[IC] Chicago After Hours

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: SUV - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nero squeezes Caden hand but laughs at Avery’s comment. “Just make sure you’re not outside this time.” They tease lightly. They really did hope the Cassi came around. They turn in their seat when Kiki makes an odd eerie crying noise as if in agreement with Nero’s warning.

“Cassi can’t kill you, right?” Nero asks, just wanting to doublecheck.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: SUV —> Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Caden pulled into the driveway and glanced over at Nero. ”We have never tested the theory but her family and mine have had a history of hate and partnership over the centuries. She's not going to kill me,” Caden said and kissed Nero's hand.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: The Degenerate’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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“She better not.” Nero mutters under their breath before glancing at Caden as the group arrived at home. The imp looks at the place fondly, glad to be home finally. “When were you thinking of having this talk?” Nero asks while unbuckling their seatbelt.

Kiki’s still a fox, looking pretty content with herself as she stays on Avery.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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”Tomorrow or Tuesday,” Caden informed them.

”Actually, Caden I was hoping I could shift tomorrow afternoon and stay out all night. Kiki and I went for a bit of a run but it wasn't for long enough,” Avery explained, wrapping his arms around Kimiko, so he could carry her out of the SUV.

”Of course. I can see her on Tuesday then,” Caden said with a nod as he parked in front of the house.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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With a nod, Nero hops out of the SUV first and heads for the back to pick up the luggage, not wanting Avery to do it. They were ready to steal one of Caden’s shirts and get comfy in the huge bed upstairs, maybe even do something to distract both themselves and Caden from thinking about any issue. “Last one inside is a rotten egg.” They announce before running inside with all of their luggage… Somehow.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Kiki climbs up Avery a little so she can hold herself up a little by resting her paws over Avery’s shoulder. She snorts a weird laugh as a fox while watching the tiny demon carry all the luggage inside like a maniac who wants to take the groceries inside in only one trip.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Caden shut the car off and got out. He paused to watch Nero effortlessly carry their luggage into the house. He glanced over at Avery and laughed.

”I might have to fire you, Zain,” Caden joked and headed inside, following Nero upstairs.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Avery grabbed Kimiko’s clothes before he got out of the SUV. He adjusted Kimiko in his arm before he looked up and snorted, laughing at Nero and Caden. He shook his head and glanced at Kimiko, who was sitting up with her paws resting on his shoulder. ”Do you want to head inside or run around outside in the open part of the backyard?”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nero cackles to themselves as they run through the house, heading into their bedroom and setting the luggage down before jumping into the large bed. They spread their limbs across the bed and sigh happily. “Oh how I missed this bed.”

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Kiki gives Avery a look, as if calling him dumb for asking a question that isn’t a simple yes or no answer. She points her nose at the house as best as she can to indicate going inside.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Chuckling and shaking his head, Caden followed Nero into their bedroom. He shut the door behind him, moving some of the luggage that Nero just dumped out of the way. He discards his jacket, smiling at his little imp.

”And how I missed seeing you in that bed,” Caden replied. He walked over to the bed and stared down at Nero, the amusement plain on his face.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Avery can't help but laugh at the look he received. It reminded him of her deadpan look.

”So much sass still,” he teased and headed inside. He heard the door of Caden and Nero's bedroom click shut and sighed, relaxing. At least the rest of the night should be quiet.

Avery headed down the hallway on the main floor into Kimiko's room. He closed the door and set Kiki on the bed with her clothes. Unsure what she wanted to do now.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nero sits up on their elbows to beam at Caden. “I think you should become my size and see what you’re missing out on.” They say to Caden. “Being tiny compared to everything is fun.” Nero moves their bent leg side to side, waiting for Caden to discard his shirt so they can steal it.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills: Shift

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Kiki bares her teeth is a weird kind of grin - she’s pretty proud of her sass. After being set down on the bed, she watches Avery for a moment, staring at him blankly as she tries to think. She jumps into the pillows, burrowing under her comforter before she concentrates, thinking of her human feet with its human toes and human fingers. It takes a bit of time, her anger wanting to stay as she is where she feels more comfortable, but she’s quick to remind herself that she can’t kiss Avery as a fox.

After about five minutes, Kiki is back to her human self and peeks her head out of the comforter. “Sorry.” She mumbles once she’s found Avery and looks into his eyes. “I swear I didn’t mean to get that angry.”

