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Kiki sticks her tongue out at Avery. “I’m paying for it, so I can get as much as I want.” She tells him in a bratty tone before grinning and setting her cup down to weigh it. The serving is pretty hefty, but she doesn’t care. “Plus, I chose healthier toppings.” She teases Avery before stealing one of his M&M bits.

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Nero looks at Caden with wide, pleading eyes, noting his tone and his blush. They reach up to hold his face and brush their thumb over the blush coloring his cheeks. “I didn’t know you could blush!” Nero says in wonder. “I mean, I knew physically you could but… I made you blush for once.” They giggle in delight before sipping their glass with a happy wiggle, letting their hand fall into Caden’s lap.

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“Only one way to find out.” Nic jokes, but he can tell Cass is concentrating, so he refrains from trying to make her laugh more for now. When she wipes it down, he beams and quickly kisses her head before he looks at the tattoo. “How would you feel about taking on an apprentice?” He says with a grin, glancing at Cass before looking at her impressive work again. “This looks incredible, Cass. Thank you.”

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”Hey! I got blueberries and raspberries, too!” he defended. Avery snatched his yogurt away after it had been weighed and took a large helping from his cup, and ate it happily.

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Caden chuckled and rubbed his chin. ”Of course, you can make me blush. I just don’t all that often,” Caden said, their arm wrapped around Nero. He kissed their head again before finishing his glass of champagne, more than content with Nero’s hand wandering where it wanted.

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Cassi rolled her eyes at the compliment. ”Well look in the mirror. You can see it all better. The way it was meant to be seen,” she said. Cassi stood, opened up her drawers for a black light and waited for Nic to look in the mirror to see his tattoo before she shut the light off and turned the black light on so he could see the rune symbols, the Celtic shield, and the anti-possession symbol.

”An apprentice? Do you want to learn to tattoo?”

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Kiki laughs and hands her card to the cashier to pay for the yogurts before leading Avery outside to one of the little bistro tables and chairs outside. “Do we have time to eat a little still or should we eat in the car?” She asks before having a bite of her own.

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Nero smirks, rather pleased with themselves as they wiggle more into Caden’s side with a hum of content. “The chin rub I’ve seen before though.” They tease as their hands traces the folds and wrinkles his pants made while he’s sitting.

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Nic twists and turns his arm in the mirror, still very happy with how the design came out. “Sure, why not? I’ve started to hear that some tattoo artists have helped with a lot of things where medicine can’t - like covering scars. Could be just another notch in my tool belt.” He isn’t planning on actually tattooing patients, but it would be a cool skill to learn.

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”No, we still have about an hour and a half before they land,” Avery assured her. He sat down after Kimiko and took another bite of his yogurt.

”When they get back…Do you still want me to stay with you, or do you want me to go back to staff housing?” Avery asked curiously. His eyes didn’t quite meet Kimiko’s as he talked. He would be okay with whatever he decided, but he hoped she’d still want him around, despite Caden being in the house to protect her.

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”That you have,” Caden said with a nod. ”And what do you think that means?” he asked, hyperaware of how Nero’s hand moved along his leg.

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Cassi turned the lights back on and started to clean up. ”Well then, sure, I can show you how to tattoo.” She finished her tea as she cleaned, falling into an easy rhythm that set a happy smile on her face. It was like putting everything in order again, and Cassi liked little tasks like that.

”I’ll leave your tattoo uncovered tonight, but I’ll cover it tomorrow before you leave. The second-skin I’ll put on it should work for a week or so before you need to take it off, but in the morning, I’ll also run a healing spell over your arm to speed the process up,” she said, talking while she cleaned. ”The rune symbols I used are for healing, wellness, protection, endurance, and wellbeing. So you might notice that you heal faster if you are ever injured, and you might notice you aren’t as tired after a workout or work. Nothing like a supernatural entity experiences, but more improvement than a normal human would.”

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As badly as Kiki wants to teas Avery for his vulnerability right now, she doesn’t. Mostly for the reason that she can understand exactly where Avery is coming from with his question. She reaches across the table to squeeze Avery’s hand. “I would love for you to keep staying with me.” She tells him, trying to put as much genuine emotion into her tone as possible.

