hey again. I was going to use a more plot-developing chapter in this slot, but on the advice of a very thorough critique i received, i decided to write this instead. More plot next time, enjoy

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Wednesday evening, and Megan's departure drew steadily nearer. They spent as much time together as possible, both wanting to stay together and neither wanting the other to know. Though he dreaded the day she would leave his life, and she didn't want to wait, they were content for the time being to just sit and talk.

"....and I found it in the VCR. I don't even know how they got it in there, but it took me, like, three hours to pry it out. I was in there with a freaking butter knife!" Megan had to keep pushing her long hair away from her face as she spoke animatedly about the worst baby-sitting job of her life.

Pegasus sat next to her on a long, soft sofa, shaking with laughter as Megan plowed on with her horror stories.

"…And then, I don't know, they said they were dancing or something but they were just kinda flopping around on the floor, like this, right?" She actually got off the couch and began to flop, like a fish pulled suddenly out of the water. Pegasus threw his head back and laughed, his own long hair falling back to reveal the lavender eye patch he always wore.

Megan climbed back onto the couch, pushing back tousled hair yet again. "So how was your day?"

"Much better after watching that little show," Pegasus chuckled. Megan got up again and took a sweeping bow, and he applauded politely.

"Okay, your turn." Megan sat back, folding her hands and looking intently at Pegasus.

"I don't think I can top that. You're free to keep going, though."

"Ask me a question."

"What?"

"Just ask me something. I dunno what to talk about now."

"Okay…do you have any pets?"

"I got a puppy!" She said this so sweetly, and with such a brilliant smile that Pegasus couldn't help but laugh again. "What? What'd I say?"

You're just so adorable, I can't help myself, love. He thought.

"Nothing," he said.

"She's a Labrador, her name's Bernie," Megan went on. "I used to have a hamster but he hated my guts. Then I got a bird but my dad didn't like it. So I gave it to my friend Steph. But Steph already had a cat so that wasn't gonna work out…"

Megan chattered on, leaving Pegasus ample time to just watch her. There were things about her that only a painter would notice, like the tiny scar on her cheek from when she'd tried to give her hamster a kiss, and the exact arch of her smile.

"…So now I have Bernie. How about you?"

Pegasus jerked out of his light stupor. "What?"

"Do you have any pets?"

"There's a cat around here somewhere," he answered, gesturing all around the room to mean the entire castle. Megan giggled.

A laugh like silver bells.

"When I was younger I had a rabbit, actually."

"A bunny!? How cute! But why? I thought guys didn't like bunnies."

"Well…" Pegasus smiled elusively, "I had my reasons."

"What?" He didn't answer. Megan barely hesitated before moving closer to him and pulling petulantly on his hair. "What, what, what, what, what?"

Pegasus gently removed her hand from his hair, but didn't let it go. "Come with me and I'll show you." He stood up.

Megan blushed just a little and got up to follow him through the castle. They would their way together through staircases and dark hallways, finally ending up in a room near Pegasus'.

He flicked on the light, and the first thing to hit Megan's eye was a severe overdose of the color pink. The same pink rabbit in red overalls covered the entire room, from the stacks of DVDs to the child-sized chairs bearing its head to the very wallpaper. The carpet was the same bright pink as the rabbit, and one wall was almost obscured by a huge TV and pink DVD player.

Megan just stared into the room for a second while Pegasus stood behind her looking proudly at it. Then she burst out laughing and almost fell to the floor with it.

"What, don't you like it?" Pegasus asked, with a sad little pout on his face, but his eye dancing with the same laughter.

"No, it's not that," Megan choked out through laughs. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down. "My best friend's little sister loves that thing."

"That THING!?" He looked positively appalled, though the same smile shone through his good eye. "That thing is Funny Bunny!"

"Right…" She walked inside blinking quickly against the brightness of the room, and looking around rather confusedly.

He leaned against the doorway (also painted pink). "You've never seen the show, have you?"

"Can't really say I have," Megan replied, picking up a plush rabbit and petting its long ears.

"Oh, it's just the best!" He practically skipped into the room actually leaping over to her and landing with a loud thump. "There was this one time…" it was finally Pegasus' turn to chatter on and on, and he did so gladly. Megan sank into a pink bean-bag chair and listened, trying to hide her smile behind one hand.

"…And it blew up!" He sat on another bean-bag next to her with such an enormous smile that Megan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"It…it sounds great."

"Doesn't it?" He got up. "Here, let's watch it!" He bounded over to the shelves of DVDs looking for all the world like a six-year old on Christmas morning.

"Oh, well, I mean, uh…" he turned back to look at her with such a pleading look that she had to give in. "Okay, sure."

He smiled brilliantly, put in the disk and sat back down.

His chair slid a little bit closer to Megan's, and she smiled just a little more shyly as they both began to watch.