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“Damn straight it is,” Kiki declares with a triumphant smile before she sets her champagne down and grabs another strawberry. The chocolate starts to crumble when she bites into it and she tries to catch all the pieces with her other hand.

Kiki pops the chocolate into her mouth and tilts her head when Avery says to stop. Stop what…? She finishes the strawberry and licks her fingers before reaching out and grabbing her champagne again. “Would it help if I turned my back to you?” She teases gently.

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Nero smiles and nods at what Caden says regarding lemons and limes. “Like, a whole coconut?” They ask Caden as they eat a strawberry, adding a little bit of the yogurt on it first. They make a mental note to learn how to make pancakes with chocolate chips and blueberries for Caden.

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"That might be better," Avery agreed. He started to play again, his foot hitting a board under his foot to keep time as he played. His fingers danced back and forth between the notes, while he eyes wandered over the crumbled chocolate on Kimiko's lap. He shook his head before he started to hum, and looked at what he was playing as he took on the melody of the piece.

It was a soulful song, something that Avery didn't usually take on, but this song wasn't his. It was hers. It had come to him while he struggled to fall asleep after getting Kimiko back. It was a song that helped him calm down and remember that she was here and that she would come back from this.



He sang along, his voice a rich tenor that could fall and rise with a hidden melody that just added to the song.

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"Yes, a whole coconut. I was taught to scrape the inside of it and would eat it as is, or add the coconut shavings to other things. Then they'll filled the coconut back up with alcohol of course, and I drank from that," Caden said, remembering the typical tourist moment. He had fun with it though, and it held a lot of good memories for him.

Caden took a couple of bites from the chocolate cake that Nero liked more and savoured each bite. "This is delicious, but I think the other one is my favourite," he declared. The other mousse cake was richer in flavour, and he was fond of the taste.

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Kimiko smiles, trying to give Avery a reassuring look before she obliges and twists her shoulders so she’s not looking directly at Avery. Her hand on the armrest of the couch taps along to his guitar playing. When he begins to sing, Kiki stops tapping and sits very still to stop herself from turning back to watch.

Avery’s voice is beautiful, even with the nerves Kiki can hear. Her heart feels like it’s going to swell out of her chest. Slowly, she starts to turn so she can watch this man. His dexterity as he plays is fascinating and Kiki briefly wonders if he might make a good pianist. She has to fidget with something before she accidentally starts humming along and chugs her champagne to help.

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Nero raises their eyebrows, impressed. “And here I thought you couldn’t get anymore attractive.” They tease before Caden makes his declaration of which cake he likes better.

“You can have it then, I’m going to keep with my delicious citrus adventure.” They say with a cat-like smile. “Now, are you ever going to join me in bed?” They ask in small exasperation, but grinning from Caden’s antics right now.

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Avery becomes easily trapped within his music and the song he wrote that the nerves quickly slide away. It doesn't bother him when Kimiko turns to look at him, because his mind it elsewhere. The song comes to its conclusion, Avery having decided to vocalize the last bit rather than hum it. When it finishes, Avery is almost disappointed, and then he remembers its not just him in the room and he looked at Kimiko.

He smiled sheepishly, feeling his cheeks warm. He cleared his throat and shifted on his chair. "What did you think?"

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Caden finished the cake, setting the empty plate on top of the other empty ones, and retrieved his champagne. He chuckled before draining his glass.

"But I'm having so much fun," he announced.

Caden set the glass down, smiling at Nero and took a couple steps back, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants finally. He pushed the fabric down, bending over and pulls one leg out before he stands and turns is leg to pull the other off. He folded his pants, setting them on the dresser before looking at Nero.

"Better?"

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Kiki stares at Avery, her eyes bright and her smile taking up most of her face. “Brilliant.” She chirps happily. Getting on her knees and one of her hand, she reaches over to Avery and traces his blush. “And you wrote it yourself?” He has no reason to be embarrassed - he’s very skilled both vocally and with the guitar.

Realizing how loose her tank is and her pose, Kiki blushes herself, pulling her hand back while sitting back on her bum. “What is it about?”

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Nero gives Caden a flat look but is unable to leave the smirk off their face. “Better, but you’re still not in bed.” They say with a shake of their head. “I’m lonely, mein drache.” They add while pouting dramatically.

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Rather than fade, Avery's blush grows when Kimiko brushes her finger against it. His fingers twitched with the urge to capture her hand with his and kiss it but he doesn't. Instead, he looked away from Kimiko, trying to gain the confidence to tell her. He took a deep breath in before he looked back.

