starlightcafe | New, and a bit alarming, who'd have ever thought that this could be?

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New, and a bit alarming, who'd have ever thought that this could be?

Lexi's first crush had come when she was about eleven, and had ended before she was twelve. Webby's interest in her and her family, though unnerving, had been flattering - and she was nice to Lexi. That went a long way to a kid who'd barely had friends outside of family prior to that. But, ultimately, it had been a passing infatuation with someone who she wasn't suited for, and who wasn't suited for her.

There had been other people in her teenage years - crushes and relationships alike - with all kinds of people, and plenty of meaningless flirtations in addition to those. For a while, she'd thought that was what she'd been doing with Gobo - flirting harmlessly. It was certainly fun, but he was, well, Gobo. It clearly didn't mean anything.

Right? The thing was, she found herself thinking about Gobo a lot, even when they weren't together. Notable experiences left her eager to tell him, and she often wondered if he'd like this or that thing... He was becoming a big part of her life. That was still a bit scary to Lexi with anyone, but in this case? Doubly so.

At least she knew who to go to when it came to any sort of strange thing like this. And she knew Louie was in town for a bit, so off to Donald's place she headed.

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Louie was indeed home, and at the moment he was out in the backyard with a few of his latest possessions spread out on a blanket in front of him. These he was walking among, turning one this way and that, making a note of something, occasionally pulling another from his main shirt pocket- always too large to actually fit inside that pocket if it were normal -and going back to his cataloging and sorting.

All in all, should be a nice and normal day of deciding what would go with him on his next trip out. Which, of course, was the cue for it to become anything but.

"Louie!" she called out, the loud cry paired her slamming the garden gate open and then shut. She walked over, and even with all that was on her mind, she was momentarily distracted by looking over what he'd recently obtained, picking up one particularly shiny old artifact. First of all, few things were bad enough to distract Lexi from Nice Things, but beside that... This wasn't bad, she didn't think. Confusing, and weird, absolutely, but not bad.

"YOW!!"

He jumped a MILE at the combination of the shout and the abruptness of the slamming gate. Leaning over some and breathing deeply, he raised a hand and waved it.

"H-hey Lexi. What's up..." Shaking his head a bit to himself, he then glanced at her and noted for the first time that she seemed out of sorts. "...What's up??" The question again, but in a more focused, concerned voice this time.

Louie wouldn't judge her. He never had before.

Still, some things were hard to say out loud, and not (just) because of who this was about, but because it seemed so childish to go asking for advice about a crush. So it was a moment before she sighed and spoke up.

"I might've met someone."

"Met someone?" He sat up some, hands on his knees as he watched her. The 'what kind of someone' was answered just by reading her face. Oh. That kind of someone.

"Who are they, and what're they like?"

"It's... A friend," Lexi answered slowly, and damnit, she could feel her cheeks warming up from a blush. She focused her gaze intently on the object in her hands. "He's clever and nice, and we have a lot of fun together, and he... He gets me," she concluded softly.

He'd know who she meant. She was reasonably certain of that, but she was still a bit shy about actually saying Gobo's name aloud in this context.

He certainly did know. Smiling some, he rocked backward and up to his feet, taking a moment to brush his knees off.

"Yeah, there's almost nobody better than a Fraggle for finding acceptance like that." He waved a hand over to the sitting area underneath a couple of nearby trees. "So, how long have you known?"

Lexi smiled a bit, herself, glad that Louie had said it for her. She rubbed her arm as she followed him and took a seat. "Over a week, now. I kinda suspected that maybe it was happening, but the other day, well. We'd been hanging out at the Manor, and it wasn't even twenty minutes after he'd left that I started wondering when I'd see him next." She sighed. "I was already looking forward to spending more time with him."

He sat on the hammock nearby, right in the middle. "Definitely sounds like you like him. And I take it he doesn't know yet. Do you think he likes you back...?"

"He doesn't know, but..." She shrugged until her shoulders looked practically against her ears. "I think he might feel the same way. I mean," she relaxed her shoulders, "after we first met, he stuck around the Manor because he wanted to know more about me, and - sure, he can wear his heart on his sleeve anyway, but whenever we're talking, he's so open, and honest. And he really wants me to be that way with him, too. He likes it when I am."

He thought about that for a few moments, weighing everything. Gobo certainly could wear his heart on his sleeve, and while he knew that identity and individualism was important to every Fraggle, and thus encouraged in anyone they associated with, there was something different about the way Lexi was talking about it here.

"So, if he likes you being honest with him, and you think he might like you back, I think you know what you have to do." He looked at her, tilting his head some. "Then why come to me first?"

