Floor 6

...

Sorry, guys. I am soooo distracted right now. I've recently become obsessed with Hiccup and Astrid's relationship in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Like it's literally the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Ever. Anyway, I've been writing so many oneshots about them rather than working on this one (oops). But here you go...I don't know when I'll be updating this again, as I am starting an accelerated summer course on Monday and have lots of plans for jobs and just vacations/day trips until the fall semester comes around. But I will be writing lots of oneshots for HTTYD since I feel free to be brief and more drabbly in those than in this full-length story. I also will finish the second half of Sanders vs Carter before the end of summer. So yeah...anyway, hope you enjoy this. I am not abandoning this story, though, but I still do not know when I'll update next. I'm just not having Troyella feels these days, and writers block and busy times do not mix.

...

"Troy, I want a cat," Gabriella stated as she put on a cute pout. Her family had gone home a week ago, and as Christmastime neared, the first semester of her freshman year was coming to a close.

"A cat?" Troy frowned. He was standing in front of an open suitcase, packing a supply of clothes.

"Yeah. I mean, you're leaving for like a month, my family's going away to Florida without me, and all my friends are going home. I'm gonna be lonely here."

"I thought your friend Lanai was coming to stay with you?" He folded a dress shirt.

"You mean Sharpay?"

"Whatever the girl's name is."

"Yeah, but she's only here for a week. Then she's going to see her other friends and her family."

"Why don't you ask your family if you can go along with them to Florida?"

"Because of work. My one co-worker, Diana, had to take maternity leave, which makes us short of help until the beginning of February," she explained. "My boss can't afford to let anyone else take extra time off."

Shaking his head, he sighed. "That really sucks."

"Yeah. And I don't wanna sound like a spoiled brat or anything, but I don't wanna spend Christmas alone."

"So you want a cat?"

She nodded.

"Well, I don't know. I mean, no offense, but you still owe me money for the rent last month and I really don't wanna be stuck paying for your pet as well."

"I'm sorry, but I had to pay my spring tuition already and with having to buy gifts and stuff for the holidays, I've been really short. I'll get it to you by New Year's Day, I promise."

"That's great, but I'm still not gonna agree to the cat."

She plopped down on the couch, a wave of sadness rushing through her. She definitely wasn't looking forward to spending three whole weeks by herself after Sharpay's visit ended.

It was a few minutes before Troy responded. When he did so, he stepped away from his packing and took a seat beside her. "What's wrong, cupcake?"

"Having to spend Christmas alone...and New Year's." She sighed and rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"I know." He wrapped an arm around her. "But you'll survive. I'll text you, call you, and Skype you."

"I can't hug you, though. Hell, I won't be able to hug anyone for three fucking weeks."

"Hey, I'd bring you along if I could, but you said you have to work."

"Yes," she confirmed, rolling her eyes. "Ugh, I just hate it."

"You don't like your co-workers?"

"Diana is a sweetheart, but she's the one who'll be out. The rest are just bitches."

"Why? What do they do?"

"They're all sluts with plastic surgery who think they're better than everyone else."

"Oh. They're those kinds of people." He ran his fingers through her disheveled curls.

She chewed on her lip, her heart starting to beat faster at the feeling of his touch. The conversation she'd had with Catherine echoed through her head as she tried to ignore the rush of happiness that surged through her body.

"Hey, if you have a hair tie, I'll French braid your hair for you."

"You know how to do that?" Gabriella was taken by surprise.

"I'm not that dumb." Nudging her arm, he rolled his eyes playfully. "But in all seriousness, my first girlfriend taught me how to do it. Her hair was down to her waist, and she found it relaxing when I would braid it for her. So yeah..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But if you don't want me to, I won't."

"No, no, no. It's perfectly fine. Go right ahead." She slid a hair tie off her wrist and handed it to him. Turning to the side so her back was facing him, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Troy gently sorted her hair into sections and began to braid. When he was finished, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her into his lap. "You know, I'll miss you when I'm gone, too."

