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_ Supplemental 2 - We're Not Making Love No More... _

The rest of the summer would only bring more happy days for the Persian and his "Turtle Boy." Before long, the cat was fully established as a regular guest around the Koopa Estate. Jojo had an opportunity to meet every member of Junior's immediate family, save for one. Unfortunately, the senior Bowser was away on business, traveling all over the United States and beyond to oversee new hotel developments. At the rate things were going, it was questionable if he could break away from work long enough to return for Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, there would not be too many days that would go by where Junior would put his new driver's license to good use. Often, it was not that the young "prince" and the feline had any set destination in mind, so much that it was just an opportunity to take to the road and cruise around Aubrey. Or on the other hand, find some little out of the way alcove where the two could take the opportunity to make-out in Junior's newly acquired, fire-red Toyota Celica Convertible.

A good number, including among his own kin, were puzzled by the notion of how a boy of his standing was willing to settle for seemingly such a pedestrian vehicle. Junior, on the other hand, was none perturbed. The convertible "spoke" to him when he and Roy were looking over various car magazines. Roy treated him to the car the very next day, as his birthday present to his youngest brother. Roy was one of the few who did not question Junior's taste in a car, and Junior appreciated that much from the brother that knew him best. Of course on the other hand, Roy himself was the proud owner of a bright-pink Hummer H2, complete with spinning rims. He would not have any room to talk either way.

In any case, today was yet another one of those long summer days; perfect weather for Jojo and Junior to be up and about. And with this being their last two weeks of freedom before school started, the two were intent on living it up. After getting a bit of lunch from a nearby Carl's Jr., the young koopa and the cat returned to his room at the manor, relaxing with their meals on the sofa.

"Could you please pass the condiments over here, Bowsie?" Jojo asked.

"Do you perhaps mean...'the salt and pepper'?" Junior grinned.

"Bowsie, come on, now..." the Persian groaned.

"No! You're not getting a God-damned thing, until I hear that British tongue say a certain combination of words! So, YOU c'mon!" Junior smiled wider.

"Fine!" Jojo sighed, and then began again, "I would very much like the 'salt and pepper!'"

"There we go! See? Only you Brits can say that and make it sound all refined 'n sexy! Like Patrick Stewart!"

"Bugger off..." Jojo chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

"Gimme a minute to finish this sandwich, and I'll gladly 'bugger' you!" Junior winked.

"Please," the feline huffed. "We almost got caught by one of the roving maids last time. And by your brother Iggy, a mere few weeks earlier than that, when you left the door unlocked! You know, for all that you want to try keep your little secret an actual secret, it sometimes seems like I'm the one who's more concerned about keeping it that way."

"Well, that's another reason why I love ya, kitty. Where I falter a bit, you help me out. And that makes it so that both of our secrets are quiet as kept," Junior continued to grin.

"And what if I don't want it to be that way?" Jojo queried.

"Hmm?" Junior responded, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"Bowsie, I went along with this whole 'keeping it on the low' thing, as you put it, for your sake. Not because I was all that concerned about what others thought about me, and who I choose to be with."

"Jojo, I know what you're gettin' at," Junior sighed a bit. "And again, all I can say is that I'm not quite ready for that yet. The whole 'coming out,' thing."

"And why not?" Jojo pressed.

"Because, I just don't think it's the right time yet! I don't know how many times, and in as many different ways, I have to get that across for you to get that!"

"...Your tone, sir?" Jojo stated simply, giving Junior a certain "look."

"Alright, I'm sorry, Jo," Junior just as quickly relented. "But please try to understand where I'm coming from. That's all I ask."

"Yes, yes, I've heard that all before. You're overly concerned about what the other people in your life would think if you were to come out."

"I like how you're just making it sound so trivial..." Junior trailed off.

"I merely think that you're doing yourself a continued disservice, playing this 'game' you play."

"Oh, sure! And I'm sure that if I were to walk out there right now, round up all my bros and sis so that I can tell them all the 'awful truth,' the clouds will part, blue birds will sing and a beautiful rainbow will shine in the sky, as if to further fit the moment at hand!"

"A bit over-the-top, are we?" the Persian grinned with a bit of amusement.

"Well, then I made my point!" Junior replied.

"But you can't be happy living like this," Jojo began once more, "Unless I'm some how mistaken...?"

At that question, Junior chose to remain silent and avert his gaze. Between not wanting to outright lie, and just not being able to conjure up a good retort, there was truly nothing he could say otherwise. However, he then felt the soft-furred hand of his boyfriend on his shoulder, inciting Junior to look towards him once more.

"If no one else will, I'll be with you. You know that, right?" the cat asked.

"Right. But, I just...just don't think it's the right time, you know? Dropping that kind of bomb," Junior answered with a heavy sigh. "Life's already crazy as it is. And this upcoming school year is going to make it only more so."

