Adventures with the Marauders W/Lynx

Yet she did, and Remus held both of them securely, perfectly content being out of the loop. They hadn't been able to get full, proper comfort from each other if they were a wreck like this. Shirt soaked and the salt-water scent strong in the air, he rubbed their backs, "You two must be exhausted now, and it is getting later by the minute. Sleep sounds good, hmm?"

While still in his hold, Shaye gently pressed a kiss against Remus' lips. Chaste, and gentle, but filled with need and comfort. "You're staying and sleeping here too, right?" She asked, only moving so she could rub her eyes. They were red-rimmed and her cheeks were slightly bloody from her tears.

Remus felt his body stir, and he felt awful for feeling that way even if she instigated it. He did not like taking advantage of anyone. Watching her closely, how she watched him with pleading eyes...he suddenly noticed Sirius had pulled away while he had been distracted and his eyes were sparking. It clicked, and he leaned in to kiss Shaye again, Padfoot watching intently, "I understand..." he murmured against her lips, "I am your pillar tonight. If I can hold him, I can hold you. Yes...I will stay." His body temperature was going up, and he felt Sirius hardening against his thigh.

"Bedroom." Shaye said breathlessly, pulling Remus and Sirius with her towards it. Her heart was breaking at the same time, it wasn't. She wanted to cry, but she wanted to stay focused. If Remus really could hold her, then she'd hold on to him, with all her might. If he could keep her from falling, then...then she'd have to leave everything till the morning.

"I have a question...I did not find it in your book. Let me ask before I forget," Remus rumbled softly against Shaye's neck as Sirius backed away to remove his jacket, shoes and socks, "A werewolf bite...does it affect ghouls like it would humans or other creatures?"

"No, your bite can't hurt me." Shaye said baring her throat against the vibrations of his voice. "Just like it can't hurt the vampires." She tried to stay close in his proximity as she tugged her shirt off and tossed it somewhere. She slipped her shoes off and kicked them out of the way. "So...you can ravish me."

"Oh...Merlin..." Remus moaned and his hands that had migrated to her hips gripped her flesh hard, "That...I feel sick at how that affects me...but I can't help it..." he panted, teeth grazing and his body trembled, his lip curling up slightly in a broken growl, "I don't want to hurt you...I don't know how I'd react once I start..."

Sirius knew he was rambling, and he gently slid his hands along Remus' sides under his shirt from behind him, kissing at the back of his neck along his hairline, "You can trust Shaye, too, Moony," he whispered, "She'll stop you if it's too much...and you will pull away. I know you...you aren't a monster. You've tried so hard your whole life to prove that to everyone else, but you have nothing to prove to her, to us. We know."

Shaye nodded her agreement and leaned forward, passed Remus to give Sirius a quick kiss and place another against Remus' side of the neck and collarbone, but instead of being gentle, she let her teeth gently pinch the skin. She knew that was a dangerous move, but...he wasn't dangerous. Not to her.

The struggle did not last very long after she did that. Remus found just the perfect spot on the right side of her neck and let his teeth graze, breaking skin with his fangs before he actually bit down. The flavor of her blood burst across his tongue and is eyes rolled back. A lewd moan escaped and he grabbed her ass, pulling her flush against him, letting her feel the erection he sported. Never...he never thought he would be able to do this. He bit her right side, as well, because the left was closer to the heart and that was better suited for Sirius' bite when he chose to make her his.

Sirius had the breif thought that he should not be so turned on by watching the scene playing out before him, but he quickly squashed it and licked his lips. Remus was a bit too tall for him to bite him where he stood, but he slid his hands further up and coaxed him to break his hold on his lover so he could remove the shirt. Then he roughly shoved Moony onto the bed, climbing over him and kissing him roughly. He moaned, tasting Shaye's blood but it made the experience all that more intimate. Hips grinding down, he shuddered at just how rock solid he was, "Let me help you with that," he rumbled, popping his belt and the button, dragging the zipper down and he wiggled his jeans free.

Remus was dazed but only for a moment. When he felt Shaye's weight dent the bed and everything but his boxers were left, he tackled the redheaded woman, his lips finding her collarbone and biting again. It was never good to re-bite a wound so soon after it's creation, but the feeling of sinking is teeth into flesh was new, and he did not have to fear it.

Shaye whimpered underneath the harshness of Remus' ministrations, but she didn't tell him to stop. She needed this just as much as he did. She felt dizzy, felt her skin heat up and heavy. She could feel herself get wetter and wetter as she tried to get back at him kissing, nipping and carcassing where she could. She was aware that Sirius was advancing on them as well. Remus tasted like the forest...like a breath of fresh air...of blood and meat. Not hers, not just hers. She was pretty certain her eyes changed color as she lost herself in the sensations. She scratched at Remus' back as she kissed his lips like she needed to breathe. God, she never thought she'd be turned on /this/ much. Sirius was one thing...both of them together though...that was another.

"The gentle ones are always the fiercest...isn't that how the stories go?" Remus purred in her ear, tenderly nipping at her earlobe, "Shall I remove your pants or should Sirius?" he asked curiously, "He can have a turn at kissing you if I do."

"Whoever can get to it faster," Shaye replied, her mind dizzy. "Which might be you since you're already on top of me." She gave him a smile "I don't recall...you ever being a "gentle wolf"." She teased.

Remus smirked but Sirius had heard what she had said before and quickly grabbed the belt buckle before he had the chance to, eyeing his best mate with a devious half-smile. Eyebrow raised, Remus conceeded and he slid further up, moving off of Shaye so he could take his underwear off, being the first to be completely naked, but he then scooted behind Sirius and gripped his shirt, "You need to have less clothes," he muttered and grabbed a rip, tearing it the rest of the way.

"Hey, I liked that shirt!" Sirius complained around Shaye's zipper, feeling Moony peal the shredded pieces away.

"Rude, don't talk with your mouth full," Remus chided with a snort, "It's not like grungy wife-beaters are hard to come by, Sirius. I'll get you a new one, ya whiner."

Shaye laughed lightly, lifting her hips a little and arched as his teeth gently dipped at he sensitive skin at her navel. She took in a sharp breath as she felt herself slowly become more and more exposed to not just one person who seen her like this, but two. She couldn't help but to feel nervous, her heart was thumping wildly in her chest now.

Sirius deftly unhooked her bra as well once her pants were gone, feeling Remus fiddling with his own belt and of course, he was commando so he was butt naked when he jerked the fabric down over his ass. "That leaves you with just your panties, cherrypie," Sirius toyed with her belly button ring with his tongue and kissed her sweet spots on her abdomen and stomach.

God they were gorgeous. Shaye could feel words wanting to spill from between her lips, but also she had nothing to give. With Sirius, she wanted to plead, wanted to talk. Tell shower him with praise and love and affection, but Remus was a different matter. He didn't need her words, he needed her actions. It was...a game almost to figure out which part, which role to play. She wasn't seductive, she wasn't Cassandra...she couldn't be sexy even if she wanted to. So...she'd just have to do something else. "Then let Rem have a turn." She told him. "Otherwise, you're gonna suck me off before he even gets a taste."

"As my lady commands," Sirius purred, kissing her hipbone before he crawled up her body, "How do you feel about face-sitting? I haven't sucked Remus off in a while, and it would be sexy to watch him eat you out while I blow his mind," he grinned before kissing her intently.

She followed his kiss with her own passionate response. She cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand, her thumb gently stroking underneath the eye socket. A moan caught in her throat that he was so desperate to swallow. When they pulled away, her eyes had changed from the chocolate brown, to a deep black and blood red iris, but it only stayed fo a brief moment before it changed back again. "Rem?" She asked breathless, but her eyes still dazzled by Sirius'. "Would that feel too suffocating?"

"No, not at all. I can support you, dear heart," Remus promised, "As long as you're fine with it," he slid his hand along her thigh, enjoying how she trembled, and hooked his fingers in her underwear. Once they were gone, he patted Sirius' back and they all shifted positions. Tugging Shaye into a kiss, he left her breathless as Padfoot had before he flopped down on his back and awaited her patiently.

"One of you is going to be the death of me," Shaye sighed as she climbed over him. She felt nervous, scared. It was new, but all of this was. She dug her knees as deep into the mattress as she could and used the curl of her toes to keep herself lifted so she didn't hurt him. She didn't know where to place her hands, she felt so awkward but...it was exciting. When he first licked her, she nearly toppled over, not expecting it at all. She shuddered and gasped when he did it again, a little more prepared this time for what he was going to do.

Sirius coaxed her hands to balance on Remus' chest and kissed her hotly, "I love you, and I'm probably going to be the death of you," he kissed her nose, being playful, before he moved his attention to his friend. He kissed and licked his chest, sucking on his nipples and attacking the sweet spots he had memorized over the years of being together in secret before James found out and then later Lily.

Remus groaned against Shaye's dripping cunt while Sirius ravished him, even gasping as he bit him just where he liked it with just enough pressure. He was hoping to get the redhead to relax, rubbing his hands along her hips, thighs, and lower to mid-back while his tongue traced her folds and teased her clit. He sucked and tried not to use his teeth here, but when Sirius got him in just the right spot he growled deeply, accidentally catching her, scraping his teeth along her flesh, but her reaction caught him off guard.

Shaye once more nearly toppled, but instead of heavy and awkward, she felt loose and fluid. Her mind was blank, blissfully so. She was pretty sure she let out a shout, a scream, some sort of noise but she wasn't exactly sure on how loud and what kind it was. She didn't have any time to be embarrassed because he did it again very gently and she let out a soft whine in the back of her throat. "Dear god," she groaned her mouth once more running away from her. "That's fantastic. That's good, that's real good. Fucking..."

