"…I'm here for you."

Brainy lifted her head and smiled at Bat-Hound, showing him how grateful she was of the fact. He suddenly felt embarrassed, and awkwardly patted her back to give her comfort.

"There, there..." He faked a cough while she laughed at his funny expression.

"Thank you, Ace," she told him sincerely, afterwards pulling away from their hug. "I... never thought you could be like this."

"Me neither," he admitted, deadpan.

Brainy couldn't help but chuckle again, she stood up on all fours gracefully. "Well, I appreciate this new side of you," she said with that smirk of hers.

He decided to return it just as smugly. "Don't get too cocky, Barker," he playfully warned, tilting his head to the side.

"So if I do?" Her shoulders lowered and her tail rose up in a mischievous manner, daring him to do the same.

He did. "You'll see." They both leaned down sneakily and started circling each other around the flying pillow.

After a while of this, Brainy finally chose to "attack," jumping on Bat-Hound's figure. He responded by shaking her off his back while they both laughed and he attempted the same on her.

Brainy finally managed to catch him off guard and threw him to the silky ground, falling on his stomach. "Oof!" he huffed with surprise but then amusement as Brainy kept grinning down at him with satisfaction.

"I won, Bat," she showed off, pushing one of her long, fluffy purple ears to the side in a diva-like way.

"Hmph. Today, Barker," he emphasized, letting his head hit the ground fully and closing his eyes. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

For moment they both stayed like that, comfortable; Brainy rested her upper body over Ace's abdomen and he just leaned back, facing the navy blue, starry sky.

Then she spoke. "Do you want to take a fly around the city?" Brainy asked him, almost shyly.

He shrugged, seeing no wrong with it. "Sure."

She smiled again. This was officially the highest number of times Ace had seen Brainy Barker smile, ever, and all in less than ten minutes.

He liked her smile. Unlike her uppity  smirk, it was soft, gentle, nearly innocent. It was so cute and beautiful at the same time—

Wait. What was he thinking?!

She rose up, elegant as always, and her magic ordered the magical pillow to head onwards, which it obeyed immediately, and soon the two were cruising over the tall, Metropolitan buildings.

The feeling was nice, and familiar, since both were used to hovering in the sky. Brainy used her pink pillow, and Ace used his Bat Jet.

But somehow, when they were flying together, it all felt different.

Different in a good way.

Brainy stared up at the bright, bluish moon above them with a content expression and Ace stared at her with the same kind of feeling.

His heart was beating faster, like the loud drumming of Krypto's tail maybe, and he didn't know how to stop it. He could feel blood rush up to his cheeks, and he began to feel hot all over, too.

Why did he always get sick when he was around Brainy?! So inconvenient...

But... Maybe there was a cure to his sickness.

Unconsciously, his head perked up and he glanced at Brainy more than nervously. She stared back, green eyes glimmering and mouth half-open.

This caught his attention and for some reason, he started leaning down, lower and lower, until he was around her same height.

The Saluki's eyes widened: all of this was happening too quickly.

His long muzzle began to draw closer to hers, like a magnet of some sorts; his eyes began to flutter close and before he realised, he almost kissed her.

A muted gasp escaped her lips and that stopped him from going further. He shocked himself, and her as well. He couldn't believe he was about to do that.

"Ba- Bat-Hound..." She stuttered, which sounded so strange coming from her, and stared at him in something akin to dread. "I..." She glanced down, unable to finish her sentence.

Something was clear though, she rejected him.

And he didn't know why it hurt so much.

Bat-Hound's eyes formed into a weird kind of frown, one she couldn't decipher. He was angry at himself for being so stupid, and he was sad he clearly wasn't wanted, and he was disappointed he even thought he would be wanted to begin with.

"I'm sorry, Brainy," he apologized with his deep, low voice, only this time it sounded a bit broken. He howled into the open sky and soon his Bat Jet was there to pick him up.

Brainy rushed to the edge of the pillow just a second before he jumped into the jet and disappeared in the wind.

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