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“So, you don’t want me to sit in your lap?” Kiki counters, flashing Avery a smirk of her own.

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Nic grabs both of Cass’ wrists with one hand, gently pulling her closer and inspecting the wrapped finger. “I know you didn’t mean it. You’re too sensitive to be that cruel.” He whispers, avoiding eye contact. “Can you bend your finger for me? I just want to make sure you didn’t hit a tendon or anything.”

Once satisfied that Cass won’t need hand surgery, Nic looks her in the eye. “I want you to know that I would never ask you to just forget or move on from the devastation of losing your whole family.” He speaks in a soft tone, a gentle expression on his face as he releases her wrists. “I just don’t want you to be alone in this world if I were to die suddenly… I guess that’s a little selfish of me though, isn’t it?” He smiles wryly at his girlfriend.

---

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Nero buries their face in Caden’s chest, wrapping their arms around him tightly. “Alaric and Leofe Warde.” They mumble into the fabric of their shirt. As soon as they say the names, more memories flood their brain. These ones don’t take Nero into unconsciousness, but Nero holds their breath as they whirl around their mind and flash by.

---

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”At this present moment? No. In the future? Definitely,” Avery chuckled. He stuck his tongue out at her before moving to massage her feet. ”Brat,” he said while he untied her shoes and took off her socks.

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”I think you underestimate how cruel I can be,” she whispered.

After she lost everything, she had floated through her days in a haze, a mixture of hate and sadness had coursed through her veins in a deadly combination. When she started working to save other witches, she didn't give a second thought to eviscerating the villages. Women, children. They were all the same to her. Cruel, heartless monsters that she needed to put down. At some point she had become the monster she needed to take down.

Cassiopeia watched Nic's face while she moved her finger. His kindness didn't help the lead weight in her stomach, nor the gentleness of his touch. The tears continued to fall down Cassi's face, coming in earnest because of the understanding Nic was showing her. At the mention of him dying one day, Cassi wrapped her arms around Nic and buried her face in his chest.

”Don't talk like that. You're going to outlive me,” she mumbled into his chest. Cassiopeia held on to Nic for a long time, seeking comfort in his hold. She sighed after pulling back some time later.

”I know you're trying to help, Nic, and I love you for that, but I don't know how to separate Caden from this. It sounds stupid, but it feels like he's choosing Nero over me.”

---

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Caden held Nero close, rubbing their back while they both processed this newly found information. It was only further confirmation that Nero was waiting for Caden. That Caden had been searching for them unconsciously.

”Are you okay?” Caden asked after some time had passed.

---

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Kiki simply beams at Avery when he calls her a brat until he starts taking off her shoes and socks. “W-wait, you don’t need to massage my feet - that’s too much.” She wiggles her legs to pull them back before the wolf can figure out she’s ticklish in her feet.

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“Maybe I just see the best in you and know you don’t choose cruelty.” Nic kisses her finger before Cass wraps her arms around him and buries her head. He takes a deep breath, resting his cheek on her head and inhaling her hair before chuckling. It’s more earthy than usual and he can only imagine her dirt covered fingers running through it at one point while gardening.

Nic runs his hands up and down her back in a slow, soothing gesture, careful to give his upper right arm a good berth to avoid rubbing against the tattoo. When Cass pulls away with a sigh, Nic can’t resist wiping her face even as she talks. He nods along, switching to tucking her hair behind her ears once her face is clean of tears. “I know we only just dropped the ‘L’ bomb yesterday, but forgetting everything about the demon currently - could you choose between Caden and me?”

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“Probably not,” Nero jokes in a murmur before lifting their head to look up at Caden. They reach up and hold his cheeks gently with a small smile, their pale skin flushed from the crying whirlwind of emotions. “Are you okay?”

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Avery grabbed Kimiko's ankles in his hands when she started to pull away. His touch was light, careful of the bones so as not to pinch but she was effectively trapped for the moment. Avery glanced from her feet to her face, curiosity mixed with amusement.

"In my experience, women only turn down a foot massage because they are ticklish. Kimiko, you wouldn't happen to be ticklish, would you?"

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Cassiopeia sniffed while Nic wiped the tears from her face. She took deep breaths, working on settling her mind and her heart. Nic's question however, stopped her heart all together. She looked away from Nic suddenly feeling defeated.

Choices. It always came down to the choices one made for themselves, and Cassi had chosen to avenge her family a long time ago. But achieving that would mean hurting and possibly losing Caden. Cassi had another choice to make.

