pucker up

PUCKER UP

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The bright studio lights gleamed across the cheerful pink-and-yellow set of Pucker Up with Joely Live. The signature candy jars shimmered under the cameras, stuffed full of every shade of sour imaginable — neon green, cherry red, electric blue. A small audience of crew members milled behind the cameras, while Joely herself, dressed in a pastel blazer, beamed at her two guests on the couch beside her.

Malachi and Diana sat side by side on a comfy gray couch, a coffee table in front of them littered with cups of water, a small towel, and, of course, a chaotic spread of sour candy. Some were unwrapped already, others glistened like tiny sugar-coated warning signs.

Joely looked at the camera with her signature grin. "What's up, guys! Welcome back to Pucker Up! You know the drill — I'm Joely, and today I am joined by two people who have been making everyone's hearts melt lately and who, frankly, might be the most requested guests of the entire season."

Diana laughed, ducking her head shyly, her hands folded in her lap. Malachi grinned wide, leaning back casually against the couch.

Joely continued, "You know them, you love them — the dynamic, adorable, insanely talented couple from Dancing with the Stars and Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires — it's Diana Sinclair and Malachi Barton!"

Cheers from the small crew followed, and Malachi waved at the camera. "What's up, guys! I'm excited to be back — I think this is my third time doing this?"

Joely nodded with mock seriousness. "It is! Which means you are officially a Pucker Up veteran. You will have survived the sour three times."

Malachi laughed. "Barely."

Diana smiled shyly, turning toward the camera. "Hi! I'm excited too. Maybe a little nervous. But... mostly excited."

"Oh, she's nervous," Malachi teased, bumping her knee with his. "You have no idea what's coming."

Diana arched a brow. "I love sour candy, Barton. I'll be fine."

He shook his head like he pitied her. "You think you love sour candy. There's a difference."

Joely gasped dramatically. "Oh, a challenge! I love confidence."

The three of them laughed as Joely clapped her hands together. "Alright, you know the rules. We'll go through different levels of sour candy — each one gets progressively worse. You eat it, I ask questions, and you try to survive. Sound good?"

"Let's do it," Malachi said, rubbing his hands together like he was prepping for battle.

"Ready," Diana agreed, tying her hair up into a loose bun like a competitor gearing up for war.

Joely pushed the first candy bowl toward them. "Round one! This one's easy. It's lemon — not too bad. Warm-up."

Diana and Malachi each took one, "Cheers," Diana said, clinking her candy against his before they popped it into their mouths at the same time, and then both blinked once as the sugar coating gave way to a mild tang.

Joely leaned forward, grinning. "See? Not so bad."

"Yeah," Diana said, shrugging casually. "It's cute."

Malachi chuckled, pointing at her. "That's exactly what I said the first time I did this — 'it's not that bad.' It gets worse."

Joely laughed. "Okay, first question — how did you two meet? Because the internet has so many theories."

Diana immediately burst into a laugh. "Oh my gosh. Okay, this is actually funny. So—" She glanced at Malachi. "You want me to tell it?"

He grinned. "Go ahead."

"So," she began, "it was premiere night for Dancing With the Stars. I was so nervous because it was my first show. It was the opening number — huge crowd, bright lights, total chaos. During my transition off the floor, my heel got caught on the edge of the floor and I tripped."

"She didn't trip," Malachi corrected, smirking. "She launched."

"I did not!"

Joely gasped. "Stop. You're kidding."

"I wish," Diana said through laughter. "He caught me though. Like, properly caught me. One arm holding my waist, the other gripping my arm. It was ridiculous."

Malachi laughed, "I didn't even know who she was yet, but I just see this blur of sparkles flying at me and the next thing I know, I'm making sure she doesn't hit the floor."

Diana shook her head, hiding her face in her hands as Joely laughed.

"And the crazy part," Malachi added, "is that wasn't even the last time she bumped into me that week. She literally ran into me two more times before we were officially introduced."

Joely grinned. "So you literally crashed into each other — that's adorable."

"Very literal meet-cute," Diana said, smiling softly now.

"Alright," Joely said, sliding another bowl toward them. "Round two! These are green apple. Level two sour. Let's go."

Diana popped one into her mouth and immediately felt the sting of acid-sugar on her tongue. Still manageable. She kept her face calm, waiting to see Malachi's reaction.

He lasted three seconds before his expression twisted like someone had hit him with a lemon.

"Okay," he said, eyes watering. "That one's criminal."

Diana started laughing so hard she almost choked on hers. "You're so dramatic!"

"This is toxic waste!" he said, pointing at the candy.

"It's delicious!"

Joely leaned forward, howling with laughter. "You're supposed to be the returning champion!"

"Not anymore," Diana teased. "He's retired."

Malachi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to recover some dignity. "Fine. Ask your next question before my tongue dissolves."

Joely laughed along. "Alright, next question — who fell first?"

Both of them paused, still sucking on the candy. Diana glanced over at Malachi, brow raised.

"Oh, we're really doing this one," Malachi said with a grin.

