Ty was relieved that CeCe hadn't pushed about finding him someone to pair him off with. It wasn't that he didn't trust her match-making skills, even though he didn't. It just so happened that he was already seeing someone, he just hadn't found the right way to tell anyone.

Tinka was the only one to know about Ty's budding relationship with Gunther and Gunther had been the one to tell her. Ty had initially reacted poorly even though Gunther insisted he and Tinka shared just about everything. It must have been a twin thing, as Ty almost never shared anything overly private or sensitive with his own sister. After calming down a bit, Ty had been secretly pleased that Gunther considered him something worth sharing.

Tinka might have been hurt or upset, considering their fairly recent date. He didn't like to think about that too much because then he started wondering if he had been using her to get to Gunther all along. Who knew know how long his subconscious might have been seeking opportunities to act on desires he had been hiding even from himself. He eventually decided that if he had used her, he hadn't done it on purpose.

Much to Ty's surprise, Tinka hadn't reacted negatively at all and now they were slowly becoming friends. She had even started to hang around with Gunther and himself, once they'd both assured her that she was in no way being a third wheel. It was interesting for Ty to see Gunther and his sister together in private, really no different than they were in public. As stagy as their behavior could be, they were never putting on an act and they were truly close. He sometimes wondered how he and Rocky compared to them.

Ty tested the waters with Gunther the next time he saw the other boy, wanting to know how he felt about more people than just his sister knowing about them.

Gunther's lips pursed for a moment. He took a thoughtful sip of his milkshake as they continued strolling past shop windows in the mall. While Ty no longer thought Gunther should try to bring his style down a few notches, Gunther would often tell him how good he would look in just about anything he saw that was brightly colored or glittering.

After a moment, Gunther gave Ty a playful nudge with his shoulder and grinned. "We could just be kissing here in front of everyone. The rumors would be milling in no time!"

Ty smiled, "Just like that? You really wouldn't care if everyone knew?

Gunther shrugged, "What reasons have I to be keeping secrets? I am always dancing and always being with Tinka instead of chasing girls. Many people here, they are already making up their minds about me whether I say something or I do not."

After some amount of worry, the matter of who knew about what was taken out of Ty's hands completely. It wasn't his fault that Gunther had been looking entirely too kissable just as Rocky had been passing above them on the fire escape to get to CeCe's apartment. Ty pulled reluctantly away from Gunther's lips and looked up when he heard her squeal. She was already out of sight, having dashed through the window.

"I guess there's no time like the present."

"I should come up with you? I will be supporting your morals." Gunther squeezed Ty's hand and leaned in to delicately peck his cheek.

"Thanks, but this is probably something I should do on my own. I'll call you later." Ty steeled his nerves as he watched Gunther walk away, then headed up the front steps and into the building. He found Rocky waiting for him in the hall outside of CeCe's door. They stared at each other in silence, neither of them sure who should talk first.

Rocky finally took the lead, "Frankly, I'm relieved."

That was pretty much the last thing Ty had expected to hear.

"Huh?" was his intelligent response.

Rocky smirked. "You're not exactly stealth, Ty. We've seen you around with Gunther and Tinka, CeCe and I. We just had things turned around, we thought that you were dating her and becoming friends with him. Gunther is definitely the lesser of two evils. If you have to date a Hessenheffer, I'm glad it's him."

For a few seconds, all Ty could do was laugh. He had gotten all worked up, thinking that his dating a guy was going to be a big deal. Rocky didn't seem phased in the slightest. That was two down, counting CeCe. Ty had no doubt that Rocky had started telling CeCe as much as she could just as soon as the other girl could hear her. Now Ty only had Deuce to worry about, as well as his parents. It all seemed much less daunting now that he knew his sister was on his side. Perhaps they had a closer bond than he thought.

"CeCe's relieved, too. She thought you didn't want her help. It's much better for her ego if you just didn't need it."

There was a thump from behind the door when Rocky mentioned CeCe's name. Ty reached past his sister to turn the knob and let the door swing open. They were greeted by the sight of CeCe sprawled on the floor, an empty glass in her hand that she had obviously been using to eavesdrop on them.

"Hey guys!" CeCe jumped up, her tone overly bright. "Thirsty?"