you gotta be iconic

Distracted as Boomer sipped from the flask, he hadn’t noticed that Melody was now staring at the bruise on his face that reflected in the club lighting. His flushed cheeks from the warmth of the alcohol and the crowded bar probably made it stand out even more, but it was again something that Boomer had easily forgotten about. He was used to being covered in bruises from all the fights he’d been a part of over the years, this was nothing new. What he wasn’t used to was anyone showing concern for his injuries, first with the ones on his knuckles and now the ones on his face.

He wasn’t sure what to expect when he asked Melody if she wanted to get out of there, but her kissing his cheek so close to his lips certainly wasn’t what he had in mind. His heart was racing, and now he really wanted to get out of there... Was this for real? He could already feel himself wanting to be around the twin more... wanting more. Still, both his brothers' voices rang in his head about hooking up instead of actually dating. To stop focusing on his emotions so much. But how could he? How did they make it seem so easy?

He smiled as Melody surprisingly agreed, though maybe it shouldn’t have been that surprising based on the kisses she’d just given him. He knew that getting her out of this crowded area would be proven difficult with the way she’d already been stumbling just moments ago, but he was up to the task of getting her out of there in one piece. With Melody already in his lap, Boomer took it upon himself to wrap his arms around her as he stood up, practically scooping her up so he could carry her out the door. He ignored any stares they may have received as he pushed back other people in the club, waiting until they were outside in the cold before he asked, “… you’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer2

As soon as she agreed to leaving with him, the model found herself being taken within his arms as Boomer stood up. Gasping, she wrapped her own arms around his shoulders as to steady herself, only for the blonde to then start moving towards the direction of the clubs exit. Though her gaze was still rather glossed, Melody’s eyes widened a tad as she glanced around, taking note of his haste as they moved until the pair was finally outside of the club. The cold air had then hit her exposed skin, causing the ravenette to shiver within his arms— her jacket had been left back with her colleagues, but it was much too late for her to go back for it now. Instead, she huddled closer to him for warmth just as he questioned if she had a fear of heights.

Confused, she glanced back up at Boomer, only to then shake her head in response. It has yet to dawn to Melody exactly what he meant by that, having not yet put two and two together on who the blonde actually was. She hasn't realized that he wasn’t just an ex of her twin, but rather also a super-powered being. One who in which has taken part in fighting against her own friends during countless occasions— a fact in which she should remembering. And yet her mind was still so hazy to consider any of that. Essentially, Melody has yet to realize that Boomer could hurt her if he wanted to, but none of his intentions at the moment felt like he would. “I’m not afraid.”

Millie was glad that despite the obvious shock of all this news, her sister was still there to love and support her. It must’ve been a lot for her to process after being gone for her modeling career, but her twin seemed to return just in time to ensure she was okay. Which, obviously she wasn’t as tears poured from her eyes, but eventually she would be. She just needed more time to grieve what she’d lost. The kiss Melody gave her and the tightened grip on her hug did help Millie to feel better just a little bit, the flow of her tears finally slowing down.

They both seemed to be at a loss of words for a moment, instead just taking in the comfort and processing everything together. Now that her sister was back home, Millie mentally promised to make sure she didn’t keep anything from Melody anymore; no matter what, they needed to be transparent with each other, otherwise it would lead to more moments like this. There was too much to catch her up on and now she was overwhelmed with the craziness of it all. Thankfully her sister was still there for her regardless. “You don’t have to apologize for focusing on your work,” Millie sniffled sadly, though it was comforting to know that her twin wasn’t planning on leaving again anytime soon. “But I’m so glad you’re finally back…” Finally, Millie slowly lifted her head to meet her sister’s gaze. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: millie )#millie1

It was moments like this in where Melody would find herself wondering if pursuing her interest for modeling had been worth it. After all, there was once a point in time where both she and her sister were put into acting, a field in which their family had assumed both girls would end up enjoying especially with an aunt who was well known within the acting world herself, and though Millie found herself loving it, the younger of the two never felt like acting was the field she belonged in. She never felt quiet right when it came to acting, unlike Millie who was a natural in doing so, which is why Melody’s focus then began to lean more towards modeling and fashion. However, by choosing a field that was similar to her sisters yet still different, that caused the two to be apart from one another during certain periods of times. Such as recently, with Melody being away from home for months— it’s no wonder there was so much she missed out on. She would have been there for Millie sooner if she could have.

“I’m glad I’m finally back too.” She repeated back to her twin. And she meant it, she was glad to be back home. Getting the chance to travel and connect with new people thanks to her job was a nice perk, but nothing beats being able to come back home to her loved ones. And there was no other plans to travel again in the works, though even if there was, Melody thinks she will go for local jobs for the time being. If only so she and Millie had extra time to spend with each other and make up for lost time. As her twin met her gaze, the younger of the two gently smiled. “I don’t know what I’d do without you either, but let’s not worry about that anymore, okay?” She claimed, even as she thought of how she has confidence that her sister could handle her own if she needed to. Millie was smart and charismatic, she could get herself out of any situation, but Melody was here now so there was no need for her sister to do things on her own again. “I really missed you so much, Millie.” With a faint chuckle and feeling herself starting to get emotional, the model released her hold on her twin to rub the bottom of her eye. “You know, I figured coming back home would be emotional, but didn’t expect for it to be this emotional— maybe we should do something more light-hearted and fun instead?”

Upon meeting Millie’s twin, it was a trip to see how different the two sisters were from one another despite being identical. Melody already seemed much more gentle and sweet just through this small interaction, but perhaps Boomer was just biased — he had an entirely different perspective on Millie after she’d cheated on him. He had considered her gentle and sweet too in the beginning, but that perspective had changed entirely. Still, Melody seemed much more caring about others feelings than her sister.

She seemed shocked by the news of the cheating, which confirmed to Boomer that Millie probably kept this information from her sister for a reason. He nodded in confirmation, silence filling the space between the two as Melody was likely processing his words. He wondered if she planned to talk to her sister about this afterwards.

