The Lunar Chronicles Oneshots and Scenarios

Cinder and Pick-up Lines Pt. II & Kaider Gone Wrong

I saw some grunge quote on Tumblr or something and oh my stars I thought of Kaider... Gone wrong.

"What if he's your prince charming, but you're not his Cinderella?"

This happens.

She looked at Kai, standing here without a shred of his old authority. On this ship, everyone was equal, emperor or not. He only wanted to know the plan – yet why could she not answer or even take her eyes off him? Such a simple question with a memorised answer, but nothing was coming out of her mouth.

Because truth be told, Cinder hadn't been thinking about 'the plan' lately. Even though countless times she called herself just a hormonal teenager, Kai would not leave her thoughts. And now was the best moment to tell him: no one was around and Cinder finally had enough courage. Taking a step towards him, she began to speak.

"Kai, I've been meaning to tell you something. I... I think I l–"

Kai took a step back, looking almost scared and interrupted.

"Cinder, do you think you love me?" She nodded wordlessly, looking crestfallen that Kai looked so worried.
"I- I didn't mean to lead you on, or anything," he stammered, still backing off with his hands in front of him, upturned. "But I just don't return the feelings. I love you, as a best friend. Nothing more." He dropped his hands.
"I'm sorry, Cinder."

She gulped, words sinking in. Her breath fluttered and she turned away from Kai.
"No, it's fine. I- I understand. I - I... Can you... I just need some alone time... Could you...?" She trailed off, a thumping headache reminding her that she should be crying now. She saw Kai bite his lip, and nod.
"Yeah, sure. I'll just..." He gestured towards the door, and with a last anxious look at Cinder, he left.

Cinder collapsed against the wall, face crumpling and massaging her heads with both her hands. A whirlpool of emotions stormed through her – resentment, loss, frustration and pure sadness. It was an emotion that pulled her heart down to the depths of the earth, leaving a heart-shaped aching dullness. Was I just not good enough? Cinder thought, emotions running wild. She wasn't one to fall into the hands of self-doubt but here she was. Crumpled against a wall because of a boy.

She stood up with an angry growl, trying to box in her emotions. Sort everything out. But love was not orderly and she couldn't grasp that. She wanted to forget when all her heart wanted to do was brood over it. Pacing around, she told herself she would get over it soon. She couldn't cope knowing that she wasn't wanted by an emperor, wanted dead by a queen, and needed by a nation. She was only a teen. Why couldn't it just be someone else? Almost anyone could do better. A girl more queenly, a girl readier to fight, a girl who actually wanted to be where she was.

Throwing herself against the wall, she tried to sleep. She knew that sleep would be the only place where she fouls forget, not feel anything. And at that moment, that was all Cinder wanted. To forget.

NOW WE NEED PROPER KAIDER FLUFFINESS! Welcome to Cinder and Pick-up lines part II.

"Hey, Cinder, what's your favourite genre? For fiction books?" Kai queried.
Cinder looked up from her book, surprised. Kai barely ever talked about books, let alone fiction books. This was a conversation that Cinder could make last for hours.
"Well..." she thought for a moment. "What I'm reading now is horror in a fantasy setting, and it's pretty good. Not exactly a genre but still. Sci- fi books usually grab my attention. I also really like the old 2nd Era children's classics, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, you know?" Cinder finished, looking at Kai. He didn't appear to want to carry on the conversation, so Cinder tried.
"And what about you?"
Kai grinned so wide that Cinder almost asked if something was wrong with him before he answered.
"If you were a book, you'd be my favourite genre." Kai's grin turned into a smile that clearly said he was pleased with himself for carrying out that pick up line perfectly.
Cinder laughed, rolling her eyes and smiling almost embarrassedly at him.
"You started this whole conversation just so you could say that, didn't you?" chuckled Cinder. Kai stuck out his tongue a little bit and nodded. Cinder really loved Kai, in all his adorable nerdy cheesy-ness.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Everyone say huddled around the main portscreen that was showing the latest news from Earth. There was nothing new— just a couple more theories on how Emperor Kai could have been kidnapped and what the Earthen Union was going to do about the unstable (to say the least) relations with Queen Levana.
The adverts came on, and everyone sighed. Cress wandered off the main control room, Wolf whipped out a way portscreen and started tapping away while Iko played with her braided hair. Cinder closer her eyes and seemed to be in deep thought, whereas Kai sat on the edge of his chair, remote in hand. He smiled slightly as the Red Bull advert came on, and a little wider when Cinder opened her eyes to watch the advert (there was a horrible joke. Even Kai had to hold back a groan and roll his eyes). Finally the end of the Red Bull advert came. Red Bull gives you wings!
At that, he looked Cinder right in the eye and said earnestly: "You don't need Red Bull, angels already have wings."
Iko looked up from re-braiding her hair, a smile wide on her face, her eyes asparkling. "Just marry him now!" She stage whispered to Cinder, causing Kai blush a deep shade of red and Cinder to develop a little headache, telling her that she should be blushing too.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Did you know an eight second hug can relieve a few ounces of depression?" Iko chirped, sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor. She was leaning against a wooden box and appeared to be looking up 'random facts' in her head. This was the fifth one she'd sprouted in the last ten minutes.

"Hah! Maybe that's all Levana needs. A hug and she might be a little better," snorted Thorne, not looking up from his small mirror. He had just woken up three hours after everybody else.

"What would happen if I never let go?" Asked Kai, smirking at Cinder.

"I'd probably be annoyed," she said, matter-of-factly. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm only in the middle of trying to start a revolution. A never ending hug probably wouldn't help that." 

Kai rolled his eyes at Thorne, smiling nonetheless. "She's so bo-oring," he whined mockingly. Thorne nodded knowingly.
"Tell me about it. When we escaped from prison, all she wanted to do was get away. Didn't even want to talk. Just wanted to get away."

Kai frowned, not following Thorne's train of thought. "But that's understandable, isn't it?"

Thorne turned around slowly, eyes wide and sincere.
"Not when you can talk to me."

A/N: Only slightly lost my sense of direction there, but oh well.
I JUST FINISHED WINTER AND OHMYGOD IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL! Bobbie xx