"Well, nobody said you had to go about putting your business out there all at once. Even I, your 'inside partner,' if you will, don't recommend that," Jojo stated.

"Then what do you recommend?"

"If it were me, I would focus on that one person you relate to the most. Some one like your best friend and confidant..."

"...That would be you," Junior smiled gently, taking Jojo's available hand into his own. The feline had a bit of blush in his cheeks at that exchange. Junior always thought the light rosy color fit well on his kitty's face.

"G-granted," Jojo stammered a bit, before recomposing himself once more. "But even so! Surely there must be some one else you can relate to. That big brother of yours...'Roy,' is it?"

"...Yeah," Junior slowly replied.

"If you two are as close as you seem to be, then I would like to think he would be someone that would be in your corner, no matter what."

"Possible, but still, you gotta understand something. This is the guy that, in many respects, did a lot to raise me himself when Dad couldn't be around. He, and Hanbei have always been looking out for me, since I was, like, 4. I don't want to lose any of that," Junior replied glumly. "Maybe the fact that Hanbei seemed cool with you coming out to him is one thing to take into account, but Roy is something else altogether."

"If he's really been that kind of pillar in your life, then again, I'd like to think that he would at least come to an 'understanding,' of sorts. Or at least, that's how it was for me," Jojo began.

"Hm? Talking about Hanbei?" Junior queried.

"Oh, no," Jojo chuckled. "Hanny definitely wasn't the first one who I revealed my secret to. That was my Mum."

"How did that go down, if you don't mind telling a bit?" Junior pressed further, with continued interest. After all, even though the two had been together for a number of months now, there was still plenty that each boy did not know of the other. The koopa supposed now was certainly a good time as any to possibly find out something new about his kitty.

"Well, to be honest, telling the whole story leading up to how Mum found out would be a long ordeal. Additionally, I don't feel comfortable relating every single detail at this time. I hope you understand," the feline started.

Junior nodded assent, and waved his hand to urge Jojo to continue.

"Right. So any way, to get to the heart of the matter, it happened one day, a number of years ago, that Mum found yours truly in a rather compromising position with another male. She was certainly shocked, to say the least."

"Hmmm...what happened then?"

"Well, it ended up being a rather long and extensive talk after that. But by the end of it, she did more to understand. And she still loved me all the same," Jojo smiled wistfully.

"Hearing stuff like that really makes me wish I had a chance to know my own mother," Junior replied. "What about your dad, though?" Junior asked again. The Persian's facial expression quickly flipped upside-down.

"That man is a particular subject matter I would rather not talk about," Jojo answered tersely.

"...Not too well, then?" Junior offered.

"He wasn't even a part of the picture by that point in time," Jojo said darkly.

"You sure you don't want to tell me what happened? I think it would be fitting, proper and just, if we placed the rules of 'my stuff, your stuff' into play," Junior smiled.

"Excuse me?" the Persian looked a bit weirdly at the koopa.

"Another Roy and Hanbei thing. Basically, if one opened up and was willing to share their shit, then the other should be willing to reciprocate. I just went and told you a personal thing about me that nobody else knows; not even Roy. So, it's only fair, right?"

"Well, can't fault that kind of logic, I suppose," Jojo sighed, and cleared his throat. "But yes, my father was not even there when I revealed that part of myself. Because by that point, he was long dead."

"Geez!" Junior winced. "I'm really sorry, Jojo..."

"I wish I could say the same," the feline said. Before Junior could even begin to ask why Jojo was so cold towards the idea of his own father's death, Jonathan began again.

"Many moons ago, I told you a bit about my family history; that the Johnston family were amongst the best Bankers in London. Well, that was a half-truth. Because my family are not the banking force we once were. And it was he, Jonathan Johnston, Jr., that brought over a century long legacy to an end."

Jojo broke his monologue briefly and turned to Junior.

"Question, Bowsie: Would you happen to know anything about the Lloyd's of London market and the history that goes with it?"

"Sorry, kitty, you're really hollering at the wrong shell-backed guy when it comes to History of any sort," Junior admitted.

"Quite alright. But anyway, you could describe Lloyd's as basically an 'insurance marketplace' of sorts, back where I came from."

"So, an insurance company, in other words?"

"No, not at all! It's quite different. But I doubt the gritty details really interest you that much, right?"

"You are correct, sir," Junior gently snickered.

"I thought as such. To continue, my father used to be in the midst of all that, as the current head of the Johnston family business. And for what it was worth, he definitely knew how to work the system, and its people, to his advantage. I suppose you can't fool around with an environment that's all about risk, if you didn't know how to play the 'game' adequately, if you will. My father's problem was that he took the risks too far for his own good.

