A/N: Yeap... another long while since this has been updated. And I know how this is supposed to end too. I guess it's always been my flaw knowing the beginning and the end of a plot but having difficulty getting there. Anyway... here's the next chapter.

CHAPTER 9: TALK

Word Count: 3,804

Barely three weeks into the summer, and Quinn was already feeling the anxiety and boredom of spending most of her time on her own... not that she was alone. Summer time meant she taught more sessions at the center, being surrounded by kids, pre-teens and teens, and one class of senior citizens.

No, she wasn't lonely at all, but for the past few months she had gotten used to being around the group of nerds she called her friends almost every day. However, with the long break from school, they'd all gone out of town to spend time with each of their own families. Even Fred, who didn't seem very close to his parents, had left just last week. Among the small circle, only Tadashi was left in San Fransokyo.

One would have thought that that would have meant that they would have had all the time in the world to spend together, but the Hamada was deeply engrossed with his robotics project proposal. Quinn admired how dedicated Tadashi was to his studies and his goal to help people with his inventions, but when she looked at her phone and then at clock, she had to sigh. She'd texted him the night before if he wanted to have coffee or just hang out after all her classes. Quinn had just finished her last session for the day and he still hadn't replied.

Yes, she admired his dedication, it was one of the quirks about Tadashi she liked a lot. But for once, she wished he wasn't so studious.

"I guess I could do some grocery shopping..." She said to herself, trying to make a mental list of things she or her father needed at home. The dancer had to pause as she reached the sidewalk, realizing she had come up blank. She'd just done a supply run two days ago, and did the real shopping the day before that. She sighed. She couldn't think of anything else. It felt too early to go home.

"Oh, hello there Quinn. " Flip turned to see one of the seniors she taught during her early morning class.

"Hello, Mrs. Wallace." The girl gave a small smile.

"It's rare to see you outside of the center." Mrs. Wallace chuckled, but then stopped, raising a brow. "Is something wrong, deary?" Her voice was tinged with concern, and she put a gentle hand on Flip's shoulder.

"Ah, don't be nosy, Abby." A serious older man walked up beside her. "You know any woman with that doe eyed look doesn't want to talk about what's bothering her."

"Oh don't be grouchy, Henry." Mrs. Wallace playfully swatted her husband's arm before turning back to the bewildered teen in front of her.

"Honestly, sweetie, I've been worried about you lately. You haven't been your usual cheery self this week." Her motherly expression turned slightly serious. "Is it that boy?"

Flip had given up trying to understand how Mrs. Wallace seemed to read her so easily and did her best to rein in her somewhat forlorn expression at the thought of the deeply preoccupied teen she hadn't seen since almost two weeks ago as she turned away, ashamed and embarrassed that she'd let her personal affairs affect her dance classes. She wondered if the younger ones she taught noticed something too.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Abigail said gently, squeezing Flip's shoulder. "I have a friend whose granddaughter studies at that prestigious school, too. Margie keeps going on about how busy her little Ester can be. I'm sure that that boy is just a little busy. I hear they have a big project coming up this term."

Flip nodded in confirmation.

Her husband rolled his eyes and looked at the dancer, pointing a stern finger. "Abby's just trying to be nice, but trust me, she's thinking that that ain't no proper reason for a boy to have no time for his girl." Flip blushed and gaped slightly. She knew how blunt Mr. Wallace could be, but it wasn't something that you really got used to... unless you were Abigail Wallace. "I for one say just go over to that school, or lab, or wherever, and force the boy to take a break."

Flip stuttered, "I- I text him..." She trailed off, knowing that her retort sounded very lame. She thought about how she wanted to call him several times, but stopped herself thinking that she didn't want to disturb Tadashi in case he was doing something important.

"Did I say anything about using those gadgets of yours to tell him?" Henry rolled his eyes once more, fixing an even firmer gaze at Flip. "I said GO over there. Just because you don't have your friends with you, doesn't mean that you can't check on him yourself."

Flip stared, slightly stunned. Mr. Wallace had a very good point. When had she lost her nerve to check on Tadashi? She'd done it all the time back at the lab. Just because the school year ended didn't mean her checking on him stopped too. Just because he wasn't stressing out at the lab didn't mean he wasn't probably burning himself out in his garage. Heck, that wasn't just a possibility. He was probably doing it right now.

The girl nodded slowly, then more determinedly. "You're right Mr. Wallace." She looked at her watch. Three thirty. A good time for a break, right? "I better get going." She smiled more brightly at the elderly couple. "Thanks for the advice. Take care." She waved, jogging off when she saw a tram turn the corner. Just in time.

The elderly couple watched the redhead run down the sidewalk and hop onto the tram. Mr. Wallace nodded in satisfaction.

"Henry!" Abigail swat her husband's arm again as they began to walk. "You didn't have to be so blunt."

