Though there's bound to be some things that you ain't told me

Nick was only just barely able to convince Dani not to go weight lifting this early in the morning. Fortunately, she was a pretty chill girl.

“Sorry, I know I can get a little eager sometimes,” she said with a laugh, scratching her blue hair. “I guess I just have a lot of energy to work off, you know?”

Nick already anticipated what she would say next. “I don’t know about running, either,” he quickly said, remembering the last time he went jogging with the tomboy, and how rough it had been on his body. He’d been tired for the rest of the day.

And he doubted she’d be interested in popping into the spa this time, for obvious reasons.

Dani laughed, amused. She playfully socked him in the arm as she stood up, looking him over. “I thought you looked a little worn out this morning,” she said playfully, stroking her chin. “I guess Rose and Dawn really worked you over good last night, huh?”

Nick winced. “So you knew about that, huh?”

“Dawn and Rose? Yeah, I got filled in,” she said with a nod. “…Though I bet they got filled in a lot more…”

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Nick had to laugh, even as he rolled his eyes. “I’m glad we can joke about stuff like this now,” he said, standing up himself. “Pretty liberating, getting all that anxiety off your shoulders, huh?”

Dani nodded. “Yeah, definitely,” she agreed, stretching her arms over her head. She’d always had a pretty bawdy sense of humor, as long as the joke wasn’t on her. And without the constant pressure to do sexual stuff with Nick, they could hopefully slip into their previous patterns and just joke around like old friends.

Of course, they had a lot of time to fill today. Which was an issue Dani decided to raise, since she wasn’t sure how much Nick was actually aware of.

“Can I ask you something?” She turned to look at him, her expression serious. “I just want to check. See, I found out about Rose and Dawn from Kim, she, uh… she wanted to join in on our date later, and I was wondering…”

Nick held up his hand to stop her right there. “Don’t worry, I’m aware,” he assured her. “She gave me the full story earlier.”

Dani sighed in relief. “Oh, good. I mean, I figured you’d be okay with it, but I just wasn’t sure, I mean… it’s a favor for her after all, but also…”

“…We haven’t really hung out together very much just the two of us, huh?” Nick finished her thought, much to Dani’s surprise.

“Perceptive…” Dani squinted at him, and nodded. “Yeah… I guess we haven’t, huh? Explains why I’m probably so low in the popularity poll all the time.”

Nick winced. “Hey, I didn’t mean-”

“No, it’s fine!” Dani held up her hands. “Look, this show, it’s a sex show, and, well… given I’m a lesbian, and you’re…” She waved her hand vaguely at him, feeling a little too embarrassed to actually say what she was feeling.

Luckily Nick wasn’t in need of a translator. He laughed and shook his head, relaxing a little now that he could see Dani didn’t mind. “Yeah, I know. Stuff like that’s off the table, I don’t think we could make that case any stronger if we tried.”

Dani smiled back at him and nodded. Of course, as genuine as Nick’s feelings were, she wasn’t a fool. She knew that he’d once developed feelings for her, and that her body was pretty alluring right now, feathers and all. “Nick, it’s okay to be attracted to me,” she said with a giggle.

Nick’s eyes widened and he nearly fell over. “H-hey! I didn’t… I mean…”

“Dude, it’s fine.” Dani socked him playfully again. Or at least she tried to. Judging by his wince and the way he rubbed his shoulder, she probably could have restrained herself a little better. “…Sorry. Didn’t mean to…”

“No, I deserved it,” Nick said quickly, shaking his head.

Dani scrunched up her face into a frown and crossed her arms. “No you didn’t,” she said firmly. “Look, I get it. I check out hot girls too, you know. Even ones I know are straight. Doing the same to me, I mean, if I got mad, I’d be a hypocrite, right?”

Nick nodded cautiously. What she was saying made sense, at least. But he couldn’t help but wonder… “You sure this isn’t the transformation talking?” He asked, reminding her of the first part of her Just One of the Guys transformation. The part about Dani not minding being checked out by him.