Starting in the 1980s, Lloyd's underwent its most traumatic time within its 300 year history. And among those significant cases were instances of fraud on a grand scale. To put it in perspective, this was something to the scale of the Enron scandal that happened over here in the States recently. My father was involved with a number of shady underwriters who all schemed to skim money off of the accounts of their investors. They were well underway with plans to buy a Swiss Bank, until what they were doing under the sheets came out into the open, in the early 1990s.

While those gentlemen would be caught and brought up on various charges, my father was different. Knowing that this was the end of the line, he instead decided to take the route of a coward. He actually went and jumped off London Bridge. His body was found a day later. This all happened when I was around 8 years old."

"I'm really sorry," Junior said remorsefully, scooting over closer to his lover to better comfort him.

"That's not even the worst of it. While there may not have been any charges to file, the fact still remained that we were left with my father's debts. This is where the uglier side of this market showed its face. Since there was no liability protection to factor in this case, which would have otherwise safeguarded us, those that lost money had to be reimbursed in another way. For the Johnston family, that meant that the money came out of OUR pockets.

We were all ruined, but none hit harder by this than Mum and I. After the rest of the family was able to recoup their losses, we, as those related to the one who caused the downfall, were left to fend for ourselves. Soon after, we had nothing; not even the house I grew up in."

All that Junior could do was hug the Persian as he continued to pour out the deep-seated memories from his younger days.

"...And it was all because of him. When we ran out of what money we had left, Mum and I had to actually live on the streets for a year until we hooked up with a friend of hers some time later. So, needless to say, my memories of my father are not pleasant ones. If there is indeed such a thing as Hell, I sincerely hope he's burning in it," Jojo concluded coldly.

Junior responded by hugging a bit tighter.

"Again...I can't say enough how sorry I am. Would have had no idea that you had to go through so much, kitty," the koopa added.

"Mum just had to get it into me that what happened to us was not going to define us, any more than the fact I inherited my name and my genes from that man. And that has been my number one goal in life. For all that man did to bring shame to her and made her cry, I wish to be a man that she can truly be proud of," Jojo expressed.

"Well, at least I can definitely understand that much. I, too, want to be my own man, separate from the one whose name I inherited," Junior replied.

"I would think that any good father would only desire that and more for his children. And from what you've told me, he really sounds like quite a guy. I look forward to the day I actually get to meet him, in person."

"Yeah, it's too bad too. But as you know, work is work," Junior responded.

"Perfectly understandable. At one point, I was hoping you'd meet my Mum over this summer. She's been itching to meet you."

"...You've told your Mom about me?" Junior blushed a bit.

"Oh, not just that, Bowsie. I've freely told her about us," Jojo purred with a grin that would make the Cheshire Cat proud. Upon hearing that, Junior's face lit up like a Coca-Cola advertisement in Time Square.

"Jojo...!"

"Worry not, love. Your secret is just as safe with her as it is with me. Besides, there was just no way I could hope to keep such a thing from Mummy-dearest. She has her ways~!" the feline alluded.

"Fine," Junior relented with a bashful smirk. He then felt the persian relax more into him, and squeeze his left hand a bit tighter.

"But any way...I guess it does do me some good to get that kind of thing off my chest. That's a story that only my mother, her long-time friend, and I know. You are the first 'outsider' that has been privy to such details."

"Well hey, what are best friends AND equally-as-great lovers for? Can't have a good relationship if the trust factor is not there, right?" Junior chuckled.

"Agreed," Jojo released a happy sigh. "Thank you, Bowsie."

"Hm? For what?" Junior asked.

"Just for being you. And also, for being someone I love and trust very much."

"Pleasure's all mine, kitty," Junior hugged tightly. "Now...with all that said, perhaps you also trust my judgment on the notion of us having some 'fun'?"

"This again...?"

"C'mon...by now, everybody else is doing their own thing. For example, Wendy and her friends are having a pool party outside, and Roy and his fiance are out somewhere else. So, we shouldn't be disturbed! And with the new semester starting up in a few days, we may have even less opportunities to be together! Let's make the most of what we have left of summer!"

Either Junior's words started to hit home, or perhaps even the cat was adequately turned on already. Because no sooner had Junior finished, he felt a furry hand reach back and already start to undo his belt buckle.

"Is the door locked this time at least?" Jojo smiled as he queried.

"You know it...!" Junior answered excitedly.

"Good." That was all that was said before the Persian surprised Junior by turning around, tackling him off of the sofa, and on to the carpeted floor. Junior gave out a small chuckle of delight as the feline playfully started to nip at neck.

And that was all she wrote. Unable to keep their bodies apart from one another, the two would not even make it halfway to Junior's bed.

Those last few days would eventually give way to start of a new school year at River Hill. Junior's words, which had spoken of the two being mutually busier, could not be more prophetic. It was already thanks, in no small part, due to this being their junior year; the very time that Junior and Jojo should both be working hard towards getting into their mutual first choice of Aubrey State, taking their rightful place as Tritons much like Roy and Hanbei had before them.

