Watt-Tower. The ugliest building in all of Toronto, Canada. It's an eyesore from the skies. A roadblock on the ground. But most importantly. It was a second home for the many writers that call Wattpad their home.

This giant orange-sliver monument was in the shape of a 'W' and structurally unsound. Its far sides were being held in place by the opposing forces exerted on the middle tower. An array of massive steel beams could be found connecting the two towers to the center. It took up ten thousand square feet of wasted space and reminded all that entered, an architect's dream is a constructor's nightmare.

Each tower stood an impressive five stories above the ground with a leaning column on either adjacent side. These side structures were dedicated to visitors while the middle housed corporate executives. The elevator through the center was swift as a snail and it only grew worse when you tried to move through the parallels. Further showing their uncouth mind the architect showed no consideration for traversal through the visitor sections. They had placed the elevator in the middle of the first floor. Which meant as you reached the third floor you would be unable to go any higher. You would have to exit one elevator from the third floor just so you could enter a second elevator and finish your trip to the upper levels.

"What a stupid design," our fuzzy friend grumbled to himself. He had his hand full of crumbled loose-leaf papers with inane scribbles across them. His usually glowing amber eyes were noticeably dullened by his situation.

From below his female colleague shot a frustrated, "What's stupid?"

He grumbled out a defensive, "Not you. Just thinking about this building. It's got such a stupid design." From his position above he could take the time to inspect her frame. She was shorter than him by at least a foot when they were standing so currently he loomed over her like a giant. The natural brunette had grown her hair till it touched her rear, yet it still threatened to cover her face. Luckily she kept it brushed aside so the world could see the shimmering baby-blue orbs she called eyes.

The name he knew her by was Nutella but he never called her that. Their first meeting was less than smooth. But fast forward a year and here they were. Collaborating on a story like old partners. Well, that's what he would like to believe. But as they tried to come up with a plan they realized how little they had in common.

"Well focus, Sammy," she ordered. Her shirt (and matching eyes) complimented the navy-blue and white warmer around her neck. He found it hard to take her seriously with her oversized sleeves flopping about, "We still have to agree on an idea."

Nutella had to crane her neck to see his face. It was still so jarring. To think she would bump into (well he technically crashed into her) an anthropomorphic kangaroo. And they both were aspiring writers.

Her new co-worker, Sammy, sat on the shorter side for his species. However, even the shorter kangaroos were over six feet on average. Thankfully he didn't prance about with his lower half exposed like their first meeting. He had on a set of khaki-cargo shorts with a lime-and-teal hoodie on top.

She didn't want to be rude but his constant glaring down at her was bothersome. "Could you please sit down?"

Sammy pointed behind him, "I am sitting down." He allowed his body to bob up and down by pushing against the ground with his tail.

"On the ground, please," she groaned with a subtle eye roll.

"I'd... rather not." He flexed his knees so she could see how they bent backward. "It's uncomfortable."

With another quiet sigh she decided to stand up with him. Though that did little to close the height gap, "Well, we still have to come up with an idea."

"I've actually come up with several ideas," he swiftly corrected. "You just don't like them."

Thinking he had won, he poked a playful tongue at her. Though Nutella, "And how many of my ideas have you accepted?"

Sammy cleared his throat, "Absolutely zero." Nutella gave him a succinct glare. He attempted to plead his case, "It's just... all you want to write are love stories. And those are so boring."

"I also suggested a crack-fic."

Sammy ran his leathery palms through his small hair tuft. "Yeah, but those stories are only good for a moment. They aren't gonna inspire fans."

Nutella was growing tired of his constant complaints, "I'm sorry but remind me. Who has one-hundred followers and who has twenty?"

The giant marsupial visibly jumped at her jab. "That might be true but I promise that nothing grabs a reader's attention like an action-packed fight."

Her fabric cleaved fingers pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know how to write action, Sammy."

He hopped off his tail and crouched down to her button nose. "I can teach you!" The boredom he had before vanished into the air. She could see his nostrils flaring with excitement.

Though Nutella was still indifferent. She pushed his wet nose back, "We don't have time for that." She walked to her document-smothered desk. Countless failed attempts at an idea for their collaboration. "We can't even agree on the characters."