The tomboy shrugged. “I mean, yeah… I guess it could be. Though doesn’t that say something about it being nude only?” She called up the text of the transformation so they could verify it.

• Just One of the Guys*: Dani’s a tomboy, she doesn’t really care that much about her appearance like the other girls. And because of that, it doesn’t really matter to her one way or the other if one of her close guy friends sees her in the nude. Come on, dude, it’s just some skin! Why would I be embarrassed about something like that when we’re just friends? It’s not like you’d be checking me out or anything! UPGRADE: Now, not only will Dani no longer care about being seen naked by her close guy friends, but she’ll be fine with a little skinship as well! The occasional boob touch, a casual brush against the ass, none of that’s a big deal anymore! After all, when you wrestle with your best buds, it’s kind of impossible to avoid a little touching here and there! It’s not like it means anything, after all. (Tomboy)

“Yeah, see here?” She pointed to the relevant part. “The part where it says ‘It’s not like you’d be checking me out or anything’ even though you totally would be if I was naked, right?” She cracked a grin, giving him a look that was equal parts playful and accusatory.

“…No comment,” Nick replied, knowing that he probably would, and also that he’d feel really guilty about doing so.

Dani just laughed again. “I don’t think it’s the transformation… I mean, maybe it’s just that I’m growing more, you know? I used to be so guarded before coming here… I felt… I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin.”

“Well, now you have feathers,” Nick said in a lame attempt at a joke. The laugh Dani gave him was more to soothe his ego than anything.

“I used to be pretty wound up, but since I’ve started dating Carly, I guess all those worries and issues don’t matter as much to me anymore,” she explained. “Like, it would be one thing if you were looking at me like a wolf licking his chops, but come on. That’s not the kind of guy you are, Nick, even I know that. …Now, at least.”

A wave of guilt passed over her face. “…I don’t think I can apologize enough for… before.”

Nick looked at her in confusion. “Before? What… huh?”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Before, you know, when… I ghosted you?” She gently reminded him. “Because of your feelings for me…?”

“…Oh, that…” Nick had actually almost forgotten about that. So much had happened since then, and he was practically a different person. “Dani, it’s okay. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Still, it was a shitty thing to do,” Dani said, shaking her head. “I was in a really bad place then, but that’s no excuse.”

“I know, you told me,” Nick said, nodding. “We’ve had this conversation. You don’t have to explain everything to me again.”

Dani looked visibly relieved, but she still seemed a little… twitchy.

“Thanks, Nick. That means a lot that you’re so cool,” she said with a smile. “But don’t worry, I’ve grown a lot since then. I’m in a way better place now. So even if you do still have feelings for me, I won’t be bothered. We’ll just deal.”

“Good. But don’t worry, I don’t,” Nick assured her.

“Right, you just think I’m a hot piece of ass.”

The two started giggling. Dani stretched her arms over her head, feeling liberated, being able to chat and joke around with Nick so casually, like there was nothing to worry about at all. And she didn’t miss the fact that Nick didn’t miss the way her breasts bounced enticingly in her tanktop.

Maybe that would have bothered her, but she was cool with it. Cooler than she thought she would be, almost like…

Dani gasped and turned pale. “Oh my gosh, I think… wait, the reason I’m fine with you looking at me and just laughing it all off, it might… it might not be my transformation, but it could be something else making me feel this way…”

Nick frowned. “What do you mean?” He asked, concerned. “What are you talking about?”

Dani turned to look at him and bit her lip. “I’m staying in the Romantic Suite,” she reminded him. “You know… with Vivian.”

Nick still didn’t get it. At least at first. “Wait… the Romantic Suite… isn’t that one…”

“It makes us become more like each other the longer the round goes!” Dani said. “And Vivian’s so cool about all of this stuff… she doesn’t care or get embarrassed, and that part of her personality might be rubbing off on me!”

She started to panic. She looked fretfully at Nick, only to see that he was smiling.

