Private Tag

by Jupiter Queen

When spring break rolls around, Nikki returns to the Galleria Mall for a week. Despite the old faces, she's placed smack-dab in the middle of new romances and new drama—some of which threaten to damage her relationship with Jonesy right as they get reacquainted. (Post-series.)

1. Chapter 1: Horny Jail

Warning: Profanity, sexual content, and crude humor.

A/N: This should be about six chapters total, give or take one.

I wrote the first two-and-a-half chapters of this with my friend, Kaycie, whose on tumblr is k4yc13 in case y'all wanna give her a follow! This story began as an rp back in February—on Valentine's Day to be specific. In the aforementioned rp, I played Nikki, and she played Jonesy. It kind of escalated from there.

We ended up working on other things and exchanging a fuckton of headcanons, but I didn't want to leave this story unfinished, so she's given me permission to write the last three-and-a-half chapters myself.

This begins as fluff and slice-of-life, then devolves into utter raunch and crude humor. It's just a bunch of cute shit, a bunch of risqué shit, a bunch of hoe shit, and a few appearances from secondary/supporting characters.

The gang has been aged up to 18, by the way!

---

Chapter 1: Horny Jail

The day had arrived. Finally.

Nikki returned to Toronto, and Jonesy remained one-hundred-percent sure that he had never been this excited in his life.

Not when he lasted over a week at his current job. Then a month. And now six months.

Not when he alone got little Emma to take her first steps—and got it on video as proof!

Not when he started growing facial hair. (Even if he shaved it, he took pride in his stubble, feeling more like a grown man when he shaved every other morning.)

And, lastly, not even when he got into college on a hockey scholarship.

The gang had planned and thrown Nikki a welcome back party at their beloved spot right in front of the good ol' Lemon. Even in her year-long absence, they kept her seat there. If anyone came up and asked to take the chair, they would apologize and insist it already belonged to someone.

Today became the day where Nikki finally occupied it again. The gang ravenously devoured the cake that Jen specifically hired a cake artist to make. They caught Nikki up on all sorts of stories about each of them and happenings at the mall, and it reminded her of life before the move.

Did Nikki truly leave? With how frequently she and the gang kept up with each other, she might as well been with them every step of the way. It reassured her to say the least; it indicated that their friendship would never lose traction.

Now, they all cleaned up and prepared to go about the rest of their day.

For Nikki and Jonesy, that meant alone time together. (Hell yes.)

While Jonesy wanted nothing more than to take her to his empty home so they could have their way with each other, that would come later (especially when she'd be spending spring break at his home). Thus, he prioritized their non-physical quality time instead. His ideas centered around the changes since her departure.

"So, babe, what do you say I show you around?" he asked with finesse, as if he really had to lure her into saying yes. He draped an arm over her shoulders and winked at her. "I can show you some new places, new people. Then maybe we can play a private game of tag."

"Private game of tag?" she repeated, a snort punctuating her question. "Let me guess: This game takes place in a dark bedroom with no clothes."

He splayed his hand across his chest. "Pardonne-moi? I want to give you a lovely, innocent tour of our modern mall, and you accuse me of going indecent for a living? I'm hurt, Nik!"

"I have texts in my phone that prove anything but decency, but okay." Despite her eye roll suggesting annoyance, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers into his. "Now, take me on that tour, Casanova. After all, I'm new in town."

Overwhelming happiness surged through him as she laced their fingers. They'd returned to their usual type of banter, which he loved. As they passed people hand-in-hand, those who recognized Nikki waved or said a friendly hello. He walked as the proudest man alive. Yes, she returned, and, yes, she remained his!

"First stop: Wanna see what the Underground Video space finally settled on?" he asked.

"Sure."

As he led her there, she couldn't fight the joy of being with him after all this time. Surreal sprung to mind. She didn't want to take the comfort of his grip for granted, especially since she hadn't held his hand in almost one year. She'd let him take her anywhere today if it meant experiencing his touch. However, nothing prepared her for what Wayne's former mecca of Underground Video became.

Her eyes widened. "Oh. No. Way."

"Yes way!" he shouted before he burst into obnoxious laughter outside the establishment.

The old Underground Video space had turned into a sex shop called Star-Studded Collars. Porn videos and sex toys, along with many accessories, kept the store afloat as the biggest sellers.

He couldn't help eyeballing her reaction, though.

Once she overcame her initial, utter shock, Nikki broke out into a series of laughs accompanied by her signature snorts. Her shoulders jumped with each laugh. (She missed laughing by his side until both of their ribs got sore.)

As soon as the store had opened a couple months ago and had unsurprisingly become a hot subject among all their peers, Jonesy had begged the gang not to tell Nikki. He needed it to be a surprise. Thank God the gang actually kept their mouths shut for once. Her reaction did not disappoint. He loved laughing with her like this.

"Oh, wow," she said, before chuckling again and wiping a tear from her eye, careful not to smudge her eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. The corners of her lips ached from laughing and grinning so hard, but she didn't mind one bit. "I don't think anything prepared me for that." Her lips pursed with a realization: "Don't tell me you have a hidden motive for taking me here."

(Though her voice teased, she also needed to know.)

Once he caught his breath, he smiled at her sheepishly. "Is it bad if"—he hesitated—"I kinda did? Just kinda?"

She crossed her arms and craned her neck to look at him. Her longer yet ever-purple hair brushed against her shoulders with the movement. "I think that, if you tell me, that'll determine whether it's bad or not. So spill."

He slumped over with a hard sigh before he straightened back up, albeit still resembling a scolded puppy. He scratched at the back of his neck. "Well, I did. I don't know what we're going to do while you're here, but, if you wanted any of it to be a little extra kinky, I figured we could do a little shopping. Only if you want. Otherwise, we can just look around and laugh at the ridiculous dildos."

Her eyes scanned his face and saw the apprehension. The poor lunkhead's being genuine. And he's not being weird about it.

She ran her tongue over her lips. "I mean, maybe later after our tour, we can go together. I don't mind looking at that stuff with you and laughing about ridiculous shit."

His face illuminated at her response. "Hell yes!" He threw his arms up in the air, then paused, letting his arms fall back down. "I— I mean: Okay." He looked sheepish once again but not nervous, now that she expressed content with his idea. "So... we'll come back after the tour then?"

"Yes, we can come back, Jonesy." A soft smile graced her lips. "So, what's our next stop?"

He softly smiled right back at her. "So, ever wonder why the hell this mall didn't have a good pizza place?" he asked, sidling up to her and waggling his brows. "It never did! So let's go, baby. It does now."

"Good, because I'm starving." As he led her in the direction of the new place, she snarked, "I hope they ban people who put pineapple on pizza."

"You still hate pineapple on pizza? Baby, you're a cold, hard criminal."

When their waiter seated them at the restaurant and retrieved his notepad, Jonesy chimed, "One extra large pizza, half of it your Hawaiian specialty, and the other half..." He gestured toward Nikki, raising a brow.

"Spinach and bacon," she told the employee.

Once the waiter walked away with their order, Jonesy opened his mouth. "What the fu—"

"One's for indulging, and the other's so I could feel better about getting bacon." She shrugged.

He tilted his head. "B-B-But," he sputtered. "But it's pizza, and you just put leaves on it?"

She extended her palm in a talk-to-the-hand manner. "You put fruit on your pizza. Don't talk to me."

He gasped. "Would you seriously rather eat leaves than sweet, delicious fruit?"

She rolled her eyes. "How many times do we have to go over this? Not on pizza. It's gross and wrong."

"How am I wrong? Huh, Miss Wong? Your name even rhymes with wrong!"

Aside from the raising of her pierced brow, her expression betrayed no emotion. "Really, Garcia? I've been away for almost a year, and that's the best comeback you had? Weak."

He scowled at her and craned his neck forward. "Okay, fair, but you still haven't answered my question. What makes me so wrong?"

She knitted her brows. "Pizza's supposed to be savory. Pineapple just ruins that whole concept."

"But mixing sweet and savory is pure genius! It's the ultimate food, babe!" he argued, throwing his arms out for emphasis. A smug expression crossed his face. "You're gonna eat one of my slices, and I swear you're gonna like it."

With a straight face, she replied, "I'd rather eat a jean jacket with a spoon."

"Well, what if I also ate one of your leaf-za slices?"

"Knock yourself out. Unlike you, I'm not hard-pressed for you to try mine."

He pouted, crossing his arms and turning his head away. "Fine. Have all the boring leaf-zas to yourself."

"Gladly." She smirked. "Mmm, I missed arguing with you over stupid shit. It hits different in person."

His gaze snapped right back to her, his eyes half-lidded. "It really does, Miss Wrong."

She gladly met his gaze and reached her hand across the table, hoping he'd place his much larger one on top of hers. "So, maybe playing private tag doesn't sound so bad after all."

Instinctively, he placed his much larger hand on top of hers. He rubbed his thumb against her palm as he honeyed his words. "I'll be for real here and say I meant a private game of actual tag over at Now or Laser, but, when you thought I meant something else— Ooh, baby!" He smacked his free hand down on the table and did his signature purr. "Now I mean it!"

Her lips curled with the caress of his thumb. "I didn't come almost 1,500 miles just for laser tag, that's for sure."

He grinned devilishly now. "Well, gorgeous, you're gonna get some laser tag and more."

Am I as bad as him if I can't wait for the "more" part of his sentence?

She dismissed that thought quickly, however, when the waiter came around and placed their extra large pizza onto their booth's table.

Jonesy held up a finger and said, "Uh, this is on one check by the way," before the waiter nodded and departed.

She rubbed her eyes, then she blinked several times. "I'm sorry: Are my eyes deceiving me? Are you actually paying for everything?"

"You probably mean are your ears deceiving you, but I'll let that slide," he said in the manner of a renowned scholar, before reverting back to his normal voice. "I have a stable job now, Nik. I can pay for this and be confident I have enough to pay for tomorrow's meals, too."

While opting to ignore her boyfriend's habit of being a smart aleck, he managed to actually wow her. She didn't depart from Toronto with this version of Jonesy as her boyfriend.

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Jonesy Ricardo Garcia?"

