Starting a new fic. I shouldn't, but I am anyway. Really hope you enjoy it, every bit of feedback helps!

"Look here, Lemon Juice. If you were going to go to the bathroom eight-million times, why did you request the window seat?" Mercedes asked the blond next to her after he'd almost knocked her lunch over trying to get back to his seat.

"Can you stop calling me that?" Sam looked at her and glared.

"Can you answer my question?" she responded, un-fazed.

"Because I like the window seat," he said, like it was common knowledge.

"Well I like being able to read and eat my food without your ass in my view, obstructing my movements every ten minutes," she shot back. Truthfully, Sam hated flying and it seemed whenever he got on a plane, his nervousness would manifest in his bladder, resulting in many trips to the restroom.

"I guess I just like pissing you off," he said.

"Then I guess you're a glutton for pain since you're obviously aiming to have my foot in your ass," she growled.

"Really Pocket? I'd like to see your foot reach my ass." Pocket was something he began calling her when they first met. He told her she was pocket-sized, and she was instantly annoyed at being reminded of her height. The more time spent around each other, they knew they wouldn't get along at all. So he came up with the nick-name, remembering it annoyed her, just to fuck with her. She was no better, having called him Lemon Juice since back then he was a lot blonder and still putting the stuff in his hair so people would think he was cooler. That was a while ago and the natural dirty blond locks were back, but her nickname remained as she would not let him live that down.

"Go to hell," she told him, prepared to rip his head off.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Mike asked, suddenly appearing behind Sam's seat because he heard the beginnings of another fight between the two. Tina popped up behind Mercedes seconds later.

Tina and Mike won a contest, winning them four plane tickets to Los Angeles, plus hotel stay. Mike wanted to bring his best friend, and Tina wanted to bring hers, which is how Sam and Mercedes found themselves on the same trip.

They only ended up going because Tina and Mike all but dropped to their knees and begged. "If you don't come we'll be forced to ask Finn and Rachel!" they pleaded.

"Yeah, enjoying the flight?" the half-Asian woman asked with a pleasant smile.

"Does it look like I'm enjoying the flight?" Sam asked, motioning to Mercedes.

"Can we get him a different seat? Like on the wing?" Mercedes suggested through clenched teeth.

"We're almost there, guys. Come on! LA! None of us have been, get excited!" Mike said. He recoiled immediately though, as he was met with icy glares from his friends. He sunk back into his seat behind them and pulled Tina down as well.

"Maybe it wasn't a great idea convincing them to come with us. I mean, they're gonna be at each other's throats," he whispered. Tina shook her head.

"Would we rather have Rachel and Finn come?" she asked. "And besides, I think they'll be okay…eventually. Hopefully."

"Yeah, hopefully," Mike said, rolling his eyes.

"I think they're secretly into each other," she said, picking up her Sky Mall and absently flipping through it. Mike snorted.

"What?"

"Think about it. They fight all the time. They have insulting nicknames for each other. We always find them staring at each other…"

"Glaring," Mike corrected.

"Either way they can't keep their eyes off each other. I think it's just a matter of time," she said.

"You've watched way too many romantic comedies."

"So have you, so you should see where I'm coming from," she told him.

"I've only seen so many because you make me!" he pointed out.

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy them, Mike." He did respond. He just blushed and shook his head at his girlfriend. She may have been right, but she was not getting that confession out of him.

When they got into LAX and retrieved their bags, they were able to get a shuttle to their hotel right away.

"Holy hell…" Sam muttered, looking at the building before them.

"The photos did not do this place justice! I can't wait to see the pool," Tina said, clapping excitedly. Even Mercedes, who was seconds away from slitting Sam's throat in the ride over, was grinning.

"Okay, maybe this could be okay," she said, earning a smirk from her best friend.

"Well let's stop standing outside and go in!" Mike said once they all had their things.