As Melody began to apologize, he couldn’t help but notice the way she changed the phrasing of her words, as if it would make Boomer feel any better. Obviously she didn’t know. She even tried defending her sister, insisting she wasn’t a bad person, but Boomer found that hard to believe; his view on her was entirely jaded. On the other hand, it was unexpected of Melody to attempt to find a way to make it up to him. It once again showed how much different the two sisters were. “Huh?” He said at first, surprised by the question. “I… I don’t know.” He was suddenly at a loss, flattered by the offer but knowing that at the end of the day, there wasn’t really much Melody could do to make it better. “You don’t need to do anything,” he finally continued, shaking his head. “None of it was your fault. But … thanks.”

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer1

Melody was unsure on what to do. It was shocking enough to find out that she hardly knew about her sisters relationship with the Rowdyruff, but now she was aware of how things ended between them and how clearly hurt the blonde was by her sisters actions. She wished she had known about the two sooner, maybe then she would know of a better way to make things up to Boomer. Or at the very least, she could defend Millie’s actions better. Although, regardless of what she were to say, it truly doesn’t justify her twin in cheating on him.

As he confirmed what she already assumed, the model still sighed. “I’m sorry she hurt you.” Melody decided to apologize once again. If there was nothing she could do to make up for her sisters wrong doings, then the least she could do is continue to apologize for it, especially when knowing that Millie most likely wouldn’t do so anytime soon. If she was apologetic at all. “I’m sorry for not knowing about this sooner either because if I had…..” She trailed off, only to half-heartedly shrugged. Melody has not been back in the isle in so long, even if she had been told about any of this sooner, what difference would that have made? Nothing most likely. Or perhaps, she could’ve influenced her sister from not cheating if she had known, or perhaps it would’ve still occurred. Who knows.

Not feeling right in leaving things this way but still unsure of what to do, her phone suddenly light up, distracting her. Breaking her gaze, Melody saw her twins name flash on her screen, causing her to faintly smile. “I need to go.” She announced, looking back up at Boomer after reading her sisters message. Though she made no movement to go “You sure there isn’t anything I can do? Can I get you a drink or something before I go?"

ferdiefields

Melody gasping multiple times during his recounting of events was exactly the reaction he had expected; what else could she be but shocked that things had turned so violent so suddenly? It was an upsetting story, and as bad a reputation as the three Rowdyruff boys had for being predisposed to aggression, Ferdie didn’t think anyone had Boomer picking a fight with Morty on their 2024 bingo cards (talk about misplaced anger.) He nodded in answer of Melody's first question—that her sister’s ex had indeed called her a slut—and then shrugged noncommittally at her next couple about the state of his own twin. “As I said: concussed, broken hand, busted face. I wouldn’t call him fine, but he’s at home recovering, so he will be once his injuries heal up…Don’t worry, he’s being well taken care of,” Ferdie assured his friend, adding, “Bubbles only just left his side this morning after sleeping over for two nights.”

It had been unsurprising that Bubbles had wanted to stay with Morty for so long after getting back from the hospital; the two had already been practically glued at the hip since they’d gotten back together, so having even more of an excuse to stick together could only exacerbate it. It was sweet, really. Ferdie was happy for them, and he liked Bubbles…but he was eager to get out of the apartment and spend time with his best friend after a few days cooped up with America’s Cutest Couple. He wondered, though, as Melody shifted the collar of her shirt and revealed a noticeable hickey on her skin, if she had a little romance of her own going on. He knew she probably wouldn’t bring it up on her own with the current conversation being so serious, so he’d have to give her the floor to dish about her personal news—it was only fair after he’d taken lead with the news involving their siblings. “That’s all on that. So what’s going on in your corner of paradise?” he asked, raising his brows and giving a short but pointed glance at her clavicle.

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: ferdie )#ferdie1

Stupefied by the news, Melody didn’t know what to think or say. What can she even say? She had just found out that the guy she had recently slept with had purposely harmed one of her closes friends, and not only that, but he referred to her own sister by a derogatory name! Her face paled even more. Oh gosh, and Millie is her twin— as if hooking up with her twins ex hadn’t been bad enough, but now knowing how Boomer truly felt about her? He must have thought Melody was as much of a slut as her twin was— after all, she certainly was easy to hook up with. The model pushed the pastry towards the side, having lost her appetite for the dessert entirely despite Ferdie’s generosity in buying it for her, she just could not eat another bite right now. “…..That’s good to hear.” She muttered, trying to focus on the main issue at hand. How Boomer viewed her wasn’t of importance right now, but rather the fact that Morty was injured because of the Rowdyruff despite him being innocent in all of this. Though hearing her friend mention how Bubbles had been with him this entire time, she frowned some more, her mind going back to her sister. As comforting as it was to hear that the Powerpuff didn’t want to leave Morty’s side after what happened, Melody could only imagine how hard Millie would take this news once she's told about it. and how much harder it would be for her to know that it was Bubbles who got to be there as Morty recovers. She shook her head. This whole thing was devastating.

Still lost for words, she almost was relieved when Ferdie closed that topic of their conversation, but as soon as her calm arrived it went away by the mere look her friend was giving her. His wording of paradise confused her for a second, but as soon as Melody realized where he was gesturing to with his gaze, the model smacked a hand against her collarbone. “Nothing!” She hastily uttered, though she knew it was too late— Ferdie had seen the hickey! Melody’s cheeks redden. Having left in such a haste earlier that morning, she completely forgotten to cover up any of the marks Boomer had left, hoping that her clothing would’ve been enough before anyone could see. Thankfully, they were mostly within areas that aren’t often so visible, but now she was wishing she had spent the extra few minutes back home to have put some foundation over them. “Truly— I went out last night to a club with a couple of colleagues, we drank, and I ended up having a few extra more drinks than intended.” She explained, starting with the honest truth of how her pervious night began. “Then I ran into someone familiar, we both got to talking, then one thing lead to another…..” Melody momentarily paused, unsure. “We ended up sleeping together.”

Melody seemed to be in a daze as she was swooped into Boomer’s lap — likely due to the alcohol. Though she claimed to be alright, the Rowdyruff wasn’t too sure about that; perhaps he was in a daze himself. He swore he could feel her eyes on him as he glanced away to pull out his flask, purposely avoiding her gaze. Once he pulled out the flask though, her attention was clearly focused elsewhere.

Considering how often Boomer got into fights as a Rowdyruff boy, bruising was never a concern for him. Even as the sensitive one of the trio, he’d learned at a young age to suck it up and not be a baby in front of his brothers. There was no sympathy with them — so when Melody commented on his knuckles, ignoring the offered flask, it caught Boomer off guard. Instinctively, Boomer flexed his fingers to glance at his bruised knuckles at a different angle, becoming more aware of them now that the twin had pointed them out.

