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Avery looked back at Kimiko as she stumbled over her words. He wasn’t sure what the first slang term was, but the second made sense as well as the third. Avery laughed and stood on the other side of the wooden ledge rather than going to get the axes.

Kimiko looks away from him, and Avery rests his arms on the wooden ledge, completely thrilled by Kimiko’s reaction to him showing off for her. ”Kimiko, I’m going to need you to kiss me now,” he asked of her.

He shifted his attention, and a group of older women smiled, laughed, and waved at Avery. He barely acknowledged them before he looked back at Kimiko.

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Cassiopeia feels Nic’s hand press into hers, she shifts her attention to look at him, but it feels like she pushing through molasses. The ringing starts in her ears as they walk about the stairs, and Cassi vaguely wonders if she’s having a panic attack.

The fresh air is like a slap to Cassi’s face and she inhales deeply. The sounds of Chicago invade her senses, and she’s never been more glad to be in a busy city. Cassiopeia collapses on the chair and pulls her hair out of the bun.

”I’m sorry. I don’t… I don’t know what that was.”

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Kimiko starts, somehow finding Avery’s words just as bad as him turning her for a kiss by her chin earlier. She doesn’t miss the group of older ladies cooing over Avery, however, and that makes her move her feet quickly over to her wolf. Hers? Yes, hers. She grabs his face with both her hands and kisses him a little forcibly before pulling away. “Can you stop being so bloody attractive?” She whispers fiercely to him, face about as red as her fox fire now and probably just as warm.

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Nic crouches in front of her chair, resting his hands on her knees and rubbing circles into her legs. “I think you might have had a panic attack… Have you ever had one before? Some people describe it as almost feeling like a heart attack.” His face is full of concern, but he’s still gently smiling up at her. “If you want, I can show you how I cope with them.”

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Avery grinned when she moved quickly to oblige him. Avery kept his hands to himself while Kimiko kissed him, having a feeling it wouldn’t deter the women if he did touch her.

”I did ask you if it would be okay to show-off,” he whispered. He brushed his nose along the side of Kimiko’s before kissing her softly. ”And I wanted to make sure those other women understood I was taken. Now, can I buy you a drink?”

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”It sort of felt like that. I just started thinking about all the things I would need to do if I went with you, and how long it might be and it just.” Cassi tumbles her hands around each other to explain that she spiralled. ”I’ve never gone on vacation or anything before,” she whispered.

Nic’s hands on her legs were soothing, and she was grateful he seemed to anticipate her needs before she knew what she needed. She looked along his terrace, thinking of the types of trees she could put out here for him. She hadn’t been out here since Nic brought her to show her the place. She had been so excited for him, and now here she was, having a panic attack in the middle of something big happening to him. Cassiopeia put her head in her hands. Why was she such a mess lately?

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Kiki’s eyes close from the movement of his nose against hers and his soft kiss makes her knees wobbly. “Gods, yes.” She breathed, definitely feeling thirsty in that moment. My wolf She smiles goofily to herself at that thought and opens her eyes to stare into Avery’s. “But seriously, I have never been more attracted to someone than just now. You’re dangerous.”

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Nic can’t help but chuckle softly. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise to me that you’ve never taken a vacation before.” He gently prays her face from her hands so he can cup her cheek. “The nice thing about planning this early though is that we have plenty of time to make plans for your shop and our kiddos - including the plants.” He tells her before standing a little to kiss her nose.

“Alright, what else is going on behind those beautiful eyes of yours?”

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Kimiko’s words send a tingling through Avery, and he grins lazily before pulling back from the wooden ledge. He captures her hand and pulls her from the axe-throwing lanes, leaving the poor instructor to get the axes out on their own.

”Then I think this first date is off to a great start,” Avery declares. He kisses the back of Kimiko’s hand, leading her to a bar where they can get drinks and food.

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Cassiopeia breathes easier when Nic tells her they have time, and that everyone will be looked after without her. She sighs, taking a couple of deep breaths. The action soothes her, and she opens her eyes after Nic kisses her nose. His next question makes her pause. She hated how easily he saw through her.

