'Cause if you wanna light a fire then you gotta get lit

“…So, now, three nights out of the round, Marley can sleep wherever she wants without Carly needing to be around!” Dani finished explaining to Nick everything that he had missed over the last day and a half. “And that also means Carly can sleep wherever she wants, without needing to be around Mimi…”

Her expression turned playful, and she elbowed Nick in the side. “You lucky dog, you!”

Nick responded with a good-natured laugh. It had been a while since he’d just joked around with Dani like this, without any qualms. He was glad that she was in a good mood- after everything that had happened between him and Carly the other day, he had been afraid that things would get awkward or uncomfortable between him and Dani. After all, he had almost cum inside of her girlfriend, when Carly had begged him to get her pregnant.

That was the sort of awkward thing that tended to get in the way of friendships.

After Mary’s conversation with him this morning, Nick knew that he couldn’t dance around the topic. But when he saw the innocent light in his friend’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to her. After all, they were still friends- he didn’t want to jeopardize that friendship by bringing up a topic that would upset her before she was ready to process it.

I need to talk with Carly first, he decided. Anything about my relationship with Carly and Dani should go through Carly first. Or, ideally, the three of us together.

But he couldn’t just decide that unilaterally, either. He would need to run it by Dani first, which made things even more complicated. So, Nick decided to try the surreptitious method.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He said abruptly, catching Dani by surprise. She looked at him briefly and then nodded slowly, not sure what he was driving at.

“Yeah… what is it?” She shifted from one foot to the other and hung outside the Gym. Her eyes looked up into his, and he bit his lip.

He had to be very careful about how he worded this. “If there was something that… that I needed to talk about with you, and it was important… but it also involved Carly… would you want me to come to you directly with it? Or would you want me to talk with Carly about it, first, to make sure it was something that she was okay with the two of us talking about?”

Dani blinked. “Huh?” She tilted her head to the side. “What… what kind of question is that?” She asked him. “I mean… Nick, let’s be real here, it’s kind of weird for you to ask something like that of me, don’t you think? If it has to do with the two of us, then yeah, you should come to me first, not Carly. I mean, she’s not my secretary. We’re friends. Just because we’re in a relationship with the same person, that doesn’t mean Carly should play messenger between the two of us!”

The pleasant look fell from her face, and her expression turned serious. “More importantly… it’s not that I don’t trust Carly, because I do. But I’m not a fan of the two of you talking about me behind my back, either!”

Then her face softened and she let out a sigh. “…Let me guess,” she said, placing her hands on her hips as a smile returned to her lips. “You’re considering getting serious with Carly, aren’t you?” She asked. “Serious in a way that might make me uncomfortable, so you want to talk with Carly first, to test the waters, and see if she thinks I’ll be bothered by the situation. Does that about sum it up?”

Nick was surprised by Dani’s perceptiveness. “Uh… y-yeah,” he mumbled, scratching his cheek. “That… that about sums it up, yeah,” he nodded.

He felt like a total jerk. Of course he should have trusted Dani and been honest with her, what was he even thinking, asking a question like that of his friend?

Dani’s smile brightened. “It’s okay, I know you’re just trying to look out for me, Nick,” she said, punching him in the arm. “And anyway, I’ve had some talks with Carly about this myself, too. That’s the thing. You and I… we both like the same girl, and that’s fine.”

Her smile warmed Nick’s heart. “I trust you, Nick.”

Hearing that from her lips eased the feeling of guilt he felt. But, at the same time, he knew that he wanted to have a serious conversation with Dani- and with Carly, as well.

“We really need to talk about this,” he said seriously. “All three of us.”

“I know we do,” Dani said, nodding. “But… we don’t need to talk about this now, that’s what I’m saying, Nick.”

She shook her head and flashed another smile.

“I trust you, I already told you that,” she said, socking him in the arm again for good measure. “And I trust Carly, too. I trust that the three of us can work something out between ourselves. Don’t you feel the same way?”