However, this new year also bought new opportunities that also gave them new chances to shine. Junior quickly became a rising star on the school's Varsity Track and Field team, stepping up to make up for the gap last year's graduating Seniors had left. The pressure was on him to become a leader and Junior did not disappoint. From the first meet on, Junior led his team to many victories. He quickly rose up as a hero amongst his peers. Perhaps the only sour spot was that a certain cat was rarely able to be there to see those victories.

Jonathan had good reasons, though. Last semester, the Persian found himself at home with the school's Multimedia Team. Years prior, it was privy to Hanbei helping out with his videography expertise. However, Jojo took a decidedly different route from his mentor, content to handle the sound equipment.

What nobody could have expected was how the feline would flourish in that environment. For not only did the school gain somebody with dedication and reliability for the craft, but also one who was willing to go above and beyond. As gifted as Jojo was with numbers, it was when he was able to play around with music, using the school's Korg synthesizers to let his fingers do the talking, that he really made a splash amongst the school populace. He had a unique sound all to himself, accentuated by his talent for beatboxing.

Soon, the young Briton had many offers come his way. It seemed as if everybody wanted him to DJ their parties, or school-related function. The girls from the school's Dance Company would make him their darling. If they were lucky, he would even offer his own special remixes for their concerts.

Junior was happy for him. After all, a mere semester ago, Jonathan was an unknown exchange student and only had Junior in and out of the school. Now, he had picked up the moniker of "DJ Magickat" around campus, and became one of the most popular guys in school in his own right.

On the other hand, Junior soon found himself missing the days when the cat was truly his alone, and he did not have to worry about sharing him with everybody else. Because after all, in his eyes, Jojo was "his" first.

It was around that time that things only started to get more interesting for the young Koopa, as yet another transfer student would join their class. Her name was Barbara T. Wallace, a sheep girl who moved to the West Coast with her family from Maine. They would soon get to see a lot of each other, given how they ended up being in the same classes, and her volleyball practice usually took place around the same time as his track practice.

Beyond a small bit of small talk and exchanging pencils when the other asked for such in class, Junior did not really pay her that much attention. However, she obviously had different ideas in mind, as would occur one fateful afternoon. While he was gathering his things and getting ready to head home, she met him near his locker.

"Hey, Junior!" she greeted pleasantly.

"Umm, hi, Babs!" he responded with the nick-name she professed to prefer. "Few weeks later now, so how d'ya like the place? You adjusting alright?"

"Yeah, certainly bigger than my last school, but it's really nice. I can get to like it here!" she smiled, twiddling the curls in her silvery colored hair.

"Glad to hear it," Junior said, amidst a few chuckles, as he set his backpack on one shoulder. "See ya, Monday, then!"

"Hey, hold up!" she stopped him.

"Hm?" Junior looked back at her, with mild amusement.

"Actually, are you busy tonight? As you know, I'm still new around here, and I'd like to have someone show me around..." she said, with a blush not easily missed on her snow white face.

"You're...asking me out, in other words?" Junior raised a bushy red eyebrow.

"Well, kinda?" she giggled. "I mean, it didn't have to be a formal thing at all, but...y'know!?"

Junior's mind quickly raced, as he thought of what was best to say. Part of him immediately wanted to say "no", but then another immediately challenged with the idea of "then what"? Would he say "he's not interested", or even go forth to allude to the truth that he's already involved with some body else? Then he thought about the implications of either choice. Babs being involved with the volleyball team meant that she likely had the ears of plenty of young women who would be willing to spread gossip about whatever they may have heard, whether she was the one who actively opened up to them or not.

To that end, no matter what type of "no" answer he could give, it might eventually serve to bite him on the ass and jeopardize his comfortable standing in the school's "popularity pantheon." One route led to the possibility of people spreading rumors that he was queer, by the mere notion of turning down a cute girl for no justified reason. The other would lead to a possible "intelligence arms race" to try and find out who is the one that a widely-admired guy like him is actually with. If, worst case scenario, Jojo was found out, that would eliminate all doubt. A social "death sentence," in other words.

Perhaps this was gross paranoia on his part, but having seen such things cause the downfall of many others in his years being a part of the River Hill Academy system, he believed erring to the side of caution was for best.

Needless to say, Junior was biting at the bit to graduate and escape high school. He utterly loathed the small-mindedness that the place fostered, and quickly found himself counting down the days until graduation. For once he was out of here, things would be different for him and Jojo alike.

Unfortunately, he had to have an answer for her now. He could not even try to lie about practice or whatever, because she knew just as well as he did that there was no practice for either of them that day. So, thinking he had no other choice, he believed he had to play by the rules of the game if only for a small duration and for the sake of warding off possible suspicion on his end. Besides, Jojo was definitely going to be busy tonight because Dance Company summoned him yet again. To Junior, this seemed like a proper, if not purely political move.

