"WHAT'S GOING ON?" The front door swung open, banging into the wall as Cuddles burst through. It swung back and she kicked it with her foot, skidding around the corner and stumbling down the hallway at rapid speed. She heading straight to the living room, stopping in the entryway, both hands braced on the wall and eyes wild. Her chest was heaving as she gazed at the scene in front of her.

Splendid was sitting in the middle of the floor beside Flippy, who was facing Cuddle's with his back. Splendid was adjacent, looking up to meet her eyes when she burst in, with a furrowed brow and pursed lips.

"Splendid?" She looked between the two of them. "Flippy?" He sat motionless, his head hanging and the nape of his neck showing over his collar. "What's going on?"

Splendid cast Flippy a cautious glance before sitting up, rising to his feet and walking over to Cuddles. He put his hand on her back and led her into the hallway.

"Splendid?" She said, voice filled with worry, "Splendid, what's going on? You called me and said he wasn't answering his phone and that you found him here sitting in the dark and you were really freaked out and didn't know what to do-"

"Yes, yes I did," he said, sounding tired and extremely exasperated.

"You said he had a date with Flaky today right? Did something happen? What's going on?"

"I don't know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "he won't say. He hasn't said a word since I found him. He's just sitting there and-"

He paused, the words seeming to jumble themselves and get lost in his throat.

"Look, right now I'm just trying to get him to talk. I don't want to leave him alone…"

"What, do you think he'll do something?"

"No. I mean, maybe. Yes. I don't know. It wouldn't be like him, but then again he's not really himself right now. It just wouldn't be right. I need to be here for him. I've never seen him like this."

He trailed off, hand tensed on her shoulder. They stood in silence for a moment, both considering what to do next and trying to calm themselves down, to think rationally.

"…What do you want me to do?" Cuddles whispered, realizing Flippy could probably hear them.

"I need you to back me up," he said, a slight glint in his eye.

Cuddles swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you know more about Flaky then we both do, right? Well the only time he's even slightly responded is when I've mentioned her. So-"

"So," she raised an eyebrow, "you basically want to do a 'good-cop-bad-cop' thing?"

He paused, looking to the side and thinking of another way to say it, but then nodded when he came up short. Cuddles bit her lip then gave him a smile.

"I'm in."

"And then what happened?" Splendid asked firmly, sitting in front of Flippy with his legs crossed. He didn't say anything at first, just staring straight ahead with vacant eyes. So far they had managed to get bits and pieces out of him, starting with how the date started and ending with how it had started to turn sour. Anytime he trailed off or wouldn't answer, Splendid would tug his right ear; the signal for Cuddles to mention things she knew about Flaky. She would begin with something like, "She always was like that in college" or "She's said things like that before" and then attack with, "She's obviously damaged" or "What a horrible thing for her to do!" He would look up at her, then in an act of defense he would try and justify Flaky's actions with more of the story. Then Splendid would praise him and soothe him to go on. It was a slow and grueling process, but it was working. And that's all they could hope for. Splendid was just happy to have stopped him before he sank too deeply inside himself and into that part that was impossible to reach. He wasn't prepared to help bring him out of another serious depression again. If he could intervene in the process, he could maybe get a handle on the situation before it got too serious. And this time, there was something about Flippy that was different. When he looked in his eyes, he didn't see the usual nonchalant hurting that hid the real brokenness inside. He saw something that scared him; he saw the real thing. The real, raw, unmasked side of Flippy that he'd only shown a handful of times. Whatever had happened, Flaky had somehow managed to completely undo his charade and leave him defenseless and bare, something Splendid had only dared to attempt.

Something in this girl possessed the ability to pick apart what the entire U.S. army had spent months building.

Now he sat in his living room, slowly coaxing him out like a small, frightened puppy. When you've lived in an emotionless state of mind for so long, when you finally start to feel then it must be that much more intense. Splendid could see he was scared. He saw it the moment he had walked into his house and found him curled in on himself with the lights off and the only sound his slow, almost mechanical breathing. He had called to ask about the date, and when he didn't get an answer on the third time around he assumed the worst. Rightfully so, he saw now. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't found him. With the old Flippy, it would have been another chink on his steely armor and a shrug of 'don't worry, I'm fine'. Now that he was stripped down and exposed like an open wound, who knew what he would let in.

