Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Why?" The answer legitimately eluded Maebe. She put her snack away, and slunk closer, crawling to lean her arms on his shoulder, and the rest of her on his side. "You're still you. A body is a bunch of flesh. You're the one who's listening to me right now."

And to prove it, she leaned in, and kissed the lobe of his ear. The lobe of Shiloh's ear. Her eyes were closed, and he smelled like Shiloh, but sometimes, so did she. "Besides. I think. I mean. I don't know exactly how this whole. Relationship kind of thing works, but. I feel like we should.. share. What better way to make me open up than by doing it in the body of someone I trust completely?"

Her eyes opened, and she was blinded with pink. Shiloh was going to be so mad at her for this later.

Perfect.

She stopped snuggling against him, because her arms were on his shoulders pushing him down onto the bed. Before he could protest, she curled up, her back facing him, and nestled in childishly. She'd just told him she didn't care whose body he was in, but that wasn't completely true. If she was going to share with him, she was going to get her Shiloh cuddles while she was at it.

There were some things she did not do well without.

"You know how you have to fight to not smile around Cami?" She asked, not waiting for an answer. "It's getting harder. How come some people can do that? Just, shine so hard it makes you forget how dark it can get."

"I don't know how to not.."

Her hand snaked down to grab his, and pulled it, hard, around her waist. It wasn't romantic. She was locking herself in.

"Run."

Otto might have been scared that Maebe was going to bolt the moment he admitted he had feelings, but he had no idea of the kind of thing that actually made her flight instincts itch. And if there was one thing she wanted to learn how to accept, it was joy.

Pure, unbridled, unhindered joy. The kind of joy that Maebe and Otto both didn't really express very well, or handle skillfully. It was the kind of thing only Cami could do.

"It helps that I can't stop touching her." Maebe was just talking now, as if it was in fact Shiloh behind her. "Her body is the most addictive thing on this earth. Sometimes I just want to talk, but my hands have a mind of their own, and they're sliding up her shirt, my God, those breasts-"

She'd gotten so comfortable, and he'd gone and pulled away and ruined everything. She leaned down to look over the bed at him, resting her head on her hands as she scowled unhappily. "Oh, give me a break. I was finally starting to feel better. What's the problem? It's not like she's here for you to feel embarrassed about it. I know you appreciate her body too, Otto."

She held a hand out for him. "Please come back. You're over-reacting, and." Her fingers clenched for a moment, before returning to their outstretched position. "And I need a friend."

She felt his hand slip into hers, and her fingers closed in on his, squeezing them affectionately. He returned to the bed, and she pulled him close, hugging him loosely around the waist. This time, she was facing him, and she did not seem to have the same problems he did with his body issues.

She pressed her hand against his cheek, and her lips rose up in a mischievous smile.

"Hey Otto." She whispered, clearly up to something. "Guess what."

She was up to so much worse than that.

Her fingers slid from his cheek, to his lips, and patted them gently.

"I'm in love with you."

Shiloh had a very pleasant looking blush. She'd seen it millions of times, but never like this. She imagined this was what Ian saw, at times. It was very pretty.

"Oh." She hummed. "I guess you're right. So that means, I still haven't said it to you out loud. Mmm." Maebe was, without question, the worst person in the entire world.

But there was no denial in her response. There never was.

"You're right." Maebe acquiesced, sliding her fingers under his chin and forcing his head up to look her right in the eye. She wouldn't settle for anything less, when she wanted his eyes on her. "I never learned how to play fair. But you and Cami taught me how to win without cheating." Her fingers left his chin, and she kissed the tips of them, just once, before pressing them to his nose.

"So I win. I win, until the day I lose all my chips. But not today." She traced Shiloh's cheekbones. "Not today."