Her incredulousness caused him to blink a few times. His lowered brows and narrowed eyes scolded her. "I know I barely paid for anything before, but now I can! So I will."

Her voice betrayed sincerity and softness. "Well, I appreciate it. That really does mean a lot to me."

He blinked all over again. "Wait... really?"

"Yeah, really." With one elbow against the table, she rested her chin in her palm. "It shows a lot of growth and maturity." Not one to let a genuine sentiment stand on its own for too long, she quickly added, "For you, at least." She punctuated her sentence with a playful smile.

"Yeah? Well, maybe I finally felt like growing up without someone like you around all the time," he replied, mirroring her playful smile. "But you make a great point: I guess I do feel more manly right now." He puffed out his chest.

In her flattest monotone, she droned, "Can you turn down your raw manliness? I can hardly contain myself. I might jump you across this table."

With his signature purr, he replied, "If that's the case, then no." He then grabbed a slice of pizza, folding it and shoving it into his mouth, biting off as much as he could.

After grabbing and eating her own slice of pizza—albeit with more grace than whatever her boyfriend just did—she asked, "So, loverboy, where are you inspired to take me next?"

"Nah-ah-ah," he admonished through a mouthful of pizza. He decided to swallow before continuing. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

Her lips contorted into the slightest of pouts as she conceded. "Okay, okay, I'll be patient enough."

Once the two had their fill of their pizza, he paid as promised and even left a tip—a measly one, but it still said something. They stood hand-in-hand once again in the walkway in front of the restaurant.

"So, I've got another total surprise for you." He moved behind her, covering her eyes with his large palms. "Um, so, this surprise is just right over this way," he explained while directing her.

As he guided her with her eyes covered, she hoped his next surprise would be worthwhile. He hadn't let her down so far, but—with him—things could change in an instant.

They walked forward for less than a minute before coming to a stop.

He removed his hands. "And... voila!"

Her jaw nearly hit the linoleum tile. "No. Fucking. Way."

The Khaki Barn appeared to still be in its place if one didn't pay close attention. He appreciated that, since Nikki could have noticed by now and ruined the reveal. After all, the signage remained in its place; the store's mannequin-less display windows betrayed the same set-up on the inside. However, upon closer inspection, one could see the lights didn't brighten the inside, the racks and shelves lay bare, and the security gate denied anyone access. A giant FOR LEASE sign displayed in the right window where the mannequins would have been.

She flung her arms to the sky and held them there. "The evil that is the Khaki Barn has been defeated." She brought her arms down, pressing her palms together in front of her chest in prayer position. Her voice bubbled with mischief, excitement, and relief. "Oh, the gods are just."

"Yyyyyep! It closed last week. Kristen and Kirsten finally lost the battle after Chrissy went to college," he explained, standing next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. His voice hushed as he leaned toward her ear. "And you'll never guess where they are now."

She bit her bottom lip. Her excitement persisted as he whispered in her ear with that delightfully impish tone. Her incisors retreated as her lips curled into a smirk. "Please tell me it's somewhere utterly humiliating."

He couldn't help snickering. "For one of them, I don't have to tell you. I can just show you real quick! It's right over here." He took her hand again, giving it an affectionate squeeze before leading her in the direction of Wonder Taco.

Behind the counter remained a pouty Kristen.

Nikki tried to bite her tongue in the same way that she bit her lip. However, the sight of her ex-coworker sporting a large taco hat sent her sputtering and cackling.

Kristen's eyes dawned with recognition and widened, then they narrowed. Her pout pulled into a scowl.

Jonesy had already poked fun at the situation when he first discovered poor Kristen's new job, but Nikki's laughter infected him, causing him to join along.

"This is already humiliating enough." Kristen scowled. "Do you really have to laugh at me?!"

When Kristen snapped at them, his hand covered his mouth in an effort to contain his (continuous) snickering. Mirth continued to dance in his eyes.

After another cackle, Nikki said, "Of course! This is priceless!" Once her laughter subsided, she added, "So this is where undying loyalty to the Crappy Barn gets you, huh?"

"For the last time, it was the Khaki Barn," Kristen scolded, quickly adding, "And this is only temporary, okay?!"

"Oh, really now? Well, as much as I'd love to stick around and hear your five-year plan, me and my boyfriend have to dip." Nikki grabbed Jonesy's free hand and walked away with him.

"You were so brutal to her, babe. God, it was so hot," he complimented through a smile.

"Glad you thought so." She stopped and turned to her boyfriend once they left the vicinity of Wonder Taco. "You've surely planned an eventful tour, Garcia. I'm not even being sarcastic."

He smiled even wider, straightening his posture and looking all proud. "What can I say? The Jonesmeister has always known how to entertain."

Her eyes rolled (albeit playfully). She leaned into him and caressed his arm. "Some things never change."

He softened his voice. (His tone carried a fondness that melted her heart into her stomach.) "I guess they don't." His fingers caressed the bottom of her chin, gently tilting it up. He gazed into her eyes. "Can I make extra sure your lips haven't?"

She bit her lip and gave him a half-lidded gaze. Her tone mimicked his own. "Only on one condition."

He inched his face ever closer to hers, gaze matching hers. "Yeah?"

"I get to make sure your tongue hasn't either."

"Oh, deal," he replied before swooping her into an embrace.

As soon as the kiss began, he immediately met the promise of tongue. He made no intention to pull away anytime soon, not giving a shit about being in the middle of the mall. Besides, hardly anyone occupied this part of the food court at this hour.

The deprivation of 1,500 miles drove this moment. She had received all that she had been missing from this one, prolonged, tongue-filled kiss. Now that she realized it, the kiss had been their first since she returned for the break. And it only remained a delicious teaser of what would (hopefully) come later.

Usually, she shied away from excessive PDA. She abhorred being one of those couples that flaunted (or, rather, exhibited) their intimacy for the world to see. However, being up North in an icy tundra for nearly a year without any physical, intimate contact left her throwing all her caution to the wind. (If she had spent any longer without being in her boyfriend's embrace, she might've jumped the next seal just to feel something.) She threw her arms over his shoulders while feeling his hand ghost the small of her back. She giggled into his kiss. Oh, he remained just as great—if not better—of a kisser than she remembered. Private tag sounded more and more appealing as the seconds rolled onward.

He possessed nary a single care about being seen like this. He didn't mind shoving his tongue down her throat in public. In fact, he wishes he could show her off like this more often, but he knew her usual PDA policy. Thus, he made no effort to slow things down. Though his hand began on the small of her back, it slid down to grab her ass.

"You two! Cut out the blatant inconsideration of the general public," said an ever-so-familiar, stern voice, startling the couple apart.

Nikki rolled her eyes.

Of course someone had to interrupt when Jonesy gave her more than just a chaste peck, and of course that someone happened to be the rent-a-cop who wore his pants up to his nipples.

Ron looked at them with squinted eyes and crossed his arms. "Welcome back, Nose Ring. But nobody"—he paused for dramatic effect—"wants to see this."

She mimicked Ron's stance, crossing her arms as well. However, an amused smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Gee, thanks for the warm welcome message, Ron. Glad to see you still remember me."

"Of course I remember you," Ron said in the same tone. His cold voice would never betray warmth and fondness. He squinted his eyes even more. He raised his chin. "Now, I trust you maggots to behave for the moment. I have other business to conduct." He gave them the two-fingered, I'm-watching-you hand gesture before returning to his patrol.

Jonesy noticed his girlfriend's frustrated expression. "Don't worry, babe. We can suck each other's faces in the near future."

"And who said romance is dead?" She snorted. "It's times like this where the Crappy Barn being open would've actually come in handy."

"Speaking of which, don't you wanna know where Kirsten works now?"

She clung onto his arm. "Oh, absolutely. How could I forget about Tweedle Dumb?"

He replied like he knew everything and always. "Oh, well, you can bet I'll let you know when we come across it!"

"There you go wrapping me around your little sneaky finger again."

"When we see her, you'll understand why I can't just take you to her." (The statement struck her as cryptic.) He pecked her on the cheek, placating her for the moment. "I think it's time we head over to our next destination." He grabbed her hand again. "And I'll give you a hint to think about on the way there! It has to do with something you've been considering for awhile."

As they walked, she mumbled, "Something I've been considering for a while...?"

She racked her brain for the one thing she could have wanted for an extended period of time. She generally didn't want much in the material realm. New sneakers would be cool, but she could order those any time she wanted them. Tickets to DawgToy's reunion tour also piqued her interest. (No way in hell would he take her to see them, though.) What could she have been considering for a long while that she couldn't just order? After a silent moment, only one thing crossed her mind.

Her eyes widened with recognition, then they fell half-lidded with adoration. "If you're taking me where I think you're taking me, then I might love you forever."

As she indicated that she pieced his next surprise together, he became the proudest man alive. His heart swelled at the idea of Nikki loving him forever.

"Aw, Nik, how could you not love the Jonesmeister forever anyway?" He dropped her hand in favor of wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her into him as they walked. "I love you too, babe. I don't think you'll be disappoint— Oh, look!"

His eyes landed on Pokey the Panda standing in front of the toy store.

He halted himself and Nikki in their tracks.

"Hey there, Kirsten! Look who's back!" he hollered as he waved.

A loud, offended gasp came from within the bear suit. "I'm POKEY! I am totally not Kirsten!" She stomped her foot before she froze. "Oh my gosh. Nikki?!"

"Kirsten?!" Nikki exclaimed. The corners of her mouth ached from grinning so hard. "Oh, God, this day is one for the history books."

"Jonesy,"—Kirsten placed her costumed hands on her hips—"this is, like, so totally not cool of you!"

"Sorry, Pokey! I just thought you might wanna say hello to your favorite old coworker!" he said, looking at Nikki for emphasis. He loved seeing her this amused and happy, even at the expense of someone else.

"I mean, I guess I missed seeing you around," Kirsten confessed in a less aggravated tone. "Things were totally not the same after you and Chrissy left. But this is total social suicide!" She slapped her giant paw across her masked face for emphasis.

Though Nikki contemplated taking a picture of her ex-coworker for memory's sake, she had to admit: Working as Pokey served as humiliation enough. Bantering with the Clones today (bar Chrissy) restored a sense of normalcy within her.