"No fair," she mumbled. Of course she couldn't choose between Caden and Nic. She didn't even want to think of the scenario that might require such a choice.

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Caden titled his head lower, making it easier for Nero to hold their face. He looked into their eyes, switching back and forth to take in the richness of the hazel and the brightness of the blue.

"I am more than okay, which doesn't help you I am sure, but this discovery... It's further proof that I've always been searching for you."

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Kiki shakes her head even as her ears grow red. “Maybe I just don’t like my feet touched!” Her tone is defiant and close to haughty. “And who are all these other women you’ve given foot massages to?” She says in an attempt to distract from the current situation.

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Nic gently guides Cass’ face to look back at him, his expression soft. “That’s what I thought.” He says with a half-smile. “I’m not telling you to forgive Caden and I’m definitely not saying you have to do anything with Nero - I just think you and Caden should have a chance to talk.” He combs his fingers through her hair in an attempt to help it stay tucked.

“And maybe it’s a little selfish of me, but the dragon-man is on the verge of buying me gifts and I don’t know how long I can hold out before I end up with a golden Lamborghini.” Nic jokes, trying to lift the mood a little.

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Nero’s face flushes even more at these words from Caden but they find themselves unable to look away from his enchanting eyes. “You say things like that entirely too easily.” Nero mumbles with a small shake of their head before kissing Caden’s lips softly, easier to do now that Caden had bent his head a little for the imp. They pull back with a smirk. “Now, you realize that I need a new sword now, right? It’s got to match my personality more instead of being that medieval hunk of bronze.”

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Avery raised an eyebrow in response to Kimiko. ”Rather defensive thone you have there, Kiki. Maybe I should make sure,” he said, ready to move his hands to her feet.

”Why? Are you jealous?” he asked, taunting her.

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Cassiopeia huffed a laugh, reaching to grab Nic’s hand, pulling it back to her cheek for her to lean into his touch.

”He is rather excessive with his gift giving. But he likes doing that sort of thing for his friends,” she added. Cassi kissed her palm and looked at Nic. ”I should heal your arm so you can shower and get to work.”

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Caden chuckled through the kiss, a smile on his face even after the kiss ended.

”I’ve never shied away from expressing my emotions,” Caden said simply. He brushed his thumb along their cheek before smiling crookedly.

Caden picked up Nero’s hand and bowed at the waist, lifting their hand to his lips and kissing the back of it before speaking. ”Whatever my little imp desires,” he said, looking at Nero through thick lashes.

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Kiki glares at Avery, but her lips twitch in a smile as she sits up and attempts to pry his hands off of her ankles. “Maybe I am.” She says before sticking her tongue out at him. “Let’s unpack that.” She gives up on trying to get her ankles free and switches to using cuteness as a defense tactic, holding her face up by the palms of her hands.

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Chuckling at how she’s reclaimed his hand, Nic runs his thumb across Cass’ cheek. When she mentions healing him up, he smirks. He’s glad that their first official fight as a couple didn’t last long. “The shower would be nice at least. I’m not sure I really wanna do the work today.” He leans down and kisses her lips softly before gently kissing her nose.

“Are you sure we can’t both just call in sick? Tell the detective that you’re highly contagious with some magical cold.”

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Nero shakes their head, amusement tugging the corners of their lips even before Caden started this bowing nonsense. The way he looks at Nero through his lashes makes their heart race a little bit. “Alright, alright.” They say with a huff then a laugh.

“Don’t you have some workers to talk to or something?” Nero teases.

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”Shouldn’t you be telling me why you’re jealous?” Avery laughed.

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”Well, I am injured. Granted, the injury would draw the redcaps to me, but that could be dangerous. Maybe I should stay in,” Cassi said, smiling at Nic. She really wasn’t the best person to tell Nic he needed to go to work.

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”I do, but I’m having more fun with you,” Caden said and kissed Nero’s cheek before he let them go. He sighed and looked at his desk. ”How about two hour of work, and then we take a break,” he said and looked back at Nero, grinning.

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Kiki smiles sweetly and innocently at Avery, shaking her head as she tries not to laugh. “Depends, how many women’s feet have you been massaging?” She asks cheekily.

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Nic grins now, pulling Cass into a hug again and kissing her head. “Okay, so maybe you do need to call out but if I go to work, can I trust you not to chase the redcaps?”

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Nero nods with a small smile. “So, is ‘work’ for me just trying to recover more memories or try to dig up more info on Mundus?” They ask with a tilt of their head.

