34. Confession

It was deep in the night as Quinn struggled with a bad dream, her face distorting to discomfort. She moved on her bed a little, obviously bothered in her sleep while she hugged to the closest thing in her reach. Then she opened her eyes. Staring across the dark room, she realized it had been nothing occurring in the real world and she breathed out some relief. Quietly, she kept her look into space, recalling her nightmare once in her head to perhaps tell Judy about it later while she snuggled onto the torso next to her, her arm hugging the waist tightly. And like that, she maintained silence for a while and looked a little above her head, before she moved her face down again.

Wait.

Quinn's breath stuck in her throat and she pushed herself immediately up, glancing back on the person she lied next to. HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS CHRIST! Through the small moonlight, she had needed a moment but saw then that it was not the person she first had thought it to be. Her shoulders quirked up as she shut her own mouth in huge shock with both hands, glaring at the black-haired young man on her mattress still sleeping. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! she panicked mentally, drawing a cross over her body from her forehead to her shoulders to her torso. Dear lord, I'm not religious, but if you and hell are real, please forgive for this, I'm not cheating or anything, just fell asleep beside an ill friend! Please, please, please, please!

Staggered about the moment, she couldn't believe how she had forgotten about it. Nothing much had happened after both of them had fallen to bed, nothing but both giving in to their tiredness.

Getting down from her bed soon, she tiptoed to her desk, palpating for her phone. Almost three said the time as she found the device. They had been sleeping for about four hours; it was still shocking to her that she actually had happened to fall asleep on him and by the end hugged him after her body seemed to have rolled down.

God Quinn, this is nothing big! she thought, you always hug Penguin and Shachi too, girl! Uncertain, she looked back at Law, who still remained in his sleep. When she got closer to him again, Quinn carefully touched his face with the back of her hand, remembering why he was sleeping in her room in the first place. She turned the flashlight of her cell phone on, but reduced the strength with her hand, lighting through her desk drawer. A thermometer, exactly what she had been looking for, found its way in her hands and though it was clean, she wiped the tip with a tissue one more before she carefully put it in his mouth and waited.

To her relief, it showed her the decrease of his fever, though it was still slightly there. Quinn took the water bowl and the towel she had left on the floor and went outside quietly to change the water. Since it was pretty late, she guessed that Judy was already sleeping, wondering if she had seen her little 'accident' from before. It was easy to misunderstand, so she feared that her friend wouldn't believe any explanation, misinterpreting things.

Back in her room, she let the door wide open for the light in the halls to shine in so that she could see enough without disturbing the ill. Sitting with her back to him, she wrung out the fresh cold water from the towel and turned her upper body to Law, laying the drenched item folded on his forehead as she brushed his hair away.

Quinn smiled. "So strong and now so vulnerable."

Of course, she didn't like to see him ill, but she liked to see him so peaceful. He was for most in tension or just lazed around, but only during deep sleep sessions in peace with himself. It led nearly to compassion and worry the more she studied him, and once again, Quinn wondered why he was how he was.

Carefully, she took his warm hand, sweaty from his fever, and eyed the tattoo on his fingers. Someone with a good past didn't attract to ink permanently 'Death' on both hands. She knew as good as nothing about him. So, in half a year, huh? she thought and smiled again, letting his hand down. As curious as she was, he must have his reasons to never mention anything from his childhood, thus she wouldn't ask him nor Shachi or Penguin. Was he calculating half a year to trust her? Such a funny weirdo with his calculations. The fact made her happy though to know that he intended to befriend her longer, hence she questioned her skepticism.

As Quinn sat there in silence, staring at Law mindless, she poked his cheek softly before a tender stroke with the back of her fingers followed. For any reason she felt weird about his previous action, actually hugging her. She was probably the 100th woman he had held in his arms and even though he would state his hug as a threat, Quinn thought he was not the person to do such in the condition he showed.

"I don't know Doc... I think you need-" she cut her sentence and laughed a little, "nevermind. You don't hear me anyway, do you? ...Cliffhanger, if yes... ha-ha..."

Tired at these hours, Quinn decided to head outside finally. She filled a glass water and put it with some antibiotics on her desk, next to the bed. Getting out with some sleepwear in her grasp, she closed the door and moved towards Judy's room.