"Hmm," Nikki buzzed. Her nose crinkled from her half-smirk. "I guess I missed you, too."

Before Kirsten could respond, however, a group of children rushed out of the toy store and ambushed "Pokey," chanting the giant panda's name. A few unruly children jumped on Kirsten's back, causing her to yell. Nikki chuckled as she took her boyfriend's hand.

"Have a Khaki day, Kirsten," she joked under her breath.

"Well, that sure was fun," Jonesy chimed as they continued onward. "But I am so damn ready to get you to this next place. We're almost there."

After they turned a few more corners, his surprise revealed itself: A piercing shop had opened right next to the tattoo parlor.

"Surprise! I'll be buying you a sexy new piercing today, baby," he said as they stopped outside the storefront. He turned to face her, taking both of her hands into both of his own. "And don't even try to argue with me about it."

She knew it. Her intuition would never lie to her. Finally, she would get the new piercing she always wanted, and—

Wait a minute: Did Jonesy just say he's paying for it?

"Now why would I argue over something this great?" She broke out of his grip, instead clutching the sides of his face and pulling him into a sudden kiss laced with gratitude. Things like this made her fall for him even more. After parting, she said, "It's official: I love you forever."

He wore a dazed, lovestruck look on his face after that kiss. "I love you forever, too," he gushes, unable to take his eyes off her.

(If he didn't proceed with caution, he might just blow all his life savings on spoiling her.)

"Soooooooo,"—she flushed under his intense gaze—"aren't you just dying to know what kind of piercing I want?"

He blinked out of his trance. "Yes! Tell me! Tell me!"

She strolled towards the book of piercing photos sitting on the parlor's front desk. Despite knowing what she wanted, she slowly flipped the pages. She loved teasing and leaving him in suspense like this.

Jonesy followed behind her like an eager puppy. "Oh, come on! Just tell me!" he whined, then he squinted. "You're doing this on purpose."

She snorted. "Guilty." She rested the book on the counter once more and turned to face him. (He looked cute while frustrated.) While leaning against the desk for support, she revealed, "I want a belly piercing."

His face lit up. He literally jumped for joy. "Hot damn! That is gonna be so sexy!" Immediately, he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and carded through his cash.

"Alright, how much cheddar is that gonna cost, my good man?" he asked the employee behind the counter.

"Um, well, policy is I do the piercing first. And she still has to pick out jewelry."

"…Right!" Jonesy put his wallet away. He stared at his girlfriend, snapping his fingers at her. "Well, pick it out!"

She side-eyed him. "Don't rush me." While she looked at the jewelry options on display, a realization dawned as he hovered over her. She raised her pierced eyebrow at him instead. "With all that excitement, I'd think you're the one getting pierced and not me." She stroked her chin and cast her eyes off to the side. "Hmm, actually, that makes me think…"

"Me?!" he squeaked. "Haha! Well, too bad I wouldn't really look good with any piercings." He shrugged. "Nope. Not me."

Knowing exactly how to disarm him, she leaned into his personal space and stroked his upper arm with her fingertips. She fluttered her eyelashes (a la Caitlin). "Really? Because I think you'd look so sexy with a nose ring. You've got the perfect nose for it."

"I— I— Uh…" He looked at her, and—dammit—her purple lashes really did something to him. He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with the action. His voice faltered. "Heh. If you say so, but it's just you getting a piercing today." He nodded in affirmation.

She swore Caitlin's feminine wiles almost worked on him, but she conceded. "Okay, okay. Maybe some other time. Besides, I figured out what kinda jewelry I want."

He let out a small sigh of relief. "Alright! Let's get to it then!"

After she confirmed her choice with the parlor employee, he led Nikki to a chair in the back, allowing her to recline and pull her shirt up midway while he prepared the needle.

Jonesy stared at her cute, chubby tummy with a soft smile until he noticed the needle. He froze.

"Okay. Are you ready?" the employee asked.

"Hold on!" Jonesy quickly grabbed Nikki's hand and squeezed his eyes shut. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"Uh, I meant her."

"Excuse my boyfriend," Nikki said, rolling her eyes at the guy in question. "I'm more than ready."

With gloved hands, the employee sanitized her stomach with a sterile wipe, then he used a tool that clasped her belly button in place. He pushed the needle through the skin and kept it there while he fetched the jewelry she chose to adorn it.

She winced at the small amount of discomfort, but she rated it as less painful than her nose piercing. (Perhaps she'd finally get her septum piercing during her next visit to Toronto.)

Jonesy peeked an eye open at the precise moment the needle impaled Nikki's skin. He yelped. "Did— Did that hurt, babe? Are you alright?" he asked with his eyes shut tight once again.

As the piercer adorned her belly button with the silver jewelry and sanitized the pierced area, she craned her head to look at Jonesy. "I'm good, you big baby. It was just a little pinch."

"I am not a baby! I—" Once his eyes reopened, he gawked at the finished product before him, forgetting about his fear. "Babe! I didn't think it was possible for you to get even sexier, but damn!"

The piercer droned in a monotone about aftercare instructions, but Jonesy only heard to "be careful during sexual intercourse, if you must have it."

Jonesy interrupted him with a groan, earning him eye rolls from both Nikki and the piercer before he continued.

Nikki had received aftercare instructions before; having gotten so many piercings already, she knew them by heart. (Clean it everyday. Make sure your hands are sanitized. Use saline solution. The usual.) However, the new one that made her boyfriend groan—she made a mental note to discuss that with him later. She refused to address the particulars of their budding sex life in front of the piercing artist.

The piercing artist certainly did not want to know the particulars of their sex life either, but the location of her newest piercing required the warning.

"So... we shouldn't do any sort of boning?" Jonesy asked sheepishly while they're standing at the counter and he's handing over the "cheddar."

"Dude, I don't care. Have a nice day," came the employee's monotone reply.

Nikki grabbed Jonesy's hand and guided him out of the shop.

In a hushed yet matter-of-fact voice, she reprimanded, "Jonesy, I've had a million piercings before. I know how to take care of them. You don't have shit to worry about, okay? So you definitely don't have to go asking random people if it's safe to fuck." She eyeballed him curiously, choosing her next words with caution. "And that leads me to ask: How much did we plan on doing while I was here? I mean, you showed me the store formerly known as Underground Video... and then now there's this."

"You haven't had a piercing where, I guess, certain movements could affect it?" He only inferred so much from her latest piercing instructions. Nonetheless, his shoulders slumped. He wore a long face. "Sorry, Nik. I was hoping we could get spicy during your visit. But, if it might mess up how your totally hot, totally new, belly-button piercing heals, I can wait."

She took his hand. "Well, I don't want to. We're not gonna mess up my"—eye roll—"'hot, new, belly-button piercing.' As long as we're not putting too much pressure on my stomach—which actually doesn't hurt at all, wow—we're fine. As long as I keep it clean, we're fine." She refused to do the in-person equivalent of staring at him through a phone screen. She didn't fly this far, only to not roam the way she pleased. Shit, she craved intimacy. Especially after he'd shown her so much growth. He paid for things without her having to ask. He gave her surprise after surprise after surprise. He held onto details that she didn't think he would remember. He made her laugh so much, dissolving all the apprehension she carried from being away from the city she loved the most. "Besides, I thought you of all people would think more outside of the box when it comes to… y'know…" She ended her sentence with a knowing look.

He gasped with happiness at her words. For the remainder of her monologue, his gaze conveyed nothing other than fondness. The final look she gave him, however, awakened something within him. (Anxiety, mostly.)

Despite her taking his hand, that expectant expression on her face got the better of him. His eyes darted elsewhere.

"Okay! Okay. Sorry," he said. "I was stupid during that whole thing. I'm just excited to get over it and see you happy about something you wanted that I could buy you."

Her eyes flickered over him. She picked up on the crack of his voice, the hesitation in his words, the sorry that poured from him. From anyone else, the words might sound fake and flimsy, but the yearning in his eyes proved that he meant every bit of them.

"If I didn't know any better, Garcia, I'd say I'm making you nervous." Amusement dripped from her tone. "I'm not used to seeing you like this."

He paused to collect himself. "I just don't wanna mess anything up," he admitted. "Is that so bad?"

"No. Of course not. I think it's sweet." A grin touched her lips. "Just remember that it's me, dummy: the me you've known forever. I've just been away for a while, that's all."

Her words brought a pretty damn adorable expression to his face. He really did love her so much, probably for longer than he realized. "Yeah, it is just you. And you're just the most gorgeous woman I'll ever meet and the love of my life. Hell... Maybe I'm really just excited more than anything," he said with a shrug.

All of those compliments at once sent her cheeks burning. Their color betrayed that to him. She'd managed to keep her cool and poke fun at him for being nervous and now she'd be the one to melt. Great.

"Uhh," she sputtered, not knowing how to accept any of that. She cleared her throat, hoping to loosen any sentence from her windpipe. "Um, let's go back to Underground. Cool?"

Oh, this stroked his ego in the best way. She remained a hard egg for any normal person to crack, but he could do it, leaving her speechless and flustered with ease.

"Cool." He winked and clicked his tongue. Once again, he found her hand, squeezing it once as he took it. The two of them backtracked over to the former Underground Video space, where Star-Studded Collars now resided.

The person who greeted them, however, came as a surprise to both of them.

"Hey guys, welcome to Star-Studded Collars!" Marlowe gave them both a friendly wave as they walked through the store's doorway. "Long time no see, Nikki!"

"Hey, Marlowe! Didn't know you worked here! Nice!" Jonesy interjected. (He wondered how Wyatt would react to his ex working at a sex shop now.)

"Yeah, I just started not long ago. The band's been getting regular gigs on weekends, but I still needed some extra cash." After a short lull, she asked, "So, you guys need any help finding anything, or are you just looking around?"

Nikki didn't find any judgment in her tone, something she appreciated. (Out of everyone in Wyatt's love life, Marlowe actually didn't grate on Nikki at all.) "Just looking around," she answered.

"Okay. Well, I'll be here if you guys have any questions or want to buy anything," Marlowe said, walking behind the counter with the cash register.

"You got it." Jonesy gave Marlowe a thumbs-up before continuing into the store with Nikki.

