2D was sitting in the living room holding his throbbing forehead.
He was waiting to talk to Noodle about the medication.
He couldn't stand the way Noodle winced every time he groaned with pain.
Ever since she asked him to slow down on the pills he did, but that made the pain worse.
Sometimes he'd wake from his sleep in pain and cry due to withdrawal.
She'd try to calm him down, but there was nothing she could do.
He was becoming more anxious and smoking was now almost constant.
He couldn't help it if he was in pain almost constantly.
Ever since he was a kid those pills were all he knew.
That's the only way the pain would stop.
He didn't like to see her upset.
She'd made it clear over the past few days...
it was the pills or her.
She should know how he felt. She shouldn't want to see him in pain, but she didn't want him addicted. Neither of them really knew what to do. He wished she would just drop it. Why was she so worked up anyways? After they broke up the first time, even while she was mad at him, she seemed overly worried about his pill intake. Almost as if she suspected him to end up strung out or half dead. He wouldn't do that to himself. ESPECIALLY while she was around. Sometimes he couldn't help that he took one too many pills and he seemed pretty doped up. She hated to see him that way. He hated feeling that way. All he wanted was for all of this to end. Somehow get the pain to stop...or at least get Noodle to stop worrying.

"Toochi?"

"Noodz, yew're finally back!"

"Yeah, I went out for a bit. Is something wrong?"

"Yeh..."

"What is it?"

2D looked at the ground and whimpered like a puppy. He was at a loss for words.

"I love yew Noodle. Y-you know tha' right? I love ya' more than a zombie film! Tha's sayin' a lot yew see...but... I'm er, in pain. "

Noodle seemed to flinch at the word pain. Almost as if this talk itself pained her.

"But those pills..."

"I told yew I needed 'em. Wiffou' 'em t'e pain got worse...me 'ead's been like a whirlwind!"

Noodle stared at him. She seemed to be speechless.
She leaned forward and stood on her toes.
She grabbed his face and kissed him as tears streaked down her face.

"I don't want to lose you to them."

Her crying caught 2D by surprise.
He pulled Noodle away and stroked her hair away from her eyes.
He looked into her tear soaked emerald green eyes and smiled.

"Ya' won't lose me, Noodz. I'll be fine I promise yew."

"Ever since I was a child in Kong I watched you depend on them and I hated it. I hated how almost every other year the pill intake increased. I remember when your old pills stopped working and you had to take one of these. One was fine. I left and when I came back you were taking 4 at a time. It scares me. What if tomorrow you're taking 5? What if you overdose? I don't know how else to help you. I know you can't just go without. I wish there was some other way..."

Noodle closed her eyes tightly again allowing more tears to fall.
2D hugged her tightly.

"Again, I'll be fine. Don' worry. Trust me."

2D kissed her forehead gently.

"Noodz, usually yew're really good at keepin' yo'self togeffer an' not bein' so worried...why a' yew so emotional?"

Noodle buried her face into his chest and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I just feel...safe around you. Not like I have to hide from anything."

"Yew nevah 'ave to hide."

"Stuart...I get out of control because I don't just love you. I'm in love with you. I'd do anything to protect you."

2D smiled at her once more.

"I'm supposed to be protectin' yew love. Not t'e other way aroun'."

Noodle giggled at what he said. Although he was serious, it broke Noodle's bad thoughts. The idea of 2D being the protector was kind of hilarious.

"How do you protect me?"

"Jus' like 2 weeks ago! I protected you from Leon again!"

"He wasn't that bad!"

"If he touched ya' I'd 'ave to kill t'e bloke! He wanted to do fings wiff yew Noodle! "

Noodle raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"I stopped 'im!"

Noodle smiled deviously.

"Did you want me first 2D?"

2D's eyes widened with surprise making them look as if you could fall into them.

"T'as beside t'e point!"

"Toochi, do you want to have sex with me?"

2D swallowed hard.
He wished she wasn't so blunt.

"Ummm...yeh...but...no...but...Noodle don' corner me like t'is..."

His eyes were not turning white.
Noodle giggled and pushed him into a wall.

"We could do it now if you want..."

2D' breathing was becoming heavy.
The guitarist smiled at him deviously again and ran her finger across his hips.
He shivered at the sudden movement.
Giving it practically no thought, he leaned down kissing her roughly.
He picked her up and carried her off the the bed.
Breaking the kiss, he pulled off his own shirt and looked at Noodle again, his black eyes meeting her green ones.
He kissed her again, making her moan a bit.
She wrapped her legs around him as his tongue somehow found a way into her mouth.
"Well...this is new" she thought to herself as 2D pulled a little at her pants.
She leaned back and took off her shirt leaving her bare chest.

"N-Noodle y-yew aren't..."

"Wearing a bra, yes."

"B-but why?"

"I don't usually wear them. There's no point."

2D couldn't stop staring.
She laughed to herself before pulling him in once more.
His rough hands ran down her sides making her squirm and giggle.
She couldn't help it.
He pulled a bit more at her jeans until they slid down and she kicked them off.
Once on the floor, the bluenette played with the elastic on her underwear.
Damn, was this turning him on.
He couldn't believe it.
Noodle.
The gorgeous woman he's fallen for...
was under him.
Half naked.
"Lucky, lucky bastard" he thought to himself and him and Noodle rolled over.
She was now sitting on top of him kissing him.
She broke the kiss and broke out into a fit of giggles.
2D started laughing a bit himself, but he was awfully confused.

"W-why are we laughing?"

Noodle gave him a wide grin.

"I hadn't gone that far with anyone! 2D, you're pretty much my first...everything!"

She continued to laugh.

"I'm so sorry. I really am. You may be my first...everything...but I don't think I'm ready still."

2D frowned a bit.

"Wait...so..."

"I'm not ready for you to be my first sex partner, no."

2D gave her a blank stare for a bit before laughing himself.

"Noodle, if yew don' want to evah 'ave sex wiff me I'll be fine. As long as I 'ave yew still wiff me..."

Noodle smiled and kissed him once more.

"I'm so happy you understand. It's not a never. Just a...not right now."

"I get it. T'e only down side is NOW I'm horny. Thanks."

Noodle smiled at him.

"Sorry!"

She jumped off of him and started grabbing at her clothes and pulling them on.

"I'm off to make dinner."
2D got up too, picking up his shirt and putting it on.

"What ya' makin?"

Noodle shrugged and skipped out of the room happily leaving 2D standing in the middle of the room. He was still a bit dumbfounded. Everything happened so fast.
Murdoc suddenly appeared in the room with his snake like tongue hanging out of his mouth as if he were trying to taste the air.

"So...ya' shag 'er yet?"

"Wot? No. Didn't yew jus' 'ear 'er?"

"No. I don' fuckin' listen to every bloody word yew two say to each other."

2D sighed with frustration.

"We aren't gonna do t'at."

Murdoc looked at him with a sense of confusion.

"So, she doesn't like ya'?"

"No she does...she just doesn't want sex right now."

"At all?"

"Guess not."

Murdoc suddenly burst out in laughter that pounded through 2D's ears. The sound of Murdoc's laugh annoyed him. For some reason to 2D it sounded like an old person being tortured.

"Tha's good. Tha's a good joke! Alrighty then. Off for some rum. Good luck wit' t'at one ey?"

Murdoc laughed his way out of the room and down the stairs.
2D buried his face into his hands.
There was a lot he had to take in...the talk about his pills, Noodle's worry, the fact that he might have to live the rest of his life without sex...
but Noodle was worth it, and that's all that mattered at the moment.