Nervously, she stood in front of it and wondered if she should enter or just get comfortable on the couch. She eventually decided to knock quietly and opened the door, peeking inside. "Judy, you're awake?" said she in wonder as she saw her friend sitting on the bed with her cell phone, leaning against the wall while her night lamp lighted the room.

"You're awake?" she asked back.

With a wry smile, Quinn pointed to her behind, looking away from her eyes. "Did you...?"

"Yes."

"It wasn't how it looked..."

"Okay?" Judy replied as if she wasn't ready for believing any excuse while her look on her phone showed rather disinterest though.

Quinn furrowed her brows, unsure about the atmosphere in the room. "Can I sleep here with you tonight?"

"Sure," her friend said, "sleep wherever you want."

Calmly, she inhaled and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "That with Trafalgar, uhh, I asked him to come over so that I could give him the gift I told you about, but he was ill and got a fever all of a sudden," she began to tell as she started to change. "H-he wanted to go home though, but you had to see his condition, I just couldn't let him out at this time! So he threatened me to infect me as well, you know, getting closer with his bacteria and coughing at me, and-and, yeah, we eventually fell asleep next to each other..."

Judy looked up at her again, eyeing her friend from head to toe as she stood in her underwear around, putting on light shorts and a baggy shirt. She remained silent, trying not to comment anything but her explanation. "And you tell me that because you're scared I'd tell Sabo?"

Quinn looked at her, smiling with her lips half-sucked while her eyes weren't touched from it. "This and.. that."

"This and that?"

"You know," the blonde said, looking to the side. "That."

Understanding what she meant, Judy started to redden slowly and looked annoyed away. Her little blush loosened the tension instantly and Quinn moved next to her on the bed, leaning closer to her.

"Heeey," said she with a brighter smile, "you can tell me, I'm yooo bestfriendo."

"Have I ever said that?" Judy replied, staring back on the display of her phone.

"You said you loooove me."

"What? When did I?"

"I also told you about Saboooo."

"Yeah, because this was obvious."

Supporting herself on her arms, Quinn backed off and glared at Judy with half-open eyes. "Oh come on, that you got a thing for that dude in my bed not?" As Judy didn't respond, Quinn sighed loudly and leaned back as well, staring ahead, listing with her fingers, "you haven't brought another guy home since him, you're blushing every time this topic comes up, you're, uhm, jealous when-"

"Me and jealous?!" Judy said in defense. "Jealous of whom?!"

"Psssht!" Quinn hushed with her index finger vertically to her lips, pointing her eyes over to her room.

Judy shifted her eyes briefly in the same direction, before she leaned unamused closer to her friend, whispering with the same attitude, "jealous of whom? Huh?"

Quinn smiled at her widely with tight lips, almost provocatively. "...When I'm getting along with him."

"You-?"

"Of course I see that sometimes, doooon't worry," she stated airily and rolled her eyes with joy. "Between him and me, there's nothing, we're just friends. I guess... Don't cha trust your best friend?" She straightened a bit and placed her fist determined to her heart, looking up. "And my heart's devoted to Sabo now!" As Judy looked at her with narrowed eyes, she returned to look from the corner of her eye, maintaining her posture. "Trafalgar's not my type anyway," she added with a small laugh, "too dry and salty."

Not giving up in her conviction but keeping the friendly stare on her friend, the latter slumped back. "Fine, geez..." she said and sighed gruffly. "A crush. A tiny little one."

In a snap, Quinn pointed with her finger at her. "Told cha!"

Embarrassed shyness colored the brunette's cheeks again. "Yeah, yeah... stop the fuzz..."

"Don't worry! Although I seem to be cool with him, sometimes..., there'll never be something between us," Quinn stated, lifting her open hand to refuse anything of it to happen. "Oh god, never."

"Uhu."

She glomped onto her friend from the side, cheek on cheek. "Promise, promise, promise, promise!"

"Gurl, it's just a fart of a crush, nothing serious," Judy claimed with eyes up to the ceiling, her limbs still down instead of returning her hug. "...But aren't you afraid that your guy gets jealous when you're so comfy with another guy."