"So, what first?" he asked his girlfriend. "Laughs? Orrrrrrrr do we seriously wanna browse for something to buy for later?" He gently nudged her side with his elbow.

Her shoulders shrugged. "Why not both at the same time?"

He shrugged in return. His shrug carried apprehension. "Well, what if... you think something is sexy, but I think it's silly?"

Her only reply came in the form of a raised brow.

"What?!" he whined.

"Elaborate, Jonesy."

"Uh... Wouldn't that totally embarrass you?"

"I trust that we're on the same page about this kind of stuff. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

He appreciated how nonchalant she remained about the subject, even if her chill demeanor made him feel foolish all over again. Despite this, it brought another tiny smile out of him. "You're the best, Nik."

"I know," she said with a smug smile as she slapped him on the ass and walked away.

He stiffened, widening his eyes and whimpering when her hand made contact. Despite his shock, the action aroused him, chasing away all his nerves once and for all. He purred and trailed after her. His hands gripped her waist from behind.

She walked with the full awareness of them being that couple, but the time apart justified it. With all the playful kisses and stolen touches and shameless flirting in public, maybe he made one point about heavier PDA. She would lean into it for the rest of the day.

She melted with his hands on her hips, silently thanking anybody's God that they remained the only two customers in the store.

He perched his chin upon her shoulder. "The best."

She chuckled softly. In a suggestive tone, she flirted, "Prove it to me later."

"Oh, you know I will," he promised with restored confidence, tightening his grip and placing a kiss against her neck before letting go. One of his hands rested on her hip as they browsed, however.

Right now, they stood in the pornographic DVD section of the store, which used some leftover racks from Underground Video. (Wayne had a meltdown about it after the store opened. How dare Daddy's Little Octopus seat itself where some of Wayne's Top Picks once did.)

Her eyes squinted at all the beyond-campy, obscene films on display. "Okay, please don't tell me you find any of this shit sexy, because then we'd really have to break up."

He let out a hyena-like cackle. "No, babe! To be honest, I was only just paying attention to you this whole time so far!" he said before grabbing a random DVD case from the shelf. "Oh, wait. I dunno. Sexcapades of the Cheer Team seems promising."

She grabbed a random DVD herself, scowling as she read the title in her head. "Sounds better than Ass Avengers: Endgame, that's for sure."

Yet another hyena cackle escaped him. "Oh, man! I bet Darth's watched that one."

She shuddered. "I'd rather not think about what gets his lightsaber charged up."

He returned his random pick to its rightful placed. Afterwards, he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Good thing we don't need any of these to get each other off." (He omitted how Sexcapades of the Cheer Team might have been something he actually wanted to watch.)

"Yeah, we definitely don't need any movies." A single, nervous chuckle escaped her. She spoke in a small voice. "But I do want a small toy. Maybe."

"Oh, yeah?" he questioned, eyes on her with high anticipation. "Small toy like what? I'll buy!"

She dragged him by the arm, taking him to the section with all of the adult toys. "I just want something discreet enough to use back at home and easy enough to use with you."

Without speaking, she perused all the items on display.

Too big. Too complicated. People really shove something like that up there? She shuddered again. Too thick. Too expensive.

Finally, the item revealed itself. Just right.

She selected a plastic-wrapped box containing a small bullet toy, then she twirled around and showed it to him. "Maybe this?"

It took about three seconds for him to register what she held, but, when he did, his mouth parted in an O-shape.

"Th-That?" he asked, not making any effort to hide the Cheshire-Cat-like smile on his face. "Oh, baby. Whatever you want!"

Despite a flush staining her cheeks pink, she managed to ask, "Whatever I want, huh? How about we get some handcuffs, too?"

"Handcuffs?!" he practically yells in his elation. "Yes! Yes, like I said: whatever you want." He nodded nodded nodded, perhaps a bit over-enthused at this point, but who could blame him? Jonesy was perfectly content with vanilla yet fully open to kink if she wanted to show him she liked it or wanted to explore it with him.

"Great. I'm gonna use them to finally throw you in horny jail." She ended her sentence with a wicked grin.

"W-W-Wait: So does that mean we won't use them for kinky stuff?" he asked, furthering his horny crimes.

"Nope," she said, popping the p. She loved to see him stammer and sweat. "Although, maybe if you're good during the rest of my stay, I might consider them the next time I'm in town."

He considered whining, but, at the very last second, he realized that wouldn't count as "'good" behavior. He simply huffed. "Alright, alright. I'll be good. Just don't make me wait too long."

She just smiled and took his hand, walking into a different section of the store with him. This section happened to carry lingerie and similar items. Her eyes wandered around.

"Oh, God, I think I just saw edible underwear," she said, her tone perturbed.

He snickered. "Hey, remember when your mom thought that's what I got you? What if I get you some for real during this visit, eh?"

She slugged him in the arm, albeit playfully. "Don't even think about it."

"Aww, c'mon! Just for fun!"

"Riiiiiiiiight. Funnnnn." She added, "Have the words yeast infection ever crossed your mind?"

He winced. "I mean... I'm sure it would be fine if I ate it quickly?"

"I'm sure the five-second rule doesn't count with vaginas."

"Hmm..." He pulled his phone out real quick. "Doesn't look like there's been any scientific studies on that. Bummer. Guess I'll take your word for it though, babe."

"A man trying to explain how vaginas work to a person with a vagina? Groundbreaking."

"Hey! I know way more about vaginas than you probably think I do," he retorted.

She crossed her arms, wondering if she had to chuck the box she held upside his head. "If this is one of your gross moments bragging about how much you've scored…"

"No..." He scowled. "I just— I just do!"

Before he had to explain what he'd been doing in his spare time while she resided up North, he quickly led her over to the dildo section.

"Think any of these babies are hotter than my cock? Hopefully not this weird alien one," he said with a laugh.

"How exactly do you know so much, Jones?" She kept her arms crossed and her lips pursed in pursuit of an answer.

Side-eyeing her for a quick second, he returned the alien dildo back to its spot the shelf and grabbed another one labeled as being "dolphin-dick shaped."

"Oh, look at this thing! No way!" He cackled again. "I didn't even think dolphins had dicks! Gross!"

She gritted her teeth. Her patience wore as thin as the nearby lingerie's fabric. "Hey, doofus, I asked you a question."

He put away the dolphin dildo, turning to her. "Okay! Yeah, fine. I've scored tons and tons, so I know a lot." He shut his eyes and turned his chin up.

"Oh, so it was just you being gross. Got it."

She tossed the toy box onto a random shelf and stormed away from him with a huff, leaving the store.

The thud of the box and her footsteps caused his eyes to fling open. His jaw dropped. He grabbed the box she left behind and ran towards the exit, but not before leaving more than enough money on the counter.

"Keep the change!" he told a concerned Marlowe before chasing his girlfriend.

"Nikki, wait!" he yelled as he caught up to her. "What are you so mad about?"

"'Cause I asked you to be honest with me, and you kept doing all that bullshit distraction stuff when I really wanted to know. And bragging about all your conquests?" She grunted. "Way to make a girl feel special. Some things really never change with you, huh?"

"Fine," he whined. "I'll be honest with you, but it's embarrassing!"

"I'd rather you be honest than piss me the hell off." She glared. "So go ahead. Embarrass yourself."

He cast his eyes on the linoleum tile beneath them before restoring his focus on her, fidgeting with the box in his hands. "I wasn't trying to brag. I haven't scored 'tons and tons' like that. I only ever had actual sex with two girls, but I think both of them pretended to come, especially since they didn't seem interested in doing it with me again. So, because I want it to be as good as possible whenever we do it, I actually... did research on vaginas and stuff."

When he initially opened his big mouth for the big damn explanation, her eyebrows remained firm and taut, her lips pressed into a hard line, and her arms remained firmly planted across her chest. However, as she processed his soliloquy, her features softened. Her arms dropped along with her hostility. She ran her eyes over him, contemplating him with the unique concoction of frustration and appreciation that he always invoked within her.

"Hmm," she mumbled after leaving him in suspense for a good minute. "Well, now that you've finally used your words and told me the truth—you know—like a real adult instead of a coward… That's not that embarrassing. You could've told me that from the jump." Before he could fix his lips to reply, she continued, "I've only ever slept with one other person. It wasn't good at all, so I appreciate you for actually giving a shit about me."

Though he wanted to ask her who the hell took her virginity, he bit his tongue. (He had an idea, though.) He sighed to calm himself down. That didn't matter. (And he definitely didn't want her asking who he slept with, too.)

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll always give a shit about you, Nik. Sorry I'm such a coward. I can still be a real adult who's a coward though, can't I?"

"I forgive you, dummy. And I suppose you're a little bit of both." She plucked his nose with her middle finger and thumb. "But, the next time I ask you something, you better fess up. I always find out anyways."

He blushed. "You do. Dammit, you're really good at that."

"And don't you forget it." She glanced at the object he held in one of his hands. The corner of her lips twitched, daring to give him a smile (but not following through). "You still got that for me?"

He offered her the box. "Of course I did. You did want it, right?"

"Yeah." She gladly received it, holding it beside her cargo-pant-clad thigh. She cleared her throat yet again. In a tiny, soft voice, she said, "Thanks."

"Aw, man, maybe I should have grabbed a bag for it, too. Sorry!" He leaned down to peck her lips. "Anytime though, sexy."

"It's fine." With her free hand, she tucked a stray lock of her purple mane behind her ear. "Listen: I'm sorry for flipping out before. Today's mostly been a really nice day, mainly because you've done a lot of nice things for me. I just got a little... jealous."

"It's okay. I'm glad I've given you a mostly nice day! But... jealous?" His pride faded. His brows knit with worry.

"Yes, jealous. You sitting around and flaunting that you know so much about"—she used her free hand to do air quotes—"'the land down under'? Doesn't exactly make me feel good." She crossed her arms and turned her head away, staring aimlessly at stores and stray mall-goers in the distance. "Especially after I've been gone for so long. And I know what kind of girls you're into."

He slouched a little, looking at the floor again, feeling like a total chump.