It was too damn sexy watching his beloved lose her mind while his best friend sucked at her. Feeling just as hard as Remus looked, he played dirty, licking slowly up the bottom of his shaft, his silver eyes watching Shaye's face closely and then he dove down, swallowing the werewolf's cock in one go. He jerked at the sensation but Sirius was prepared, pinning his hips down and was gleeful at the pitiful yet sexy whine he managed to rip from his throat.

Shaye tasted fantastic as her juices flowed faster, and he ravished her with even more ferocity, but Sirius was matching him just as well as he bobbed his head up and down, creating oh-so delicious sparks in his brain. When he went all the way to the root a second time and rubbed his tongue along the base he couldn't help but turn his head and bite against Shaye's thigh. Her blood sent liquid fire right through his body and he pulled away breathing heavily, "Sirius...you're a devil..." Once he was sure his mouth was clean he returned to the task at hand.

She was so thankful that her wounds were easily healed, otherwise, she would be a throbbing mess. Shaye managed to get in at least a small breather when Remus spoke, but when he went back to sucking on her, it took everything she had not to fall on him. She finally had to plant her hand against his chest, unable to trust her legs anymore. She whimpered and let out a soft groans and squeals in the back of her throat, her breathing ragged. "Fuck...." She whimpered, her fingers idly searching for his nipple to at least brush against it, if not play with it a little, get him back some. She glanced over towards where Sirius was sucking at him. It was....really a sight to see. She smiled warmly at him. It made her heart warm for some reason, seeing him give his all to Remus. Probably because she knew exactly what it felt like, and knew that Rem was being taken care of.

This went on for several minutes before Remus finally gave in, "I don't know how much longer I can do this..." he admitted, "I want...I need..."

Sirius knew immediately and he was sure Shaye did as well. She was also trembling hard, about to fall over, and he smirked. Pulling away from him, he shifted up and kissed his lover before he took her arms from under her, causing her to fall onto her chest on Remus' stomach, "Finish him off for me?" he purred, kissing her neck before he moved fully behind her and he turned his head to kiss Moony deeply, groaning from deep within his chest at the taste of her on his lips. Without further ado, he swiped his tongue along the redhead's slit for good measure and then rubbed his cock against her, "Tell me you're ready for me," he rumbled.

"I'm ready," Shaye pleaded. "Don't tease, and don't you dare go in slow." She knew the threat was useless, the strength in her voice didn't match to the whimper that left her. She moved just a bit forward and got herself steady on her knees. She took a breath and began her work. She stroked Remus' cock first, just getting a feel for the hard ridges and the soft head before she brought her lips to the tip and licked at the slit. She could taste his precum and Sirius' saliva. It was...addicting. It was a combination that she didn't expect....and wanted more of.

It was one of those moments where Sirius did not feel like teasing, but he was still bone dry. Remus took it upon himself to lean his head up and swallow him. Sirius gasped, shifting so he could get at him better, but once he was properly soaked he was released. Panting, he rubbed his hand on his cheek and gripped both of Shaye's hips, working the tip in before he slammed balls-deep into her dripping, scorching hot core. "Oh, Merlin..." he gasped, voice and breath caught in his throat, "Needed to be filled, babe? You swallowed me up, and you're gripping me like you don't want me to leave," he enjoyed talking dirty to her like this, and he slid his hands up along her back oh so softly before he dragged his nails all the way back down. He didn't break the flesh, but he did watch the red marks appear on that pale skin.

Shaye had to let Remus go in order to keen properly. "Fuck." She gasped, sweat dripping down her forehead and her arms trembled with the additional weight. "Of course I don't want you to leave." She gasped, "I'll always want you." Once she finished saying that, she renewed her sucking and licking with vigor, adding twists and trying to keep a good tempo with Sirius' thrusts so she wouldn't choke on him.

Eyes rolling back, it sounded like it had been practiced with how Sirius and Remus both moaned at the exact same time. Sirius pulled back and slammed in with renewed vigor and kept up a pretty even, fast pace. Remus found it difficult to keep his hips still, but he settled for rolling them in circles instead of bucking. He caught one of Sirius' dangling testicles in his mouth and sucked, finding luck had given him the more sensitive of the two as Sirius moaned again. Lavishing it a while, he moved to lick at the juncture where the lovers above him met, his tongue sliding against the base of his cock while it ever so slightly dipped into Shaye's pussy when he thrust inside, creating a unique sensation on his tongue as well as a unique taste.

"That...feels so weird but...fuck...Moony...Shaye..." Sirius mumbled, leaning forward over Shaye's back and wrapping one arm around her front, supporting her and holding her close, needing more of a connection.

Shaye couldn't respond, her entire focus was on Remus' and his cock and pleasure. She moved in time with Sirius' thrusting so she wouldn't accidentally deep-throat him. When he pulled out, she moved back, sucking on the tip. Sirius thrust forward, she swallowed him, working her throat the best that she could. She did her best to find just the right way to suck him. Sometimes she hollowed her cheeks to take him in deeper, sometimes she twisted her wrist, sometimes when she felt especially brave, she'd reach down and play with Remus' balls being very careful with them.

Whatever Shaye did was good enough for the werewolf as he groaned and moved his head between lapping and sucking at Sirius' balls and flicking his tongue and sucking on Shaye's clit. When she would play with his balls he would shy away, however, not too fond of that. He did enjoy when she hollowed her cheeks, groaning loudly with approval. It didn't take long for the fire in his gut to burn hotter and for the coils to tighten, "I don't know how much longer I can go..." he moaned. There was too much stimulation. Shaye's scent mixed with Sirius', personal and intimate...

Sirius doubled his efforts, pounding Shaye harder and draped his body over her back to nip and bite at her neck and shoulder, "You don't have to suck him anymore, just squeeze him and jerk him off, there's plenty of spit," he whispered in her ear, "I want to hear you moan..."

Shaye hummed and slowly disengaged her mouth from Remus' dick. Once it was out of her mouth, she was panting for breath, but Sirius didn't relent on his thrusts. She barely got a few breaths in when he hit her in a spot that made her see black and white for a brief period, causing her moan loudly. She tried to clear her head enough so that she could jerk off Remus. It was clumsy, but she hoped that it wasn't lousy.

"Oh, yes...just like that...I'm..." Remus could feel he was on that edge, and he wanted Sirius to get there faster, so he reached up and gripped his ass, pulling his cheeks apart and he swiped his tongue along the pucker. This made him jump and thrust super deep into Shaye, but he resumed his efforts as the werewolf continued. When there was enough spit he slipped a finger inside, and with years of practice, he found his prostate and rubbed on it.

Sirius was seeing stars, and he moaned loudly from the double assault pounding his redheaded lover harder, making sure to hit that spot that made her cry out more, "Fuck...Remus...ah...Shaye...I'm going to..."

Remus thrust his hips harder into Shaye's hand, "C'mon, you two...fall for me..." he rasped with a deep growl.

His onslaught with Sirius made him pound his hips harder and harder, gripping her body tighter and tighter. Her mind was blanking out, furthering herself towards the edge. It wasn't long before he pressed just hard enough to finally make her fall. She was only vaguely aware of Sirius spilling into her, and Remus covering her face with his cum. When it was over, she wiped her face off with her hand and licked a bit of the cum off. It wasn't like Sirius, a bit too musky for her, but she continued to suck and lick at her hand as she allowed herself to be pulled up. "Not bad aim." She teased lightly, "Thank you..." For so much she couldn't name.

~*~

Remus grumbled when the light hit his eyes from Shaye's window. He went to shield his eyes only to find his arms were pinned from the position he, Sirius, and Shaye had landed in the night before. Chuckling softly, he wiggled free and off the bed, then moved to close the blinds a bit more. Padding off to use the loo, he also set the coffee machine before returning to bed where Shaye was actually the first to wake, but she had a python wrapped around her, "He's got a strong grip, doesn't he?" he grinned, laying beside her and propped his elbow, his head in his hand, his hair a complete mess.

Shaye nodded with a small smile and laugh as she thought about how to get out of his arms. "Not too strong, it's comforting." She admitted softly as she ran her fingers down Sirius' arm and back up to his shoulder to repeat the stroke. She could smell coffee and she looked at Remus like a puppy. "You're making coffee. You're too good to be real."

"I'll proceed to make breakfast as well. You two had a rough night if you called me, so I'll do what I can until you're comfortable enough to tell me what happened. Sirius' energy was a mess," Remus stroked her cheek, "Yours wasn't much better."

Shaye closed her eyes and took a breath in. "Rem." She murmured softly, her voice hoarse with emotion, filled with love, grief, hope, and despair all at once. "You're going to have to be careful from now on." She didn't want to sound so foreboding. She had wanted to make this last, make him happy. His warmth, his scent, his smile she didn't want it to disappear yet. However, she couldn't bear to keep him in the dark anymore. They were a mess...and he deserved to know why.  "Something happened last night. Let me...figure out a way to untangle myself from the snuggly koala bear and I'll tell you while you make breakfast."

Remus winked at Shaye, letting her first words slide off for now. It could wait a little while longer. "I found the best way isn't to shock him, but to go slow. Stroking the bridge of his nose, kissing it, kissing /him/, stroking his arm with a little force or maybe using a little nail. Scratching his back nice and light, too. Works just as well 'cause then it itches more and he wiggles around trying to get the places that itch like a dog and it's so cute."

