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Nero beams up at Caden, glad that he’s going to spoil himself too. “As long as I’m not the only one being dragged in and out of the dressing room.” They say, but honestly they enjoy when Caden spoils them. As much ‘fun’ as it was shopping with Kiki, Nero enjoyed Caden’s reactions to them being dressed up.

“Okay, are we walking there?”

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Kiki whips to look at him again, taken back. “Oh.” She says in a small voice, but a rather cheery tone.

“I liked how we became friends first though… When we finally were able to get along, it was nice. I don’t know if that could have happened if I slept with you right away, to be honest.” She nuzzles her face into his shoulder to hide her blush.

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"I was thinking we could if that is alright with you. There is so much to see on the streets of New York as well," Caden said. Most of what they bought would have to be tailored, so it wouldn't be ready to leave the store today anyways.

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"Well, the mating bond definitely would have been there, but you're right. I like that we became friends. You're a good friend, Kiki," Avery added. He turned and kissed her head. "But I confess I like you much better as my girlfriend."

Avery tilted Kimiko's head up to look at him. He smiled, looking into her eyes before kissing her softly.

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Nero bobs their head happily in a nod. “I like walking even if I get distracted easily.” They’re about to pull Caden along to start their walk but realizes with a sheepish grin that they have no idea where they’re going. They wait a moment for Caden to start leading them before they happily prance beside him.

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Nodding along, Kiki agrees. Before she knew how the mating bond worked, hearing that might have made her second-guess his feelings for her. She doesn’t have much time to really ponder about it before Avery makes his confession and tilts her head up. Her eyes flutter close at the kiss before she begins to kiss him back, trying not to take it too fast but also feeling a rush of emotion towards him in that moment.

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Caden laughed when Nero realized what they were doing. "I'd follow you anywhere, my little imp. Even if we got hopelessly lost along the way," he said and squeezed Nero's hand before he led them from Central Park to the busy of streets of New York.

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Avery keeps the kiss light, not wanting to pressure Kimiko into anything or move their relationship too quickly. He knows her hesitation, and understands. Their relationship didn't start the greatest and this mating bond complicated this.

Avery had felt strongly about Kimiko even before he realized what was happening. She pushed his buttons like nobody else could, but she also brought out a side of him that no one ever really saw. Caden saw glimpses and Cassiopeia was maybe the only other person who knew of his compassionate side, but the way Kimiko was getting to know him. Yes, Avery angered easily and was protective to a fault, but those weren't the only emotions he felt strongly.

After another minute, Avery pulled back from the kiss. He smiled at Kimiko, looking into her eyes once more before he looked away. Some of the staff were starting to leave staff housing to go about their day in town or clean up the mess they left from last night.

"Do you want to do a bit of a workout with me, or just relax?" he asked, offering her either option in case she wanted some time to herself.

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Nero chuckles before grinning. “I don’t care where we are as long as I have you there with me.” They tell him genuinely. It’s crazy to think about how this had all started initially because someone’s Frankenstein of a monster had attacked Caden’s city. They don’t mind the journey that brought them to him though, they’re quite grateful for it in fact.

“I’m surprised you don’t own property here.” Nero says as they look around at all New York had to offer.

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Too soon for Kiki, the kiss ends and Avery pulls away. She almost pouts about it until she sees staff were beginning to walk around. Her ears turn red at the thought that anyone else would have seen their kiss. “Oh, um, I’ll come with you - I need to do some stretching before we go for our run later anyway.” She found keeping herself flexible helped with her shifting. She stands up and starts gathering the dishes, not wanting to leave it to Avert or the staff.

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"I thought about it, but the proposition in Chicago was too hard to pass up. Besides that, I like visiting New York. I'm not so certain I could leave here for any length of time." There was a lot of unrest and crime in New York when no one was looking.

Caden led the way down sides walks and through Washington Park, where they paused to listen to music and watch chess being played. It was another lively square, but eventually they made their way through New York to their destination. Along the street sat stores like Tiffany, Bergdorf, Dior, and Chanel.