"Nikki." His eyes met her face. He gently touched her chin to bring her attention onto him. "I know it's always seemed like I have a type that isn't you. And I'll admit: If a girl was attractive enough, I wasn't ever picky. But then there's you... You're one of a kind, baby, and I scored you! I can never go back to plain-ass, so-called, hot girls."

She stood on her tippy toes to give him a grateful smooch. Afterwards, she hugged him, nuzzling her head under his chin. "Let's go," she said as she stroked his back with her unoccupied hand. "I wanna be home with you."

His insides turned to mush.

Phew! Upset girlfriend avoided! And I didn't even have to lie. Score! Wait, no—

"Home? I still have to show you Now or Laser." He genuinely felt conflicted.

"Okay, but make it quick," she said after parting from him. She stroked his cheek. "You got me wanting to do some more making up, Casanova."

"Baaaaabe," he complained, "you're making it real hard for me when I really wanna show you my workplace!" Everything about him indicated his indecisiveness.

She parted from their embrace. "Aww, I've never seen you so excited about a job, so"—she shrugged—"fine. Let's go."

He's glad she's decided for him. "Okay, okay!"

They made it to the end of the mall where Now or Laser sat. Jonesy's boss currently manned the station since Jonesy had taken today off. However, Nikki didn't anticipate who his boss would be.

"Finally, you show up here with your beautiful princess, young Padawan," Darth said from behind the front counter.

"Oh, come on, you promised you wouldn't be weird when I brought her here!" Jonesy complained.

"To keep a timeslot open for you, I promised, but weird I shall always be," Darth said with a roll of his eyes, pressing a button that opened the door where the couple could choose their gear. "Make your master proud," Darth said as Jonesy passed him.

Jonesy rolled his eyes. "Just high-five me, and never say that again."

Thus, the two high-fived, Jonesy put Nikki's toy in his employee locker, and he proceeded into the next room with only Nikki.

As they entered the room together and ensured the door behind them remained closed, Nikki said, "Okay, you lied to me again."

"Huh?! When? When'd I lie to you?" Jonesy asked frantically.

"You lied by omission." She crossed her arms and smirked. "You never told me your boss was Baby Yoda."

He rolled his eyes and loudly groaned. "He hasn't been so bad this time around! At least I still look cool to everyone else who comes here," he argued, going a little further to prove he himself as not a total nerd. "He still looks just as nerdy! And talks nerdy like that! I don't!

As they stood in the antechamber where an assortment of vests and laser guns could be selected, Darth's voice interrupted on the intercom.

"You have five seconds left instead of ten to choose your weapon and armor."

"Oh, God, tell me he isn't listening to us, because that sounded real hostile," Nikki muttered, she said while grabbing literally any gun and vest.

"Don't get too mad at him! We have to monitor all sessions like that," Jonesy explained, also putting on a vest and grabbing a gun. Then he paused. He looked to where he knew a camera resided, aiming his gun at it. "Darth! Turn it off right now! Obi-Wan called and told me to tell you so!"

"Fine! You two have fun," came Darth's voice from the intercom.

Jonesy could tell the cameras had been turned off, too. They didn't blinking a little red light anymore.

She wore an amused look consisting of a raised eyebrow and a half-smirk. "Private tag, huh?"

"It's private tag now. Don't worry," he explained. "Wanna finish off the next 30 minutes with me like a couple of dumbasses in love?"

"I only see one dumbass here. He's kinda handsome, though—I'll give him that much."

He posed like a model. "Um, he's hella handsome, actually. Do you not agree?" Then he aimed his gun at her like a threat.

She cocked her own gun at him. "I always have to knock his ego down a peg, so I can't say for sure."

"Sucker." He pulled the trigger on his gun, which lasered right into her armor. On the far wall sat a giant 01 versus her 00, and he ran away laughing. "Catch me if ya can!"

"Get back here, jackass!"

She chased after him into a large space beyond the antechamber, a space only illuminated by neon lights along the walls and floor, giving it an ambiance reminiscent of those sci-fi movies that Jonesy loved and Nikki loved to hate.

Oh, he wanted to play dirty? She could match that.

Her index finger wrapped around the trigger of her gun, ready to shoot the shit out of him.

She sprinted in his direction, gaining on him. He always underestimated her speed when her temper got tested.

She stuck her leg out and tripped him, causing him to tumble to the ground with a thud—allowing her the perfect opportunity to pull the trigger once she aimed at his vest.

"Dyeaugh!" he yelped as he fell to the ground. His vest vibrated, indicating he'd officially been hit.

The scores now tied at 01.

"Who's the sucker now?" she taunted.

He practically rolled out of the area, disappearing into a zone lacking neon tape. He lined himself up with the wall where the neon tape ended, the stripe of it over his chest helping the rest of him blend into the darkness. He waited. Watching a dozen or more of these sessions per day, he knew all the tricks, but his smarty-pants girlfriend remained a force unlike any other.

She squinted her eyes as she spun around, eyeballing all 360 degrees of her surroundings as best as she could. Her gun remained cocked and close to her chest the whole time. "I know you're out there, dummy."

He took a chance and aimed for her where he stood incognito enough, succeeding in making her vest vibrate and the scoreboard change in his favor yet again.

"Out there, and yet you still can't get enough of me!" he yelled into the laser-tag void, ducking into yet another area that made it difficult detect his presence (unless she made him laugh or something like that).

"Hey, dolphin dick, you're really in for it now!" she threatened as she stalked into the shadows, realizing that he'd surely keep getting her by remaining in place. Thus, if she kept moving—and moved into the zones where he roamed—she would surely be able to take him.

He withheld a snicker when she called him dolphin dick, the image of the anatomically-correct dolphin dildo resurfacing in his mind. He thought he'd be able to keep quiet enough.

(However, one thing about she knew about him: He couldn't keep quiet for long.)

"Hey, wait a minute!" he shouted into the void, only a wall between the two of them at this point, "You never said you liked my cock more than those weird-as-hell dildos!"

Is he gonna die without validation? Nikki rolled her eyes. Dumbass.

She went silent, using the loudness and closeness of his voice to determine where he hid. She bent a corner and found him behind a wall, assailing his vest with a shot—causing her score to shoot up by one point. He screeched, somehow not expecting his loudness to give him completely away.

"Hmm," she said as she tapped her index finger on her chin, "do I want dolphin dick or loser dick?"

His trigger finger quickly shot her in return. "Hmph! Maybe you don't want any dick!" he taunted before he scurried away again. However, he tripped on one of the strips of wood nailed to the floor, ascending one of the inclines that should've prevented slipping.

Before she could quip about having ten fingers and a shiny new toy, she cackled and shot at his vest again, making her score appear as 03 on the board. "Tripping on your own ego, I see."

They were tied yet again at 03 to 03. At this rate, they would definitely still be tied by the time the game was up. He sat up where he'd fallen on the incline, blocking his vest with his gun and his hands, giving her a daring look just illuminated enough by the neon lighting all around.

"My ego might be big, but I got something else that's bigger, too. Hasn't all this talk made you wanna see it?" he asked in a pathetic attempt at luring her.

She kicked him in the leg. "At this rate, you'll be seeing hand lotion and a shit ton of tissues."

He whimpered slightly as he turned away from her, aiming at her as he tried protecting himself. "C'mon! You wouldn't leave lotion and tissues to the job, not when you could do it yourself perfectly well."

She squinted in the neon darkness. A small portion of a sensor on his vest remained exposed. Though initially skeptical about playing laser tag, she grew fond of it. After all, it remained a fun way to blow off residual steam from when he pissed her off earlier. She grinned like a succubus ready to strike on her prey. She aimed her gun at the exposed sliver and fired away.

"Looks like I can shoot perfectly well."

He groaned and tried pulling his trigger multiple times in his hurry to get away again, failing to hit her this time. But his long legs put distance between them in a short span, and now he stood on a ledge in a sniper position. "How convenient the target kinda sways with your boobs as you move! I'm an expert at looking at them, you know!"

"And obviously not an expert at touching them—with your hands or a laser," she taunted as she ran away from him in a zig-zag pattern. (After all, he hadn't gone to second base with her since her move up North.)

"Oh, that is a blatant lie," he shouted, standing up and aiming carefully at the target on her backside as she fled from him. "You love my hands on your big chonka honkas; they fit perfect!" After a few tries, he hit it, putting them at a tie once again, and he ran down the ledge to pursue her further.

"This is starting to sound like really bad phone sex. Don't make me puke and make me dry," she yelled as she ran out of his line of sight, disappearing into a darker zone.

"If I really ever made you puke or dry, I would've done it by now. Face it, baby, you're a puddle for me, always craving the Jonesmeister's charm," he taunted as he entered the darker zone in his pursuit. He paused, listening carefully for any movement so he could locate her. "When I find you, are we gonna break our tie before Darth chimes in with a time's up? Or shall we just call it even?"

She didn't succumb to any of his shit talk, instead remaining quiet as she tiptoed in the semi-darkness, ready to silence him by any means. She snuck around on her tippy toes, ready for an ambush. Once she heard her sentient tree of a boyfriend approach, she ran out and shot him in the chest again, causing her score to rise by another point.

"Oh, we are never even."

He made a frustrated sound. "You know, it's actually kinda extra hot how committed to this game you are," he flirted, not making an effort to laser her in retaliation.

She stalked towards him, gazing at his face. She registered arousal and frustration in his expression, even in the dim setting. She bit her lip, cautiously lowering her gun.

"You know me," she cooed, lowering her eyes to a half-lidded position. "I never go down without a fight."

He lowered his gun, too. "Yeah, I do know you. And I know you're so feisty!" He met her halfway in the darkness, letting his gun clatter to the floor as he used both hands to clutch her waist. "It really turns me the hell on, babe. You always know what you want."

Her gun clattered to the ground, too. She giggled with surprise as he latched onto her. She threw her arms over his shoulders and walked backwards, stumbling to the nearest wall with him in tow. "Fuck, Garcia. I want you."

"Fuck, Miss Right," he breathed, making a cheesy joke based on his earlier pun with her last name. He met her lips. It began as intense as the kiss Ron caught them partaking in, but, in the privacy of the Now or Laser arena, they could do more. He grabbed her ass again, deepening the kiss.

