Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Chapter 2: Boundaries

Soon, the group was exiting the Parlour and climbing into their beat-up Cadillac. 2D crawled into the backseat and sat hunched over, staring gloomily at his knees. Soon, he would be back at that haunted mess of a house which Murdoc had dubbed their new home. Their semi-relaxing meal and chat had done little to soothe the singer's frayed nerves, and he couldn't help but worry about what else they might find in that house. Perhaps there would be man-eating plants on the back porch, or a fire demon in the oven. 2D wouldn't be surprised if there were a ghost whale hiding in the attic, just for him.

He jumped when something bumped into his side and turned quickly to find that Noodle had slid in next to him. Her green eyes searched his dark ones, gauging his mood. "Still worried about the house?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

She leaned comfortingly into his side. "Don't be. I won't let anything hurt you." 2D nodded and blushed slightly. He had once considered himself to be like a big brother to Noodle, there to protect her when there were thunderstorms or play with her when she was bored, but lately their roles seemed to have reversed. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing; 2D was proud of the strong, confidant, jujutsu-fighting woman she had become, and it was comforting to have someone around who could easily win most fights with the undead or the living. It was, however, slightly embarrassing to 2D that he couldn't look after himself. Last time he had tried, he ended up being hospitalized after attempting to eat the raw meat of a beached whale.

Nevertheless, he appreciated her comfort. As Murdoc and Russel argued over who should be in charge of the radio, he relaxed steadily, his tension winding away as the guitarist's warmth seeped into him. It perplexed him that she always seemed to know when he could use some comforting company, but he couldn't be more pleased. 2D took a minute to reminisce on how his friendship with the guitarist had developed over the past few months.

The two bandmates had been as close as ever since Wobble Street, often talking for hours about their thoughts or jamming out as they generated ideas for their newest album. They shared memories of their past, coming to terms with the ways that Murdoc's assassination attempts and kidnappings had twisted their lives. Stuart's desolate memories of Plastic Beach had faded away after countless zombie movie nights with his best friend. Just seeing her made his chest feel light; the stress in his mind would drift away like passing clouds as he basked in her company, tossing around lyrics for new songs, laughing over cheesy films, and discussing the band's future. Despite the fact that he now lived in a haunted house, 2D considered this to be a high point in his life.

He hoped that things could stay like this forever. No more separation. No more gloomy, isolated times like his stay at Plastic Beach. He felt tempted to pull Noodle into a big hug right there, in the backseat, and never let go, but he held off, knowing that he would get odd looks from his bandmates, and knowing that he and Noodle still had boundaries.

2D sighed. He didn't want to make Noodle uncomfortable, and he didn't want to make their friendship awkward, but sometimes he wished that he didn't have to worry about what was proper for friends to do and what wasn't. Life is confusing enough without all of those complex social rules. Everything would be so much easier if there were no boundaries.…

Murdoc started the car and took off abruptly with a loud rev of the engine. The back seat lurched as they careened out of the parking lot, and 2D, caught off guard and neglecting to wear a seatbelt, jerked sideways with a yelp. He crashed into Noodle, and together they fell sideways across the backseat.

2D groaned, raising his hand to gingerly touch his forehead where it had knocked against something hard. Lifting his head slightly to observe the cause of his pain, he found himself staring at Noodle's chin. His gaze traveled up to meet Noodle's shocked, wide-eyed stare. 2D felt his stomach drop. If Noodle's chin was right there, then the soft object cushioning his own chin must be…

2D's cheeks went red as he scrambled to remove himself from his youngest bandmate, only to fall over again as one of his hands was trapped under her waist. This time, he landed face-first on her stomach. Noodle gasped sharply at the impact, causing 2d's insides to squirm with guilt and nerves. Noodle may be his friend, but he had definitely just crossed a line, and the guitarist could sure pack a punch when she was angry. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for her to karate chop him in the face.

It was with confusion that he felt Noodle's stomach twitch under him and heard her begin to chuckle. Rising up (carefully this time), he looked down warily at the giggling guitarist and was about to apologize for his tumble when she broke into unrestrained laughter.

"2D-san! Your face is as red as a strawberry!"

His blush deepened as he stuttered, "S-sorry, love…"

Noodle shook her head, her eyes squeezed closed as laughter racked through her body. Not knowing what else to say, 2D continued to watch her nervously until she regained enough composure to speak. "It's fine, you klutz. But next time, wear a seatbelt!"

2D let out a small chuckle, consoled by Noodle's lighthearted response to their situation. As the two of them sat back up in their seats, they noticed Russel peering back at them with a raised eyebrow. "'Ey, you two okay back there?"

"We're fine, Russel-san." Noodle replied with a radiant smile.

Russel focused his gaze on 2D, who gulped nervously as the drummer narrowed his pale eyes. "Take it easy, D. We can't have you injuring our baby-girl."

2D looked down and hastily murmured another apology. Noodle, meanwhile, rolled her eyes. "It was an accident, Russel. 2D always tries to keep me safe." She leaned against 2D and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, causing a fresh blush to stain the singer's cheeks as a feeling like electricity danced across his nerves. Russel sighed and turned back towards the front window just in time to chastise Murdoc as the bassist flew through a stop sign, causing a terrified mother to yank her child back from a crosswalk and a jogger to quickly dive out of the car's way.

As the angry pedestrians' shouts faded into the distance, 2D twiddled his thumbs silently, still feeling rather awkward. However, Noodle seemed completely at ease, and 2D found his tension winding away again as she leaned her head onto his shoulder. Tilting his head forward slightly, 2D allowed a few loose strands of Noodle's hair to tickle his nose and brush softly against his cheek. The warmth of her contact never failed to calm his nerves. As he relaxed into the seat and his mind began to wander, a stray thought teased his brain: I wonder how this contact feels to her.

Author's Note: Coming up next: the band returns to the Spirit House. Will any more apparitions make themselves known? Reviews are welcome. Feel free to tell me how I could improve as a writer. Also, feel free to tell me your favorite food. I might include food in future chapters. If you're lucky, your favorite food could be featured! Mine, by the way, is ramen noodle soup. Super healthy, I know. Thanks to you guys who have already reviewed, I'm glad you like the story so far! Tata!