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"Okay. I'm going to go change, then I'll meet you in the gym. We can wash everything up later," Avery decided. He helped her clean up the table though, setting things on the trolley for it to be wheeled back into the house. Avery kissed Kimiko's cheek once he was done helping her before he jogged across the yard to staff housing. He stopped to talk to a few people before continuing on.

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Nero nods - it makes sense. When they show up to where these big name stores lived, Nero couldn’t help but stare at the clash of different fashion styles shown in the stores or on the people who walked by. “Is this going to be one of those ‘Nero on their best behavior’ circumstances?” They ask Caden.

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Kiki watches Avery leave the patio with a smile, watching as he talks to some of the other staff members. She watches him go inside before she rolls the trolley into the elevator and sets it in the kitchen before making her way back up to go change as well. She decides to leave the tank top on, adding a sports bra and a pair of leggings before sending the Avery’s hoodie and her shorts into the chute. Maybe she could see about getting an A/C unit just for her room to cool it down.

She beats Avery to the gym, which isn’t surprising since he had been stopped by so many just leaving the patio. She puts her earbuds in and listens to some New Age music as she starts her initial stretching.

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"We can speak German when you are feeling more like an imp and less like a human, but yes. If I was a vampire and could compel them to forget, I would let you have free reign. I'd like you to have a few outfits that are dressier. Something you can wear out to things like the symphony, or a gala," Avery explained.

He led Nero down the sidewalk, slowly looking in windows as they passed to see what caught his eye. "It has been a while since I've had to, but I am occasionally called on to represent my family at summits. Everyone there likes to show off, so it is important to leave a good impression," Avery briefly explained.

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Avery changes into his usual workout gear. He pulled on loose shorts and a compression shirt before lacing up his shoes and walked outside. Avery bounced from side to side, rolling out his neck and shoulders before he crouches down. He took a couple steadying breaths before sprinting forward. Avery made it back to the house in seconds, but the quick run served to warm him up.

He didn't want to work out for long, wanting to spend more one-on-one time with Kimiko to try and get to know her, but Avery also needed to burn off energy some way, and working out was the better option.

He walked into the gym and saw Kimiko already working on her stretches. Rather than bother her, Avery walks over to the resistance bands and sets them up to start his work-out.

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Nero nods, smiling at the thought of seeing a symphony performance. When Caden mentions his family, Nero peers up at him at the sincerity of his words. “That makes sense, I just dpm’t know what’s high fashion or I guess, more appropriately, what to wear for different occasions.” Nero hopes that it’s something Caden can help them navigate.

“Just don’t make me looks like a fairy princess or something is all I ask.” They add with a wink. The big poofy floor-length dresses did not seem like the best fit for someone as small in stature as Nero is.

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Kiki looks up when something in her peripheral catches her eye and looks up to see Avery arrive. She throws a small wave his way before continuing her stretches. She wants to let him get some of his workout out of the way before she asks him for his help stretching.

Around fifteen minutes later, Kiki puts her earbuds away and looks around for Avery, catching him using the resistance bands. “Avery,” She calls out to him, not knowing if he’s also listening to music or not. “Could you help me stretch? …Please?” She adds the last word quickly, knowing it’s a habit of hers to forget it often.

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Caden laughed and shook his head. ”I wouldn’t dream of it. I have some ideas though,” Caden said, wiggling his eyebrows before he led Nero into a clothing store.

They were instantly greeted by shopping attendants, eager to help the good-looking, well-dressed couple. Caden informed them what he was looking for when it came to Nero.

”But whatever they say goes,” Caden added, looking at the attendants pointedly before he looked at Nero. ”They’re going to take your measurements, and then clothes are going to be brought to you. I have my eye on some dresses, but if you want something else, just tell them. Would you like champagne or something stronger?” At the mention of the drink, a gentleman takes a step forward, waiting for the couple’s order.

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Avery was listening to music, but it was low enough that he heard Kimiko call to him. He turned his music off and pulled off his headphones.