"Nope, Sabo's somehow not the jealous type," Quinn stated and sank her head to her friend's lap, staring from beneath up to her with a satisfied smile. "But seeing you having something, even so shallow, for a guy's so refreshing. I knew you're not as heartless as you act to be."

"What?" Judy queried displeased as she looked down at her.

"I love you, Judy."

"..."

Judy pushed her away. "Oh geez, get away from me! Eww!"

"Hehe!" Quinn hugged onto her side again tightly, overly happy. "Love you, love you, love you, love you, love you."

The fellow day, a bank holiday, Quinn was out with Sabo while Judy stayed home on her free day. She filled a bowl chicken soup to get it to their ill guest in her friend's room, wondering if he was already awake. Quinn had been gone for a while now and had told that he hadn't been awakened when she last had checked on him. Judy felt quite nervous to be with him alone since it had been weeks again. Her relationship to him was sure not as easy-going as he had with her friend, made her wonder how she had managed to get along with him so well.

Quinn was sadly right; she was jealous, no denial. The way he interacted with her friend like she had seen with no women was annoying. His flirts when the two first had met outside the hospital were obvious (he had done the same with her) and she hadn't taken that amiss since Quinn was appealing, but everything after was way more personal than he would admit. Trusting her friend's words though, Judy tried to blend out her jealousy. Not that she wanted to start anything romantic with Law ever, it was just the feeling that annoyingly accompany her for quite some time.

Calmly, she took the bowl and moved to Quinn's room, knocking on the door. As no reaction followed, she opened it to peer in carefully and it was not surprising that she found him awake deciding not to answer since he wasn't the big chatter anyway.

"Law?" Judy approached him slowly, "Quinn told me about your fever last night."

As if she had hit a trigger, she could observe the little twitch in his eyes that was actually so small to be noticed, before he asked, "what did she tell you?"

It seemed he was worried that she could've misinterpreted things and told her, thus Judy calmed him with Quinn's harmless explanation from the prior night. "You feel better today?" she added and put the soup on the desk.

"Yeah," he answered with his face to the ceiling, his voice calm and husky. He had his forearm up resting on his forehead while his other hand lay on his belly. Like he was somehow helpless with the situation, he mentioned quietly, "she cared for me last night."

"She told me that too," Judy said, "do you need anything now?"

Law pushed himself up slowly, stretching his neck. "No thanks, I guess I'm fine. My fever's gone. It was nothing serious but just from a cold."

She watched him first quietly, but perked up with a smile, trying to change the qualmish mood. "Uhm, I made chicken soup for you!" Her eyes drifted aside with a suddenly more uneasy smile, as she also mentioned, "Quinn suggested me to do..."

"Judy," Law said, still looking down at his front. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied, gulping a little. It was uncertain to her why she felt so nervous as she already talked herself into accepting but not committing to her feelings. He had no interest in her anyway, she should care less about anything he would tell her.

"You never have grown feelings for someone before, right?"

Her heart skipped half a beat as he asked, his face tilting to her slowly. Trying to stay calm and casual, she replied, "yes?"

"Ever had something in this direction?"

It was probably the first time ever he was exchanging so many words with her on a personal level, more than the little flirts to get the mood in bed; and then it had to hurt like that. It was so obvious to Quinn, why not to him?

"Well, not really, maybe currently a little..." Judy looked away, mumbling, "crush." He remained silent to her answer and looked back ahead, made her wonder about his thoughts. There was no way around for him to deny anything regarding his view on her friend, his calm, but uncertain behavior showing his bother.

"Does it feel strange to you?"

"You got a thing for Quinn," she finally said and he looked at her, half in defeat, half in shock. "Right?"

With a quiet but annoyed sigh, he turned his legs to ground, resting his elbows on them while his head sank onto his hand. It seemed he was contemplating whether to say something or not. But he changed to full defeat, answering almost under his breath, "yeah..."

She knew, she just knew it...

"How do you know?"

"It's obvious," she responded and looked with a wry smile briefly to the side, "at least to me..."

"I've never talked about it to anyone, especially not her," he said. "Did-"

"She doesn't know." They locked eyes, got her seeing his questioning and somewhat worried gaze. "I haven't talked to her about it, and she's currently too blind to see it."