She worked one hand through his hair, while the other clutched at his back. Her tongue flickered against his lips, hoping he wouldn't deny her. Luckily, he didn't, parting his lips to accommodate it without hesitation. She sighed into the kiss, missing how they mingled like this, missing the way he desperately grabbed at her ass, missing the way he set her on fire so easily. If he wanted to rip off her vest and top right now, she'd let him.

As they emitted humming sounds of pleasure, he couldn't unlock his lips from hers. The two of them fully explored each other's mouths with desperate tongues after such a long time apart. One of his hands even slid into her pants, grasping one of her ass cheeks in a desperate attempt to feel her skin. After grinding his pelvis against her, he convinced himself that he could initiate some sort of quickie before they submitted to reality once again.

However, the blaring of a loud buzzer throughout the arena said otherwise.

Darth declared, "Time's up! Please head toward the flashing exit sign to turn in your guns and armor." There's a pause before he adds, "And don't even try whining at me, we have a line for the next time slot!"

Nikki's breath ebbed and flowed unevenly when they jolted apart. Her mind spun in a haze. She groaned, this time not from pleasure. As she smoothed her hair and fixed the waistline of her cargo pants, she threatened, "Oh, I'm so gonna get my revenge on his Jedi ass."

He chuckled, picking up both their guns for them. "Hey, now don't be a Karen. He's just doing his job," he teased, heading toward the exit with her. "We can make our very own full-length, Star Wars sequel at home if you wanna."

As she removed her vest and left it at the exit, she said, "Listen: our texts and calls are as pornographic as I'm willing to go."

Her boyfriend frowned, remembering to take her new toy from the safety of his locker before they left Darth to man the rest of the evening. "Okay... but you still wanna go home with me and do stuff, right?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Duh. I'm just not trying to make a sex tape out of it."

He shook his head. "I'd never ask you to do that. But, if you wanted to, it'd just be for us, not Hollywood."

"Hmm," she started, "it'd take a lot of convincing to get me on candid camera. But not today. I just want to make up for lost time with you."

"Fair enough!" he said, before nervously adding, "I miss you so much, though. Not knowing when I can see you, having a video sometime might be nice."

She sighed. "Just screen-record the next time I show you my boobs on FaceTime. It'll tide you over."

"Ooh! You give me permission for that?" he asked with thrill overtaking his voice.

At this point, they neared the food court, ready for a late-day meetup with the gang at the Lemon before heading back to his place.

Her shoulders shrugged. "I mean, you've been pretty trustworthy so far. Besides, it'll only be for a couple months before I come back for—" She paused. "Oh, shit, there's the gang."

Deliberately withholding her own secrets from him, she speed-walked until she occupied her normal seat between her boyfriend and Wyatt.

Jonesy followed behind her without a beat; whatever she withheld from him went right above his head at the sight of the gang. He took his normal seat.

"Hey, guys! How was the tour?" Jen asked, smiling and resting her elbows on the table.

"Yeah! Have lots of fun? I saw you found Kristen at the Taco," Caitlin chimed in while pouring them a couple of Squishies.

"I'll let Nikki answer for herself, but I think the Jonesmeister's tour was a success!" Jonesy said, proudly draping an arm over his girlfriend's shoulders and gratefully accepting Caitlin's free drink.

Jude leaned forward, his eyes on Nikki. "Isn't Now or Laser ah-haaaawesome?"

"And I'm sure you're happy to see the Khaki Barn over there is done for," Wyatt added, just as eager to talk to his friend as the rest of them.

"Whoaaa,"—Nikki chuckled—"one question at a time." After her friends offered her various apologies for bombarding her, she replied, "I definitely had fun today. Seeing the Crappy Barn closed down almost made all my suffering there worthwhile." She sipped her free drink. "Jonesy definitely surprised me with a lot today—including this." She stood up and raised her purple t-shirt slightly, exposing her newly pierced belly button.

"OMG, Nikki, that's so cute!" Caitlin exclaimed before glancing down at her own stomach. "Now I kinda want a belly ring."

"I didn't even know he'd be getting you a new piercing," Jen said, smirking at her stepbrother.

"That's right, I'm the perfect boyfriend, just full of fun surprises, and giving my girlfriend everything she desires with my hella manly steady job," Jonesy bragged. He couldn't avert his eyes away from Nikki's new belly ring while she showed it off.

"Yeah, yeah." Jen rolled her eyes. "As long as our girl is happy with you, I guess." She winked at Nikki.

"Well," Wyatt started, "I'm going to go ahead and say I don't wanna know what you two have planned for the rest of today!" He set down his empty lemonade. "I gotta go close McFlipster's. Catch you guys tomorrow?"

"Sure! ...Laaaame." Jonesy taunted the last part under his breath, but Wyatt had already left. He remembered Marlowe working at the sex shop now and almost brought it up to the rest of the gang, but realized he'd also rather get going himself (alongside his Nikki, of course).

"Later, Wyatt," Nikki said as she sat down again. "Maybe me and my hard-working doofus should head out, too." She rolled her eyes to play coy and throw the gang away from the trail of their activities. "He wants to end the day with a movie date at his place."

"Mhm, mhm, movie date," Jonesy nodded, eyes on Nikki only.

"Well, go on home before I have to be there," Jen said.

"Will do, mom," Nikki snarked as she rose from her seat. "See you guys later."

After saying her goodbyes to the rest of the group, she departed from the food court (and the mall overall) with her boyfriend beside her and the object he'd purchased in her hand. (She praised the powers that be for its discreet packaging, lest her friends ask her what else he'd surprised her with today.)

When he'd drove them to his house a while later, they made a mad dash for his bedroom. After all, his parents remained at work, Emma Jr. remained at daycare, and Robbie and Diego had their own extracurriculars keeping them busy.

Jonesy locked his bedroom door as soon as they set foot inside, the two of them slightly out of breath from rushing and running there even if they didn't need to do so.

"Well, queen of the mall,"—he leaned against the door with arms crossed over his chest—"what ever shall we do now?"

"Whatever gets us to stop talking and start undressing," she said, pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it onto the floor for emphasis, leaving her clad in her purple bra.

He instantly pulled his own shirt over his head, then he took her gesture as an invitation for him to tackle her onto his bed. He straddled her. One hand played with the shoulder strap of her bra, eventually pulling away from it with a hard snap against her skin.

"Purple really is your color, baby. Almost makes me feel like keeping it on you. Almost." He leans his face closer to hers and purrs.

She licked her lips. "So why the fuck is it still on?"

He slipped his hand beneath her back and, with some luck, unlatched it somewhat gracefully. He helped her wiggle out of it and tossed it onto the carpet. He gazed down at her exposed breasts and sighed, deeply enamored.

"How'd I get so lucky?" he asked quietly to himself more than anyone else, though he hoped she'd be able to hear. One hand propping himself up over her, the other fully engulfed half of her exposed chest, and he leaned down to kiss her deeply.

She clutched his hand, coaxing him into keeping it there. Oh, it belonged there. Already, this meant so much more to her than whatever helped tide them over during their time apart. Already, they'd gone much farther than prior to her move. She moaned into his kiss, getting as loud as she wanted because of one simple fact: Who else would hear other than him?

She parted for one second and asked a question, her voice a delicate murmur. "So… I'm the love of your life, huh?"

For a second, he forgot how to breathe normal air, but her gaze grounded him. His eyes went from rolled back into his head to meeting hers with pure adoration once more.

"You're the love of my life. You really are," he confirmed softly.

The hand clutching her chest squeezed, and he lowered his face back down to her lips, at last giving her another taste of his tongue.

Her back arched slightly off his comforter just to press her chest further into his palm. Two years ago, she never thought she'd be kissing her best friend of fourteen years, let alone in love with him. His confirmation sent her to Cloud Nine.

She remembered that her hand sat atop the one that clutched her bosom; thus, she grabbed it and guided it to the waistline of her pants, giving him a strong hint.

He gasped slightly. His widened eyes met hers, but they quickly matched and fell half-lidded.

He fumbled with the button and zipper of her cargos, not boasting expertise, but not embarrassed by lack of finesse either. He only dealt with Nikki, his best friend.

The love of his life.

She slipped out of her cargo pants, leaving her in nothing but purple underwear that matched her discarded bra. Before he moved further, he wiggled himself out of his own pants, wanting everything about this to be equal between them. He wore his tiger-print underpants; he hovered over her, fingers teasing the hem of her purple panties.

"How far can I go, Nik?" he asked between kisses, "I don't wanna freak you out."

She crooned, "As far as you want. I love you." (Though she couldn't see herself, she knew her look indicated being sprung on him.)

"I love you, too. But… as far as I want? You sure about that?"

"Rearrange my guts."

That one sentence rearranged his brain. His surprise caused his body to lurch forward. He grinned in the most devilish way. "Oh, baby, you got it."

He pulled her panties down her legs, fully exposing her. He used her apparent wetness to coat his fingers, slipping one inside without any hesitation.

She gasped. Her legs moved according to their own free will, widening for him to gain better access. Nope, they'd never done anything like this before. All the phone sex and indecent texts and mutual sessions on FaceTime couldn't compare to the thrill of just one of his digits.

The thickness of one of his fingers counted as two of her own, in addition to being much longer, but she did ask him to rearrange her guts. He didn't warn her before adding a second digit into the mix.

"How's this feel? Your man is gonna take such good care of you. And beg for more if you really want it," he teased.

"So, so good." A few moans escaped her as he moved. "And I do not beg. But— Oooooh, fuuuck."

"I'll take that glorious sound as a form of begging," he gloated with a click of his tongue, fitting a third finger into her. Now, however, he slowed his movements, ensuring her comfort. "Still good?" he asked, more hopeful than anything, just eager to please. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Yeah," she said in a breathier voice than anticipated. With a wicked grin, she urged, "Just don't try to fist me, alright?"

"Don't worry. That doesn't actually sound very sexy," he replied, keeping a slow, steady pace with the fingers already inside. After a moment of gazing into her eyes, he hooked his fingers inside her, anticipating a satisfying reaction from her after all his research.

"Jonesy," she whimpered, taken aback by whatever built within her from that one action. He did reduce her into a puddle. Her hips rode the motions of his fingers, moving all on their own. He might have talked excessive shit, but he had the skill to back it up. He had the love to back it up. He had the care to back it up.