“Because I want you there.” Kiki’s brain goes straight to her questions from before; would she want to buy a house for her and Avery to live in? She would be happy to have her own place to share with him. But would he like that or did he want to stay close to Caden?

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Nero grins up at Caden. “If I remember correctly, you did it the first time I crawled across a bed towards you.” They continue to tease. “So I’m pretty sure it means you find me irresistible.” With a wink, Nero kisses Caden’s chin before the car comes to a stop.

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Nic wrapped his left arm around Cass’s waist from behind as she cleaned, holding her shoulder with his right hand before kissing her head. “You knew exactly what I needed. Thank you.” He whispers in her ear. Nic takes a moment, having a debate with himself for a moment or two before he adds three little words.

“I love you.”

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Avery can’t help but grin when Kimiko informs him that she wants him to stay. Avery leaned across the table and kissed Kimiko fully. ”Good,” he said and sat back in his seat. He pushed over his frozen yogurt for her to have some before he finished the whole thing himself.

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Caden chuckled, wanting to go along with teasing Nero. ”Irresistable? Really, are you sure?” he asked, pretending to be baffled. The car door opened, and Caden brought the opened bottle of champagne with him as he got out of the car. He offered Nero a hand before leading them to the waiting jet. All of their bags were secured and put away.

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Nic’s touch always seemed to be perfect or just right for the moment. Cassi struggled to remain focused while she sterilized and put everything away. Nic’s whispered words did nothing to help her, and she shivered. She debated on just leaving everything until the morning so she could take Nic to bed, but then he said three words that stopped Cassiopeia dead in her tracks.

Her hands froze from wiping the table down as she processed what he said. She eventually turned, looking into Nic’s eyes before she spoke. ”Say that again.” It came across as a command rather than a request.

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Kiki blinks in surprise but grins against Avery’s lips, a little sad the kiss doesn’t last longer. However, her eyes widen in delight when Avery pushes his cup towards her and she steals a spoonful, avoiding the M&M bits as best she can before she tries it and lets out another contented hum. “Next time we should get one in every flavor.” She declares, but blushes a little when she meets Avery’s eyes.

“Is it safe to assume that you would like to stay with me when Caden and Nero are back?” She fidgets before offering a spoon of her own frozen yogurt to Avery.

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Nero laughs as Caden pulls them along to the jet. “I’m very sure because I know for a fact that you can’t keep your hands off of me.” They say this before squeezing Caden’s hand three times. “And I think that’s just how both of like it to be anyway.”

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Nic tilts his head just a little, worried that maybe he had said it too soon but… She had turned to face him, not push him away. He looks into her eyes very intently, a light reddish pink coloring his cheeks. “I love you.” He whispers before cupping her face with both hands as he waits for her answer with bated breath.

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Avery laughed and shook his head at her. ”Why would we do that? Then there would be no reason to keep coming back,” Avery said. He winked at Kimiko, pulling his yogurt back after she took her fill.

He dished out another spoonful but didn’t eat it yet. He looked at Kimiko, confusion plain on his face. ”Of course I want to. I only asked you because I wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable or would need me to me once Caden was back in the house to watch over you.”

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”I don’t think I can go more than twelve hours without touching you,” Caden confessed as they boarded the jet. Caden set the bottle of champagne down on the table before he looked at Nero.

He slid his hand under the dragon pendant that sat around their neck. ”I know I don’t want to find out what I would do if I didn’t get to touch. I don’t even think I could try and tease you by not touching you. That would be tortuous,” Caden said seriously. ”Maybe even worse than that,” he whispered.

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Cassi’s eyes bounced back and forth between Nic’s, eagerly waiting for him to say those words again. Her eyelids flutter shut when he finally does, his hands gentle on her face. It sounded sweeter than she imagined. Cassi opened her eyes, but she still couldn’t find the words. Instead, she rose up on her feet, her hand tangling in Nic’s hair, and she kissed him deeply.

If she hadn’t just finished tattooing Nic for four hours, nothing would have stopped Cass from pushing the moment further. However, it was late; Nic had been high a little while ago, and the both of them were tired.

Cassi released Nic from their kiss, and she smiled, looking from his lips to his eyes. ”Je t'aime aussi.”

