And she'll say, yeah well, I feel pretty happy too

Nick picked up on Cinder’s tension immediately. Though she’d ended the conversation before she lost control, he could tell right away that she was in a fragile state of mind. So he was careful about how he interacted with her after that, which unfortunately meant that they were now walking with an awkward silence hanging in the air between them.

“Nick…”

To his surprise, Cinder was the one to break it. She pulled close to him and he felt the heat of her eyes piercing through him. Swallowing his doubts, he turned to face her, not wanting to let on his concerns to the other woman. Given her present state, it was hard to know just how she might respond to him, and he wanted to handle her with care.

All that culminated in a squeak of a “Yeah?” that he immediately regretted for making him feel utterly pathetic.

Cinder didn’t seem to mind that, though. She bit her lip, and stared up into his eyes.

“I… I don’t think the date is going well anymore,” she admitted sullenly. “I’m trying, but it’s just not working…”

“Hey, don’t worry about that,” Nick said, trying to maintain as upbeat of a tone as he could. “I’m having a fine time, Cinder. There’s nothing wrong.”

Cinder gave him a look of disbelief. “…Really?” She asked suspiciously, biting her lip.

“Yeah, even if we’re not talking, I can still enjoy your presence, can’t I?” Nick replied sincerely. “And I’m still learning more about you. I need to be more sensitive. There are certain things you aren’t comfortable with, and since I care about you, I’ll try not to upset you by touching on them. Okay?”

A strange hodgepodge of emotions rolled across Cinder’s face. Nick could see a wince that implied remorse coupled with a glare that suggested frustration. While the fiery latina often wore her heart on her sleeve (regardless of whether he was dealing with Cinder or Ella) right now it was difficult to get a read on her because there were just so many emotions coming into play.

Finally, she settled on her usual favorite- frustration.

“Why are you always like this?” She sulked, glaring at him.

Nick had no idea what to make of that response. He stared at her for a moment, confused. “Like… like what?” He asked her, frowning.

“Like this!” She raised her arms and let them drop, like she shaking an invisible vending machine. “You’re so… you’re so fucking nice! Do you have any idea how fucking annoying that is?! Gaah! Fucking fuck!”

So… Cinder didn’t like it when he was nice to her? How exactly was he supposed to take that? But she always wants me to be nice to Ella. It’s like she’s saying that Ella’s the one who deserves to be treated nicely, while she… oh.

Nick’s heart went out to the poor girl.

“I’m trying to have a normal date…” Cinder balled up her hands into fists. “I’m trying my best here, okay!? But I keep screwing up! I keep saying things that I know are the wrong thing to say, and it pisses me off! But when you’re always so nice to me, I don’t know, it’s like… I don’t know what to do, okay!? How am I supposed to respond to that!?”

Cinder’s default response was to engage with hostility towards anything that endangered Ella. She would attack anyone she saw as a threat to her alter’s happiness like a white blood cell going after bacteria.

So for Nick to not only treat Ella with kindness, removing the need for Cinder’s presence, but to go beyond that and be kind to her as well, it made Cinder feel like nothing she said would be good enough for this.

She was completely trapped out of her element, and she didn’t know how to make the world make sense to her limited way of seeing things. And because of her nature, she wasn’t even capable of fully grasping that this was even a problem.

Leading to the dilemma right in front of Nick.

“…Cinder, I understand that you’re feeling out of sorts right now, but that isn’t my fault,” Nick said gently. “And it’s not your fault, either.”

“Huh!?” Cinder stared at him, lost. “Then who’s fucking fault is it, then?! Who the fuck am I supposed to be mad at, here!? Nola?!”

She turned her smoldering eyes towards their guide, who jumped in surprise.

“No, Cinder, it’s not anybody’s fault,” Nick said, quickly turning her face back to him. “Sometimes, mistakes just happen. Awkward moments just pop up, and there’s no need to blame anybody for them. It’s just a natural part of human relationships.”

If Cinder reacted with self-loathing and anger every time she said something wrong or made someone else uncomfortable, then she was in for a miserable life. Nick had to put a stop to that now if there was any hope of her or Ella properly socializing with other people.

“Well, it’s a stupid part,” Cinder muttered sulkily. “I hate it, it’s so dumb. Why are people that shitty and lame, huh!?”

Well, wasn’t THAT the million dollar question?

“If you don’t want to socialize with the other girls, that’s your choice,” Nick said. “I won’t **** you to be friends with them, I promise.” As much as he wanted Cinder to get along with the other women in his life and make her own friends, he understood that she wasn’t comfortable with that. Hopefully she would come around in that regard, but until then, he was going to support her however he could, and hope for the best.

Cinder looked up at him with an expression on her face like she’d just been stung by a bee. It was obvious how much this was hurting her…

Nick wondered if Cinder had ever spent this much consecutive time with another person before today.

“…Are you really having fun?” The words passed her lips like she couldn’t believe she was saying them, let alone believing they could be true.

Nick gave her a smile that he hoped would ease her doubts. “I’m really having fun,” he assured her. “Aren’t you?”

Cinder bit her lip and winced up at him. “I… I…”

Was she having fun? Well first off, if the answer was yes, should she even tell him?

