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Nic sighs in relief at this news, giving Wayland one more scratching sweep on his head before standing and giving Cass one more kiss before taking his lunch bag from her. “Totally worth it though.” He says with a lopsided grin before stealing another kiss.

“Okay, I love you! I’ll text you!” Nic says with a wave and a grin as he backs out of Cass’ house.

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”I love you too.”

Cassi waved goodbye to Nic, watching him go before she stepped back into her house and closed the door. His last words lingered in her mind. There was something about them that warmed her. Despite their fight, he was still saying being late was worth it. It stilled her mind and her shame, knowing that Nic wanted her. All the good and the bad.

She went through the rest of that day, keeping that thought in mind while she worked on the case.

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The day had been spent mostly with Kimiko, playing and training, even napping. But when night rolled in, and the moon moved across the sky, Avery disappeared into the woods to hunt.

There were only small and medium-sized animals in the woods during this time of year. Avery was looking forward to the fall when the herd animals started to move through. He could use a deer, and even Caden hunted with him; they could get a moose.

By the time the sun started to lighten the sky the next morning, Avery was shifted back. He felt refreshed but also drained. His wolf hummed in contentment in the back of his mind, whereas his human needs required sleep and food.

Avery’s jaw cracked as he yawned, and he stretched out before pulling on his pants. Before going back to Caden’s house, Avery walked into staff housing. He made his way to his room and showered before he changed into a black hoodie and green joggers. He figured he’d wear the sweater for most of the day before sacrificing it to Kimiko.

Once he was changed, Avery made his way to Caden’s, hoping Kimiko had slept and didn’t try to stay up all night waiting for him. Or worse, and had nightmares all night and didn’t call for him.

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When Kiki had gotten back from the fox and the hounding with Avery, she kept herself busy with a lot of different things. She had stayed up in the kitchen and ‘helped’ the staff make Avery’s favorite foods for his return. Then Nero and Caden had dragged her into the music room, the imp enjoying themselves immensely to the little concert being put on. When it came for Caden and Nero to go to the other side of the house, it was only midnight.

Trying to repeat Avery’s words to herself, she did try to sleep. However, as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt as though hands reached through the mattress to pull her through it. Kiki woke up with a gasp, soaked in sweat even though it had only been a few moments of her falling asleep. She took a cold shower, trying to calm her racing heart and changed into a different pair of shorts and shirt.

Kiki couldn’t bring herself to look at her bed, let alone get back into it after the shower. Instead, she opted to sit on the little couch, pulling her knees to her chest and just forcing her eyes to stay open. In her hands she clutched a shirt that was in Avery’s drawer and held it close.

Dawn is peeking through the windows when Kiki feels herself drifting, unable to stay awake, Avery’s shirt twisted in her hands. Resting her cheek on her knees, she nods off.

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Avery made his way to Kimiko’s room despite the grumbling of his stomach. He just knew he had to see her first, make sure she was okay and sleeping. He lengthened his stride to keep quiet as he moved through the house and reached Kimiko’s room quickly.

He cracked open her door, seeing her bed first and noted it was empty. Avery’s stomach clenched, and he pushed the door open further. He scanned the room and found her in the corner on the couch, a death grip on one of his t-shirts. She must have had a rough night without him, and of course, she didn’t call for him.

Avery walked into Kimiko’s room, closed her door, and walked over to her. He knelt down in front of her, his brows knitted together while he took in her fetal position. He could feel the tension and exhaustion radiating off her.

”Little fox… What am I going to do with you,” he chided gently.

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Kiki hears Avery’s voice and wakes with a start, blinking rapidly and rubbing her eyes with her fists before her vision is able to focus on the wolf. Her glasses sit on her nightstand, but she mainly only uses them to help her not strain her eyes with seeing distances. She feels fat tears welling up in her eyes and bites her bottom lip for a moment while trying to gain control over her emotions.

“I-I tried… I promise I t-tried…” The tears cascade down her cheek as her chin wobbles, her hands wringing the shirt she still clutches in her hands. Her face darkens with shame in herself - she couldn’t even make it through one night without him. “H-have you eaten? The staff let me h-help make some of your f-favorites.”

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Avery's heart breaks at the sight of Kimiko's tears. His wolf stirred, but Avery dampened them back down. He had this and didn't want the wolf's emotions getting in the way.

