So I have a bit of a shorter chapter this time around, mainly just a bit of a follow up to the previous.

On a side note I was recently contacted by a user who asked a question I felt might be better addressed in full, so here it is. I DO NOT write yaoi/slash, and to be honest I probably never will. It's not something I'm very comfortable writing, and quite frankly I just don't really have any interest in it. Now don't take this as me just absolutely condemning yaoi/slash, it's just not for me. I know for a fact that there are plenty of other very talented writers hanging around these parts that practically specialize in that, but I didn't want to get any hopes up of me writing on that in the future. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If I just so happened to disappoint you with this news, check out some of the other very talented people here. I'm sure that most would be more than accommodating.

Hope y'all enjoy!

In truth he had been expecting to leave, to go back trudging through the rain and curl up in a blanket to sleep off any chance of hypothermia. Maybe make up some hot cocoa, or apple cider, something to at least warm his bones. But seeing CJ as downtrodden as she was set off a pang of what he could consider guilt. He didn't want to stand there and walk out the door when she was in shambles. But he certainly hadn't expected what followed thereafter.

It wasn't the continuous patter of rain on the windows that had awoken him. That had been a constant throughout much of the night and early morning. A chime from the other room was what made him slowly crack his eyes open, to peer around at his surroundings. Truthfully and selfishly he had enjoyed every second of what had transpired the previous night. The soft touch of her skin, the warmth the two shared, the scent of lavender and chamomile soap that wafted up from her body that flooded his senses. The first thing that came into view was her bare shoulders half covered by the bed sheets the two were under, her body slowly rising and falling in steady breaths. The sight brought a small smile to his face as he planted a kiss on the nape of her neck, causing her to stir slightly but not rise. With methodical, slow movements he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing up to stretch out the stiffness still present in his back and limbs and wincing at the soreness that still plagued him.

The chime he had heard came from down the hallway once more, prompting him to rise and find the source of the sound as he creeped along to avoid waking the girl still in bed. A roll of thunder sounded in the distance, the dull grey light pouring through the windows of the apartment still a significant telltale sign that the rain that was supposed to subside earlier that morning had yet to do so. He looked at the clock on the wall. Twelve after seven. The hands of the clock moved on unabated as he looked for the source of the chime, checking for any electronic devices that CJ might have had. He noticed the radio that had been playing last night had put itself into a sleep function, the led lights blinking slowly, and he figured that the stereo was the source of the sound. He shivered in the rather chilly apartment conditions, rummaging through his bag and pulling out a pair of athletic shorts before sliding them on. He glanced down the hallway, rubbing his arms to try and create some type of friction heat as he pondered the events of the previous night.

Ask anyone that had grown to know him for a while and they would all say that he had always been bad with women. It was much the same as the girl from the post office who delivered the mail regularly, or the cashier who had dropped every hint in the book that she could as he went to go get tailored for a suit. All seemed to end the same way, and now he did his best to stay, as Muscle Man had once accused him of, 'out of the game'.

That's why it had struck him as odd as to how well he got along with CJ. Why she had generally been able to make him laugh or brighten his day. It wasn't something that he had related exclusively to her and her alone, but it was the first time in a long time that he had felt such a distinct feeling. Consequently, up until last night he was certain that they were good friends, and he had every intention of keeping that. Well... well he didn't know where to go from here. Not now at least. He looked around the living area and bathroom and began to gather the idly tossed articles of clothing that he had been wearing, stuffing them back into the bag Rigby had afforded him. He looked back at the hallway once more. No sound. He frowned before turning towards the door to CJ's apartment, looking back and forth between the two before finally pushing open her front door.

CJ felt a chill run up her back, the cool air drifting through the apartment finding her bare skin due to the disheveled sheets. She shivered and rolled over, reaching to pull the covers over before noticing that her bed was empty. Truthfully she had broken down any further inhibitions she might have had last night. She didn't know what to even call last night. Comfort? Lust? Revenge? She wasn't certain. But the realization that her bed was now empty finally hit her in full effect, and her face flushed red with heat as she threw the covers away in a huff. She knew he probably wouldn't have stayed around. She knew that it might be better that nobody found out he had stayed there, but she still grew flustered with anger as she threw on a robe from her closet before storming into the bathroom, splashing some water onto her face in an attempt to quell the bitter tears that were beginning to well up.

She grabbed a towel and patted her face dry, observing herself in the mirror. The pink hues moving around her features, her usual ponytail in a wild and crazy mess, the small dark patches of skin that looked like lovebites from the previous night. She threw the towel into the sink and stomped into the living area, her eyes widening when she saw Ryan sitting at her table drinking a mug of what smelled like her own favorite blend of coffee. He put down the cup on the table and smiled, waving an arm towards a similar steaming ceramic mug across from him.

"Hey, made ya some coffee." She felt her face flush with warmth again, as she stood somewhat dumbfounded as he went back to casually sipping on his drink. It was now that she felt a pounding headache pushing at her temples, certainly a consequence of her time spent at the bar last night. Though the coffee was enticing, she walked into the kitchen to fill a glass with water and pull and alka seltzer from her cabinet, chugging the concoction before returning to the living area table. All the while he silently watched, sizing up her actions and movements. The coffee was no longer steaming, but the ceramic mug was still warm to the touch. She looked around. It was seven until nine. Sitting down she huffed for a second, looking down at the drink before looking at him.