"Too blind?" he asked with a tiny smirk. "Is it that obvious?"

"..."

"Does anyone else know about it?"

He was treating it like a big secret, made her also wonder how much of a threat it was to him, and how much he liked Quinn already. For her, he was just a crush, since she knew nothing about him, but Law and Quinn had spent much more personal time with each other. "I don't know, I might be a woman, but I don't do these gossips," she said, trying to be humorous.

"Do me the favor and keep it for yourself."

"Of course..." she said and clenched her jaw a little as she saw him in deep thoughts. It was so self-explaining to her that what had happened last night was not because only to 'threat' her. "But you know she's-"

"In a relationship. I know." He got up, staring at the glass water she had left for him, already emptied. "Honestly, I don't like how things are going. You should understand that best since we're on the same boat."

"What do you mean?"

"People like you and me are not thought to be in romantic relationships."

"I..." Just like she had said. "I suppose..." She smiled then to herself, saying "people like you and me are not taken seriously anyway. I guess people will bad-mouth us if we stepped too close to anyone." Though he said nothing to it, she was sure to interpret his silence as agreement. Standing next to each other, faces in opposite direction, Judy tilted her head up to him. "But can I ask you something?" He looked back at her. "Why did you choose that lifestyle?"

He was in pause again, regarding her eyes intently so that she wondered if he was interested enough to question her agenda in his mind. "I guess there was no one yet to made me not. And I don't want your friend to be that someone."

"And what'd you intend to do now?"

"I don't know..." he said with another quiet exhalation to his front. "Satisfying myself elsewhere, getting over her, whatever. It's best to stay away from someone, who got feelings for someone else."

His missing awareness was so painful. "You're right."

"Wanna help?"

Surprised about his latter question, she looked back up and blinked at him. "What?"

Law turned to her and grabbed her wrists, pushing the brunette down to the mattress. Being above her, he looked into her face, taken aback by his move. "I mean, it's been a while."

Judy's heart pounded soon as he allowed her his closeness again after so long. "D-don't you wanna rest?"

"I'm at my best now," he said and one hand wandered down, filming around her throat. Judy gasped out, blushing and he choked her slightly with the knowledge what turned her on.

She squinted her eyes and turned completely red. "But... but..." It was so wrong to do now after this conversation, and though, she became weak again and struggled with rejecting to fall for him in any way. The world felt so unfair in a switch, and she again wished to be not herself. To be rather Quinn.

Law smirked and choked her harder as he leaned down to her, made her gasping, his other hand disappearing under her satin dress. "We have each other now, I'll get over my crush," said he and moved his lips closer to her ear, whispering, "you'll get over your."

"Cuddle-break?"

"Not now."

"Just one minute?"

"Nope," Sabo said, trying to concentrate on the paperwork he was doing at his desk.

"30 seconds?" Quinn asked then, somewhere at his near behind.

"Nah."

"15!"

He sighed and put his arm over the backrest of his chair, staring at her as she lay on the lower part of his bunk bed, looking at him upside down. "Quinn, I said I need to finish that first," said he with a small smile.

Quinn pouted her lips, changing the tone of her voice to a mock-whimper. "Cuddle break..."

He rolled himself over to her, staring down at her face while she was still pouting. "Should I get you a teddy bear to cuddle?"

"I wanna cuddle Sabo," she said and rolled on her stomach, looking at him with both cheeks cupped in her hands, "he never cuddles."

"That's because we're outside most of the time and..." Slight pink developed on his cheek as he looked with a wry smile to the side, thinking of any cheesy type of public display of affection. "Well..."

Quinn hit her hands on the armrest of his chair, pushing herself closer to his face. "Cuddle me! Here and now!"

He startled. "What?"

"Pleaaase."

"Wow, if I had known you're so in need of love," he said and she looked at him with huge eyes, daring him to continue that sentence, what got him grinning amused. "Just kidding."

Quinn withdrew and got up, straightening her hair and outfit. "Alright, I see, I'm too much stress for you, what?"

"Sure you are," he agreed on her playful huff, shifting himself on the chair back to his desk.