"Hmmm. Okay." Shaye smiled as she watched Remus get up from the bed and out their bedroom. She sighed and looked over at Sirius who was sleeping soundly. Energies were a mess..she kissed his forehead and lips, and nuzzled his cheek. "I love you." She murmured softly as she kissed his face and did as suggested and used her nails, gently to not hurt him. She started with his hair, and raked her nails through it, lightly scratching at the scalp and tracing the back of his ears. "Thank you, for holding me." She kissed the tip of his nose. "Thank you for loving me. I love you."

Sirius mumbled something under his breath, an attempt at a response but it was muffled from not enunciating it. Shifting his head into her hand and even starting to respond to her kisses, he made a deep hum in his throat which progressed into a top-jawed wide yawn that even sounded like a dog's. He shook his head, startled by it and then rolled over onto his back, rubbing his eyes with one fist while he still had her pinned to his body with the other, "Bugger..." he slurred, "What time is it? The ass-crack of dawn?"

"I don't know." Shaye replied softly. "Rem's making breakfast, and I'm...stuck." She kissed his nose again. "He gave me the idea of how to wake you up. So, good morning, Starlight."

"Mm...good morning indeed, my sweet cherry pie," Sirius grinned down at her and tilted his head to kiss her forehead before he released her suddenly, jumping out of bed, "Gotta use the looooooo!" he cried as he bounded for the bathroom.

She laughed as she got up and got herself dressed and headed out of the bedroom, stretching. Her heart was both leaping around and sinking in sadness. She would have to tell him again since he was apparently too deep in sleep to hear her sweet words. She smelled breakfast and she sighed. She was glad that she had human food for them. She could also smell coffee, which was good. "What's your plan for the day?" She asked curiously as she walked into the kitchen and headed towards the cupboard to get herself a mug.

"Honestly, I was going to go to Fireside and talk to Tonks, or call her to see if we should hang out somewhere else. I didn't have much else in mind," Remus shrugged and smiled at her, pouring the coffee into a few cups and making his and Sirius' how he knew it was preferred and glanced over his shoulder, "Black for you, sweetheart?"

"Thank you, Tonks will be fun." Shaye beamed as she took the mug gratefully away from him when he poured her the drink. "What your making smells wonderful." Maybe she should go hunting soon. Talk to Ian. Maybe hunt for Thomas' widow and children. She hated that word, "hunt", but what else would she call it? "Thank you for last night. For loving Sirius and me."

Remus shook his head, "No need, but I appreciate the words. I love you both, though in a different way than you love each other. I wonder...do you think Tonks would accept our messed up three-some relationship? Is that something I should ask her? Not so directly, of course..."

"I think..." Shaye said softly, "That you should be direct and tell her up front what we have. Be honest with her, because she's honest. I'll pray that she'll accept. That she cares about you enough to let two other people love you. I'm more than willing to back off if she's threatened by me. I /know/ that I can get overly possessive and that I can get dangerous."

"Yes, the kissing blow-up was rather unexpected. I am glad Sirius gave me the Ghoul book to research," Remus nodded. That hadn't even been a blow-up, either, just...inwardly exploding. "Anyway, Sirius is coming," he smiled at the black haired man that came through the door, black jeans hanging loosely off his hips, buttoned and zipped but the buckle undone. "You look refreshed. I heard your shout. Surprised your bladder didn't wake you up before Shaye did."

Sirius chuckled and stretched, plopping down in a seat beside Shaye and took the coffee set in front of him gratefully, "Ah, I wonder that myself. Here I am, though," he leaned over and kissed Shaye's cheek, "Your welcome and I love you, too," he said gently.

Shaye's cheeks blushed heavily as she took a drink of her coffee, smiling brightly. But...she placed the cup down. They loved her and they were so happy. Why did the hunter have to do that to Thomas? What about his family and the rest of the Ghouls? "We should tell Rem." She looked at Sirius. "I can tell him. About what happened last night."

"Tell us both about Thomas, before he left your home, and I'll tell him my end of the story up to when I ran into you, and his wife and tykes...we'll both tell," Sirius laid it out, "That good?"

"I will listen to whatever you two have to tell me," Remus assured, sitting with his own cup. He would wait to make breakfast until they were done, in case it made them no longer hungry.

"Thomas is a good friend of mine." Shaye smiled though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "We both worked at the same job for a while before I got accepted to work at the Daily Prophet. It's hard trying to find a Ghoul in an oppressive society, but when you find one family, you find a bunch of them. I'm close to a lot of them, because we're drawn together. In this society, we have to protect each other. Otherwise, we can die a lot faster. He came by asking me if I was willing to babysit the boys for a while next week, and I had casually mentioned that a friend of mine," she nodded to Remus, "would be babysitting too and I could see if I could make a play date out of it if possible. He was excited since he had plans to take Darleen out and about for their anniversary as well as to celebrate the upcoming birth of their daughter."

She took a breath. "When he left, he told me to keep my guard up. But he didn't say why. Sometimes he says that as a goodbye. He never liked that word. But the way he said it this time...it felt like he was being serious. I didn't question it...that was so stupid of me. His senses are so good...why didn't I tell him to stay the night or something?" Uh oh. Dangerous path. "A-anyway..." she choked, "I'm sorry."

Sirius closed his eyes, not liking to think about what his part was, but he squeezed Shaye's hand. He looked up again as Remus stroked her hand that was over her coffee cup. He was silent, olive green eyes sad and knowing. He knew what was coming next, he read enough books to put two and two together. So he just took a deep breath and launched into it.

Now, when Sirius was finished with his side of the tale, Remus' eyes were wide, skin pale, and he clenched his cup. "That...horrifying. That really is. Not only what you found, but what he said. I am grateful that James was there. I wonder how he is doing...it wouldn't effect him like it would us. Not that I like saying he wouldn't understand, he's our best friend...but there are some things...they strike deeper when you /are/ the monster of the night they teach about in DADA. You...understand in ways that James can't, even though you aren't like Shaye and I, because...you have that darkness inside you that you obviously displayed to that hunter. That's chilling. He must have been insane if he wasn't intimidated by you."

"James has a purity that none of us do...which is why I believe we're drawn to him as a leader and a friend," Sirius agreed.

"All of us are going to have to be extra careful from now on." Shaye said tearfully. She hated this. She didn't want them to be careful. She didn't want Sirius to be ashamed of her. It sucked. It's been a long time, but she wished desperately that she wasn't a Ghoul at this very point in time. "This is a big story...." and if she hoped desperately that Thomas was the only death. Who knew how many ghouls the Hunter managed to take before meeting Sirius. She wasn't sure if her heart could take it, if she had to read the story. "...so undoubtedly I'll have to go in early as possible. I can keep myself out, the Ministry doesn't even know I exisit. So...I'm....safe for a little bit." Little didn't mean much anymore....especially when she had two people she loved and loved dearly.

"I love you both, and we'll get through this...you're very old, Shaye. This can't be your first rodeo, as the Americans would say it, hmm?" Remus smiled at her tenderly, understanding, "Just breathe. If you need a break from work without being suspicious just do the classic, text me or Sirius while you're in the bathroom and we'll come get you for lunch," he assured.

"That sounds like a great idea. I should go check on James and get an update, but after that I'll be free all day," Sirius agreed.

How could she tell them that it was the first time in a long time that she had to worry about a human? A human, and a werewolf? A /wizard/ no less? She smiled as she wiped away her tears. "Right." She took a breath. "I'll head out now so I can get the story. I'll text you both at lunch to make sure you're alright." She stood up and kissed Remus on the cheek first and then pecked Sirius on the lips. "Lock my door when you leave, please. I'll see you guys later tonight if not at lunch!" She waved happily.

The time passed quietly while she returned to the bedroom to get dressed and then left. Remus shook his head, "You forgot to tell me the after...but that's okay. I'm not hungry after that, but I'm sure when I see Tonks that I will be, and we'll get breakfast together, but how about we have one more cup of Joe and get going ourselves?"

"Right," Sirius agreed and stood up to return to the bedroom and got dressed properly. It had been a long night indeed, but hopefully today would be better.

()

Diagon Ally was filled with people heading back and forth along the cobblestone pathways and sidewalks. Cassandra never seen another place, besides New York and a few areas in Germany, where people dressed in flamboyant fashions. Cloaks, witches and wizard hates, capes, the most interesting customs that regarded intricate tunics and slacks. They took the name “wizard” and “witch” and went all out without a fear in the world about being judged.

Again, the culture was vastly different too. Many of these people never been in the Muggle World, or knew much about how to blend in. She whistled softly as she continued her walk, a bag filled with sweets for the kids on her side when she spotted…well…someone interesting.

For all the flamboyant customs and cloaks, for all the interesting designed hats, this guy who was sitting on the bench, reading the Daily Prophet, took her by surprise. He wore pure black, and his hair was neatly cut. The way he sat screamed out “proper” and “clean-slate”, and possibly the word “rich” also came to mind even though his clothes didn’t look /too/ out there.

She walked over to the bench and grinned when he looked up. Silver eyes. “So I just wanted to tell you that I think you’re really handsome and that you remind me of someone.” She told him honestly, taking pride at the shock on his face. “You also have really pretty silver eyes.”

"Um...thank you?" He blinked at her in surprise, "Most describe them as a storm grey. You have lovely eyes yourself. Emerald green?" he tilted his head curiously with a smirk at her, "Might we exchange names before we continue flirting?"

Cassie laughed, pushing her hair back from her face. “Is this that what I was doing?” She teased. “I’m Cassandra Hass.” She grinned brightly. “Do you want to come and get a drink with me somewhere so we don’t have to sit in the cold?”

"Is it an alcoholic type of drink? Or butterbeer?" he stood up and held his hand out to her, "I'm Regulas Black. Pleasure."

