HELP ME. I AM POWERLESS against this stupid couple. I don't own JN. Just my crappy writing.

"Are you sure about this?" Jimmy inquires from around the corner.

"Yes! Nina wants to meet you, and we can't put it off any longer."

"I hate lawyers."

"We both know that's a lie," she argues as she applies her lipgloss.

He grumbles something underneath his breath. Cindy ignores him as she looks at herself in the mirror. She's wearing her favorite little black dress and a beautiful necklace with a single pearl. Her makeup is simple and elegant, and her hair is softly curled. It would have to do. When she steps out of the bathroom, she sees that Neutron is digging around in their closet.

"If you are looking for your black tie, it's hanging behind the blue one, I think."

"Oh, yes! There it is. Do you think you could-" he stops as he turns to face her. His jaw drops slightly, and his eyes fill with soft warmth like the first spring sun after a long winter. She soaks it up for a few blissful moments before advancing toward him.

"You were saying?"

"Will you tie my tie?" He finally asks.

She takes the tie from him, then steps even closer to him so she can loop it around the back of his neck. His mouth tilts upward in a soft smile. She brushes away the temptation to kiss the crease that appears in the corner.

"Perfect," she says as she steps back.

"I am?"

"Don't push it," she hisses as she grabs a pair of shoes from the closet floor. She sits on the edge of the bed, but before she can bend down to put them on, Jimmy grabs them and kneels in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping."

She slips her left foot into the correct shoe, and Jimmy's warm fingers brush against the back of her ankle. After the right shoe is on, Jimmy's hand moves up her leg, stilling just at the fullest part of her calf. Her eyes meet his, and she sees that the warmth there now has edges. It's a forest fire instead of sunlight.

"What?" her voice is a little breathier than she would like.

"You are stunning," he says sincerely. "Every person in that restaurant will wish they were me."

She tries not to think about the pressure of his fingers. She tries not to think about how badly she wants to kiss him. She rises from the bed and says, "We're going to be late."

As Jimmy stands, a knowing, teasing smile blooms on his lips. "You look a little flushed, Vortex."

"Shut up," she hisses.

-x-