She crossed her arms and looked at his backside lazily and conceited. "Good, then I go and get my love somewhere else."

"Alright, have fun."

"I will!" she assured.

"Yo," he responded, showing no sign of care.

Quinn narrowed her eyes with a rosy touch upon her cheeks, placing her hands to her hips as she slowly walked towards the door. "There are plenty of good-looking men outside."

"Cool."

"Single men."

"Yo."

"Who wanna give love."

"Have fun," he commented with a light hand wave, not giving her decent attention at all.

"I'll have the greatest fun!" she stated and tugged the door open to disappear. Outside, door closed, Quinn stayed like not announced in front of his room, waiting a bit before she quietly peered inside again. As he seemed to still care less, she walked back into the room. "Meh, you're stuuuupid!" Lips arched deep, Quinn stiffly moved back to the bed and lay down, facing the wall in fetal curl. "I'll sleep here now, bye bye."

Sabo pushed himself with both hands from his desk, exhaling with a smile. "Fine, cuddle-break." He got up and moved down to the mattress, wrapping his arms from behind around her waist. "Judy was right, you're so cliche."

Quinn grinned after she successfully made him giving-in. "Tehe, I'm sorry." Smiling endlessly as he finally cuddled her, she tilted her face a little to him. "What are you working on anyway?"

"I prepare the stuff for our upcoming event; speeches and so."

"The event you don't want me to come?" She grabbed both his forearms and pressed it closer to her, smiling.

"Of course I want you to come...!" he claimed, pushing his head a bit up to look at her.

"I'm not convinced about this," she replied frankly.

"I really want!" he said then out of nervosity, feeling bad that he made her thinking so.

"Meh."

"Promise me you will come!"

Quinn suddenly turned on her back, smiling at him like she had waited to see more from his side coming that would convince her about his true attitude. "Okay, I promise."

And he, of course, noticed that. "Oh man, you're witty."

She jerked her head up quickly to peck his lips before he tried to reposition to more comfort. "Sabo, I- Sabo...!"

"Oh, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He flinched with both open hands up in the air, reddened. "I'm really sorry!"

Covering her breasts with both arms shyly crossed, she glared at him, at least equally flushed "I-it's fine, you just touched it accidentally. It just came out of nothing." Quinn poked her own cheek several times, quick and harshly to overcome her embarrassment, avoiding his face with a weird smile as they stood for a moment in silence. "I-I'm sorry... this is kinda awkward now."

Sabo breathed in deeply as his eyes looked away, rubbing his neck in guilt. "A bit."

"I mean, since we're together now, I guess it should be normal...? I mean, no, not normal, but something I shouldn't be ashamed of... I'm sorry, I guess I overreacted..."

"No, you didn't," he said and leaned back to her, both his arms supporting his weight on each side besides her shoulder. "I was clumsy, and I've got no right to touch you in any way you don't want."

Though the small smile, she saw he felt uncomfortable about it too, not able to hold long eye contact. It was new to see him blushing that much, she had almost thought he was easy with everything she did or said. Staring longer at him, processing his last words in her head, Quinn felt an extreme urge to glomp him again. And so she did and lay her arms around his neck, pulling him with a squeal down to her. "You're awesome!"

What the... Sabo thought confused as his face landed between her breasts again, wondering how dense her perception was to not notice that anti-logic. God, and women chests were soft... Crap! He didn't want to think like that. "But Quinn..."

She let go of him, blinking as he hovered above her again. "Hm?"

"I'm honest to you."

Her lips tensed with lowered corners once more, staring at him insecurely. "Oh god, not again. Can you make your announcements less scary-serious?"

"Uh..." He looked at her somewhat blankly, pondering as she awaited something loosening from his mouth. Sabo then pointed to her chest. "...They feel like marshmallows."

"Sabo...!" Quinn shouted embarrassed.

"Just kidding!" he said and laughed before his eyes drifted sheepishly to the side. "Well, actually not..."

"Maaaaan, go away," she said and pushed his face farther, fidgeting with her legs as she tried to bear his silly comment.

