[IC] Chicago After Hours

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I feel a little sad for Nic, hearing that all he did was work. There's so much life in him, it was hard to not see him at the centre of every activity with many hobbies and interests.

”When you go back to work, how long is a regular shift?” I ask, wanting to know how I can best work with his schedule.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Aber es hat so viel Spaß gemacht, dich zu necken,” I declare. I lean in like I'm going to kiss Nero's lips to satisfy them, but instead I move to kiss their cheek at the last minute.

”I'm not sure what he'll do. He might try to goad Avery into another fight. I'll have to keep my eye on him and his pack,” I say and place kisses along their jawline and down their neck.

Translations

But teasing you is so much fun.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Silence takes over between us and I find I don't mind it. I do look over at Kimiko a couple of times, thinking I want to ask her questions but I never do.

The game we are watching eventually ends and I check my phone. There are still a couple hours until supper. I start thinking of ways to kill time that doesn't involve going to the training room, but I can't think of anything.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Driving - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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“Eight in the morning to four-thirty in the afternoon typically. My hours are only ‘regular’ because I’m in an administrative position. I told Avery when he dropped off the car that I was going to make a concentrated effort to start only working when I’m supposed to and not taking all the overtime in the world.” I glance over at Cass again.

“I really do want to start doing that.” I say earnestly.

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Nero

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

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My back arches as I stretch my neck to give Caden more room even though he’s teasing me right now. “Vorsicht, sonst fange ich auch an, dich zu necken.” I warn him.

“I’ll break their hands if anything happens.” I declare, my toes wiggling. “Enough of the pups though, I missed you.”

Translations

Careful or I’ll start teasing you back

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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

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When the game ends, I debate whether I should go back to reading or what to do next, but ultimately I’m kind of itching to train with Avery. And not just because of the degenerate thoughts that keep popping into my mind. “Would you… want to get a head start on training, maybe?” I ask him.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I nod in understanding and remove my chin from my hand to squeeze Nic’s arm. ”It’s a good idea to pull back. If just for your sanity and to keep from burning out. That being said, I don’t want to monopolize all your time either. If work needs you to work OT because there’s a crisis or Jane wants to see you one one-on-one or your dad, or if you just want alone time, I want you to feel okay doing so,” I say rubbing his arm as I talk before I pull back and just keep holding his hand instead.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I smile as my lips trail across Nero’s quickly warming skin. ”I missed you too,” I said. I find Nero’s lips with mine and kiss them deeply, taking my time. I slide one of my hands around their waist and lift them up.

I rotate us so I’m sitting on the edge of the bed with Nero straddling my lap. I run my hands up their back, playing with their hair.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I look over at Kimiko and check the time again. I nod my head from side to side as I debate it. ”We could. Is there something you are interested in doing? We can do just a basic workout, or strength training, pole training or sparring.”

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Driving - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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I nod, understanding where’s she’s coming from. “I know. Sometimes I tend to overcorrect so feel free to remind me of that anytime.” I pull to a stop and quickly bring her hand to my lips to kiss it.

“It’s a good thing you already get along with everyone important in my life, that way I never have to choose between you or them.”

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Nero

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

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Finally. I can’t help but smile against his lips when he finally kisses me. A small squeal escapes when he moves us, but I gladly let him, happy to be close to him. I kiss him back deeply, my hands moving to hold his face. Even though I had missed him the whole time he was gone today, I think it definitely made moments like this even better when we finally are in each other's arms again.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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

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“I don’t have anything specific in mind but… I know my upper body strength is always lacking. We could do that.” I say after giving it a little thought. “If we spar, we might end up actually fighting again.” I joke lightly.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I smile and brush my thumb across his bottom lip without really thinking about it. ”I know, but they may just want some one-on-one time with you as well,” I state.

My thumb tingles when it touches Nic’s lip and my eyes flicker to his lips, thinking about how he kissed me in the temple parking lot.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I chuckle on Nero’s lips when they squeal. ”Mein lauter kleiner Kobold,” I mumble, my lips barely leaving theirs when I speak. I hold Nero close to me as we kiss and reconnect with each other after spending an entire day apart.

Translations

My loud little imp.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Strength training it is.” I shut the TV up and stand. ”Ah, sparring is good, though; it helps to get the aggression out. I only ever go full out with Caden when I’m sparring, though,” I inform her. There were even times we shifted into our wolf forms and went at it that way. It was a great way to let out built-up energy.

”I’ll go change, and then I’ll meet you in the training room,” I tell her.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Driving - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Her thumb on my bottom lip momentarily distracts me and I catch myself staring at her lips, barely processing what she’s saying. A loud honk from behind us startles me and I panic a little, pulled from our thoughts as I move the car through the intersection. I clear my throat and concentrate on the road as the tea shop is coming up soon. “R-right.” I respond to her lamely.

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Nero

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

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I flush at his comment and move a hand from his face to smack him on the chest, pulling away a little so I could glare properly at him. “Du kannst mich nicht einfach auf Deutsch ärgern.” I protest.

Translations

You can’t just tease me in German

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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

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“Maybe another day.” I say with a small shake of my head before I nod at the plan.