She smiled and laid her head in the crook of his neck. "Could we sleep together tonight?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, shit, my bad..." She mentally slapped herself as her cheeks grew warm. "I meant, could we share a bed?"

"Sure, if you want." Hugging her close, he nuzzled his nose against her soft cheek. "By the way, I wanna ask you something, Brie."

"What is it?" She wound her arms around his neck.

"Well...Friday night..."

"What about it?"

"I wanna take you bowling, then I thought we could go to that steakhouse down the street so I can treat you to dinner."

"Wait, hold up." Gabriella raised her head so her eyes could meet his. "Is this a...a date?"

"Well...yeah." Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked away.

"Stop looking all embarrassed." She playfully slapped his arm. "Of course I'll go out with you."

"You sure? I mean, we won't be official yet, but I still don't wanna overwhelm you if you need more time to recover from your breakup with Dave."

"Shut up and give me some more cuddles. I'm cold."

He smiled and pulled her close, this time holding her close to his heart. "And if we don't like it, we can forget we ever tried to date and go back to being brother and sister."

"Hey, if this is what it's gonna be like, I don't think I'll be able to go back without committing incest."

"You filthy minded girl," he teased, kissing the top of her head.

"Well, I'm just thinking. If we stay together, you'll braid my hair, we'll snuggle like this, we'll always share a bed, I can use your shirts as nightgowns, I can walk around without pants and not have to worry about you making a big deal out of it, and I'll get those cute morning texts from you when you're not here. And on top of that, you can grab my butt."

He smirked. "I do like a good handful of sexy ass."

"Awesome. Because I definitely have that."

"Be quiet."

Gabriella cuddled up to her roommate in silence for a few minutes before muttering, "Damn, my sister was right."

"What do you mean?"

"When my family was here and she and I went to get ice cream, she tried to convince me for the longest time that you had a crush on me and that we should date."

"Of course I've had a crush on you. Why did you think I'd always cuddle you in bed? To be honest, brothers and sisters don't actually do that. I just kept telling you that you were my sister as a way to remind myself of how our relationship was supposed to go. I mean, when we first moved in, we made an agreement not to date and I really didn't wanna ruin that. And-"

"You didn't ask me out because of a stupid agreement?" Gabriella lifted her head and let her jaw hang open in mock surprise. "You idiot!"

"Hey! I was trying to respect you, especially since you had a boyfriend earlier on."

"I know. I was just teasing." Letting out a small giggle, she hugged his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. "And by the way, I'm gonna beat your sorry ass at bowling."

"Mm-hm. We'll see about that, Brie."

...

When Friday night came, Gabriella dressed in a long-sleeved babydoll top, a pair of destroyed skinny jeans, and a pair of grey boots that nearly grazed her knees. Her hair was left down in it's natural curls and her make-up was a bit heavier than usual. Troy was always seeing her as a lazy bum; tonight, he would get the chance to enjoy another side of her.

"Woah, Brie, you look like such a girl," he remarked as she emerged from the bathroom. "You know, you really didn't need to overdo it that much."

"What do you mean? You don't like it?"

"Well, yeah, but...I just want you to know that just because this is a date and just because we might become an item eventually shouldn't make you feel the need to get all dolled up. I like you for your awesome personality, not your body." He winked.

"But it's our first date, and I wanted to feel beautiful."

"You are beautiful." He pulled her into a tight hug. "In fact, you're gorgeous. But just remember, you're also gorgeous while wearing baggy sweats and no make-up."

"Thanks, Troy." Burying her face into his chest, she inhaled the scent of his cologne. "Damn, you smell fucking good."

"Awesome. That was my goal." He smirked as he kissed her head. "Now, are you ready to get going, cupcake?"

She nodded. "But you know, if we're gonna keep dating after this, I'd like a new nickname."

"We'll see about that."