That was the thing- Nick did believe that. Or, at least, he wanted to.

He wanted to believe that they could make this awkward, messy, triangular relationship of theirs work more than anything!

“Anyway…” Dani raised her head and pushed out her chest proudly. “We’ll have that talk. Just the three of us. But right now, I would really rather us spend today just having fun together and enjoying ourselves,” she said. “Is that alright with you?”

Nick’s face softened into a smile. Yeah. That worked just fine for him. “Okay,” he agreed, nodding. “Thanks, Dani. That really helped me feel better.”

Dani tilted her head to the side and grinned. “Of course!” She chirped, giving him yet another playful punch in the arm.

Nick winced. As “playful” as those punches may have been, they were really starting to sting. “Ow,” he groaned, rubbing his arm.

“Oof. Sorry about that. Sometimes, I forget my own strength,” Dani apologized, cringing slightly. Of course, the little jab didn’t hurt too much. If it had, then Echo surely would have popped in to chastise her. So, Dani didn’t see anything wrong with what she’d done.

“Now then, let’s get to working out!” She declared, making a fist and punching the air this time. She whirled on her heel and pushed open the door to the Gym, and walked inside, practically dragging Nick in along with her. He may not have been as excited as her about beginning their “date” with a workout session, but that was just fine with Dani.

Nick was surprised to see they weren’t alone. But just for a moment. Really, he shouldn’t have been that surprised that Kim was here.

“Hey,” she said, waving at him. “Long time no see.”

“Hey,” Nick said back, not sure what else to do other than return the awkward greeting. Instead, he pivoted to a more playful tone, “Haven’t seen you since you got into butlering. You still keeping up with that?”

Kim responded by making a sour face. “Oh, very funny,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Come on, Nick, you’re better than that. Don’t be glib.”

Nick winced. “…Sorry,” he apologized, flashing her another awkward smile. “Just trying to lighten the mood a little bit.”

Kim pinched her lips into a bemused smile and shook her head again. “Well… it’s fine, that wasn’t the worst day of my life, or anything,” she assured him. “In fact, Vivian and I actually ended up not tearing each other’s throats out, if you can believe that!”

“Good, good,” Nick said, taking that response a little too seriously for Kim’s tastes. “I’m glad to hear that. Good…”

Kim gave him a hard stare, not sure if he was joking or not. For the sake of moving forward and not harping on the issue, she decided that he was, and she decided not to keep running with the joke, instead shifting gears and focusing on the two of them enjoying each other’s company while working out, instead.

“So, are you ready for a workout?” Kim asked. She took a glance at Nick’s casual clothes, then to Dani. “…Because he doesn’t look it.”

“Well, sorry I don’t have dedicated workout gear,” Nick said. “This should be fine, right?”

“Yeah, not a problem,” Dani assured him. “We aren’t going to do anything that strenuous anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Says you,” she muttered under her breath. Thanks to her transformation, she would in fact need to do some strenuous working out, whether she wanted to or not.

But, well, there was nothing she could do about that. She would just have to put up with it and get to work.

It had been a couple of days since Nick had worked out, despite what he had told Dani the last time. To his surprise, she didn’t hold it against him.

“I don’t blame you,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s hard to balance it with all the stuff you’ve got going on. Packed schedule and all that. Trust me, I understand.”

Nick was relieved to hear her say that. “Yeah… I’m really trying, but, well…”

“Getting abducted to Dream Alley would definitely mess up your workout plans,” Kim interjected. “Although, you could always ask your date if you could do a couple reps, provided you remember everything!”

“Ah, good point,” Dani nodded, snapping her fingers and pointing at Kim. “Nice thinking.”

Kim beamed like the teacher’s pet that her transformations had tried to mold her into. “When you live like me, efficiency is key,” she boasted, pushing up her chest in pride. “You’ve always got to look for ways to maximize your time when every waking hour is spent working one menial job or another!”