“Wow, trying to get me drunk in the middle of the afternoon. You’re one hell of a guy.” Cassandra shook her head from side to side and took his hand for a firm shake. “No, I wasn’t planning on anything like that. Butterbeer something lighter. I have a bunch of nieces and nephews to return to and I don’t think my brothers will appreciate me coming home with a stagger. That said, I’d want to save that for a real date if I can get you to agree.”

"Well, you know what you want at least, that's nice," Reg arched a brow at her, taking note of the warmth that radiated up his arm at her touch but did not react to it, "Brothers? Nieces and nephews? I hope I don't have to meet the family right away, I'm not ready to commit, though depending on who you are, my mother might enjoy that." He shrugged and motioned to her to follow him to a nearby pub where they could get some sweet drinks.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly looking for commitment on the spot." Cassandra was a little surprised by the warmth of his hand and how it trailed up her veins. "Nah. You don't have to meet them yet. I save that for when I'm married."

"Not before?" Reg was a bit surprised but shrugged, "I would do the same, honestly. My mother is a bitch, and my father a willing pushover." He opened the door to the pub and held it to let her through.

Cassandra smiled, “Thanks.” She said as she ducked inside. The small pub was homey and filled with laughter. It was relaxed and casual. Briefly she thought that he might want a booth in the darkest corner. At the same time, she wouldn’t be too surprised if he asked for a table somewhere out in the open. What would shock her, is if he wanted a place in the middle of all the chaos. “Maybe a bit before. It’s kind of tradition right about now.” She told him as she followed him to a place to sit. “It’s funny, the person you remind me of hates his family too.”

Regulas hummed as he sat down right in the middle of all of the chaos, though his back was towards a wall leaving the windows and door visible, "There's only one person people say that about," he leaned back against his chair, "You know Sirius?"

"He's dating a friend of mine." Cassandra nodded as she sat down across from him. She liked how he was able to freely claim the seat as his own. There was something about him that felt...not dangerous..but exciting. "And I was working with your cousin, Tonks."

"Tonks? I haven't met her, but I've heard about her. My mother disowned Tonks' mom a long time ago," Regulus explained, "Thankfully since I became of age to do what I wish more freely, she can't control me like she used to, but I still haven't been able to talk to my brother or Tonks. I've been thinking about getting a new owl she won't recognize."

Cassandra frowned deeply. Regulus was right, his mom was a bitch. Even worse, she was a bloody controlling bitch. "I say do it." She said after a moment. "I bet Sirius would like the surprise letter. But, how are you going to keep the owl away from her?"

"I could always have it go somewhere other than my house," Regulas shrugged, "I'll figure something out. Anyway...weren't we flirting with each other?" he was never comfortable talking about his family, "I bet Sirius charmed your friend quite easily. He was always a playboy in school."

"Oh I see," Cassandra grinned. "You like the validation of having my attention focused on you." She hummed. "As for Sirius and my friend, it was the other way around."

"Is that so?" Regulus smirked a bit, "I wonder what amazing feat she did in order to woo him first. How long have they been together?"

"One and a half month!" Cassandra beamed. "Probably not that long for Sirius' standards. Being a playboy and all. You were in Hogwarts with your brother right? What house....no let me try to guess." She paused, thinking. "I can see you being a Slytherin....but I also think you're a Ravenclaw."

"Ravenclaw would have been fun. I did date someone briefly there but she just wanted me because she thought I would be like my brother and because I'm a Black. So, yes...Slytherin," Regulus agreed, "Sucked...immediately set my brother and I at odds because of the House Rivalry which was stupid. My mom was proud of me but internally I hated every minute of it."

Cassandra clicked her tongue. "I went to school elsewhere, in Germany." She explained. "So I don't know a whole lot about Hogwarts and the houses." She shrugged. "It sucked that the girl dated you just for your brother. You're a lot of fun."

"How do I know you don't just want my money, either, hmm?" Reg's lips twitched up and he nodded at the waitress tat came to see them, "Two butterbears, and a water," he said wit a dismissive wave, only glancing at her once before staring back at Cassandra.

Cassandra thought for a moment on his question. "Because it wouldn't make me happy." She said after a good amount of thought. "My happiness doesn't rely on paper and coins. It relies on the aura of the person, whether or not they'll allow me to be me, and if they'll let me be with them."

"Are you being you right now?" Reg asked her, leaning forward and put his head on his hand, elbow perched on the table, "You seem rather laid back and it's been easy to talk to you from the start, or is that just your charm? A game?"

"That's a good question." She leaned forward and bridged her fingers together so her chin could rest on it. The lighting of the pub made him look both sexy and dangerous. It brought a shiver up her spine. "But I'm not trying to charm you or play you. I'll admit I'm louder and more sexual if I was trying to charm or play."

"Oh, a pervert are you?" Reg's grin shifted, "I can see it. Though I think you could make a nun's outfit sexual. You've got that body...nice hooters, cute round ass, hourglass waist with just enough shoulder to have support and fill out a shirt. Torso isn't too short or too long...but you do have the mile-long legs and if it was summer and you had a mini-skirt and heels you would be killer."

Cassandra paused, eyes blinking as she was completely taken aback by the description of herself. Before he could say anything, she burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hands as her cheeks turned a bright red. "Oh my god!" She squealed, laughing. "Oh my god. I don't know what I was expecting, but none of that! Hahaha! Wow. A nun's outfit? I'd feel awful disgracing the good Christian name." She snickered. "But thank you. I'm very proud of my assets and Matt will tell you hands down bars none that I /do/ look killer in heels and a miniskirt. But I can look dead sexy in boot-heels /and/ a miniskirt with a nice midriff shirt." She looked at him up and down. "Maybe I should've called you sexy when we first met." She told him. "You're devilishly handsome and you have a "devil may care" smile. But you're cold around the eyes, you have expression in them sure, but when I came across you before I spoke there wasn't much going on. As if you were shielding yourself and making sure someone didn't know you first glance. I bet you'd look hot in a suit and you'd kill casual wear."

"Casual wear like jeans and a t-shirt? Muggle-wear?" Regulus looked sheepish now, dropping his hand and leaning back, "I admit...I've never worn muggle clothing except their shoes. I enjoy muggle dress shoes and boots. I do mostly just wear the clothes made by witch and wizard tailors. I have never even worn a tuxedo."

"I wonder if I should break tradition and let my brother's wife have a handle on you," Cassandra grinned mischievously. "She'd get you a wardrobe no time at all and make you look like god." She licked her lips without thinking and leaned back, mirroring his posture. "So, can I start asking the "date" type questions or do I have to wait until we actually go on one?"

"Was it my mistake to believe we are currently on a date? You did ask me to get a drink," Regulus countered, "I'm not sure if you'd go on a date with me. I'm the fancy type and I'd spoil you up and down."

"Is that a challenge?" Cassandra's eyebrows quirked up. "One thing you should know about me is that I do take challenges and some dares that may or may not endanger my life. And if this is a date to you, then I'll take it, I know you're fancy and rich, but do you work? What kind of hobbies do you have?"

That changed his demeanor, making it turn a one-eighty. Smile faded, eyes turned cold again, and his posture straightened instead of being laid back in his chair. "I don't have much for hobbies. I read and write but not often-times for pleasure or to become an author. I don't...work for the Ministry or anything like that, if that is what you mean. My mother more or less still tells me what to do. I still live at the Black Manor, even."

Cassandra should have guessed that was over-stepping the line. "I like to read too. I'm not much of a writer, but I bet you'd have a wonderful gift of words. I don't think you'd like the Ministry much right about now, they're...getting out of hand. I mean, have you heard of the Hunters? What do you think of them?"

"I think Hunters get too worked up and full of themselves," Regulus shrugged, breaking from his tense posture just a bit when the butterbeers were set down without a word from the waitress along with the water. He took the sweet drink and was quiet while he took a long swig before setting it back down, "Some dark creatures deserve it, going rogue and hurting people, but actively hunting them when there's been no crime? Like that Ghoul in the paper? Not even a name for him but also no mention of what he did to deserve that...brutality. If they aren't bothering anyone what the big stupid deal?"

"My brother and his companion used to be Hunters." Cassandra smiled as she took a drink of butterbeer. Shaye would be so happy to hear that Sirius' little brother had the same view point. "My brother dropped it after a while. But he used to be very good at it. I think I like you even more for that."

"I understand both views, I suppose. I have always tried to compromise, but often it doesn't work out," Reg sighed, "My mother...she might be impressed that your brother was a Hunter. I have to tell you, jokes and teasing aside, if we did date we could probably keep it quiet for two weeks before her big fat nose gets into it and she'll immediately tell me no and I have to drop you because you aren't /pure/ or some other bullock, or she'll make me throw myself at you and get me together with you as in marriage and grandchildren. She's that type of woman. Do you /really/ want to deal with that or should we part after the drink and forget this ever happened?"

Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "I am pureblooded if that's what she's worried about. Whatever her concerns are, they don't matter to me. I want your troubles, so long as you're able to take mine. I'm not going to back out of a relationship I barely received just because a woman like your mother will either want me to marry you or have you drop me. To be fair, all mothers are like that but I can tell just from your expression that she's worse. If she loves me, it's less stress on the both of us. If she hates me, then I'll power through. I'm not going to back off so easily. Not unless you think that it should end or I think it should end on our own terms." She wanted to stress that. It had to be on their terms, otherwise it wasn't a relationship.

"Honestly, I love this. We just met and you're willing to go above and beyond for a relationship. I may seem like I am trying to dissuade you from perusing me, but I'm being honest with you," Regulas said firmly, "Sirius was disowned, ran away at the age of sixteen to live with our cousin James Potter. Tonks' mother was disowned as well for roughly the same reasons as Sirius. My family would be considered proficient in the Dark Arts and Dark Magic. You have good friends. A good life. I can see it in your eyes and the easy way you move. Carefree." He smirked just a little, "Glorious red hair aside, you would look out of place in my world. Of course, the opposite is true for myself. How else did you find me so easily? I stuck out like a sort thumb on that bench, did I not?" he took another sip of butterbeer and then a drink of water.