”Petit renard,” he said tenderly. ”Why didn't you call to me? I would have happily come and laid in this bed with you. Or under the stars while I kept you warm. I wasn't expecting you to be magically cured. I was hoping you would trust me enough to lean on me to help you when you struggle, though.”

Avery pried the shirt from her hands before he wrapped her in his arms. He pulled her close, kissing her shoulder before he buried his head in her neck and breathed her in.

”I missed you.” Food was the furthest thing from his mind at this point. Avery just wanted to hold her and reassure her while also comforting himself.

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Kiki’s arms immediately wrap around Avery in a tight grip as she cries it out. “Y-you needed to shift…” She mumbles into his jumper, but the excuse sounding pathetic to her ears when said out loud. However, she knows she wouldn’t have been able to set foot beyond the patio once the sun had sunk. “I’m sorry…” Her heart’s no longer racing though, and as Avery’s scent envelops her, Kiki can feel her breath start to steady.

“I missed y-you too…” Kiki murmurs, hugging Avery as tightly as she can.

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”I'm sorry, too,” he whispered. There was nothing Avery wanted more than to be able to take Kimiko's pain away, but he couldn't. Instead, he could hold her close while she tightened her grip and cried into his shoulder.

Avery slipped one of his arms underneath her and picked her up. He moved so he could sit on the couch and put Kimiko in his lap. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he pictured Kimiko in his lap, but he needed her closer. Besides, it was easier to comfort her this way.

Avery rubbed her back while Kimiko cried. He whispered soothing words to her in French. Silly little nothing's but they had a pleasing tone to them all the same.

”Do you want to lay down and try and get some sleep with me? I hunted plenty of rabbits and other creatures last night. I could use the sleep anyway,” he told her honestly.

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Kiki curls into Avery once in his lap, each bit of French he whispers feeling like tiny hugs to her subconscious. It takes some time but she finally stops crying and starts giggling softly at some of the things he breathes. By the time Avery asks her if she wants to try and sleep, the little fox can barely keep her eyes open, but she nods with a yawn. “…I’d like that…” Comes the mumbled words from her lips, a sleepy slur merging them together.

“Thank you…” Kiki says before burying her face in his sweater and closing her eyes with a soft, happy sigh.

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Avery smiled and stood with Kimiko secured in his hold. He walked over to her bed and pushed back the covers before laying down with her curled into him. There would be no need for the covers, but Avery would rather lay on the sheets than the quilt anyways.

Once he laid down and got comfort, Avery yawned and shut his eyes.

”Dors maintenant, petit renard. Tout est bien.”

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Kiki is already starting to fall asleep just by being in Avery’s arms, but her smile turns into a goofy grin with his last words. “Bonne nuit, mon loup.” She mumbles as she clings to him still.

“Vous avez encore vos vêtements.” As she mumbles this, she twirls one of the strings of his jumper around her fingers. “Es-tu sûr d'être vraiment Avery?”

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Nic leans against the railing on the terrace as he drinks his iced tea, enjoying the early morning. He had stayed up a little later than usual talking to Cass, so it’s a little later than usual in the morning. The day is overcast - something that used to put him in a funky mood - but since meeting Cass, it’s hard to let his mood sour any longer.



Attaching a selfie he took when he first woke up, Nic sends the text to Cass. He heads back inside once his tea if empty, wanting to get started on some breakfast for himself and his dad.

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Nero has ‘woken up’ earlier than usual this morning, a knot of nervous energy in their stomach with having to deal with demons today. They try to get out of the bed without waking Caden, but that proves impossible. They stare up at the ceiling, starting to make shapes out of the texture painted on. “Mein drache,” They finally whisper to their mate.

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Avery chuckled and kissed the top of Kimiko's head.

”Tu me préfères nue, Kimiko ? Je peux y arriver si tu veux,” he teased her.

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Caden hardly finds himself able to let go of Nero even while they sleep. He enjoys the feeling of the imp in his arms, and having them still there when he wakes in the morning.

This morning is no different, and Caden smiled when he heard Nero's voice.

”Ja, mein kleiner Kobold?”

