Title: Imaginary Crushes and Real Ones Too
Category: Life With Derek
Rating: K+
Genre: Humor
Character(s)/Pairing: Smerek-Smarti Cuteness, implied Casey/Derek
Word Count: 531
Summary: Marti has something she really needs to tell Derek and he realizes if anyone's oblivious, it's him.
Imaginary Crushes and Real Ones Too
-Drabble-
"Smerek..." Marti walked into his room without knocking and looked up at him with a half-sad, half-confused expression. He waved her over and picked her up so she was sitting in his lap. With a sigh, she looked up at him with big blue eyes. "I have something I need to tell you and it's verrrry serious."
He half-smiled. "Okay, Smarti, lay it on me."
She sighed, looking quite pensive for her age. "Daphne has a crush."
His brows lifted, lips quirking. "Really?" He was pretty sure his little Smarti was too young to like boys, but hey, maybe she took after him a bit. He'd see where this went. "And does this boy like her back?"
"No!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. "No, he has a crush on someone else!" She sighed, shoulders slumping. "And I told Daphne that but she said I was being a-dic-ulus!"
"Ridiculous," he corrected absently. "Well, does the girl this other boy likes like him back?"
"Uh huh," She nodded, "but he doesn't know that and she doesn't know he likes her... I don't think." Her brows furrowed.
Derek sighed. "Listen Smarti, if this kid doesn't realize how great you are, then you're better off. You're too awesome for some boy who likes some lame other girl!"
"Smer-ek!" she exclaimed, in a tone that quite resembled Casey's. "It's not me, it's Daphne! And don't call Casey lame!"
"Wait. What? Who the hell likes Casey? Did you say she likes him back?" He looked baffled and annoyed and he was more than a little frustrated.
He was well aware that Casey wasn't dating anyone and she hadn't pulled any major klutziness lately, except for those few times he barely caught her before she tumbled down the stairs when he was walking up to his room. Or when she tripped out of nowhere and fell right into his lap, and then that time she somehow managed to get tangled up in the X-Box controller chords while he was playing a racing game and landed face-first on the floor. But nothing at school around any guys and he would've noticed if her and Emily were gossiping about some new crush. It was hard to get away from an exited Casey. Not that he was paying attention to her or anything...
Marti sighed, rolling her eyes. "I shouldn't'a told you, now Daphne's gonna be mad at me." Huffing, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I told her I wouldn't tell you she liked you but I couldn't help it." She pouted. "Am I a bad friend?"
"Uh..." Derek rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course you're not a bad friend, Smarti. You're the best friend an imaginary girl could have." He half-smiled. "Now... explain this thing where you think I like Casey and she likes me again in a little more detail?"
She smiled up at him as if he was hopeless. "Of Smerek, you're so a-bliff-sus."
"Oblivious." He smirked, lifting a brow. "And only you can get away with that," he said, reaching down to tickle her. "Now spill it, Smarti... What do you know?"
Giggling, she shrieked, "Everything!"
And he was pretty sure she really did.