Her lids shut tight. Her fingers moved downward so she could toy with herself, craving external stimulation. Unlike earlier's tag session, she didn't mind making this session into a team effort.

"Nicole," he groaned in return, albeit more quietly because, at the last millisecond, he didn't know how she'd like being called by her actual name. He watched her touch herself with fascination, using his free hand to palm against his erection, restrained by his underpants.

"Never liked my name much," she murmured between moans and pants. "But I love how you say it."

"Nicole, Nicole, Nicole," he repeated sweetly, teasing her but meaning every bit of it with love. "Nic— Ahhh," he attempted to say again, but he went somewhat cross-eyed from his own pleasure. His rhythm within her faltered slightly. "God, you really do things to me."

"Mmm… don't stop," she beckoned. Thankfully, he heeded her words and restored his rhythm while she worked herself on the outside. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Her eyes fluttered. "I think— I— I'm— I—"

Her eyes shut tight. She pulsed around his fingers. Her back arched. Her legs spasmed. Her toes curled. Breath rushed in and out of her as she moaned loud enough to fill the room. Her voice reached a pitch she didn't think possible.

Watching Nikki come undone like that due to not only his voice, but also his actual touch for once, made him come right along with her, soiling his tiger-print underwear. If he hadn't been so proud and enamored by helping her reach her own orgasm, he'd be more embarrassed that he didn't even take his dick out before reaching his own.

"F-F-Fuuuuck," he groaned amid heavy breathing. He removed his fingers from her and gave each of her breasts affectionate squeezes with his other hand, just because he could. They appeared as beautiful as the rest of her.

She convulsed for a good minute until her body settled down.

"You good, babe?" he asked. "Goddamn, you're so sexy... I... Well..." He looked down at his crotch with a frown.

"I'm good." One last aftershock made her twitch. "Okay, I'm good now." She propped herself up using her elbows, observing the mess she made of him. "Huh, looks like I don't know my own power. So, I take it this is as far as we're going?" She hoped disappointment didn't live in her tone. She wanted more, but she didn't mind waiting for him.

He set aside the need for recovery to show his elatedness. "You want more? Tonight?! Oh! I can do that! Just— Just give me a minute!" He vacated the bed and tossed his undies into his dirty clothes basket, then grabbed a tissue to start cleaning any residue left behind.

"No rush. I'm here all week, remember?" she asked, finally able to form longer, coherent sentences.

As his room grew dimmer from the setting sun, she reached for the lamp on his nightstand and twisted the knob until a soft glow illuminated the room. Plus, she really wanted to ogle his butt.

He pouted. "I know, but I want every chance I can get with you." He could tell she eyeballed him, though, so he didn't sit down with her yet. Instead, he posed subtly while standing in his room. His body had filled out more since she'd last seen him in person, and he hoped she enjoyed what she saw.

"Putting on a show for me?" she teased.

"Hmm? What? A show?" He played coy. "Dunno what you mean."

"I see you flexing, dummy."

"Oh, this?" He flexed more obviously. "This is just how my body is. Can't help it."

"Well, bring it back to bed. I wanna kiss you."

By now, he stood at half-mast again. "Oh, hell yes," he said, joining her on the bed again.

She showered his lips with kisses before moving onto his jawline and then his neck, where she lingered for a while longer. Yes, she remained more touch-starved than she realized. Then again, almost 1,500 miles of distance for almost a year resorted her to kissing her screen at her long-distance boyfriend's behest.

"I hate feeling so needy," she confessed between kisses. "But, at the same time,"—smooch—"I can't help it. After this,"—smooch—"I'll be gone for another two months"—smooch—"and I won't be back 'til prom, so"—smooch—"I gotta soak it all up."

His hand roamed over her figure, appreciating her entire form as she spoiled his equally touch-starved body with love.

"Mhm, of course you can't help it, I'm the Jonesmei— Wait, prom?! You'll be coming back for prom?!" He held her out by the shoulders before pulling her into a tight hug and smooching the top of her head multiple times. "Will you be my prom date? Pretty please?" he asked, knowing fully well how dorky he sounded.

While trapped in his tight embrace, she quipped, "I don't know. I'm still waiting to hear back from Jason."

He gasped and let her go in his offended confusion. "Jason?!" It took him just a second to realize her joke. "DawgToy Jason? Oh come on, Nik! Why go with him when I'm right here?"

She giggled and pressed her lips against his neck. "I don't know. Convince me, and maybe I'll say yes."

"Uhhh, I'm your boyfriend? Your loving, doting, totally hot, and slightly more responsible now boyfriend? Will that do?"

"No." She reclined onto his bed, laying her head against his pillows and finding amusement in his confusion. "It's gonna take more than that."

He snuggled up against her, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. "But, baaaabe, help me out here. What do you want from me?" He stared at her with puppy-dog eyes and a pout.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking at him through narrowed, suggestive eyes. While he visibly wracked his brain, she added, "And, if I like it, I'll tell you yes and a secret."

He grinned. His eyebrows waggled up and down. "Is it my cock in your coochie finally?"

Her brows furrowed; she winced. "Okay, if you ever want another chance to fuck me, never say that again." She paused, her features softening. "And yes."

"Really?" He really didn't quite expect that to be what she wanted, but he did not complain. "You know you didn't even have to ask that!"

"Yeah, but you know I like being difficult," she said with a snort.

"Yeah," he sighed dreamily. "So... When we doing this?" He waggled his brows.

"Uh, no time like the present." She threw her arms over his shoulders. "Got any condoms?"

"That is the silliest thing you have ever asked me!" He reached over to his bedside drawer, where at least a dozen condom packets, a bunch of junk, and a bottle of lube resided.

"I should've known your horny ass had a stash."

"Yup! Look, I collected all the SpongeBob characters from the school nurse!" he boasted, grabbing the one with Mr. Krabs printed on the packet. "'Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?'" he quoted, unable to withhold a cackle.

She feigned like she'd leave his bed. "On second thought, I think I changed my mind—"

He struggled to catch his breath. "Wait! Wait!" Another laugh. "Okay, I'll behave, I'm sorry!" Another one.

She rolled her eyes but cupped his cheek with her palm. "You are such a dork, and you're so lucky I love you." Before he could respond, she hooked him into a deep, slow, burning kiss.

That shut him up. Instantly, he forgot what he found funny from the jump. After a moment, he murmured against her soft lips in his sexiest voice possible, "If you liked the way my fingers felt, just wait 'til you feel my little buddy."

"I'd rather you straight-up call it your dick instead of a little buddy. Just show me."

He rolled his eyes but still smiled; he opened the condom packet.

"Hey, wanna help me put this on? Make sure I'm good and hard first?" Sure, he could do it himself, but, if they inched closer to sharing one of the most special moments of their lives, they might as well do it all together.

"Okay." She sat upright and grabbed the condom from him. Her eyes flickered between his amorous expression and his groin.

She sighed, remembering this didn't serve as her first time, but it did serve as her first time with him. She might as well be losing her virginity all over again, especially based on how important he remained to her. Through all the distance, the long hours, the frustration of missing each other's calls, and the mutual pining, he'd stuck around. And she saw so much change in him. While her first time served as an addition to her lengthy list of regrets, she didn't mind taking the risk of trying again.

She took the condom, placing it at the head and slowly rolling it down, making sure it fit him fine.

It wouldn't be his first time either, but it would be the first time it actually meant something. He truly cared about her and knew she reciprocated those feelings. He had known her since four. He had dreamed of doing this with her since fourteen. Finally, it would be his reality. He hoped it would be mind-blowing (despite them both still being novices).

Next, he grabbed the bottle of lube and squeezed some out for Nikki to spread over him; he hummed at her warm hand stroking his length up and down.

"Do you think you need some too, or are you good from earlier? I just don't wanna hurt you."

"Yeah, I could probably use some," she replied. Her cheeks appeared rosy, likely a mix of arousal and awkwardness. After she grabbed a small amount from him and used it on herself, she kissed his cheek. "I trust you."

"Okay," he said with a tiny, nervous laugh. His cheeks also tinged rosy. He directed her to lie down on her back, lifted her legs, and opened her up for him—all of his movements done with care. A shaky sigh escaped him. His eyes scanned over her. Her beauty overwhelmed him with both arousal and adoration. That new belly piercing of hers intensified those feelings.

He lined himself up with her entrance. "Ready, Nik?"

Fire burned in her lower belly as she anticipated him. "Uh huh."

She took a deep breath beforehand, letting out a sharp exhale when he slid inside. She tensed. The pain lived at the intersection of dull and throbbing, but it would vacate soon. However, she needed a moment to adjust. Her voice came out strained. "Don't… Don't move for a second, okay?"

He nodded, looking down at her with worry. "Um, okay..." A short, awkward silence emerged between them. "Would it help if I kissed you?"

"Absolutely," she pleaded.

"Yes, ma'am." He leaned down and kissed her with a gentle slowness, careful not to move his hips too much yet.

She mewled into his kiss, placing her hands atop his back and gently rubbing his skin. Despite the initial discomfort, she appreciated the fullness and warmth he already brought her. She forgot how he could be so soft sometimes. She appreciated the quietness of their surroundings, glad that they didn't have any music or television shows playing in the background. The smacks of their lips and the reverberation of their moans enamored her.

She parted from his lips briefly to tell him, "Try moving slowly."

He obliged without hesitation. However, his excitement didn't cloud his actions. He continued moving with caution, the desire to pleasure her stronger than the desire to pleasure only himself. A groan escaped him. Her grip felt too damn good.

"Like this?" He kept a steady pace, not moving too fast or pushing too hard.

"Uh huh," she breathed. A small sound of bliss escaped her. "That's nice."

She wrapped her legs around his waist, coaxing him into her even more. Discomfort lessened with every movement. She melted into his comforter and pillows.

With each gentle thrust of his hips, he placed a kiss to her neck, her collarbones, her lips, wherever he could reach.

"Oh, I love you," he breathed. "So, so much."

Her body reveled in all the soft, languid kisses. She looked at him through fluttering lashes, dizzied by his words and their accompanying actions.