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Caden sat down in one of the armchairs in his room to take off his shoes and socks. As he did so, he watched Nero. "Do you want me to? I can shift right now if it is something you want to see," Caden said.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery watched Kimiko wiggle her fox self under the covers. He took a step towards the bed until he felt magic in the air and understood that to mean she was shifting back. Avery turned away and stripped off his shirt before he opened his drawer to find some sweats to change into.

He managed to change his clothes in the five minutes it took for Kimiko to shift. He looked into the mirror when he heard her voice. Avery turned around and leaned against her dresser, crossed his arms, and shrugged.

"Don't be sorry. This is one of the reasons why I work out as much as I do, or I go to my screaming spot, or... I find someone who won't remember me in the morning," Avery said with a shrug. He pushed away from the dresser and sat on the end of Kimiko's bed. "Are you really that mad at Caden for telling me about you and him?"

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nero tilts their head as they look Caden up and down. “I feel like I’d miss your form within seconds.” Seeing their chance, Nero jumps off of the bed and claims Caden’s lap. They had already clumsily taken their chunky shoes off, but they still have everything else on, including their socks.

“How are you doing? After all of that with Kiki, I mean.” Nero holds his face in their tiny hands as they smile warmly at their mate.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Kiki sits up more, pulling the blankets around her tightly as she watches Avery, unable to help but trace his muscled abdomen with her eyes. “I’d be happy to remember you in the morning.” She says without thinking and closes her eyes as her face warms in shame at her inability to shut up. She doesn’t take it back, though, and when she opens her eyes, Avery is on the bed.

“I don’t think it was that…” Says Kiki with a sigh as she scoots closer to Avery in her burrito cosplay. “I’m pretty sure it was all my frustration with the loss of control I’ve been experiencing lately because of… the motherfuckers and all that jazz. So when Caden played it off as nothing… I dunno, I snapped. Everything just tumbled out before I could help it.” She rests her forehead on his shoulder. “I’ll probably apologize to him in the morning.”

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Caden barely sat up from getting his shoes and socks off when Nero jumped into their lap. Caden let out a surprised grunt before he laughed and ran his hands up their legs to their hips.

He looked into Nero’s eyes and sighed. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on Nero’s chest. ”I’m doing… not great actually.” Caden had thought about lying but decided at the last second it wouldn’t help anyone if he did.

He pulled back and looked at Nero. He smiled sadly at them before he continued on. ”I know it’s not me Kiki is angry at, but the two people I’ve known for the longest are angry with me right now, and I am struggling with it. I’ve never gone more than a day without talking to Cassi, and I miss her. With Kiki, she’s always been able to count on me, and I feel like I’ve let her down.”

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Avery moved closer after Kimiko moved closer. He switched positions so his legs were on the bed and he pulled Kimiko in her blanket burrito in between his legs. He rested his arms around her while her head connected with his shoulder. Avery rested his cheek on her head and huffed a laugh.

”I’m fairly certain he said those things to get you to explode like that. You don’t need to keep those feelings bottled in, little fox. You can be angry and frustrated, sad and scared, even happy when you feel happy. Nothing is going to get better if you try and force it to be better.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nero wraps their arms around Caden and runs their fingers up and down Caden’s back, alternating between rubbing and scratching. “I’m sorry, mein drache. I’m sure Kiki doesn’t feel quite as angry as she seemed earlier, if that helps. Maybe the two of us can do something fun to help her anger out in a healthier way.”

Nero rests their cheek on Caden’s head. “Maybe that’s what we can do while Avery’s shifting tomorrow night. Do you have any dishes or plates you wouldn’t mind breaking?”

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Kimiko blushes as Avery pulls her close to him, almost immediately relaxing in his arms. One of the reasons she had turned to him for comfort instead of Caden; Avery’s touch comforted her much more than his. “I didn’t want to explode then…” She mutters to herself mostly. She huffs a sigh, turning more in his arms so she could wrap her arms around him and curl into him more.

The blanket gets twisted and stuck at some point, but Kiki isn’t worried about that right now. “I just need to get over things so I can do stuff like, run with you when you need a night like tomorrow…”

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Break as much as you want. Everything can be replaced,” Caden said. It was all just stuff anyways and if it helped Kimiko, he didn’t care what got broke.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”And you will…Eventually,” Avery said and turned his head to kiss the top of Kimiko’s before he rested his head on hers again. He fell silent for a minute, warring with himself on whether he should say anything or what he could possibly say.

