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Kiki’s surprised by how easily Avery’s able to maneuver both himself and her. She doesn’t hesitate to curl into him as she sits in his lap, tucking her legs into her arms and leaning her head on his shoulder again. “I’d pay him off before he could think of it.” She declares before closing her eyes, gladly taking the distraction in this conversation. “I am curious though, how much does Caden pay you?”

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Nero starts to fidget in excitement. “There’s an inside of the statue, right?” They ask before draining the rest of their mimosa and planting a kiss on Caden’s cheek. A server walks by and Nero hands off the empty glass before wrapping their arms around Caden happily. “Do we have other things planned today?” They know Caden won’t give them any details if there is, but they’re still dying to know.

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Nic nods slowly as he mulls it over before smiling lopsidedly. “How about tonight?” He knows he just made a point about needing to unpack, but he’d gladly put it off for more time spent with Cass. “I’d offer tomorrow before work, but I have training with Avery and then my shift and I don’t know if that’s enough time… Plus you’re not a morning person.” He teases.

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Avery let his hands fall from her face so she could curl into him. He flipped his ball cap around so the brim was facing forward and rested his head against the tree. He chuckled when she asked how much he made.

”More than what the job is worth,” Avery answered. ”Although if you're only with me for the money then we'll be fine. We can live comfortably not extravagantly,” Avery stated.

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”Yes there is a museum inside then stairs leading up to a look-out point. Then Ellis Island, where we are going first, is an immigration museum. They also have gardens on the island. Then they'll take us to Liberty Island to tour the grounds and statue,” Caden explained to Nero.

He pulled Nero back inside while the boat docked and they waited to disembark.

”Yes, I have several other things planned for us this afternoon until we have to leave tonight.”

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Cassi elbowed Nic playfully. ”I wake up in the morning. Just not before the sun rises like you crazy people,” Cassi teased. She still didn't understand how Nic could get up earlier to train with Avery and then do a full day's work into night then do it again the next day.

”If you want to do it tonight, no working out the arms tomorrow if that's still where you want your tattoo. If you exercise your arms too much, the colour will bleed. You should be fine to work, even if you have to lift and move people,” Cass added.

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A soft chortle is heard from Kiki. “Between the money I make from PI work and the sizable inheritance from my da, I think we’ll make it.” She glances up from his shoulder to smile at him. As much as she wishes the intimate moment could have continued, she does enjoy moments like these with Avery a lot.

“We should build a treehouse.” She says suddenly.

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Nero wiggles with excitement still even as Caden took them back inside. “Of course you do. Do I get any hints?” They ask of him anyway with a bright and innocent smile. Nero doesn’t really mind what they do as long as they have Caden by their side. They grab his hand with both of their own and kiss the back of it.

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Nic laughs at Cass calling them crazy. It’s fair, though; he understands that some people can wake up early for running or other exercise while some could never no matter how hard they try. He kisses Cass’ head.

“I’ll have to double check with my trainer, but I should be able to manage skipping arms tomorrow. Is that where you were thinking of putting the tattoo? On my arm?”

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”Does that mean I can quit my day job and live off of you?” Avery asked. He rested a finger under her chin and kissed her softly before relaxing with her again.

He snorted and laughed. ”A tree house? I mean, I’ve always wanted to be black Tarzan, but I never thought about living in a tree.”

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Caden chuckled, finding all of their little quarks endearing. He smiled brightly when Nero kissed the back of his hand. He pulled it back after to slide his hand around the back of Nero’s neck.

”Well, when you ask like that, who am I to resist? Your hint is everything we do today is related.” Caden kissed them before leading them off the boat and onto the island.

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”That’s what I was thinking…But if you don’t want it so obvious, I can put it on your back or on one of your thighs,” Cassi suggested.