"Hey I just wanted to loose the scary-serious tension," he claimed, trying to push his face back. Quinn pulled her hand away then and turned on her side, hiding her face, made him furrow his brows a bit. "Are you mad of me now?" As she didn't answer but hid a little more, he leaned closer to her. "Heeey, Marshmallooow. I-I mean you! Not your..."

"You're so silly." She slowly turned her face back to him, smiling with a helpless laugh. How could she be mad at him? "Anyway, what was your honest announcement?"

Almost had forgotten about it, he showed himself rather uncomfortable back on track. "I..." he started and Quinn looked at him somewhat anxiously, trying to be prepared for everything. It couldn't be as bad as it seemed right then, otherwise, the silly remark he had dropped before would be quite displaced. Sabo took a deep breath and exhaled everything out slowly. "I never had something with a girl before."

She had been prepared for everything but that, thus she glared at him in disbelief. "Means... I'm your... first girlfriend...?"

He looked at her, biting the inside of his cheeks before he breathed out again with a swift look up. "Woah, this is more awkward than I thought."

"No-no! Nothing awkward!" Quinn said right away, shaking her head.

"Yeah, you are," he confessed. "And I never had dated, kissed or slept with any girl before. The time was not there, my life was focused on other things that seemed more important to me."

"Oh god..."

"What?" he asked, clearing his throat a little.

She placed her fist to her lips, smiling tenderly at him with lips and eyes. "This makes you even more adorable..."

"You making fun of me?"

Quinn nodded and showed him a small gap between her thumb and index finger, her smile not faltering. "Just a bit."

"Marshmallow," he said, a wry but threatening smirk pulled on him. "And I don't mean you."

"Ah, chill-chill, I'm being nice," she responded, walling herself with both palms up. "I appreciate hearing that." Sucking her own lips due curiosity then, she asked, "but, you have been in love before, right?"

His face seemed tenser all of a sudden and looked briefly away. "Not that I know..."

"Then I'm honored!" Quinn stated, smiling broadly. She withdrew it quickly as she noticed no more reaction from his side, either he was staring frozen at her or into space, but certainly in thoughts. "Sabo?" she called him in wonder, poking his nose then, "heeey, you're home?"

He snapped perplexed back at her. "Huh?"

"What have you been thinking?" she asked, receiving some suspense from his face as he stared at her innocent face quietly. Quinn was helpless to understand what was going on but decided to stay calm instead of piercing him too much with questions.

Sabo clenched his fists. "Quinn, I-" He stopped and pressed his lips against her.

Startled about his sudden move, way more passionate than he was usually doing, her chest tightened in nervosity and excitement, heart throbbing heavily. She returned his kisses instantly, not bad at all therefore that he hadn't really kissed any girl before. As he backed off, she gave him a wondrous look with her whole face tinted in color, still taken by that sudden kiss. "Sabo?"

"Don't get me wrong," he said and stroke her cheekbone with his thumb.

"Okay? You're scaring me?" she stated and tried to overcome her unsettled feeling with laughter. As he seemed to regard her intensely eye to eye, saying nothing with his narrowed brows, Quinn lightly hit his shoulder, forcing a small laugh again. "Stop being so mysterious, dude."

"You're too kind, Quinn." He surprised her with that, and even more when he suddenly hugged her tightly, saying, "you're wonderful, really. Whatever happens, don't let anyone tell you something else."

"Huh?" Quinn didn't understand and just let the moment happen, her eyes moving carefully to his head beside her. She kept blushing, feeling unsure about a response and just hugged back. "Th-thank you...?"

His upper body raised as he filled his lungs with air again, clearly hearing his breath close to her ear. She caressed his back as she assumed he wasn't feeling completely alright that moment, no speaking but only breathing filled the air between them. "Sabo...?" Quinn said worried and he hugged her once more tighter, made her squeak a little as it was quite strong. Once he loosened again, let her catch some breath, he kissed her neck.

Her eyes shot open and her fingers trembled instantaneously a little. Quinn felt his warm breath over her skin, making her heart moving faster until the palpitation was out of casual as his hand landed on her hip with another soft kiss on her neck. He moved his head a little up to check on her, she glaring at him speechless but not rejecting, before he fell back on kissing her again, Quinn going with the flow.

Supposedly to be hypnotized in the moment that shall build a world only of them two, she though felt every little detail from another point of view.

