i'll take your heart && keep it close to me.

[keith archer!]

a few days. a few, very long days, since keith had seen lucy. he had been so wrapped up in working extra shifts at work to pay for this months rent that he had no time to see his girlfriend. he texted her all day of course, since the thought having no contact with her almost made him depressed to think about.

being with her made all those feelings that he promised himself he would never want again, come back. but boy did he love the way she made him feel. keith was the type of person that loved being in a relationship and he was praying that this one would work out. that both he and his heart would make it out alive scratch free.

bringing caitlin to the park to meet lucy would be a big risk on his part and for the moment, he wasn't sure if he was ready to. but he knew that soon, real soon, they'd meet. as for now his daughter was with mrs. richardson while he planned to hang out with lucy at the park. he chose this one because it wasn't as crowed as the others. he hated unwanted attention.

arriving there first, he walked over to the swings, mainly because that's where his daughter always wanted to play on, so it was instinct to go there. he was wearing black jeans, checkered vans, and a 'we the kings' band t-shirt in a dark blood red. dark colors looked good him, so he wore them often enough. he swung himself slowly, his tall frame making his feet slide against the wood chips on the ground.

the thought of seeing lucy made him sick to his stomach. he thought about her constantly, dreamed of her, missed her kisses and her warm body against his. this was how keith knew he really liked someone. he couldn't bear to be apart from her. he really missed her. getting this way was a problem for keith. he had a tendency to fall too hard and too fast.

[Lucy Marks.]

Man had Lucy missed Keith. It had only been a few days since their last meeting, but, she still missed him. She had been texting him like crazy though, so that helped soften the hurt.

Lucy had rolled herself out of bed, her alarm clock waking her up. She stretched and yawned, looking at the clock. There was still alot of time until she was supposed to meet Keith. She took her shower the night before, so that was one more thing off her list.

She put her eyeliner on and straightened her hair, pulling on jeans and a black sweater, it had been cold out lately and Lucy didn't want to freeze to death. She slipped her converse on over her multi-colored socks, grabbing her phone...to tell him she was on her way.

Her house wasn't far from the park at all, about five minutes if you were on foot, two minutes if you took the easy route and drove a car, so she walked. Lucy stuck her hands in her pocket, entering the almost empty park.

She smiled, seeing the outline of someone on the swing, she recognized him instantly. She kept her cool and sat next to him on a low swing. "Hey," She said, grinning, her hair blowing in the soft breeze.

[keith archer!]

it seemed weird, but keith was never one to get cold so easily. it was actually normal for him to come out in chilly weather with just a plain cotton t-shirt. most of the time he wore his hoodies cause they made the outfit, not for warmth.

as he swung, he hummed a tune underneath his breath. he'd never tell lucy this, but he had already wrote a song for her. maybe he'd play for her sometime as a surprise. that's if he ever gathered up the courage to. he was also very shy when it came to playing his music in front of someone.

his heart skipped a beat when he saw lucy, his beautiful lucy, walking towards him. he tried to keep his cool as she sat down beside him on the swing and greeted him with a casual 'hey', but it was becoming a lot more difficult for him that it seemed for her.

finally, he stood up and tackled her off her low swing, sending her into the ground and his body on top of hers. he managed to support her body though, so when she dropped, she dropped in his arms and he was able to set her down gently.

keith pressed his lips excitedly against hers, adding more passion then their first real kiss. lucy would soon find out during the course of their relationship that he would become more comfortable with her and more open. he wouldn't always be this shy.

he pulled away, smiling. "missed you." he told her honestly and then layed his head on her chest gently, wondering silently if she'd be mad at the bold gesture. it wasnt like he was being a perv and groping it, he just wanted to listen to the beating of her heart.

[Lucy Marks.]

Lucy was a little shocked when she was sent to the ground but she couldn't help but laugh, he was so random. "Missed you," She replied after he kissed her, which, might I add, was also unexpected.

She bit her lip and sighed as he set his head down on her chest. She gently began playing with his hair, staring up at the sky above her. "You're such a cornball," She said, feeling as if calling him a Cornball would never ever get old. "You know that?" She asked after a few seconds of silence from her first statement.