”What do you need to be stretched?” Avery asked, walking to Kimiko’s side of the gym.

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Cassiopeia scurried off to Nic’s old bedroom and shut the door, pulling her clothes back on. She ran a hand over her face, willing her body to calm down. She could hear the landlord wanting to come in, so she knew she didn’t have the right amount of time to really settle her nerves. So be it.

Cassi adjusted her shirt and walked back out of the bedroom before she nodded at Nic to let the landlord in. She busied herself by spraying down the counter and wiping it clean, then a couple of the knobs on the kitchen cabinets. Anything to keep her hands busy and her mind from wandering.

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“Why does that scare me more?” Nero asks in a teasing tone. They knew Caden has excellent taste in… well, everything to be honest. They can trust his opinion. As they get swarmed by attendants, they shoot the same terrified look they had the last time Caden took them shopping.

”Something stronger.” Nero says to Caden question before they’re escorted away to get measurements done.

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Kiki smiles sheepishly. “Only if you have the time, but between the injuries to my neck and shoulders plus the nightmares and stress, I still can’t really stretch as much as I used to before the… before.” She leaves it at that for now before redirecting the conversation.

“If we’re going to go for a run later, flexibility will help my shift.” She fidgets with her fingers, hoping Avery doesn’t see the slight tremor in them.

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The landlord seems ready to call in some brute force to get into the apartment at this point, but Cass walks by to let him know it’s okay. He opens the door and they almost fall over from the sudden lack of resistance. Nic catches them before they do and helps them to their feet.

“This is my girlfriend Cass, she’s been helping with the move.” Nic says as they enter the kitchen first because of course that’s their luck. The kitchen still looks brand spanking new. Nic would need to ask Cass at her cleaning method is.

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Caden chuckled and ordered them scotch. Caden wandered the store, looking for dresses and outfits that caught his eye. He found a short black leather dress, a velvet red, and another black dress that showed more leg. Caden had them sent over for Nero to try with a glass of scotch. Caden then took a seat outside the curtained room and flipped through a catalogue for things not yet in the store.

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”Of course. If you want, I can give you a bit of a massage tonight after supper. That’ll help loosen everything up, too,” Avery said and joined Kimiko on the floor. He took her arms and started to rotate and stretch them in different ways to stretch all the different muscles in Kimiko’s shoulders and rotator cuff.

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Cassi smiled and nodded at the landlord while she packed up the cleaning supplies. She glanced at Nic, still feeling flushed but more stable. She winked at him while the landlord was looking over some of the patches Nic made.

It was torture having their moment of passion interrupted, but at least Cass knew that Nic wanted her as badly as she wanted him. At least she knew the sex was going to be earthshattering when they finally got to it.

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It was a bit of a whirlwind for Nero as the shopping attendants were very attentive to Nero’s every possible need as they tried on each outfit to show for Caden. The little imp threw a playful glare at Caden for each floor-length dress he had them try on. By the time they were finished, it seemed to Nero like it had been eighty-four years since they had started.

“You know, I didn’t even see you try on a single piece of clothing.” Nero laments.

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Even while wincing at the soreness her muscles felt, Kiki beams at Avery. “I almost forgot about how good you are at massages.” Between Avery being very busy and Kiki’s bruises taking forever to heal, it was difficult for him to even touch her during the last week

“I might hold you to that offer.” She says with a tiny groan as Avery helped her stretch the shoulder that had been dislocated.

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Nic gives her a look and shook his head with a grin when she winks. Cass is definitely one of a kind. He thinks to himself. Nic and the landlord make sure everything is all set and it’s agreed that he’ll get his hefty security deposit back in full. They walk out of the apartment, taking anything that had been left with them as Nic hands over all the keys for the place.

He helps Cass into the car and gets in the driver seat, making sure all the doors were shut and windows up before he rests his head on the steering wheel with a dark chuckle. “Are you sure you haven’t cursed me, my wee sorceress?”