Sammy approached from behind, "I'm telling ya, Tella. Poco, Tick, and Lou versus Frank is a masterpiece waiting to happen."

The speed Nutella turned with caused her hair to smack his face. "And I'm telling you that a classic ShellyxColt story is better."

Sammy wiped a bit of brown goop from his cheek, "Be serious. You know I hate Sholt."

"That's your problem-" she stood up to him and poked his chest- "You won't compromise."

"What about you? Why won't you compromise?"

"I shouldn't have to. I'm your superior."

Sammy turned his nose up, "Just because you have more internet points than me doesn't make you my superior."

Nutella's hair stood on end, "THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS!"

They continued their pointless arguments for two hours before they decided to relax by their desks. Both had been scanning their phones for roughly thirty minutes and they were getting bored. And due to their poor moods the silence was choking them. You could hear the skittering steps of a bug across the carpeted floors.

Luckily the silence soon broke. Sammy must have found something enjoyable on his phone since he could be heard snickering to himself periodically. Nutella looked over her shoulder and saw him relaxing in a sectioned chair with space for his massive tail. It was rhythmically beating the ground as his head followed the beat.

Nutella thought, 'Maybe I should break the silence.' With a heavy heave, she asked, "What's so funny?"

From what she's seen, Sammy was easy to startle. He jumped like a bouncing baby at the drop of a pen. He stuttered out, "Umm. Umm... Reading."

You didn't have to be a psychiatrist to know something was wrong. Rather than asking further she decided to approach his back. Peaking over his shoulder she noticed that the words seemed oddly similar. Upon further inspection, she noticed he was reading through one of her works.

I'm sorry || Brawl Stars Leon x Jessie

She wasn't surprised it was her story that made him laugh. She's aware of how amazing her writing was. What was surprising was that he's reading it again. "Didn't you already finish that?"

Sammy nearly fell from his chair. "When did you?!"

"You already read I'm sorry." She ignored his paranoia. "I haven't updated it."

With a bit of suspicion on his tongue, Sammy stammered. "Well, it's just... I guess I wanted to get into your head and umm... I thought if I peaked at your writing again I could understand you better." Sammy begrudgingly handed her his massive smartphone, "But I ended up reading I'm sorry all over again."

'All over again?' she thought about that wording. When she inspected his device she noticed that he was on chapter twenty-four. Her eyes bulged, "Twenty-Four?! You read to chapter twenty-four in thirty minutes."

Sammy avoided eye contact, "I'm a fast reader."

Nutella's hair matched her mood by curling a bit in curiosity. For a guy that was fighting her tooth and nail a moment ago he certainly enjoyed her work. She casually returned his device, "I'm surprised you like it."

"Well of course I like it. I wouldn't have finished reading if it wasn't good. I mean-" he inspected the screen- "It's corny, cheesy, cliché, and right down diabetic but," he turned to her with a goofy smile. His little buckteeth almost made her giggle. "It perfectly matches your style. And that makes it fun to read."

Nutella felt a bit off about their argument before. Maybe she was too harsh on the anthropomorph. With a thankful retreat she planted herself back in her chair. Thoroughly confused (and mildly embarrassed) Sammy placed away his phone and started scribbling ideas. They again found themselves sitting in silence for a few minutes until Nutella chimed in.

"Sammy... I got a question."

"I might have an answer."

"Why did you make Obby spike Nita like a football?"

Sammy's ears twitched at those names. He snapped to her, "Did you read We're Keeping Her?"

"Read?" Nutella turned around laughing, "I'm reading it." She flashed her phone that showed Wattpad opened to his story. "You thought I could finish a story this long? It's like an actual book." She swiped her thumb to scroll through the massive collection of text. As Sammy continued to watch he found his ears drooping. It truly was a ridiculous amount of writing crammed into a single chapter. She shook her head sarcastically saying, "Honestly, Sammy. Why do you write like you're running out of time?"

