?" Pencil asked, a bit frozen in time. Match suddenly bent her head down, now rummaging around in her things.
"Like, yeah, just gimme a second…" Once she'd located what she needed, the redhead pulled out a bottle of lip gloss, clicking around with the unscrew-able cap as she opened it. "You like, need this too. Your lips are dry."
"Oh." There was a short reply as she simply stood around while Match fixed her up. In a couple of seconds, her lip-gloss-applying hand retracted, and she returned the small plastic bottle to its home in her pocket. "Y'know, Match, I have my own lip gloss and chapstick."
"I, like, know. But it's like, way more fun to put it on someone else, don't you think?" That was a pretty agreeable statement. Pencil can recall several sleepovers in which she'd do someone else's makeup or choose their outfit and found it was much more enjoyable– assuming they cooperated. She expressed her affinity for the topic, and as they continued walking, that became the subject of the minute.
Approaching the entrance to the store, Pencil was sure to take a long glimpse at the deals poster in the window. COUPLES ON VALENTINE'S DAY BUY ONE GET *THREE FREE*! was what it read, with some smaller subtext about what items it did or didn't apply to. She smiled to herself. She would certainly be getting three or more items, but there was no way she would be caught now paying for it.
Match stepped to the side in an effort to get closer to Pencil, sure to grab her arm before they had gone inside. Pencil took this graciously, squeezing her briefly in return.
They browsed for quite a while, targeting the beauty section yet again. There was never any harm in stocking up on items you'd just end up buying later, something proved and encouraged by Pencil when commenting on Match's choices in items. There were some exclusive pink, red, and strawberry-scented editions of products they'd typically buy as well, but definitely all hit or misses. After ten minutes, they ended up with a mini shopping list– even if the poster advised three items with one paid for.
"It's fine," Pencil whispered to her bestie behind the nail polish shelf. "We'll just do some bargaining. Three is a close enough number to… Twenty."
"Yeah, and, we're like, pros." Nudging her head towards the bags as evidence, Match referenced their past escapades snatching free items that really weren't supposed to be free. Pencil nodded, returning her gaze to the shelf of nail polishes.
Most of these she had something similar to back at home, but sometimes there was a better version or even one she hadn't seen before. A bottle of metallic chrome caught her eye, it was a dark silver, which totally went with her personal color palette. Her hand picked it out before immediately showing the girl beside her as if with muscle memory.
"Hey, Matchy, look at this!" Not too far away, Match's head turned to look within the second.
"OMMSF…! It's so your color!" In turn, one of her hands picked the smooth glass out of the others, while another held up Pencil's fingers beside it. She smirked, nudging her side with her elbow. "We should get it, so I can like, paint it on you. It'd make you, like, look prettier than you already are."
"Why thank you," Pencil retorted, rolling her eyes in dramatic admiration. "But that kinda just sounds like an excuse to hold my hands for an hour…?"
"Ummm… Excuse? That was like, the only reason why I asked, duh." They laughed off the pretend flirting as the bottle was shoved into their inventory.
"I think I'm ready to check out," Pencil said, admiring her harvest with a smile on her face. Nothing wrong with a girl growing an illegal habit.
"Then, like, I am too," Match replied, linking the girl's arms again.
The two made brief confirming eye contact, starting the last step of their mission. There was a clear mutual adrenaline rush that this trip had given them, and now it was in its highest form of excitement, expressed by whispering and giggling about what they were about to get away with.
Pencil guided the two of them to the cash register, scanning the shelves one last time to be sure there wasn't anything important she'd missed when her eyes graced over a four-foot mirror.
The reflection caught her eye almost immediately. Her body language was really strange. She was pulling Match really close with that linked arm. Other things started to stand out to her too, like how her heartbeat was really loud, and she was smiling way too wide. She regained her composure pretty quickly.
The possibility that she could take this whole fake-couple thing too far kept looming over her performance. However, as they walked over to the cash register, it was easy to remind herself that there wasn't really a line to be drawn on platonic and romantic if they were only acting.
Suddenly– Match stopped in her tracks, which immediately snapped Pencil's attention back to where it should be.