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”Mmm, well, I’d like to add you to that list, but you won’t let me, so, five,” Avery informed her.

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”I’ll text you if I decide to go out, but I should actually look at the case file and figure out what is going on,” she said.

Cassi pulled back from Nic and guided him over to her bed. She had him sit before she grabbed a candle to light.

”So, I should be able to heal it enough where you can shower without covering it, but pat your arm dry; don’t rub at it. Once you are out of the shower I’ll cover it in second-skin so you won’t have to worry about it while you are at work.”

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”You could do both, or finish that book, or find a new book to read,” Caden said. ”Or writing down your list of antiquities that you wouldn’t mind parting with or giving to a museum on loan.”

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Kiki sticks her tongue out at Avery again. “That’s a nice solid number - you wouldn’t want to make it six now, would you?” Her nose crinkles as she fights off a laugh. At this point, she’s probably making it seem more of a big deal than it is, but she doesn’t want to be the reason Avery gets a knee to the nose.

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Nic nods along to the instructions, smiling at Cass’ thoroughness. “And doing this isn’t going to wear you out or anything, right?” He asks again to make sure, an easygoing smile on his face. “Oh, by the way, do you have a favorite kind of horse? There’s different breeds like dogs and cats have, right?” His equestrian knowledge is lacking, he realizes.

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Nero’s eyes go a little wide with all the possibilities of ‘work’ they could be doing. “I swear, I should just have one of the peons make a list for me.” They say with a small pout, grabbing the book from its place on the couch and plopping down where it had been.

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”Even numbers are just as good,” Avery declared.

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”Not enough to put me out for the rest of the day, but healing isn't where my magic is the strongest. Unless you're a plant,” Cassi said.

She placed her hands over Nic's arm and shut her eyes. She had to concentrate and couldn't answer Nic's question until after.
Despite the minimal healing, beads of sweat still broke out on Cassi's forehead. When she pulled back, the flame of the candle sputtered out, and Cassi took a deep breath in before she sat next to Nic on her bed.

”Um, I like blue roans but draught horses I'm also a sucker for and Friesians are gorgeous. Why? Are you thinking about taking Caden's offer?” Cassi asked.

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”Ah, but hard work is rewarding,” Caden said with a grin before he sat in his chair and logged onto his computer.

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With a sigh, Kiki just shakes her head and rolls her eyes even as her smile remains. “Alright, alright. I concede. Do your worst.” She says as she leans back into her seat in defeat. “Do you have a favorite number?”

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Nic shakes his head with a smile as he pulls his phone out and makes note of what Cass said. “Not yet - that’ll ultimately be up to you whether or not we accept. This was for research.” He runs his hand up and down Cass’ back when she sits, checking for any signs of extreme fatigue or other symptoms that might raise alarm bells for him.

“You’re adorable.” He says before kissing the side of her head.

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Nero waves their hand dismissively. “What would the reward look like for cataloging my collection, hmm?” They flip through the pages carefull until they find the page they had last read.

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”Well, it's six now,” Avery teased her. He played with her loose shoelaces after releasing her ankles. ”You know, I don't have to massage your feet if you are ticklish or truly don't want it. I can just find someplace else to massage,” Avery said suggestively.

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Cassi looked sideways at Nic when he called it ‘research.’

”Mhmm, sure,” she said simply before shutting her eyes. Nic's touch was soothing even if the adorable comment caused her cheeks to warm.

”Adorable. The 300 year old witch with anger issues is adorable. Nic, my love, we're going to have to work on your self-preservation skills,” she teased. Cassi opened her eyes and kissed his cheek before he stood.

”Go on and shower. One of us has to be responsible and go to work today.”

hr]

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Caden grinned, his mind whirring with possibilities on how he could reward Nero. ”I have a few options in mind. I could list them for you or surprise you with one or several rewards. Depending on how efficient you are with the task, of course.”

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With a snort, Kiki shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous.” She says with a laugh but her face turns red. “I don’t want to be the reason my knee flies into your face. My feet are ticklish, if you must know.”

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Nic grins lopsidedly at Cass. “I like to live dangerously though.” He tells the sorceress with a cheeky wink. He stands up and stretches a little before he kisses Cass’ cheek and makes his way to her bathroom.

“You sure I can’t call in sick?”

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Nero peers over the large book at Caden, raising an eyebrow. “Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that your mind is currently swimming in a gutter?” They ask in amusement. “Maybe if you do end up meeting with Cass this week, I’ll go over there and start getting a list done.”