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Kiki starts to laugh but is cut off by Avery’s soft kiss - which is totally fine with her. She just grins at the ‘black Tarzan’ comment. “I guess that would make me your Asian Jane?” She jests before looking up at the tree canopy. “I always wanted one as a child but our place is in the city, so no room for one even if there was a tree big enough.”

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Nero beams up at Caden after the kiss, happily letting Caden lead them off the boat. “Everything is related…” They mumble to themselves as they look around. They’re surprised by how… polygonal the island seems in its rather square shape.

“So, this is where migrants used to go to get to the states, right?” Nero asks.

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Shaking his head, Nic smiles gently at Cass. “I’ve always wanted a sleeve done - so this is just the sign I needed to do it finally.” He tells her, kissing her head before sitting up. “Okay, so we have a couple options today - we can start unpacking things downstairs to get the living room put together so we can comfortably have people over or we can start with my bedroom. If we start there, I’ll want to go to a local lumber supply and get some wood and hardware to make some book shelves.”

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Avery laughed at the absurdity of the comment but also found it hot. ”Well, I guess we have our Halloween costumes,” Avery joked.

He looked up at the tops of the trees with Kimiko, smiling to himself because of her story, but also because they were in the woods and she was doing okay.

”Have you seen those AirBnBs or tree house homes people made? Some of them are insane,” Avery noted, thinking about one he saw that was connected by a series of bridges.

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Caden nodded in agreement. ”Yes, this is where the large ships used to stop. Now, it showcases the history, both the good and the bad, of the United States.” Caden said, knowing this place talked about the slave trade as well.

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”Why don’t we do the living room today? That way, I can figure out a better plan for your terrace garden. Then we can make a day of getting lumbar and plants,” Cassi suggested.

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Kiki’s eyes flash with excitement, totally moving past the Halloween costume idea - she’d circle back to that closer to Halloween. “I know, right?? They’re bloody brilliant!” She can’t help it, she’s seen so many ads for these treehouse airbnbs that it’s been hard to stop herself from booking them immediately.

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Nero nods slowly, looking around as they walk. “I always found the imaginary lines humans create on a map interesting.” That’s one way to put it, but Nero doesn’t understand why there’s things like borders or immigration when humans were just… humans. “Did you ever come through here?” Nero asks, a little nervous about the question since they knew how Caden came to be in the Americas.

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Nic nods, liking the plan. “Sounds good to me. We might not be able to get all the materials until next Sunday, if that’s okay?” He asks before finishing the last of his boba.

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Avery grinned, Kimiko's enthusiasm contagious. "Well why don't we find one to stay in? I'm sure we can have a vacation of some kind."

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Caden looked over some of the artifacts while they walked and he listened to Nero talk. At Nero's question, Caden looked at Nero and smiled sadly. "Yes. Although we didn't see anything. We were in the belly of the ships, stacked on top of each other with death as a constant companion. We were unloaded at night and shoved into carts. I don't even remember seeing any buildings until I was at the plantation."

Caden wandered ahead looking over some photographs. A few faces stood out to him but Caden put names to any of them.

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"Oh, I'm sure that's fine. I'll just put a bubble around the terrace now. It'll make it easier when we start building the garden boxes anyways."

Cassiopeia held her hand out, calling the wind to her. It responded immediately due to being on a highrise in downtown Chicago. The wind ripped around them and Cassi giggled as the wind wrapped up her hair, tangling it up.

"Ciùin... gabh fois... Socraich thu fhèin." Cassiopeia repeated the Gaelic words over and over until the wind did eventually, relax and settle down. A gentle breeze ran up Nic and Cassi's arms before it settled around them. "There. You'll still get little breezes and on really windy days it might seem like more but it won't nearly be as bad as it could be."

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Kiki nods excitedly, beaming at Avery. “It might be good for me to get away from here for a bit.” She says before looking around at the trees and everything. “I wish these woods were still as beautiful as the first day I got here…” She’s sure she doesn’t need to say it, but it’s still hard for her. It’s better, of course, with Avery and his help has moved things along smoothly. However, the forest behind Caden’s made her hair stand on end and second guessing her safety.