None of them went with the intention to sleep with each other that day, but that type of closeness was also a big step to their intimacy. His sweet kisses weren't as sweet as usual; perhaps still soft, but quick and spicy. It was okay so far until she halted her breath reflexively as his thumb just grazed her skin a little above her pants.

Every second suddenly felt like a stitch.

Every single one - one after another.

She lost control over the rhythm her lungs would make when oxygen got in and out. She thought her heart would stop any moment as her sight blurred. The room looked in a blink of an eye bigger than it ought to be.

Throwing her subtle shaking arms around his neck to interrupt the kiss to avoid him seeing her, she urged herself to play along when she was almost at the state of crying.

But she didn't want to stop him. She wanted him to like her.

"SABOOO!"

Abruptly, they parted as the door dashed open, Luffy standing at the doorway.

"Urgh!" Sabo shouted out as he hit his head on the upper bunk.

"Dadan's ill, she won't cook today! Can we order?" the little boy asked, but noticed suddenly the awkward silence. "What's wrong with you?"

Quinn's heart. It hammered against her chest. With so much relief.

"Ill? Oh no, how bad," said she, getting up right away to hide her face from Sabo. "Have you prepared her a tea?"

The boy narrowed his eyes up at her. "What? Why should I?"

"Because she's always being nice to you, so you're being nice to her," Quinn said and put her hands under his armpits, lifting him up on her arms.

"Ehh? She always scolds and hits my butt!" Luffy told displeased, carried outside by her to get down to the kitchen.

"Only because she means well with you."

"This is unlogic!"

Their voices faded from the room until Sabo was alone. He slumped down on his back, running his hand through his hair, sighing. He was certain she was okay, but her behavior after got him unsure. I'm sorry, Quinn... thought he and covered his face with his hands, groaning.

In the late evening, Quinn turned her key in the door lock, opening it. The apartment was dark as she went inside, analyzing it swiftly. "I'm home, Judy. Judy?" Left without response, she got off her shoes and moved inside her room, switching on the light. "Huh? New bed sheets?" she mumbled and put down her little backpack, walking out with a plastic bag.

She knocked on her roommate's door, opening it as she heard a 'yes'. "Judy? You made my bed?"

As usual, she found her lying in hers and the bright phone light against her face while the main light was off. "Yeah, was making mine, so I thought I'm gonna making yours too."

"Oh! Thank you!" Quinn said, smiling and moved over to her after she had switched the light on.

Judy put her phone down, dazzled by the light. "How was your day? Anything interesting happened?"

"Uhm..." Interesting perhaps, but nothing she felt telling her friend now. "No. Unless you wanna hear my lovey-dovey stories!"

"Uhh, no thanks."

Turning her head a little through her room and to the outside direction, Quinn asked, "where's the ill?"

"He went home."

"What? Already?"

Judy got herself a little more comfy on her bed. "He felt better today, his fever was completely gone, so he left."

"Oh... I brought you guys sushi. We ordered too much, so those are leftovers," Quinn told, lifting the plastic bag to show her. "Did he eat something?"

"He did."

"Phew, I'm so full," she said then and lay down next to her friend. "I've got the feeling I'll gain lots of weight when I'm with Sabo. We're definitely eating too much."

"Sounds nice, you love eating and to workout, so?" Judy said.

"Hehe, but I feel so lazy to workout these days."

"Maybe it's the comfortzone of a relationship."

"Sure..." Quinn replied, smiling wryly about that guess. "I've stopped working out to look good for any guy since long."

"Honestly, your body's perfect how it is now anyway," Judy said and eyed her up and down. "I wonder why he hasn't eaten you up alrea-"

"Judy!"

As she saw her displeased face about it, more serious than usual, she replied laid-back, "what, hey, just wondering."

Quinn sighed quietly and looked to the ceiling, both hands on her belly. "He told me today I'm his first girlfriend..."

"What? Nooo way!" the brunette exclaimed completely surprised.

And Quinn's mouth corners quirked up a bit. "And that I got his first kiss..."

Now that was an interesting topic. "Oh my god, he's more inexperienced than you?!"