"And then I said ok and left," Flippy finished anti-climactically. He shrugged, like he wasn't sure whether to say sorry or ask for reassurance.

"Okay," Splendid nodded, taking it all in slowly, one frame at a time. "And she didn't say why she was so unwilling to be in a relationship?"

"No," Flippy shook his head, "other than she wasn't the person I thought she was and that I didn't really love her. But I don't think that's all. She…it sounded like something…happened. Something that made her so scared. Something in her past she's not telling me."

He focused his attention back to the floor, squirming a little before settling again. Splendid looked over at Cuddles, who looked thoughtful with her bottom lip held between her teeth. He nodded, patting Flippy on the back before standing up and motioning for her to follow him into the kitchen.

"I'm going to make some coffee, okay?" He said. There was no reply, only a slight nod of Flippy's head that he could have missed if he'd blinked.

Once in the kitchen he started the coffee maker, measuring out the coffee beans and cups of water in silence, Cuddles just as silent behind him.

"What do you think," he finally asked quietly, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter as the coffee gurgled and hissed behind him.

"…It's been a long time since I've really talked to her about the stuff that happened in college," she said each word like it was syrup, dripping slowly off her tongue while she tried to think. "Do you remember when you both came to my house that night when I first told you whose phone it was and I said I went out to lunch with her earlier that day? That we were really close friends?"

He nodded, switching his weight onto his left side.

"Well that was kind of a lie. Not the lunch part, I mean. We really did go out that day, but only because I saw her on my way home from work and just kind of...asked. I mean, we used to be such good friends in college and then she dropped out. And I haven't talked to her since she came back to town a year ago. So we're not exactly as close anymore as I made it sound."

She gave him an apologetic look before looking away quickly.

"Well it's not like I've been completely honest either."

Her head snapped back up and she met his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I actually knew Flaky in college too. Then she disappeared and a couple months later I met you after I changed majors."

"You knew her?" She asked, surprised but not angry. "You didn't tell me. I didn't know. I mean, she never said anything about you. Then again she never really talked about a lot of stuff with me."

"Well I came in late, you know. I only knew her for about a month and a half before she was gone. I barely showed up to classes anyway. I lived in an apartment complex off campus and was busy partying and getting drunk off my ass for the most part of the first semester."

A smile graced her face as she said, "Yeah, I know. I met you at a frat party, remember? You were the one trying to drink all the beer out of the beer pong cups."

He smiled, feeling nostalgia wash over him. His Flaky phase was short lived and half fueled by alcohol and pheromones. Only once he'd met Cuddles did he find the motive to change himself.

"And you spilled your drink on me," he continued the story.

"And I apologized and you said I could make it up to you."

"And you said even if you agreed to whatever I was implying, there was no way I could handle you."

"And then you said you accepted that challenge."

They were giggling now as the story was relived for the millionth time over. Splendid found himself standing closer to her, their fingers brushing just slightly as they swayed with laughter.

"We're not supposed to be laughing," she said, smiling up at him with bright eyes, "we're supposed to be helping Flippy."

"And how do we come about doing that?"

"I have a couple of ideas."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. But I'll need some time."

"I'm listening." And he was, desperately. He had no idea where to begin; only knew he wanted to help his friend as quickly as possible.

She paused a bit before seeming to decide her plan was developed enough to share.

"You know how my parents want us to go visit them in Florida for a few weeks? Well why don't we invite Flippy."

"Why would we do that," Splendid asked, pulling the coffee pot away to pour into a mug. "Aren't we going like, two weeks from now?"

"15 days actually. And just trust me."

"I don't know. I'm kind of finding this unsettling. How is this supposed to help him with Flaky…?"

"I know what I'm doing." She said, taking the mug from his hands when he offered it to her. "Trust me, please."

"Do you really think he's going to want to come? Because I'm pretty sure his answer will be a big fat no." Splendid made a face.

"Not if I can help it."

"What?"

She cocked her head to the side, a gleam playing in her eyes that made Splendid completely engrossed. With a snigger, she leaned up on her toes, placing a chaste kiss to his lips and making a trail with her nose across his cheek to whisper into his ear.

"Do you trust me?"