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“Mmm, Tentation…” Kiki murmurs in response before burying her face further into Avery’s chest and taking a deep breath in. “Tu n'auras pas trop chaud?” She’s not sure if this all is a dream or not at this point. “Je sais que je le suis.”

Kiki squirms a little before kicking her shorts off of her and quickly reclaiming her spot. “Mmm… Chaud au loup…”

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Nero grins, unable to help but feel joy at the sound of Caden’s sleepy German. “Du bist so niedlich.” They roll so they can cuddle into him more despite their restlessness. “Um wie viel Uhr treffen Sie sich mit Cassi?” They ask softly.

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Avery froze when Kimiko wiggled out of her shorts. He wasn't entirely sure Kimiko knew what she had done but he wasn't about to draw attention to it. She was almost asleep anyway.

Avery's fingers twitched, wanting to run down her back but he kept them in place for now. Avery sighed, shutting his eyes.

”Je vais bien. Je veux m'assurer que ce pull sent suffisamment mon odeur avant que vous le réquisitionniez.”

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”Immer wenn ich mit dir fertig bin. Warum?” Caden asked sleepily. He yawned and kissed Nero's head before he opened his eyes, yawned and stretched.

”I was thinking after breakfast. That way I can take you out for a later lunch,” he said after stretching.

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With a big yawn, Kiki buries her face in Avery’s jumper. “Mmmmm, d'accord…” She mumbles. It’s not long until she’s softly snoring, her legs tangled with Avery’s, her face buried in his chest as her hands grasp the strings of his sweater.

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Nero chuckles at the word choice Caden chooses and looks up at Caden once he’s done stretching with a smile. “I just wanted to know what my timeline looks like for today… I feel nervous facing the other demons since unlocking more of my human memories…” They tell Caden honestly. “I don’t know why - those idiots probably can’t tell the difference but… yeah that’s where my head’s at today.” They flash a sheepish smile, ears reddening.

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Avery chuckled, amused by his sleepy little fox. He rubbed his hand up and down her back before he drifted to sleep. His hand rested low on her lower back, but he didn't think Kimiko would mind. He had a feeling they would both pull back from each other at some point because of the heat anyway.

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Caden rolled back over, propping his head up with his hand and rested a hand on Nero's waist.

”I won't lie to you, they might notice something is different but it might not be the humanity thing. It might just be because of you and I. I know I approach things differently because I have you constantly on my mind, but you are still a fearsome little imp who loves to prank and make lesser creatures' lives miserable. All things I love about you, so with that knowledge, I think you will be just fine,” he said and squeezed their waist.

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Nero nibbles on their lip as Caden talks, at first nervous when Caden says others might notice a difference, but started to relax as he went on. They nod even and don’t even offer so much as a squeak from him squeezing their waist, the area usually ticklish. “You’re right, I know that and these Dummkopfs won’t be paying enough attention to notice…” With a sigh, they mirror Caden’s pose and prop their head up with their hand.

“It’ll be a good test for when we visit Hell together at least. If they do manage to pick up that something’s different, then we probably don’t want to risk going.” Nero reaches a hand over to start tracing Caden’s tattoos to calm themselves.

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Caden picked up on how distracted Nero was when they didn't even exclaim when he squeezed their side. Instead, Caden left a comforting hand on their waist while they spoke.

Caden nodded in agreement. He didn't want to risk Nero's safety anymore than they had to. If that meant not going to Hell, Caden was fine with it. Even if it meant losing out on answers they might want or need.

”We'll figure something else out if today doesn't work out,” he agreed.

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Nero nods absentmindedly, not really focusing on anything particular as they continue to just trace with their forefinger. “What do you want for breakfast?” They ask, finally shifting their gaze to lock eyes with Caden. “Or do you want to sleep more? I can grab something to keep my mind occupied so you can still have your teddy.” A small smirk lifts one corner of their lips, cracking a joke to try and pull themselves out of the weird funk they’re feeling.

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Caden laughed and leaned forward to kiss Nero. ”I'm awake. As for breakfast, I'm not sure. What are you feeling?”

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Cassiopeia finally woke up a little after nine. She yawned and stretched, making little noises before she picked up her phone and smiled at the image of Nic that greeted her.

She added a sleeping emoji before hitting send.

Cassiopeia rolled over in her bed and found a cat to scratch and cuddle.