[keith archer!]

from the look on her pretty little face, keith knew she was surprised that he had been brave enough to actually go in for a kiss. the last few days all keith could think about was kissing her, so when he first saw her it was impossible not to when her kissable lips were calling out to him and he was suffering from some serious lucy withdrawal.

he blushed, biting down on his bottom lip as she replied that she had missed him too. more butterflies fluttered around in his tummy. the simple things she said or did were enough to drive him wild. that was both a good thing and a bad thing. if she wanted, lucy could seriously take advantage of keith's weakness.

smiling, he closed his eyes. goosebumps rose on his arms as she played with his hair. normally he went pyscho when someone touched his hair, but when it came to lucy, he didn't care. he'd shave it all off for in a second if she ever claimed she dug the bald look. he heard her her heart beat, it was rapid and soothing -and it just became his new favorite song.

keith laughed, hearing her call him a cornball. she just didn't know true that was. he looked up at her. "now, tell me, how am i a cornball in this situation? all i simply stated was that i missed you. that was not cornball-ish that was honesty. but, you love that i'm a cornball, because let's face it, you like me. so you won't hate my cornball-ness, you'll embrace it." he told her, grinning goofily.

[Lucy Marks.]

Ever had those feelings whenever someone was around and you couldn't explain them? Neither had Lucy, she never really had butterflies in her stomach, fluttering around. It kind of made her mad that she couldn't explain this feeling, but she loved it more than the feeling of morning coffee rushing down your throat.

Lucy laughed at his statement. "Counter attack if I might," She said, lawyer like, propping herself up on her elbows. "If you lacked cornball qualities," She leaned in and brushed her lips along his cheek, "I wouldn't even talk to you," She pretended for a moment, "Well. I might talk to you but I wouldn't like you as much as I do," She said, grinned widely.

[keith archer!]

those unexplainable feelings is what his body ran on. although they were amazing, they were still frightening. slowly, but surely, he was trusting lucy. he always saw the good in people and he was gullible, most of the time keith believed in whatever a person told him, just because he liked to believe that people were honest and not liars like everyone thought they were. with all his heart though, he believed in lucy.

he grinned, looking up at her. "of course you may, no need for permission, dont you always say what's on your mind anyways?" he pointed out, waiting for her counter attack. he stared up into her eyes, ignoring her chest being pushed right into his face from when she propped herself up. smiling, he listened to her, blushing and feeling his cheek grow pleasantly warm when her lips brushed against his cheek.

pulling away for her gentle lips, although he didnt want to, he looked up at her with a frown on his face. "really?" he asked, not sure if he should be worried about that or not. what if one day he woke up and he wasnt a cornball? would she still like him? lucy hardly knew anything about keith, so sometimes he wondered if she'd break up with him just because he would tell her something about himself that she didnt like.

then he laughed. "well, i guess its good that im as corny as i am." he told her and kissed her lips softly, lingering his lips against hers for a brief moment. he sat up, straddling her body, trying to be light. he was thin, but she was frail, so he wanted to be careful. "you want to go play on the monkey bars with me?" he asked her, childishly. not even waiting for an answer he ran off her and sprinted towards them.

lifting himself up with ease, he flipped himself over so he was hanging by his legs upside down in a middle bar. his shirt slid down, revealing his pale, thin, still muscled stomach and his tattoo near his crotch that most people loved and had a tendency to get turned onto. it was keith's personal design and he loved it. "lookie lucy! im a monkey!" he said, laughing, then corrected himself. "or an opossum."

[Lucy Marks.]

"Do you seriously want to cross over to that territory?" Lucy asked after he said that bit about her big mouth. "Cause if you get me started about me and my big mouth," She sighed and shook her head, "I'm not shutting up,"

"Don't worry hon," Lucy said, smiling despite his frown. "Even if you loose all your cornyness. I'd still be with you," She rubbed her nose with his before he pressed his lips to hers. "I promise," She said with a grin after he pulled away.

"And I love your cornyness," She said with a nod after he stood up. She rolled her eyes as he asked her about the monkey bars. "You sure you won't hurt yourself?" She called to him after he started swinging from his legs.

Without waiting for his reply, she sighed and ran over to the monkey bars. "You're such a little kid," She said with a roll of her eyes. She crossed her arms along her chest and leaned against the little ladder that help the little kids get on the monkey bars.

[keith archer!]

he made a face, that was a bad move on his part. he buried his face into her shoulder, taking her sweet, girlish scent in secretly. he listened to her, keith would always listen when she had something to say. when finished, he looked up at her. "i love your mouth..." he said and then kissed her deeply on it, pulling away a little flustered. "and i love that you speak your mind and talk enough for the both of us." he teased.

smiling, he wrinkled his nose as she pressed hers to his "eskimo kiss!" he said excitedly, their noses rubbing together. "i like it when you promise." he told her. "your promises cant be broken." he said, nodding. mainly because lucy would never break one. "is my cornyness the only thing you love about me?" he asked, wondering. "cause i have a list of things that i love about you." he told her.

he stuck his tongue out her and crossed his arms over his chest. surprisingly enough, he was still perfectly balanced upside down. "yes, im sure. its only when i walk around that you have worry about me dangering myself and the innocent lives of others." he joked and swung himself a little, watching as she leaned against the ladder. "i know, i dont think i'll ever fully grow up. now come here and give me a spiderman kiss." he told her.