"... Oh my fudgesicles." Match hissed. "Are you kidding me…?"
"Oh, hey, Match," Firey– the cashier– said as if his identity had no relevance to the current situation, standing behind the counter. "What're you doing here?" Unlike his sister, he had no undertones of anger in his voice.
"Like, of course, you work here," Match uttered, taking the last of the steps up to the desk. She'd let go of Pencil's arm and set down her haul. Pencil followed suit with her items, being sure to not let any of the copious number of them fall off the counter.
On one hand, this was relatively terrible. If Firey found out about what they were doing, he could totally expose Match to any nearby authority. At home, that was fine, but in public, that meant she'd never walk through the mall again– Pencil all the same.
On the other hand, this was relatively fine. Firey wasn't the… Keenest on undercover strategies. It was more often for her to catch him doing things he shouldn't be than the other way around. Maybe he wouldn't notice what was going on if she kept her cool.
"Umm… Yeah, I work here. I told you last week, didn't I?" Disregarding the items on the counter, Firey continued the conversation casually. "They hired me without even asking for a resume! It's pretty cool. I get paid two dollars an hour."
"Yeah, that's, like, totally awesome, Firey!" Match chirped, nodding her head. She paused very briefly before switching the subject, insistent on getting to the point of her trip. "So… Since you're, like, my brother and all, you're gonna be, like, cool about all this, right?"
"....... All what?" He raised an eyebrow, staring blankly at Match for a minute.
"Well… We have the, like, couples discount… So… Basically, we, like, don't have to pay for this." Match nudged with her voice. "... Right?"
This plan of playing it down was making her feel uneasy, in an annoyed type of way. That was typical when appealing to Firey to get his approval. She hoped he uncharacteristically chose not to use this ill power dynamic as blackmail in some way, even though had she been in his shoes she would've done exactly that.
With his eyebrow still raised, Firey looked down at the items and then up to the girls.
He shook his head. "... Pencil's your best friend. She's not… Y'know."
"I said we have the couple's discount…!" Match nudged again, this time leaning over the counter with her voice in a bit of a whisper. One of her hands reached back and pulled Pencil over by her side, gripping her pretty tightly. Pencil nodded in approval.
He stared at Match for a long moment, and then down to the numerous number of items. It was easy to read on his face that his brain was checking the boxes of suspicious behavior.
"Wait, so…" Firey scratched his chin and narrowed his eyes. "You're trying to steal all this stuff."
"It's not stealing," Pencil rolled her eyes, adding in a quick comment. "It's all stuff that fits in the discount." Probably.
"Just, like, let us get it, Firey," Match sighed. "It like, doesn't even matter. We'll literally leave the store like, right after you check us out. Nobody's gonna know."
A smirk grew on the cashier's face. It was evident he realized Match was right, it didn't matter to him, but it mattered to her. He didn't expect getting hired by a money laundering scheme to be the boost of authority he'd get over Match.
The instances Match had kept him from getting what he wanted replayed in his mind as he crossed his arms and puffed his chest. With lots of intended suspense, Firey eventually shook his head and scoffed.
"Nope," He clicked his tongue. "Sorry Match. The sale is for couples only. Come back when you finally get a boyfriend," he said in his sassiest tone.
Match closed her eyes and curled her fingers. If her nails weren't so expensive, she'd be digging them into the countertop she was leaning on. This whole situation was getting on her nerves to the point of mocking her attempts to hide her frustration.
When she opened her eyes again, they stayed half-lidded and focused on the pile of goods in front of her. This would be her last and most humiliating attempt, which Firey would have to relish in for the rest of his life as the only time Match willingly said:
".... Like, please, let us do this, Firey…?" Admitting to her lower level on the food chain while looking him in the eye. She was hunching over the counter a bit in discomfort. "If you, like, didn't know who we were, you would've let us go… Like, literally every other store did!"
"Well then, it's a good thing I do know you, 'cause now I can stop you from stealing!" He taunted, visibly holding back from sticking out his tongue.
Pencil had progressively gotten more and more pissed off at Firey throughout this interaction. Match might be at her last resort by saying please, but Pencil would probably have to be put on death row before she even considered leaving this store without her findings.