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Kiki gives Avery a confused look before pointing an empty spoon at him. “He’s not the one who can pull me out of a nightmare and if I’m going to see any nearly-naked man in the middle of the night, I’d rather it be you.” She stares intently into his eyes for a moment before she starts eating her yogurt again.

“Besides, you’ve seen things no one else has so I have to keep an eye on you.” Despite the scarlet hues on her cheek, Kiki still manages to give Avery a wink before she hides behind eating the FroYo.

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Nero beams up at him in triumph. “Irresistible.” They tell Caden in a chirp before they reach up to hold his face in both of theirs.

“I can’t keep my hands off of you either though.” They glance sidelong before looking back up at Caden and standing taller so they can kiss his lips. “We don’t have to find out what would happen, okay? Together forever.” As cheesy as it sounds in their head, Nero can’t help a big smile from tugging their lips up.

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Nic is still worried when Cass says nothing and just stares at him. When she finally moves, he moves his left hand off of her face and wraps his arm securely around her waist. He holds her close as he kisses her back until she pulls away. He can’t help the ridiculously large smile he gets, his dimples proudly pronounced. “The mandarin voice message I sent you last night? I said I loved you. That’s what it meant.” His right hand still on her face, he gently caresses Cass’ cheek.

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Avery found himself blushing despite the joy he felt at Kimiko’s words. He chuckled at her last comment and ate his frozen yogurt. ”Well, I can say I’m rather glad you’d rather have half-naked me than half-naked Caden in your room. As for the other things, I did win that race; even with you cheating. Seemed like a good victory prize, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.”

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Caden smiled, looking into Nero’s eyes while they held his face and his attention. ”Being immortal doesn’t seem like such a terrible thing with you by my side,” he agreed and kissed Nero again, guiding them to sit down as he did so.

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Cassi’s heart raced from the smile Nic gave her. Her eyes flitted back and forth while she brushed her fingers along his dimples, completely taken in by them and Nic. At the mention of the voice messages last night, Cassi looked into Nic’s eyes, her hand coming to rest on his chest, over his heart.

”I played that message over and over again until I fell asleep. I knew it meant something more.” She looked down at her hand as it rested on his bare chest. ”I was hoping it was something like that,” she whispered.

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Kiki sticks her tongue out at Avery before showing him her middle finger. “Of course you weren’t, dirty old man.” She teases him with a small laugh before finishing off her frozen yogurt. She grabs her trash and condenses it all into an easy-to-clean pile while she waits for Avery.

“Someone ate all my FroYo.”

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Nero kisses Caden back, a smile still on their lips as they sigh happily onto Caden’s before sitting down next to him. “You sure I can’t just sit in your lap for the entire flight?” They ask impishly, knowing they’ll end up there anyway after take-off.

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Nic blushes as Cass brushes her soft fingers over his dimples. “You liked the sound of my voice that much?” He teases in a whisper before tucking his fingers under her chin to make her look back up at him. “I’ve been stopping myself from saying it for awhile, thinking I needed to wait longer before I did or do it in the perfectly romantic setting… I finally just realized I was being stupid letting three little words scare me.” He leans down to kiss her on the lips again.

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Avery laughed and leaned back in his seat, happily finishing off his frozen yogurt. For some reason, he didn’t mind Kimiko calling him old or a dirty old man in general. As long as she wasn’t uncomfortable with how forward he was and what he was into. Avery was glad she seemed to indulge him and was happy about it.

He looked at her empty container and shook his head. ”Do you want me to hunt down the culprit for you?”

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”Safety first, my little imp. You know you can after we are in the air,” he added and fastened his seatbelt just as the jet started to roll forward. Caden stifled a young, covering his mouth. He sighed and reclaimed Nero’s hand. ”Although, I may fall asleep on you.”

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Nic’s words did nothing to slow Cassi’s pounding heart, or the flips her stomach was doing. She knew Nic cared and had been hoping he would have said those three words to her yesterday in his old apartment. Cassi wasn’t sure of her feelings until yesterday. She knew they were powerful and that she was falling for Nic, but she didn’t know how seriously.

