I can't decide if I have a crush on Lil or I just really love writing her POV. This is another one I just wanted to keep writing and writing because there are so many little ideas I barely brought up that I want to play with more.

Lil dragged her way through the first school day of the new year with a bored, incessant frustration grinding around in her chest. The entire morning was a succession of petty things going wrong until everything grated on her nerves, down to just hearing people talk about parties and resolutions and telling that stupid joke about 'I haven't seen you since last year,' over and over. On top of that she had the little angel at her shoulder reminding her every hour or so to calm down. Jojo had decided that Lil's resolution should be to reign in her temper, and was going out of her way to help.

Jonathan met her at her locker and walked her to lunch, finding the most deserted table in the cafeteria to sit at. Sock plopped himself down on Jonathan's other side while Jojo settled on the bench beside her. If a distrustful glare passed between angel and demon, at least for now they were staying on opposite sides of the barrier made by their human charges.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked.

"M'fine. I'm just frustrated."

"You're just determined to start the year off in a bad mood," Jojo teased. Lil was too sick of their argument to find it funny anymore.

Jonathan didn't tease. "I won't bug you, then."

"I know." That was why she was glad to at least spend lunch with him. Just bring around Jonathan made her feel more calm. She wanted to hug him, to press her face into his shoulder and stay there until the soft, gray warmth of his presence had muffled all the petty frustrations picking at her.

She didn't move, hanging onto the bench and feeling more frustrated with herself than anyone else as she watched Jonathan pulling his lunch out of his bag.

"I thought you didn't like sandwiches anymore. You haven't eaten one since last year!"

Jonathan groaned so loudly at Sock's joke, Lil almost wanted to laugh.

"He's been doing this all day," he complained to her. "How is he not sick of it yet?"

Lil bumped her shoulder against his in solidarity. "The worst was in math. 'I haven't given you a quiz since last year.' Not funny."

"That sucks." Jonathan's hand touched hers where it was braced on the bench, backing off for a moment so she could uncurl her hand and take his. He clasped her hand tightly, squeezing it briefly in a way that she was sure had to mean something, for how it made her heart jump.

Jonathan ducked his head slightly, hiding his face as he started eating his sandwich left-handed. Lil had to look away, trying to suppress a blush through sheer willpower.

She caught Jojo smirking at her and glared. For some reason this only seemed to encourage her, because Jojo hugged herself and made kissing faces at Lil.

"Cut that out," Lil hissed.

Jojo had been against Jonathan at first, convinced he was some kind of creeper. Lately she had accepted him enough to move on to teasing Lil about her crush. Lil knew it wasn't secret that she liked him, but having it pointed out still made her squirm.

"You know what else you haven't done?" Sock started again. "You didn't tell Lil you haven't seen her since last year! How will she know you missed her?"

Jonathan muttered something into his sandwich, threatening the next person to tell that joke with indistinct consequences and making Sock laugh.

It looked like angel and demon agreed on something for once, which was funny since the last thing they had agreed on was that Lil and Jonathan should definitely stay away from each other. This was an improvement. Lil could adapt to this. Teasing was better than fighting about it.

"It's too bad." Lil shifted closer and lowered her voice. "I was just thinking, I haven't kissed you since last year."

Jonathan choked and dropped his sandwich. Sock burst out laughing and Jojo yelled at him to cut it out. Lil just watched as Jonathan recovered and turned to stare at her, mouth working soundlessly.

"So, what were you going to do to me for telling that joke?"

Jonathan had to swallow hard before he could ask, "What, now?"

"Sure." Lil didn't think until she'd said it, until Jonathan was leaning closer, that his response would be to kiss her right there in the cafeteria.

She tightened her grip on his hand as he touched a soft peck to her lips, nearly as awkward and hopeful as their first kiss had been. It was annoyingly fitting.

Sock whooped, interrupting the moment. "I told you it was a good joke!"

"I have mixed feelings," Jonathan muttered.

Lil interrupted him with another kiss, pressing into it more than a soft touch of lips on lips. It only took an instant for Jonathan to melt into her, his eyes sliding closed and his free hand moving to cup the back of her neck. She focused on kissing him thoroughly. He accepted her, slow and warm and lazy.

Lil forced herself to breathe slowly and calmly when she pulled away. "So, mixed feelings?"

"Not about you."

Lil ducked her head, feeling her face start to burn. Jonathan was always blunt, but sometimes he completely blind sided her. She had been teasing, but it didn't sound like he was.

Giving his hand a squeeze, and feeling him squeeze back almost instantly, Lil decided that she didn't care what little things went wrong today. Right now she was poised to start the year in a very good mood.