Before he could collect his thoughts, Melody grabbed his hand in her own. His hand flinched at her touch, not due to pain but due to the unexpected gentleness that came with her grasp. “No..” he trailed off, the pain that came with fighting something he was much used to by now. Despite his answer, Melody brought his knuckles up to her lips and kissed them. His eyes widened in surprise as her soft lips touched his skin, suddenly thinking of Millie again. It was as if Boomer was dreaming right now — for the tenderness Melody possessed was something he had wanted when dating Millie, even Bubbles too. Had Boomer dated the wrong twin all along? The wrong person?

The thought made him break his gaze from hers and take a swig from the flask, not thinking about the risk of getting caught by any employees in the establishment. By the time he mentally questioned if drinking more was such a good idea or not, it was already too late. His face felt flushed and warm, and the crowdedness of the bar didn’t help. Before he knew it, he blurted out without a second thought, “You wanna get out of here?”

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer2

She was acting out of instincts, or perhaps out of drunkenness— it could be either or but who knows. What was apparent right in this instance is that Melody had pressed a kiss against each single knuckle of his, directly on every bruise, until she reached the final one. Did she truly believed that kissing them would help the bruise heal? Most likely not. It was rather out of the ordinary for the model to even be doing such a bold act, and yet, here she was doing so.

Once her lips had pressed against his final bruise, Melody pulled back. She then took the risk in glancing back at him, noticing how Boomer’s gaze had been torn away from her as he instead took another sip out of his flask. The blondes inability to match her gaze did not deter the model, however, as that instead presented the sight of the bruise he had on his cheek once again. She stared. Should she?

It would be even bolder of her if she did. If kissing the back of his hand had already been so out of character for her, than surely going forth and kissing his bruised cheek would be abnormal. Especially when Melody has yet to know Boomer like that. He was her sister’s ex, yet one whom she hadn’t known about until recently. He should be a stranger to her—an enemy even—yet he wasn’t exactly that either. Even so, she continued to focus on his cheek, not yet uttering a single word but she didn’t need to for then the blonde suddenly asked if she wanted to get out of here. Melody blinked, not fully registering his words. She truly wasn’t thinking clearly—she must’ve drank more than she thought—for the older twin didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned forward and now pressed a soft kiss against his cheek, lips grazing so very close to his own.

The kiss was as quick as it happened, and once she did it and pulled back, the model met his blue gaze. The smart thing to do is to go back to her co-workers. They must have been waiting for her this entire time. But the bar was still overly crowded, it would still take forever to gain any bartenders attention, and honestly, Melody didn’t even want to bother. Instead, as she held his gaze, she found herself nodding. “Yeah, I do.”

ferdiefields

It had been too long since Ferdie and Melody had come here together—in fact their first time at their favorite old bakery since he had moved back home after university even though he’d come back last summer. He had come here without her a handful of times since his return, but of course it wasn’t the same. He smiled as she remarked that he remembered her favorite dessert, like of course, and only hoped that the news he had actually called her to share wouldn’t spoil her appetite…He had come prepared with all the actually gory details. “Big mess involving our siblings,” Ferdie clarified when asked about the news he brought. Back in the day, that could have meant Morty and Millie breaking up or getting back together again based on the frequency at which those two things happened over the years, but nobody could mistake that for a possibility now.

With how in love Morty and Bubbles were, it would probably take an Earth-shattering event to separate them. But that didn’t mean there still couldn’t be drama surrounding them and Millie—through no fault of their own, but a mutual connection gone sour. Ferdie trusted that Melody already knew the backstory between all the ex couples at play in this situation, but he knew that Morty had only told direct family (him, their moms, and their aunt and uncle) about his recent hospital stint and was perhaps talking to Millie today, so unless Bubbles or Dewey had already spilled the tea to everyone (unlikely) that meant nobody had yet had a chance to break it to Melody. As the closest of friends, it only felt appropriate for them to rekindle their old dine and dish sessions with the most juicy gossip their families had seen in a while.

“You’ll never guess who picked a fight with Morty,” he said, sarcasm tinting his tone, because what other answer was there than the guy who had also dated two of the women Morty had dated, and was a volatile Rowdyruff boy to boot? But just in case Melody didn’t pick up immediately anyway, Ferdie gave the answer: “Boomer Jojo.” Setting his jaw, he mentally prepared himself to tell the full story without inserting too much emotion, because as compelling as it was as a piece of gossip to share, it also kind of pissed him off. Ferdie wasn’t someone who angered easily, but of course anyone that hurt his family—especially his twin brother—would get under his skin. He could only imagine Melody would feel the same once she heard what the blonde Rowdyruff had said about her own twin.

“Apparently Boomer blames Morty for his break-ups with Bubbles and Millie,” he explained. “So they bumped into each other on the street, Boomer started going off on him about—” Ferdie waved his hand to suggest untranslatable nonsense, pressing his lips together. This was a nice bakery, so he lowered his voice, leaning towards Melody across the table so she could hear him, but hopefully nobody else would. The rest of the story was conveyed in a hushed rush, “He called Millie a slut, Morty swung on him, Boomer swung back and wouldn’t stop until Bubbles tackled him…Morty ended up with a broken hand and a concussion. And you don’t even want to see his face.” Ferdie winced. It hurt him just to look at his brother. “In essence, we’re not so identical right now.” He leaned back in his seat now, returning to a normal volume.

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: ferdie )#ferdie1

Cutting out a small piece of her cake with her fork, Melody was only able to take in that single bite as Ferdie clarified that the news involved their siblings. A big mess of a news to be precise. The model blinked. Hearing that something happened involving both of their siblings wasn’t exactly new— Since back when they were all still in high school, Morty and Millie has been a constant thing. They dated for the very first time back then—(Melody assuming that they were each other’s very first relationship for that matter)—but since their high school days, her twin sister’s relationship with Ferdie’s twin brother hasn’t exactly been so liner. The two were constantly breaking up and making up, even dating new people in-between before they got back together. Melody didn’t even need to be around to be aware of the ins-and-outs of her sisters relationship with Morty. Millie would always tell her whenever she got back together with him. And yet, knowing all that, the model looked at her friend with confusion.