For someone like her, who was to live a long, long time, relationships flowed differently. She could have confessed her feelings to Nic right away, but life moved differently for him. She didn’t want to push something on him that might be his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Cassi had lived several lifetimes already and would likely live a few more before her Goddess claimed her from this life.

Cassi blushed, looking away from Nic’s face even as he tilted her chin towards him. Of course, she liked the sound of Nic’s voice. There wasn’t much about Nic she didn’t like. His lips reconnected with her, and Cassi didn’t waste time kissing him back.

She shifted her hand from his chest to rest on his cheek, brushing her fingers along his jawline, tracing his ear before she framed her fingers around his ear and into his hair. Whatever time she got with Nic wouldn’t be enough, but she would make every second count.

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Kiki adds Avery’s trash to hers. “That depends - what will you do once you’ve caught them?” She subconsciously licks her lips before biting one corner of her bottom. Turning in her seat, she throws their trash away in the nearby trash can as her cheeks warm at the idea of asking Avery how he would ‘punish’ the culprit.

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Nero dramatically gasps. “The absolute nerve!” They say in faux outrage as they buckle their own seatbelt. “Can I still sit in your lap if you fall asleep? Or are you planning on a nap in the bed?”

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Although Nic wants to run down the street and shout about how Cass loves him back, he’s content to stay here in this moment with her, kissing her happily. If he didn’t need to be careful with his arm, he’d like to think he would have carried her to her bed to finish what the two had started at his old place. Instead, he continues to hold her close in his left arm while his right hand tucks her hair behind her ear. Unable to help himself, he pulls away just enough to whisper on her lips. “I love you, my little tomato.”

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Avery watched Kimiko bite her lip again. He wished that his lip was the thing she would bite instead, especially with how the conversation was shifting.

”I suppose once I had them in my arms I'd bring them back to you. Then you could tell me what you'd like me to do to them, and I would do my best to execute your orders,” Avery announced.

He shifted in his seat, leaning on the table while he looked at Kimiko, but his eyes kept roaming over her, unable to remain focused.

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Caden nodded, holding Nero's hand while the jet got ready for takeoff. ”I think I would like to lay down. You are most welcome to join me. There's plenty to read, or you can watch a movie,” Caden offered if they weren't tired like he was.

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Kissing Nic was one of Cassi's favourite things, aside from being held by him. Her lips parted naturally when he pulled back, but instead of the kiss deepening, Nic's lips brushed across hers while he spoke.

Her stomach dipped, warming her body and her face when he said he loved her again, despite the nickname. She was starting to love that stupid little nickname.

Cassi huffed a laugh and moved her to push on his chest. She pushed him away enough so she could look into his eyes, and her heart stuttered. She swallowed before her lips parted again. ” Say it again.” Her command came across more as a whisper this time, but she was still intense with her desire to hear him say it.

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A shiver runs up Kiki’s spine, Avery’s words thrilling her. She has half a mind to start running around the car lot to make him chase her, but refrains. Glancing around, she makes sure they’re sort of tucked away and not in full view of the FroYo establishment before she gets up and plops herself in Avery’s lap.

“Oh nooo, you’ve caught me.” Kiki says with a deadpan tone but smiles brightly at her wolf. “Whatever shall I do?”

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Nero smiles, holding Caden’s hand with both of theirs. “If I don’t fall asleep with you, I’ll find something to entertain myself with, don’t you worry.” They tell Caden before lifting his hand to kiss it before hold it in their lap again. Their fingers trace the tattoos as the jet jostles and becomes airborne. This time, Nero barely even acknowledges it.

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Nic smirks, Cass’ reaction perfect in every way possible. He smooths her hair, tucking loose strands behind her ears as he looks down at her, eyes full of warmth. Then he kisses her forehead, her nose, her cheek, before kissing her earlobe. “Je t'aime, ma petite tomate.” He whispers in her ear.

Nic repeats the little kissing routine again, moving to her other ear this time and whispers, “Wǒ’àinǐ, wǒ de xiǎo fānqié.”

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Avery quirks his head to the side when Kimiko starts looking around. She isn't seriously thinking about running from me here, is she? Avery thinks to himself, amused by the idea but surely not. When she stands, Avery shifts his weight, ready to go after her but then she sits in his lap.