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Caden grinned and wrapped his arm around Nero. ”That’s because this isn’t my store. Come on along, Mein kleiner Kobold.” Caden walked to the front and paid for Nero’s clothing. Everything would be shipped to their house in Chicago once it was ready.

Caden led Nero down the street before walking into a store that was full of suits. ”Now you may watch me be poked and prodded,” Caden whispered into their ear.

They were treated much the same as the other place, except here Caden was offered a cigar if he so desired, as well as a drink. Caden stepped up onto a pedestal and was quickly measured and asked a series of questions before material and suits were brought out. Eventually, Caden decided on two new suits, plus a new red one made from scratch. He was rather looking forward to it as it would match the red velvet dress Nero was getting.

After that store, Caden led Nero into another clothing store for them to get some nicer everyday clothes that weren’t dresses. There was a men’s section, and Caden selected some general slacks and dress shirts for himself.

”Nearly done, Mein kleiner Kobold,” Caden said and guided them into the Tiffany Co. store.

A security guard greeted them at the door before an attendant came over to guide them around the store. Several security guards were stationed around the store. Some were obvious whereas others were dressed to go unnoticed.

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Avery felt Kimiko’s shoulder resist from scar tissue that was starting to build. He gently put Kimiko’s shoulder through passive movements before stretching it again. This time, he got her shoulder to release and stretch a little more.

”I look forward to reminding you how good they are,” he said.

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”If I cursed you with lust for me, do you really think I would have allowed anyone to have interrupted that moment?” Cass pulled her seat belt on and patted Nic on the back. [color=#DB709]”No, my dear, but it seems we are being asked to wait for something. It better not be much longer, though.”[/color]

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Nero’s cheeks blush from Caden’s whisper, but they very much enjoy seeing Caden being the one with all the attention. Nero wandered the store a bit, looking at the different suits, but made sure to keep in Caden’s line of sight.

The next store, Nero nearly started to go straight for any green clothes before remembering how they’re supposed to be thinking of what they want, not just what Caden will like.

Nero pouts when Caden says the shopping trip is nearly over but leads them into a jewelry store. The little demon doesn’t usually go for much jewelry outside of the earrings they wear and their septum, but they look in the glass cases with wide eyes, as if trying to size everything up at once. “What are we getting here?” They whisper to Caden, curious.

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When Kiki’s shoulder finally works a little closer to normal, she breathes a sigh of relief before flushing at Avery’s comment. For some reason, her brain went straight to inappropriate thoughts. Wait… are they inappropriate if the thoughts are about her boyfriend? “I cant’t wait.” She says instead of giving in to her intrusive thoughts of just pouncing on him then and there.

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Nic’s chuckle turns into more of a laugh and he straightens to look at Cass’ face with a smile. “How badly did you want to just kill the landlord in that moment?” He asks before putting his arm behind Cass to look behind him while he reversed the SUV. Nic’s mind keep going back to said moment, wishing that they could have had a little more time before being rudely interrupted.

As he starts the driver to Cass’, he places his hand on Cass’ leg, trying not to think about earlier too much and just concentrate on the road.

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”Whatever catches your eye,” Caden informed them. ”Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings. There is another store I want to go to for a watch and rings. I’m sure they will have things you’ll like there as well, but I wanted to stop in here first,” Caden explained.

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Avery smiled, hoping she would be comfortable enough to allow him to massage her taunt shoulders. He could feel how much they were resiting, but Avery also thought a shift would be good to loosen everything up. The body moved differently on four limbs than on two.

Avery finished with her shoulders and instructed her to go into an active stretch with her neck before he applied pressure to help her body stretch further.

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”How badly did you want to kill them?” Cassi asked, amusement playing on her features. She wrapped her hand around Nic’s while he drove. She remained focused on his face and the task at hand rather than how he looked half-naked in the kitchen and his muscled arm behind her head while he backed up.