[Lucy Marks.]

Lucy sighed, biting her lip from that deep kiss. "You'll never have to talk again!" She said with a grin, kissing him lightly on the lips. "If you stick with me, that is," She said, her grin slowly fading into a soft smile.

"I love alot of other things about you," Lucy said, grinning again. "You're sweet and amazing," She kissed him gently, "And you're really cute," She said, rubbing her nose to his again. She knew he didn't think he was as cute as Lucy did, and she would have to convince him otherwise. "What do you love about me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So, what you're saying is that whenever we go somewhere I have to put a leash around your neck so you won't wonder off and hospitalize some old couple?" She asked, smirking slightly now. "And I think I'm too short to give you a Spiderman kiss. So I think this'll have to do," She walked over and bent down, so she was a little higher than eye level and pressed her lips to his. She pulled away after a few seconds and grinned, moving down to eye level. "Was that good enough?"

[keith archer!]

he laughed. "it's not like i talk much anyways. in most conversations i ususally stutter and fumble with my words so that whatever i had planned to say inside of my head comes out totally wrong. im surprised that didnt happen with you, but then again, i felt comfortable around you." he admitted, kissing her back after her words. "i'm not going anywhere." he told her, basically letting her know she was stuck with him too.

lucy was so affectionate and keith really liked that. he loved kissing, holding hands, holding her tight. he really was one of those mushy, sensitive, romantic boys. he blushed, laughing nervously as she told him what she liked about him, making him self concious again. boy was she good at doing that. he shook his head when she said he was cute. to be honest, keith didnt think that a girl as pretty as lucy deserved to be with a boy as average looking as him.

smiling at her, he took a deep breath, preparing himself. "okay, well, i love that you are just too beautiful for your own good. i love your style, i love that you're an individual who is not afraid to speak her mind. i love that you are friendly, understanding, caring, helpful and sweet. i love the way you make me feel when i kiss you and i love that you're athletic, since that's the exact opposite of me. i love that you have a sense of humor, that you're musically talented, i love that you're comfortable to be around, i love that you're trusting and i love that you're not afraid to be yourself with me." he told her honestly, his words very soft and slow.

shaking his head, he laughed. "no leash, you can just hold my hand." he said and waved his at her, as if he was greeting her. "and never let it go." he added. he smirked when she said she was too short. he thought it was so cute that he was almost a foot taller than her. "you're not short, you're fun sized." he teased as she came closer. when their lips meant, keith placed his hand gently on her face and got real into it. so into it that when she pulled away, he fell down.

looking at her from the view of the ground, he nodded, his breathing heavy, his head light headed, his heart racing and his body aching. that was a bad fall. "that was perfect." he said breathless. he sat up, leaning back on his elbows. he winced a little and rubbed his lower back, since he had fallen on that along with his butt. "ow, god lucy, you made me fall." he told her, smiling. he knew it wasnt her fault. "look at what your kisses do to me."

[Lucy Marks.]

"Good. Cause if you did I'd hunt you down and drag you back," She gave a nod, "I don't look that strong. But I am," She kissed him for seemed the hundredth time that day, "And I always go by word,"

Lucy blushed as Keith said all those things about her, she didn't think half of those fit her personality at all. She put her hands on his shoulders, her forehead pressed to his again. "And I love that you love all those things about lovely old me," She wasn't conceited at all, so she couldn't help but grin as these words spilled out of her mouth.

"What do you mean by fun sized?" She asked, a hand on her hip. She bit her lip as she watch him fall. "You're a liar!" She said, sitting gently on his lap. "You said as long as you were in the air," She kissed him again, "You couldn't hurt yourself,"

[keith archer!]

he laughed into her small shoulder, kind of finding the way she promised to chase after him if he ever left, attractive. she was a playful bad ass and he would actually like to see lucy try and drag him back. she was tiny indeed and he was sure she had been underestimated all her life, so he wasn't about to follow that trend. "mhm, and i don't doubt that." he said, believing she would result to the actions she just listed.

he smiled, seeing her pale cheeks color a rose red. he leaned in and kissed both of her cheeks gently, holding her by the waist affectionately, letting his fingers brush along her side. his movements were becoming slightly bolder. he grinned. "there's a lot of love in that sentence." he told her, joking but also pointing out a fact at the same time. "but i'm sure, that i will find even more things to love about you in time."