When they shuffled into the lobby, Mike went straight to the front desk to check in and pick up room keys. Tina stood in the middle of the large hall under the chandelier with Sam and Mercedes.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" she asked, looking around. When she didn't get a response, she looked at her friends, who were suddenly glaring at each other again.

"Guys?" Tina probed, raising an eyebrow.

"Your face is gonna get stuck like that," Sam said to Mercedes, whose expression had turned into a scowl.

"Don't talk to me," she shot back.

"I can talk to whomever I please!" he said.

"Cross me off that list!" she responded.

"Don't worry, you're not on it. My other list, people I enjoy being around, doesn't have your name on it either!"

Before she could respond, Tina had her hands up.

"Stop!" They looked at her, mildly surprised she was even there. They hadn't been paying attention to anything outside of their quarrel.

"Can you guys just have fun for us? Please?" Tina asked, batting her eyelashes. Sam and Mercedes looked at her, both of them in the same pose: arms crossed and shoulders squared with irritated facial expressions.

"Whatever," the two responded simultaneously. Tina smiled and wondered if they knew how oddly in sync they were at times.

Mike returned from the front desk of the hotel with two room keys.

"Why are there only two?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh…we didn't tell you?" Mike answered nervously, looking at Tina to explain.

"Well, the contest only provided enough for two rooms. I guess they assumed the trip would be for two couples," she said.

"Okay, well I'll sleep with Tina, and you can sleep with Sam," Mercedes said, shrugging.

"See…that'd be fine and all, but I kind of wanted to have some alone time with Tina on this trip. If that's okay…" Mike said, pulling his girlfriend close to him.

"Hold up. You expect me to sleep with Sam!" she exclaimed.

"What? NO!" Sam yelled, shaking his head.

"Come on guys! Please! You can ignore each other for all we care, just please?" Tina asked, pouting.

Sam and Mercedes glared at each other then looked at their friends.

"Fine," they both said, huffing.

That evening, Mercedes was putting the finishing touches on a barrier that went down the middle of the king bed. They borrowed extra pillows from Mike and Tina to make their "great wall". She finished fluffing them as high as they would go and went over to her suitcase. Sam had just gotten out of the shower and was brushing his teeth, so she figured she had enough time to change before he came out.

Sam wiped his mouth and set his toothbrush on the ledge under the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom only to be met with the visual of Mercedes on her knees, digging around in her suitcase in her underwear. She didn't seem to notice he'd entered the room, so he cleared his throat.

"Oh my God!" she yelled, grabbing the first shirt available to cover her front with and standing. Her eyes were wide and she looked down, eliciting another "OH MY GOD." He looked down as well and turned pink at the tent he was now pitching under his towel.

"That's not… I mean that has nothing to do with…well actually…well DAMMIT Mercedes your tits are out! Of course I'm going to react." She tried to pull her attention away from his washboard abs, still wet and glistening from the shower and the boner he was now sporting that clearly showed off his size. She tried to respond, but couldn't really form words. Sam noticed.

"Wait. Are you turned on right now, too?" he asked wide-eyed, taking note of how she licked her lips.

"No!" He accepted that challenge and walked over to where she now stood and pressed her against the wall with enough force to hold her down, but not too much, so she could push him off if she really wanted to. She didn't. He searched her eyes until his gaze traveled and landed on her mouth.

"Fuck it," he said, crashing his lips to hers and unsnapping her bra.

"Do you hear that?" Tina asked. She and Mike had been cuddling and watching television before she heard knocking.

"Yeah…is someone at the door?" She shook her head.

"It's not coming from over there…It's almost like it's coming from behind us," she said, her eyebrows furrowing. The knocking grew quicker and Mike muted the TV show so they could hear more clearly. They could now make out grunting, moaning, and some speaking.

