This was unforgivable. Mandy stared at the soapy bathwater searching for the right words to get this mask off. There had to be a way, other than smiling to stop herself from turning into the beast.

"I know you asked me to help you with this but... could..." she gritted her teeth. This was unbearable, "...could I please try something... different? I have an idea... It's rather..." She was going to explode, "...thoughtful of you to try to help me out of this mask," the mask you put me in in the first place! "But I'd rather... try something else."

Mandy's sharp misshapen teeth were replaced by her normal ones and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Billy, seeing Mandy's clear struggle, felt ashamed. There were other ways to get the mask off... she really was trying... who was the monster now?

"Sure Mandy..."

"Thank... you." Mandy's donkey ears came down to size, and a pile of freshly folded clothes left a pair of hands rather than claws.

Mandy gently closed the door and waited outside.

"Now, what was that? We had her!" Grim threw his usual black robe on, grabbed his scythe and stormed out. He came by Mandy waiting patiently in the hall... but he quickly passed her. He knew her intentions were for Billy.

Billy threw on his own clothes, and tried to think of tasks that Mandy wouldn't mind and would be enough to rid her of that horrible mask. Poor Mandy. What was he thinking?

He came outside to find Mandy leaning against the wall. Grim was no where in sight...

"Mandy! I..." Billy began.

"Sit down!" It wasn't exactly an order... not as harsh as she would usually say, anyway.

Billy sat next to her without giving it a second thought.

There was a long pause, a long silence. It wasn't in simple waiting or boredom. It wasn't one of the rare times where time seems to give you a few minutes to catch up. This was a moment of preparation. If Billy had been just a bit brighter... he might have wondered if this had nothing to do with getting the mask off.

Finally, without a sideways glance Mandy reached out her hand and interlaced her fingers with Billy's.

Billy looked over at Mandy trying to see if she really meant to do that. Her hard stare never left the wall across from them.

"Mand—?"

"Shh." Mandy cut him off, and gave his hand a squeeze. Her tail became just a bit shorter.

There they sat in complete silence. Mandy in a different world, only staying connected through her right hand.

Billy's face began to burn with a light blush. It wasn't that he hadn't had a crush on Mandy... it was just something he didn't have to think about very often. They were almost always together... he knew he could count on her for things to stay that way... their relationship just never took the romantic route. Billy figured it was going to... just as soon as Mandy wanted it to. If Mandy wanted it to...

So he just stared at their hands... trying to memorize how it felt. Unbelieving that Mandy finally wanted this... if this meant anything more would take place. It certainly seemed to take a lot from Mandy...

Perhaps it was half an hour, perhaps only ten minutes, but the pair had to admit Mandy wasn't becoming any less of a monster. Mandy's eyes stayed on the wall for a bit longer, then suddenly darted to Billy without any other movement. Billy quickly relaxed the grip on her hand. Mandy gave a final squeeze and let go.

They both stood up, and Mandy politely commanded, "Tell me to do something."

"Ummm... you could... ahh... help me... clean the kitchen! I saw what a mess those cookies made."

Help him clean the kitchen. Mandy followed suit as they dove their arms into the soapy kitchen sink water... Mandy trying her best to forget about the hand holding. Billy trying his best not to...

They cleaned a few dishes, but Mandy, deciding not to take the close sink encounter anymore, started to sweep flour off the floor. Mandy finished with an even shorter tail.

Billy cleared the counters of their cooking ingredients while Mandy did the remaining dishes. Finishing at the same time, they spun around and found only an inch between their faces.

"Your tail's gone," Billy said shyly as he took a step back.

"Because of you... deciding to work with me. You're pretty nice when it comes to things like this." Mandy's eyes lost their secondary eyelids, and she blinked a normal round pupil. Well, if complimenting Billy worked...

"Actually you're really nice... just about all the time." Her monster snout became a few shades lighter.

"Although you really get on my nerves..." her creature eyes returned, "there's a reason we're always together... and it's not Grim. We were always at each-others houses before that anyway..." her eyes returned their roundness. "And it's not because we're the only two that can stand each other..." her snout returned to the peach of her skin. "You're rather disgusting most of the time..." Back to purple. "But I don't usually mind spending time with you..." Peach. "And that's because... because..." Mandy grabbed Billy's hand again, hoping desperately it would be enough. Hadn't she done so much already?

Her snout disappeared, showing the bare absence of a nose once more... but the mask. The mask hadn't quite fallen off yet. What else could she do?

What else could she do? She inched a bit closer... and as fast as she found humanly possible, kissed Billy's cheek. As she pulled away as quickly as she had come, the mask fluttered to the ground.

Mandy threw down Billy's hand, grabbed the mask, and tore it to shreds.

Billy watched, bewildered... not even a moment took place where the effects of the mask stayed with her. How could she have shown so much contempt for something that brought her... closer to him?

Mandy glanced up from her tearing and saw the forlorn expression on Billy's face. She froze for only a moment... and whatever her facial expression had been must have been one worthy of Billy to—

Billy couldn't believe his eyes... Mandy seeing him see her... made her... pause? Billy felt ashamed for complaining again... This... this tiny moment was more than enough change... his smile returned... he took two steps closer to Mandy and—

Mandy dropped her pieces of mask. She found no other way to react. Billy's breath was so... warm. No other way to react. So she stood there. Halfway between pulling away, and halfway from no reaction at all. She certainly wasn't reacting towards the kiss...

"Don't you ever!" Mandy huffed once she fully did pull away, and wiped her mouth for emphasis, "ever put anything of Grim's on my face again!"

Billy was never happier to hear one of Mandy's threats. Never happier that she was all back to normal.

He kissed her hand.

This was the Mandy he wanted to be with.

Thank you for reading my very first Grim Adventures fan fiction! I don't own the characters, and reviews are quite welcomed.