"You. I wrote it after we got you back and I couldn't sleep. I wanted to write something to remind you and me that you would come back from it despite the hell you endured. That you'd come back to me and I'd be here for you."

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"Ah, well we can't have mein kleiner Kobold feeling lonely." Caden closed the bedroom door before he picked up his champagne glass and crawled into bed next to Nero.

Caden shoved up the pillows and arranged himself so he was seated against the pillows in the headboard. He patted the space in front of him, inviting Nero to sit with their back against his chest, so they could be close but comfortable while enjoying the remaining desserts.

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Kiki’s eyes go wide and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You…” Her brow furrows now as she struggles to find the right words. The corners of her lips turn down as her bottom lip quivers. “Avery Zain, you better put that guitar down this instant.” She says, minutes away from sobbing. Once the guitar is out of the way, Kiki throws herself at Avery and plants her lips on his.

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Nero wiggles in their spot at Caden using their nickname, grinning as he crawls into the bed finally. “Much better now.” They say happily. When Caden gestures, Nero practically jumps in the space before leaning back against his chest.

“Now was that so hard?”

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Avery isn’t exactly sure how to take Kimiko’s initial reaction. He’s never seen this reaction from her. Did he cross a line? Avery swallowed before he nervously set his guitar aside. His hand is barely off the guitar when Kimiko throws herself at him.

Her lips crush his, but Avery’s arms automatically wrap around her. He pulled her in, shifting her legs around so she was straddling her lap. Avery would be lying if he hadn’t wanted Kimiko to do this a hundred times over. In this position, she sits taller than him, and he loves it.

One arm wrapped around Kimiko’s waist securely, while the other rested along her back, his hand splayed across her shoulders in a supportive way.

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”Nein, aber es hat mir Spaß gemacht, zuzusehen, wie du mich beobachtetest.” Caden kissed the top of Nero’s shoulder before pouring himself more champagne.

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Kiki kisses him deeply for a moment or two before she pulls away. “J'ai d'ailleurs adoré.” She says breathlessly before reclaiming his lips again. One hand holds his face, her thumb brushing over where he had been blushing, and her other hand grabs his shirt in its fist. She had never had someone write anything for her, let alone an entire song. She doesn’t know how to explain her feelings, just that her heart feels full and her appreciation for Avery has soared high beyond her expectations.

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“Teuflischer Drache.” Nero mumbles in a fake pout, stealing Caden’s glass of champagne from his fingers and drinking it before he can. “Ich werde es dir heimzahlen.”

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Avery relaxed when she vocalized that she loved his song. Of course, he had figured she did and was going to say as much, but she quickly reclaimed his lips. Avery didn’t want to pull away from her so soon, so he kissed her back, his hand sliding up her back to tangle in her hair.

Eventually, he pulled back to get a breath in. ”I’m glad you liked it. I couldn’t tell,” he teased her. He brushed his lips across hers after he spoke and placed a kiss on her cheek.

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”Mmm, Versprechen?” Caden plucked his empty glass back while he kissed Nero’s cheek.

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Kiki beams breathlessly at Avery, about to quip back but easily distracted by his lips and following where they were going. She closes her eyes again, her grip on the clutched fabric of his shirt loosening. With flushed cheeks, she opens her eyes and glances down. “Oh gods, I’ve got chocolate all over both of us.” She didn’t realize there were some chocolate bits she had missed earlier. Her cheeks darken as she registers that she’s straddling Avery.

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“Nein, es ist eine Drohung.” Nero says with a wide grin and a flash of their white eyes. They lean forward and grab the last of the fruits and cheeses. “Do we have something planned for early tomorrow?” They ask, switching to English.

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Avery chuckled and kissed her cheek again. ”Don’t worry about it. At least I got to taste it,” he said. He opened his eyes and noticed Kimiko’s blush this time. His arm around her waist tightened, and he tried to look into her eyes.

”Don’t even think about moving right now. I don’t want you to move yet.”

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Caden refilled his glass before Nero spoke. He shivered from the power switch and he wrapped a loose arm around Nero’s waist, resting his hand on their stomach.

”I might or I might not. Why? Is there something you would like to do for our morning?”

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Kiki makes a strangled squeaking noise, looking up for the chocolate mess to see Avery’s eyes already on her. “O-okay.” She says in a whisper. She doesn’t tell him that she’s only eaten a couple of the strawberries, mostly because her mind is otherwise occupied. Her eyes dart between Avery’s eyes and lips, unsure where to look after a comment like that.