"Alright," he finally answered after thinking it over. "I believe my calendar is open tonight. Besides, what good is that license I got a month and some change ago if I don't use it, right?"

"Cool!" she smiled with elation.

"6 o'clock alright with you?"

"Perfect! See you then!" she winked, a bit of a skip in her step as she trotted off.

It had started out quite simple. But then, as the weeks went on, Junior found himself in quite the twisted web. On one hand, there was Babs. She was, by many strokes, a wonderful person. She was fun to be around, and complimented Junior's personality in many ways. For example, she often laughed at many of his admittedly corny jokes, and she often had good material herself. There was only one big problem: she was starting to catch feelings for him, but he could not return the same beyond the friendly level they had started out with. He could only wonder how long that would persist before she might press the unspoken issue herself. The very forward and outspoken nature that made her a fun girl to be around was also going to be something he would have to deal with.

Then there was Jojo: his true sweetheart, but the one he rarely got to see any more. He had no intentions of getting as intimate with Babs as he was with Jojo; that was a bottom line. Even so, there was still the unavoidable notion that Junior was indeed stepping out on his boyfriend, regardless of the notion that he was not really "into" this affair in the least. It made the koopa feel dirty, even as he and the feline tried to soak up whatever time they had together on weekends.

And speaking of time. Between trying to balance out time for Barbara, Jonathan, doing as much as he could to keep both relationships under wraps, as well as practice and various meets, it was amazing there was any time available for him to do relatively simple things; including the homework he was trying in vain to complete on one particular evening in his room.

As far as he was concerned, AP Calculus could have been basic multiplication. He just could not focus, as too many thoughts swirled around in his head. He was also quite tired, as these thoughts usually kept him from sleep at night, too.

"I just can't do this, any more," he mused aloud, slumping his chair. "I gotta stop this before it gets too out of hand. Tomorrow, I just gotta find some way to break it to her easy, and at least find one good way to make my life unnecessarily complicated."

"...Well, you don't know what we can find Why don't you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride...!"

Interrupting Junior from his thoughts, the familiar Steppenwolf song came from the cell phone that was in its holster, attached to his belt. He recognized this particular ring tone immediately, as it was one of his father's favorite songs. He scrambled to grab and flip up his cell.

"Hey, Pops!" Junior answered with a smile on his face.

"What's GOOD, Junior? What's REALLY GOOD!?" Bowser bellowed jovially.

Junior allowed himself to laugh out loud. Hearing his old man's voice after a couple of months away was enough to allow him to forget his immediate problems.

"Hope I'm not calling at a bad time. Flying all over the world, it's easy for one to forget the time in Aubrey!"

"Where are you now, any way?" Junior asked.

"All the way over here in Germany! Just got finished wrapping up some nice deals with some new friends I made back at the Internationale Funkausstellung."

"...The International Funk-a-say-what?!"

"Funkausstellung!" his father corrected. "It's one of my new fave words, now! Funkausstellung! Say it with me now, boy! Funkausstellung!!"

"Ummm... Frau Blücher!!!" Junior shouted out quickly.

Immediately, Bowser retorted by doing his best impression of mimicking the noise a scared horse would make. Father and son laughed long and hard, as they remembered one of their mutual favorite Mel Brooks films.

"Man, you don't know how much I needed that, son. I'm missin' my babies some kinda bad!"

"We miss you too, Dad. Far too quiet around here, after all!"

"Damn right!" Bowser chuckled. "Roy's been telling me about how you've been the doin' the damn thing at those meets! Lemmy's even uploaded some recorded footage so I can see it as it happened! Still doesn't compare to me having MY presence in those games!"

"You are correct, sir."

"And speaking of killing! Is that son of mine who bears MY namesake finally realizing his potential as a lady-killer...!?"

"Huh...?" Junior's mind raced. How could his father know such a thing? He hadn't told any of his siblings about either of his "romances", especially the one with Babs. He thought he was keeping an airtight lock on that one especially, given how one amongst his own family has quite the big mouth.

"Aw, don't be so modest, son of mine! That cute sheep girl....Barbara, is it?"

"Yeah..." Junior answered slowly. He heard a lot of snickers on the other end.

"Betcha wonderin' how exactly your Pops found that out, eh?"

"...thought had crossed my mind," Junior answered.

"Well, here it is! See, back at the, say it with me now! ...Funkausstellung!!! I got the chance to meet some interesting people, among them being the CEO of Waltech Enterprisess himself, Nolan Wallace! None other than the father of your new gal-pal!"

"...Really...?" Junior inwardly groaned, sensing where this was going.