“What happened?” She questioned, trying to figure out if there was anything else Millie had recently told her that she may have forgotten. The news couldn’t involve the two being back together— the recent and fresh reminder of how her twin had broken down within her arms as she disclosed the fact that Morty was now together with Bubbles. It was a heartbreaking sight, Melody never seeing her sister in such a state before, and with the additional fact of knowing that Morty had wanted to pause things completely with her sister and merely stay as friends with her? There’s no possible way that whatever this big mess was involved the two being back together again. Unless, this was Ferdie’s way of informing Melody that his brother was in love with someone else in the off chance her sister hadn’t mentioned this to her? Melody didn’t think that was the case. However, she couldn’t help but foresee that the relationship between Morty and Bubbles would cause a rift between them and Millie the longer the two are together.

Plucking her fork back into the slice, her best friend elaborated on the news. She gasped as Ferdie mentioned someone picking a fight with Morty, her confusion becoming more prevalent as Melody wasn’t sure of who it was despite the obvious sarcasm dripping within her friends tone. But she didn’t need to spend much time wondering, because soon after he mentioned the person’s name— Melody gasped even louder. Boomer Jojo. As in Millie’s recent ex-boyfriend? The same ex-boyfriend whom her twin had also recently confessed in cheating on? And the same ex-boyfriend who the model hadn’t realized her sister had even been dating because she didn’t view her relationship with him as important enough to mention, and only did so up until recently because said ex-boyfriend of her twin sister had mistaken Melody for Millie when he first saw her. That Boomer Jojo. The fact that she had been with the blonde a mere couple of hours ago as this newfound information was being dropped onto her had caused the color to drain from Melody’s face. But oh Ferdie wasn’t done with his explanation, for he then went on to tell her about how Boomer blamed Morty for his breakup with Millie and Bubbles, and how his twin had randomly bumped into the Rowdyruff which spun into a fight between them. And the way Ferdie leaned in and spoke with a hushed tone as he mentioned Boomer calling her sister a ‘slut’— that caused Melody’s stomach to turn. "He called her that?"

Speechless by the news, she didn’t know how to respond. She was shocked to find out that a friend of her’s had gotten hurt, but then her mind immediately went towards Millie. Oh, how her sister was going to be even more devastated once she found out if she didn’t already know. But then a flashed reminder of her noticing Boomer’s bruised knuckles the night before and of how she had pressed her lips against them— being completely unaware of the true nature of how he had gotten those bruises. Instead, she allowed careless actions of kissing his knuckles and oblivious nature in leading her to kissing his other injuries Boomer sported. Which then lead to them leaving the club altogether for somewhere more private and— “…..Morty’s fine now, isn’t he?…..He’s safe and sound?” She shakenly was able to make out, adjusting the collar of her shirt and unknowing allowing the fresh mark of a hickey on her collarbone to be visible. Anything more, and Melody just might vomit out the little bits of food she just ate.

“Thanks for inviting me here.” Melody thanked, as Ferdie placed their pastries against the table before taking a seat across from her. They were sitting by the window to a favorite spot of theirs— a simple yet charming looking bakery that sold one of her favorite pastries— Maple apple upside down cake. Not the most unique of desserts and she’s definitely had her fair share of many throughout the years, from multiple establishments at that. But this place in particular had the best recipe of all, and ever since discovering it back when the two of them were in the beginning years of high school, the pair has made it a point to stop by at least once throughout the month. But of course once they had gotten older and Ferdie moved away to attend college in England, while Melody’s molding career started to sky rocket, visiting this place became much scarce. But now that the two of them were once again living within Destiny Isle, it felt nice to potentially start up this tradition with him. Besides, she quite missed spending time with the brunette, and even after being back home for a few weeks now, the two hadn’t gotten the chance to spend any of it until this very moment.

Noticing that he had bought the model her favorite pastry, a bright smile appeared on Melody’s face. “You remembered!” She beamed, reaching over for her dessert fork. She wanted to dig right in, having craved the apple pastry for so long now, but the ravenette held off as she once again glanced back at her friend. “Outside of this quality time together, what do I owe the pleasure of this sudden invite?” She inquired, remembering how the text she received from Ferdie was stated to be urgent on what he had to tell her. And in that same matter, there was something she wanted to tell him too. After the past night she’s had involving a certain ex of her own twin sister and even the realization of this past morning— Ferdie felt like the best person she needed to speak to. But first, his news. “You mentored it was important?” ( @ferdiefields )

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: ferdie )#ferdie1

Melody always knew how to soothe Millie. It had felt like so long since she last was so close to her, able to be completely real with her and still have each other's backs. The older twin really meant it when she said she didn't feel like herself when the other was away for too long. Melody's fingers continued raking through Millie's hair until she revealed Boomer's brother's involvement. Millie avoided her sister's gaze, but she could hear the shock in her voice as she trailed off. Melody was obviously at a loss for words, so Millie took the opportunity to fill her in on Morty next.

Her sister's soothing fingers returned to their previous movement in her hair as Millie grew visibly more upset. The twin nodded in confirmation despite Melody's disbelief, remembering all too clearly what Morty had said that day. By the time her sister processed it all, tears were trickling down her cheeks. Millie's head fell onto her sister's shoulder as she finally let it all out, arms wrapping tightly around her as she cried. "It's been so hard, Melly.." She confessed between tears, not letting go of Melody. Watching two people she loved, one platonically and one romantically, love each other after all their shared history was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions — happy that they were happy, but also heartbroken at the thought of them together, jealous even. She'd done her best thus far to be supportive of the couple, even having a friendly sleepover with Bubbles and catching up after hearing the news, but deep down she was still hurt, still processing and moving on. "I'm so sorry for not telling you sooner," she mumbled sadly into Melody's shoulder, still unable to pull herself together. It was emotionally exhausting for Millie to put on the mask for her loved ones since hearing the news, to put her feelings aside so Bubbles and Morty could be happy, but right now she didn't have to. There was no one around she needed to pretend for; Millie was safe to cry in her sister's arms.