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Nero looks up curiously at Caden before starting to look around. They found a collection of some jewelry that catches their attention and point it out to Caden. The demon enjoys the way that some of the collection looks religious - it’s their favorite thing to wear crosses and things ironically.

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After a bit of stretching, Kiki feels a little more like herself again. “Thank you for helping.” She rolls onto her knees so she can give Avery a kiss on his cheek. “When do you want to go for our run? I figure it’s best if we avoid the… if we get back before we run out of daylight.” She gets up and offers her hand to Avery to help him stand if he wanted.

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Nic laughs darkly. “But I can ‘do no harm’, remember?” He teases her, remembering how worried she had gotten the last time Nic had ‘crossed’ that line. He squeezes her hand gently. Before turning down her street. He starts to get sidetracked by his excitement to see the cats.

“I can’t wait to see the kids.” He practically purrs.

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Caden was looking at a collection of knot bracelets when Nero flagged them over. Caden smiled, walking up to them and rested his hand on the small of Nero’s back. Caden chuckled but nodded and had the attendant bring everything out Nero had their eyes on.

”You certainly have a flair for the dramatics, my darling. But I think this collection will suit you,” Caden agreed. ”Would you mind if I bought Cassiopeia something while we are here?” Caden asked, staring at the black and gold jewellery Nero had picked out before he glanced at them.

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Avery accepted Kimiko’s hand, not that he needed it, but so he could keep touching her. ”I want to get a bit of weight lifting in before we go. Give me twenty minutes?”

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Cassiopeia bit her bottom lip from Nic’s reaction to her words. She knew he had a kind and gentle soul, but she wondered if there wasn’t a bit of a darker side when it came to his loved ones.

They made the turn onto her street, and Cassi laughed. ”Using me to get to my cats, hmm? I see how it is,” Cassi joked. They stopped outside her house, and Cassi got out before Nic opened her door.

She climbed the steps and opened the door. Meowing started instantly from a grey fluff ball. Wayland bound out onto the front step to greet Nic immediately, and once again, Cassi was sidetracked by the thought that she had found Wayland for Nic.

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Nero shakes their head as they take the glove off of their right hand to let them measure their fingers. “I want the two of you to reconcile - if that will help, I approve.” They turn their head to smile up at Caden, genuinely meaning it. “Also, I’ll take that flair for the dramatic comment as a compliment.” They wink and stick their tongue out at him.

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Kiki rubs the back of her neck with a sheepish laugh. “Right! Sorry, I forgot I interrupted your workout. I’ll join you.” She says knowing Avery would appreciate it if she worked on her upper body strength some more.

“If that’s okay at least.” She keeps a hold of his hand, not particularly in a rush to let go as she smiles.

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Just as Nic exits the SUV, a streak of fur comes running at him. He laughs as he picks up Wayland and carries him back to Cass’ house, scratching him behind the ears. “I missed you too, little guy.” He whispers with a silly grin.

”Do you need help carrying anything?” He asks Cass as he closes the door behind him.

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”Good. As you should,” Caden said and kissed Nero softly. He was glad Nero was so understanding and didn't feel jealous of his relationship with Cassi, despite their long history.

Once they were sized and the jewellery they picked boxed, Caden gestured to the gold bracelet to have it boxed as well, and then something else caught his eye.

Caden's eyes were drawn to the diamond and ruby ring, and a smile tugged at his lips. ”Nero, what do you think about something like this on your finger?”

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Avery beamed and squeezed Kimiko’s hand. ”Not in the least.” He guided her over to the weights and set her up with some. ”Do you remember the exercises I had you doing from before?”

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”Oh, no. You and your child can catch up. He clearly has a lot to say.” In fact, Wayland was still meowing and rubbing his head all over Nic as he told the human all about the days he had missed. Calypso joined the boys' club, trying to look prim and proper, while Max was nowhere to be seen, but that was typical of Cassi’s familiar.

Cassi exited her house into the garden and pried open her shed. She started pulling out shears and small pots to add cuttings to. It wasn’t a small undertaking but it wasn’t a difficult task, either.