"Did you use my coffee maker?" He nodded, acutely interested in what she had to say. She wagged a finger at him slightly as she took a long sip of the beverage.

"You could have at least asked me before using it you know." He maintained his smile, though she could see he was physically trying to hold back a laugh as his eyes flashed down at his own cup. He eventually let out a soft chuckle.

"Ha, well, after last night I didn't figure you'd be too worried about me making coffee." Her stomach lurched slightly, putting her cup down on the table and rubbing her arms up and down.

Might as well address the elephant in the room.

"Yeah, um... we need to talk. About last night." He nodded but said nothing further, waiting for her to proceed. She scratched her head and put her head in her hands.

"I mean, what happened last night was... I don't know. We're not just gonna pretend it didn't happen so... Did...did last night mean anything to you?" The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a slight frown as he put the mug in his hands down and leaned closer across the table confused.

"What do you mean?" She nervously looked around, watching the drops of rain that continued to pour outside still slapping against her window.

"I mean, what we did. What you said-" He raised a hand before she could finish, a slight look of annoyance spreading across his features.

"CJ, I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't mean it. I already told you. You know that." She pinched the bridge of her nose before letting out a sigh.

"Ok... but I want a straight answer. Did anything last night mean anything? To you?" He rose from the chair, walking over to the small section of wall that served as the kitchen cutaway and leaned against it, folding his arms and looking at her with exasperation.

"I mean, yeah. It did. But do you want it to mean something? That's what you're asking right?" She saw the warm sincerity that had been in his eyes fade into something else. Hurt. He was hurt, and he could immediately tell that she knew, but he did little to hid it as a cynical tone rang through his voice. "Or was I just some... one night stand? Some fuck buddy to help you through a rough time?" She could immediately sense the venom exuded from his question, and she rose quickly to hold up her hands in defense, her eyes wide.

"No! No! It's... I don't know, alright? I don't know what went on last night! I don't know what that meant! I mean I want it to, but I don't want it to. I'm not sure, but you weren't that! If it was do you think you'd still be here now?" She motioned between the both of them as he pushed away from the wall and threw his hands up in frustration, red flushing through his face as he began to pace back and forth. Try as she might have, he was already coming to his own conclusions. Connecting the pieces of the puzzle how he wanted.

"Well if we're calling a spade a spade, then that's what this was, right? You needed somebody to fuck since your boyfriend dumped you? Is that what this was to you? Just... a fling? Just something to bide some time for you to get over Mordecai standing you up at a wedding?" His voice rose now, and CJ walked to her kitchen sink and hovered over it as she became nauseated. She didn't want to argue, not over something like this. Her voice was now barely a whisper as she fought back the bile that was climbing up the back of her throat at a slow crawl.

"No... I.. I don't know, okay? I don't know... If you're going to leave just go, I saw your bag by the door... Just...go. Just go..." She trailed off, waiting for him to fly off the handle like he seemed to be doing, but instead she heard a sigh and the slap of footsteps on the linoleum tile as he approached her. She felt his hands grab her by the shoulders and slowly turn her around, the antagonizing look in his face replaced by that of regret. He used a thumb to wipe away a tear that had flowed from her eye as he tightened his grip on her shoulder for emphasis. The hurt in his eyes was still present, but the anger was replaced with a sort of somber calmness. He stroked the ridges of her shoulder with a hand as he spoke.

"Look, I-I'm sorry I snapped like that. And... I know we don't know what...this... is. But...I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead before pulling her into an embrace, still calmly tracing the area that his hand was resting. She tried to pull away at first, but he persisted, holding her there as the two sat in silence, their heartbeats rapidly pounding alongside one another. He could feel her heart racing, the repeated thumps echoing through his sternum.

Eventually he reared his head back, watching as she lifted her eyes up to meet his for a moment. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, gently easing her backwards to the edge of the kitchen counter while his hands snaked downwards. He lifted her up onto the counter top to put her into a seated position, continuing to leave kisses on her lips that she slowly began to reciprocate. He had gone to once more move down her neck, gently and deliberately when a knock came from CJ's door, causing the two to break apart, their heads supporting one another as their heavy breathing continued in unison.

Ryan laughed slightly and looked towards the door, placing another short kiss on the cloud girl's lips before stepping away, pulling her off the counter as he did so. He picked up his coffee cup and headed towards the hallway while throwing his head towards the door. She looked at him with confusion before he spoke.

"Might be better if nobody saw I was still here. For now at least." He walked back down the hallway as CJ tried to calm her breathing, smoothing out the wrinkles in her bath robe before walking to her door, opening it slightly to see Eileen and Rigby standing on her doorstep.

"Hey... guys. What's up?" Eileen did her best to glimpse through the door, trying to see past CJ before acknowledging the cloud girl had even spoken to her.

"Are you okay CJ? Is everything okay?" She nodded, and looked at the mole perplexed.