The marsupial rubbed the back of his cream-colored neck, "I dunno. I guess I'm scared I might not finish." Nutella wanted to ask more but he continued, "But I made Obby spike her because you need to see she can take it. Brawlers aren't like humans in my stories. They can take more damage, deal more damage, and some have wild powers." He pointed towards her, "If you really are reading it for the first time. You'll understand later why that fight isn't that insane for her."

Sammy noticed how Nutella's hair seemed to be shifting back and forth. However, she was sitting still and the windows were shut. Yet the tips of her hair shifted like they were sitting in oil. He guessed that was a sign she enjoyed the read.

Nutella hummed out recognition, "Guess I'll just have to keep reading and find out." With that she turned away and refocused on her device. Sammy tried to refocus on his own transcript but was quickly interrupted again.

"Ya know Sam. You're actually really good at action scenes."

"Umm... thanks." Sammy's glum tone brightened quite a bit.

"And I'm really good at romance stories."

One of his drooping ears perked up, "I see no reason to disagree with that."

The two turned to each other without a word. Sammy saw a confident twinkle in Nutella's eyes. "Why don't we write a short story about two brawlers falling-in-love mid-battle?"

Sammy's tail began its rhythmic thumping once more, "I'm listening."

"It was so obvious. Why didn't I think of this before? We can combine your fighting with my romance to make an action-packed love story."

Sammy's beats picked up. "Okay. Who's the characters?"

Nutella mulled over this for a few seconds. Only two people could come to mind. Unfortunately, she didn't take the time to think before she spoke. "What about Shelly and Colt?"

Sam's tail went still. "I already said no Sholt."

Nutella bit her tongue on that one. But she thought on her feet rather than sparking another shipping debate. "What if I said Colt gets absolutely destroyed by Shelly in the fight?"

Sammy's tail might have stayed still but that goofy smile was back in full force. "Tella. Before you had my curiosity but now-" he leaned in some- "you have my attention."

~-~--~-~

The duo had spent the rest of that day planning out their masterpiece. Then the next day was dedicated to writing. And after a few weeks of drafts, they released their final project to the Watt-verse. The reception they received was warmer than a holy fire. Brawl Stars fans couldn't get enough of their tale. The duo's followers grew twice in size over the next four weeks.

Well, Sammy's subscribers doubled. For Nutella, it was nearly triple the amount. This meant while Sammy sat at a proud forty followers, Nutella was sitting atop the world with three-hundred readers begging her for more.

Again, Sammy found himself sitting in their rental office brainstorming for ideas. If he wanted to catch up to Nutella, he would need to release something that would decimate their combined success.

There he stood, using his thick tail as a brace so he could shift most of his weight off his legs. He rocked back and forth with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other. He absently stared out the window at the city below. He didn't miss his life in the countryside, but the view was much better at home.

While he contemplated his path to success a loud thud startled his fragile heart. Nutella came in like a wrecking ball and twice as loud. "SAMMY!"

Kangaroo Sam fell over his tail and stammered, "Ye-Y-Um-Present?"

Nutella, unfazed by his odd demeanor, stormed up to him with a letter in hand. "Have you seen this?!"

He stumbled to his feet until her eyes were staring into his teal hoodie's chest. "What is it?"

Again she craned her neck to look him in the eyes, "We got a letter from Supercell."

"I didn't get a letter..."

"It has both of our names on it. Look!" she shoved the folded paper into his stomach. His clawed fingertips carefully unfolded it so he could read.

"Dear Sammy_Scripts and Nutella_BS. My name is Lauren Matchwore, lead officer for marketing on the Brawl Stars team. I'm contacting you on account of your short narrative work, 'Brawling Quarells'. We here at the Brawl Stars team are not unaware of the short stories our community posts throughout the internet and have taken a particular liking to yours. So much so, that we have decided to turn your work into an official animation to announce the canon relationship between Shelly and Colt in-game."

Sammy's reading stopped abruptly. Nutella, certain he was stunned spoke for him. "Isn't that amazing? We're getting our story animated!"

With a gloomy grumble, Sammy muttered, "yeah... great."

Nutella tried to look him in the eyes, "What's wrong?"

A tear crept down his cheek, "Colt... actually gets with Shelly."