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Nero shakes their head with a bitter look. How they hoped they were the ones who got to torture the people who hurt Caden. With their relationship with Mundus coming to light, they have an even greater urge to make sure those people paid.

Letting Caden walk ahead, Nero glances over some of the displays to help calm down a little before they catch up to him. They hug him tightly from behind. They don’t say anything, knowing there’s nothing that can be said.

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Nic watches Cass work with the same fascination he always had whenever she did something like this. He struggles to keep his eyes open for a moment as the wind comes blasting onto the terrace. He makes sure that Cass’ sketchbook doesn’t fly away as he closes it and puts his hand over it. He hears Cass mumbling something and then, the wind dies down. A little breeze plays with his arm and he smiles.

“You’re absolutely amazing.” Nic tells Cass, taking his hand off of her sketchbook before hugging her to him tightly. “I think I’ll need to get a bigger table for out here now that meals can’t go flying off.” He stops squeezing her tightly, but kisses her head and leaves his arms around her.

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"If it makes you feel better, I never liked these woods," Avery said with a small smile. It always smelled like the Chicago pack until recently. Now Avery was doing his best to make it seem more familiar, more for Kimiko's sake rather than his own.

"Come on. Let's finish this run. I'm looking forward to winning that race."

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Caden continued to wander ahead, knowing Nero was lingering to give them both some space to think about other things. Caden had mostly moved past the pain of his past. Of course, there was that one night it was bad and he nearly hurt Nero, but since then, Caden has been better.

Nero's arms wrapped securely around Caden from behind, their smaller statue doing nothing to stem the strength behind their hold or the security Caden felt from them. It was strange to feel so secure and safe with someone again. Caden was used to that role being reversed.

He rested his hands on Nero's arm, letting them hug them tightly before Caden turned around, and kissed Nero softly without a word. He knew and understood, just as Caden knew Nero understood the same. They were partners, they were mated. Sometimes words weren't needed, and one day, they would be able to share their thoughts and feelings. Caden smiled on Nero's lips, looking forward to that day.

Caden pulled back, taking Nero's hand and lead the little imp through the rest of the museum and through the grounds before they boarded the boat and ferried over to Liberty Island.

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Cassiopeia laughed and nodded. "You should be able to read and do research out here too without any problem. A bigger table would definitely be better so it doesn't break under the weight of all those heavy books," she teased him.

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Kiki tilts her head at that. “It does, actually.” She takes one last look around when Avery suggests finishing their run. “Ready to lose so soon?” The fox climbs out of Avery’s lap and extends her hand to him if he wanted it.

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There was nothing that needed to be said between them, the embrace and kiss saying it all for them instead. As Caden takes Nero’s hand, they squeeze Caden’s hand three times. I love you. Everything on display at Ellis Island had been fascinating to Nero as they detailed a lot of the history behind the migration.

Nero stands on the deck as they ferry over towards the gigantic copper lady, taking in the view and smiling. Even out in the islands, there’s still so much life that can be seen around them. When they dock, Nero takes Caden’s hand again.

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Nic shakes his head at her, chuckling, before he pokes her sides in an attempt to make her jump or tickle her. “Can’t you just spell my books to be lighter?” He teases back with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

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Avery took Kimiko's hand, but still got up under his own power. "You talk a big game for someone so little," Avery said with a grin.

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Once they docked on the other island, Caden took Nero's offered hand and kissed the back of it. He stopped once they were standing on the island and looked up at the massive statue.

"I always found it interesting how we build things that are so much larger than us. How humans constantly do things to feel small, but at the same time do whatever they can to overpower others. It is such a strange concept."

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Cassi jumped at the poke and batted Nic's hands away. "That's cheating," Cassi declared, and kissed Nic's cheek before she stood. "I also won't spell your boxes to unpack themselves, so let's go."