In spite of what had happened today, what had made them ending up silent that topic, Quinn still couldn't think any bad of him. Because he hadn't done anything wrong but she. Smiling slightly, she said, "it's so cute..."

"That's really... cute," Judy commented, her ear less ready to hear her swoon over him.

"I feel so honored... tehe."

"Cute. Looks like you two are growing together, what? Whereas... I bet due to your ex-guy, you even had tried more than me..."

"Can we not talk about that?" Quinn said, rolling her eyes away with pursed lips, quite grumpy. "Nothing he did was nice... or maybe I'm asexual..."

"Sure you are," Judy agreed sarcastically. "I wonder if any women can get turn on by that dude when a girl that was totally into him couldn't."

"Okay, he maybe wasn't a ten, but he also wasn't a zero," the blonde said then, a bit annoyed that she always talked her ex worse than he actually was in appearance.

"But definitely no more than a three, coming from someone who slept with many types."

"Yeah, but you're super picky and only sleep with eights," Quinn said, her hand stretched with her palm down, on neck level, before she raised it on head level, "and higher."

Amused about it, Judy laughed a bit, thinking dreamily back to the handsome bunch she had ridden in the past. "However, I'm sure you're not asexual. You're just that typa girl needing the right guy."

"A-and what if I am?! Oh my god, then-then, my relationships will be foredoomed to failure! I don't want this! But signs are there! I'm getting uncomfortable when the topic comes up; everything hurts or seems gross to me; I never had an orgasm; I find masturbating strange; I can't get turn on; the slightest sexual contact gets me anxiety; I never long fo-"

"Geez, gurl, I'm sure you're not asexual," Judy cut her off.

"But-but-but, signs...!"

"And asexual doesn't mean you can't climax, the majority of women hasn't during sex." Judy looked at her friend, who glared at her with puppy eyes, her upper lip hanging out. Not that she would know much about asexual people, but she had known a few stories of some who thought to be, but turned out to be the dirtiest. Staring at Quinn, she said, "don't you ever had..." but paused to ponder for a funny description, which was, "a tickle down there when you're with your current guy?"

"A what?" Quinn queried with minimized eyes, "a tickle? Can you describe it any more ridiculous?"

She tabbed her finger on her cheek, looking up. "Hmm, lemme see..."

"Oh my god! See?! I feel uncomfortable about this topic!" Quinn said then, face slightly reddened "Nooot a good sign Judy, not a good sign."

"Go to sleep," Judy told her straight with half-lidded eyes. "You're worrying about nonsense again."

"Yes, I do! Oh my god, I totally do!" she agreed instantly while getting up from the bed, leaving the sushi bag on the spot, her eyes completely outspaced. "I'm sorry, I get myself bed-ready, oh god, oh god..." Quinn walked to the door, staring on the floor as she mumbled, "a tickle... what the hell..." When she seemed to be outside, she turned back, hanging over the doorframe to look at her friend a last time. "Oh and, maybe you should call Trafalgar and ask him if he's alright?" she suggested, only to support their relationship. "You know, this guy's a little too confident with his strength."

"Call him?" Judy repeated with a brow rose.

"Oh, right... nevermind. I forgot neither one of us got his number," she noted, smiled at her with an 'oops' expression. "Then, good night! What a private guy..."

Judy kept her eyes on the door even after Quinn had closed it. Trafalgar... she thought. They weren't even calling each other by their first names.

She grabbed her phone and looked at it.

"I'll try to avoid her as much as I can for a while. In any case I need your help, I'd appreciate it if you text me back."

A/N: Yes, he's totally falling for her, but who said anyway it always has to be the girl first ;)? Men are so emotional creatures when it comes to their own feelings lol xD

Mei - Wow, I wish I could comment on every single reaction of yours, because they always made my day XD Well, I don't know, in my other stories romance is involved, but I always follow an individual storyline in which the OC and canon character happens to fall in love (it's definitely topic). And well, yes, it's One Piece, actually all OC/Law more or less (hey, I'm just another Law fangirl haha) XD Alright, I won't doubt your loyalty hahaha (yeah, I'm always kinda scared that my stories develop into directions people don't like, thus drop). However, thank you very much for reading, with or without review! Here have some love lololo~