him toward Bel. "And you two have fun shopping for your woman."
"Not my woman," Luke called back.
"Keep telling yourself that, angel."
He grabbed Bel's arm. "Fuck off... Hellboy." Then they stepped back.
The pair of them disappeared, but Ron slapped a hand over his face and groaned. "He's so bad with pet names. You realize that's going to stick, right?" Then he looked at me.
"Oh, I think I can make 'angel' a nice counterpoint for it. What about you?" And I let my eyes roam across him.
Immediately, his skin flushed toward the pinker shades. "Luke calls me genius. I mean, at first, I thought it was an insult - "
"It's not," I assured him as I turned back to the sink. "He honestly thinks you're the most brilliant person in five realms." Then I realized I forgot one thing. "Can you pass me the soap?"
"What are you doing?" he asked as he reached for it.
I'd already soaked the crotch area of her pants, and was now trying to get any obvious color out. "I'm doing her laundry."
Ron moved to my side and looked over. "So..." He paused to hand me the bar of soap. "Please don't tell anyone I asked this, but it just kinda leaks out from her vagina?"
"It does," I assured him, smiling to make sure he knew it was ok to ask. "You've had the biology lesson, I'm assuming?"
"Yes, but pictures do not truly explain things the way living them does." He pointed at a spot that needed a little more attention. "And it's not like urine, so she can't hold it, right?"
"Right. The same thing happens after you cum in her. There is nothing to keep it in, so it will come out, usually leaving a wet spot on the sheets - or anything else you have her lying on."
He glanced away. "We haven't..."
"I know," I said, keeping my tone gentle. "But Luke isn't the only one you can talk to about it. Sam and I think you're good for her. She really does like you, Ron."
He reached up to scrub at his face. "I really do like her, too. I just..." He pushed out a sigh. "She's not like a man."
"She's not," I agreed. "She is soft and has curves. Her words can bite, and harder than you'd expect. She wears her emotions either out for you to see or buries them so deep you don't have a clue what she's thinking or feeling. She's also weak in some ways and so strong in others. You will underestimate her because of that. Just because she thinks she can't doesn't make her right."
He nodded. "How do I, um, start it?"
"Do you want to be alone with her?" I asked. "For your first time, I mean?"
He quickly licked at his lips. "I kinda hoped Luke - " Then he stopped. "Never mind. That's dumb."
I leaned into him a little more, aiming my lips for his delicate lavender ear. "I kinda hope she and Luke stop fighting it. I think you're the one who can best make that happen."
He looked up, his face only inches from mine. "No, you are. Luke loves you, Nick. He's scared of touching you because he thinks he'll ruin everything, but he is definitely in love with you. The problem is that nothing at all will happen unless you push him. I've tried, and he is worse than Sia with the excuses. But if you try, he will not say no."
"How do you feel about that, genius?" I asked, borrowing Luke's pet name for him.
His eyes dropped to my lips. "I, uh, think that, um, it's..."
So I pulled my hand from the water, catching his waist. Gently, I eased him closer. "Beelzebub likes soft and delicate things. I like them strong. Interesting how you fit both, isn't it?"
"Me?" he gasped.
"We are legion," I said, leaning in to just brush my lips across his cheek. "I'm trying, Ron."
The smile that touched his lips was the sweetest thing I'd seen in a very long time. "You're trying too hard, Nick. Let me wash her clothes. You find her a new outfit and take it to her. I think Luke is more than enough for you right now, so..." He paused to swallow. "I'm not saying no. I'm just saying that I'm not sure I'm ready for all of this. Him, Sia, and now you?"
"Too much?" I asked.
He moved to take her clothes from my hand. "More than I feel like I deserve, and we've all seen how