Nutella rolled her eyes at his ridiculous complaints, "You can't be serious. Why do you hate Colt so much?"

He dramatically turned away like a TV protagonist, "You wouldn't understand, Tella."

She snatched the paper away from the drama king. "Well guess what I do understand." She smacked the letter diligently, "It says here that they'll also pay for us to fly down to San Francisco for an official meeting with their animation team. We'll get to oversee all of it, but we have to set up the meeting."

Sammy's melodramatic display flew out the window. He turned back with fiery eyes, "Well what are we waiting for?"

"I've been waiting for you to tell me when you're free!"

The two made the phone call the same day she informed him. Within two weeks they had booked a flight for San Francisco. Nutella in turn learned two fun things about Sammy on that six-hour flight. One: Sammy has never ridden a plane before. And two: Sammy gets motion sick.

She also learned how he managed to avoid the public. His hoodie had a massive amount of overhang. Add his small maw, a surgical mask, some snazzy shades, and plenty of cover-ups and he almost looked human. Almost that is. They still had to explain to an overcurious toddler why his legs were so thick.

Once they got properly settled in and night fell Sammy removed his mask to eat. While he snacked on peanuts he asked a nutty question. "Tella. You got sent that message. Like they sent it directly to you, right?"

She put away her spoon and creamy treat, "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just..." He was already uncomfortable with the less than accommodating seating they were given. He had to sit on his tail for the entire flight. But now he felt strange trying to speak his mind. "It's just that... I feel like I'm kinda getting left behind on this."

"What do you mean?"

"When our story finished we posted it on your account since more people would see it there. And you got a bunch of new followers... but I got barely any." Nutella waved away the candy she ordered so she could focus on her friend. "And then with the letter. I didn't get sent one. They only sent it to you." His ears drooped a bit as he finished, "I just feel like nobody is noticing me."

He felt a sleeved hand punch his shoulder. Nutella was frowning at him, "Stop saying that. I've seen your work and I know that anyone who reads your stories can feel your passion."

He wasn't buying it. "Then how come I barely got any new followers after all your success?"

She again gave him a sweet punch. "Stop that. You're saying it was my work. We did that. As a team." Nutella reached into her pocket and retrieved a pack of crackers. "And I don't let my teammates starve. You just gotta keep giving it your all. They'll notice you soon."

Sammy took the snack with a little smile. A goofy gesture from a goofy girl. But maybe she was right. Maybe he just needed to be patient.

Luckily the trip went off with only that minor hitch and soon they were making their way up a beautiful office building with Supercell's charm stapled all over it. Sammy was especially happy to see some reasonable construction in America unlike the monstrosity he frequented in Canada.

They were guided to a room about halfway up the building and on the far end of a massive hallway. They found themselves sitting inside a mostly empty board room. There was the massive round table with eight chairs on either side and one at the head of the arrangement. The wall that separated them from the rest of the building was made entirely of glass allowing workers to look within. Nutella and Sammy had found themselves seated beside one another impatiently waiting for their host to arrive. They could feel the eyes constantly peaking inside and silently judging them.

In came a woman with hair the same color as Nutella's but much shorter. With her Asian descent she claimed to be as young as them but the ever-prevalent wrinkles across her cheeks said otherwise. The pantsuit she wore was black as night with a snow-white blouse visible beneath. That and the thin glasses across her eyes made her look like the head honcho they were waiting for. Her powerful demeanor contrasted a soft voice, "I thank you for taking the time to arrive. My name is Tika Oxton, I'm the media correspondent for this office."

Sammy raised a gloved hand, "I thought we were meeting with Ms. Matchwore?"

"Ms. Matchwore is a bit busy but she will come soon." Tika stood up and pressed a button on the nearby wall. The authors watched as all the windows went dark and a dim light illuminated the isolated room. There was a strange tension in the air now. He made a precautionary shift in his seat in case something happened. He assumed he could break open the glass with his feet if they needed to escape.

Tika took a seat beside Nutella as she removed the thin wireframes resting upon her nose. Tika took a deep breath and threw her regal display out the window. "I love your books!" She leaned so close she threatened to enter Nutella's mouth. "Your stories are so funny. It like... umm duh girl. He mad you arrest him. But then I still want them fall in love." Her rushed squeals caused her linguistics to suffer.