"Uh, yeah. I mean... I've been better. Oh, um, Ryan... told me what you did for me. Thanks for that. Really." Eileen placed a hand on the door to enter, though CJ didn't budge.

"Don't worry about it, it's what friends do. So... what else did Ryan tell you?" CJ just offhandedly shrugged.

"He um, told me what happened last night. Explained things." Eileen nodded but didn't say anything to follow, acknowledging the door between them.

"Mind if we come in? We just wanted to make sure you're okay CJ." The cloud girl gulped before nodding, swinging the door open and allowing the mole and raccoon to enter her entryway. She felt a breath catch in her throat as she caught view of Ryan's bag out of the corner of her eye, tucked away near one of her bookshelves. Eileen saw it too, and immediately walked over to lift the object from the shelf and inspect it in her hands. CJ sat down at her table before Eileen turned to her, a look of satisfaction on her face as she lifted the bag slightly towards the cloud girl.

"Did he leave his stuff here?" CJ didn't answer, the response failing to even manifest in her chest as her eyes nervously darted between the bag and her bedroom door. She raised a hand to answer when the bathroom door opened, Ryan walking into the living area patting down his hair with a crisp white towel. He poked out his head and raised his eyebrows in what she could only imagine was feigned surprise.

"Oh. Eileen, Rigby. Mornin'." His bag fell from the mole's hands as she crossed her arms in front of her, immediately tapping her foot repeatedly as she waited for some follow up to the man's greeting. Rigby nervously motioned to the man to continue talking to his girlfriend, frantically pointing and gesturing over her head. Ryan cocked his head slightly.

"What brings you here?" Eileen huffed, her eyes raising slightly behind her glasses.

"Hmph, what brings you here?" Without skipping a beat he turned and raised an arm towards CJ while finishing drying the last wet bits of his head.

"Like I said, I explained everything to CJ. The weather was still actin' up last night so CJ said it was okay for me to crash here. Didn't want me getting out in the storm." He turned and shot a sly wink at the cloud girl as he brought the towel over the front of his face to shield the gesture from the questioning mole. Eileen continued to tap her foot, seemingly not content with the answer. Ryan guffawed and threw his arms up as he picked up his bag from where she had dropped it.

"What? I don't know what else to tell ya. Frankly I didn't feel like wading around like a drowned rat outside, so CJ said I could stay here." Eileen nodded, her glare drifting downwards. Rigby now glared himself as she followed the mole's gaze down the man's bare torso. Eileen pointed a finger at the bag in his hands.

"Would you um, mind putting a shirt on? Or something?" He complied, immediately fishing a faded shirt from the bag and slipping it over his head, smoothing out the wrinkles and creases with his hands. Eileen seemed to be mulling over something, intent on expressing some conclusion before turning to CJ.

"Are you sure you're okay CJ? Is there anything you need? Anything we can do?" CJ shook her head, idly playing with her fingers by interlocking them back and forth as she stared down at her carpet.

"No, thanks guys. But... I'm fine. Really. You don't have to worry about me. I know what I did last night was stupid but I'm fine. Completely fine." Eileen sympathetically nodded, her crossed arms now falling to her side.

"Alright. We just wanted to make sure you were okay. Just... relax today. Take the day off. I'll talk to you later. Come on Rigby." The mole shot one last glare at Ryan before turning on her heels towards the door, the raccoon following in short right behind her. She made it to the entryway before turning her gaze down, catching something out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh hey, my backpack. I guess I left it here last night." The mole reached down and slung the pink pack over her shoulder, pulling open CJ's door before slamming it shut with some force. The two were gone, leaving the apartment as quiet as it had been. He gave CJ a playful look, though the short, flashy grin wasn't enough to stop the momentary anxiety washing over her. He walked over and planted his arms on her shoulders, brushing one of the translucent, stray bits of her hair out of her face before looking at her somberly.

"Are you okay?" She wanted to shake her head as hard as she could. She wanted to just stop right there. Wait while the world continued on until she was ready to even try to take on the day ahead. To not have to deal with everything that had transpired the previous day and evening. But she couldn't. She'd have to put the facade on just a little while longer. She nodded slightly, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Look... we can talk about this, all of this, some other time. It doesn't mean this is over. Just... on hold, right now. Okay?" He nodded knowingly, placing a fleeting kiss on her lips, though she didn't return it. He took notice and pulled his bag up from the floor, swinging it over his shoulder and walking towards the front door. She called after him.

"Ryan?" He turned his head, intently waiting for a follow up.

"You can... keep this a secret, right? Just between us?" He smiled warmly, nodding his head slightly.

"Not a word. Scout's honor." She wasn't amused by the lighthearted attempt.

"Ryan-"

"I promise. You can trust me, don't worry." She gave a weak smile, at least something to acknowledge that his promise had been received. He drummed his fingers on the door.

"Hey, if you need anything. Anything at all, don't be afraid to give me a holler. Okay?" She nodded, jerking her head towards the door slightly as he smiled, pulling the door behind him as she collapsed in against the counter in her kitchen, the soft and quiet sobs echoing throughout the now cold and almost vacant apartment.

Song of the Chapter:

Carolina - Parmalee