"Oh my God…"

"Someone's having a good night," Mike said, grinning. His smile faltered when he saw Tina's expression. Her eyes were wide and her hand was covering her mouth. "What Tina? It's just sex…I'd like to believe we're gonna do the same thing later—

"No! That's Sam and Mercedes' room!" she said, shaking his arm to get him to realize what she had right away. When he did, his expression mirrored the one she had earlier.

"Oh my God...They're totally fucking in there!" he whispered excitedly.

"This is too good!" she said, giggling.

"Wait what if it's the TV or something. It could be a very loud dirty movie…" he suggested.

"Mercedes…fuck…"

"SAM!"

Tina smirked at the confirmation. Mike held in a laugh. They both heard it.

"You think they're gonna hide it tomorrow?" she asked.

"Definitely," he responded. "Come on, we know those two. They're the most stubborn people on the planet." She laughed and nodded in agreement.

"You know this means I was right," she added.

"What?"

"On the plane this morning, I said they were secretly into each other and you didn't believe me," she said with a smug grin.

"I can't even pretend, babe. You got me on that one," he replied with a shrug.

"So…" Tina began. They were all seated around a table in the hotel's breakfast restaurant. Mercedes was poking at her waffles and Sam had been looking around arbitrarily chewing on a piece of bacon. When Tina spoke, they both looked at her. Mike seemed to be trying to suppress a laugh. "What'd you guys do last night?"

Sam's eyes widened and he looked at Mercedes, who was suddenly fascinated with the strawberries on her plate.

"Wh-why do you ask?" he said, dropping his bacon.

"There was a lot of uh…noise," Mike said, grinning and looking at the two of them.

"Where you guys watching porn?" Tina asked.

"What? No!" Mercedes said, finally joining the conversation.

"First we thought maybe you just had a movie on with a sex scene, but it went on for hours," Mike said, folding his arms.

"Maybe it was coming from the room on your other side," Sam offered, biting his lip.

"We considered that, but we listened in on that wall and you could clearly hear snoring and game show network. But then we listened to your side and there was nothing but thumping, moaning, and screaming." Tina also had her arms crossed.

"Pretty thin walls for a four star hotel…" Mercedes muttered.

"We should get going soon, right? We're gonna be late for the tours," Sam deflected.

Tina and Mike stared at their friends, then each other, wordlessly agreeing to press the issue later when they couldn't escape.

"You're right, but I want more fruit," Tina said, standing.

"Me too." Mike got up and followed her over to the buffet.

Mercedes let out a sigh of relief then dropped her fork in surprise when she felt a warm hand land on her thigh. She rolled her eyes and looked at Sam.

"Really?" He smirked.

"I like this skirt," he said, pushing it up and letting his fingers graze her inner thigh under the table. She tried to steady her breathing but it was hard as she closed her eyes and briefly drifted back to the evening prior, and how the blond who annoyed her to no end made her scream his name to the high heavens.

"Last night was a one-time thing Sam," she warned. Sam nodded, but didn't move his hand. They both knew it wasn't.

"Alright, who's ready to explore Los Angeles?" Tina asked after they'd returned with their fruit. She and Mike polished off their plates and were ready to go, looking like excited toddlers.

"I am," Mercedes said too quickly, standing up and booking it towards the hotel exit. Mike and Tina looked at each other before rising to follow her with Sam in tow.

On the celebrity home tour, Mercedes was sitting next to Tina by special request, with Mike and Sam behind them. Tina got excited at every mansion they passed, even for actors she'd never heard of.

"Ooh! Charleton Heston!" she squealed.

"He's a bad actor and an asshole who holds NRA rallies in towns whenever people are shot," Mercedes said, not looking up from her star map. Tina recoiled.

"Gross, Charleton Heston," she corrected. Mike shook his head and looked at his own map.

"Debbie Downer much?" Sam said to the back of Mercedes' head.

"I was informing my friend," she said, not bothering to turn around and look at him.

"I don't mind Sam, I'm glad she told me," Tina said honestly.

"So about last night…" Mike began.