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Nero settles back against Caden’s chest. “I wondering how late I can keep you up.” They say in a suggestive tone as they reach up a hand to trace Caden’s jaw. “Or how late I can sleep in.” They add the second part wit a soft chuckle.

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Avery moved his hand from the back of Kimiko’s hair and brushed her cheek in the same way she had done with him moments ago.

”I know you want to go about this relationship differently, and I am more than okay with that, but I’ve been dying to get you this close for a week now,” Avery confessed.

His eyes drifted from hers to her lips, and he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. Her lip snagged slightly from the callouses on Avery’s finger. He bit his bottom lip, suppressing the urge to throw what he just said out the window. He would just have to be satisfied with kissing her.

Avery pressed his lips back to Kimiko’s, tasting the champagne and strawberries on her lips. He sighed, slipping his hand back into her hair, and deepened the kiss.

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Caden shut his eyes, focused on Nero’s touch and their words.

”However late you want. We can always come back to New York,” Caden added.

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Kiki swallows and darts her tongue out to lick her lips as Avery speaks. You have? She almost asks, but he drags his thumb along her bottom lip and she catches him bite his own. All caution is thrown out the window when Avery kisses her again, Kiki kissing him back with fervor. Her hand resumes grasping his shirt as she holds Avery’s face by his jaw and ear. When Avery sighs, Kiki slips her tongue into his parted lips.

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Nero laughs, shaking their head as they continue to look up at Caden. “But I don’t want another repeat of tonight’s dinner reservations.” Their fingers drift under his chin as they speak in a teasing tone. “Or rather, I totally do, but I don’t want to miss plans, even if we can come back.” They sit up to kiss his jaw.

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Avery darts his own tongue around Kimiko’s, tasting more of the champagne and he finds it more intoxicating than the actual drink. His breathing became rough, his arm tightening around her further while they kissed.

Truthfully, Avery was fine with this level of intimacy. Of course, he wouldn’t turn down more, but he enjoyed her touch and her kiss far too much to push her too far too quickly. Avery was simply glad she listened to him and remained seated in his lap.

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”Then, in that case, I do have brunch reservations for us at eleven am, meine Majestät,” Caden said, the throne comment fresh in his mind still.

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As Avery’s arm tightens its hold around her, Kiki can’t help but think of all those times she had imagined his arms around her. She lets the hand on his face drift to the back of his neck. She had been so concentrated on not overdoing it, for not pushing sex onto Avery that she had forgotten that kissing is a perfectly viable option. An option that she quite enjoys.

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Nero looks up in confusion before softly snorting. “’Meine Majestät’? I thought we declared becoming rulers boring.” They ask, shifting so they could lean their side into Caden more and see him easier.

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With the shifting of her hands, Kiki slid in closer, and Avery smiled briefly. The kissing lasted for a while longer until Avery needed a moment to breathe. He pulled slightly back and kissed Kimiko’s cheeks. He moved enough to look up into her eyes and chuckled.

”Guess I should write you another song,” he teased.

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”I’m not the one who referred to their mate’s lap as a throne earlier,” Caden said and kissed Nero’s cheek before he drank some of his champagne.

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Kimiko is breathless, face slightly flushed from the kiss, when the damned man chuckles at her. She almost gets angry enough to ask why he’s laughing but his statement softens her resolve. She giggles softly at her own overreaction before nodding. “Though, if you do write me more songs, I don’t know if I could hold myself back.” Moving her arms to hang loosely around his neck, she kisses Avery’s forehead.

“I didn’t mean to keep running away from being close o-or intimate with you, by the way.” She says nervously, glancing away from his eyes as she speaks. “I was just trying not… I didn’t want to push anything… I… I have no good excuses.” Blushing deeply, she rests her forehead on Avery’s shoulder to hide her face again.

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Nero chuckles merrily. “Well, I have to refer to your throne as something more regal than just any seat.” They tilt their head to smirk up at Caden. “Should I call you an armchair next time?”

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Avery smiled, rubbing his hand up and down her back after he moved it from her hair again. Everything she does in that moment, from her giggle to her blush and hiding in his shoulder, endears her to him further.

Avery turned his head and kissed the side of her head. ”Thank you for telling me that. I honestly wasn’t sure if it was me or if it had something to do with you wanting to move slower. I’m okay with going slower. I’ll follow your speed, but just so you know, I am ready when you are. I find you incredibly attractive and hard to resist, but I like this level of intimacy as well.”

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A chuckle rumbled in Caden’s throat, but it quickly turned into a laugh. He tilted his head back, resting it against the headboard while he laughed. ”Throne has a better ring to it than an armchair,” he finally says.