Chomby stared at himself in the mirror. His expression stayed as it always had been - angered. No matter what he felt, he always looked like he hated the world, or at the very least, despised it.

Most times, he'd try and make himself smile through fake means. Grabbing the corners of his mouth was tiring, and the candycanes would dissolve over time. He couldn't keep raising Sarge's blood sugar just to prove he wasn't hateful or scary... but what could he do? He'd exhausted every trick in the book he knew. Only twice in his life had he been able to smile. Yet, even when he tried to replicate his emotions from those times, it never worked. He never could look like he didn't hate everyone.

"But... it's not true," Chomby choked out. "I want to show the world I can smile. I want to show the world I can be happy."

"How long've you been in here?" A tired voice asked. Chomby spun around to see his brown-furred, significant other, Squandered.

"Two hours, maybe? Been... practicing." Chomby sighed. "Think I'm smiling this time?" Chomby tried to flex his mouth muscles, but he knew they didn't budge.

Squandered shook his head. "No, Chomby. You're not. I'm sorry." Squandered took a step back and tilted his head to the bedroom. "Why not take a nap? I'll be the big spoon this time."

"You're only half my size right now," Chomby said cattily. He walked over to Squandered and placed a hand on his head.

"I don't see you saying no," Squandered stuck his tongue out and grabbed Chomby's hand. He then started to pull Chomby. Given the difference in their sizes, he was unable to drag Chomby anywhere. Chomby finally conceded and allowed Squandered to lead him to the bed. The small soundbyte jumped up and wiggled his way to the other side of the bed. He then patted for Chomby to lay down.

Chomby did as he was told and relaxed onto the bed. He sighed and turned over. "Squandered, where's the blanket?"

"I used it to make a new pair of underwear for you," Squandered said.

"But I need that to sleep...?" Chomby groaned.

"Just kidding. It's in the wash," Squandered latched onto Chomby. As expected, his arms couldn't even make their way around half of Chomby's figure. Chomby was just too big to be a little spoon.

"We can switch, Squandered, it's fine." Chomby closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm not really meant to be the one who gets cuddled. I just wasn't built that wa-"

"You were crying earlier," Squandered interrupted.

"Wha-"

"I saw you crying earlier... when you were trying to smile." Squandered's tone was somber and thoughtful. "Why?"

"Because I can't do it?" Chomby whispered. "I see Sarge smile all the time. I see you smile. I just thought I could train myself to do it, and-" Chomby choked on his words. He couldn't finish the sentence.

Squandered's grip tightened. The small soundbyte rested his chin on Chomby's back. "Why is it so important that you smile? I know that your angry face is your happy face."

"But anger is all I can convey," Chomby said. "At best I can look terrified or shocked, but that's it. I can't smile... I can't show people I'm happy. I can't show them I'm smiling."

"But you don't need to smile." Chomby felt Squandered kiss his back. He could also feel the small soundbyte's tail wagging. "Your heart smiles bigger than a smile ever could."

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A little gift I made for my mlem,  SquanderedMilk. I wanted to draw a cute, intimate moment between the two squishes. SO, this is what I came up with! Might I say that I love seeing a tiny Squandered trying to be a big spoon for an overly-sized Chomby. :3c

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Squandered (C)  SquanderedMilk
Art/Story/Chomby (C)  Juntarhenogu Me