”This is supposed to be your exciting moving day. I’m not taking any more of the attention away,” Cassiopeia declared. ”You’ll just have to be the perfect boyfriend later, because I’m supposed to be the perfect girlfriend right now.”

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Kiki eyes dance as she watches Avery’s every move, his kiss on her hand setting off goosebumps. “I’ll have to agree.” She says as she bites her lip in thought. She almost winces, afraid she’d split her lip wide open again before she remembers that its healed. She blinks a couple of time and takes a few deep breaths to keep her mind from spiraling out of control.

“Scotch, neat. Please.” Kimiko asks of the bartender almost immediately when they reach the bar. She hopes Avery didn’t catch the little whirlwind of emotions she had just from biting her own lip.

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Nic shakes his head. “Yeah, no. Perfection be damned, I want to make sure my girlfriend is okay. If that means letting the others take on more of the workload for a bit, that’s fine by me. They all owe me favors anyway.” Well, except for maybe Caden’s staff that’s helping them, but Nic will eventually do something to have them owe him a favor, he’s sure.

“When I’m starting to feel overwhelmed and about to have a panic attack, I like to use this method called the ‘five senses grounding technique’. You have five questions you ask yourself that will help pull you out of your own head.” He taps Cass’ head with his finger, still holding her face.

“You’re going to ask yourself what you see. Once you’ve identified that, you’re going to ask what you can feel. Then what you can hear and finally what you can taste and can smell. The last step is to remember to breathe.”

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Avery ordered a simple rum and coke for himself before paying for their drinks and brought them, as well as Kiki, to a table they could sit and talk at. He took a sip of his drink before spinning the glass around on the table. He looked from the glass to Kimiko and grinned, unable to help himself.

”I haven’t told you yet, but you look really pretty tonight. I like this outfit,” Avery commented. He reached across the table and rubbed the shirt sleeve between his fingers before letting his hand trail down her arm and, claimed one of her hands in his.

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Cassiopeia smiled softly when Nic refused to move on. He walked her through a calming exercise, and Cassi had to confess she quite liked the sound of it. Cassiopeia leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged him close and whispered her thanks.

”I’m okay, Nic. Really. And I’d like to go to Montana with you. See if your celebrity status at Chicago Med is really worth all the hype,” she teased him.

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Kiki easily forgets her own little slip-up, finding herself smiling crookedly at Avery’s actions. From spinning his glass, to grinning at her, to touching her shirt just to slyly capture her hand… If ‘swooning’ was ever a thing in this time, she swears she’d be doing it right now. A nice rosy blush colors her cheeks, but it’s much less of an embarrassed reaction and more just liking the way Avery compliments her.

“I know I already said it, but your fit is…” Unable to fully describe how much she likes it without probably sounding depraved, she kisses her free hand in a ‘chef’s kiss’ motion. “Can I ask that you wear shirts unbuttoned like this more often?”

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Nic laughs, hugging her back before standing and offering her his hand to help her up. “I can’t wait - but if you really want to experience my ‘celebrity status’, just come visit my ER.” He says to her with a grin.

“And not visiting because you need medical attention, please.” He added quickly. A concussion was one thing, but if Cass ever shows up in his emergency room because she’s hurt badly… He doesn’t want to think of how badly that could hurt him.

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Avery chuckles and sits back. Her hand remains securely in his, and he takes another sip of his drink, showing off his form and bare chest a little more before he sets his drink aside and holds Kimiko’s hand in both of his.

”Because this seems a little fancy for training,” he teased. ”But I’m glad you like it.”

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Cassi stands and feels her cheeks warm when Nic invites her to the ER. ”I wouldn’t want to be in the way,” she said honestly. ”And to be around so many people in pain… I know I could block myself, but I’m not sure I could do it,” she told Nic truthfully.