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Avery laughed and patted Kimiko's legs before moving them off his lap.

”And yet, you still like me. Fine, I'll leave your feet alone today, but if you're a brat again, I know how to punish you now,” he said and piled the plates together for easier transportation.

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Cassi rolled her eyes but was smiling. ”Go on Nurse Wu. I'm fairly certain the hospital, or Jane at the very least, would hunt me down if you don't go to work,” she said and headed for her bedroom door. ”Towels and things are in the linen closet in the bathroom,” she told him before leaving her room.

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”I do plan on going over tomorrow. I could drop you off on my way in,” Caden offered.

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Kiki narrows her eyes at Avery, tucking her legs under her chair just in case. “And how do I punish you for being a brat?” She counters before she helps with the rearrangement of the dishes. “Because I think your smart ass commentary definitely counts as brat behavior.”

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“Yes ma’am!” Nic chirps before taking the chance to smack her butt lightly as he runs into the bathroom and closes the door behind him. He sets the water temperature to just a bit warmer than lukewarm, letting it warm up a little as he undresses before hopping in. Nic briefly wonders if Cass makes her own products as he uses them, enjoying the natural fragrances that waft from each bottle or bar.

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Nero nods with a tight smile, knowing this needs to be done sooner rather than later. Once they have a catalog of all their collection, it’ll be that much easier to know where everything can go. “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll make sure that my phone is charged so I can give you updates.” They hunker down further into the couch as they start reading again.

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Avery scoffed, acting offended. ”I have no idea what you are talking about.” Avery handed Kimiko the stack of plates with a grin.

”Why don't you take those in and I'll go shift.”

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Cassi whipped around when Nic smacked her ass. ”Nic!” She went to chase him, but he was already running for the door to hide in the bathroom. Cassi rolled her eyes, but the smile was still on her face.

”Leanabh,” she mumbled before walking back downstairs.

Cassiopeia stepped foot in her kitchen and stopped. Her countertops looked brand new. She walked forward and ran a finger along the edge. ”And I thought I was a clean freak.” She could probably perform surgery on these countertops. Shaking her head, Cassi looked for a bag and started to pack up Nic's lunch. The cats mingled about her, making sure she was okay. After a few minutes, Wayland went upstairs and waited for Nic.

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”Call me if you need me, but other than that, I won't respond while I'm with Cass. I don't think it will help my case if I'm constantly looking at my phone for your messages,” Caden said simply.

He pulled out a ledger from the centre of his desk and flipped through until he found the right collection.

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“Uh huh,” Kiki says dubiously before the dishes are thrust upon her. She almost argues before she remembers that it takes him quite a bit of time to shift. “Is it only Caden who can help with your shift or would I be able to?” She asks.

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Nic steps out of the shower after drying himself off before remembering his clothes are still downstairs. He wraps the towel around his hips and tucks it snug to avoid accidentally flashing Cass. Wayland is outside the door when he opens it and he grins, crouching so he can show him some affection. “Hey lil’ buddy.” He coos before picking him up to go downstairs on an adventure with him.

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“Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be good for my image to be flushing over texts or being glued to a brand new smartphone I otherwise can’t afford anyway.” Nero tells Caden with a small smirk as they continue to flip through the book. Of course, after the trials and explanation, it starts going into the law enforcement, religion, and nobility of the time. Nero almost scoffs at themselves for not reading this sooner.

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”He only helps my shift if I need to do so quickly. And it's a combination of pack magic and alpha magic. So if we become a pack, I would pull from you, too. Caden is powerful enough that he doesn't notice, but you might notice. It might slow your change or make you tired. I'm honestly not sure how you would react,” he said.

Everything was unknown when it came to Kimiko. Avery would really have to contact Bran sooner rather than later.

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Cassiopeia finished making Nic's meals for work and is sitting at her kitchen table flipping through the case files when Nic returns.

”How was the shower?” She closed the casefile and looked up to find Nic in nothing but a towel and Wayland curled in his arm. It took a tremendous amount of effort on her part to look away from him. ”You forgot your clothes down here, didn't you?” she said while staring at her kitchen table.

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Caden chuckled and focused back on his ledger. He picked up his phone to start making phone calls, but before he dialed, he watched Nero for a moment.

Caden was growing quite accustomed to having Nero by his side. He liked having Nero in his office, curled up and ready a book while Caden tended to his business ventures. Or out in society, running errands or doing nothing at all. Caden simply enjoyed having a companion again. Smiling to himself, Caden dialed the first number and got to work.