When Stella finally has enough and departs two weeks early for New Jersey, he worries that she'll decide she has to leave too.

"I don't know what to do," she whispers into his shoulder that night. "I can't make her come back."

"You tried," he says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I think it's time we let Joe and Stella sort this out for themselves."

She nods, and they stand in the silence of the guest house.

Joe is a mess. He's already called Mona and turned down her offer, not caring for a movie career when he wants his beautiful blonde best friend a lot more than that.

Nick holds Macy's hand more than usual, as if clutching her constantly will stop her from slipping away.

Kevin forces them to exercise and be active, as the tour starts in November and he can't have his brothers lazy and unfit.

"Come on, Joseph, ten, eleven, twelve – Nicholas, stop being lazy, more sit-ups; thank you," he orders through gritted teeth, his own body straining to raise his head to his knees and back again.

"Kevin," Nick pants, sweat leaving a sticky sheen on his skin. "Dude, we've been at this for an hour. Let me get some water."

"Don't you get it?" his older brother glares at him. "I'm the only reason Joe gets out of bed in the morning-"

"Because you kick me out of bed," Joe mutters, interrupting.

"-and you, you, Nick, you're too wrapped up in Macy to write songs for anything or practise," Kevin continues, pointing accusingly at him.

"Hey," Nick stops doing sit-ups and gets to his feet. "I know the band comes first, but Macy's important to me. I can't just stop spending time with her. And we're touring with the songs we were performing this summer."

Kevin's eyes dart between the floor and his younger brother, mollified. "Sorry," he says. "I just worry about everything sometimes."

Nick offers him a rare smile (except for Macy because with her he always wanted to smile) and went to get three bottles of water.

He thinks that Macy's kisses are like bursts of sunshine on a cloudy day.

She presses her mouth to his for just a second and his whole body feels warmer. She tickles his lips with the tip of her tongue and a hot flare of something shoots through him. She kisses his cheek and the spot she touched with her mouth is left tingling.

He's never felt this way before (except that he still wants to writes hundreds of songs just about her eyelashes) and it was a little scary at first (he still anticipates the urge to cover the walls of his room with her photos) but being with her – it's wonderful.

He's left pondering over why he never loved her before.

It's their last day in Los Angeles, and the bags are packed. Joe is slumped on the couch, pouting at the blank television screen. Macy is humming on the kitchen island, swinging her legs, while Nick has his arms around her waist and his head buried in her shoulder. Kevin is wrestling the Wii into a bag.

It's horribly silent.

It's like all of them can't wait to get away from here (she's still here but she's not).

Nick takes Stella's ticket and flies back to New Jersey with Macy. He hugs his brothers goodbye at the car, and when they've squashed Macy to their chests to their satisfaction he takes her hand and they walk inside.

It's time to go home.

They're sitting in the waiting area, her legs slung across his lap, when he can't hold it in anymore.

"Macy?"

She looks up at him from her book.

"When we get home," he begins, flushing nervously. "We're still – this is – you still –"

"Want you?" she finishes, a smile pulling at her mouth. "Oh, sweetheart, of course I do."

He exhales loudly. "Thank you, Mace."

She beams at him and kisses his jaw.

His mom clamps her hand over her mouth when she opens the firehouse door to him carrying a sleeping Macy.

"Hi, momma," he whispers, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Just let me put her down and then you can smother me."

"Oh, my baby, I missed you so much," she strokes his hair. "Here, set her down on the couch and I'll get some blankets. How was the flight?"

"Fine," he says, gently placing Macy on the couch and smoothing her hair back. "Macy talked the entire time and then she fell asleep in the car."

"Goodness, what about?" his mom hands him a blanket and he spreads it over his slumbering biggest fan.

"Anything," he replies, tucking the blanket around her carefully. "Didn't really matter."

His mom sits beside him and wraps her arms around his shoulders. "How long?"

He looks at her. "Two months."

She smiles.

Macy is very grumpy when she wakes up an hour later.

"Kevin, stop walking so loudly," she growls, and he looks rather frightened.