I give him a thumbs up. “Meet you there.” I tell him before I turn to go to my room and change as well.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I startle when the person in the car behind us honks their horn. I hadn’t realized how far I had fallen into my own desires after touching Nic like that. I was pleased to have gotten the upper hand on him for once, though.

I keep my hands to myself as we pull up to the cafe that specializes in teas as well as iced teas. I unbuckle my seatbelt once we are parked, but I don’t get out right away.

”About what you said earlier, your lips not touching another’s if I want it that way, were you serious? If I asked you not to date or kiss anyone else, would you?” I looked at him, nerves filling my body as I waited for his response.

What if he was just teasing or really wanted to be in an open relationship like I thought he was with Jane and Kat? I knew I could probably do it if it meant I could go on dates like this with him or keep kissing him, but I didn’t want to share him in that way with anyone else.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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My eyes dance with mischief even after Nero smacks me. I grin innocently while they glare. ”Do you want me to tease you in English, too? What about French? Or Italian? Maybe Russian or Norwegian? Min attraktive, høylytte, lille imp,” I taunt.

Translations

Norwegian - My attractive, loud, little imp.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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We part ways, with me leaving the house to go to the staff housing and change into something a little less formal. As I go, I think about the training I could get Kimiko to do. I also think about the conversation we had and how relaxed I was. My wolf wasn’t agitated once, and I'm starting to wonder what changed.

After dressing, I jog back to the house, warming myself up for strength training. I know I won’t be doing much, just working with Kimiko to get a good routine going for her and spotting her, but it’s good for me to be warmed up so I can show her how to do everything and verbally explain it.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Driving - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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I turn towards her in a surprise as I start to grin lopsidedly at Cass. “Are you asking me if I’d like to be your boyfriend?” I ask cheekily, but the gears in my head are spinning. I can’t believe she would actually be as interested in me as I am with her.

”Because if you are, I would not be able to say no.”

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Nero

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

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I shake my head at him, rolling my eyes at him but also unable to keep an amused grin from slipping onto my face. “You’re such a show off.” I tell him, tempted to smack him again.

“What did you even say?” I ask with a tilt of my head, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

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[center]

Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:/center]

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I don’t take long to change, opting to just swap my sweatshirt for a crop top instead. I make it to the gym just as Avery does. I bend over real quick to throw my hair up in a messy bun. ”So we meet again.” I say jokingly. I don’t know if it was just the release of yelling at Caden a little today or him lecturing both of us, but a lot of the anger I’d been feeling was ebbing away.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I roll my eyes at Nic but I’m smiling. ”You are such a dork,” I say. ”Yes, Nic. I am asking if you will be exclusive with me and be my boyfriend,”

Even after I said it out loud and he told me he wouldn't say no, my heart pounds in my chest, and my hands start to sweat on the off-chance he says no anyway, and I’ve embarrassed myself in front of this man for the third time in two days.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I chuckle and don’t defend myself. I am a show-off, the worst kind, but I enjoy it all the same. I enjoy Nero’s reactions, making them laugh, smile, or fall for me a little more, just as I fall for them a little more every day.

”I said you are my attractive, attraktive, loud høylytte, little imp lille imp,” I say, punctuating every word with a kiss to their nose, their cheeks, their throat, and finally their lips. I run my hands up Nero’s back, pulling the sweater, or rather my sweater, along with me. As much as I love teasing them, I am done now.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I chuckle and nod towards the mat. ”Stretch out a bit while I set up some of the weights,” I tell her. Normally, I work out without a shirt on, but since I’m just helping Kimiko set things up, I’m wearing a compression shirt and shorts.

I go about the gym setting up weights for her and changing some of the settings on the machines. I have an idea what weight she can lift just by looking at her, but I back off each machine or weight a couple more, because I want her to build strength properly rather than lift too much too quickly. I know her muscles would heal quickly and properly if I pushed it, but I would rather not. This wasn’t a contest.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Driving - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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I grin, reaching over to gently grab her chin. I’m still amazed that she likes me back despite the age difference and the fact that I’m just a human. “I would very much enjoy that.” I say before I kiss her deeply.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I nod, sitting down to start my stretches. With both legs spread out, I reach towards my toes, my face hitting my knee as I bend my body easily. I do this a couple of times, stretching my legs further apart every so often until I’m practically doing the splits.

I roll onto my feet, standing again, before I reach down to touch my toes, placing both hands flat on the floor as I do so before I stretch back up. I use my arms to help loosen the muscles in each of them while twisting my back. Finally I tilt my head to stretch my neck before I feel satisfied in properly warming up my muscles.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I beam when Nic says yes, and then he's kissing me. I smile on his lips, kissing him happily for a moment before I pull away.

”Okay, iced tea time,” I say and pat Nic's arm before hopping out of the SUV.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Ready?” I ask Kimiko when it looks like she is done stretching. Once I have confirmation, I lead her over to a basic weight table and walk her through a basic routine I want her to do.