Being an empath and as connected as Cassiopeia was made for being in large crowds or emotionally heavy places difficult. It wasn’t like she had never done it before, and if Nic really wanted her to come, Cassi would prepare accordingly, like his conference in November.

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Kimiko sticks her tongue out at Avery, unable to help the smile she has from his teasing. She takes a hearty sip of her scotch before placing her head on her free hand, propped up on the table as she looks across it at her date. “On the contrary, I think it’s appropriate for any occasion.” She says with a wink.

“Alright, what other conversations are there on a first date?”

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Nic blinks - he hasn’t thought of it that way when it comes to Cass and the emergency department, but for all her empath skills, it makes perfect sense that it wouldn’t be enjoyable for her. “That’s fair - I wouldn’t want you to be in pain just to see me work.” He tells Cass genuinely.

“I’ll just have to show off how popular I am in other ways.”

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Avery grinned while Kimiko shamelessly flirted and oggled him. He didn’t mind the attention from his mate at all.

”Anything we want really. It can be as simple as what your favourite colour is or movie to what your dreams are,” Avery explained. ”I’m guessing your favourite colour is yellow. Maybe orange,” Avery guessed. She often wore yellow, and her bag today was yellow.

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Cassi laughed and kissed Nic’s cheek. ”We’re almost done moving you in. Let’s go finish, then we can take everyone for pizza or something.”

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Kiki mirrors his grin as he guesses her favorite color. “It’s yellow, ya.” She tells him with a nod before she narrows her eyes in thought. “Well, I know you like wearing black, but is it your favorite color too?” She asks, tilting her head into her propped up hand more.

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Nic grins lopsidedly at her, leading her back inside just as Caden’s staff was carrying a large bed into his room. “Wait, that’s not my bed.” He says, a little confused as he looks back at Cass.

One of the staff shakes his head with a smile. “Master Caden no longer needs this bed and wanted to gift it to you. As thanks for taking care of our Miss Alistair.” They don’t hang around for Nic or Cass’ reactions, heading into the primary bedroom.

“Did you ask Caden to…” Nic asks Cass as he pulls her down the stairs. It’ll be far larger than his old bed and he quite likes that idea if he’s honest. He stops himself from finishing the question to Cass as he remembers that they’re still not really back to their old friendship yet.

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Avery smiled while Kimiko attempted to analyze him. He matches her gaze, both equally entertained and enthralled by her.

”I do like wearing black, but it is not my favourite colour. My favourite colour is blue actually, but a lighter blue,” he informed her.

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Cassi wrapped an arm around Nic’s as they walked back into his bedroom. She looked just as confused as Nic until Todd explained, and then she frowned, recognizing the bed from the room next to Caden’s.

She followed Nic out of his room and looked at him. She pressed her forehead to his arm as they walked and sighed. ”No. That bed is the one from the room next to Caden’s. If he’s getting rid of it, it’s because he’s remodelling the room for… Nero.” Cassi had a string of other words she wanted to call Nero, but she refrained.

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Kiki lets out a little hum in surprise - she didn’t think his color would be so light compared to his aesthetic. “I like a softer yellow - our favorite colors go well together.” She smiles at the thought before moving on.

“Hmmm, my favorite movie is ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ - not because the main character has a great name or anything.” She says with a sly smile before she thinks on it a little more. “Although, I did make my da take me to see ‘Rocky’ about a million times when it came out.” She might have only been fourteen at the time, but she knew what she liked even then.

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Nic pulls her into a hug when they’re halfway down the stairs to the first floor of the apartment. There are many things he wants to say - most of them wanting to give his opinion and to tell her and Caden to just talk things out already, but it’s not his place. “Well, hopefully the bed is clean of any demonic diseases.” He jokes in an attempt to brighten the mood a little.

He has no idea how to navigate this tricky terrain between Caden, Cass, and Nero. To be honest, he really didn’t care if Nero and Cass ever saw eye-to-eye, but the tension between her and Caden was almost unbearable for him. Especially when he goes to Caden’s place three times a week to work out and train with Avery. “Let’s find somewhere to go for pizza with everyone.” Nic suggests to Cass.

