Smurfy Love

Chapter 6: Chapter 9: Somesmurf Loves You

It was Valentine's Day in Blossom, and everywhere Smurfs bustled about with excitement. Love-smudged letters passed hands, heart-shaped cookies baked in ovens, and even Grouchy Smurf was seen — reluctantly — holding hands with Vanity.

But one Smurf had no time for such foolishness. Nosey Smurf hunched over her desk in the Newspaper Mushroom, scribbling frantically as ink stained her fingers. A real journalist didn’t take holidays, after all.

Editor Smurf leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Nosey, take the day off. Go smurf yourself some fun for once."

Nosey scoffed, flipping a page in her notebook. "Smurf a day off? And miss out on the biggest stories of the year? Smurf, no! There's gotta be some juicy news happening today!"

Editor sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue. "Fine, but don't work too hard. And don't bother anysmurf on their special day, alright?"

Nosey nodded absentmindedly, not actually promising or agreeing to anything. Editor shook his head as he left.

As soon as he was gone, Nosey jumped to her feet, a certain Smurf trailing behind her like a shadow. Camera Smurf, ever loyal, hoisted his oversized camera strap higher onto his shoulder as he followed her out the door. He didn’t say much, he didn’t have to, Nosey didn't need to hear him to know he was there. Wherever she went, so too did Camera.

Nosey smirked. "C'mon, Camera. Let’s smurf us a scoop!"

The hunt began.

All day, Nosey peeked behind bushes, ducked under tables, and climbed rooftops, searching for something worth printing.

She spotted Handy and Smurfette sharing a box of chocolates — boring, everysmurf already knew about that.

Poet reading love poetry to Painter — predictable.

Flirty wiggling his eyebrows at a group of giggling Smurf girls — just another Tuesday.

Time and time again, she scribbled notes, only to cross them out. Nothing was exciting enough. Nothing felt like the right story.

Meanwhile, Camera Smurf stayed by her side as a silent, steady presence. His lens clicked softly, now and again, though Nosey never once saw what exactly he was photographing. Nothing popped out to her as particularly interesting enough to take a picture of, though perhaps he'd managed to make something seem more spectacular than it truly was. She'd never stop being impressed by her partner in crime reporting's skills when it came to photography.

Evening fell. The once-lively village was now bathed in warm, golden light. The scent of flowers and fresh-baked sweets still lingered in the air, but Nosey didn’t feel like celebrating.

She slumped onto a tree stump in the middle of the square, shoulders sagging in defeat. "It’s hopeless," she muttered. "All day, I’ve been smurfing my tail off looking for a big scoop, and what do I have? Nothing!" She threw her notebook onto the grass in frustration.

Camera Smurf stood beside her, head tilted as he listened to her rant.

"I wasted my whole smurfing day," she continued bitterly. "Not that much of a waste, though; it isn't like somesmurf was waiting for me to smurf something else with them, after all. It’s not like anysmurf actually wants to go out with the annoying gossip queen." She laughed weakly, then bit her lip. "Might as well work, right? At least then I don’t have to think about it."

A sniffle escaped before she could stop it.

Gently, Camera Smurf sat beside her. He carefully opened a section of his beloved camera and pulled out a stack of fresh photos.

Nosey blinked as he placed them in her hands. "What’s this?"

The first picture featured Nosey herself, scribbling furiously in her notebook, eyes bright with excitement. The next, peering over a rooftop with determined focus. Another, smiling as she grinned conspiratorially behind a tree.

One after another, she flipped through the photos. They were all of her as she worked throughout the day — not just her working, but her at her most her.

Passionate. Fierce. Determined.

She gaped, turning towards her camerasmurf. "You… You spent the whole day taking pictures of me?"

Camera Smurf nodded.

"Why?"

For a long moment, he was silent, his eyes searching hers. Then, with a soft grunt, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her close. "I love you, Nosey." His words were like him: straightforward, steady, and meaning more to Nosey than she knew how to ever properly express.

Nosey’s breath hitched. Camera was not the touchy-feely type, and he rarely spoke at all. But here he was, warm and steady beside her, holding her like she was something precious and saying he loved her.

Showing her he loved her.

Her eyes stung. She leaned into him, gripping the photos tightly as the weight of the day melted away.

"...I love you too, Cam," she whispered, hugging him back.

Camera Smurf hummed in contentment.

(The next day, the villagers are rather bemused when The Blossom Times runs the headline 'Camera Smurf Confesses Love — The Lucky Smurf To Hear It Will Shock You!')

(The post is not supposed to run right after a holiday)

(In Nosey's defense, that just meant that Editor wasn't around to stop her)