"Hmph. You know kids these days, Abby. Sometimes they need a good push to get them moving in the right direction." Henry said, chuckling at Abigail's fond gaze. He kissed the top of her head and put his arm around her. "Yes. Yes. Like your mother gave me a good kick all those years ago so I wouldn't stop going after her little girl because she thought we were perfect for each other."

Abby smiled and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder.

Hiro looked up from the counter just as the bell above the cafe door gave a cheery ring, perking up when he saw a certain redhead enter.

"Hey there, Flip." The boy greeted.

"Hi, Hiro." She smiled at him.

"Before you ask, Tadashi's still cooped up in the garage." Hiro quipped.

Flip sighed. She wasn't surprised. "Has he even taken a break today?"

"Nope." He answered. "I haven't seen him at all since breakfast today."

The dancer massaged her temples. Tadashi was certainly burning himself out in there.

"Hi there, Quinn!" Hiro's aunt stepped through the kitchen door and leaned on the counter. "We could call Tadashi out if you like. I'm sure that boy needs a break sometime today."

Flip turned blushed and shuffled on her feet.

Come on, Quinn. Don't chicken out. Don't chicken out. She tried to cheer herself on mentally, feeling the urge to just turn around and leave, a part of her not wanting to disturb Tadashi at all. She mentally stomped on the thought. Mr. Wallace was right. There shouldn't be anything stopping her from checking on him on her own. Aunt Cass was also right. Tadashi needed a breather.

Badly.

"I have some iced dragon leaf tea here, and some wintermelon tea too." The brunette woman seemed to magically produce a pair of take-out cups and a paper bag. "There are some sandwiches in there." She insistently held out the items to Flip, who was shocked and reflexively reacted by taking them.

"B-but-"

"No buts! Now go! Shoo!" Aunt Cass waved her hand in a shooing motion and gave the dancer a wink and a wide smile over her shoulder. "Come on, Hiro. I need some help with the next batch of donuts."

"Awww. Aunt Cass..." The young boy whined as his aunt steered him to the kitchen.

Soon Flip was left behind in the cafe dining area, and she had to take a deep breath.

No chickening out.

She repeated one more time before she slowly walked to the garage at the side of the cafe.

"Tadashi."

Calculations were flitting through Tadashi's head, numbers and materials, vague ideas and notions that were half-formed.

Ughhhh... The robotics student groaned. His back and neck hurt. He scratched at his nose. Something crinkled by his cheek when he shifted.

"Tadashi?"

"Mrmmm?"

"You're going to get a stiff neck."

Somewhere in Tadashi's mind, he registered that his eyes were closed. He tried to stretch out, maybe that would help the ache in his back.

Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and cracked them open slightly.

"Gah!" Tadashi yelped in surprise at the shining green eyes a few inches from his own, stumbling back and tipping his chair over backwards.

On reflex, Quinn tried to keep Tadashi from falling over. Unfortunately, the dancer was quite slight and was easily pulled down by the combined weight of the chair and the young man who was seated on it.

They landed in an awkward tangle of limbs and Quinn's breath left her lungs when Tadashi's knee dug painfully into her stomach. The blow rendered her entire body feeling like jelly and had her leaning her entire weight on the boy on the floor.

An awkward position indeed. No matter how badly Quinn wanted to push herself off the poor boy from embarrassment, her arms wouldn't cooperate, and they found themselves nose to nose. Some part of her didn't mind the close contact.

" 'Dashi..." The girl whispered, getting lost in Tadashi's warm brown orbs. While she was looking into his eyes, the boy could keenly feel each soft curve of her body on his. He found his own eyes wandering down to Quinn's pink lips.

The already meagre distance between the two was dwindling, and when Quinn felt Tadashi's warm breath against her lips, something in her mind clicked.

At the last moment she turned just enough so Tadashi pecked the girl's cheek instead of her lips. A lump formed in her throat when she heard the boy let out a breath of frustration. Immediately the atmosphere turned almost painfully awkward.

Tadashi shifted a bit to try and look Quinn in the eye. He burned to know what she was thinking, why she kept turning away. A part of him though, felt like he had deserved this rejection. He'd barely contacted her at all, much less seen her, for a while.

He tensed when she curled into herself slightly and let out a pained groan.

"Quinn?"

"S-Sorry." She mumbled and let out a slow breath, struggling to turn, flopping to lay by Tadashi's side. She looked sideward at him apologetically, a hint of guilt glimmering in her green eyes. Her brow was knitted in pain and she had an arm wrapped around her stomach.

"Are you alright?" Tadashi raised himself on his elbow slightly, fretting over Quinn.

The girl let out a strained chuckle, flinching, before smiling sheepishly. "Ummm... Y-You kind of kneed me in the gut when we fell over."

