Wanna Live It Up Just Because

The kitchenette was filthy. Cupcake batter and chocolate icing covered every surface. Neither Arpeggio nor Jack knew how to make cupcakes the proper way. They hadn't taken note of the instructions clearly marked on the side of the box.

It was safe to say that, after the experience, they still didn't know how to make cupcakes.

Because there was no oven in the kitchenette, as it was only a hotel room kitchenette, they used the microwave. The object was now filled with burnt and fresh cupcake batter. The cupcake mix had exploded multiple times when Arpeggio and Jack tried baking; they didn't clean the microwave after any of the explosion, simply refilled it with another tray of cupcake mix. It was possible that the microwave would never warm food again.

The entire ordeal did not start out terribly. In fact, Jack mixed the cupcake batter with a faultless hand using the electronic mixer. Nothing had started going bad till they had to mix the chocolate icing.

Jack couldn't find premixed, sugar free icing at the convenience store he went to so he bought an unmixed pack. He didn't know the contents of bowl would fly across the kitchenette, splattering on the counter, floor, and Arpeggio. He also didn't know that Arpeggio would take a handful of cupcake batter and throw it at his face in response.

The two "chefs" sat on the couch, still clad in their dirty clothes. They didn't much care about the couch's safety. A plate of deformed cupcakes was on the coffee table in front of them.

Jack watched Arpeggio as she, quite happily, ate on one of the cupcakes; first, completing the task of licking the icing off the top followed by eating the soft bread. There was a smear of icing on the tip of her nose and dried cupcake batter on her cheek and forehead. Cupcake batter matted her tank top and lounge pants with hints of chocolate icing peaking from underneath. Even her insulin pump had taken a few hits.

He didn't doubt that his appearance was similar to hers.

But she was adorable, eating away at her cupcake like it was the best thing she had ever tasted. She resembled a little kid, glowing with a happiness that couldn't be broken by anything in the world.

She was technically still a kid. Seventeen didn't warrant the title of legal. Arpeggio's age didn't bother Jack though. He had the maturity of two year old at times and she was capable of keeping up with him. Neon was allowing them to date; legality didn't matter. Plus, she would be eighteen in less than a year.

"You should try one," Arpeggio stated, pulling Jack from his musings.

She licked the remnants of the cupcake from her fingers.

"Are they good?"

Jack had never eaten anything that was sugar-free before. He was accustomed to eating the most sugar-filled substance he could find.

"Well they're not gourmet cupcakes or anything but they're pretty good," Arpeggio answered.

Hesitant, Jack reached for a cupcake. He examined it, turning it in several different directions. The top, instead of having an even mushroom design, was bumpy with an indent through the center. It looked like an earthquake had just shaken through its core. There were clumps of unmixed icing in the otherwise smooth chocolate coating.

"I think we killed it, Bear-cat. You can eat it," Arpeggio teased.

"Are you sure it's edible?" he returned.

"If I can eat it, you can eat it."

That was probably true. Unless Jack was allergic to things that didn't have sugar in them. There was never a meal time without sugar.

"If I die, I leave my guitar to you."

"I can't play guitar," Arpeggio rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you can have Rian's drums."

"Won't he need those?"

"Nope."

Arpeggio giggled. Jack nibbled on the top of the cupcake. It didn't taste any different from a cupcake that actually had copious amounts of sugar. He kind of liked it. For a moment he wondered if he bought the wrong mix. But Arpeggio was fine. She had started on another cupcake while he was trying his. He ate the rest of his cupcake quickly.

"How was it?" Arpeggio asked.

"Surprisingly good," Jack answered.

"See, nothing to worry about," Arpeggio took another lick of the icing from the top of her cupcake.

Jack, noticing that some of the icing had stayed on her lip, leaned across the couch and pressed his lips to hers. He crawled on top of her during their kiss; she, in turn, lay down on the couch. When Jack pulled away, there was no longer icing on Arpeggio's top lip.

"What was that for?" Arpeggio asked.

"You had icing on your lip and I, being the amazing boyfriend I am, cleaned it off."

"How sweet; now get off me, you're covered in cupcake batter," Arpeggio demanded.

"So are you," Jack retorted, sounding childish.

"What if I was about to change that?"

"Fine," Jack huffed.

He stood from his spot on top of Arpeggio and walked around the coffee table. He stripped his dirty top, using the inside to clean his face and arms and throwing it to the side. His skinny jeans followed his shirt to create a small pile on the floor. Arms crossed over his bare chest, he looked at Arpeggio.

"Now you're the one covered in cupcake batter and I'm not," Jack stated.

Arpeggio eyes roamed Jack's boxer-clad body without restraint. Her mouth hung open slightly. In the pit of her stomach, she felt the heat rising as it had many times before.

"Should I change that?" Arpeggio asked, distracted.

"You should," Jack answered.

Arpeggio could tell he wasn't thinking about what he was saying. He was dead set on winning the argument; that was all. Just like a kid arguing with his parent, Jack wasn't going to let any of what he said slip through the filter in his brain before being spoken.

Jack expected Arpeggio to leave the room and change. He was surprised when she stood up, grabbed the hem of her tank top, and removed it from her body. She used it as Jack had his shirt to clean the excess cupcake batter from her skin. Her lacy, blue bra was exposed to his eyes. She unhooked the insulin pump from her pants, holding it in one hand and she slipped her pants to the floor. The insulin pump was re-hooked onto the edge of her boy shorts.

Arpeggio looked at Jack again; his jaw was much wider than hers had been. His eyes analyzed every part of her. Sure, Jack had seen women clad in their underwear and much less but this was different. This was his innocent girlfriend whose sister was the epitome of an angry Doberman.

Was Arpeggio nervous about being so exposed in front of Jack? Of course. Was she going to let things go too far? No

Maybe.

No, no, she wasn't going to do that. Her sister wanted her to wait; she would wait.

"We should have a pudding wrestling match," Jack exclaimed, breaking from his trance.

Arpeggio wasn't expecting him to say that.

"There's a kitchenette full cupcake batter over there," Arpeggio stated, pointing to the kitchenette.

"That's not the same," Jack whined.

"Then we can have a wrestling match right here if you want," Arpeggio walked around the coffee table.

Jack tapped his nose in mock thought. Without warning, he jumped at Arpeggio, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"I win," he smiled down at her.

Arpeggio stared at him in shock. Her mind couldn't seem to wrap around the fact that Jack had just jumped her.

"You know, cutie, you need to step up your game if you're going to beat me," Jack stated, flicking her nose.

Arpeggio, rudely flicked from her shock, grabbed the hand that flicked her and flipped Jack over onto his back. She straddled his waist, pinning his hands above his head.

"Looks like I win, Bear-cat," Arpeggio returned.

The door to the hotel room swung open. A laughing Alex and Neon walked into the room.

Wait, didn't they leave separately? And were they laughing together? Something was very wrong in the universe.

Their laughs came to a halt as they looked from Jack and Arpeggio on the ground to the destroyed kitchenette and back again. Jack opened his mouth to explain.

"I don't want to know," Alex stated, holding his hands up and walking to the bedroom.

"What he said," Neon followed Alex.

"No sex," Jack yelled after them.

"Same to you," Alex yelled back.