Match's mental preparation to leave was interrupted by Pencil gripping her arm, pulling her directly to her side.
"We don't look like a couple to you, huh, Firey?" Pencil questioned aggressively, raising an eyebrow. If they were going to have to play by his rules, she would do what she's been doing all day and pretend. Her friend just kind of stared her in the face.
"Well, yeah, 'cause you're not one," He rolled his eyes. That was a no-brainer. "You're BFFs. Valentine's deals are just shopping sprees to you."
"... Oh really?" Pencil quipped, now placing her arm on Match's shoulder. "Then how come we're walking while holding hands and shopping together?"
".... Yeah," By this point, Match had started to get a hold of what Pencil was trying to pull, smiling. She leaned into the other's touch, now placing a hand on her chest. "You might, like, know us as BFFs, but like, did you ever ask if we were, like, a couple?"
Firey lost his cocky smirk, now trying to configure a way to outsmart their tactics. A small part of his brain did genuinely wonder if they had recently started dating without him knowing.
"Nuh-uh," He retorted. That small piece of his brain got shoved back. Of course, that wasn't the case! They were just trying to get him to agree to their terms. There wasn't a single time he could name that made them seem like more than friends. "You want me to ask so you can just say you're dating."
"Umm… Yeah. Because when you're dating you say that you're dating." Pencil huffed. That comment was kind of pulled out of nowhere, but it seemed to really stump Firey. He went quiet, unfortunately displaying his confusion all over his face.
"Well…!" There was no way something was actually going on, right? The curious part of his brain got bigger. Firey stammered, rushing through his question. "If you really are dating, why didn't you tell me?"
"We're, like, kind of keeping it secret…" Match said, fluttering her lashes in Pencil's direction. Pencil held back a bit of laughter. "Not much has, like, changed anyway, y'know?"
Firey's brows progressively creased as he grew more and more puzzled. In the meantime, Match and Pencil sold their act the best they could, keeping close to each other and fidgeting suggestively. Match's hand reached up to start playing with Pencil's hair again, while Pencil muttered some shallow compliments to the other.
"Well..!!" Firey uncrossed his arms, hands now in fists. His face was heating up from annoyance. Each of the three surrounding the counter was quite determined to make things work in their favor, which created a game of ego-fueled authority hot potato.
"You have to prove it!" Firey blurted out, glare switching between the two. Pencil raised her eyebrows, immediately opening her mouth to simply prove it with words and say We're dating, but he shushed her down.
"You can't just say it! You've gotta… Do something only couples do. You–you have to kiss!" After he'd finished assigning them their next impossible task, he started to calm down and regain his confidence. Had they actually been a couple, kissing would be a totally normal thing to do, but otherwise, they'd have quite the struggle– and probably give up. This was where he'd got them cornered, he thought.
Briefly, Match gritted her teeth. This was becoming way more of a task than she wanted it to be. When she looked to Pencil to determine if that was something she actually wanted to go through with, her anger immediately became a background topic.
The two made unreadable eye contact through a couple seconds of silence.
Both of their minds had started to debate. Whether they were acting or not, they'd be kissing each other for real. Neither knew what that was supposed to make them feel anymore, and they had no time nor space to think about it, standing directly beside each other with Firey waiting. Match's face, which held a completely flat expression, started to get warm.
Finally, they started to lean in. It was a bit shaky since they both were way too conflicted emotionally to ask if the kiss was going to happen, so for a moment there was a back-and-forth of reading each other's body language.
When their lips met, it was astonishingly quiet in the store. Not just because blood was rushing to their faces and probably affecting their hearing, but also because Firey's mind had just short-circuited in the background and he didn't know what to do or think anymore.
The first was a very short peck on the lips, and it wasn't long before two or three more came. Since they'd set themselves up to be so close, there was easy access for re-connection.
Admittedly, the kiss was more personal than either of them would let off since Match and Pencil were very… special people in each other's lives. A bit of passion did show through their efforts, even if they were hesitant and uncoordinated.