Tadashi scrambled to a kneeling position and slowly helped Quinn up from the floor. Helping her to her knees, then slowly trying to get her onto her feet. The stretch sent another spasm of pain through Quinn's abdomen, and her knees buckled, Tadashi's arms the only thing holding her upright.

The Hamada felt heat creep up his neck, flustered with how the Wells girl was leaning flush against him once more. "C-Couch?" He managed to choke out.

"Y-Yeah, I think I'm a bit of a jelly-legs right now." Quinn replied softly, trying to diffuse some of the tension. Her effort didn't really seem to do much.

The dancer let out a relieved breath once she sat down, Tadashi shuffling in front of her.

"Maybe I should get an ice pack or something..." The young man looked at her unsurely, not knowing what he should do now.

"No. No need, I think." She was struck by his appearance once more. Hair mussed, one side sticking up from where he had leant his head on the table when he fell asleep. It was the epitome of a cowlick. She giggled a bit, wincing at the resulting spasms of discomfort. "Ow... I... I just need a minute." She did her best to smile reassuringly at him, trying once more to diffuse the tension in the air. "Really."

"If you're sure..." Tadashi said haltingly, eyeing the arm that was wrapped loosely around her torso.

"I'm sure." Quinn lamented how she had turned the situation uncomfortable so quickly. This was not anything like she had expected at all. She'd wanted to spend some time with Tadashi. Now all she wanted was some space to breathe. "I... I'm sure... I'll be fine by the time you get back after you get dressed." She blurted out.

Tadashi looked down and became painfully aware of the cat-printed flannel shirt he was wearing. His face turned beet red as his posture turned ramrod straight. God, he was grateful he had actually endeavored to put on a decent pair of pants this morning before he snuck into the garage for an early start on his project.

Embarrassment overriding the awkwardness for a moment, Tadashi cleared his throat and tidied his collar with as much dignity as he could muster. "Be right back." He muttered over his shoulder as he shuffled to the door of the garage.

He needed a while to think.

A quick cold shower would do him good too.

When the door shut behind the Hamada, Quinn buried her face in her hands.

Why? Why couldn't she just let go? Why couldn't she just let Tadashi kiss her?

Why in the world did she have to make the situation weird?!-

"Hey, Flip?" The door to the garage slowly creaked open with Hiro peeking cautiously through the gap. "Tadashi kinda snapped at me when he rushed up the stairs." Seeing the girl hunched on the couch, he immediately walked over and plopped himself right beside her. "Are you-"

"Why do I have to be stupid, Hiro?..." Quinn blurted out.

"What? You aren't stupid..." The boy said, confused.

"I am! I really like your brother, but I'm being an idiot pushing him away all the time!"

Hiro looked uncomfortable. What was he supposed to say? What kind of situation did he get himself into by walking into the garage? "Well... if he's rushing you into anything..."

"That's the problem! He isn't..." Flip choked back a sob. She didn't want to traumatize poor Hiro with her girl problems. She took a shuddering breath to calm herself but couldn't hold back a few tears that streamed down her cheeks. Honestly, she didn't really have anyone to talk to about this thing. The young Hamada was simply unfortunate to be there when she had to vent.

Hiro didn't know what to do but stiffly rub the dancer's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"Tadashi's been so patient with me... I couldn't ask for anything more." Flip whispered shakily.

"Uhmmm... Well... have you talked with him about... well... why you feel... awkward and stuff?" The young boy stuttered out.

The redhead sniffed, shaking her head. She turned abruptly and wrapped Hiro in a bear hug. The boy stiffened, a bright blush spreading across his cheeks. What in Mochi's name was he supposed to do?!

Hug her back!

Hiro slowly lowered his arms around the distraught girl in a loose hug, patting her back. His eyes flickered between the ceiling and the back wall of the garage, his thoughts going on overdrive.

Tadashi, where the heck are you, bro?!

A few minutes of silence passed when Flip finally broke the stillness with a few muttered words.

"Uhmmm... S-Sorry?" Hiro tried to turn his head to hear her better, his shaggy hair was muffling the girl's words.

She moved an arm's length away and rubbed at her eyes to prevent any more tears from streaming down her cheeks. "How do you stop your past from haunting you?"

The young boy swallowed. The dancer's tone and how she looked up at him through wide, glassy eyes made her look so lost. She was looking at him like he had the answers she needed.

He wanted to help, he really did, but he was totally out of his comfort zone here! He was twelve for Pete's sake!

Man... Seriously... uhhhhh...

"Uhhhhh..." Hiro's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "Uhmmm... Make new memories?..." His answer trailed off at the end with a strained, awkward smile.

"New memories?" Flip sniffed again, looking intently at the boy.

"Like... well... something to overcome the past. I guess..." Hiro shrugged, looking again to the door and praying that Tadashi would come back.