”Now if you start lifting and feel it's too light after your first set, let me know, but keep in mind I'm going to get you to do this multiple times. A heavier weight isn't necessarily bigger right at the beginning,” I say. ”Also, I'm going to be watching you to make sure you're doing it right and not hurting yourself. I might touch a muscle to get you to engage or draw your attention to a problem area, are you comfortable with me doing that?” I ask her seriously.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Tea Stop - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Chuckling, I follow Cass out of the car, shaking my head at how she had decided to end the kiss. I hold the door to the shop open for her and head inside. I’m debating if I want another tea or if I just want water for myself. “What are you leaning towards?” I ask Cass as I look over the menu.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I nod and follow Avery to the weights, listening as he goes on. Honestly, I’m grateful he’s taking the time to explain it all to me and quietly hope that maybe this time, I’ll remember the routine. When he mentions touching me, I feel my ears grow hot.

Down, fox. I remind myself forcefully. “Yeah, that’s fine.” I say with a nod, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. I gulp down some water.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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”Something iced with raspberries… or maybe peaches…hmm.” I wrap my arms around Nic's waist as I look at the menu over and over again. ”What are you getting?” I ask them.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I feel the corners of my lips twitch when she reacts when I ask permission to touch her. It's not an unusual reaction, but I find it amusing coming from her all the same. I gesture to the weights and take a step back.

”In your own time. When you lift, inhale and follow the breath. When you lower, exhale and relax. It'll help you keep pace of you follow your breath,” I explain.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Feeding the Gremlin a Drink - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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I smile as she wraps her arms around my waist and I easily wrap an arm around her shoulders. Her choice in getting something fruity inspires me a little for my drink choice.“Some ice-cold water sounds lovely to me, but maybe I’ll see if they can throw some fruit in it.” I lean down to kiss the top of her head.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“Alrighty then.” I say, ignoring the fact that I saw his lips twitch at my reaction. I don’t know what’s with me lately, but I probably needed to find some time alone tonight before I completely lose it.

I go to pick up the 15lb weights, knowing the five and ten is usually very easy for me. I try to follow Avery’s instructions on breathing while lifting and lowering the barbell.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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"Good choice," I declare. I wait until we get to the front before I release Nic. I order his ice water with the request of fruit to be added to it before I order my drink. I still can't decide between peach and raspberry so I order both and pull out my card to pay since I'm getting more now.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I nod in encouragement as Kimiko goes through her first set fine and starts on her second round. I touch her left elbow, reminding her to keep in line. "Watch yourself in the mirror. It isn't vain. It helps you to maintain the right posture," I assure her.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Tea Shop for Drinkies - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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When Cass releases me, I place my hand on the small of her back, not wanting to lose contact with her. My lips twitch when she orders for me and pays. “Thank you.” I tell her even though I want to fight and pay for it myself.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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It takes most of my willpower to not jump when Avery touches me. I don’t know why I’m acting like some kind of virgin around him, but I mentally tell myself to get a grip. At his words, I glance up at the mirror, but I find it hard to watch myself when Avery is in the reflection next to me. “R-right.”

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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I smile at Nic and nod. "Seems only fair since I couldn't make a decision." I walk over to one side of the counter to wait for our order.

Nic continues to make contact with me in some way and I find myself not minding it. I'm don't usually enjoy such physical contact but with him, I don't mind it. I find myself looking for it sometimes.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I glance behind me and see Kimiko staring from me to her. "Do you want me to start yelling at you again? Will that help?" I'm starting to think one-on-one training won't work for us.

I look towards the training room door and rub the back of my neck. Something feels off. My skin crawls and feels unnaturally warm.

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Getting Drinks to Appease the Hoarder of Drinks - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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I chuckle, pulling her into me more as we wait for our drinks so I can rest my chin on her head. “I would have been fine buying you every single drink here if you wanted.” I tell her with as I smile.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I roll my eyes with a huff. “No, sorry, I’m just distracted right now.” I tell him honestly as I refocus, but I’m easily distracted when Avery seems to lose his focus as well.

“Everything okay?” I ask, setting the weights down as I watch him carefully, this time without the inappropriate thoughts.

[KazAlkemi]

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: SUV – Cary, IL
Skills:

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"Well, now that's just excessive," I say and rest my hands on his arms. I move my eyes to look up since I can't move my head but I don't see anything other than the ceiling. "Do you like using people as chin rests. Is your head really that heavy?" I ask, teasingly.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I frown walking closer towards the door. The heat seems to be dying down but I still don't feel right. The last time I felt like this was when Caden and I were still trying to figure out the pack bonds. "I don't know," I tell Kimiko. "Either they are having an epic session or Caden isn't okay."

[Donut Look Now]

Nicholas “Nic” Wu

Location: Driving - Cary, IL
Skills:
Fit

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I laugh, purposely starting to put more weight on her by relaxing my body. “Yes, it is really heavy, thank you for your support.” I tease back. “Also, your head is the only chin rest for me.” I smile goofily, remembering that we’re an official couple now.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I blanch at how blunt Avery is, but try to keep my composure. I set down the weights and follow him. “Well, has he ever had… whatever this is happen before?” I try and relay on my other senses, wanting to know if maybe I could feel what’s happening.