Avery stared at Kimiko before he laughed and wrapped his arms around her, locking them into place so she couldn't get out. Her deadpan voice and expression made him laugh more and he shook his head.

"Ah, so you're the one who ate all my girlfriend's frozen yogurt. You know, I should tell you that she probably wouldn't like you sitting in my lap like this."

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Caden watched Nero while they traced his tattoos, completely unfazed by the jet's speed or when it lifted into the air. The image made Caden smile, and he titled his head back to rest against the headrest while watching his mate.

When the plane started to level off Caden picked up the champagne and poured them two glasses. However, he didn't pick his glass up right away. Instead, after Caden set the bottle down, he leaned in and placed a kiss on Nero's cheek.

"You never cease to amaze me, my little imp," Caden said happily.

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Cassi closed her eyes again, giggling from the trail of kisses. Her breath caught when Nic whispered in her ear, and when he started kissing her again, there was no giggling. He spoke the same words as his voice recording and Cassi melted into Nic's arms.

"Goddess above," she whispered before turning her head and captured Nic's lips with her. She kissed him deeply, her hands cupping his face. Cass never thought simple words like these would be her undoing, but here she was, at Nic's mercy with her only response being to kiss Nic.

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Kiki smiles innocently at Avery. "I'm sure she would understand - after all, your lap is so comfortable." She whispers, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. She knew he had a solid hold on her - she won't fall. She rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.

"What kind of punishment do you think this girlfriend of yours will choose?" Kiki doesn't want this moment to end, knowing how she'll become a neurotic mess, unsure of how to act in front of people she's close to with this new relationship.

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Nero pauses in their tracing and peers up at Caden, tilting their head as they watch him. "What did I do??" They ask with a soft chuckle, confused by his sudden declaration to them.

"I'm just sitting here." They raise their eyebrow at Caden, a small smirk pulling one corner of their lips up.

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Nic wants nothing more than to pick up Cass in this moment, her whisper before kissing him saying all he needed to know. His hand tangles in her hair, his arm pulling her even more tightly against him. He had been hoping that Cass would reciprocate his feelings for her, but never realized how much it means now for her to love him too, but also seem as infatuated with him as he is with her.

Parting her lips, Nic quickly slips his tongue to find her, the hand in Cass' hair moving to the back of her head, and his knee presses against her between her legs.

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Avery smiled when Kimiko relaxed into him. He enjoyed how relaxed she felt with him, especially with what he was. Her trust in him was more valuable than any amount of money he could ever make.

"Hmm, she'd probably demand you buy her more frozen yogurt. Then she would probably try to figure out what to do to you to get revenge. Find some sort of weakness to exploit." Avery left one arm secured around Kimiko's waist while the other relaxed and his fingers brushed along Kimiko's exposed leg. Her dress had shifted slightly higher because of how she sat on Avery.

"If you told me what your weakness was I could make the punishment easier on you, but if you make me search for it, I can't guarantee what condition you might be in after," he whispered.

Avery knew he was wading into dangerous territory, especially since he was on a timeline with needing to retrieve Caden and Nero from the airport, but it was difficult not to flirt and tease Kimiko. They did it so well.

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Caden chuckled, and picked up their hand and kissed it before he claimed his glass of champagne. "Second time on a plane and it doesn't even phase you. The way you adjusted to life on earth, the way you handled the pain thrown at you. The way you handle Cass. The way you handle me," Caden said, letting his eyes flash to his dragon's for their enjoyment. "Everything you do amazes me, inspires me."

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The moment escalated quickly just as it had the the day before. Cassi tangled her hand back in Nic's hair, her other hand resting on his chest. She moaned just as his tongue tangled with hers. She seriously considered healing his arm completely so they could have their fun, but she knew how much that would take from her. Healing wasn't her speciality, and she didn't want Nic to worry about her more than he already did.

Her train of thought clouded over when Nic pressed his knee into her. She nipped his bottom lip, making her craving of him obvious. Cassi really wanted to keep going. She wanted to show him how his declaration had affected her. How his touch left her wanting more. But reality won out.

Cassi forced herself to untangle her hand from his hair and pulled back. She fisted her hand and hit his chest lightly before she looked up at him.