"Yup!" Joely said brightly. "Don't think, just answer."

"I think it was me," Diana said after a beat, nodding. "Yeah, I think I realized it first."

"Oh?" Joely leaned forward. "When?"

Diana laughed shyly. "After our bowling night."

Malachi chuckled. "The infamous bowling night."

"Yeah," Diana said, looking at him. "That night, when I got home, I was scrolling through TikTok and suddenly my whole For You page was him. I just kept watching videos and I remember thinking, oh no." She smiled shyly. "But honestly, I think I liked him before that. I just didn't want to admit it."

Joely clutched her chest dramatically. "Stop, that's so sweet!"

Malachi was grinning, but there was a glint in his eyes. "That's cute," he said softly.

Diana raised an eyebrow.

"But," he said, turning toward Joely, "it wasn't her."

Joely gasped. "Plot twist!"

Diana laughed. "Wait, what?"

"It was me," Malachi admitted.

Diana blinked at him, stunned. "You?"

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That first night — when you fell into me? You were so flustered, I swear your face was the color of your costume. I thought you were... stunning."

Joely melted. "Stop. I can't."

Diana's mouth fell open slightly. "You— what? You never told me that!"

"I know," he said, smirking. "Because I thought you'd make fun of me. But I may or may not have shown up to camera blocking the following week so I could see you."

Joely let out an exaggerated gasp while Diana just stared at him, laughing. "You did not!"

"I did," he said proudly. "I thought I was being smooth."

Joely pointed between them. "You two are unreal. That's literally a rom-com plotline."

Diana covered her face again, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "You're telling me you planned that?"

"Strategically manifested," he corrected, grinning.

Joely was laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes. "That's the cutest thing I've ever heard."

Diana shook her head in disbelief, cheeks flushed. "You're unbelievable."

He smirked, voice low. "Worked, didn't it?"

She nudged him with her knee but couldn't hide her smile.

A few rounds later, the table was littered with candy wrappers and empty cups of water. Diana was still sitting tall, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Malachi, on the other hand, looked like he'd just come back from war.

"You're officially stronger than me," he admitted, leaning back. "I'm not even ashamed."

Joely giggled. "Okay, for our final round, we have the Smack the Table challenge. I'll ask a question, and if the answer is 'yes,' you smack the table. Ready?"

They each popped one in, and Malachi let out a groan. "Oh my— nope. Nope."

Diana started laughing but could barely open her mouth because her entire face had scrunched up. "Okay— that— that's a little sour."

Malachi looked at her with wide eyes, "A little?!"

Joely was cracking up. "This is amazing! Okay," Joely said. "First question — is it true that Grayson wasn't actually a good partner?"

The studio air instantly changed. It wasn't hostile, but there was a subtle stillness, a shift.

Diana's eyes widened slightly, and Malachi looked at her, expression soft, protective, waiting for her cue.

For a few seconds, she said nothing. Then she took a quiet breath, looked down, and lightly smacked the table.

Malachi's hand came down right after hers, firmer, more decisive.

"Oh, wow. A double smack." Joely's brows lifted slightly, but she kept her tone gentle. "Okay... do you want to elaborate?"

Diana hesitated for a long moment, then smiled softly, her tone even. "Not today. But maybe someday."

Joely nodded, respecting it. "Fair enough."

Malachi's hand found her thigh, his thumb rubbing slow circles against her leg, subtle enough the camera couldn't see. She gave him a quick, grateful glance.

Joely smiled. "Alright, last question — let's end on a sweet one. Do you guys love each other?"

Without missing a beat, both of them smacked the table at the exact same time.

Joely laughed, clapping her hands. "That's the easiest yes we've ever had!"

The tension melted instantly, laughter bubbling up again.

Malachi leaned in slightly, whispering something that made Diana laugh, her hand pushing at his shoulder playfully.

Joely grinned. "Alright, that's it for today's Pucker Up! Thank you guys so much for watching, and huge thanks to Malachi and Diana for surviving the sour!"

Diana waved. "Thanks for having us!"

Malachi threw up a peace sign. "Never again."

Joely laughed. "We'll see about that."

The cameras clicked off, and the lights dimmed slightly.

Diana turned toward him, her lips still curved in a smile. "You know, you really didn't handle that well."

He smirked, brushing sugar dust off his hoodie. "Maybe not. But you can't say I didn't look good doing it."

She rolled her eyes, laughing. "You looked like you were in pain."

"Pain builds character."

"Uh-huh."

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Also, for the record, I totally fell first."

She smiled softly, heart fluttering. "I still can't believe that. This whole time I thought I was just clumsy."

"Oh you are," Malachi immediately said. "But only around me." He shot her a wink and she gave him a light shove back. Their smiles brighter than any light.

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besides the malachi and freya videos, i haven't really watched any other pucker up vids so i did my best!!

also, i didn't plan to make it that malachi purposely showed up that day so he could see diana again, but once it popped in my brain, i just had to do it!i think it just makes their meet-cute even cuter

😊