It's time for another Huniepop chapter! I've really enjoyed this so far, and it's been very fun developing all the characters. Please enjoy this next chapter, and be prepared for a little surprise! Thanks again for coming back to read some more. It's good to see people enjoy reading this as much as I do writing.

Morning After

Eyes fluttered open to signal the start of a new day. They took focus upon the ceiling with great strain. Through blurred vision came a little sigh from delicate pink lips. The flood of morning light wasn't a pleasant thing, even though the darkened curtains in the apartment. It sure was uncomfortable. Human or fairy, the same rules applied when it came to dragging your sorry ass out of bed before noon.

Wings gently fluttered against the silent contrast within the room. Her eyes cast downward, a certain pink-haired magical creature let out a little sigh and ran a slender hand through her locks, "I really hate mornings."

"Turn off the T.V, Kyu."

A little chuckle broke free from Kyu's lips as she took note of Mike. He remained good and sprawled against the length of the cold leather couch, eyes shut and asleep, but his expression was a little uncomfortable to say the least. He looked on the verge of waking, but instead, let out a quiet groan and turned back over.

Kyu smiled softly as she pulled herself upright in her corner of the couch, "Go back to sleep, Mike…. The TV's already off..."

Another sleepy groan sounded from the man's mouth before he fell back into the deep embrace of slumber. With a little shake of her head, Kyu got up from the couch and walked through the lounge. Damn did she need to freshen up.

It was a simple setup inside the bathroom, white tiles with silver taps and a shower; a bathtub too, but only a small one. Slick yet modern and functional. It was the trend in the whole apartment really, and something that the blond-haired owner seemed to work into his life. When she thought back, Kyu found herself nodding in appraisal of her client's progress.

"He's a big improvement from when I first met him. Still, he can't get his shit in gear with the ladies right now…."

The fairy grabbed her magenta toothbrush and gazed sleepily in the mirror. "Dammit, Kyu. "You really need to fix up your hair, girl."

Her nightclothes needed changing too. Something light and airy would do. Flashing a tiny smile, she brought her full attention toward brushing her teeth, a sometimes-lengthy chore, but one she took pride in. It was the same with her appearance, not counting mornings.. Once everything was done with on the hygiene front, Kyu gave a sparkling snap of the fingers, wisps of fairy magic twisting around her body.

"A dress should be good today." Pink and lace crackled into existence, squeezing tight around her slender expanse. The usual style - something the fairy was very happy to wear most days. True, the weather in the human world sucked a little compared to Sky Garden, but it had its good days.

A loud thud shook the floor, the resounding bang coming from from the lounge. A pained groan of tiredness echoed from across the apartment, with the sound of sluggish feet dragging across the hardwood. "Screw this living room," Mike groaned with frustration.

He sure wasn't a morning person, either. Supressing her amusement with a snort, Kyu zipped up the back of her dress. "Trouble in there, eh Mikey?"

"Fell off the couch," he paused, drifitng past the bathroom as he made his way toward the kitchen area. "Gonna make a coffee."

The clattering of cups filled the confines of the apartment as he got to work. "You want one?"

True, she'd just brushed her teeth, but it was hard to say. Coffee - an awesome human invention that even held weight in the fairy world.

"Sure thing, bro. Lots of milk."

Breakfast wasn't really breakfast in this house. In fact, it was more like a lunch considering the time her client woke up. On days when Mike didn't play with the band he usually slept until noon anyway. Kyu had been there for a while, but it didn't take her longer than a few weeks to realize just how much of a heavy sleeper the hopeless blond was/

She watched in vague interest as Mike's thumbs slinked around his coffee mug and caressed the base. It was one of his ticks, something he did when deep thoughts swam around in his head - another thing that Kyu didn't take long to figure out upon her arrival into his life.

A soft giggle escaped her lips. Venus definately give her a very interesting case to work on this time around. Still, it beat drifting around with nothing to do while she waited for a new job to come in. The love fairy market was kinda dry around Glenberry recently, so being thrown straight back into the deep end with Mike was something of a refreshing thing. That, and plenty of the previous guys she had to work with were assholes. Mikey? He was different - a friend. His hopeless nature and his good heart were a welcome change.

"Looks like you're in some pretty serious thought over there."

Kyu gave him a prod, swiping a piece of toast from the little plate on the shiny glass coffee table. "You alright over there, homie?"

Mike didn't respond at first, taking several moments to reconnect before he gave a nod. With a very neutral expression, he took a sip of his coffee from the mug, placing it back down with a sigh of relief. Dark rings smudged across the glass, a sure sign of not using drink coasters

"Last night made me think," he spoke, arms folded defensively across his vest-clad torso.

A vest and shorts, a very simple wardrobe change after his shower this morning.

Kyu nodded, a piece of toast hanging limp from the corner of her mouth, "You did say that shit didn't go well last night," she mumbled, the toast still held between her lips. She bit down with a crunch, holding it firmly between her thumb and fingers.

Mikey man shook his head.

"No, it didn't. Audrey showed up again, first time in weeks too."

He frowned in grim recollection. "I thought me had her were done, you know? Apparently she didn't think so, cuz she lost it after overhearing my conversation with Tiff on the phone."

Mike carried on by telling her everything, his argument with Audrey, the redhead telling him that he wasn't anything more than a cheap weekend tumble, Tiffany's newfound aggressiveness, and her desire for him to go and visit her house next weekend.

All through his explanation, he remained low and withdrawn. Having to recall the events of last night was obviously a discomfort. Then again, it was hardly surprising. Kyu continued to listen with bright eyes and a smile.

"You kinda had it rough last night, dude."