“…I’m trying,” she admitted, hanging her head. Guilt reddened her face all the way to her ears. “The animals are cool, but… I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing here.” Her practical date experience was basically zero, as they’d both well established.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Nola popped up in front of them with a shiny smile on her face. “You two just need to get closer! Because frankly as far as dates go, this one really isn’t doing much for anybody.”

Actually this was one of the most popular dates with the audience, as Dakota’s scan of the chat logs would confirm.

“They’re so cute together!”

“#CinderGang”

“I woneder if shell do anything with him?”

“Cinder is too precious must protecc”

“My Little Spree Killer Can’t Be This Cute!”

“Gap moe”

“Cinder is really growing on me today, I’m shocked.”

“Yeah I thought she was played out before lol”

“Cinder > Ella”

“No Ella is still better I like sweet girls #EllaGang”

“I did’nt expect to cry on this date…”

“#GetMaryPreggers”

…Of course, Nola had no intention of revealing that to either of them. After all, that would miss the point entirely!

Cinder locked her face into a furious glare aimed at the leprechaun, and Nick frowned. “Nola, we’re going at our own pace here,” he snapped. “I know the audience probably wants to see us getting hot and heavy or whatever, but that’s not the kind of date this is!”

Nola rolled her eyes, ignoring Cinder’s smoldering expression. “No, the audience is totally fine with the heartwarming lovey-dovey stuff, actually,” she sniffed. “But we’re not getting any of that! Yes, you two are talking, and bonding, and connecting, but come on! Is that the best you’ve got? Can’t you guys be a little more… I don’t know… intimate?”

“Inti-int-inta…” Cinder stammered, her face reddening with embarrassment before her anger got a chance to reassert itself. “Intimate?! Are you fucking kidding me!? I’m not gonna-!”

“Not sex, obviously,” Nola scoffed, rolling her eyes again. “But not even one little smooch? Come on, Cinder, you’ve even got a transformation perfect for it, remember? I bet the only thing you can think of right now is planting a big ol’ wet one right on his lips!”

Stunned, Cinder’s hand shot up to her mouth, her fingers ghosting over her lips. Her eyes widened in horror.

“Th-that-!”

“Nola!” Nick was losing his patience now. He was so annoyed by the leprechaun pushing things so blatantly that he didn’t even notice the expression on Cinder’s face as her memory of the transformation flashed back through her mind.

• True Love’s First Kiss: We all know the stories. The prince kisses the princess, breaking the kiss, and they live happily ever after. Well, Cinder and Ella have yet to receive their first kiss, but starting now, kissing will be one of their deepest desires. A single kiss anywhere on the body is enough to cause flares of arousal, and a deep, loving kiss on the lips can even be enough to make them cum. (Faerie Tale)

“…Out of the question!” Cinder erupted, putting her foot down. “He and I-! We are NOT kissing, under ANY circumstances!”

She whirled around and turned her furious glare to Nick. “You got that!?”

“Whoa, hold on, I’m right there with you!” Nick said, holding up his hands. “This is all Nola here, it’s not me!”

Cinder’s mouth twisted into a frustrated scowl. “What, so you don’t want to kiss me!?”

“No, I didn’t say that!” Nick protested, overwhelmed with confusion at what Cinder wanted him to say at this point.

“You just said that though!”

Nola watched the fireworks with an amused expression on her face and giggled, before inserting herself between the two of them. She didn’t want to spoil the mood, a little sexual tension made for nice seasoning but too much and the date might just implode on itself.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, you guys don’t have to kiss!” Nola held up her hands. Her eyes flickered between the two of them. “But there’s other stuff you can do, to make it feel like a real date, and not like Nick escorting a platonic friend around a zoo.”

While Nick could see where Nola was coming from about how this date felt more like a friendly outing than a romantic date, he also understood how sensitive Cinder was about stuff like that, so he was fine with it. What was she doing, trying to pressure him like this? It was as if-

“Like what then?” Cinder glowered, balling up her hands into fists.

As loathe as she was to admit it, even Cinder’s limited understanding of dates and romance could tell that something was off about this. And while she wasn’t going to do stuff like kissing, after how many times she’d already messed up today, she needed to do SOMETHING to fix the situation!

…Didn’t she?

“It’s alright, I have a perfect idea!” Nola clapped her hands together with a beaming smile on her face, and a gleam in her eyes that gave Nick a very bad feeling about where this all was headed.

“Your hand is sweaty,” Cinder grumbled, lashing out at Nick to hide the fact that her own palms were as clammy as could be. If she could pin the blame on him first, then she wouldn’t have to feel ashamed about her own perspiration.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Nick said, blushing a little. While he’d held hands with plenty of women before, usually his relationships with them were a little more stable than the one he had with the woman beside him.

Of course, he had no idea that his apology just made Cinder feel worse about pinning all the blame on him when she was just as guilty.

This guy-! Why is his hand so fucking hot?! It’s so much bigger than mine, and yet it feels so good! He’s… he’s just fucking touching me, why is my body acting like this?! Cinder thought she was going to suffocate, praying that he wouldn’t notice how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

Ella, your stupid body keeps reacting to this guy! This is all your fault! Of course, it was Cinder’s body too, but she refused to accept her own part in this. She was so determined not to that she was even blaming Ella, something she never did.