Dani’s usual temper flared slightly, even though she could manage it well enough. She scowled and looked at him. “What’s so funny?” She demanded, raising her eyebrow.

“Nothing, just… I don’t think Vivian is having the effect on you that you think she is,” Nick assured her. “You’re getting worried about nothing.”

Dani blinked. “…You sure?” She asked, frowning. “Because she’s a model, she likes showing off. So it makes sense that I would like it too.”

“Do you though?” Nick pressed. “Like showing off, I mean. Is that what’s happening right now?”

“Uh…” The more Dani thought about it, the more she realized it wasn’t that she liked showing off as much as she just didn’t mind. “No, I-I guess not,” she admitted, shaking her head.

“See? It’s different,” Nick assured her. “Trust me, you not minding me checking you out occasionally has nothing to do with Vivian, I’m like 90% sure of that.”

Dani raised her eyebrow. “Only 90%? Even then though… why are you so certain?”

“Well…” Nick scratched his cheek sheepishly. He wasn’t sure if he should share what he knew about the heiress or not; then again, Dani was kind of freaking out… “Look, just get to know Vivian a little better and you’ll see that she’s not as unflappable as you might think,” he said, doing his best to explain without giving any specifics.

Vivian might play it pretty cool, but with how she was on our date, I don’t think she actually likes people thinking about her that way. It’s one thing to model and show off, but it’s completely different when it’s actual lust. Nick wasn’t certain, of course. It was just a theory. But given how guarded the heiress acted about stuff like this, and how she’d redirected so much of his sexual energy towards Carly during the awkward threesome where she’d been invited up to the Master’s Suite, he had a feeling his intuition was correct.

And besides, more than anything he wanted to believe Dani’s theory. She’d looked so happy when she revealed she was finally becoming more comfortable with herself, and didn’t mind being looked at. Not that Nick had any intention of taking advantage of that by checking her out, of course.

Luckily, Dani seemed relieved enough by his words to trust him. She was smiling. But her expression still looked awkward, which made Nick feel uncomfortable.

Did I say something wrong? I hope not.

Nick was worried about upsetting his “date” for the day, but he shouldn’t have been concerned. The awkwardness radiating from Dani was completely unrelated to him.

The tomboy was remembering what had happened with Vivian the night before, and how she’d walked in on the heiress.

Yeah, now that Nick mentions it, she was really uncomfortable being walked in on like that. She was putting up a good front, but it was clear that she was practically dying of shame. I guess that’s a good thing, then? Still, now that the idea had been put in Dani’s mind, she wondered what effects the Romantic Suite WAS having on the two of them. Unlike with Gina and Sylvia last week, the two of them hadn’t exactly been getting closer.

Dani decided not to worry about it, even though the idea of Vivian secretly not liking her was causing her to feel a little nervous.

She smiled.

“…I guess you’re right, Nick,” she finally admitted, allowing herself to relax. “Maybe I am just getting more used to the environment around here.”

A shadow crossed her face. “…That being said… I’m not exactly happy about it,” she sulked. “The idea that Sylvia bringing me here and giving me those transformations actually ended up being good for me… I don’t want to acknowledge that, you know?” Even if it was true.

Nick sighed. “Yeah, I can’t blame you,” he admitted. It wasn’t just Sylvia, either. “The way Dakota’s been acting… the stuff she’s trying to ****… I don’t like the thought that it actually could result in a positive outcome, either.”

It just didn’t seem right.

“Do you think we’re being too stubborn?” He asked. “Resisting, I mean?”

Dani shook her head. “If it wasn’t for our resistance, Nick, we might have slept together already,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, good point,” Nick agreed. At least Dakota seemed to have backed off in that regard.

For now.

Dani started feeling a little antsy. She looked around the lobby, and bit her lip. “I can’t be the only one getting a little tired of this décor, right? It’s so tacky.”

“Yeah, I can agree there,” Nick said. “We’ve kinda just been standing around talking. Some date, right?” He joked.