Cassandra played with the rim of the bottle of Butterbeer as she thought about her answer. "The thing is...is that your world and my world probably collide in more ways than you know." She ran her finger down the neck of the bottle. "People passed you like you were a ghost, as if you were wearing an invisibility cloak and paid no mind to you. I did just approach you to compliment you. Call it a gut feeling, but I knew that someone on the bench would have an interesting conversation. Just so happened you were that someone." She smiled at him. "And quite honestly, if you came to me both in a recommendation and as a gut-feeling, then I'm not going to ignore something like that."

"Tell me more about you, then," Regulas offered, "What had been your plans for the rest of the day? Did you have a reason to be here in Diagon Alley? Why do you say our worlds are alike? That line caught my attention."

“I have two brothers, one an ex-Hunter, the other is a muggle-constable. I have two sister-in-laws. One niece, one nephew.” Cassandra hummed with a grin. “I think Miranda might be pregnant with a second? Maybe? I’m not sure, it’s a bit mixed up. I’m an Auror. I’m from Germany hence the horrid English accent that I have.” She tapped her chin. “If I were in Hogwarts, I think I’d be a Slythern. Abby tells me that all the time,” she rolled her eyes. “I don’t get it. I don’t have any plans, I finished most of my stuff.” She tilted her head. “Sirius is the whole “bang you’re dead to me”, but you. You’ll wait for a perfect opportunity. I think I’m more like Medusa in that.”

"Intriguing," Regulas blinked at her, enjoying more of his sweet drink as he mulled over the information she gave him, "I didn't notice the accent, really," he admitted with a chuckle, "I have spent much time...mulling over the Houses and what they really are. Slytherin's saying is 'You'll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends'. A few descriptors are ambitious and cunning. Unfortunately, what makes Slytherins so...disliked is we do not accept half-bloods. Pure, rich folk tend to end up there, and so they look down on everyone else because that's how their parents raised them. I did meet a few in Slytherin, however, that were not this way. They were very kind, helpful even."

"Well, I'm screwed on the rich part." Cassandra laughed as she took a drink of her butterbeer. "I'm decently well-off, but that's from working two jobs. Sometimes three or four depending on what's going on and what I'm needed for." She set the bottle down. "Were any of the helpful, kind Slytherns friends of yours?"

"One...an older Slytherin," Regulas nodded, "I didn't know him much, but he actively hung out with Sirius' group and would bring me secret messages back in the day. He had five non-magical sisters. He was the only half-breed I knew of but no one messed with him. He...could be terrifying if someone tried to get up in his face about who he hung out with or what he was. I witnessed Lucius Malfoy try...a few of his lackeys told him not to, but he got beat down. No magic necessary...he got a bloody nose and a bruise on his stomach as well as a lecture but everyone around was pale. Kind of reminded me of Sirius, really. I wish I could remember that bugger's name...he was so fast."

“Jesus. I thought I had to bad with nothing but boys,” Cassandra laughed in shock. “Five sisters, my god. That’s a huge family. I wouldn’t know what to do or who to kill first.”

"He would go on and on about them. He was a great guy, really. I guess he had a hidden agenda for later in life because I never saw him display a whole lot of Slytherin traits besides the cunning part. I haven't seen him since he graduated. I hope he is doing well," Reg nodded, "I should ask Sirius in my next secret letter."

"You should. He'd like that a lot." Cassandra smiled warmly at him as she reached over and gently brushed their fingers together. It was a small, very small gesture, barely noticeable. "You might want to send the owl to me or to someone that you can trust. I can be a go-between since I know his girlfriend. But you should also be careful. Something's about to go wrong, though you'll run into another red-head. Treat her kindly, will you?"

Reg wondered by her phrasing but he turned his hand to scoop her fingers into his palm and he pulled her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles sweetly, "I will if you promise to leave this possible relationship to Fate and Chance? I know they're fickle creatures, but if they want us together then we'll meet again. Do you believe that?"

"I do." Cassandra wondered if he'd even believe her if he knew how much she believed that. "I promise and write to me every once in a while. Just so I know I'm not a beautiful memory." She smiled brightly. "Thank you for the conversation and drinks."

"Of course," Regulas stood up and left his pay on the table for finishing his butterbeer and walked out with her to the street, "I suppose this is where we shall part ways. It was wonderful meeting you."

"Before that," Cassandra gently kissed his cheek and pulled away. "I have an owl that you can use. She's mine and she likes flying around. I'll lend her to you for your secret letters. That way you don't have to spend the gold, you won't find a decent one you can hide unfortunately."

"Of course. What does she look like? I'm sure she could find the Black House fairly easily, most owls do," Reg grinned at her for the first time, eyes brightening a bit to a lighter grey, "I wouldn't know where to send an owl to write to you, anyway. This is a good idea."

"She's a light brown spotted owl." Cassandra beamed. "She loves treats and will do tricks for them. Her name is Artemis."

"Greek Mythology. Cute. To keep suspicion down you could hide Sirius' letters within your own," Regulas added.

"I'm super excited that I'm a part of a conspiracy that doesn't involve me getting my hands dirty." Cassandra clapped her hands excitedly. "That said, I'll bid you adieu here, Lionstar. May the Fates bring us together again."

~*~

Masanori felt like an idiot. A big idiot. Someone that had his head swelled up as a balloon type of moron. Kai was yanking on his hand, happily dragging him down the street towards his favorite playground. On the spur of the moment, Masanori had texted Mike to ask if he was free to come down and play with him and Kai. On one hand, it was a great idea. Secondly, Masanori was starting to realize that 1, Kai probably didn't know that his uncle was gay. 2 How was Kai going to react and 3. Why the fuck would anyone ask their date out to a playground and help them babysit a little child? Sure, Mike went to the party and had a lot of fun, but what if Mike didn't like kids one on one? What if Mike hated them? Oh...Masanori was going to hate breaking up with him if that was the case. he couldn't date someone that hated Kai's smile, that was...that would just be bad.

"Kai," Masanori said slowly as they entered the playground. "Come up here buddy." He gently picked up the little boy and placed him on his hip. "Want to go swing?"

"Swing!" Kai cheered happily. "Can you make me go high Uncle Masa?"

"I can take you to the stars," Masanori kissed Kai's cheek as they headed towards the swings. "So...I might've made a bit of a mistake Kai."

"Huh?"

"I asked Mike to come visit us here in the playground." Masanori said slowly, "and I didn't think to ask you about how you felt having him here with us."

"I don't mind. More people to play with!" Kai grinned. "Can he help me swing?"

God he didn't want to tell Kai that he was gay. He didn't want to break the kid's heart. He should've looked a lot more closer to Kai's background so he knew how to say this. What if the kid was raised in a way that was full-out hate? Hana would do her utmost to break that conditioning, he knew that, but...god his heart would break into a thousand of pieces.

Maybe this conversation was better if he waited for Mike. But then again, once more, Masanori had no idea how Mike felt about kids.

Why was it that having a kid scrambled the brain into a crisp? Honestly, it was awful. "I think he'd help."

"He might not like swings." Kai said, sounding aghast that Masanori hadn't thought of that. Who wouldn't want to swing high? "Maybe slides?"

"We'll have to ask him when he gets here." If Masanori's mind supplied. If. And it was a huge if.

It took about five minutes before the honey-brown haired man jogged up to the playground, bending over and panting with his hands on his knees. He stood up again after a moment and grinned when he saw Masanori's back, that purple hair hard to miss. He started to walk over, only to slow when he noticed the slumped shoulders and depressed demeanor. Frowning, he picked up his pace again and slammed into him from behind, wrapping his arms around his front and squeezing, "Masa!" he chimed and leaned up on his toes to kiss his cheek, "I got you now!"

Masanori let out a surprised yip and Kai cracked up as Mike kissed his cheek. Masanori's heart soared, for he hoped that was a hint that Kai would be able to stomach having a gay uncle. "I'm going to be trapped. I have a child in my arms." He laughed. "I won't be able to escape!"

Kai giggled, pressing his tiny hands into his mouth, eyes sparkling with mirth. Masanori's heart melted at the sight at the same time broke. The little child suddenly turned shy when Mike looked up at him and buried his head into Masanori's shoulder.

"Oh come on, Kai. You remember Mike don't you?" He bounced the kid on his hip. He really, really hoped that none of this was making Mike awkward...or Kai. He hoped that he didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Kai nodded timidly, peeking his eye from Masanori's shoulder. He made a grabby wave before hiding again. Masanori could feel a smile against his neck. "You're such a pain," Masanori rolled his eyes playfully. "He thinks he's hiding from you Mike."

"Who's hiding from me?" Mike asked with an exaggerated gasp, his hand coming to his mouth like a mime might do, "I don't know what you're talking about!" he put his hand on his forehead like an explorer and looked around, bending down slightly where Kai was, "Who? Where?"

Kai giggled as he peaked away from Masanori's shoulder. Masanori's wanted to breathe in relief. Mike liked kids. He liked kids and he was playing with Kai. That was...one awkward conversation down and out of the way. Though it was probably best to...ask anyway later. "Me!" Kai waved. "Hi."

"Oh my! There you are," Mike grinned brightly at him and reached out to poke his nose, "How is it living with your new family, kiddo?"