Nutella gave a nervous smile, "Um... yeah thanks." Nutella snickered along with her surprising new fan.

She and Tika continued to revile over Nutella's many quirky tales. Meanwhile Sammy just silently listened on from the background. He didn't want to spoil their fun.

Though after a minute of squealing he pushed his luck. "Umm... Ms. Tika. Do you know when Ms. Matchwore will arrive?"

Tika was too busy talking to hear him. Luckily Nutella caught his question and repeated, "Tika. When will Ms. Matchwore give us the document."

Tika's eyes lit up. "I have right here." She quickly ran back to her original seat and retrieved a small wooden clipboard. "You know how boring these are." She presented the tablet in Nutella's face. "We just need a name for credit."

The authors were a bit shocked. Sammy asked the question, "A name?" he stressed that first word.

Tika quickly answered, "Yes. A name." He and Nutella shared a knowing glance.

Only one of their names would be put on the animation. A story they had put both of their souls into. Only one of them would be getting credit.

Nutella was unable to process this. She couldn't dream of removing Sammy from the credits. "I... I-I'm sorry but. How could I possibly decide?"

Sammy however, "Well I can." He took the clipboard into his leather palms. He clicked the pen climatically, "I choose me."

"WHAT?!" both the girls screamed at the boy causing him to drop the pen and pad to the floor. He clumsily rose from his seat and retrieved the document. Nutella was too outraged to think. She just yelled, "Why do you get to put your name on the animation?"

Sammy scratched his head as he stood to the side. "Well, you said you couldn't pick. And I could." He stretched his back. He felt surprisingly free after standing up. With a casual tone he finished, "So, I chose me." The marsupial went to sign the document, but Nutella quickly snatched it away.

"Well, what if I want my name on the animation?"

Sammy crossed his arms, "Then we can discuss."

Nutella's eye began to twitch. Why is he acting like he did nothing wrong? Well if he can be selfish, "Well I don't think you should be able to choose since you were so selfish before." She twirled the pen around. "I'll just sign my name instead."

Sammy snatched the document back with relative ease. "That's not how discussions work." So, she wanted to be selfish now. He could show her selfishness. Sammy jumped back nearly seven feet with the grace of a child jumping over puddles. He clicked the pen without a word ready to stamp the parchment with his Johnny Hancock.

"TAIL?!" Tika screamed. She was pointed at Sammy with horror on her lips.

Sammy gave his rear an inquisitive glance. There it was. His flexible third leg resting on the ground thankfully. No wonder he felt so free when he stood up. His tail had flopped out of his hoodie on the way up.

While he was observing his failed disguise something attacked him. His hands were swallowed up in a cool milky substance. It flew across him like air but molded to his form like a course liquid. He successfully shook the goop away only to find that the pen and clipboard had been snatched with it.

He followed the slop as it flew across the room and landed in Nutella's hands. Her hair shifted like the plastic of a waterbed. It had shrunken in length from a back long expanse of cream to just inking past her spinal base. The goop deposited the clipboard into her hands then flew back into her scalp causing her hair to grow back to its original length.

Tika was floored. She didn't even know what to shout this time.

Sammy however knew exactly what was happening. "What are you doing?" He'd seen this before. Nutella's ability to absorb Nutella hazelnut spreads and control it freely. Her hair was thousands of hazel strands she actively controlled to look like follicles. And at any moment she could turn it into a deadly psychic mass.

Nutella realized what she did. Now Tika knew about Sammy's real form and her powers but they'd deal with that later. She quickly ran to the other side of the massive table.

When she had some distance she turned with tightly shut eyes and yelled, "Maybe I'm being selfish." *thump* "But if you get to choose yourself then..." She worked up some courage. *thump* When she opened her eyes she finished, "Then I get to be-" She would have finished her statement with a bang but she was confused. Sammy should have still been ahead of her. But somehow, he had vanished from her sight. "...selfish... too?"