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Avery liked that their favourite colours complimented each other well; just like their animal forms. Avery laughed at the anime choice but nodded his approval at Rocky.

”Don’t ask my favourite movie. I have far too many,” he informs her. It would be difficult for Avery to just pick one.

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”Someplace you can go and have more than just a salad,” Cassi agreed.

Cassiopeia was grateful Nic moved the subject along. She was also grateful he wasn’t pushing her. Cassi felt she was being a little ridiculous at times, but the majority of the time, she felt justified. She wasn’t ready to forgive Nero, and it was hard seeing Caden with them. It was a very complicated and messy situation.

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“Oh, that’s not fair!” Kiki says with a playful glare, removing her head from her hand as she takes a drink of her scotch. “You can’t just offer ‘favourite movie’ as an option for conversation and then tell me I can’t ask.” She’s tempted to kick him under the table, but refrains. “Surely you can name a few titles at least.”

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Nic laughs, pulling away from the hug and leading her the rest of the way down the stairs. “Well, the other most common thing for pizza places to have are wings and I do love all things spicy.” When the two make it to the first floor, they see Ren, Jane, and Kat plopped on the couch. It hasn’t even been positioned in any sort of sense, just sits in the middle of the room.

“Well, I think that answers my question on if the unloading is all done.” Nic says, shaking his head as he chuckles.

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Avery laughed at Kimiko's reaction. He couldn't believe how excited she was to ask him questions, and then frustrated because he couldn't give her an answer. Instead she asked for a few. His laugh turned to a chuckle.

”Just remember you asked,” Avery said, and listed several films from different genres and styles. ”A Streetcar Named Desire, Chicago, Kill Bill, The King and I, Charlie Chaplin films, Jurassic Park, M, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and any wrestling, boxing, or baseball movies.”

Avery was an avid film watcher, and definitely drifted towards older films, black and white, cult, and other obscure films.

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Cassiopeia smiled at how tired everyone looked. They had definitely worked hard today. ”We were thinking about finding some place for pizza,” Cassi told the group.

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Kiki’s lips twitch in a smile. She recognizes a few of the titles Avery lists, but hasn’t heard of many of the films he names. “You’re going to have to show me some of those sometime.” She says as she lightly squeezes Avery’s hands.

”Alright, what was next? Dreams?”

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Almost immediately, Jane and Kat start offering names of places to go to, arguing over which restaurant has the best food. Nic pulls up a map on his phone to see what’s nearby and finds a place called Flo & Santos. “Let’s try this place - it’s nearby and has a ton of options.” Nic suggests, sending the link to the menu to Jane and handing his phone to Cass for her to see.

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Avery smiled and squeezed her hand in return. "I'd like that," he agreed. He took a sip of his drink and shrugged. "That was just a suggestion. We can talk about whatever though really," Avery said and glanced around the bar.

It was a habit he had developed when he was younger. Avery was constantly looking for exits, and possible threats. The need to look had just gotten worse since he became a werewolf, and this was the first time he was out with Kimiko. At this point, everyone and everything was a potential threat to her.

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Cassiopeia briefly looked over the menu on Nic's phone, and she nodded in agreement. "It looks good," she agreed. It was nice and close as well. It would be good to test the local food places in the area so Nic and Ren had options if they didn't feel like cooking one night.

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Kiki watches Avery for a moment, his eyes glancing around the place. Ever the bodyguard, She thinks to herself. “Hmm… Okay, what’s your favorite food? Or foods if it’s another list.” Her lips quirk up in a small smirk as she takes another sip of her drink.

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The couch posse give their agreement to the place as well. “Okay, it looks like it’ll be a twenty minute walk or we can pile into the SUV.” Nic takes a look at the group and smirks with a small chuckle.

“I think we’ll be taking the SUV.” He observes, everyone looking pretty beat. Caden’s staff join them downstairs and Nic lets them in on the plan as everyone grabs what they need to go to dinner.

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