Mischievous Function

Our Mischievous, Yet Functional Family

"I know that now," Mic continued softly. "I can't stop you, Fanny. Or any of you. I can't stop you from doing what you want, or from being who you really are."

Mic gently took a couple of steps toward Fanny and hung her head. "But...I realize now that that's what makes all of you so great. You're all unique and different, but the thing you all have in common...is that you just never stop until you say so. Nobody can hold you back—any of you."

Both of them remained still and silent for a few tense moments, wondering if the other was going to say something further. When neither did, Mic finally decided to continue. "I was being selfish, Fanny," she said. "I...I wanted to transform you, to change you, to fix you all—as if you needed fixing. I—I wanted to bring my vision to life, my dream of performing with a group on stage for a crowd. Before, this was all about me. My last performance, my idol group, my vision, my rules."

Microphone gently rested a hand on Fanny's shoulder one more time and tried to smile as she began to choke out her next words. "B-but...this isn't about me. Performing...it—it's never about just...one person. It..." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her other hand. "...it—it's about all of us. It—it's not about Microphone a-and her 10 backup singers and dancers. It's about Suitcase, and Test Tube, and Lightbulb, and Fanny, and Golf Ball, and Pin, and Bubble, and Microphone, and Needle, and Dot, and Ice Cube. We all have a place. It doesn't matter where we came from or who we were. I just told Dot this, but...I-I wasn't a fan of Joylese music or culture until just this week. I only decided to make us do a Joylese song because th-that's what would catch the eye of the largest audience. I-I was desperate to make this the best it could be for me, but...I didn't think about any of you. I'm...so sorry, Fanny."

Glancing back at the box near the table, she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "And these outfits...they're not mine. They're yours. They don't belong to me. They...they belong to all of you. And that's why they should be yours; you shouldn't just use them, you should own them."

She sighed as she turned back to Fanny and stared down at the floor before shutting her eyes. "I understand if you and the others don't want to come back. But...I'll take you if you do. So...w-will you take me?"

Fanny had kept her face turned away from Microphone. Her gaze leveled as she took a deep breath, thinking deeply about what Mic had said. "...You know what, Mic?" she finally said.

"What?"

"...I'll do it."

"You will?!"

"On one condition."

Mic couldn't keep herself from laughing breathlessly as she glanced back over her shoulder at Dot, who was giving her a wide grin and a thumbs-up. "O-okay! Okay, sure!" she exclaimed, wiping her eyes again and smiling. "Name it! What is it?"

Fanny's hand drifted out to the side before rising slowly. She brought her thumb and middle finger together for a moment before snapping her fingers.

Suddenly, to Mic's surprise, Ice Cube and Golf Ball rounded the corner into the café, the former smiling sweetly at her and the latter wiping her face with her sleeve, her glasses sticking out of her hoodie pocket. Pin soon followed them inside and clasped her hands in front of her. Needle and Bubble came around the other corner into the café, side-hugging each other tightly as Needle reached for a nearby napkin to blow her nose. Fanny turned around to face Mic with a mischievous grin that nearly—nearly—concealed her genuinely relieved and joyful beaming smile.

"Say that...again."

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Around ten minutes later...