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Playfully glaring at him, Kiki shakes her head. “Just because my fox is tiny, doesn’t mean I can’t beat your arse.” She quips before pointing at something behind Avery. “Oh gods, what is that??” She doesn’t wait to see if Avery falls for it before she starts sprinting towards what she hopes is Caden’s home.

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Nero grins at Caden before looking up at the statue too. “If you came across this woman in battle, you’d be scared. But when an enemy sees me, they think I’ll be easy to overpower.” They hop from foot to foot eagerly with the same energy as a gremlin. “It’s why I love being tiny.”

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Nic sighs and stands up after her kiss on his cheek. “And here I thought that was why you came today.” He teases before opening the door to let Cassi inside. “I’ve got all the boxes organized by room, so that should be easier at least.” He tells her as they descend the stairs to the first floor.

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Avery doesn't take the risk that it isn't something, even though he is ninety percent sure Kimiko is trying to cheat. Avery turned and looked around, determining that they were safe before he started sprinting after Kimiko.

"Do you want to be known as a cheater?!" Avery yelled after her, humor in his voice as he started to close the distance on Kimiko.

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Caden chuckled and kissed the top of Nero's head. "Mein wilder kleiner Kobold," Caden crooned and kissed their lips before walking into the monument with Nero.

"I'm not sure if I would have been alarmed to come across you in some deep dark alley. Maybe if you had your white eyes," Caden decides. "But in the detective's office, I just knew I wanted to know you. Needed to."

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"It'll be more fun this way," Cassi assured Nic as they walked back downstairs. She set her bag and notebook aside before turning to the boxes. "I can open and hand you items so you can organize?" she suggested.

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“All’s fair in love and war!” Kiki shouts gleefully to Avery, unable to help but giggle. She can hear him closing the distance and she pushes her legs, feeling the muscles strain a little as she tries to run as fast as her legs can carry her.

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Nero beams at Caden, absolutely agreeing that they are a fierce little imp. They can’t help the small blush that covers their cheeks and nose at Caden’s comment about when they met, though. “I assure you, the feeling was mutual.” They look around as they enter the monument, their eyes scanning all the details they could absorb.

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Chuckling, Nic nods - it did mean more time together too. “That could work.” Nic says to Cass’ suggestion. “I think the hardest part will be merging everything from my dad’s with everything from mine.” He points to a secretary desk that sits against the wall opposite the kitchen. “If it’s something sentimental about Kiki or my mother, it goes over there. We’ll organize it once we know wha we’re working with.” He tells her, grabbing and kissing her hand before he lets it go.

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Avery smirked and narrowed his eyes as he chased after Kimiko. They wove around the trees, Avery getting ahead, and then Kiki until they broke into the clearing behind Caden's house. Avery pushed himself and easily took over Kimiko in the open field. He reached the house first and cheered triumphantly.

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Caden chuckled, and rested his arm over Nero's shoulders while they walked through the museum. It had been obvious to Caden all those days ago that he intrigued Nero as much as they intrigued him, but he didn't know how far the two of them were going to come after that initial meeting and the nights that followed.

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Cassiopeia looked over at the little desk and nodded, understanding the instructions. "Works for me," Cassi said, and fell into the pattern of unwrapping and passing easily.

She spoke lightly with Nic while they worked, about nothing in particular, but anything that she wanted to know. Like what he wanted his tattoo sleeve to be of, what foods he didn't like, if there was a hospital he wanted to work at, one he didn't want to work at...

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Kiki feels pretty confident for most of the run, but once they were out of the trees and Avery didn’t have to dodge trees, he easily reached the house before her. Catching up finally, she puts her hands on her knees as she stops by Avery’s touchdown dance. “Bloody hell,” She manages to breathlessly say before standing up right.

“Double or nothing?” Kiki asks cheekily, her chest moving up and down as she still tries to catch her breath.