"They're nicer." Kai said shyly, gripping on Masanori's clothes, like the kid was afraid that if Masanori set him down or gave him away to Mike he'd disappear. "Mama and Uncle Masa are teaching me Jap-eese"

"Japanese," Masanori's cheeks flamed. "He has some of the words already known so it's just brushing up grammar and teaching him new vocabulary."

"Slate is with Mama today," Kai continued, looking at Mike with a toothy smile. "Mama likes him."

"Awww! Mama has a date? That's cool!" Mike cooed and looked at Masa, "Do you know anything about Slate? That's awesome you're teaching him your native tongue."

"Besides that he's a gardener and he likes to spoil Kai with ice cream and random plants, I don't know much." Masanori said as he bounced Kai up on his hip again so that he could keep his weight balanced. "I've been meaning to scout him out, why are all my sister's dating weird people. It makes no sense to me." He sighed. "Thankfully Sam can take care of David. I just have to worry about Sirius and Slate now. And of course, this little guy." He smiled brightly. "Since he's part Japanese, Hana felt like it was only right for him to know. Speaking of know...Kai wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh really, and what did the little guy want to ask me, hmm?" Mike put his hands on his hips, "If it's favorite ice cream, I like cookies 'n' cream."

Kai grinned, his eyes lighting up at the word "ice cream" and "Cookies and cream". "I like minty chip." He told Mike with a beam. "But I wanted...I wanna swing but...can you and Uncle Masa push me? Or if you don't like swings, we could slide if you wanted to? Or what's your favorite game? We could play that."

Masanori's heart both swelled and broke. Kai was doing everything he could to make sure Mike played with him. Offering everything and anything. How could a little kid be so selfless?

"Awwww! I love swinging! Where are they here, actually? I might have an idea..." he hummed and looked around. There was a set that had four side by side, and a fifth baby swig. Kai was too big for that one. A lot of the other kids were on the slides or jungle gym. With it being cold hanging onto the chain would make for very chilly hands, "I could play on anything here, really, but if you want to swing, come on!" he took Masa's free hand and dragged him along. "Masa, you put Kai in the middle and we'll sit on either side of him. Can you see where I'm going with this?"

Masanori's heart swelled even more. "I see what you're throwing down." He grinned as he squeezed Mike's hand, in leiu of a kiss. God he loved his man a lot more than he thought he was going to. They got to the swing and Masanori set Kai down so that Kai could clamber on to the swing. He sat down on Kai's left and watched as Mike took Kai's right. "You okay?" He asked Kai who nodded. "Okay, hold onto the chains really tight. We'll make you fly."

Mike was glad for the wind, because it would be able to disguise his powers and they climbed back. He ended up on his tip-toes being shorter than Masa, but once they let go and took the first swing, he made sure they were even and wouldn't jerk Kai around, kicking off the ground when he could to give them all more lift. Before long they were going at least half-high, which was the limit he was putting down so they didn't flip or lose control, "Whoooooo! You like flying, Kai?!" he shouted, "This your favorite?!"

"Wheeeee!" Kai shrieked laughing, as he pumped his legs in rhythm. "Flying!!! We're high!!!!! The wind's pushing us high!!"

Masanori wouldn't doubt that Kai might be a hybrid of wind and earth. His love for plants and his love for flying probably were good attributes to it. It made...Masanori really happy. To see Kai smiling brightly and Mike entertaining him. It made him so happy that Mike would do something so small to make Kai smile. "I love you both." He said softly, knowing Kai couldn't hear him over the shrieking, but Mike and his wind probably heard.

Mike just grinned wider, catching Masa's eye. When they came down he'd answer, but he was sure the fact his face hurt from his smile was indication enough. "We'll stop whenever you say so!" he promised. For now he allowed himself to daydream. Masa's hair was only in a ponytail and it was flying all around. The skies were bright and the birds were flying south, but there were some that stayed all-year that were chirping in the trees. He wondered if Masa liked to fly, or if it was something he just indulged Kai in. He would love to take his boyfriend to the skies, or to soar the city skylines from a view one would only get from a plane.

They swang for a long time, happily in sync with one another. Kai's laughter had become quiet, but his smile was infectious. Sometimes Masanori would look back to make sure Kai wasn't hurting or was trying to get them to stop without saying anything, and would see the most peaceful look on both Kai's and Mike's faces. It was the kind of look where everything was right, everything was home, and at peace with each other. Where nothing could shake their very foundation. Masanori's heart lurched. He loved his sister with all his might, but fuck did he want to take her idea. He wanted to marry Mike, adopt a kid, and do this. He wanted Kai to have a little cousin to play with so he'd have an even bigger family. He wanted to be Mike's happiness. But he knew too well that he had to tread carefully. It could just be baby-fever...and a conversation needed to happen first...but god he could picture it. He could picture being in Mike's life a lot more than just random dates.

Kai finally called uncle because his hands were practically frozen to the chains, but he wasn't really happy about it. Mike laughed a bit at the pout and knelt down in front of Kai, taking his hands and rubbing them while he blew his hot breath between them. After a moment he looked up at him with a tilted head, "Does that feel better? What do you want to do next?"

"You decide." Kai said firmly. "I picked already. It's your turn Uncle Mike." Kai suddenly frowned. "Do I get to call you that?" He asked suddenly shy.

Mike was shocked by it, but he took it in stride, "I think you can. I like the sound of it, and I won't be leaving your Uncle Masa anytime soon," he promised, "How about...you wait by the slides for a moment, okay? I might be a bit too big to slide with you, but I can always catch you! I want to talk to Uncle Masa real quick, though. Remember," he popped him on the nose, "If anyone comes near you and you don't like them just scream. We'll be /right there/. Okay?"

"Okay." Kai grinned as he rubbed his nose before running off towards the slides. Some of the kids looking towards him in curiosity.

Masanori sighed, "I'm sorry. He shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

"I meant what I said," Mike cooed, coming up and taking his hand before taking him behind a tree. He could see Kai, but he was sure most of the kids couldn't see them. Looking a Masa he snorted at his confusion before he leaned up and kissed him square on the lips.

Masanori felt all of the tension leave his shoulders as he kissed Mike back, putting forth all of the love that he could muster into the simplistic kiss. He cupped his hands on Mike's cheeks warming them from the fall's chill and gently pulled them away. "What's with the surprise kisses?" he asked softly, though his eyes were warm with love and arousal.

"I love you, too," Mike answered simply, referring to the swing. He was trying to stay in a more relaxed pose instead of pressing closer because anything more would be too much for young, curious prying eyes. "Do you like to fly?" he asked, giving voice to his earlier thoughts.

"Only by the swings." Masanori said regretfully. "My sister and I are of water and earth. Her water, me earth." He explained. "My feet should stay firmly planted on the ground, but I feel your wind." He smiled at him. "And that's enough to make me fly, love. Your voice, your words, your wind...it's enough to take me to places higher than what you really can if you lifted me."

"Then I shall be happy with what I'm given. I suppose that makes us star-crossed lovers, in a way," he hummed, his cheeks pink from the poetic way Masa talked. "Shall we continue our play-date with Kai, then? We can always talk more in length later. You've had a question-mark face the whole time I've been here," he leaned up on his toes and kissed his nose, "I don't mind going home with you, to do so."

"I have many questions," Masanori agreed. "Some that might be too fast, but...I've always been the one to be curious and ask anyway." He leaned in and rested his forehead against Mike's. "Thank you...for what your doing for Kai."

"Of course, koi," Mike soothed, "I guess since I'm a bit of a puppy myself, I have plenty of energy for kids and they love that."

"So let's see how much of that energy we can waste on Kai." Masanori's eyes sparkled. "I wonder if you can wear him out so he actually takes a nap when we get home."

"Challenge accepted," Mike laughed and gave him another peck before darting from behind the tree and running over to Kai, "You ready, kiddo?" he chirped.

"Ready!" Kai grinned as he climbed up the slide and that started the game of "Catch the Kai".

~*~

Mike and Masa had finally reached his room after putting Kai to bed. Hana and Slate were still out and David had things to do, leaving Ryo to babysit. Thankfully, that didn't leave much for her to do, as Mike had done as promised and Kai ended up passed out in Mike's lap on the drive home. He plopped down on Masa's bed and fell back, lacing his fingers behind his head and watching the purple haired man, "I'll be honest, it felt weird to ride in a car since I teleport everywhere." He smirked a little bit as Masa was just staring at his stomach where his t-shirt had ridden up. He didn't bother fixing it, pretending he didn't notice, "So, what are your questions, koibito?"

Masanori licked his lips and turned back to Mike. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently reached to cup Mike's cheek in his hand. "Serious questions." He said, watching the playful smirk edge off of Mike's face. "Not..." Masanori sighed, sometimes cursing that English was his second language. It never flowed as well off the tongue like it did his sister's. He also hated it when his brain no longer could keep up and needed to go back to his mother tongue. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable..." He said after a moment once his brain kicked back into gear just a bit. "But I need to know before we...go further."

"Of course. Don't worry about me not understanding, by the way, if your slip," Mike promised as well, "It's not a major skill like Matt's, but I /can/ read your mind if I concentrate. Makes her jealous I can basically turn it off."

Masanori smiled, a little relieved. "Anata wa watashiniha amarini mo idesu." /You're too good to me./ He took a breath and started out with the most obvious. "When Hana told me her plans to adopt, I knew that it would be hard." He said after a moment. "She is taking a lot on her shoulders caring and loving a child that isn't her blood. While I worry about her and her safety, I also worry about Kai." He looked at Mike. "When we started dating, it was still up in the air on whether or not she would be able to take him home. Now that he's here...you should know that I haven't told Kai about my orientation. I don't know how he's going to take it, though so far he hasn't seemed to care or doesn't understand what's going on between you and me." He took another breath and finally managed. "I fell in love with you harder and deeper when you told Kai that he's allowed to call you Oji-san. But I'm worried that it was mostly because you were put on the spot. I'm worried that you only came to the playground out of obligation. I put both you and Kai in a very awkward place, mostly because I couldn't fathom you not liking children, but I should've thought of it."