"New memories..." The redhead repeated, looking down at the cloth of the couch, thinking.

Something must have clicked because in the next moment, she smiled brightly at Hiro and hugged him even more tightly. "Thank you Hiro!"

She placed a quick peck on his cheek and rushed out of the garage, into the cafe. When she didn't see Tadashi there, she called over the counter, informing Aunt Cass that she was going upstairs. Before said woman even had time to respond, Flip was hopping up the steps two at a time.

Back in the garage, Hiro was still on the couch.

"Y-You're welcome?..." He muttered to the empty room. He let out a groan, breath whooshing out of his lungs in utter relief, as he collapsed bonelessly to the cushions. Who knew his Aunt Cass's romance dramas would come in handy...

Tadashi stepped out of the bathroom in his jeans, sighing while he towel-dried his hair. His thoughts were somewhat scattered... one of them a memory of what he had promised to himself when Quinn had sort of broken down and shared her insecurities at the beach two weeks ago.

He had told her that he was willing to wait... but each time she turned away from a kiss... it stung. Especially when he had no idea what her reasoning was.

But then... he was always busy... Maybe it was his fault that he and Quinn hadn't had the chance to work through some of the tensions that were revealing themselves.

He turned the thought in his mind while he picked up the shirt he had laid out on the bed, slipping his arms through the fabric.

Tadashi guessed their honeymoon phase was over... It was bound to happen sooner or later.

He pushed his head through his shirt, smoothing it down. Nervousness curled in the pit of his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself to go back to the garage. He and Quinn had to talk things through, and a good talk was long overdue. He jumped when he saw Quinn standing by the steps, looking a bit flushed.

The redhead was feeling the rush that had pushed her to run to Tadashi slowly ebb away. Anxiousness was beginning to fill where her determination had been.

"Uhmmm..." She looked down at her sneakers, swallowing nervously. "I think... we need to talk?" She bit her lip and looked back up at Tadashi. His eyes were filled with apprehension, but he ran a hand through his hair, resigned.

"Yeah."

They were both sitting on the edge of Tadashi's mattress. Quinn twiddled her thumbs while Tadashi looked up at the ceiling.

The girl took a deep breath. The doubts from the past that she had gripped her, slowly, almost imperceptibly, but she knew they had been affecting her blossoming relationship with Tadashi. If she didn't take this chance to explain them now, Tadashi would resent her. Quinn gulped.

"Jareth. His name was Jareth."

At that, her gaze flickered towards Tadashi, but stopped before she could reach his face. Instead, they slid back down onto his hand, which was gripping the edge of the mattress, almost close enough to touch her leg. She desperately wanted his large hands to wrap around hers and give her some form of reassurance. Quinn could only wring her own fingers.

"I liked him back when I was a junior in highschool. He was a senior, he was a part of the school's football team. Not a quarterback or anything, but it was cliché now that I think about it. The quiet girl liking the sporty guy. It felt like a dream back then, when he asked me out."

A small, wistful smile formed on her lips, and Tadashi couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt in his chest.

"I was over the moon because it was my first relationship. It was nice though, while it lasted. He was a good listener, and he would wait for me after I had to stay later at school because I was part of the dance club. He was patient with me being… hesitant…" Quinn's cheeks went somewhat red.

"We'd been dating a few weeks before he started pushing, asking why I wouldn't…." She sideways at Tadashi. "I was nervous actually. I grew up with a conservative family. I'd never kissed anyone, let alone done anything else remotely intimate. I was worried I wouldn't do it right…" She exhaled a deep breath.

"He assured me it didn't matter. I thought that if I really loved him, I would be able to do what he wanted. I gave in…" Quinn's voice was barely a whisper, she couldn't help but notice Tadashi's fingers clench around the sheets.

"But… after I did… He changed. It started with a kiss, but he wanted more and more each time. When I didn't want to… When I first said "no"… He got mad…. Became too busy… didn't want to spend time near me... Then I caught him calling me a slut and a tease to his friends…" She huffed out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Maybe I was. I've heard people talk about kissing by the end of the first date. But… Is it wrong to be scared? To be nervous?" She trailed off in a voice so soft, it was barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry Tadashi. I guess I'm scared of things changing like that for us. God knows I want to just let go of the past… just jump in… give in to what I feel." Quinn looked up at Tadashi through her lashes, biting her lip nervously. Her cheeks burned with her next words "I want to… give in to you… Every time."

It took her a second to process what happened before she realized…

Tadashi's lips were on hers.

A/N: I know, I'm horrible. Not updating for so long, then ending with a cliffhanger. Just hope this doesn't take so long for me to update again. Thoughts people? I said things were gonna get a bit rough in the last chapter... so yeah... a little bit rough.