The fact that she was boasting about something like that struck Nick and Dani as a profoundly sad statement about her life. Neither one of them knew what to say in response, they just shared an awkward look with one another and decided that it was probably better not to comment on the subject, if they could help it.

Kim frowned. “…What?” She asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Why are you giving me such pitying stares?!” She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. “Whatever! I’m gonna go get some working out done myself!”

A little miffed, but not THAT angry, Kim stomped over to the juice bar to get a smoothie, leaving Nick and Dani to get prepared.

“So, uh… you ready?” Dani awkwardly asked him, not sure what to really say after that little exchange that just took place.

Nick nodded slowly. “Yeah,” he said. “I-I think I am.”

It had been a while since his last workout, but he still knew all the routines Dani had showed him, and that was the important part. He got to work, and hoped that his body wasn’t going to punish him for being a little out of practice.

“Okay… I think I need a break…” Nick slumped down on the bench once he rested the barbell back into place. How was it so heavy? There was barely any weight on the thing!

“Nick, I told you not to push yourself,” Dani said, frowning. “Your stamina can’t be THAT bad! And this weight isn’t that heavy, either.”

No, the only reason that Nick was this wiped out was because he hadn’t been pacing himself. And Dani wasn’t okay with that in the slightest!

She gave him a stern look and put her hands on her hips. “Working out is something that needs to be taken seriously!” She scolded him. “You can’t just rush to the end!”

“I-I wasn’t trying to rush,” Nick protested. “I just… it’s easier for me if I go faster.”

“Of course it’s easier,” Dani said. “Explosive bursts of strength come easier to the body than sustained exertion. That doesn’t mean it’s the right way to work out! That’s just going to burn through your energy reserves and damage your muscles! If you just pump the bar up and down as fast as you can, you’ll pull something- or worse, you’ll tear something!”

Nick sat up. His stomach still ached from all the crunches she’d made him do ten minutes ago, and the awkward laugh he gave her didn’t help, either. “Well… I mean… I won’t, though,” he pointed out. “Because I can’t get seriously injured on Harem Hotel, so…”

Dani narrowed her eyes into a scathing glare and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, really? So, you’re only planning to work out on the show, is that it? And then when we get back home, you’re just going to stop?”

Nick felt a chill run down his spine. He knew immediately what the correct answer to that question was, and if he said anything else, then he might end up eating the bar he’d just been lifting.

“No… of course not,” he said, shaking his head. “I just, uh… didn’t really think about it, that’s all…”

“Well, you should,” Dani said. “It’s never too late to start making the right choices about your health, Nick, but it’s also never too early to badly damage yourself due to rushing through a workout routine without the proper forms and dedication! And I’m not going to have that, no way!”

She shook her head adamantly. “I’m not going to let you hurt yourself,” she insisted.

Nick smiled up at her, relieved. He was glad to hear Dani advocating for him like that. It really made him feel looked after.

“…Thanks, Dani,” he said quietly.

Dani blinked, surprised by the sincere gratitude. Then she smiled. “Yeah, of course,” she told her friend, patting him on the arm. “What are friends for?”

“Apparently they’re for giving you muscle cramps,” Kim called over from the mat where she was doing her high-intensity interval training. “But at least he isn’t throwing up yet, so that’s always a plus!”

Nick didn’t even want to think about what Kim had gone through herself. He shivered and shook his head. No, thank you. He was glad that Dani was taking it easy on him.

When he considered things that way, suddenly his body didn’t feel so sore and low-energy. If anything, he felt a burst of power driving him forward, telling him that he could keep going.

Right now, Dani was in command- and the last thing he wanted was to make her upset, and risk her upping the intensity of his workout.

The proper incentive could work wonders!

“Okay… I… I think that’s enough resting,” he stammered, lying back down on the bench. But Dani was having none of it. She grabbed his shoulders and dug her fingers into his arms.

“No, no way,” she said, shaking her head adamantly. “Not until you’ve rested properly. I’m not having you get injured on my watch.”

