A Book of Turtlejou Oneshots

Paris (Human AU)

   It had been a few months since the small clique, dubbed the Jade Winglet, graduated at Jade Mountain Academy.

   Making today Turtle and Kinkajou's first year anniversary.

   Which meant that sometime this day, Turtle was going to have to work up the courage to give Kinkajou the plane tickets to Paris, France he had saved up for.

   Do it. Just do it already, Turtle! She's literally right next to you, Turtle berated himself mentally.

   And it was, in fact, the perfect time to whip out those tickets and gift them to her. After Moon, Qibli, Winter, and Peril got off at their stops, Turtle and Kinkajou were the last of their group on the bus after a day at the pool.

   The girl in question, however, was happily swinging her chocolate-colored legs to the beat of whatever happy song she was listening to on her earbuds, oblivious to Turtle's mental war.

   It's now or never, the small voice in Turtle's head said again. You won't get another perfect chance like this!

   Oh, fine, have it your way, Turtle thought fiercely. But no matter how loud or dramatic his thoughts were, he could never seem to convey them physically.

   "Uh, Kinkajou?" Turtle said nervously, patting her hand. "I, um, wanna say something..."

   Turtle could already feel his sub-conscious cringing at him.

   Kinkajou looked up and took off her earbuds, only half-hearing what he had said.

   "Huh?" Kinkajou said with an innocent, wide-eyed expression.

   "Er, Kinkajou, ever since I met you, I loved the way y-you were never like me, always so bubbly and, uh, c-carefree and childish," Turtle began, trying to recite the speech he had prepared the night before.

   "Wait, you think I'm childish?!" Kinkajou interrupted, miffed.

   "I, what? No, I mean... I don't think you're childish, although you act like it sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't still-"

   What am I doing?!

   Turtle, get a grip on yourself!

   Kinkajou sat forward in her seat. "Turtle, I know I still look like a 12 year old, but I am not childish!" she fumed.

   The young teal-haired boy put his hands up in surrender.

   "I d-don't mean it that way, I promise. You're not childish, er, I was just trying to...uhm..," Turtle stammered. His apologetic expression made Kinkajou relax a bit, and she sat back down, her faced flushed.

   "Look, if you're trying to say something, spit it out," she said with a lingering hint of anger in her voice.

   "It's...it's not important. It can wait, I guess," Turtle sighed, turning away.

   Kinkajou slid back down in her seat, slightly hurt. She was swinging her legs back and forth, her back hunched forward with a guilty expression.

   "Turtle?" she said finally, breaking the silence that seemed like it lasted an hour. She was shaking his forearm. "I'm mega-sorry for yelling at you."

   Turtle looked up, a weak smile on his face. "It's fine. Apology accepted." No matter what the situation was, he knew that he could never hold a grudge against Kinkajou for long, and Kinkajou could never stand being the subject of anger.

   The short-haired girl sat closer to Turtle, leaning her head against his shoulder. Kinkajou sat still for a solid minute, A real miracle, Turtle thought, looking out the window and listening to the ambience of the Metro bus. Her short, soft brown hair tickled Turtle's neck.

   "Turtle?" Kinkajou asked again, lifting her head, her curiosity getting the best out of her. Turtle turned to face her.

   "What was it that you wanted to say earlier?" she said, cocking her head to the side like a puppy. "And if it really is important, say it from your heart," Kinkajou added with a small laugh.

   Turtle shifted in his seat for a full minute, thinking about what he really wanted to say.

   "Well," he sighed, "Kinkajou, when I met you, you were nothing like me. You could solve your problems easily, you were never afraid, even in the face of danger, and you always had so much hope in the world. And that's what I liked about you. Now I love you more than anything in the world. You know me better than anyone."

   Kinkajou sat with her legs crossed, listening intently, and trying to hide her blush.

   "And I just wanted to thank you for that," Turtle went on. "You broke me out of my shell, you helped me make friends, and you inspired me to keep chasing my dreams." He reached into his bag and slid out the tickets he had saved his butt off for.

   "And now, I want to help make your dream come true," Turtle said shyly, pressing the Paris tickets in her palm.

   Kinkajou's eyes were shining, both with wonderment and from the tears she was trying to not let escape from her eyes.

   Turtle had known that Paris was one of the cities she dreamed of going to, he remembered her saying that "she could finally order a croissant properly without being judged." Turtle chuckled silently at the thought. He also knew of Kinkajou's dream job of being a fashion designer, and how she would swoon over the fancy dresses and skirts made by Paris designers in the magazines.

   "Thank you," Kinkajou squeaked.

They felt the bus screech to a halt as they lurched forward in their seats.

   "Deep Sea Avenue!" the cranky bus driver squawked.

   "That's my stop," Turtle announced. He gave Kinkajou a tight hug, a peck on the cheek, and hurried off the bus, leaving Kinkajou staring at the tickets in amazement with tears in her eyes.

   She couldn't wait for next month to come.