"WOW, Jennifer Aniston!" Mercedes said, pointing to a house.

"Really! Guys! Jennifer Aniston's place. It's huge, right!" Sam said, leaning over, pretending to be invested in the gate and her front yard. Tina and Mike gave each other knowing looks, amused at how their friends kept deflecting.

Later on, they'd made it to the beach by the hotel to spend the rest of the day there. They guys were seated in beach chairs under umbrellas on purse duty while the girls were out in the water trying their hand at jet skiing.

"I really think you and Mercedes should try and get along," Mike said after sitting with his friend in silence watching Tina and Mercedes ride around.

"No comment," Sam replied, staring ahead through his sunglasses.

"It would make the trip a lot better if you guys were civil with each other," he pressed. Sam sighed and turned his head to look at him.

"I thought we were okay today," he said.

"No, you gave each other the silent treatment and made everything awkward," Mike amended.

"Well what do you expect? I can't stand her!" the blond said, looking back ahead to the girls. They were now getting off the jet skis and talking to the male instructors who were so cut, Sam was feel irrationally self-conscious.

"Do all California guys look like that?" he asked. Mike looked up from a brochure he was reading and shrugged.

"Don't think so," he said, nodding to a large sunburned man on a towel down the way from them and grinning. Sam continued to watch the girls interact with the instructors, getting more irritated by the second as Mercedes' smile grew. The men suddenly picked them up bridal style, making them laugh more.

"Uh, Mike? Aren't you worried?" Sam asked, pointing to them. Mike looked up from the brochure again and smiled at the sight of his girlfriend having fun.

"Worried about what?" he asked.

"That guy is obviously flirting with her."

"And?"

"And? He's flirting with your girlfriend!" Mike raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"What am I supposed to be worried about? I'm right here and she knows that," he said, laughing. "There's no point in being jealous if I'm secure in my relationship. Which I am."

"But…"

"Why are you so worked up? She's not your girlfriend." Sam didn't answer. He just glared at the guy whose face was dangerously close to Mercedes'. Realization dawned on Mike and he smirked before returning his attention back to the brochure. He figured this would be something Sam had to figure out alone.

About fifteen minutes later, the girls came walking over and Mike pulled Tina into his lip with a big smile and kissed her before locking his fingers with hers. Mercedes sat on a towel between where the two men were seated and put on her wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

"So what were you looking at?" Tina asked, picking up the brochures.

"I was thinking we could hit some museums tomorrow? You know, pretend to be cultured."

"This is LA, we don't have to pretend to be cultured. No one else is," Sam said, rolling his eyes. Surprisingly, Mercedes laughed. He smiled a little, feeling accomplished.

"Well there's a dead people museum," Mike added.

"That sounds exciting," Mercedes said sarcastically.

"Art Museum?" he asked. Tina grinned and clapped.

"Yes! I heard about the Contemporary Art Museum. We have to go!" she said.

"We need to do more free things. I don't have that much money to blow," Mercedes said.

"I'll pay for you," Sam said, taking off his sunglasses. All three looked at the blond in confusion.

"It's the least I can do," he added when he noticed the looks. Mike and Tina's jaws dropped and they looked away, completely aware of what he meant. Mercedes let out a dry laugh and stood, rolling up her towel. Without a word, she was walking away towards the hotel.

"What the hell," Tina said, glaring at Sam.

"What? I meant cause she you guys invited us on the trip, it's the least I can do so we can all enjoy it," he said. Mike shook his head.

"You know that's a long shot. We can stop hopping around this right now. We know what you guys did last night. We're not sure why you did it, or why you continue to be dicks to each other, but it's hazardous to watch." With that, Mike put his sunglasses back on and held on to his girlfriend, looking out at the water.

Sam sank lower into his seat at a loss for words. How do you explain sleeping with someone you can't stand? He couldn't.

