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Juniper dragged his feet the whole time Marquette dragged him around the book store. If she was going to subject him to this kind of torture, he was going to be an a** about it. An irritated noise here, a eyeroll there.

That sort of thing.

Juniper finally snatched his arm back from her before dropping himself rather unceremoniously into a chair and sulking like a child glaring down its mother.

"He is not my boyfriend." Hissed the smaller man. "We're not dating. I'm not the type to jump into something that fast and I highly doubt Nelson is too." Especially with what Nelson had to go through. "We are friends. Just friends. Which, in all honesty, is a whole lot more then we will be if you don't get the cotton out from between your ears, Marquette Stevens."

Okay, so maaaaaaaaaaaybe he was a bit angrier then he thought.

"It doesn't matter if I like him or not. Besides, you can like someone and not date them. It's called being friends. Remember that concept, friend?" Juniper sighed, straightening in his chair a little bit more. "I wasn't talking to you about him either. I set you a text meant for someone else. That's not even close to talking to you about someone else."

"I am happy Marquette." Or at least, he was before all this started. "Would I like to date someone, yeah sure. But I'm okay. It will happen when it happens." He shrugged, reaching for his own drink. "I like dinosaurs. I like things like plants. All things animals, so zoos and aquariums. You add that with a military school and your birth sister who runs around, practically being your mom... I got teased enough Marq. If we get a mission with small, cramped spaces, I'm the guy for it." Juniper wasn't going to elaborate farther then that.

"Nelson's going through enough stuff as it is. I could like him, yeah. But that doesn't mean he likes me. Or even wanted to date, if he could."

"No, there is nothing wrong with it. People are just jackasses..." Juniper took a sip before letting the heat seep from the cup to his hands. "I don't mind teasing... But I need you to stop and listen to me next time. If you jump into my grave that fast over a possible partner, what are you gonna be like if anything else happens in my life?"

The answer, is feral. Marq would be absolutely feral. Didn't matter what happened in his life.

"Just... tone it down next time? Please? I'm kind of afraid all... that might scare him." Not a total lie... But still something he was worried about. "But... seriously. I don't think anything is going to happen. He... has a boyfriend? It's complicated."

"It's... complicated." Juniper repeated. "I don't... know if the boyfriend's still around? But I'm not about to make calls like that for him. That's his business, not mine... I'm just here to be a friend." Nelson looked like he'd had it rough for some time anyway. Juni nodded when she pushed the box over. "I would love to just chill and hang out... That sounds like a blast."