Chapter Text
...three!"
Five hands were simultaneously slammed down on the console. The lights flickered at Headquarters, followed by a bizarre sequence of computer-like noises, and then darkness.
The light of the screen was all that was keeping Headquarters illuminated now.
"I-It's out of our hands," Fear gulped.
Occasional electrical pulses continued to surge throughout the room, however a steady thumping took precedence over anything else.
Riley sobbed, just once. Not even thinking, she dashed forwards, as if her feet were acting independently. Her heart pounding in her ears, the little blonde scampered up the stairs to the podium, and bodily threw herself!
"Oh, Gods...!" Jess rasped, catching the girl just in time to stop her faceplanting the ground. "Ohh, you crazy goose!"
"I'm so sorry!" Riley burbled, her voice thick and fast as she sobbed into Jess' shoulder. "I was mad at you, but I don't think I should've been, but-but I saw you with some other girl, a-and I-"
"Other girl?" Jess forestalled her.
That was an odd response. She sounded just as clueless.
"Mhmm!" Riley nodded vigorously. "S-she was little, and had red hair, a-and she... she kis-"
"Kissed me?" Jess smirked. "Little redhead, about yea high?"
Riley nodded again. The heat in her stomach was close to unbearable.
"Ohh, you silly thing...!" Jess hugged her ever tighter. "You mean my sister Katie?"
"Sister...?" Riley mumbled. The guilt was starting to churn, and the nausea had begun to rise.
"Yeah, see?" Jess raised an arm. Riley dared follow it, only to see her pointing out a telltale flash of crimson in the crowds. The flash of crimson waved up them bashfully, and left Riley no less red faced.
"Ohhh...!" Riley withdrew back into Jess' chest, before letting out another loud sob.
"Ohh, come here you..." Jess wrapped her arms around Riley's skinny frame. "I mean, I love her differently, but I'm not that adventurous!"
Riley couldn't help a slight chuckle. "I...I'd hope not."
Jess twirled her fingers through Riley's hair.
"Besides," the older girl smiled down at her. "It's the wrong kinda love."
Riley's eyes bolted open.
"M-hmm!" Jess carried on. "Y'see Ri-Ri, this is the kinda love that isn't between family members or whatever. I'm no white knight or whatever, and this sure as hell ain't no fairy tail, but I can get a horse if you really want one?"
Riley spluttered out more laughter.
"But ever since you fell into my life, I knew that you were in the right place at the right time. Stuff like that, doesn't happen by accident. And you know what, Ri?"
"Y-yeah?" Riley met her gaze.
Jess wiped Riley's eyes.
"We've still got our song to finish," Jess grinned.
And the two inched closer.
Arms linked around Jess' back, Riley looked up to the older girl, eyes gleaming. And right there, in front of a buttload of complete strangers, their lips met at last. The soft pressure emanated a comfortable warmth from deep within, which melted through Riley's system, and answered questions she didn't even have yet.
Everything felt right.
Time could've dropped right now, and she would've have minded.
But applause and even cheering erupted from the crowd of complete strangers, and the two girls just remained where they were. After all, there was nowhere better.
meanwhile...
"Alright, go team!" Fear applauded their efforts, "I think we can file this one under BIG success!"
"Ohh, I'm so glad that gamble paid off!" Joy exclaimed. "Good work Fear, good wor-"
But Joy's praise was cut short by an equally strident fanfare from the short term memory chambers.
It left the entirely of Headquarters glowing as it tinked across the relevant tubes.
"What... the?" Anger narrowed his eyes.
"Well it's not all that surprising," Fear scratched his head. "But what colour is it? Who's responsible for it?!"
"All y'all." Came Libby's blunt reply. Several confused expressions met her gaze, and she simply folded her arms.
"Y'all contributed, so y'all get the memory," she shrugged. "S'that simple, guys."
"B-but why's it white?" Disgust frowned.
"Science!" Libby flailed. "Either way, go see what it did!"