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: millie )#millie1

The news of Morty and Bubbles came as a complete shock to Melody considering the extensive history Morty had with her twin. Since they were young, Millie had developed feelings for the eldest of the Fields twins. The Mo girls and the Fields boys growing up so close and tight nit to one another all due to their aunt Minnie being married to the boys uncle Mickey. The four of them even went to the same schools as one another, so it made sense that with the closeness they each had with one another, that at some point one or two of them would potentially develop romantic feelings for one another. It certainly hadn’t been her or Ferdie, bespectacled twin being the one between the two whom Melody was the most closes with yet he wasn’t attracted or romantically interested in girls at all. She never viewed him in a romantic light anyways. But Millie on the other hand? Even before her twin confessed to her about the romantic feelings she harbored for Morty, the younger always saw how fond and enamored for him her sister was. And so, Melody had always hoped that one day the two of them would get together so her sister could be happy. And a moment there, that seemed to be exactly where things were heading when years later, she and their other friends learned that the two were dating.

As Millie hid her face against her shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around her, it was no shock to anyone when her twin began to fall into tears about this revelation. The sight alone caused Melody’s own heart to break, clutching the older close as she continued to run her fingers through her long hair in attempts to sooth her. “I know, Mimi. I know.” Melody replied, still loss for words on what to say. Morty and Bubbles. She knew the blonde was equally as close to Morty as her sister was—in fact, all three of them were quite the tight nit circle of their own, square even when counting Dewey—but certainly that would mean Bubbles had known all along how Millie felt for Morty? Then again, it wasn’t like the two hadn’t broken up many times throughout the years, her sister being the one to break things off whenever she and Morty would get into a bad disagreement with each other. They’ve even dated other people (Boomer being a very clear example of this despite the irrelevance of their relationship to Millie), but then the two of them would find themselves reconnecting and getting back together again. The entire time, her twins love for him never once wavering. It came to a point where for as much as Melody didn’t agree with how frequent their on again and off again relationship status had been, she had also hoped that one day the two of them would find a point where they only wanted to be together again. Which is why she had thought Morty was the one Millie cheated on Boomer with. He was the only person she could imagine her sister doing such a thing with, so to also know it wasn’t Morty at all but rather a sibling of Boomer’s? Was Morty and Bubbles together at the time Millie had been dating Boomer, is that why? No, that wouldn’t make sense with everything the model knew. At the very least, her twin would surely have mentioned that to her even if it broke her heart in having to admit to this kind of reality.

“Its okay, I understand completely on why you didn’t.” Melody replied, pressing a gentle kiss against the crown of her sisters head. Was she happy to have found out about all of this now? Of course not, but she gets it. “I’m sorry it took me this long to get back home to you. I’m sure you needed me around after learning the two of them were together, and yet I was so far away from you.” As she made her own apology, the younger of the two tighten her hold. “But I’m here now, and I’m not planning on leaving you anytime soon, okay?”

Boomer noticed Melody's expression shift too, like she regretted the words once she recognized their significance. It already hadn't felt good, knowing that Millie didn't like the Rowdyruff boy enough to be loyal ( or even simply be honest ), but now knowing that he was so insignificant in his ex's life that even her twin was unaware he existed — a punch in the gut felt better than this. Still, none of this was Melody's fault.

"Right," the blonde nodded, but Melody's attempted reassurance didn't do much to ease his disappointment. If anything, it only felt like she was pitying him now. Knowing what happened between him and Millie, chances were high that telling Melody didn't simply slip her mind. She was embarrassed, ashamed. He wondered if she felt embarrassed because she had dated Boomer or because she cheated on Boomer — possibly both. Butch had certainly been right about Millie pity-dating him.

The Rowdyruff boy sighed again as he prepared to rip the bandage off: "I mean she cheated on me." A moment of silence followed, the blonde glancing down at his feet as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't bother to mention his brother's involvement or the fact that Boomer had caught them in the act. He preferred not to talk about it. "... So I'm not sure it actually did slip her mind." Unless he seriously was that forgettable, which could very well be true at this rate. He shook his head, suddenly realizing he was burdening Millie's twin sister of all people with his heartache. How embarrassing. "Anyways, I don't want to keep wasting your time. It sounds like you and your sister have a lot to catch up on, so..."

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer1

Melody tried her hardest to reassure Boomer that his relationship with her sister hadn’t been as insignificant as it may have seem. But even with her attempts to do so, it was clear to the both of them that Millie likely didn’t care for the blonde at all. If she had, the model would have already known who he was or at the very least, knew his name. But here the two of them were. Melody awkwardly smiled at him, having not the farthest idea on what else to say that could make this entire situation any better.

And it seemed like she didn’t need to, for the blonde confessed to what Millie had done. Hearing the words “she cheated on me” coming out of his mouth, Melody looked at him with shocked. “—She cheated?!” The model repeated, in disbelief. In hindsight, considering what she so far had learned about their past relationship, it would make sense this had been the outcome if her twin truly never felt so strongly for Boomer. But even if her relationship with him had been nothing more than as a distraction for a short period of time, Melody would have at least hoped that her sister would know better to break up with him rather than cheat on him. Yet, the way he stared at the ground after confessing what she had done before reaffirming that it may have been intentional that her sister never mentioned him to her before, she frowned.

“I’m so sorry, Boomer, I didn’t kn—” As she began to make her apology, Melody cut herself off before she could finish what she was about to stay. Instead, she ruefully smiled at him. “I’m sorry she did that to you.” Is what she merely decided to say. “I know there isn’t any excuse for Mille doing so or for how she treated you, but please know she’s not such a bad person.” Maybe her actions weren’t so great, and it was more likely that her twin had not been in the best mental state at the time she and Boomer dated, but that still didn’t excuse her sister from hurting him. “How can I make it up to you?”

Boomer was still trying to wrap his head around how Melody didn't think he was an idiot, eyebrows furrowed curiously. She must have been really drunk, the Rowdyruff boy concluded as he still felt her hands lingering on his arm. He didn't exactly know what the twin did or didn't know about recent events related to Boomer, or whether she ever figured out who Millie cheated on him with, but he wondered if maybe she just felt bad for him.

