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At the mention of Cait, Francie raised her head. She knew Cait enough to know her by name. She'd even stalked the girl while she was back home, and managed to make the girl a pen-pal! Speaking of, now Francie was thinking she needed to get ahold of Cait and get some coffee or something; to catch up and make up for never really hanging out in person.[break][break]

"At least you admit it and you didn't string her along."[break][break]

It was only after she spoke that Francie realized perhaps she sounded like she meant that's what had happened to her.[break][break]

"I don't know... I don't need a person, but it'd be nice to have one... you know? Somebody I don't have to feel bad about inviting to hang out with me. Somebody who wants to be near me as much as I want to be near them... somebody that sees me as an equal and not, 'their biggest fan' or anything. You know?"[break][break]

Oof, did she even make any since?

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Kim made more good points than Francie cares to admit. Relationships were for ... other people. Maybe not them, right? Or maybe they didn’t need to give up. Instead, maybe they needed to fight harder.[break][break]

”Don’t you just wish there was like, an app or something that would tell you if you were perfect for each other or if you burst into flames instead?”[break][break]

Admittedly a bit dramatic, but she was so tired of either stringing herself along or being sorely disappointed. She stood, making her at over to down the rest of her own beer before clearing her throat and starting to fish through the chocolates she had gotten herself. [break][break]

“They probably have one, but it’ll tell me I’m not compatible with anybody.”[break][break]

A sigh later and she plopped onto the ground with crossed feet. An idea formed in her mind and she eyed Kim with a devilish sort of curiosity.[break][break]

”HeyKiiiiim~?” She sang. “You should teach me how to have casual sex without becoming emotionally attached.”[break][break]

Her low chuckle that girls do when they’re comfortable with a person was tell enough that she was, for the most part, kidding.

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Well count her into the dumbfounded section of the population when he started undoing his belt. Was he... serious? She sort of hadn't been. Sort of. [break][break]

Suddenly she was pinned to the couch. Her body was smaller than his, by about eight inches, and it showed in the way he towered over her. His hair tickled her skin and caused it to raise. No doubt it was only half-way to blame for the goosebumps. [break][break]

Her heart was beating too fast. She wasn't typically in this situation and he'd caught her by surprise, after all. Now she just stared, equally amber eyes - though a bit paler - shifting back and forth uncomfortably between his. [break][break]

Then, she was biting her lower lip and releasing her clenched fists. Anybody else, and she probably would have started flailing or stammering in confusion. But with Kim? Well, she was fighting off a laugh. [break][break]

"So you take them by surprise first? I didn't take you as the bold type. Always as the 'flirt until they pin you,' type...." [break][break]

Learn something new every day. Like the color of Kim's underwear.

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Nearly everything was lost on her -- the smell of beer, their closeness, the fact that Kim wasn't even fully dressed. All because he'd said one thing that made her cute little noggin short circuit.[break][break]

[break]

'...l-like? Like, like like or just, you know, 'I tolerate you cause we're friends' kind of like?'[break][break]

Oh, but cue Kim pushing his fingers to her lips and making her blush. She couldn't help how her eyes got a little wider and her cheeks got a little more flushed. She didn't feel used, just a little bit confused. After all, she had asked for it. Oh, maybe that's why he was being so silly. She'd opened the door and invited him to be himself while also asking him to show her what casual sex was.[break][break]

The universe made sense again, and by that time she was the one sitting up on her elbows and he was changed. And insulting her hands! She lifted them up to look at them, wiggling her fingers and looking at the callouses there. It was true. She also dealt with Rock-type Pokemon her entire life... so.[break][break]

"I will take calloused hands and my experiences over being some soft porcelain thing that most men desire, thank you very much."[break][break]

Francie's tone holds absolutely no malice, and perhaps that is her fault. She sits up all the way and grabs some of her chocolates, thinking over what he said.[break][break]

"But I think you're right... I think it should be more like, 'let's be friends that hold hands and give a few kisses' and once you get serious with that person, like really know them and fall for them, then I guess things could go further."[break][break]

Francie puffs out her cheeks and then lets out a small eye roll and laugh at herself.[break][break]

"I mean, this is kinda what I get for skipping dating and becoming a gym leader instead..."

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Francie couldn't help how she cocked a brow, like she was simply going to tease Kim for what was said... 'cause she was.

"Oh yeah? Are you confessing your undying love to me there, Kimmy?"

She clasped her, apparently calloused, hands together and fluttered her eyelashes at the ceiling. Like some doting teenage girl who fooled around and fell in love.

"Why, that's just what I wanted to hear, Kimmykins. That you were desperately in love with me all this time. That, all those other girls, they were just a distraction from me--"

She quickly got to her knees in front of Kim and grabbed his shoulders, dramatically, theatrically.

"I've been-- such a fool--"

Oh, and that gross snort sort of laugh was threatening to bubble to the surface. If Kim laughed at her, she'd follow suit quickly enough and laugh right along with him.

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Oh, and cue her laughter. She couldn't stop it, not with how his sarcasm was so thickly laid out. What the hell were they even doing? Just being them. Ridiculous, great, crazy them. No drama, no anything, just them.

And it was beautiful. Francie adored it, loved Kim for it, even. She could just be herself and not be frowned upon, mocked, or belittled.

"That is definitely your M O, though. I mean, when was the last time you actually wanted a relationship with somebody that wasn't just based upon shits and giggles?"

Maybe she was asking honestly, maybe she was just stating a fact. Either way, she gave a bright warm grin at her adorable idiot Kim Cole. Because she liked listening to his stupidly long sarcastic lists and his ridiculous stories of relationships that purposed never to bloom into anything but 'this one time with so-and-so.'