Masanori sighed. "So a lot of my questions are going to be children based. First of all, whether you were uncomfortable and you wanted to play with Kai to begin with. Whether or not you like children or not...and how far do you see this relationship going now that I have a nephew in the picture?"

Mike sat up and kept the hand that had been on his face pinned with his own hand, nuzzling Masa's palm, "I came because you asked me to. I didn't feel obligated to do or say anything. Kai probably is too young to understand. Kids don't tend to care unless their parents beat it into them that it's bad. I think he'll just smile at you and say 'okay' or ask you lots of questions." He shrugged and kissed his palm, "I wasn't uncomfortable at all and enjoyed Kai's smiles and laughter. Kids are fantastic and honestly...I've always felt sad that I just can't get it up for a female to have kids of my own. I admire Hanako for adopting, but even though I have plenty of money in my name from my grandfather's inheritance, I never had anyone..." he looked Masa in the eye, "...special enough to consider it myself."

"I do want to marry you one day," Masanori looked at Mike feeling his heart swell like it could not longer stay in his chest. "I do want to adopt with you, if that's something you want to do. That was another question of mine really was if you saw kids in your future. If you saw me."

"I see you if you see me. This is a two-way street, Masanori," Mike said firmly, and moved his hand to his chest so Masa could feel his heartbeat, "I love you...and if you were to drop on a knee tomorrow or two years from now I'd say yes. Just add a little flair, hmm?" he winked playfully.

"I see you have high expectations for me." Masanori laughed as he moved closer to kiss Mike passionate. He allowed Mike to guide him down so he was on top of him. "It's good to know." He said with a smirk. "I can keep you in suspense for a while."

Mike gave him a saucy look, "It's a good kind of suspense, and I expect you to sweep me off my feet," he purred, then his face lit up as an idea struck him. Wrapping his arms around Masa's neck, he shifted his body to be more on the bed, "Can we go to Kyoto, Japan, for the Honeymoon? I'd love to go to their hot springs!" he was giddy at the prospect.

"We could," Masanori laughed as he kissed Mike's nose. "I could take you anywhere you wanted to go in Japan. There's not many places I'm not familiar with."

"I guess I'll have to learn my Japanese, won't I?" Mike caught Masa's bottom lip between his teeth, his minty green eyes smoldering, "I don't suppose you could teach me?" he was hinting at dirtier things while at the same time literally meaning he could be his teacher.

"Depends on whether or not you could be a good student." Masanori breathed as he let his hands wander to the hem of Mike's shirt and lifted it more so that skin could touch skin and ran them up his ribs. "If you could be patient."

"Are you going to test me on that?" Mike asked, enjoying the electric feeling at being touched. The angel was very demanding for his affection, always hugging, cuddling, holding hands or kissing. He was just always craving Masa's physical contact. He couldn't get enough of it.

“Maybe,” Masanori sighed into his neck as he pulled the shirt off. He ran his long fingers against his ribs, tracing every indention and running them down his stomach before running back up again. His lips were against Mike’s neck, peppering kisses that were soft and sweet, until they weren’t. Then he was sucking, using little teeth so that he could get in some marks. Nothing too dark, even though the kneeing cry Mike gave made him want. His fingers found a nub of a nipple as his lips trailed back down to his collarbone, grinning at the arch and how their pants tightened around their hardening erections.

Mike didn’t dare try to tug against Masanori’s shirt, knowing to well that Masanori was probably testing his patience. Instead, he let the cloth rub against his body, bringing him friction in a way that set his skin on fire. It was such a tease that he wouldn’t take it off, but fuck…fuck he couldn’t help but to admire that Masanori wasn’t feeling hot enough to take it off himself. He bucked his hips into Masanori’s groin and they both groaned. Mike was rewarded with a bite just above his nipple. “Ah…love.”

Masanori just grinned mischievously into his chest and started inching his hands down. Sometimes he curved his fingers so that his nails could lightly scratch at the sensitive areas around his abdomen and grinned when he’d buck again. Mike’s fingers twisted into the sheets, daring himself not to touch. “Is this how you show your patience, koi?” Masanori hummed as he let one of his fingers trace the hem of his pants.

He was quite surprised not to see a glint of mischief, but a hooded hot look that stared at him back at him. A red flush rising on his chest and his body sprawled out like a whore who was waiting to be ravished. It made Masanori’s hips buck without a second thought and he groaned as he pulled himself away from his lover and took off his shirt.

The hooded eyelids, if anything, got sexier and Mike’s tongue licked at his bottom lip as if he was hungry for what was before him. Masanori crawled back over him and Mike quickly grabbed Masanori’s head, fingers digging into his scalp and hair as he was pulled into a searing hot kiss. It was mindless and animalistic. They licked into each other’s mouths and they ground their hips together, as if desperate for a release. But just as suddenly as the frenzy came, the moment they parted, and breathed, a softness appeared.

“Off.” Mike growled, tugging at the pants. “Enough playing.”

Masanori could agree to that. They both scrambled for buttons, for zippers and didn’t mind when the metal pinched their skin. They chucked them off as if they were on fire and the moment their bodies collided again, it was a hot heat that drove them back into the bed. It wasn’t a frenzy this time, but a need to feel. A need to know that one of the other was real.

Mike suddenly grabbed Masanori’s arms and flipped him over so that he was on his back. Masanori let out a surprised yelp and stared at him in shock. Didn’t Mike say that he was a bottom? Instead of asking, Masanori was treated to a sensational dance downwards, his body slinking from side to side, shaking a fine ass and showing the curves of his body in the light. He watched as he took off the boxers and swallowed him without prep nor warning, causing Masanori to let out a moan.

His hands instinctively went to Mike’s head, but he didn’t force him down nor make him stand still while he piston his hips. Instead, he just gripped his hair, yanked a few times when the sensation got to be too much and he was threatened to be blinded. Mike’s mouth was warm, hot, wet and he knew how to use his tongue. He teased the veins, tongued the slit, sucked at the head and lowered himself down like he was a piece of candy being ready to be chewed up. Sometimes Mike would look at him, blissed out and wrecked. His lips turning a hot red against his flesh.

It drove Masanori crazy. His balls were heavy with come and the coils in abdomen were tight and hard against him. But he didn’t want to come. “Come up here.” He commanded, pushing Mike up and off of him. “Take them off and turn around.”

Mike’s eyes widened, but he said nothing agains the order, shucking off his underwear as fast as he could. He turned and backed himself up to Maranori’s face. They both took a breath and they went back to sucking each other off. The taste heavy on the tongue and different methods of pulling and twisting and rubbing were applied in order to make the other go wild and crazy.

If anything, it didn’t take long before they both spilled into the other person’s mouth. Both swallowed greedily, unable to fathom letting a precious drop slip through. Mike carefully crawled further away from Masanori, letting him see his ass as it passed by his face. He didn’t stop until he was halfway to Maranori’s groin and he stopped. “Where’s your lube?” Mike husked.

Masanori carefully turned himself to the bedside drawer and produced the bottle. He was about to open it when Mike stopped him. “Give it to me.” Unable to deny his lover, he handed it to his him. His eyes wandered his lover’s body as Mike snapped open the lube. There were horrible scars that littered across Mike’s back.

“What happened to you, koi?” Masanori questioned softly, reaching and touching one of the scars before patting his ass.

“Grenade shrapnel.” Mike said breathlessly as his hand creeped up to his ass. “Saved a mother and a child from their deaths.”

“Fuck…” Masanori stared in surprised wonder.

“That is our plan.” Mike agreed before slipping a finger into his ass. He groaned at the burn, tossing his head back, but he didn’t move away from Masanori’s sight. He wanted his lover to see everything that was happening. Masanori quickly reached forward and started to kneed Mike’s lovely ass cheeks in his fingers and Mike groaned. He pushed in a second finger and glanced down, seeing Masanori’s erection bounce up.

After the third finger was inserted, Mike started to rub his own hardness into Masanori’s skin. Before his lover could try to flip them over once he disengaged his fingers from his ass, he crawled the rest of the way and picked himself up, guided Masanori’s penis to his hole and slid down. He didn’t give himself any time to adjust as he started to bounce and grind. Making it into a soft little dance between the two of them. Maranori’s hands quickly went to his hips in a vain attempt to hold on to some sort of sanity.

“Oh. Oh. /Oh./“ Mike cried out as Masanori sat up and started to bite at his neck and shoulder, running his hands over the front of his chest. His Russian accent was coming out as Masanori forced him to a rhythm of grinding and short bounces. “Fuck…Aishiteru.”

Just hearing that made Masanori snap. He pulled Mike off of his body and dragged him off of the bed. Before Mike could say anything, he slammed him against the wall, and lifted his legs up. “Wrap around me.” He ordered and then started slamming him hard and fast against the wall, biting his shoulder and raking his hands against his chest. Mike let out cries as he was pounded against the wall. His head slamming against the plaster every once in a while. Soon that got boring and the went back to the bed, this time, Masanori on top of him, one leg lifted over his shoulder and they went crazy, pounding and gaining against each other.

