"There is nothing you can say about it, Damien," Rodge said, squeezing the juice box dry and pulling out the straw by his teeth. He bit on it a bit before tossing it away with the box.

"Dude, those are for my little bro."

"Do I care?"

"No?" Damien guessed, and Rodge nodded his head. "Okay, I'm going to say it, I think you need more. You need someone willing to have fun, someone not scared of consequences. This girl is turning you into a no fun freak. You aren't good for each other."

"She's enough for me," Rodge said, sticking his head into the fridge again for something more filling.

"Why do you say that?"

"She's in love with me," he said, pulling out a pouch of applesauce. "What is this?"

"Drinkable applesauce," Damien said with a wave.

Rodge shrugged, ripping it open and squeezing it into his mouth.

"I haven't had this stuff in ages," he said, mouth full.

"Maybe because you graduated to something harder," Damien said, tipping his bottle of beer toward Rodge. "Just as I said, she's making you soft. I don't care about this 'love' crap."

"She went to the concert last night," Rodge pointed out. He had been to many concerts in his life, but to be honest, he rarely remembered them. This one he couldn't get out of his head. The feel of her body bumping against his, jostled by the crowed, the smile taking over her features, her hand dwarfed in his.

"So?" Damian shrugged. "All that shows is that she is using you for your money."

"Give it up, man. Your case is hopeless."

"You're hopeless," Damien mumbled.

Rodge crumpled up the packet and dropped it on the counter."I'm out."

"Where are you going?"

Rodge shrugged. Just as he was about to walk out, though, he turned around. "Oh, hey, do you know where a good flower shop is?"

"Do I look like a whipped hoe to you?"

Rodge laughed. "Kind off. Pizza has got you around her finger, man."

"Pizza is a goddess. She doesn't count."

"Stir-fry?"

"Pizza's lesser known cousin."

"Oreos?"

"Okay, let's simplify this. Food is one hundred percent better than girls. Now let's go get sliders at the bar down the street and pretend to be millionaires or musicians... Millionaire musicians. Yeah..."

Rodge shook his head, passing through the front door.

"Yo, Rodge!"

"Hey, buddy!" Rodge greeted, picking up little Landon and spinning him around. The kid giggled, wrapping his arms around Rodge and refusing to let go.

"When you gonna take me to get my superhero cape?" Landon pestered, wrapping his legs around Rodge's waist.

"Soon. I have somewhere to go now."

"Did you finally get a job?" Mrs. Lewis asked, stepping around the old van with a few bags in her hand, a baby on her hip.

"Uh, no," Rodge said, setting Landon down and scratching behind his own neck. "Who needs a job? Jobs are only for those who are always stuck in the future, living for a then which never comes. I live in now, and now I need flowers."

The woman shook her head. "You're getting older Rodge. Need to start planning."

"I plan nothing," Rodge laughed, slipping into his car and relaxing back as the music started up.

Rodge reached the Harold's house, rolling in on neutral to minimize the sound. Early on when Lynn and him first started meeting months ago before he screwed it all up, he had learned that he didn't really have to worry much as long as he didn't make loud noises to wake Paul. He finally put on the brake, cutting the engine and getting out. Wading through the few feet of grass, he tapped on her window.

When no one answered, Rodge began to pace the small yard. Discontent, he decided to just go ahead and go inside. Paul was nowhere to be seen as Rodge made his way to the room down the hall.

He opened the door which was cracked just a tad. It squeaked as the old hinges crept to a halt. Lynn sat inside, legs crossed over each other as she stared at something in front of her on the bed.

"Lynn?" Rodge ventured.

"Go away. I said this wouldn't work," Lynn said, her voice completely flat, and Rodge's stomach dropped to the floor. His hand fell from behind his back down to his side.

"I- I didn't do anything," he said.

"Didn't do anything? Didn't do anything!? You only ruined my whole future!" Lynn screamed, her voice rising in pitch until it was practically a screech.

The flowers fell from his grasp as every part of his mind leapt to find what it was he had done. All of his focus shifted from himself, though, when Lynn fell to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Rodge immediately sunk to his knees beside her. His princess should never be like this; she should never feel pain, she should never be below him. He would do everything in his power to lift her above the world so she only had to look down and enjoy, not knowing any of the hardships of life.

"Lynn," he whispered, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Get. Away," she growled. "You ruin everything."

Her words stung Rodge more than anything, but he lips set.

After a few sniffs, she looked up, her eyes tearstained, cheeks blushed, and nose red as Rudolf. The proximity between them was enough to cause Rodge to lose all thought. All he wanted to do was kiss away her fears.

Instead, he winced as the back of her confounded planner slapped him across the face.

"Yesterday, it was the last day! That was the only day I could sign up, and I didn't. Why? Because of you and your stupidity! Just going with the flow doesn't work, Rodge!"

Rodge swallowed, unsure what to say. "It's not my fuckin' fault!"

"It's all your fault!"

"Why is it always my fault!? You have fun with me, and then just blame all your problems on me!"

"Because I don't have any without you!"

"Well I have thousands, and you know what? They all disappear when I'm with you."

"That's the problem! You make me forget! I freaking love you too much to pay attention to the rest of the world, and that is fatal!"

"Hell you look good angry."

"Rodge!"

"What do you want me to say? 'Sorry that you love me'? Because I will never say that. I can't apologize for the greatest thing to ever happen to me. "

"But it's not," she said, sniffing. "This," she gestured between them, "this will destroy us."

"It's rough, I know. I said that. But you're a doll, and I don't care what people say, you are enough for me, more than enough. You are flawless; we are flawless."

The breaths escaped from his lips quickly as the heat faded from behind his skin. Lynn's own features returned to normal as a weight settled over the room. "You better not ever leave me, Rodger Hammerstein. You got me into this mess; you're staying with me through it. Ruin my future; I ruin yours."

"Of course," Rodge said. He would never leave her. He was just waiting, though, for their love to combust. He would be with her forever, but forever had a nasty habit of lasting a month at most. "Cheer up. It's not the end of the world. Take a year off," he suggested, stepping forward to wrap her in a hug. "Stay with me."

"I just don't want to be sad about it, Rodge. I don't want to be sad with you."

"Then don't be," he said. Unable to control himself any longer, he started a trail of kisses down from her forehead to her lips, losing himself to her taste, her smell.

No matter how bad things got, no matter how much they argued, within seconds he would forget. In the same manner, though, within seconds of pure passion, they would be red faced and screaming at eachother yet again. It was an endless cycle, an endless cycle Rodge never wanted to escape.

Sometimes, though, just sometimes, Rodge missed the smoke which used to escape his lips, and sometimes, just sometimes, the taste of strawberry wasn't enough to quench his thirst.

A/N

This is the second to last part :) told you it was short :P

DANCE FLUFFER DANCE

hehe