When they returned to their rooms, Sam was pretty confused as to why Mercedes wasn't there. He wanted to ask Mike and Tina where she was, but he was pretty sure they were still pissed at him for his comment earlier. He told himself he didn't care and hopped on the bed, getting down to his boxers and turning on the television and watching SportsCenter.

It got to be about 12:30 and he found himself lying on his back with the TV off, staring at the door with the remote on his torso. Then he heard her knock. Remembering he had their one room key, he slowly got up and walked over, turned the handle and letting her in. She was in her towel and a large Pink Floyd t-shirt that didn't belong to her. She brushed past him and went into their bathroom, shutting the door. He heard the shower start and closed the door.

When she came out, fresh and in a clean hotel towel, he was back in his previous position on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Pretending like he wasn't there, she went to her suitcase to get clean underwear.

"Where were you all day?" he asked. She stopped and looked up at him to see he was still staring at the ceiling.

"Exploring the city," she said simply.

"Is that what people are calling it?" he asked.

"Go to hell," she told him, unfazed as she pulled out a pair of panties to wear to bed.

"Mike and Tina were worried," he said after a few seconds.

"I'm sure they were fine. They texted me and I told them where I was."

"Hope you had fun then," he responded dryly. She dropped the underwear and stood, walking over to the foot of the bed and folding her arms.

"If you have a problem, why don't you spit it out, Lemon Juice?" He sat up and glared at her.

"I don't have a problem."

"It sounds like you're ready to bitch about something, so why don't you just come out with it," she said. He groaned and gripped sections of his hair.

"Why did I agree to come on this trip?" he muttered.

"I don't know, I think it would have been much better without you. I'd have a bed to myself."

"Can you stop being a bitch for like five seconds?" he asked, looking up at her. Her jaw dropped.

"I'm the bitch when you spend the whole day shooting me dirty looks and then all but call me a prostitute in front of my friends!"

"I didn't fucking call you a prostitute! Your personal life has nothing to do with me!" he yelled standing and making her step back. If possible, her jaw dropped more.

"Oh really? We're going there? Tell me, Sam, did you happen to bring your red White Chocolate shorts on the trip?"

"You know how I feel about that," he said, his voice low.

"Well it seems today, we don't give a fuck about feelings so everything's fair game, right?"

"You're no better! Our first day in this city, you're out flaunting your goods all over the damn beach, throwing yourself at jet ski instructors then doing god knows what until late into the night!"

"I came back at 12:30, Sam! That's early, not to mention I didn't know I was operating on a curfew. I wasn't flaunting anything! We were on a beach! I was in a swimsuit! The guy was joking arou—why am I explaining myself to you?" she asked, throwing her hands up.

"I don't know! Because honestly I don't care!"

"Then get out of my business! It doesn't matter if I slept with the whole town tonight, it doesn't concern you!"

"It concerns me because I feel bad for them!"

"What does that mean?" she yelled.

"It means I feel bad that they had to spend more than a second with your loud, bitchy, irritating ass!" he screamed. Before she had a chance to think, her hand swiftly came into contact with his face. His head turned to the side from impact and he gawked at her.

"You just…" He stared at her incredulously and she simply glared. He stepped forward and picked her up expeditiously, taking her mouth in his before she could speak. She caved immediately, wrapping her legs around his waist and putting her hands in the back of his neck, fiddling with the hairs at the nape. He slid his tongue in without permission and moved forward, falling onto his knees on the bed and forward so he was on top of her, her legs still circling him.

"Silence," Mike said with his ear against the wall.

"Just like that," Tina agreed, furrowing her eyebrows. "Did you hear that slap though? I think their hate has reached new levels."

"New twisted levels," he said when he heard a moan. "Seriously?"

"Let's give them some privacy this time," she said, turning the TV off mute.

Sam pulled the towel from under her and threw it across the room. He situated himself between her legs, pushing his boxers down and stroking her slit with his erection, making her whimper his name. He gripped the headboard and lowered himself so his lips brushed her ear.