"Pretty much," Boomer answered honestly. He could even recall Millie calling him an idiot while they were together, although she had said it in a teasing tone followed by a playful push on his chest. Jokingly or not, it was a word that was said toward Boomer so often that it was practically a nickname, especially from his brothers. In fact, besides Melody, he couldn't think of anyone else who didn't consider him an idiot. Hearing that she disagreed with the majority of people was actually refreshing. His expression softened, but only momentarily as he suddenly watched Melody stumble back. He must have been right about the heels, noticing how wobbly she was as she tightened her grip on him. "Seriously, you should probably sit," he ignored her apology, ready to stand and let her use his stool until she attempted to reassure him. The blonde smiled again, unable to help but be amused by how much Melody was trying to fool him — she wasn't an actress like her sister, that was for sure.

Before Boomer could say anything else, a person brushing past the two of them from behind caused Melody to stumble again, and the Rowdyruff boy instinctively reached his arm out to stop her from falling. The next set of movements happened so quickly — his arm firmly wrapped around Melody's waist, then he swiftly pulled her so she landed right onto his lap. "Hey, watch it," Boomer snapped at the stranger, who was already out of earshot and didn't even bother to turn around. "Dickhead."

With Melody sitting lightly on his knee and his arm resting around her waist, he asked, "You good?" He wasn't sure if she would fall if he moved his arm, so he left it there hesitantly. It was that moment when he suddenly became aware of how close the two were to each other; quick flashes of past moments with Millie suddenly resurfaced in his mind. He wasn't sure what was worse though: thinking of Millie right then or thinking of Brick. His brother's familiar voice echoed in the back of his head as Melody met his gaze — you gonna hook up with the twin sister to get back at her? Boomer suddenly had to distract himself from his brother's influences, remembering his flask and pulling it out of his pocket. He had to bring his other arm out in front of them to unscrew the lid, his bruised knuckles becoming more visible under the dim bar lights. Boomer didn't think twice about how his hand looked though, holding the flask toward the brunette. "Ordering a drink might take awhile — but I do have this?"

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer2

With the crowdedness of both the bar and the establishment as a whole, it was no wonder that eventually she would find herself stumbling once again. Only this time, it was due to being shoved by someone passing through. It all happened so suddenly for her— one second, the model had been using the blonde before her as a means to keeping her balance, and then the next, she found herself now sitting against his lap with his arm wrapped around her waist. Melody blinked.

She barely processed anything that happened, merely staring with vague confusion as Boomer tried to call out towards whoever had accidentally pushed her before calling that same person a “Dickhead" despite them being well away from earshot by now. It wasn’t until the blonde then redirected his attention back towards her is when the model snapped out of it. “Huh? Oh yes, I’m alright.” She replied, turning her head to look back at him. With this newfound position, they much closer now, her face just centimeters away from his. Oh, she blinked once again.

Melody could see the bruise on his cheek much clearer now. So someone had hurt him then. The mark was still rather faint, as if whoever had done so wasn’t able to leave a lasting bruise, or maybe it had been long enough where it was already around ninety percent healed. But even once, once again she wondered— what happened? This time around, she opened her mouth to question, yet before any of it could be uttered, a newfound injury caught her attention. The bruises on his knuckles. Due to the busyness of the bar and the lack of attention either of them were still getting from the bartenders, Boomer had gone and pulled out a flask from his pocket, but in the process he used his other hand and that is when she noticed the other marks. Does he often get hurt like this? She questioned to herself, just as he offered his flask to her. “You’re knuckles.” Melody instead said, still focused on the bruises he was sporting to even consider accepting the offered flask. Never mind the fact that he could potentially be kicked out if it was discovered he brought outdoor liquor into a private establishment. That was the least of importance right now.

Reaching over, she gently took his hand into her own. “Does it still hurt?” She found herself asking, grazing her fingers lightly against his knuckles. If she were much sober, Melody would have realized that the bruises Boomer was sporting were barely as severe as she was imagining them to be. And even if they were, they hardly would count as the worst of injuries he’s ever gotten. But she didn’t know any of that. Instead, what she did know was one thing— remembering of how both her parents and her aunt Minnie used to always kiss any injuries she or Millie used to get when they were little so that they could feel better and heal faster, without much thought, Melody brought his hand closer to her lips before leaving a kiss against each bruised knuckle.

eepyism

melody is important for an au that im doing

ANYWAYS LOOK AT THEM

#( people might say you’re a weirdo; might call you a freak : visage )#( ft. millie )#( ft. ferdie )#( ft. morty )#the accuracy of ferdie here lmao #and melody looks so cute!!!! they all do

One reason that Millie was ashamed to admit everything to Melody was exactly how her twin was looking at her right now — the pity. Millie didn't want people to feel bad for her because she did something stupid, stupidly caused by her obvious feelings that she couldn't erase for the guy who didn't love her back. Millie's stomach churned at the thought.

As Melody slid closer to her sister, Millie heard her twin's sigh and she closed her eyes. She knew her sister would be honest and straightforward with her response, and she was ready to hear it from her. Millie sighed next. "I know ... I didn't realize how sensitive he was," she confessed further. Not that it was a bad thing — the Rowdyruff boys just had a reputation of being bad and tough, but Boomer never really fit that description from Millie's perspective. "I still feel so awful about everything.."

With her sister's fingers soothingly raking through her hair, Millie was relieved that Melody hadn't been scared off yet. It was irrational to think she could scare her twin off at all, the girls would always be loyal to each other no matter what, but Millie couldn't help her fears. Besides, they hadn't even gotten into the worst of it yet. Melody seemed to read her mind as she continued, explaining how Boomer had only given some of the details of their breakup ... He saved the worst of it for Millie to confess. As soon as she asked if it was with Morty, Millie covered her face with her hands again. "No..." She mumbled against her palms, the sadness obvious in her voice. Morty was another part of the conversation that she could address after this, dropping her hands again as she revealed, "... It was with his brother." Her hands now resting in her lap, she looked down at her palms in shame. It was the first time she had to admit that out loud to anyone. "It was really bad, and ... Since you mentioned Morty.." She sighed again, this time heavier. "We decided to just stay friends not long after all this... He said—" We keep doing this because it's easy. It's comfortable. "— He said he's not in love with me..." Millie was fighting the tears threatening to fall from her eyes, her heart aching at the reminder. It only hurt more as she revealed the final update, the cherry on top of her hurt. Her voice cracked as she forced out, ".... And now Morty's with Bubbles."