"Yeah, seems you've really been rubbing her the right way! Cuz as soon as the two of us were introduced, well, my name is your name, and we hit it off from there!"

"Mmhmm..." Junior just allowed his excited father continue to talk.

"Here, I was really hoping that I could sweet talk one of these nerdy, egghead companies into entering a business deal with Koopa Suites, so I can get some nice proprietary software that would certainly make MY life easier. But thanks to you, oh wonderful son-of-mine! I was able to get some thing started just cuz YOU went and got a lil sumthin'-sumthin' started on your own!" Bowser cackled. "This is gonna be EXCELLENT."

Junior could only chuckle himself, if not a bit halfheartedly.

"That's m'boy! The lil cassanova, just like his Papa! Just...you know, take it slow, alright? I'm not in THAT much of a hurry to have lil 'Bowser Koopa, the Third' running around the house so soon, ya know?"

"Dad!!!" Junior said a bit indignant.

"Gyahaha! Just kiddin'! Any way, I'll be back home in another month and some change. Right on time for Christmas! Til then, y'all be good!"

"Will do, Pop-a-roo," Junior hung up. He then proceeded to bang his forehead against his desk three times in frustration. "Damn...damn...DAMN!"

So, the mess he was in was compounded even more. This time on a scope that Junior would not have imagined in a million years: being a part of a "corporate contract agreement" between his father and another company. Now, life really did suck.

Nevertheless, Junior continued balancing all the various facets of his life. After a while, he built up a nice rhythm, utilizing his school-administered "Assignment Book" for actually keeping up with his various dates, and keeping his Jojo and Babs moments apart from each other as much as possible.

Another Friday came, and after a particular busy week, Junior thought it would be safe to just crawl home and fall into his bed. Maybe getting up around Sunday afternoon to deal with the homework he had been putting off. He was about ready to head out the school's doors, but then...

"Hey~!" an all-too-familiar feminine voiced chimed behind from. It took everything in Junior's power to not give into his immediate response to cringe a bit.

"...Yes, Babs?" Junior answered, turning around after he got his face together.

"Hey, babe! That test was murder, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but this week has been hell altogether. Dunno 'bout you, but I'm ready to go home and hibernate. Or at least, take a cue from my quadripedal ancestors and just let my body atrophy for as long as I possibly can.

"Awww, see? I was just about to ask you if you were up to seeing a movie with me! 'The Incredibles' is debuting tonight, and I was thinking that be a cute way for the both of us to unwind!" she smiled.

Junior moaned a bit through his nose in a cute, yet still exhausted fashion.

"C'mon, please~? I already bought the tickets, my treat! I just need your cute butt to be there, too!" she pleaded, as she batted her brown, doe-like eyes.

"...Alright," Junior relented, with a small smile. He already did a mental check of other things he had on tap tonight, and nothing else was going on. He only stood to be missing out on the sleep he wanted to get.

"Wonderful!" she jumped with glee. "You're such a sweetie-pie!"

"If it makes you happy, Babs," Junior continued to smile as brightly as he could muster.

Barbara, on the other hand, was sporting a grin that had mischievous slant to it. Then she pinned Junior against the wall, and started to lock her lips with his own. Junior had to admit, the few times they did kiss, she always was feisty. But her tongue could not hope to match his kitty's.

And then he heard the sound of a plastic case dropping. Looking upward, his own, bloodshot eyes went wide as saucer's, as they met the silent, yet very disturbed eyes of the very Persian in question.

"Hm? Who goes there?" Babs smiled, completely unaware as she broke the kiss and turned around. Junior was not exactly the most religious of guys, but he prayed a silent prayer to whatever God that was willing to listen, if it would mean that Jonathan would not fly off the handle right there and then.

"Barbara Wallace, as I live and breathe!" Jojo smiled sweetly, as he went through his charming routine. "Where ever have you been hiding yourself, my dear?"

"Oh, Jojo, just in and every where! And with my boo here, no less!" she giggled as she ran over to hug the feline.

"Your boo, you say? So this is the one you've been talking about... for a couple of months now!" Jojo smiled, all the while giving Junior a look over her shoulder that made him want to sink into the floor. "Why, I wish you or he had told me such a thing, as Junior and I are... on good terms, ourselves!"

"Yeah, well this one here didn't exactly want to advertise that fact, just yet! Don't blame him too much though! He's a bit slow in this area!" she elbowed Jojo lightly with a smile.

"Do tell," Jojo continued to smirked with amusement.

"Any way, Jojo, we got a lot to catch up on! Call me later! And Junior! I'll be seeing YOU later! Movie's at 8:30, so don't be late!" and with that, she headed out the door.

A period of silence followed between the koopa and the feline. For Junior, it felt like an eternity, especially after Jojo's friendly expression quickly devolved into a fearsome one, his eyes narrowing to furious slits.