As soon as they'd reached the threshold of a real, passing kiss, they quietly inched apart, trying to ignore the inner turmoil they felt. Pushing away the conflicting thoughts in their minds took away some of the artificial aspect, and a horrifying awkwardness started to creep up around the two.
With more experience and a bit less first-time shock, they would've been able to sell that kiss as more of a habit than improvisation. However, for Firey, the fact that it happened at all proved enough for him. Deeming their performance realistic or not was half as important as assessing the emotional damage he took from watching it. Not a single bit of drama there.
After quickly regaining their composure, Match and Pencil redirected their focus back to the items. Match hastily linked arms with her friend again, taking a step towards the counter.
"So," She mustered up the brainpower to reclaim her authority, happily taking the opportunity to relish in her victory rather than her first kiss. "You're like, gonna bag all that and give it to us, right, Firey?"
"Um… Ugh. Yeah," The aforementioned boy blinked in an effort to bring himself back to reality. He sighed, reaching down to the dispenser of bags by his side. "Sure." Note to self: don't dare your sister to kiss her friends. Ew.
Match smiled to herself. Pencil was pretty glad Match was focusing on the counter and not her, as her gaze and thoughts kept lingering on her best friend. She wouldn't be able to reply if she were asked a question right now.
In theory, that wasn't good. Not only should she really be prepared for anything, but it was just flat-out weird to think of friends that way, which is something she's certainly not. But half of her mind was still stuck on convincing Firey they were dating. She really didn't want to dive into the reason for that right now, let alone at all ever, so she locked it away in her mind.
She was just… really happy to link arms with Match and shop together all day.
After a silent bagging session, Firey handed Match her and Pencil's items in defeat. Match took them graciously, immediately turning her heel to give Pencil half of the weight and skip out of the store.
"Thank you 'sir'!" She said, clicking her tongue. Firey felt his face heat up in a bit of anger, but he was too confused to defend himself. As they exited, he sank behind the counter. He needed to sit down.
…. Were they dating or not?
Match looked to Pencil with a wide smile as they walked out, giggling lightly. Pencil returned it, finally brushing away the last of her flusteredness.
If there was one practice that kept them so close, it was reassurance. It wasn't in the way that the word typically is meant to be used– not once would Match or Pencil say some sappy crap like "It's okay, I'm here for you," when the other was sad. How childish that would be.
Rather, their power to consistently say and believe, to reassure themselves they were more normal and therefore better than everyone around them while doing whatever they wanted, which may or may not include things typically considered "outlandish." That intensified when they were together and left them feeling like they could do anything. So far, they hardly faced any consequences.
It was no wonder they were smiling and laughing. They'd just avoided every obstacle thrown their way this entire mall trip. That was clever and mature. Who wouldn't want to celebrate? Who would want to stop?
However, a couple of steps away from the door, Pencil slowed her steps, which had Match follow suit. Match looked over curiously.
"I… Think that was the last store," Pencil muttered, expression falling to neutral as the realization hit her.
"...Oh," Match replied, a bit surprised at this information. That's probably true, they had been here all day. "... Are you sure?" She asked before she could think about it. Yeah, sure, as if reality had somehow warped the mall to have infinite stores. She probably would've kept doing rounds until she passed out.
"Umm…" Pencil turned her head to the nearest storefront, looking at the list of Valentine's Day deals available. They'd hit every interesting one. "... Yeah."
The excitement completely dropped. There was a light longing feeling they felt after realizing they'd done everything to be done at the mall.
Today was really fun, they supposed.
Maybe they could do this another time. Next year seemed the most plausible, but neither of them wanted to wait that long. Other people might say they could just ask, as if one of them could say "Let's make this a tradition," and seal the deal.
That's what friendship was to other people, but Match and Pencil were above that. They considered their dignity before they did their feelings– like mature people are supposed to do. Although, personally, if Pencil had her say in that statement, she did a better job at it than Match did.
"... Huh. Okay then, let's like, head home." Match stated, nudging Pencil's side. The girl nodded her head before walking again, now guiding the duo to their parking lot. "My arms are, like, totally hurting from carrying all the stuff, anyway," She said, as if the bags hadn't been there the whole time.