"Damn you, Nicholas Wu." She stepped out of his arms, putting distance between them. She glared at him, shaking her head before she looked back at the room she still needed to finish cleaning. "Go on. Get yourself some more water or go lay down. Let me finish cleaning this room."

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Kiki’s focus shifted to how Avery’s fingers brushed against her skin, little goosebumps following his touch. At his next words, she swallows the suddenly large lump that appeared in her throat as she fully bites her bottom lip, scared she might moan from just his words. A deep blush dusts her nose, cheeks, and ears. Eyes wide, she shifts her gaze between Avery’s eyes, his lips, his hand…

“What if I don’t know my weakness.” Kiki asks, her eyes locking onto Avery’s again as she licks her dry lips, striving not to bite on her lip again. You’re still in public! Even if you’re kind of tucked away! She reminds herself, but her heart doesn’t listen as it beats loudly in her chest.

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Nero’s cheeks burn at Caden’s words and their large eyes follow his movements as he kisses their hand before picking up his glass. The flash of his dragon’s eyes makes Nero smile widely and crookedly at him. “What do humans say? Roll with the punches?” They tease, but reflecting back on everything, Nero has been quick to adapt to any situation.

Well, maybe not as quick when it came to picking up emotions and social cues, but Caden himself made Nero want to be good enough to stay by his side. “I inspire you?” They asks in a soft voice. “Caden, you’re the reason I want to find my humanity again… The reason I want to take a second chance with life.” Their eyes gloss over slightly as Nero stares into Caden’s, every word and emotion from the demon being genuine.

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Nic raises an eyebrow at Cass when she pulls away, bemused by her actions. When she curses him, he can’t help the breathless laugh that leaves his lips. “I love you, Miss Cassiopeia Alistair.” He says in a joyful singing tone as he backs out of the room.

“Wǒ de yuèliàng, wǒ de yǔ.” Nic can’t help but ease her a little more in Mandarin before he leaves to go get more water as instructed. He pulls out his phone as he excitedly finds inspiration to write a poem for his amazing girlfriend.

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Avery's focus remained on Kimiko even as her eyes bounced around. His fingers doing their own thing, following the bend in her leg and the contours of her thigh. He slipped his fingers higher, playing with the hem of her dress. If they weren't in a public place, Avery would push the boundaries of this little stand-off, but as it was people were still walking in and walking out of the frozen yogurt place. The friendly bell of the door breaking the sound of isolation aside from the traffic noise.

He chuckled deeply, his eyes shifting to look at Kimiko's wet lips then his hand while his fingers continued to trace circles along her inner thigh. "Then I guess I will just have to figure them out for myself," he said, connecting with Kimiko's eyes again.

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Caden chuckled at the human sentiment Nero plays off of. He sipped his champagne, nearly draining the glass before he set it back on the table. He smiled brightly at Nero's confession.

"Of course you inspire me, my little imp. You've been around longer than I, but your thirst for life hasn't waned. How you see things... I want to play that, I want to paint that. I want to show you everything I've seen and re-experience that joy and lust for life I once had through you. Every time you unlock a new memory that brings you closer to who were as a human, shows me how unique and perfect you still are. Despite everything, you still want another chance, you still want the best for me, and you want the best for Cassi, even when she doesn't yet. Your compassion is inspiring. Your life, your joy...Everything about you."

Caden shifted in his seat, rotating it to face Nero, spinning their chair to match him. Caden holds Nero's hands in theirs, resting them on their legs while he spoke.

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Cassiopeia turns her back to Nic, blushing profusely while she scrubs and sprays things done. When he started to speak Mandarin again, Cassi quickly walked over and shut the door to drown him out. Goddess what a tease he was! Cassiopeia was completely screwed.

She rested her head against the back of the door and sighed. Nic loved her and she him. She never thought she would have a love this consuming. Phantom hands caressed her skin the way Nic had done, and Cass almost gave into the feeling before remembering where she was. She brushed the sensation off her arms and her legs before shaking herself out and finished her task. How was she going to sleep next to this man without taking advantage of him?

Once Cassi was done cleaning up, she gathered her tea cup and shut off the lights before closing the door. She made her way slowly down the stairs, not certain if Nic was going to ambush her with flirtatious words, his touch, or his kiss.