When I woke up again, I got about two seconds to wonder if I had dreamt up that last part. But the bed was definitely warmer than usual, and I could feel my arm gently moving up and down with his breaths.

Well, we'd slept together. In the same bed, I mean. I'm almost positive that was it. "… Chase? You awake?"

"Sure," he yawned. "Let's call it that." He said, scratching his eyes. "Huh… I was kind of wondering if I was just dreaming when I got back up."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Did we…?"

"I think I'd remember," I told him. "Can I come a little closer?"

"Sure." I pulled closer, again laying my arm across his body and laying my hear on his shoulder. We laid there quietly for a few minutes before he asked, "Would that have been your first time?"

"No." We were quiet again for a few beats before I asked, "Why?"

"I dunno," he replied, his eyes shut. "We've been hiding out together for how long now? If I'm going to be your pretend boyfriend, I think I get to ask a weird question or two." When I didn't respond immediately, he continued, "It's not like you have to ask me. You already know the answer. Or you should anyway."

"You're not seriously expecting that, are you?" I asked. "That's not really the kind of faking-"

"No. I don't expect it. I just know I've done stupid things when I've been nearly asleep before." He sat up and ooked at the clock. "It's after nine and I'm hungry. I'm getting up."

"So… We didn't really talk about how we're going to explain this to the others." I pointed out.

"Guess we didn't…" A wily smile came across Chase's face. "We should play this up. Like this has been going on for months but we were keeping it a secret or something."

"You think that would be funny?" I asked.

"Hell yeah. Let's just go out there and screw with their heads. We're supposed to be having fun with this, right?"

"I guess… Just nothing too abrasive, alright?

"Scout's honor."

"Since when are you any kind of scout?"

"Let's just go. This place has been getting boring lately anyway. Maybe we can shake it up without anyone getting horribly maimed for once."

…

Nico, Molly and Klara were already in the kitchen, the first delivering some rant to the second about how much regret she'd be feeling about all those chocolate flavored cereals a few years down the line. Chase and I entered, as we had agreed, holding hands as he let out a yawn loud enough to attract Nico's attention. She only gave us a passing glance but, to my amusement, double took and looked back up a moment later.

"Alright baby," he said, patting me on the back. "Take a seat and I'm doing to make you some of my famous scrambled eggs."

The only laugh I could muster was a little uncomfortable. "Aw c'mon. Don't play like that. You know I'm vegan."

"Well then I'm gonna slowly break every rule in your book." He said playfully. I laughed again, but was completely unsure if he was being serious or not. I managed to turn my gaze over to Nico, who, in spite of my momentary lapses, was buying this enough to mouth What the fuck? Towards me. For their own part, Molly and Klara looked confused too.

"Why did Chase liken you to a child?" Klara asked.

"You call someone 'baby' when you're going out with them." Molly explained. Then, suddenly realizing the implication of her own words, said, "Wait a minute…"

"You guys have something you want to tell us?" Nico asked, slowly shifting eyes between us.

"What, are you guys serious?" Chase asked, cracking eggs into a skillet. "You guys didn't know?"

"Know what?" Nico asked, resting her glare on me.

Chase clearly was a faster thinker and responder than I was, but I wasn't going to let him upstage me. Besides, I reminded myself, I was supposed to be having fun with this too. That was the point.

"… Chase and I decided that, as two people grieving our own personal losses, we were both getting desperate for companionship."

"And sex!" He shouted over the crackle of the eggs. "Desperate for sex!"

"Yes." I said, smiling and nodding as best I could with how ridiculous this was quickly turning. "And sex."

The table was briefly silenced by our antics before everyone began to respond in their own little ways. Molly replied, "But I thought you liked other girls!". Klara quickly soured the mood with her innocent smile and declaration, "Karolina has become a real woman! How wonderful!" And Nico by repeatedly pounding her forehead into the kitchen table.

After about four hits against the wood, Nico remarked, "Chase, I'm taking your girlfriend to the bathroom. We need to powder our noses."

"I don't see any reason we can't powder them out here," I said with a smirk.

"By all means, powder away," Chase said, reaching into the fridge and tossing a few drops of green hot sauce into the eggs. Before any more could be said, Nico grabbed me by the arm and dragged me towards the nearest bathroom and almost tossing me in.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" She asked, her look somewhere between anger and complete confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked innocently, turning the tides towards anger.

"Are you really going to make me ask?"

"Guess I am."

"… You told me every year since we were four that you think 'boys are gross' and kept finding an excuse to say that long after I stopped agreeing with you. You told me you never wanted to hear another sports story from Chase again as long as you lived, tell me year after year how annoying you think he is and, in the midst of a small-scale alien invasion, you tried to kiss me. Who the hell are you trying to fool with this? Please tell me you're not trying to fool him! Need I remind you Chase is so embittered after what's happened he tried to make a deal with the Gibborim to bring Gert back?!"

I let out another laugh and followed it with a sigh, saying, "I'm not trying to fool him. I'm not even trying to fool you. I just wanted to see how you'd react."

"What, so this is some one-time morning prank?" She asked, still confused.

"Not one time. Maybe not for long, but not one time."

"Okay, seriously, what are you talking about? What is any of this?"

I folded my arms and leaned against the wall for a moment and admitting, "Nico… I'm really upset right now. I've been upset for a few years now. Before all this started even."

"Okay…"

"I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired," I said. "If I don't just have a chance to breath, I'm going to burn out… So I want a chance to just pretend like something in my life isn't really complicated and overreaching and… And weird." I said. "And this seemed like the easiest route to take."

Nico stared at me, still confused. "So… To solve that problem… You're having sex with-"

"No no no no no!" I said quickly. "We haven't had sex. We're not going to have sex. We're just playing pretend for a little while. Just as long as it makes us both happy."

"And you really think Chase, who I will remind you, is often emotionally unstable and could be a hell of a bad guy if he wanted to be, is your best choice for this?"

"Have a little faith, Nico." I replied, sliding past her and out of the bathroom. "It's just a game. He knows it. My parents were actors, being something I'm not once in a while is probably in my blood."

I stepped back into the kitchen, noticing Victor now seated across from Chase as he gobbled up his spicy plate of scrambled eggs. "Hey, sorry I forgot about your eating habits there babe," Chase said as I sat down next to him, resting a hand on my shoulder, Victor starting to go wide-eyed as he did. "I'll get us some gelato later."

"Gelato's not vegan either," I laughed, ready to attract another few responses as I kissed Chase on the cheek. Molly made a gagging face, Klara cooed in delight (to my continued annoyance) and Victor maintained his stare a few seconds before pressing his fingers to his forehead and looking away.

"No mames…" He muttered, shaking his head. "No mames… You guys are gonna make me blue screen."