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Nero wraps their arms around Caden’s torso to hug him for a moment after he puts his arm around them. They keep one arm wrapped behind his back as they wander. “Cassi scared the shit out of me that first day though. When she drew her own blood I had no idea what to think or do.”

Nero peers up at Caden with a big smile. “And then my knight in very-well-dressed clothes showed up and saved me.”

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Nic enjoys the pleasant conversation, answering most of Cass’ questions. He definitely wants to keep his tattoo sleeve inspired by his family, his Chinese culture, and maybe some things that represented his love for nursing. He likes most food and will try anything at least once, just can’t digest lactose. When it comes to Nic’s career, he mentions a public hospital in New York that he wouldn’t mind working at, since it’s not privatized, but otherwise he likes where he is right now. However, he wants to avoid private hospitals that are only in it for the money. Around lunchtime, his dad comes home with sub sandwiches as well as some other groceries and things they need.

“Literal life saver, dad, thank you.” Nic stands up as his stomach growls. He had been working on organizing some of the bigger books on the bottom of one of the shelving units they had when Ren walked in.

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Avery grinned and shook his head. "No way. I won despite your little head start. My prize was well earned."

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"I'm glad I missed the middle ages. I don't think I would have handled wearing armor very well. It's quite heavy and cumbersome," Caden stated. He stopped next to a schematics display of how the French built the statue. He peered down at it while talking. "Cassi's show is just as bad as her bite. I hope she'll restore the trees she burned once she is in a better mood."

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Cassi's mind wandered as her creative side took over and she tried to think over ways to incorporate all of Nic's ideas into a tattoo. She committed everything he said to memory and continued unpacking until Ren showed up with sandwiches. Cassi smiled, unwrapping another book before she stood and stretched. She wandered over to the small desk and flipped through the photo albums.

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“Well fuck.” Kiki says with a small laugh. “Am I allowed to comb through it before you do?” She heads inside Caden’s house and gets some water to chug, little droplets of it trail down her neck as she does. Most of her skin is still flushed from the run, but she’s finally catching her breath.

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“Yeah it was.” Nero says in agreement to Caden’s armor comment. The latest memory showed them what they could only guess was squire or knight training. “Plus they never had my size when it came to any skirmishes.” They look over the display with mild interest as Caden talks. “I’m sure she’ll do that at the very least. Her love of nature and plants is too great not to.”

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As Cass looks over the photo albums and such, Nic follows his dad into the kitchen. Since the floor plan is pretty open concept, he knows that Cass would be able to eavesdrop if she wanted to, but he wanted to corner his dad a little.

“Hey, earlier at breakfast, you were acting pretty weird. Is everything okay?” He asks in a low voice.

Ren waves his son’s concern off. “It was nothing, I promise. Just got caught up in my own head, you know?”

Nic doesn’t miss that his father keeps his back to him as he answers. The nurse narrows his eyes at his parent. “You can tell me anything dad.” Nic places a comforting hand on his dad’s shoulder but the older Wu shrugs him off.

“I’m fine. Drop it please.”

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Avery grinned and shook his head. "Definitely not," he said. His eyes wandered down Kimiko's neck tracking that stray water droplet and had the immediate urge to lick it. Thankfully his face was already flush from a hard run, but he still shifted his weight from side to side to relax his body and helped himself to some water.

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"I know the memory you saw wasn't pleasant, but did it unlock other memories? I can't see you letting overly large, heavy armour stopping you from working hard and trying," Caden said, but then again he wasn't there. Maybe the bullying and the pain was too much. Wiping was something Caden was familiar with and it didn't matter how strong a person was, being whipped was incredibly painful.

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As Cassi flips through the album, she hears Nic whisper to his dad. Good, she was hoping he would take the opportunity. However, Ren's voice is rather guarded. Cassi glanced behind her when she didn't hear talking anymore to see what expression was on Nic's face.