Playfully rolling her eyes, she slipped into her winter coat and held out her hand. "I know my fingers are gonna be icy, but I really want to hold hands."

"Hey, it's fine. I'm not a sissy who's gonna bitch at my date just because she's cold." He took her small hand in his and locked their fingers together.

She giggled as he opened the door and led her out into the hall.

"So, you think you're really gonna beat my ass at bowling?" Troy nudged her shoulder.

"I'm better than you think."

"You're mean."

"Shut up." Upon reaching her roommate's car, she climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.

Once the pair arrived at the bowling alley, he paid for the game while she checked her text messages. How's the date with Troy boy going? Catherine had sent. Smiling, Gabriella replied with, So far, great. He's a real sweetheart tbh.

"Alright Brie, what shoe size do you need?" Troy asked.

"Seven," she replied.

"Coming right up."

After putting on their shoes, they walked down the hall to select bowling balls, then headed to the lane they had been designated.

"I'm gonna beat your ass," Gabriella smirked.

"No, you're not."

"You going first?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Of course not. Ladies go first."

"Okay, then. You asked for it." She shot the ball down the lane, then stood back and watched as all the pins fell to the ground. Turning around, she shouted, "Hell yeah! Strike! In your face, dude."

"Calm down, cupcake. I didn't take you out on a date to be insulted." He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground.

"Well, I didn't agree to go on this date just to have you call me 'cupcake.'" She stuck her tongue out as he placed her on the ground.

"Alright, well maybe we both need to settle down." Leaning down, he pecked her cheek. "Now, I believe it's my turn to take a shot at this."

...

"Table or booth?" asked the hostess at the steakhouse as she grabbed a pair of menus for Troy and Gabriella.

"I don't care, either-" Gabriella began, only to be cut off by her date.

"A booth, please." Smiling at her, he bent his head and whispered into her ear, "So then we can share a seat and cuddle if you want."

She smiled back, her cheeks filling with a bit of color.

"Okay, then. Come on in."

After the pair was comfortably seated-on the same bench of the booth-Gabriella removed her coat and snuggled against Troy's side. "It's kind of chilly in here."

"I guess you're finally cooling down after kicking my butt at bowling," he teased, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek.

"Yeah." She yawned. "I'm sleepy, too."

"Well, if you fall asleep here, then I get to eat your food."

Smirking, she slapped his arm.

Once Troy and Gabriella had ordered, eaten, and paid, they headed home. There, they both changed into comfortable clothes, evidentially exhausted from the events of the evening.

"I could use a bedtime buddy," she said as she climbed the ladder to the loft.

"Me, too. Come on over." He shifted to the side and held out his arms, allowing her to snuggle in comfortably. "I'm assuming this is a good sign?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, you're cuddling with me. That's because you had a good time tonight?"

"A great time. We should go out again sometime as..." She paused. "As whatever stage we are in our relationship now."

"Well, I'd love for you to be my girlfriend, but I think it's a little too early for official titles like that."

"Same." She sighed.

"How about this: we go out a couple more times after we're separated over the holidays. Then, if we still think we're compatible, we can talk about becoming official. Okay?"

That long? She held back another sigh. However, she knew it was a reasonable proposal. "Okay. But I'm really gonna miss you a lot while you're gone."

"I'll tell you what. I'll change my plans so I'm only spending Christmas week and half of the week before with my family. Then, I'll come back and we can do something together for New Years' and get some time in with each other before the spring semester starts. Okay?"

"Okay." She took his hand and laced her fingers between his.

Smiling, he brought his free hand up to stroke her soft cheek. "Thanks for a great date, Brie. I don't think I've ever had this much fun while out with a girl in my life."

"You're welcome. I had an amazing time, too." She lifted her head. "Kisses?"

"Of course." He leaned down to kiss her cheek as she returned the favor and brushed her lips against the stubble that was beginning to come up on his face.

"Goodnight, Troy."

"Goodnight to you, too."