"Tell me how bad you want it," he told her, his voice low and ragged. He grinded his hips into her and she gripped the side of his neck with one hand and bit into it, eliciting a strangled sigh from him. She moved her hips upward to egg him on, but he clutched her side and pushed her into the mattress.

"Tell me," he growled.

"I need you, Sam."

"You need me to what?"

"I need you to fuck me," she said, looking directly into his olive green eyes. He complied right away, filling her to the hilt and pulling out almost completely before thrusting back in again. He wanted to kiss her again, but he wouldn't. He refused. She had other plans though, as she met his movements she pulled him down by the back of his head, pressing her lips to his. The way she felt around him; hot, tight and wet combined with the fact that she began to nibble on his bottom lip made his eyes cross as he pounded into her, pushing her leg up for a better angle.

Her walls gripped him tightly and he groaned, grabbing onto the headboard again and biting his lip while she muttered expletives and told him how good it was. He reached down between them and pinched her clit, slamming into her harder when her box tried to push him out.

"FUCK…Sam…Oh God…"

"What's my name?"

"Sam…"

"It's not," Thrust. "fucking," Double thrust. "Lemon Juice, is it?" he asked, feeling the familiar rush in his balls as she whimpered under him. "What's my name?"

"SAM!" She shook as her walls fluttered around him, forcing him over the edge, his release shooting into her with powerful force. He continued pumping until he gave her every last drop of it before pulling out and rolling off of her.

They lay next to each other in silence for a few minutes like they did the night prior, not knowing what to say and not wanting to ruin it. She was the first to speak.

"There's a carnival going on."

"Huh?"

"That's where I went tonight. It was cheap, and I wanted to ride the Ferris wheel. Then I just played games ate a cotton candy. I met some nice guys and one of them lent me a shirt because I was cold." She wasn't sure why she was telling him this.

"Oh," he replied. He remembered seeing a Ferris wheel in the distance when they were at the beach.

"Yeah."

"I'm kind of offended that this is considered serious art and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke isn't," Sam said, staring at the piece of white ripped canvas on the wall as they stood in the Museum of Contemporary Art.

"The what?" Tina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Killing Joke," Mike said, shrugging.

"He's talking about a comic book issue," Mercedes said, rolling her eyes. Sam was about to retort, but she continued. "It's a Batman issue featuring the Joker on the cover from 1988?" she said, looking to Sam for confirmation. His jaw was hanging open and he simply nodded, unable to wipe the awe stricken expression off his face. "Yeah. I wouldn't say it's not considered serious art though, it's a classic cover. People didn't start using the term graphic novel until that issue was released, I mean, it really got its props."

"Sam? You're drooling," Tina said, snapping her fingers in front of the blond's face. He snapped his mouth clothes and wiped any spit away, wiping it on his jeans and muttering an apology.

"I was distracted," he said, walking to another art piece. He didn't want to risk being close to Mercedes after that little spiel of hers, afraid he might take her in the middle of the museum. He'd been sure from day one that they had nothing in common, but now he was a bit confused. What else didn't he know about her?

Mike, Tina and Mercedes walked to another painting and he pretended to be fascinated by a statue. Soon they made their way over to him.

"We're gonna go to the carnival Mercedes found," Mike told him.

"Ride some rides, meet some locals," Tina added, grinning.

"Oh? Sounds good," was all he said. They walked ahead and Mercedes lingered beside him. He looked down at her and found her glaring at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, looking ahead.

"You were just giving me the death stare."

"Oh…I was?" she asked.

"Yeah, you were." He raised an eyebrow. She didn't even know she was looking at him that way. She just knew she was thinking about how good he looked in the v-neck he was in and how it annoyed her.

"Didn't know," she said as she kept walking towards the exit. She looked to her side and didn't see him. Confused, she turned around and saw him hanging back behind her. He just smirked.

"I think I have a new favorite skirt."