KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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Avery took a step forward, ready to follow her anyways but he plants himself in the living room. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, and shrugged.

"Well, alright. If you're sure," he said and slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Don't forget to grab some champagne if you want it with your strawberries."

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden grinned, untucking his shirt from his pants but didn't take his shirt off yet. "That is entirely the point, my darling little imp."

Caden rested his hands on the dresser beside him, giving Nero a full view of their chest and abs. "I've been debating on getting another tattoo. Do you think I should get one on my chest or maybe the ribcage?" Caden ran a hand over his chest, then down the side where the muscles of his rib cage spidered between his ribs. Only then did Caden's eyes move away from Nero's to watch the movement of his own hand.

"What do you think?" Caden asked, his eyes flicking back to Nero's.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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Avery helped load things onto the trolley with Kimiko. He rested his hands on the handle of the trolley. "Are you sure? I don't mind taking everything down," Avery pressed.

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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"Do you think that has always been something you've liked, or is it like overly greasy foods in how you can taste more of the flavours?" Caden asked curiously. He unbuttoned his sleeves before his fingers drifted to unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. He kept his eyes trained on Nero for their answer to his question, and to gauge their reaction to the little show he was putting on for them.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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”I know but I want to,” Avery assured her. He was still nervous about singing for her, but he was feeling better about the idea.

Avery picked up his wine glass and finished what was left before he shut the TV off and stood. ”In the music room. I can use one of the guitars in there just fine.”

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden grinned and kissed Nero’s cheek before he moved away. ”Which is why I got three. So we may each have one, then the third will be whichever one we prefer over the other,” Caden said.

He turned and examined the cheese and fruit platters before he selected a couple and popped them into his mouth. Once his hands were free, Caden unbuttoned his vest and pulled it off, setting it on its hanger with his jacket.

”What is your favourite citrus fruit?” Caden asked.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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Avery tracked Kimiko’s movements, a slow smile forming from her touch and her moving in to kiss him. Avery shut his eyes, kissing her back until she pulled away.

He chuckled and nodded. ”Sure. Do you want me to play that song for you while you have your strawberries?”

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden was hyper-focused on Nero, so when they took a bite of the other cake, he could clearly see Nero’s reaction. He could practically feel it. He smirked at the piece Nero offered them. Caden walked over and took the piece from Nero’s fork.

The orange mingled with the cake, bringing out the different flavours, and the ginger added a surprising spice that Caden rather enjoyed. His eyes automatically shut as he savoured the piece of cake Nero shared with him.

”Okay, now I don’t know which one is my favourite.”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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Avery smiled, leaving his fingers extended in the dip of Kimiko’s neck for a little longer. ”I’ll always be patient with you,” Avery said. ”I’m just grateful you gave it a try for me, for us.”

He relaxed his fingers and ran them up and down Kimiko’s neck a couple of more times before he finished.

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden chuckled and slid the ring onto Nero’s finger. ”Exactly.” Caden leaned over Nero’s hand and kissed it before he stood up, letting them go. He picked up his plate and walked back to the dresser. He leaned back and crossed his ankles.

”If you really want to know what you can do… It would be this.” Caden gestured around the room with his fork before spearing another piece. ”Spending time with you, hiding from everything, surrounded by cake. Or some other sweet thing. Although, I think we should go somewhere warmer next time. Jamaica, maybe.” Caden ate the rest of his cake before setting the empty plate on the dresser and stood straight to take his belt off.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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”Not in the form of a sandwich,” Avery said and tapped Kimiko’s nose. Avery slipped his hand back under Kimiko’s neck with his other and carefully ran his fingers up her neck along the spine until he reached the dip in the back of her neck where head and spine met. Carefully, he pushed up with his fingertips so her head tipped back, and his fingers sunk in a bit into that dip. It was a great release for the entire neck and was also good for headaches. The only problem was Kimiko’s neck was incredibly tight. Avery anticipated that it would take several more massages before Kimiko’s neck relaxed fully.

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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A slow smile spread across Caden’s face as he mulled over Nero’s question. ”I think you underestimate how much pleasure it brings me to spoil you and have you react the way you do,” Caden said and pulled out a ring box from Tiffany containing the white gold ring with diamonds and rubies.

Caden opened the box and plucked the ring out. ”Red really is an excellent colour for you. Green as well.” Caden set the box down and walked back to Nero. He held his hand out for theirs.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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Avery cocked an eyebrow at Kimiko even though her eyes are closed. ”Jam and cheese? Your tastebuds are confused,” Avery decided.

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden chuckled and kissed the top of Nero’s head. He set his wine glass down and walked back to the dresser and closet. Caden slipped his watch off and put it back in its case.

”I think I can live with that. Besides,” Caden said, bending down to untie his shoes. ”you’re my weakness and I’m here to serve you in whatever capacity you deem necessary,” he said.

Caden stood back up again, slipping his untied shoes off his feet while he watched Nero.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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Avery liked that they didn’t have to say everything that they were thinking in order for the other person to understand them. They already had a strong connection even without the mate bond.

”If you want me to teach you bass, I could, but you owe me. The list of what I am teaching you is growing rather long. I’m going to need a lot of PB&J sandwiches,” Avery joked.

His fingers continue to work along the tight muscles of Kimiko's neck. He's honestly surprised she doesn't have more mobility issues. Or frequent headaches with the amount of tension he feels in her neck.

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden walked back over to his piece of cake and took a bite before answering Nero. ”High metabolism,” he said with a grin. ”As for why I’m not taking my shirt off yet.” Caden paused and picked up his wine glass from the table next to Nero, smiling at them. ”I thought you’d want dessert and a show,” he said and took a sip of his wine.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit: Teal v-necked T-Shirt with black pants

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The idea of playing for Kimiko is something Avery had thought about when he wrote the song. After all, he wrote it about her, but it still made him nervous. What if she hated the lyrics? Or hated his playing? He’s momentarily distracted when Kimiko caresses his cheek.

His eyes shifted to look at her. She flinched again from his touch, and it nearly broke him. The bastards were dead, but they would never see or understand how much they took from her. Avery was glad they were dead, but he worried that he wasn’t enough to give Kimiko her life back. Avery shifted his thumb to run along the side of Kimiko’s neck and the top of her shoulder in a smooth back-and-forth motion. He repeated the action several times on one side before doing it on the other.

”If it gets to be too much on your neck, just tell me to stop. I don’t want to force you to sit through this,” he said carefully. ”Ya, no. It’s just a bass guitar. If you want to hear the song I wrote, I wrote it on my guitar, so it sounds better if I play it that way anyways.”

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Caden

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Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel – New York City, New York
Skills:
Fit

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Caden took another bite after his fork was returned. It was just as decadent as the first bite. Caden goes to set the plate down to undress, but he has to take another bite before he can.

”Oh, I have a terrible sweet tooth. Especially when it comes to baked goods,” he confesses. Caden stripped off his jacket and hung it back on the hanger. The white dress shirt he wears underneath the vest is form-fitted to Caden’s body, hugging nearly every curve and outlining his arm and back muscles. He slipped off his cuff links before taking his tie off and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt.

Word association Game!

photograph