“Ah, but before we were sitting and talking!” Dani pointed out with a laugh. “So in other words, we’ve made excellent progress!”

Nick laughed in turn. “When you put it like that… you’ve got a point,” he conceded. “You’re right, let’s go do something. Like you said, it’s not so often we have the chance to hang out together,” he pointed out.

Dani nodded, and then a playful scowl flashed across her lips. “Remind me, who was it that nixed all my ideas again? Jogging, weight lifting… I get you’re tired, Nick, but come on, I’m sure you’re not that tired, right?”

She didn’t want to be too pushy. But at the same time, if Nick was getting exhausted in the bedroom, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to work out a little, if only to boost his stamina.

Nick saw the thoughtful look on her face, and realized what she was thinking.

“…Actually, maybe lifting weights wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” he conceded. Dani’s face lit up with joy.

“Really? You think so?” She asked, not even bothering to restrain her exuberance. “What changed your mind?”

Nick blushed and looked down. “Well… when I said before how I was feeling exhausted from last night, with Dawn and Rose, it reminded me… this morning, um, to help Rose get up to 100 VP, we tried doing a princess carry… and, well…”

Dani winced. “Dude… you did not drop her, did you?”

The look of shame on Nick’s face was answer enough.

Dani sighed and scratched her head. “Oh man… you can’t do that, Nick! Dropping a girl? You could have severely hurt her self-esteem!”

A fierce expression crossed her face. “If you wanted to show off your manliness, you needed to go all the way,” she said, striking a gallant pose with one hand on her hip and the other leaning against the wall. “Be like a dashing prince or whatever, and just hold her close. Make her feel safe, you know? It’s what any decent sort would do.”

“And how many princess carries have you given to Carly?” Nick teased, knowing Dani was speaking more from her experience with anime than from her experience in real life.

Dani pouted in response and crossed her arms over her chest.

“…Okay, joking aside, I know, you’re right, I shouldn’t have dropped her like that, I messed up,” Nick conceded, sighing. “It wasn’t my finest moment. In my defense though, her breasts are way bigger than normal!”

Dani smirked. “All the more reason to hold on tight.”

“And she was squirming a lot…”

“Still, dude, you’re just lucky it was Rose,” Dani said, patting him on the shoulder. She shook her head and gave him a sympathetic look. “I don’t think it’s possible to bruise that girl’s ego. But if you dropped Morgana…?”

Yeah when she put it like that, Nick definitely understood where she was coming from.

“Exactly,” he said, nodding. Knowing Morgana, getting a princess carry from him was probably one of the items on her bucket list. She might just pass out on the spot if it happened. Which wouldn’t be a good thing. “So… I thought maybe, if it wouldn’t be too strenuous…”

“You want me to get you in shape, huh?” Dani flexed her muscles. It wasn’t exactly easy given how soft her arms were now, but with her look of bold confidence it didn’t really matter. “Yeah, not a problem! I’ll get you ready! Before you know it, you’ll be able to princess carry anyone! Maybe even two girls at once!”

Nick winced.

“Uh… I think that might be a little outside my capabilities,” he said. “I don’t even think I could hold up Dawn and Holly at the same time.”

“…Fair, maybe I am expecting too much of you,” Dani admitted. “Still, if you think you want to give it a try, you know me! Always happy to have a workout buddy! And since Kim’s going to be at work for a few more hours, we’ve got plenty of time to get you ready!”

She winked.

“Just think, her feet must be pretty sore from standing around all morning. Maybe you’ll surprise her and sweep her up off her feet to carry her to the spa or something!”

Nick winced. He liked the idea, but at the same time… “You think my body will hold up doing that?” He asked.

Dani shrugged. “Only one way to find out, right?” She pointed out with a laugh.

“…Right…” Nick nodded and tried to smile. He was glad that he and Dani were hanging out and joking like friends, but sometimes she could be a little too much. He just hoped his body could withstand whatever she planned to put him through…