"Now...Jojo, I can explain this...!" Junior spoke up at last, in a hushed tone.

"Quite...'Oh, Jojo! I needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while standing up, and she happened to be RIGHT THERE!' hm?" Jojo retaliated.

"Jojo...!" Junior began.

"...Save it," the cat huffed as he left out the door, and walked quickly to his own 2000 model Honda Civic. Junior ran after him to keep up. A number of other students started to rubberneck at the scene that unfolded before them. For once, Junior could not be pressed about what they may be thinking. He had to get to Jojo, before he pulled off!

As he saw Jojo get into his car, he ran to other side, and prayed that the door he left unlocked yesterday, for once, was still that way. To his immediate relief, it was and Junior slinked inside.

"Get the hell out of my car, Bowser," the Persian threatened lowly. The fact that he did not even use his pet name for Junior did not escape the koopa, and it set him on high alert. He was glad that the windows were up, just in case either of them got loud.

"C'mon, at least give me a chance to explain myself!" Junior begged.

"...Granted," Jojo slowly stated, as he continued to stare ahead.

"Alright. See, it's not like that between her and I, ok? She's not like you! She can't hope to be! It was just meant to be a 'front' to ward off any suspicion for you and me both!" Junior began. "It's just...things got out of hand! I don't even want to BE with her like this, or for so long!

"Mmmhmm..." the feline mumbled, unmoved.

"I just couldn't...find the right way to tell her that I wasn't interested in her in that way. And then there's my Dad, and he finding out that her Dad is the head of another fancy-pants tech company! It all just went into the shitter before I knew it! I was trapped!"

"...And whose problem is that, exactly?" Jojo queried.

"All I'm trying to say is that this isn't really my fault!" Junior exclaimed. "It's a matter of circumstance! But no, I didn't even fuck around with her, or any thing of the sort!"

"Wrong answer," Jojo hissed. "Now, get out of my car."

"Jojo...!"

"Bowser, if me being with you was that much of inconvenience for you, such that you felt like you had to plan your life around it, I wish you had just been honest about it. It would have certainly saved me a lot of trouble."

"No, you've got it all wrong!" Junior pleaded.

"Well, tell me then! Exactly how am I supposed to feel when I saw her lips on my man?" Jonathan roared at him. "For all that you're supposedly 'just playing' with her, she's still the one that people see you with! And I'm sure you've been doing plenty in public with her in these last few months, that I would likely NEVER see you do with me!"

"Jo-"

"No, YOU listen. I played things your way, because I wanted to make sure you were happy and comfortable, too. Because I wanted to believe you would eventually not be so overly concerned about what others may think, and not be ashamed about being with me. But all THIS? Even after I went along with this whole 'low-down brother' balderdash of yours?!"

"That's....'down-low brother', Jo," Junior corrected meekly.

"Whatever. 'Low-down' suits you perfectly, at the moment," Jojo growled.

"That's way harsh, Jo...!"

"Then I made my point!" Jonathan threw his head against his head rest. "I just can not believe you went and did this, Bowser! I trusted you!"

"Jojo, c'mon, now! I understand it was not a good look! But again remember, I didn't even screw around with her! It's meaningless! The fucking relationship is meaningless! It's just for the sake of the 'act'! And I did it on your behalf, too! Truthfully speaking, how different is it from the way you flirt with the girls at Dance Company!?"

"And now you even have the nerve to try and turn this on me...?! Damn it, Bowser. You just don't GET it, do you?" Jojo sighed, his patience exhausted. "Well, get this! Get out of my car, this instant!"

"Jojo! Please! Can we please just try and talk about this some mo-" But before Junior could even finish, five furred fingers were pointed at his eye level, their claws extended.

"That was not a request, and I have no intention of repeating myself once more. Get out, or your scaley arse will be tossed out of this automobile so fast, you might think you were in a time warp. Do I make myself clear?" Jojo said, his voice shaking with anger.

"But...!"

"Now!" Jonathan edged his claws a millimeter closer. "You should consider yourself damned lucky that I did not choose to embarrass you back there. Don't. Push. Me."

Reluctantly, Junior got out of the car and closed it behind him. And no sooner did he back away then the Persian fired up his engine, quickly backed out of his parking space, and left the school grounds; the growl of his engine only doing more to compliment the fury of the feline at its wheel.

Junior was at a loss for words. He immediately proceeded to kick himself for how he let it go so far southward. He did not even get the opportunity to say anything close to an apology.

"Hey! Junior!" a voice shouted from behind him.

"What?!" Junior said, his mood clearly evident in his voice and face.

"Well dag, excuse the hell out of me for living!" the mixed lion-leopard boy said in a huff. Junior quickly tried to adjust his attitude, before he made yet another mistake today that he would come to regret.

"...Look, Rock, I'm sorry. It's been an especially hellish day."