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: millie )#millie1

Melody could tell that Millie was sorry for what she did. It could very well be her bias as her twin sister, but just by the tone of her sister’s voice when she expressed how awful she felt about everything, the model could tell she was being truthful. Did that mean what she had done hadn’t been wrong? Obviously not, Melody may not be judging her twin but that still did not negate the fact that Millie had cheated on someone, nor does it change the fact that cheating was wrong— but she was her sister, and if there was one thing she’ll do is always be there for her.

Continuing to run her fingers through her sister’s hair, the model had to admit, she was curious to know who it was Millie had cheated on Boomer with. Morty had been the obvious conclusion with the history her twin has with him, hence why she questioned if it had been with him. It would not surprise her if Millie fell back into old habits with him despite already being with someone at the time due to how strongly she felt for Morty. After all, for as long as Melody can remember, she's known that Millie was in love with Morty.

So, hearing Millie confirm that it wasn’t with Morty, Melody blinked. However, it was what her sister said after that had her pausing for a moment—trying to make sure she had heard her correctly. It was with Boomer’s brother whom she had cheated on him with? Her twin had covered her face with her hands, but a moment after, she allowed her hands to fall away, and with the evident shame she had on her face, the model’s eyes widen. “Millie….” Melody began, yet her words trailed off as she didn’t know what to say. Oh if cheating alone was bad, cheating with someone who was directly related to the person she had been dating was even worst. There were more questions that came to mind with that revelation, such as why didn’t she date Boomer’s brother if she had been more interested in him instead? Or even, did his brother know she had been dating Boomer before they had hooked up? But instead of asking any of those questions, the younger watched as her sister suddenly became even more emotional as Morty was brought up again. Resuming back with running her fingers through her twin’s hair, she listened as Millie told her what Morty had said to her recently. “He told you that?!” Melody questioned with an incredulous tone. “That doesn’t sound right. You two are each others first relationships— how can he not be in love with you?” As soon as she voiced that, the final reveal was made and turns out Morty was dating Bubbles now. “He’s dating Bubbles?!” She immediately gathered Millie into her arms. “Oh Mimi, I’m so sorry! It must have been so painful when you found out.”

The misunderstanding with Millie's identical twin did clear up some confusion, but then it also got Boomer thinking more ( and that never ended well ). Although there was a chance that Melody just simply didn't recognize him, there was also a chance that she really had never seen him before. Had Millie really never sent her a single picture of them while they dated? He knew they didn't really post about each other ( Boomer wasn't really active on his social media, though he couldn't say the same for Millie.. ), but he assumed they at least texted each other updates, including a picture of Boomer at the time she was seeing him. Something. Was he overthinking it?

Maybe he was, as he noticed Melody's cheeks also redden at the embarrassing interaction. Way to go Boomer, making things awkward. Still, it gave him a slight sense of relief; maybe Melody was embarrassed because now she was recognizing him. She even attempted to kindly brush it off, which he appreciated, and he matched her light smile. At least, until her next question. His smile fell as soon as he realized that, not only had he been right in his assumption that Millie had never even sent a picture of them to her twin, but she never even told Melody about Boomer at all. Was he really that much of a loser?

"She never told you about me.." Boomer trailed off at the realization, unable to hide the disappointment that now plagued his expression. This was even more embarrassing now, but he knew this wasn't Melody's fault. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he clarified, "It was during the summer.." He sighed as he realized something else, too. ".. She probably didn't tell you because of what she did."

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer1

Uh-Oh, perhaps she shouldn’t have asked him that, Melody thought. By questioning if it had been recent when he dated her sister, it was made very clear to the model that she should’ve said something else instead. He had just started to smile back at her in return, the confusion that started their interaction now suddenly coming right back the second she opened her mouth again with her question, thus causing his smile to fall in return.

Should she confirm to him that her twin hadn’t said anything? The blonde already looked as if she had tried to kick him down merely by him realizing that she wasn’t Millie in the first place, so would she want to hurt him even more by confirming to him that he may not have been significant enough to her twin for her to mention him? Although, it may not matter either way seeing how she already insinuated that he may not have been important with just her question alone. Oh, she felt regretful for doing that, but finding no other choice outside lying to him, Melody pitifully smiled at Boomer as a response. “Please don’t take it too personally — we haven’t had much time to speak to one another during the recent months, so it could’ve easily slipped her mind.” She tried to reassure, which wasn’t so far off from the truth. She had become even busier the past couple of months to chat with her twin for so long, however, there had been enough time for Millie to tell her she was seeing someone new.

Especially if it was during the summer when they dated, she frowned hearing that news but nodded head to show she was listening. Now Melody found it even stranger that Millie hadn’t told her about Boomer. Even if it had been a summer fling or a one-off kind of thing, normally her sister would’ve said something and yet— “What she did?” The model repeated his words, her brows furrowed together in confusion. Millie had done something to him? Not wanting to be one to assume, she tilted her head at him. “What? What do you mean by that?”

After the fight with Morty, resulting in Bubbles only being pissed at Boomer and making him feel even worse, the blonde Rowdryruff began to spiral even more after that. He was being even more self-destructive, evident by the fresh hole in his bedroom wall and the lingering cuts and bruises on his knuckles. He’d even gotten into another fight since he’d seen Bubbles, though it was evident that violence wasn’t exactly cutting it in trying to distract Boomer from everything. He was still clearly very down, but he continued to go out anyway to avoid sulking at home and getting bullied more by his brothers. So, tonight he had managed to sneak into this club, which proved to be easy with how packed it was. What wasn’t as easy was actually getting alcohol from the bar, with the crowd of people lined up trying to get the bartenders’ attention. Boomer had already pre-gamed before sneaking in, his flask in his back pocket, but he was almost tempted to swipe a bottle from behind the counter. It would be so easy with the bartenders so busy…

As Boomer contemplated stealing from the bar, his focus was broken as an elbow softly bumped into his arm. Turning his head, he immediately recognized the figure beside him, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. What were the chances, seriously? For a split second, Boomer had actually thought she was Millie again, just by her demeanor at first glance. He had already gotten chewed out by Bubbles for what he did to Morty, so of course he was expecting his other ex to do the same now, thankful that he’d already sipped from his flask beforehand to numb him from hurting too much over it. Instead of being met with anger though, she gently placed her hands on his arm and shoulder, apologizing... Oh, this wasn’t Millie. Recognizing that this was Melody now, Boomer’s eyebrows narrowed, her hands lingering on him still as he blurted out what had been on his mind. Her answer only surprised him more.