"you know, all cute and tiny, like those little snickers and three muskateers bars they sell on halloween." he said, teasing her even more. "but i like you short. it just makes me want to sit you on my lap and cuddle with you all night." he told her honestly, blushing like crazy now. he couldn't believe he had just told her one of his small little fantasies. he had many and none, repeat none, were dirty sex fantasies. he wasn't like that.

he jumped, the words coming to him unexpectedly. he looked up, rubbing the back of his neck, waiting for her to accuse him. as she sat down in his lap, he grinned and wrapped his arms tightly around her small waist, pulling her into his own body gently. he laughed. "well you broke your promise. you said that if i fall you'd catch me. what happened to that?" he asked her, giving her a kiss.

[Lucy Marks.]

Lucy laughed at his statment but sighed soon after. "When are you going to let me meet Caitlin?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she spoke. She really wanted to meet the little girl, she came from him, so she had to be cute and funny, just like her daddy, even if she wasn't even one yet.

"There's not that much to me," Lucy said, rolling her eyes and looking at the ground. "I mean, I'm not as amazing as you think I am," She said, looking back up at him, a small frown upon her lips. "I'm really not," She repeated, rubbing the back of her head.

"So I'm like piece of candy huh?" Lucy asked, grinning playfully. She noticed his blush and she kissed him on the left cheek, messing his hair up. "You're so cute," She said, leaning in and rubbing her nose to his.

"You're too heavy for me to catch you," Lucy said after a few seconds of thinking about it. "You're like 500 pounds and I'm only 30," She said, a smirk begging to rise upon her lips, though she wouldn't allow it, "You'd squish me!"

[keith archer!]

caitlin was a mixture of keith and holly in both the personality and appearance department. as soon as you'd see her though, you knew she was his daughter. he bit down on his bottom lip. "i was going to bring her to the park today, but...i...wimped out." he admitted. "i'm sorry i keep delaying your meeting. when do you want to meet her? say the date and i promise, you can meet her then lucy."

he frowned. "we talked about this." he told her. "i am determined to find out more about you. everyone has layers lucy, this can't just be it. maybe...you haven't discovered the rest of yourself. sometimes, i don't even know who i am. we're like puzzles, we have all the lines and zig zags in us and some colors, like the plain ones, but we don't have the vibrant ones or the patterns because face it, we're still young and we still don't know who we are yet. "

he smiled at her, happy with his comparison. "and no matter what you say or think..." he started, pressing his forehead lightly to hers. "you are amazing, especially to me." he said softly and kissed her lightly. he was telling her the truth. in a way, they were both alike on how they saw themselves. neither one of them saw themselves as great and they both blushed when they complimented each other, obviously not used to so much flattery.

"mhm! mhm!" he said excitedly, grinning. "you're sweet and addicting. you always make me want some more." he told her, kissing her lips as she moved her lips away from his cheek, just catching them together in time. after she pulled away and rouffled his hair, he pouted and flattened it down, letting his his bangs go back into his brown, eyeliner covered, eyes. "not as cute as you though."

keith's mouth formed a perfect 'o', his eyes were wide in surprise. he covered his mouth and pointed his finger at her. "oh my god you're calling me fat!" he accused. now, keith knew he wasn't fat, most people thought he was too skinny, but he was bigger than lucy. "i do not weigh 500 pounds, do i look like a sumo wrestler?" he challenged. "i like my body alot thank you very much." he said and stuck his tongue out at her. "maybe someday if you're lucky enough you can see it."

[Lucy Marks.]

Lucy frowned and pouted as he said he was going to bring her to the park...was! "You should have brought her," She crossed her arms, faking hurt and severe dispointment. She perked up though when he said to name the time and it would happen. "Well muh dearie," She said, grinning wide, "What about two weeks from Friday?" She joked, raising an eyebrow, making herself look mysterious. "I'm kidding," She reassured him. "Soon?" She asked, looking hopeful.

"I'm happy you think I'm amazing. But!" She said, raising her index finger, trying to prove a point. "You are amazuzing!" She grinned from her witiness. She kissed him gently, pulling away from him to see his reaction.

She frowned again, seeing him flatten his hair, "But what if I liked your hair all poofy and messed up?" She looked at him for a moment, smirking slightly. "I think it's sexy as hell," She said, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Yes you do in fact look like a 500 pound sumo wrestler," Lucy replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Maybe?" She asked, scoffing as if that idea were crazy. "I might get lucky enough to see you're anorexic body?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Honey. I will,"