Nola walked ahead of them, humming to herself. This was going exactly as she’d hoped! She’d been expecting Cinder to put up much more of a fight when she suggested that the two of them hold hands together on their way to the next exhibit- they’d asked her to surprise them because neither of them could think about what animal to see next given their previous state of awkward tension.

So not only was Nola gonna surprise ‘em both with an animal that would knock their socks off, she would do so while also reducing the distance between them! Wasn’t she such a clever little tour guide? Yes, she was!

It was her job to make this date a success just as much as it was for the both of them. And a peek back to see Nick and Cinder standing shoulder to shoulder, hands linked together while looking in opposite directions, was just precious.

Nola had no idea if Ella had ever held Nick’s hand before, but it seemed nice and sweetly ironic if the first time they did it was Cinder who was active.

And in spite of her foul mouth, the latina’s expression showed that she was not as opposed to it as she claimed to be.

“Are… are we almost there yet?!” Cinder snapped. “My hand is starting to get itchy!”

The agreement was that they’d hold hands until they reached their destination. Nick had a nagging suspicion that Nola was trying to take them the long way, but he didn’t say anything.

Cinder might have been uncomfortable, but she wasn’t pulling away from him. So on some level, she must have been enjoying this, or at least was willing to tolerate it. And Nick felt the same way; Cinder’s hand was softer and gentler than he’d expected, and he hoped that the more he touched her, the more comfortable she would get.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Nola chirped, looking back over her shoulder. “Are you that **** to get your hand back?”

Cinder’s face twisted into an “O” shape and her lips flapped open and closed for a few seconds without making any sound.

“I-I didn’t say that!” She stammered. “I just… it can’t be good, feeling my sweaty hand all over him, so-!” Her eyes shot over to Nick and she clamped her mouth shut tightly, realizing that she’d just admitted to having clammy hands herself.

Frankly, that was the last thing on Nick’s mind. On the list of things Nick was thinking about her outburst just now, “Sweaty hands” was well below “Cinder is thinking about my needs” and “Cinder wants to keep holding my hand” in terms of ranking.

Nola giggled again, clearly satisfied by that response.

“…Look, um…” Cinder couldn’t even look him in the eyes right now. “I… what I just said… don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”

Wrong idea? What idea was that supposed to be? Nick didn’t know if Cinder was trying to save face or if she was really that stuck about the present situation, but he wished there was something he could do to soothe her doubts.

“I don’t… I don’t have a problem with holding your hand, alright? Your sweat isn’t even that gross or anything,” Cinder kept mumbling, trying to talk her way out of the hole she dug herself into but being woefully unequipped to do so. “But you’re going to hold Ella’s hand too, right? It’s not fair if you don’t… she deserves it, for setting this whole date up.”

Nick looked at the strained emotions playing out across Cinder’s face. So that’s it, she still feels bad that Ella gave her control over their body.

He could understand her feeling that way. From Cinder’s perspective, Ella had put a lot of time and effort into their date today, but she was the one who got to reap all the rewards, and for someone who existed to see Ella cared for and happy, that must not have seemed fair to Cinder at all.

…Assuming she thought that holding Nick’s hand was a reward, of course. Nick liked to think that was the case.

“That only seems fair,” he agreed. “Anything I do with you, I’ll make sure to do with Ella as well.”

Cinder’s eyes widened. “Hol-hold on a second!” She snapped, her cheeks reddening. “You’re not GOING to do anything else with me, are you fucking crazy!?”

Yeah he expected that response, so he didn’t even address it. He figured the best thing to do was to plow through and change the subject to something that would get an even stronger reaction over the emotionally-charged woman.

“And anything I do with Ella, I promise I’ll do the same with you,” he said firmly, looking her in the eyes.

Cinder slumped, her mouth falling open. Her hand loosened and she would have let go of Nick’s hand if he wasn’t still holding hers.

“That… you don’t have to do that!” She sputtered, shaking her head and sending her bangs flying around her face. “I don’t even WANT to do that kind of stuff, I-I don’t… I-!”

Her mouth wasn’t working properly. She looked anxiously up at Nick as she tried to work things out in her head, but it kept getting cloudy!

“Cinder, it’s only fair,” he said firmly again, refusing to back down from this. “You two deserve to be treated as equals. It wouldn’t be fair to do anything with one part of you that I wasn’t willing to do with the other. Unless you completely refuse to do it, of course, then I’d respect your wishes. Is that what you’re saying?”

What kind of answer was she supposed to give to that!? Obviously she didn’t want to do anything with him, obviously! So why was it so hard to just say that?!

“Oh look, we’re here!” Nola loudly declared, making both of them jump. Before either one of them realized, their hands snapped away from each other and fell back to their sides.

Cinder and Nick both jerked their heads around to see where Nola had brought them.

Nick’s eyes widened. When she said it was going to be a surprise, she meant it.

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Cinder blurted out, her face still red. “You took us to a frilly, prissy fucking unicorn!?”