Splendid's breath hitched in his throat. He knew it was game over for him. He nodded.

"Good." She said, drawing back slightly. "Now listen closely."

"Florida?" Flippy said incredulously. Cuddles had left about an hour before and now he and Splendid sat in the dim light coming from the lamp. It was getting late, the cicadas beginning their usual song and the first stars beginning to light the dark blue sky. Splendid had managed to get Flippy onto the couch and get a coffee mug in his hand (black, no sugar, just the way he liked it) but there wasn't much of a change in his stature.

"Yep," he nodded, swinging his feet back and forth off the side of the recliner.

"Why? I mean, why would you…Who said…Just, what? Why do you want me to come to Florida with you guys? It's Cuddle's family."

"So?"

"So," Flippy groaned, "I haven't even met them."

"What does that matter?"

He sat back with a sigh, balancing the mug in one hand on his knee.

"I think I'll pass."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"If you want to try and get Flaky back, I think you should go."

His head shot up, coffee splashing out of the sides of the mug and soaking into his jeans. His eyes were a mixture of every emotion imaginable, but it was mostly filled with desperation. Desperation, curiosity, and anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded.

Splendid took a long sip of his coffee before setting it on the floor slowly. He made sure Flippy was looking at him before he explained.

"We leave for Florida in 15 days. Okay?"

"Right…"

"And we'll be gone for almost a whole month, okay?"

"Right."

"Then that's the perfect initiative."

"Initiative for what, exactly?"

He raised an eyebrow, but continued. "You think that you really love Flaky. And you're pretty sure she loves you back, right? Well this is her chance to prove it and come to realize her real feelings."

A spark seemed to light inside Flippy's eyes.

"You mean to tell me that I'll give her 15 days to want to come back to me?"

"In essence yes. And each of those 15 days, you are going to prove yourself to her. You are going to try and make your feelings as clear as possible, and then let her make the final decision."

"Why do I have to go to Florida? I can count out 15 days on my own."

"Because I know you won't hold yourself accountable. You'll either chicken out or give her more time. You need a definite time period. It will help you decide and give the right amount of closure for whatever happens. You can complain all you want but this is the best opportunity you're going to get."

He sat, stunned, looking at Splendid like he had just tried to explain rocket science. He realized with a sigh that he was going to have to level with him in simplest terms.

"Look man," he began, sitting correctly in his seat and resting his shoulders on his knees. "You both are the kind of people who can't work things out by themselves. Especially when it's something you are both completely inexperienced with. She needs a push, and you need some kind of plan to follow. You and I both know you would drive yourself crazy trying to fix it yourself. You'd come up with a million different scenarios and then end up choosing the one you THINK will be the best one. Not the one you FEEL will be the best. You THINK. You don't allow yourself to FEEL. You have a gut and a conscious for a reason, you know."

Usually, Flippy would have protested. He would have waved the idea off with his hand and then refused to acknowledge it as a possibility. He would have scolded Splendid for being so stupid and then lied and said he was fine and didn't need help.

Now, he sat in front of him as a man with no means. For the first time, Splendid legitimately didn't know what he would say next.

After an interminable amount of time, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them he was no longer Flippy, the hardened war veteran. He was no longer cold, emotionless Flippy who was devoid of a subconscious and avoided human contact like it was the plague. This was Flippy, the human being. Flippy, the man who was fragile on the inside and knew it. Who was scared of that fact and tried to change it inevitably. He was Flippy, the little boy who grew up without a dad and an overprotective mother who had cried when he'd told her he'd been drafted. He was the Flippy that told Splendid at the air port that day that he was scared, and if he didn't come back then he wanted him to know he was his best friend.

"…Ok," he said finally, taking Splendid so off guard he spit up the coffee in his mouth, "You're right."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but," he wiped his mouth and gaped at him, "did you just say I'm RIGHT?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah but I just figured I'm hearing things. Wow."

"Splendid."

"Can you say that again? Hold on, let me get my video camera…"

"Splendid, don't be a dick."

They were laughing now, ripping on each other in the way only guys could. It was an unspoken language between the two of them.

Flippy would exhale after a long, hearty laugh. Thank you.

Splendid would gasp for air trying to get the laugh out of his lungs. Any time.

Tomorrow, the 15 day countdown would start.