It was an honest question, but not one he meant in offense. There was something here that was keeping Lexi from going straight to Gobo about this, whether it was her still figuring out if she did indeed like him like that, or something else entirely. Asking her about it might be an opening she needs to talk about.. whatever it is.

Lexi scowled at him. She knew Louie was pretty hippie-dippie, but... "You really have to ask that? He's a Fraggle, Louie! People wouldn't get it, and... Besides, he's not even from here. What if he decides to go back to the Rock?"

"No offense, but you're a little further 'not from here'," and yes he did air quotes, "than the Fraggle is."

Chuckling some, he gave her a smile as he kicked his legs, setting the hammock swinging just slightly. "Besides, who cares if people get it, so long as you're happy? Look at some of the other couples you know. Heck, look at how it was when you were first getting who you were. You ultimately didn't care what 'other people'," more air quotes, "might or might not get then.

"Why's it so different now?"

Lexi looked down at her lap for a good, long moment. No, she hadn't wound up caring what others thought of her with that, but... There was a big difference here.

Actually, there was a small difference here. About two feet tall.

"Yeah, well, this time it's not just me who they wouldn't get. And I know! I know Gobo wouldn't care, either, and that if anyone gave him a hard time, they'd get their ass handed to them one way or another! But... He shouldn't have to worry about it at all."

He looked at her, quietly considering. Then, expression light and voice gentle but serious, he spoke.

"That's not your decision. That's Gobo's. It's up to him to decide if he would, or should, worry about that sort of thing."

She knew he was right, deep down... And the idea that - maybe - Gobo would want to be with her despite what anyone thought; despite how strange it may seem? It was nice to think about.

But it left her with one clear course of action, and that made her gulp.

"I gotta talk to him."

He nodded once; that was just what he wanted to hear.

"If you'd like some privacy to talk to him, I can summon him here? There's an enchanted Fraggle Hole not that far away."

Here was at least quieter than the Manor on any given day, even with half its usual inhabitants living halfway across the country.

Lexi leaned forward and placed her hands between her knees. She took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Yeah. I think that's a good idea. Thanks, man."

He smiled and nodded, then hopped off the hammock with all the difficulty attributed to such devices. Walking across the yard, he went around to a wood pile by the toolshed. It was stacked in such a way that left an impossible looking gap down in the middle, and it was into this gap that Louie reached. His fingers touched a sigil marked there, and a pulse of light went out from it, then travelled back into the darkness of the pile and down before disappearing.

"Alright, that should reach him soon. I'm gonna head inside to give you guys some room to talk." As he passed his goods left on the lawn, he snickered and waved a finger. "And no touching. That goes for Gobo too."

With a wink and a smile, he walked inside and shut the sliding door behind him.

It was a well-rounded five minutes before anything happened over at the wood pile. Movement could be spotted deep into the shadows and then, after a momentary delay, Gobo leaned his head out and looked around. Spotting Lexi in the yard, he brightened and walked over to her, raising a hand.

"Hey there! Was that you who called me up?"

Despite her nerves, she couldn't help a smile when he popped out. She noticed how he perked up right away when he saw her, too, and her smile just grew at that.

"Kinda? Louie called, 'cause I wanted to talk to you." She patted the arm of the lawn chair she was seated in. "C'mere?"

He was curious, but she seemed happy so it didn't seem bad. Wonder what it was about?

Walking over, he easily hopped up to the arm of the chair, using a bit of the seat to do it. Once he was settled, he looked at her with a smile.

"What's up?" As he relaxed in place, his tail idly curled around him, draped across Lexi's wrist as it rested.

Why did that feel so right, that casual and familiar contact? Okay, so she knew why. It just had never been this easy before, even with all the complications.

"Well... I've been thinking about something, but I want you to know there's, you know, no pressure, okay? Because... Well, I don't even know for sure what you'll think about this, but also because it'd be this whole thing. There's so many differences to deal with..."

...

Nope, he was already lost.

"Uh, alright. Take it a little at a time, okay?"

She seemed confused about something, but maybe baby steps can have her sort it out (and have him understand).

She sighed and nodded. Alright, she could handle this - she was Alexandria Duck, she could talk her way through anything.

"Gobo, I- I want you to know something. It's important, but it's not a big deal- No! It is a big deal, but just... It's not anyone else's business, you know? Not that I don't- Ugh." She dragged her hands down her face. Okay, she could talk her way through almost anything - but not this. So if she didn't have the words for what she was trying to convey...

She closed her eyes, leaned in, and kissed him. It was quick, and simple, but it felt so sweet - and at least it got her to stop talking. When she pulled back, she did so just barely, her face just a couple of inches from Gobo's as she watched him carefully.

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