“I love you, I love you.” Masanori chanted to the sound of Mike’s cries. But it didn’t matter for this position also got tiring and Mike finally flipped them over, this time riding him cowgirl style. But soon enough they were too turned. The hunger, this need, needed to be sated and it needed to be sated now. Mike took the reigns and Masanori was more than pleased than to crawl up and scrape his fingers down Mike’s back, hardly minding at the scars. Mike let out a sharp cry, that sounded like a word but it was hard to tell since Masanori’s brain was short-functioning.

It didn’t take long to climb the edge and without warning, Masanori gripped Mike’s thighs in a powerful grip as he made about three thrusts before he spilled inside his lover. Mike’s eyes rolled in the back of his head and there was a feeling of static, of a sharp power that was being released as Mike finally came to the edge as well. Both of them fell into a sweaty, cum-slicked pile. Neither of them having any energy to move to get clean. Masanori muttered a spell, and felt some of the sticky-ness go way, but they were definitely going to need a long shower after this.

“We need to do that again.” Mike said softly.

“Fuck yea.”
_+_
It was about ten at night when Hana and Slate ghosted through the doors, trying to be as quiet as possible because all of the lights except the bedrooms were out. Judging by the dimmer light, Slate had heard Hana mutter to herself that Ryo was either reading or talking with David. The other light had to have been Masanori's room and Hana had seemed a bit confused by that one. Masa would've been asleep by now, according to her. Either way, they made it and he used his phone's flash light to take off his shoes. Hana didn't even need it, walking around in the near darkness without a hitch. "I can't even do that in my own house..." he grumbled to himself, a bit envious. He still ran into his own couch going to the kitchen for a glass of water at three am. Of course, Hana's house was much more specious.

Slate watched her bee-line for the stairs, and he smiled tenderly, knowing what she was after and he turned his light off, following her slowly.

Hana could hear Slate follow her and she smiled softly to herself. Not only did the date go off without a hitch, but she had so much fun. She carefully pried the door open and peeked through the crack to see Kai's sleeping face and the cheetah stuffed animal he carried around with him as a comfort object. It had been a gift from Miranda and Trevor for the homecoming party and he never parted with it. Nor the blanket that was lying on top of him. Shaye made absolutely sure that her boy felt safe.

"Fast asleep," Hana whispered as she closed the door carefully. "I doubt he's going to wake up. Let's go back down stiars so we don't disturb anyone." She was pleased that someone managed to wear down Kai. She had a bit of a hard time getting him to be so worn out.  

"He looked so happy, I wonder..." he paused and a confused looked crossed his face as there was a very distinct sound coming from the end of the hallway, "Was that....a Russian/Japanese accent of what was supposed to be a word?"

Hana's cheeks flamed bright red as she realized what was happening. "Oh kami." She hissed. They were fucking! She quickly pulled out her wand and muttered a silencing charm on Kai's door just in case they got louder. "Let's go down stairs before they get lewd." She gently took Slate's hand and guided him back down the stairs. "I am so, so sorry. Gomenaisai. My brother...the sex-addict..."

"I wouldn't have guessed from how you spoke about him. He sounded like the silent observing type," Slate hummed, being nonchalant in his voice but behind her he was grinning wide. Her reaction was adorable, and he was taken by how passionate the voice had sounded, "So was that Masanori's boyfriend? I remember you cooing about how cute they were together at dinner."

"You can ignore what I said if you want," Hana sniffed though she continued smiling. "I'm surprised you're not moritified. Yes, that's his boyfriend that's there right now. Masanori is mostly silent and observe, but...it's always the silent ones you have to watch out for after all."

"So do I have to watch out for you? You can be pretty silent," Slate teased as they reached the kitchen and he sat on the stool by the island table, "I do enjoy a challenge. The flower shop isn't exactly so. I'm glad I have a wintertime job when I can't run it. Trevor will be happy to see me next week I'm sure. I'll probably also end up taking his shift on Halloween so he can go trick-or-treating with his daughter. I'm so glad we have a mutual acquaintance. It expands our topics."

Hana laughed, "It still surprises me that you knew Trevor and Matt." She chided. "Considering that they never talked about you to me at all. I also had wondered where Shaye was getting all those flowers from to make her crowns. She rarely does anything fake unless she wants to preserve it. I wonder if Kai would like Halloween."

"Less of 'if he would like it' and 'what would he like to be'," Slate corrected with a laugh, "I tend to keep to myself and it's only a temporary job so it's not like they see me all the time. I'm forgettable," he shrugged, "Besides, you forget things and people when you have a kid to raise, too. You got lucky and Kai's already come into his own. They had to do it from scratch."

"I doubt it's that they forgot you." Hana frowned, turning around to face him and gently dragging him a little closer to her. Not too close, she still maintained a respectable distance. "Clearly you made an impression on me and I'm a tough costumer. Ask Mike. He came here drunk once and I nearly reamed him for it since it was my first time meeting him."

"Well that ain't nice," Slate agreed, enjoying the closeness to Hana, "I'm glad I impressed you, though that was through Kai at the time. What about tonight, when it was just us? Was I any less interesting? You must've talked more than I did about your family and your friends. I know you definitely impress me."

"I had the feeling that you needed to know what kind of family you were going to get yourself into." Hana said with a soft smile. "But you impressed me by your courage. You're strong. I don't mean about the trouble past either," She shook her head from side to side. "I'm talking about the way you stand up for people, in the best way. You told me stories of how you stuck your neck out for the underdog even when it was clear everyone else was against you. Your sense of justice and character...that's impressive. You're impressive. The way you dealt with Kai is just icing on the cake. I couldn't date anyone who wouldn't melt at his smile."

Slate smiled softly and even a bit shyly, "Thank you...ah...hmm...arigato, was it?" he tilted his head curiously.

His accent butchered it just a bit and Hana smiled warmly, "Arigato." She said, her tongue flowing over the word easily. "Yes."

"I suppose I'll never be as sexy saying your language as that Russian boy up there," Slate rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Though I don't have a language of my own. I'm just a basic southern boy," he let it drop heavily at the last sentence there, being playful.

Hana's eyes lit up at his accent and she gently moved in closer. "If it makes you feel better, I do like your southern accent. It gives you flavor. It reminds me of spice."

"Then I'm a spicy-sweet mixture, since I'm sweet on you," Slate said smoothly, reaching out to cup her cheek, stroking it with his thumb, "You're beautiful, Hanako. Any man would be lucky to have you. I'm just glad I got you first," he winked. Damn, two flirty lines in one go.

Hana laughed, her eyes sparkling as her cheeks faintly blushed a sweet pink color. "It's a good thing you knew what to do to sweep me off my feet then. Though if we're talking terms of luck, I think I scored just as much as you did." At his raised eyebrow, she smiled. "Did you not see all those girls staring at you when were together? I thought for a moment I was going to be burned alive from the glares they were giving me. You're good looking and you could have your pick of any woman, yet you chose me."

"There's something about you that draws me in, and I can't explain it," Slate smiled tenderly, "I only saw you, Hana. You're the only one I'm interested in. No one else has made me feel this way before. Everything up until this very moment has been fantastic and I almost feel like it's a fairy tale or a romantic movie and we're the stars."

Hana smiled brightly. "I did invite you in for tea yet I'm making you stand here and flatter me until I can't blush anymore." She told him softly. "Would you still like that or a different type of drink?"

Hana could guess why. She was behind him after all. She didn't say anything and kept herself in a state of happiness. The ghost didn't reach out nor speak. Just there. "Tea then. We have many different kinds of them since Shaye and I like to garden and she likes to brew teas now since Sirius got her into trying different kinds rather than staying in one." She stood up and guided him to the cupboard and started pulling down a kettle, a tea pot, and a couple of cups. She went over to the pantry and opened the door, "Go ahead and take your pick." She told him. "I'll get the water boiling while you decide."

Since it was late at night, Slate reached for a pomegranate green tea he spotted and smiled as he held the box out to her, "Something soothing to sleep to. If Masa and Mike find us in the morning on the couch together and try to be snide, I'll just say it was the only quiet place we could find," he snickered. As if cued, there was a sharp cry and he swore he felt a wave of something down his back. If he was a betting man, he would say it was power. Sheer power. Not magic, but energy from deep within a person.

Hana could feel it and shivered as well. She glared up at the stairs before looking at Slate with mischief as she took the box and turned on the stove. "Just for that, I'd offer my bed." She told him with a laugh. "Kai may wake up from a nightmare as well and I like to be in one place and not have him freak out. Though in retrospect, I could see it working out well for me if they stop their...activities long enough to tend him."

"I feel as though Kai won't have any nightmares tonight, so relax," Slate cooed, watching her fret about putting everything together, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, the blue-grey eyes that gave him his name observing. "I have sharp ears, so I can listen for him, too. I still say couch, with you draped over me sounds very appealing. A bed may invite too many naughty ideas for a second date. Isn't it the third date where getting nookie is allowed?"

"I usually go with sixth date and I never get that far. You're technically my first boyfriend since high school." Hana laughed with a scratch at her cheek. "Though you make a decent point." Her heart swelled that he told her that he'd listen for Kai too. God, this man. "I change my mind. You're more than good looking. You're a dream."

Slate laughed very softly, his hand coming up and barely obscuring a blush as he looked away, "I suppose we are each other's manifestations, then. How else could I describe this right now, but a dream of mine?"

"Now I got you all off topic." Hana laughed as she leaned against the counter. "You know, I wanted to ask this for a while. Why England? Why not...Spain, or France?"

"I had enough of Mexican or Spanish crap living in Texas, even though I know how to speak it," Slate admitted, "France? Hell no. Too posh and too many tourists there for the damn tower. I really couldn't care less. Germany has a bad history and everyone there sounds pissed off. Russia's too cold, and that'd be bad for my alcoholism anyhow. Canada's too nice. England...London...it seemed like a happy medium."