She reached out to put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "This little love fairy thinks you still have some hang-ups over Audrey, too…"

Mike growled with a hint of disgust. "Christ," he rolled his eyes with frustration. "You helped me turn half the crap in my life around, and I'm STILL this transparent…."

She gave him a sharp tap across the cheek with the palm of her hand, not quite a slap, but it was halfway there, "Don't start all that negative shit…. You're easy to figure out, yeah, but that's a good thing."

The love fairy backed up a across the couch and cleared her throat to speak, "I've been doing this job for years, and I've had to work with plenty of people," she started with an index finger pointed at Mike.

"Some of the guys I worked with were assholes. Some of the others? Well... they actually ended up worse at the end of my being there... and in the end my boss just cancelled the job…."

She kept her finger pointed toward the blond all the time she spoke. "You though, blondie... you aren't an asshole…. You act tough, but you're one of the sensitive guys."

Mike bowed his head in acknowledgement. Not a word. His expression however, was even more thoughtful.

Well it seemed like she'd gotten through to him. It was time to pick up the pace. "I usually get sent to asshole jocks and walking train-wrecks. It's not often they send me to a guy that's just too hopeless for his own good."

A dry chuckle escaped from Mike's lips. Cynical much? Regardless, he brought his gaze up from his lap.

"I took things to heart with Audrey…. Maybe I was stupid, but she was my first time."

"See?" Kyu grinned.

"There's that heart of yours! I saw it when we met. You had no confidence, and you took everything too serious."

"Story of my life," Mike admitted, "I guess I owe you for helping me with that, though. At least I'm confident now."

"So that means you can listen to my next little piece of advice."

At last, some progress. She stared tared him in the eyes with great intensity. "Make up your mind…. If you like Audrey, chase her…. If you wanna make things work with Tiffany, forget the redhead and move on."

Mike ran a hand through his peroxide hair, giving a confident nod, "You're right…. This is like, one of those fork in the road situations. I've gotta choose... and just go with it."

"That's the spirit," the fairy let out a little cheer of excitement, leaning ever closer. "But c'mere first, you big dummy..."

"What is- Mmmmm," Mikey was caught off guard as she wrapped slender arms around his waist, bringing soft pink lips against his with a playful wink. Deepening their connection, a soft moan escaped as she nudged him onto his back.

Kyu's wings gently flapped a little as she tasted her friend's lips; legs holding him in place. Eyes of pink drank up the sight of his emerald gaze, the unease in his expression melting away.

Talk about submissive. Was he this laid back with Audrey? Surely not! A girl with so much fire needed somebody with just as much strength and passion.

Oh well. She'd had enough fun for now. Nipping down against Mike's lip for a moment, Kyu pulled back.

Dazed and confused, Mike sat himself upright, his expression awash with wonderment - fingers tracing lightly across the spot upon which Kyu's lips had been. The look in his eyes, something between a lovestruck puppy and a dear in headlights, was so cute.

A gentle laugh was what Kyu gave in response, "Don't think too much of it," she smiled teasingly, "You're my friend, Mike, and I don't usually have a soft spot for humans…. I want you to know that however this plays out, me and you, we're cool!"

"Haha," Mike gave a smooth smile and got to his feet. "Where would I be without you?"

Kyu chuckled at the thought. "Still wearing those awful movie shirts, and trying to figure out what the hell to do with yourself."

"No kidding," Mike spoke in earnest agreement. He gave a dismissive sigh and climbed over the couch, "I'm gonna get changed and head out. You're right…. I've gotta make up my mind."

Kyu fluttered up from the couch on her wings and gave a wink, "Go get em, tiger! Trust me, you've got this."

Kyu sat alone in the apartment. Her eyes fell upon the show playing out on the television. It was something about a boy in highschool, one of those Japanese anime shows. He was dating one girl, but messing around with another on the side-lines. So the first girl stabbed him, and then the other one went crazy and ended up stashing his body aboard the family sailing ship.

"Gawd," she scoffed, flicking over to another channel. "The plot just went crazy…. Still, that was a nice boat."

Damn it was getting boring - sitting around in here with nothing to do. The fairy brought her eyes upward, flashing a pink glance in the direction of the clock.

"Almost seven," Kyu yawned, "I wonder if Mikey's busy getting his shit together?"

Her thoughts flashed back to the kiss. It was enough to make her laugh as she pulled her petite body upright from its resting place upon the kitchen chair.

"It's not against the rules screwing around with the clients," she beamed with warmth, "Still... Maybe it's best I leave it there…. Wouldn't want him to take it too seriously."

The love fairy brought her attention across to the fridge and pulled open the door. Where did the eggs and milk go? The endless amounts of meat snacks and chocolate treats were a little jarring.

"He's a good guy."

Kyu hummed, reaching out to grab the dairy produce from beside the pasta sides "A little too soft, but hey…. It's is not like you see that all the time with human guys. It's a pretty awesome change."

Yet it made her sad too - a frown overtaking her lips. "He's my first job in over a year. Once he gets stuff figured out… I won't be able to stick around very long."

Still, Kyu pushed such a negative thought to the back of her mind and placed the milk under her arm, "I better enjoy his company while it lasts."

"Venus, you bitch," she smirked, kicking the fridge door shut, "The first decent job you give me in forever…. I can't believe I'm actually enjoying this!"

To be continued….

Thank you again for taking the time to read this chapter! I'm grateful for all the support that people give. I wanted to take the time to do a little Kyu and Mike bonding, and I'm very pleased with how it went. I think it's almost time to start writing one of the girls story paths too. As always, please feel free to leave some feedback if you would like, and I will see you in the next chapter!