Despite their whole confrontation with Smiler during their near deletion of their world, Mel has found himself expressing his long repressed emotions little by little, being encouraged by both his son and other emojis alike. And while it may be liberating, being able to express so many deep seated emotions without fear of getting deleted, he also found himself wishing he would stay as unreactive as it had previously been before. Such cases of this thought included those times when he expressed clear disgust at a meal he had been gifted or when he was forcing a smile when he had been tasked with an errand on one of his bad days, or, of course,.when he was unapologetically glaring daggers at the audacity this man had flirting with his own wife.
Mary wasn't reacting, as always. She had never been able to express her emotions ever since she was coded in so it was no surprise that the flirtatious remarks made no effect on her. But dear motherboard did it have an effect on Mel. His eyes narrowed at the hand that found itself on the shoulder of his wife, pulling the woman closer with a bright laugh,
"I don't know if anyone's ever told you this," the man said, "But you look really pretty. Especially your eyes - like sapphires under a spotlight." He commented, clearly setting his goals in pursuing her. Mel scoffed silently at the attempt, rolling his eyes. Sapphires don't even come close to what Mary's eyes looked like - Sapphires are a deep blue, Mary's was brighter. If anything, the closest gem Mel could think of that would look similar to the likeness of her eyes were aquamarines. Nonetheless, he noticed Mary's demeanor changing, despite the stoic look on her face. He saw her put a hand on her mouth, indicating her shock before later resting it on her chin once more, leaning in closer to the charming man Mel was silently seething over the entire afternoon. He couldn't hear what she was saying, her voice was always so quiet, but he could see through her body language that she was enjoying talking to the other man, and it made his jealousy bubble even more.
Once the stranger began placing a hand on Mary's should, Mel's irritation began to grow like an itch he couldn't scratch and, feeling a mix of annoyance and jealousy bursting out like volcano, he decided it was time to put a stop to this nonsense.
He rolled his eyes dramatically, sidling up to the duo with an exaggerated cough, and chimed in, "Wow, you're really giving Hallmark a run for their money with those lines." He said, his less monotonous voice hinting up a bit of sarcasm from his tone, making the stranger blink in surprise, clearly caught off guard by Mel's interruption. Ignoring the man's bewildered expression, Mel pressed on, a scowl tugging at his lips, "Sapphires? Really? That's your best pick up line?"
"Well, I don't think it was really a pick up line, I- uh"
"Let me guess, you're gonna call her the 'brightest gem in the city', a 'diamond in a world of coals', call her beauty as 'alluring as Aphrodite herself'!" He continued mocking the poor stranger, the emotions on his face changing from one heart-eyed emoji to another.
The stranger stumbled over his words, an invisible blush creeping up his cheeks as his flustered attempts to recover only dug him in deeper. Mel crossed his arms, silently relishing the satisfaction of throwing the guy off his game.
Finally, the stranger mumbled incoherently, looking somewhere else and hastily left the scene, walking further inside the VIP section, leaving Mel feeling victorious as he chuckled in response of the stranger's cowardly exit. He turned his attention back to Mary, who remained as stoic as ever, her poker face firmly in place.
"...What?"
Mary couldn't help but let out a sigh, setting her drink down and placing all her attention on the man in front of her, her voice breaking the tension, "Was there something you needed, Mel?"
Mel shrugged, playing it cool, "Eh, not really. Just making sure no one falls for sapphire comparisons." The corners of his lips quirked up, despite the nonchalance of his eyes as he crossed his arms dismissively.
"...Uh huh," A subtle quirk of Mary's eyebrow hinted at a hidden smile, a small victory that Mel secretly cherished. "I appreciate your vigilance," she responded, a hint of amusement lacing her words.
Mel scratched the back of his head, trying to play off his emotions with a nonchalant grin, "Just doing my duty." He bowed dramatically.
Mary rolled her eyes and nodded, her gaze returning to its usual calm intensity. Mel, however, couldn't help but wish he could shake off his own emotional restraint. But for now, he'd stick to being the guardian of cheesy pick-up lines and the silent supporter of his wife. As the stranger's attempt at flirtation faded into the past, Mel let out a chuckle, muttering, "... Sapphires, really?"
"I thought it was a cute comparison."
As Mary's words hung in the air, Mel's chuckle grew into a full-fledged laugh. He leaned against a nearby emoji display, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Cute? Seriously, Mary? That guy wouldn't know a gemstone from a pebble."
"Oh?" Mary's lips curved, and she tilted her head ever so slightly, studying Mel. "You seem particularly worked up about this."
Shoot, he's been found out. Mel scoffed, waving a hand dismissively, his fake grin masking his true feelings, "I got no idea what you're talking about, I'm fine."
Mary's gaze didn't falter. Initially, she held a hint of skepticism, but she didn't press further on the matter. Instead, she took a sip of her drink, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the whirlwind of emotions inside Mel. Okay, Mel, quick, you've done this before, you can do this again, he thought to himself as he tried to feign indifference, but instead found himself mesmerized by the way Mary's eyes sparkled; even brighter than any sapphire he'd ever seen, that's for sure.
He cleared his throat, breaking the momentary trance, "B-but anyway, who needs sapphires when you've got eyes that could outshine a supernova?" He cursed himself for stuttering at that moment, and cringed harder at the poor excuse of a flirt he made. God, it was just like his 20's all over again....
Mary's eyebrow arched in amusement, and Mel felt a pang of warmth in his chest at her reaction, the heat matching the same he's feeling on his face from the current shame he was feeling inside. "Flattery, Mel?"
He shrugged, trying to play it cool, "Just call it appreciation for a good conversation... and a chance to show Mr. Smooth that he's got nothing on me."
Mary's lips twitched into a something he could best describe as a genuine smile, a rare [near impossible] sight that sent a surge of pride through Mel, "Really? You thought he has any chance competing with you?"
"Well, not anymore. I'm the one who's actually making you smile here,"
"Not the fact that we've been married for over two decades?"
"...Well, that too."