She saw Tika staring at her with shaky eyes. Then she felt a heavy presence behind her. Nutella tried to run ahead but Sammy reach around her and snatched away the documents one final time. She saw his shoes had been discarded as well. That thumping she heard must have been Sammy jumping across the room.

Rather than running away Sammy put his hands high above his head. With his impressive size she had no way of reaching him without her magical follicles. "Why are you doing this, Tella."

The girl scoffed as she hopelessly reached for the pad. "Why? Why shouldn't I? I wrote the romance for the entire story."

"That's true." Sammy kept his eyes on her hair. He knew her tricks. If her hair gets any shorter that means she's moving it. Right now it was still at her waist so he continued, "But I'm the one that came up with the fight scenes. Ya know. The action the animation is going to use?"

Nutella rolled her eyes, "Your action wouldn't matter if it wasn't for my story."

Sammy got a bit frustrated, "Your story? What happened to our story?" He wanted to bring down a hand to articulate his point but he couldn't move them. Something was restricting his wrists. He snapped up and saw a dark-chocolate shackle wrapped around his hands. There was a matching brown pole stretching from the roof and holding him in place.

He was gobsmacked. Looking back at Nutella her hair hadn't grown any shorter, yet somehow, she had summoned enough to trap him. She broke a bit of her hair from her creamy bangs and used it to retrieve the pad. Sammy had no way of fighting back. He voiced his discourse, "Wha- How? I watched your hair length. It didn't change. How did you get it past me?"

Nutella smirked just as the clipboard was deposited into her arms. "What was the name of that chapter I was reading?" She pretended to ponder her question. "Oh yeah..." she turned around so they could see her back. "Looks can be Deceiving." Sammy was floored that he hadn't thought of it sooner. Before it looked like when she summoned her Nutella attacks it had to come from the bottom first. But seeing her grab a few of her bangs cleared that up.

Nutella had removed the middle portion of her massive mane. In doing so she made the now disconnected section float in the air as if it were still attached to the whole. The rest Sammy was able to plug in on his own. If she can fully control her hair that means she can also hide it in the shadows of her body. Since he was so close he never saw her slink it along her legs until it was directly below them. While he was focused on her body, she slipped the removed portion between his legs and sent it flying above him. The rest was history.

He tried to fight her Nutella cuffs but found the substance had hardened to an indefinite strength. "There's no point in fighting, Sammy. You already know my Nutella can get harder than concrete. You aren't breaking those cuffs." The girl again moved to sign her name but had the documents smacked out of her hand by Sammy's massive tail. It stung a bit. The weight of his massive limb.

She looked back up and saw Sammy sticking his tongue out at her. Just as childish as the day they met. She reached down and retrieved the documents. This time Sammy kicked it down. "Stop it!" Sammy didn't respond. Instead, he raised a foot and booted her away.

She was forced to roll to break her fall. It didn't hurt. Not as much as when they first met. He clearly didn't want to hurt her. But he still hit her. And that was a line she didn't think he'd cross again.

Whilst the marsupial-man tried to use his toes to pick up the clipboard, Nutella stormed up to face him. He looked her in the eyes and continued to stick out his tongue like a toddler. Only for her palm to smack his angled cheek. It didn't sound off like skin-to-skin contact. But it hurt all the same.

Sammy returned her attack with a defiant glare as he again attempted to escape. Though she said otherwise the kangaroo refused to quit. He pulled down as hard as he could but the pole wouldn't budge. He looked back to see Nutella standing beside Tika. With an enraged growl, he shouted, "What happened to our TEAM?!"

Nutella glared at him, "Starve."

Sammy's anger was palpable. After months of working together and a year of friendship, she would throw it all away in a selfish bid for more power. He couldn't take this. Not standing. He tried to pull down again but couldn't get enough force. He looked up and saw Tika showing Nutella where to sign (albeit with a shaky hand).

He had to stop her. He had to. He needed to. Cause without this. He would be nothing.

He brought his legs up so he could dangle by the stone shackles. This new position allowed him to put his feet against the outer glass window. He mumbled, "I'm sorry" then flexed his massive thighs. At first, he couldn't make progress. But with a bit of grit, he managed to crack the glass with his force. And in turn, shatter the cuffs that attempted to constrict him.

