Private Finished Camping Madness

"We have a big family, so that'd have to be one big tent. We'd just end up being a circus in the middle of the forest and people would come pay to be disappointed." She twirled her marshmallow on a stick, very careful with her roasting so it was juuust right. "We have to barbecue, else we're spending millions on snacks that don't really fill us up. We have buffalo burgers and steaks and kebabs and sometimes we might bring a box or two of cookies or a homemade pie for dessert."

She watched with a deadpan as Ash started pointing out every freaking thing in the forest with his dumb powerful nose. "I thought for a moment that you were just being helpful, but when you started identifying everything other than water I was confident you were showing off. Well," She reached to grab a bottle of water and drank from it for a very long time, all the while making direct eye contact with Ash, and when she put it down it wasn't any emptier. "Two can play at that game."

"If it rains, I'm blaming it on you. I don't know how you would've caused it, but knowing you, you'll pull it off." She kind of did hope it wasn't going to rain, though; she was confident in her fort-building skills but not confident enough that a fort would keep out the rain while she slept.

"Why would you meet them one day? I ain't ever heard of roommates going to meet their roommate's family," she laughed with a small snort. "But they're real nice, I assure ya. Love em with all my heart. Most my heart. Part of my heart is reserved for cinnamon rolls."

Maisie huffed and scowled at him when he started showing off again with that dumb cocky handsome grin of his--handsome?? She blushed and quick stuck out her tongue at him to distract herself from that thought. "Yeah, well, I can survive without food as long as I got my water!"

She stuck her tongue back out when he started doing all his spooky gestures and speeches. "Yeah, well, you're weird enough for it to be plausible! I blame you for that one day in twenty-thirteen when the rain messed up my really nice hair when I went to see Bobby, and when I slipped and fell in the mud two minutes later and just decided to go home. Your fault!"

Maisie hmph'd and pulled her marshmallow off her stick by her teeth and went about gathering some more sticks and branches in a pile.

Maisie picked only the best sticks and branches for her fort; she was a master fort-builder after all, so of course she knew what she was doing. "My fort will be able to withstand a siege!" she said and glanced back towards him when he called her odd, of all things. She tossed all her sticks into the pile and went about gathering more. "Yeah, so what? My family says being odd is good!"

When Maisie stood up straight with her arms filled with sticks again, she found Ash coming around her to face her up front. She blinked in confusion at his compliments, her cheeks slowly becoming warmer and warmer as he went on and she saw his smile.

Her eyes widened when he kissed her, all the sticks in her arms dropping to the ground. Her heart felt like it wanted to beat right out of her chest, and when he pulled back her head felt light. For a moment she just stared at him, unaware of her dropped fort materials. Then, she set her hand on his neck and leaned forward to kiss him back twice as long. The kiss was hot and needy, but sweet.

Maisie looked a little tipsy when Ash pulled back and nearly pulled his lips straight back to hers to get more of his kisses if it weren't for him starting to talk. She settled for stepping on her poor sticks to press herself against the boy, her arms wrapped around his waist and her head on his shoulder.

She huffed and gently batted his back for his roommate comment, pulling back to kiss his cheek and happily let him steal another peck. "Yeah," she said with that little grin of hers, "Yeah, I'll be yours. 'N you're my boyfriend. Boyfriend Ash Shortcake. I expect a lotta flowers from you."

With a guilty look in her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry for runnin off, by the way. I got mighty embarrassed when you asked me in front of all those people. I just clammed up and panicked--I wanted it to be private and special, like it is now..." She leaned up and kissed him again, unable to resist; "I'm real happy you like me, Shortcake. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else but you. You'll forgive me for running off, right?"

Maisie gently squeezed her arms around him, then remembered that he had super strength and regeneration and squeezed him a little harder. "Good; I'm glad you didn't forget asking me out even though I hoped you did 'cuz I was embarrassed about running away. And...you did? How long have you been planning on asking me?" She kissed him back, of course, willing to take what she could get when he gave it.

"You really think so? So I guess I seduced you with my country-girl experience," she said with a grin, poking his cheek. She squirmed and giggle-snorted when he poked her in a ticklish spot and batted at his hand. "Anything can be a date if you like the person enough--it ain't always gotta be some awkward talk over coffee, y'know? I'm having fun at at least--are you?"

Maisie glanced at the tent when Ash did and blinked up at him. "I mean, uh, sure!" As she spoke, she tried to keep as casual a tone as possible because a tent sure was better than a stick fort. She stuck her tongue out at him, "Are you just asking because I'm your girlfriend now? Wanna get freaky or something?"