"Well, no need to take it out on a well-intentioned, underclassman by-stander, y'know. Here, think this is yours. Got a bit crunch-i-tized by Bruno the Tauros in the Senior class, though..."

And with that, Rock handed Junior what looked to be a CD-R in a thin plastic case. The inter-species feline was not lying. What was left of the CD and its case was shattered into many pieces and barely holding itself together. There was no hope for it to ever play on any CD player.

But what truly distressed Junior was what little in the way of text he could read silently, to himself.

F-r y-- Junior. "In O---r W-r-s" remixed by Magickat.

So, the reason Jojo surprised him "out of turn" was because he had some thing to give to him. As if the koopa could not feel any worse.

"Really, sorry, J. But by the time I got there..." Rock trailed off.

"It was too late. Yeah, I gotcha, Lionhard. Story of my life, here lately. Thanks for trying any way, though," Junior stated. He then gave a halfhearted wave of the hand as he saw Rock walk off to a blue car of some sort, where a brown bear was waiting to pick him up. That much done, Junior trudged off towards his car, and began the long, lonely car ride home. Doing as much as possible to avoid the gaze and off-hand questions from anybody nearby.

Back at his home, it was all that Junior could do but to collapse on his bed, as he finally allowed the tears that stung at the edges of his eyes to finally fall. Despite his many, many attempts to try and call Jonathan on his cell phone, the Persian would not answer. It would likely be a long time, if ever, that the cat would be willing to grant him an ear again.

Between the heartache and the feelings of utter loss he nurtured, it was only made worse by the notion that he was all alone, once more. This type of solitude being even worse then the times he cried himself to sleep at night when he was four years old. Unfortunately, he could not count on Roy to come and "save" him this time. If nothing else, his big brother had his own life to live, and he was getting ready to get married soon.

Out in the hallway, and around the bend, echoed what seemed to be a loud clamor as the front door was shut much louder than usual. Taking a break from his self-imposed exile, Junior ventured out into hallway and made his way towards the long stairway that led down to the entrance of the Koopa Manor.

Roy was standing there alone. The purple sweater-vest he was wearing over a white shirt was all disheveled and wrinkled, as were the brown slacks on his legs. Even his shell seemed to sag lower on his back than usual. It seemed apparent that he had reason not to care about the look he had initially planned, and did more to throw the clothes on his body. Iggy, Wendy, Larry and Lemmy soon joined him by the entrance.

"Hey, lover boy! Welcome back!" Iggy smiled, as he looked his brother.

"Indeed! I take it your little date with the soon-to-be Mrs. Roy Koopa went alright?" Wendy chimed in.

However, Roy's silent, tight-lipped expression, his eyes hidden beneath his trademark shades, spoke volumes.

"...Not good...?" Lemmy gingerly asked his taller, younger brother.

"I dun wanna talk 'bout it," Roy said as he trudged past the four of them.

"But what happened to the 'magical evening' ya had planned...?" Larry asked.

"Are y'all dat hard of hearin'?! DIN'T YA HEAR A MUTHAFUCKIN' WORD I SAID!?" Roy bellowed.

"What the fuck's YOUR problem, Roy?!" Wendy screeched.

"Jus lemme da FUCK ALONE!! I am NOT the one t'day!" Roy screamed back at her, as he stomped past them all and ran up the stairs.

It was all that Junior could do to duck into the nearby hall closet, so that he did not have any reason to incur his older brother's wrath, as well. Peering out, unseen, he saw Roy barrel past him, and towards his room, further down the hall. Another resounding slam was heard, as the door was shut behind the muscular koopa.

Tip-toeing down the hall, Junior gradually made his way to his brother's door. He had not even fully approached the door, before he heard a ruckus from the other side. It literally sounded as if Roy was tearing things down from the walls and tossing them across his own living space. Then Junior heard glass shattering; the only thing that challenged Roy's anguished roars in volume, which sounded like a beast in pain. Junior had bore witness to several instances of Roy's temper at its worst over the years, but this was possibly a tantrum to a level he had not seen, or least heard, since they were both quite young. Part of Junior was glad the door was closed, so he did not have to glimpse such violence firsthand.

After another full minute's worth, the rampage subsided. Rather, it became eerily quiet. Now Junior was really starting to get concerned. What if Roy had caused possible damage to himself in his furious display?

But before Junior could have another thought, he then started to hear a smaller, much more subdued noise on the other side of the door. He pressed the side of his head to the door, and to his surprise, he heard....sobbing. The anger now expunged from his being, Roy was now weeping bitterly.

Junior started to raise a fist, preparing to knock on the door. However, the barely audible beep on his digital watch reminded him of the time. Sadly, he really did not have time to help his brother through his grief. He did not even have the time to fully register his own grief.

He had a "date" that he had to get ready for.