”I’m not going to pretend I can even understand what you are going through or what you are feeling when you see the woods or see me in my wolf form, but I went through a pretty rough patch after the wars. I fought along the front lines in World War two, the Korean war, and Vietnam. The things I saw, the things I did to survive… That stuck with me for a long time. I was angry for a long time. Living didn’t feel right; people around people were terrifying. I hated a lot of things for a long time, but one day something just clicked. If I kept reliving those times, those moments, I lost. I lost the war, I lost my friends all over again, and I was so tired of losing. What happened is a part of me; fighting or ignoring it didn’t help me, but accepting it did. Accepting that I fought and survived allowed me to live again, at least for a while. Then my wolf went through a dark phase, and that’s when I met Caden, and he pulled me out.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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“You know what sounds good? A bath. Let’s get you in a bath.” Nero tightly squeezes their arms around Caden before hopping off their lap and heading into the bathroom. They raid the cabinets after starting the water, looking for the familiar scents Caden usually used for their own baths. They found a bit of orange and lemon scented oils and add those with some lavender before they walk out to pull Caden out of the armchair.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kiki falls silent as Avery reveals some of his past to her, trying to digest the information he shares. She had always thought herself lucky that she hadn’t been alive during either of the wars - the stories her da told her about growing up in the middle of World War Two were… unpleasant to say the least. Especially since her da and his family had to flee Germany.

“I’m sorry.” She says softly, not really knowing what else to say to him. Kiki reaches up and caresses Avery’s cheek, moving his face a little so she can look into his eyes a little better and give him a half smile.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden chuckled, watching Nero go before he settled back in the chair. He titled his head back, staring up at the ceiling before he closed his eyes and listened to his imp rummage around in the bathroom.

Thoughts of Nero, Kiki, Cass, Avery, and his family bounced around in Caden’s head. He felt the emotions bubbling up and let himself cry a little before Nero’s hands wrapped around Caden and pulled him out of the chair.

Caden looked at Nero and smiled. He wiped his face before he wrapped Nero up and carried them into the bathroom. ”I’ve decided you need to join me.”

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery smiled, and took Kimiko’s hand from his cheek. He pressed the palm of her hand to his lips and kissed her hand before resting it on his chest. ”It’s alright. It was a long time ago and it shaped me into who I am today.”

Avery lifted his hand and brushed it across Kimiko’s cheek and into her hair. His eyes searched hers, finding that familiarity in them he had come to find comfort in. ”I just wanted you to know, you’re not alone in the anger or the pain. Yours is yours, and mine is mine, but we don’t have to go through it alone.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nero squeaks as Caden picks them up but they grin happily at their love. “You know, I was hoping you’d say that.” They reach up and hold Caden’s face, inspecting him closely. “Other than joining you in the bath, is there anything else I can do to help you?” They can see the glossy sheen layered over his eyes.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kiki finds herself getting a little lost in Avery’s eyes as he continues to speak and nods. “We don’t have to go through it alone.” She repeats softly, her smile becoming more genuine. “Thank you, Avery.” She stretches to kiss his cheek.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden walked into the bathroom, and nuzzled into Nero before answering them. ”I wouldn’t say no to one of those shoulder rubs,” he said and set Nero on the counter after shoving some things out of the way.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”You’re welcome, Kimiko.” He kissed her nose in return. ”Now, is there anything I can do or get for you?” He ran his fingers through her lose hair, fiddling with the ends of her hair before doing it again.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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“I can do that.” Nero assures Caden with a grin as they start to take off their earrings before setting them on the counter. “Anything else?” They ask, hold his face and kissing him gently for a moment before pulling back to smile.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kiki closes her eyes, enjoying Avery’s fingers in her hair. “No, I…” She trails off, wiggling in the blanket that isn’t working well at concealing anymore. Her brain drifts off to Avery’s earlier comment about spending the night with someone who won’t remember his name in the morning. “I’m okay.” She says, pink dusting her cheek.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden watched them remove their earrings before they kissed him. Caden shut his eyes, allowing him to focus on Nero and the moment they were having rather than what happened earlier.

Caden's voice, filled with desire, broke the silence. ”Mmm, that. Definitely more of that,” he said, his lips meeting Nero's. His hands, like a whisper, traced Nero’s neck and unclipped the necklace. He pulled back, setting the necklace on the counter with a smile on his face.

”Have I told you how much I love you yet today?”

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery’s eyes wandered to look at Kimiko’s bare shoulder as the blankets slipped off her shoulder from her constant wiggling. Avery swallowed, brushing his fingers across her bare shoulders instead.

”I should let you get ready for bed,” he said, but he didn’t make any effort to move away from Kimiko. She still sat in between his legs, and Avery still had one arm wrapped around her.