"Macy-girl, come on," Nick grins. "I'll drive you home, but stop being grouchy."

She smiles brightly at him. "Only for you."

Nick touches her cheek and kisses her quickly.

He walks her to her door, and suddenly he misses her.

"Will you come over tomorrow?" he asks hopefully, pulling her closer.

She smirks at him but agrees to head over in the afternoon.

"This is weird," he blurts out. "I'm so used to living in the same house as you."

She brings her hand up to place on his cheek. "I know. But we'll be okay."

"Yeah," he says, and hugs her tightly. She feels so right in his arms, like she was made just for this space in his embrace. She fiddles with his hoodie and makes no effort to move away from him (a good thing, too, he doesn't want to [ever] let go).

"Macy," he shifts so that their foreheads are pressed together. "Is it too early to say I love you?"

Her eyes well, and he panics because he wasn't supposed to make her cry; he rather hoped she would smile and kiss him and say I love you, too.

"I'm sorry!" he says, frantically brushing her tears away with his fingers. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just – I needed to – please, baby, don't cry, I-"

But she's laughing. "Oh, Nick, I'm happy. I love you, too."

His heart swells in his chest and he pulls her back into his arms.

They stay outside for another half hour.

He misses her dreadfully the next morning, half-expecting her to waltz through the door and plant a proper good-morning on him before going to get some cereal.

Kevin smirks at him. "Dude, you are whipped."

He checks for their mother's beady eye before chucking his spoon in the direction of his oldest brother's nose.

Macy goes alone to Stella's house that day, clutching him tightly for a few moments as she says goodbye. He knows this is going to be hard for her (her best friend left and didn't even say goodbye) so he lets her pick at the hem of his shirt and bury the button of her nose into the pulse of his neck.

He hears nothing from her for a day and a half.

He's wringing his hands over manuscript sheets when there is a soft knock on the door. He jerks upwards, flying over to the door and oh please let it be her-

Stella Malone stares up at him through puffy eyes (but perfect, cropped blonde hair) and two beautiful little tears slip down her blotchy cheeks.

(Because Stella Malone is a pretty princess but she can break her own heart as easily as she can break anyone else's).

"Nick," she whispers. "I'm sorry."

He can't bring himself to feel any pity for her.

"Joe's a mess," he says quietly. "He didn't take the movie."

"I know," she says, eyes wide and pleading. "Macy told me."

He turns away from her. "She hasn't called me or anything since yesterday. What happened?"

"We had a fight," she replies hoarsely, and he can't do this, not now.

"Joe's upstairs," he croaks. "Try and fix it, Stella."

He hears her heels clacking on the wooden floor and then the soft thumps on the stairs.

There are muffled sounds, and then it sounds like someone is crying.

He's never driven this fast before.

Her mom is almost as nice as his own, offering him some juice and chattering to him before catching on that he's there to see Macy.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," she gasps. "Head on up, she's the first door on the left. She could use a hug from you."

"Thanks, Mrs Misa," he says, already halfway to the stairs.

He knocks quietly, and then slowly opens the door.

She's fast asleep.

He kneels by her bed, his breath catching in his throat at her serenity. He's never seen her like this (peaceful, quiet, the light illuminating her cheeks) and he almost reaches for his phone so he can capture this moment forever in a photograph.

"Macy," he murmurs, touching her forehead gently. "Wake up, beautiful."

She moans slightly, eyelashes fluttering. "Hmm?"

"It's me," he whispers, tucking a loose lock of hair back into place. "I was worried about you."

"Nick?" Her eyes open and gaze at him. "I – I'm sorry, Stella was so mean."

"I know," he pulls her to his chest and she curls up there. "She's with Joe now."

"Right," she mumbles, eyelids drooping again and hands fisting in his shirt like a small child. "I'm so tired."

"Sorry," he says, pressing kisses to her cheeks. "I missed you."

She's drifting off, head nestled into his chest and tiny frame encircled tightly by his arms. He rests his head on her shoulder, breathing her in.

(Joe and Stella are always going to be hopelessly dysfunctional but he and Macy have something strong he's not going to give up [ever if he can help it])