“No?” He repeated, as if maybe he hadn’t heard her correctly. It was loud in there after all, loud enough to where he didn’t even recognize Melody’s soft voice beside him just moments ago trying to get the bartender’s attention. This was probably the first time someone didn’t think Boomer was an idiot. Was she not pissed about what happened to Morty, too? Did she not know? If she hadn’t even known about Boomer and Millie dating before, it made him wonder if the twins were even really close at all. He glanced to where her hand still rested before meeting her gaze again. “Well, everyone else thinks I am,” he shrugged simply. Boomer had intended to say more, to bring up Millie and Morty and Bubbles, and even how he stupidly mistook Melody for Millie their first meeting (and sort of again tonight, not that she knew that), but he was distracted by her. He couldn't help but notice how different her touch felt to Millie's, how despite that she'd obviously been drinking, she was still so gentle. Was the alcohol the reason why she didn’t know what he was talking about? Maybe she even needed to keep her hands on him to hold herself steady, glancing down at the heels she wore that probably weren’t easy to walk in.. The blonde couldn’t hide the small smile that began to form as he asked, “Uh, do you need to sit down..?”

#( if they do just tell them you’re in real good company : interactions )#( c: boomer )#boomer2

Even taking their first interaction into account, Melody didn't view Boomer in a negative light. Sure, there was a brief moment where she feared that he may have been some stalker fan who found her, but even then it wasn’t actually him who she was scared of but rather the idea of him being someone who could otherwise turn out to being terrifying when encountered. But once he realized who she was, and even her connection to her sister, she still didn’t find a reason to feel discouraged when around him. He hardly gave her a reason to be. Even now, with the reality of knowing that it was her sister who had hurt him and Millie confirming that fact, the most the model thought of about the blonde was how painful things must be for him. After all, she could imagine how crushing it must have been when realizing that not only was the person you were dating and thought had feelings for you not only cheated on you, but the person they cheated with happened to be your own sibling. Melody couldn’t even fathom the thought of Millie sleeping with someone she had been dating but she could imagine how badly it must have hurt if something like that ever did happen.

“Everyone?” She frowned, hearing him say how everyone else viewed him as an idiot. Well, that wasn’t nice. She understood that she hadn’t known Boomer for so long, this literally being the second time she’s spoken to him within her life, but she found that it wasn’t right for people to call him an idiot. Even if he was—which in her opinion, no one should be ever called an idiot regardless of whether it was collectively agreed that they were—it was evident that he wasn’t in the soundest of minds as of lately. Just by his expression alone, Melody could tell that there may be more than just his past relationship with Millie that was troubling him. And also noticing it now, when he turned his head to look at her, there was what seemed to be a faint mark against his cheek. Melody couldn’t help but wonder— did someone try to hurt him? But why? She wanted to question about about that mark, but even in her inebriated state, the brunette still had some sense in knowing that it may not be her place to ask him what happened. It may not even be a bruise in the first place.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot, so you don’t need to count me as one of them.” She found herself repeating, going as far as to shake her head even as to prove her point. But doing so only caused the model in becoming a little dizzy, Melody stumbling back once again as the dizziness had hit her, only for her to use her told on Boomer to keep her steady. Her grip had tightened for a quick second. “Sorry…” She apologized once more, loosening her grip yet not removing her hold on him. Unfortunately, with how pack this bar was, there weren’t any seats available for her to sit on, forcing the model in needing to continue standing in her heels. At least until she’s finally able to catch one of the bartenders attentions so she could head back to her colleagues. Finding herself talking with Boomer had distracted Melody with her initial reason for coming to the bar in the first place, and it seemed like he too noticed the lack of available seating as the blonde then smiled at her and asked if she needed a sit. Aware that there wasn’t any current seat available, the only conclusion the brunette could make was that he was planning on offering her his seat, which in return, she only again shook her head— slowly. “I’m fine.” Melody reassured, though she has yet to remove her hands away from his shoulder. “I just need to catch one of the bartenders attention to order a drink and then I’ll be completely out of your way.”

Millie suddenly felt sick to her stomach with guilt as she watched her twin's reaction, guilty of being a terrible sister. Melody was completely right — if she had really wanted to tell her sister about her summer fling gone wrong, she would have found a way to squeeze it into conversation. She visibly cringed again as she heard Morty's name, still moving on about the news of him and Bubbles getting together after they ended things for good; Melody bringing him up was a reminder that the brunette was going to have to suck it up and get over it for good starting in a few weeks for filming, for she'd be seeing a lot more of him real soon. She had so much to fill her sister in on, including where she and Morty were currently at. Millie sighed in defeat. "Would you believe me if I said these were sort of things that were better to discuss in person?"

She met her twin's gaze, giving her a look that silently said I don't think you're ready to hear all of this. What she said was true, it was better to unpack everything face-to-face, but she also didn't want to disappoint her sister, avoiding dumping all of her problems on her and expecting her to clean them up like she always used to. Yet, Melody still returned to a great huge mess that Millie made. A mess that was bigger than Millie had even expected, as Melody revealed what exactly Boomer had said to her. The twin literally covered her face with her hands in embarrassment as she mumbled, "Oh god," against her palms. How completely embarrassing! What was wrong with this Boomer guy, seriously?

In the process of hearing this, Millie slouched back against the back of the couch, finally bringing her palms away from her face. Meeting her sister's horrified expression, the guilt returned, and Millie took in a deep breath. The sisters had been apart for so long recently, that Millie almost forgot that it was okay to bring down her walls with her sister. She performed for everyone else around her, but she could always be real with Melody. No matter how many messes her sister cleaned up for her, she always came back at the end of the day. So, she finally came clean — "I didn't tell you about Boomer in between Morty because I didn't think it was that serious. I just .. wanted a summer fling because I was bored and Morty and I were on a break, and Boomer showered me with attention all the time and was the perfect distraction—" She could never turn down attention at the end of the day, but Boomer was clearly not her type, which Melody probably recognized too. "— but I accidentally lead him on and did something really, really stupid." It was only the tip of the iceberg, but she didn't want to overwhelm her sister, gauging Melody's reaction so far as she added, "Oh Melly, I'm so glad you're back." Her head fell on her sister's shoulder. "Sometimes I don't feel like myself when you're away for too long."