"What it did...?" Five emotions parroted. Joy beckoned everyone over to the window, where each of them began pointing excitedly at the personality islands!
"Look, Lady and the Amp's changed!" Joy cried.
What was originally an angel handing a guitar to a blonde worshipper had changed to that same angel and blonde sharing a bench, and holding the guitar between them, with a clichéd heart made out of spikes and microphones and things.
"So it... merged with love island?" Fear surmised.
"Looks like!" Joy stamped her feet in excitement. "Ohh, you're growing up so fast, Riley!"
"Why, soon she won' need you guys at all!" Libby chuckled.
Only to be met with horrified gasps.
"Just kiddin'!" She forestalled. "Don' worry, she'll need y'all forever'n then some."
"You gotta work on your sense of humour," Anger let himself chuckle. However, a soft hand on the shoulder was a far greater reward.
back with Riley...
"So am I... the only one who wasn't in on this?" Riley looked around nervously.
"'Fraid so, honey," her mom laughed, holding a suspicious letter in her hand. "After you stopped replying to Jess' letters, she figured something was up, and sent a letter to me instead."
"The rest of us just rolled with it," Stevie grinned. "After all, Jess was happiest with you. She said it herself."
"Wow..." Riley stared at her feet. "I'm so sorry I doubted you, Jess!"
"Aww, don't be," the redhead smirked. "What's a love story without a little conflict?"
"Boring." Another voice croaked in answer for her, and several stunned eyes turned to see Amber. She smiled impishly, and said nothing more.
"Well then!" Jess ruffled Amber's big hair. "That brings your total up to what... three now?"
"Four if you count that time she told Bassist to go f-" Stevie began, only to get tackled to the ground by Bassist mid sentence.
"Eheh, oh yeah!" Jess exclaimed. "So that's four then!"
Bassist and Stevie continued to wrestle on the ground, while Amber just watched them patiently, and Riley's mom had somehow excused herself from the situation without being noticed, leaving Riley and Jess essentially alone together.
"Y'know, we still haven't finished that song..." the older girl grinned.
"Oh?" Riley was oblivious as always. "Where-where are we?"
"I'd say we're only at the intro," Jess traced her finger along Riley's arm. "Wanna show me a chorus, Ri-Ri?"
And Riley dissolved into a spluttery giggle as the two locked lips for the second time that day. Their song was far from over.
The next day...
"M-morning everyone!" Joy swallowed down a happy yawn. "Did you all sleep well?!"
She was greeted by the standard early morning grunts.
"Eheh, guess that was to be expected," Joy shrugged it off. "After all, it is - huh?"
Joy peered around a corner to find none other than Libby. Packing a suitcase?
"And just what are you up to, Pink?"
"O-oh hi there Sunshine!" Libby flustered. "I was just, uhh, packin' m'things."
"Leaving so soon?" Joy exchanged a glance.
"Well yeah..." The pink emotion drawled. "After all, there's nothin' more I can do here. Now ye'v learned Love, I don' need ta-"
"Ssshhhh...!" Joy silenced the pink emotion with a finger to the lips. "Why don't ya stick around? Could be fun!"
"Are ya sure you'd... actually wan' me?" Libby's eyes were shining.
"Well, of course we'd want you!" Joy flounced. "Your methods were a little... controversial sometimes, but in the end you were doing it all for our girl! And that's all right by me! Whaddya say, guys?!"
Joy's exuberance was met with half hearted mumbles. Still too early in the morning, she supposed.
"I... think you should stay," a little blue emotion popped up out of nowhere. "You've shown that you always had Riley's best interests at heart, and-and you helped us fix her when she needed it most. That was... really neat of you, Libby!"
"Ohhh...!" Joy smirked. "Aww, c'mere y'all. How can I say no ta those big blue eyes?"
Joy folded her arms. "So you'll stay?"
"Long as ya need me," Libby grinned.
"You can stick around forever!" Joy span Libby around in a surprise hug.
"And besides... Riley's a teenager now.
What could happen?"