The speed he shot forward with was akin to a bullet out of a smoking gun. Had he put any more effort behind it, he might have ripped a muscle in his legs. But instead he ripped through the air like a fighter jet and crash-landed into Nutella's stomach.

The dirty thud they made upon collision could be heard through the sound dampening walls. And they in turn smashed against the window causing a small fracture to run up with width. Sammy rolled away with a headache surely forming. Though he feared more for his friend. He didn't want this. He didn't want to fight for recognition. Well, he did want to fight. He loved fighting. But this wasn't fun.

Yet here he was. Checking on his prone friend while she slowly came to. Sam propped her head the best he could, "You okay, Tella?"

"Ugh... what hit me."

Sammy bit his lip trying to formulate a lie. He was never good at improv. Luckily he didn't have to improvise. Tika spoke up with a quivering finger, "What are you people?"

Sam brought a hand up to his face. He could feel the lack of a face mask. No shades to swallow his face. And his hood fell off during the flight. His slanted mug was on full display. But once again he had no time to spar.

His opportunity had finally arrived. The clipboard was sitting unattended beside the table. He placed Nutella down gently, "I'm sorry."

He hopped over to the board and noticed that Nutella hadn't finished writing her signature. Had he been a second slower it would be over. But now he had a chance. Finally, he could be recognized.

As the pen met paper he felt a giant gooey wave smash him into the ground. He looked around and found his body squashed against the flooring by Nutella's Nutella. He peeked back and saw her holding her head. She had removed all her goop leaving only a pixie cut of jagged hazel spikes atop her head. The baby blue sparkles were heated blue fireworks. And she looked tired of this constant struggle.

She had a raspy voice. A far cry from the cheery tone they had met each other with, "Why? Why are you doing this?" Sammy listened but was using his tail to get leverage. He was pushing against the goop as she continued, "When we met you were insane. You showed zero tact. And you had no semblance of common sense."

Sammy assumed her speech was keeping her from fully solidifying the goop. But the weight was still holding him back. That and the forming tears on her tongue, "You were crazy yes. But you were never mean. You weren't selfish. You did what you did on that day in a desperate passion-fueled blur but it was never about seeking merit. But now you're so focused on the fame. Did you not write that story with the same passion your fists follow? What changed?"

Sammy managed to get to a semi-vertical base and grumbled, "What changed?" He turned to her with a blazing amber inferno in his eyes. "Nothing's changed, Tella. Nothing ever changes." He was freed from the goop as his former colleague retracted her attack. "I try. And I try. I learn. I get better." He managed to choke out his frustrations between rapidly forming tears. "I try to advance myself. And what do I get? Nothing. Nobody sees how hard I'm working." He pointed an accusatory finger at her, "But you! You have always been recognized for your genius!"

Nutella shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Our story Nutella!" The girl felt her heart stop. He never used her real name. "All our hard work. After everything we put into that story how many people read it? Thousands! LITERAL THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE! And how many followers did I earn? TWENTY! I only gained twenty followers. But you! You gained over TWO-HUNDRED followers. Do you know how that feels? To try so hard and be forgotten in the shadow of your friends..." Sammy crumbled back to the floor. They both saw the clipboard now standing between them. He signaled out the object of their quarry, "But with that... With that, I'll finally get the recognized."

Nutella shook her head, "Sammy... you already get respect." She relaxed a bit and recalled her attack. "You have your followers' respect. Your friends' respect. And you have my respect." Sammy felt a wave of dread wash over him. "You let the numbers blind you. Wasn't it you that told me my internet points don't make me your superior?" Nutella took a shaky breath, "If anyone appreciated quality over quantity, I hoped it would be you."

The two stood still for a moment absorbing her speech. He couldn't find a word out of place. Not a falsity in her truths. She had him pegged. He'd grown so desperate for attention, he forgot he was writing for himself. No one else.

But something felt off. "What about you?" Sammy stood tall so that even with their distance he would be above her. "Why did you fight so hard? If recognition doesn't matter... Why did you want it so much?"