How sweet of her. Now, if only she could say that without looking like she was going to murder him if he went against her orders.

“…Thanks,” he said, not having any other choice but to go along with her wishes. He lowered his arms to his sides and exhaled. “Thanks…”

This really was what he needed. A chance to calm down and catch his breath.

Dani even went and got him a bottle of water. That was nice of her. Nick drank it appreciatively.

“You feeling better?” Dani asked. “Ready to go for another try?”

Nick swallowed the last of his water and took stock of his body to see how he felt. Then he nodded. “…Yeah,” he said finally. “I think I’m ready to go again.” His muscles weren’t sore anymore, and he felt like he had regained some of his energy.

Dani smiled at last. Her expression was laced with a mixture of concern and sternness. “Just be careful,” she said. “Don’t go too hard this time, or you’ll really wreck your body, okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” he assured her. But before Nick could get started on his workout again, the Gym’s doors opened up, and two surprising figures entered.

It was a good thing that Nick hadn’t gone back to lifting, or he would have dropped the barbell and caved his chest in. His eyes bulged with shock and he sprung upright again, his mouth dropping open.

“Dawn!?” He gasped. “…Ella?!”

“…Hey,” Dawn said, coming over and giving him a wave. She was wearing one of her old leotards, and it looked great on her. “Working hard, or hardly working?”

Nick didn’t even know how to respond to the lame joke. He just stared at her. “Uh… I… uh…”

His eyes drifted past her, and landed on Ella, and stayed there. Ella looked like she was ready to die of embarrassment.

Normally one for modest clothing, it must have taken everything that Ella had to put on that outfit and come out here to the gym to work out. She was wearing a pair of bike shorts and a sleeveless tanktop. It was one of the cutest outfits he’d ever seen from the girl.

…And the embarrassment burning in her eyes only made it look that much more adorable, somehow. Nick swallowed, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. “El-Ella…”

“Wait!” Ella cried, her eyes wide behind her bangs. She grabbed her rubber-band.

“Thwap! Thwap! THWAP!” Three hasty snaps weren’t enough to calm her nerves. She could still feel Cinder screaming at her, trying to overcome her defenses and take control of their body.

But Ella refused to let her. “Thwap!” She snapped her rubber-band again, forcing herself to stay in control with her meager pain.

Nick saw Ella struggle, and it left him paralyzed. He didn’t know what he could say to her that would make her calm down- in fact, he was pretty sure that anything he had to say would end up having the opposite effect, and result in Cinder winning the battle for Ella’s body.

Dani could see the same struggle playing out on the girl’s face. But, unlike Nick, she didn’t have any issue with Cinder, and doubted she would be enough to spur the other personality to the surface.

With a jovial smile she walked over to the other girl and smacked her lightly on the back, making Ella jump.

“Eh-eh!?” Ella squeaked, her eyes widening in shock as she swung her head around to look at Dani in confusion. “Huh?!”

“Here to get a workout in?” Dani asked, undaunted by the surprise in Ella’s eyes. “No problem, Ella, I’ll be happy to help you out! Let’s work that scrawny body of yours into shape!”

Ella just blinked furiously in continued confusion. She was so startled by Dani’s words that the pressure of Cinder was completely forgotten, and her other self retreated beneath the surface of her subconscious.

That was a good thing… but Ella was so confused that she didn’t even know what “a good thing” was supposed to look like at this point!

She just nodded numbly and let Dani take her by the wrist and lead her onto the mat.

Dawn looked after Ella with sympathy, then turned her attention to Nick and shrugged.

“Don’t ask me,” she said. “I was surprised that she wanted to come and work out, too. But I think it’s a good thing, don’t you?”

Nick wasn’t sure if that was a loaded question or not.

Not trusting his mouth at the moment, he closed it shut and nodded.

What exactly was Ella after, coming here? She didn’t strike him as the sort of girl who wanted to be put through the wringer by Dani.