She sighed. "Love you too, Jonesy." She gently gyrated with him, both of them establishing a slow, rhythmic pace. "Mmm. I missed you like crazy."

"Missed you like crazier," he said with a gentle chuckle. He took one of her hands into his own, intertwining their fingers. "But this—ah—makes all that waiting feel so worth it."

She let out a breathy noise that resembled a chuckle. "I never knew you could be so sweet."

"Psh... Well, I hope you like it, 'cause you make me this way." His cheeks burned.

She bit her smiling lips when he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. He sent tingles and goosebumps throughout her body with every soft action and word. "And you make me this way." She giggled. "Now go a little faster."

Her hands rustled through his hair, giving him goosebumps as well.

"You got it, baby," he said, lifting his face to kiss her deeply as he quickened his pace.

Her soft coos devolved into more passionate moans as she ran her fingers up and down his muscular back. Hockey practice had definitely done him well. His bed squeaked with the faster motion, adding to their session's soundtrack.

"Oh!" she cried against his lips. "Like that. Don't— Don't stop."

If she didn't proceed with caution, she'd spill all her deepest secrets and fantasies to him.

He kept the pace as best he could. Her back scratches and her moans and her cries pulled some guttural sounds from his throat.

"Feels good, yeah?" he asked, his voice more gruff than usual. "Tell me you're in heaven."

Her glassy, hazy eyes bore into his own. "Mmhmm," she hummed. Thin beads of sweat formed along her olive skin. "I… I want you… in every single way," she divulged without realizing the sentence had been on her tongue. "So... so… so much I want you to do to me."

She lived to hear his groans and grunts resound.

"I'll do it all," he said without hesitation. "Just tell me what. Anytime. I'll do anything."

His mind went fuzzy, unable to think quite straight just like hers. He simply kept the pace she liked while appreciating the sight beneath him. How did perfection fit inside one girl? Beautiful. Sexy. Cute. He unraveled her layers, only to find the whole deal. Really, how did he get so lucky? They would have such a good week. Such a good forever.

Her breath ebbed and flowed erratically. She gasped and ooooooh'd at the way he touched her and moved within her. The right person really did make everything worthwhile. The right actions rendered her unable to think straight. She knew that all their incessant flirting throughout the mall and their romp at his job would culminate in something, but this exceeded expectations.

He kept his movements fast and steady enough; as much as he wanted to pound with a primal frenzy, a different time would come for that. She had asked for faster, so he resolved to keep it that way. He just hoped she would peak soon. He kept himself from coming, but how much longer would he last, especially when she looked as aroused as that and sounded as angelic as this?

"Baby," he crooned before planting a string of kisses on her lips.

She snuck a hand away from his back, instead using it to play with herself. Though she didn't want this to end, she didn't want it to end without satisfaction. It had already built within her; she needed a little push over the edge. She dared to stare at him while she did it, too.

That feeling mounted and mounted and mounted within her until she babbled utter nonsense to him. His name and some swears remained the only understandable words.

"Jonesy. Oh, fuck. Jonesy."

Her back arched. She moaned and clutched his back as a wild sensation ripped through her. She rocked without a particular rhythm.

The love of his life calling out his name and swearing like that, as well as tightening around him, pushed him over the edge along with her.

"Nicole... Fuck!" he moaned, thrusting one last time into her, this time even harder than he had before. Once it ended, he whimpered, yet to pull out.

"Th-That was"—deep breath—"the best orgasm"—deep breath—"I've ever had," he confessed, trying not to collapse on top of her.

Her olive complexion flushed not only on her face, but around other parts of her body as well. The most dazed look sat in her eyes.

She caught her breath as she took a good look at his equally satisfied face. His lovestruck, brown eyes and his soft, irresistible lips beckoned for her to kiss him.

"Me, too. That was… wow," she babbled, her brain incapable of giving their session the glowing review that it deserved. "Nobody's made me feel like this before." She stroked the perimeter of his face. "Call me Nicole again."

"Nicole." He kissed her nose, then stared right back into her own lovestruck, brown eyes. He held his gaze with hers for a while before realizing he resided inside of her.

"Oh, uh, hold on." He pulled out of her; his length had softened by now, so he slipped the condom off, half-assedly tying it before tossing it into the trash bin near his bed.

Settling down next to her on the bed, he still couldn't keep his eyes off her, smiling. "You're so pretty."

"Thanks," she replied in a soft voice. Oh, God, her cheeks must have been on fire. He had such a pristine smile. "You'd make such a handsome prom date."

He feigned relief, his chest deflating drastically with an exhale. "Oh, thank fuck. I was really thinking you might just take Jason instead."

"No way. Jason didn't just give me the best welcome-back gift I've gotten all day—that's for sure."

He fake-pouted. "My other welcome back gifts sucked?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, crybaby. I'm obsessed with my new piercing, and I really appreciate my new— Wait a minute." She squinted at the nightstand, staring at the packaging for the bullet he bought for her. "Huh, we didn't get to use that today."

"Today?" he asked, playing with a lock of her hair. "We have alllll week."

"Remember when I whorishly confessed that there's a lot of things I wanna do with you?" she deadpanned while reveling in how he ran his fingers through her longer, (disheveled) purple bob.

"Mhm! There's always been a lot of whorish things I wanna do with you, too," he teased. "Like, come on. You know I'm down."

She grinned. "Well, I am, too. Let's spend the week making memories. I need some good, random, middle-of-the-day, dick flashbacks to tide me over until prom." She stroked his chest. "By the way... I have another surprise for you."

"Another surprise?" He raised his eyebrows, moved closer to her, and rolled one of her nipples around with his fingertips. "You gonna tell me... or show me?"

She snorted. "Oh, this isn't that kind of surprise." Her voice softened. "I got into Banting."

He inhaled a gasp, his expression lighting up. "You... you did?!" he asked. "Not like I didn't think you could, I just— That's so close to my school!"

His excitement made her heart skip a beat. "I know. Still a little distance, but I'll take 45 minutes over 5 hours anytime."

He squeezed her into a tight hug, looking at her with big eyes. "We can spend weekends together at the very least."

"Oh, I'm counting on it." She cozied into his hug, resting her head on his warm chest and listening to his steady, calm heartbeat. "I still plan on catching your games when I can, too."

"I won't be upset if you don't. I can keep you updated about any of them you miss," he assured, nuzzling impossibly closer to her.

"Great." She traced lazy circles around his pecs with her index finger. "Now that the cat's out of the bag, what do you say we go shower and pretend we haven't been relentlessly fucking in case someone comes home?"

He frowned at first, but it quickly transformed into a devious smile. "Shower... together?"

"And that's exactly why you're going to horny jail." With a half-smirk, she teased, "You would wanna see me all wet and soapy all over."

He nodded. "But, if you don't wanna show me quite yet, I get it. We got allllll the time in the world."

"Oh, no, I'm pulling your leg, Casanova. I definitely wanna shower with you. We just actually have to get clean at some point, though."

"Fuck yes!" he rejoiced, sitting up, but still keeping his hands on his girl. At this rate, he wouldn't stop holding her until she departed for her flight on Sunday. "Well, as you're aware, I am a very dirty boy. I probably need some extra time in there anyway... and since you've been all over me today, you should, too."

She rolled her eyes. "We are not fucking in the shower... today."

He groaned. "Okay! Fine. Just as long as I get to spend time with you wet and naked."

She disentangled herself from his embrace and stood up from his bed. Her arms needed a stretch after staying in bed for so long, so she raised them as far as they could go. "Again, let's focus on actually getting clean. You can make out with me, though."

"Absolutely will do!" he agreed, getting up and taking his blue robe down from a hook on his door to hop into afterwards.

The two of them headed next door to the bathroom, where they compromised on both the temperature of the water and how much of each other they explored. They kissed. She rolled her eyes at his eagerness to clutch at her boobs, but she didn't necessarily mind his touch. Besides, she got even by running her palms over his chiseled abs and pecs.

After ogling, kissing, and washing, they settled down in the living room, where they ate cereal and threw on a movie—right as Jen arrived home.

"Howdy, sis," he greeted his step-sister from where he sat on the couch beside his girlfriend, all freshened up and cozy.

"Hey! Ugh, the mall got so busy tonight for some reason. It's a random Monday!" she complains, digging through her purse before she glances up. Just by looking at Jonesy alone, she knew what must have gone on between their departure from the mall and now, but Nikki had a special glow to her, too.

"Hmmm," she said, choosing not to bring it up. She'd congratulate Nikki later. "Whatcha watching?" she asked as she walked behind the couch.

Nikki made a mental note to ask what inspired Jen's curious-yet-all-knowing look, then she answered her best friend's question. "Last Train to Nowhere. Mystery-thriller flick," she monotoned. Her voice, coupled with the disinterested look in her eyes, suggested that she did not choose the film.

"Aw, Nik, you gotta admit the trailer looked awesome!" he nudged her.

Jen flicked the back of his head. "You better watch something she wants to next."

"Ow! We are!" He glared at her over his shoulder. "We did rock-paper-scissors about it!"

"Alright. Well, our parents should be home soon with all the kiddos. Maybe get that look off your face, Jonesy," Jen warned before she headed toward the stairs.

"Always so bossy!" He then grinned and winked at Nikki, Jen's comment not at all affecting him. "I have no idea what look you could possibly mean."

"Oh, God," Nikki lamented to no one in particular, "is it that obvious?"

Pretending not to hear, Jen whistled as she went up to her room.

"I don't get it. Why's it a bad thing if I look so damn happy?" he asked his girlfriend. "That's what Jen meant, right?"

Nikki shook her head. "You're lucky you're cute."

He set his empty cereal bowl aside and wrapped his arms around his girl to cuddle her, kissing her cheek. "I'm also lucky you're so hot."

Just then, something on the screen caught his attention. "Oh, man! I would have totally walked home instead of getting on a train that looks like that!"

While ignoring his commentary on the film he chose, she nuzzled into his embrace and pondered Jen's earlier, begrudging statement of today being a Monday. Jonesy made the most mundane, dreadful day of the week into something special. With her flight back to Iqaluit being on Sunday, she wondered how the rest of the week would go.

What else did he have in store for her?