Nutella looked at the ground. Huffing as she caught the air he had knocked out of her, "Would you want someone else's name on something it took you a month to make?" Sammy's breath caught. "For someone else to get the credit for your work. Nobody wants that. We put our hearts into that story, Sammy. But there's no way I can let you take all the glory."

The passionate authors silently sulked as they let the facts settle. Sammy was an emotional mess like the baby he was. Nutella wanted to cry as well but someone had to be strong. When she looked up Sammy had grabbed a chair and taken an uncomfortable seat. He outwardly huffed, "Why couldn't we share the spotlight."

She added, "That's the only reason we got this far. Working together."

The authors again fell silent as they tried to comprehend what to do next. Continuing the fight now would have been a step backward. Luckily the third party was listening for once. "Umm... excuse me," Tika muttered from behind a chair. The duo motioned for her to continue. "Why are you fighting?"

Nutella spoke up, "Because one of us has to put our names on the animation."

Tika took a deep breath, "Why don't you both just write your names?"

The exhausted guests woke up from her advice. Sammy shivered, "What did you just say?"

Tika gulped. She could feel the air thicken again, "You could both just write your names on the animation. It doesn't have to be just one name."

Nutella's twitch came back with twice the force. "But... you said, 'A Name'."

Tika hissed a bit, "English isn't my first language." Sammy fell out of his chair at the absurd misunderstanding. They had nearly torn each other apart over a language barrier. Tika retreated behind her chair. She could tell she messed up, "I'm sorry."

~-~--~-~

The duo was sitting in their hotel room together. They had a wild day behind them. Fighting like two foolish children. Then trying to clean up the mess they made in the office to the best of their abilities. They had to fight the devil to convince Tika to keep quiet about what she saw in that room but hopefully she would keep her mouth shut. Nutella had promised her exclusive access to all her stories a week before they were released in return for her silence. That and exclusive perks on her discord server.

Now the duo sat on the patio sipping hot cocoa in the San Francisco sun. The wind blew especially hard from their elevated position. But their emotions blew with double the force.

Sammy was the first to speak up, "I'm such an idiot."

Nutella hissed, "Well~"

"Don't answer that."

She giggled a bit at his self-deprecation. "Alright. Alright. Let's calm down. You're not an idiot." She bit her lip, "Well you are pretty dumb. And you never think before you act. And you always do this weird thing with your-"

"You're not helping." Sammy had a glazed-over frown.

She again allowed herself a small snicker, "But~ I've known since we first met that you don't have a malicious bone in your body. And you aren't the guy that would harm others."

Sammy squinted, "Well I wouldn't say that."

"Uh. Emotionally harm someone." She corrected. He snapped his fingers in agreement. "Today was just another example of you letting your emotions guide your actions. Which isn't bad... but your emotions can get kinda-"

"Volatile? Dangerous? Explosive?"

"I was gonna say strong."

Sammy nodded his head as he looked over the clouds. "But still. I went too far... I hurt you."

Another jab landed against his shoulder. This one was much stiffer than their previous aerial exchange. Nutella shot him a playful smile, "Get real. This isn't the first time we've fought." Sammy snickered with her. She sipped on her cocoa, "And it won't be the last. That's what friends do. We fight. Then we make up."

"We're just like muscles. We tear ourselves apart and grow back stronger."

"Well, our friendship is gonna be like steel pretty soon." They both took a deep breath, reveling in the familiarity of each other's company. Their peace was interrupted by the sound of an incoming video call. Nutella stood up with a little spring in her step. "That's probably Tika. Welp..." she reached a hand out to the anthromorph. "You ready to go, partner?"

Sammy looked up one final time. Baby-blues eyes that sparkled with diamonds and hazel hair made of Nutella spread. Plus a talking kangaroo that wants to fight the world and be seen by all. What a strange duo. He took her hand, "I'm waiting on you, partner."

But a duo that will rock the world.

~-~--~-~

This was a submission for the @Nutella_BS OC writing Contest. The goal was to tell a story using Nutella's OC (Nutella) and an OC of your own creation. I didn't have an OC so I used the animal in my pfp. Hope you enjoyed it. And go check out Nutella_BS if you want to see some of her awesome works.