Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter in The Raven and the Lion, #36: Calm Before the Storm. Our timeline is running down quickly, it is time to piece things together before the final big slough to the end. I am super, oh super happy to have a chapter out today, as it's been a great day so far and I want that momentum to continue as we start off the month of May. Wow, can't believe it was near the end of January when I began to repost this, so thank you all so much for the continued support, it is rather gravitating. Enjoy the chapter!

Ness fidgeted in the passenger seat of Lucas's car, tugging at the sleeves of his Mac's Diner uniform. Going back there had been… nerve-wracking. The only way he'd even been able to make it through his shift was to keep reminding himself his boyfriend was right outside to make sure nothing happened. Yup. After Shulk's little murder attempt, Lucas had been at his side pretty much at all times, except for when he'd had to leave to get info on Shulk. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that tomorrow, he, Red, Nana, and Lucas we're going to break into the guy's apartment to try and dig up some dirt on him, or that Lucas was actually attempting to convince him to stay behind.

"Nathaniel, you know I'd much rather you stay behind-"

"Yeah, well that's not happening. Someone has to watch your back."

The blonde let out a slight sigh, obviously displeased by the absolute resolve in Ness's voice.

"You know Red is more than capable of doing so, Nathaniel. I assure you, you have nothing to worry yourself about-"

"Yeah? I wish that were true."

He raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he cast Ness a curious glance. "Is there a particular reason you seem to believe tomorrow's events will end in a rather tragic demise for everyone involved, Nathaniel?"

The raven haired boy shot him a serious glare, crossing his arms and sinking further down into the seat of Lucas's car.

"Yes, actually, there is."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because my boyfriend made his brother promise something that could only mean one thing and one thing only. And he would have never even made his brother promise something like that in the first place if he wasn't anticipating for something bad to happen."

Lucas's smirk faltered slightly, though still remained on his face.

"Not to mention he shouldn't have made his brother promise something like that. Ever. In, like, a million years. And I don't even care what his reasons were for it. He shouldn't have," Ness let out a frustrated sigh, sitting up in his seat a little more and confronting the jock full on. "C'mon, Luke. We're in this together. I mean, whatever happens and shit, I don't want you sneaking around behind the scenes trying to protect me. This isn't just your life that's on the line here. This is mine too. I mean, what the hell type of future do you think I'd even have without you?"

"Nathaniel-"

"And if you really think that's how shit is going to go down tomorrow, I want to come. I mean, I want to come anyways, but especially if you think things are going to get all screwy and shit. I want to be there with you, no matter what goes down. I already went through the whole 'I think I'm gonna die' scenario, remember? And the worst part about it was that you weren't even there, so I couldn't even say anything to you or shit. So, if that's really what you think is gonna happen-"

"Nathaniel, that is in no way how I foresee things going tomorrow-"

"Then why did you make Red promise what you did? I mean, that's the only way it would make sense."

"I see no harm in planning for all scenarios, Nathaniel. You are my number one priority, and I would like to ensure that you will be taken care of in the event that Shulk does in fact get what he wants."

Ness could feel his throat suddenly grow tight and dry, flames licking at his lungs. Gah. Even the very thought of what Lucas was suggesting was horrible. And the fact that he was speaking about it so casually, like they were talking about what they were going to have for dinner or some shit, was just making him more pissed.

Squinting, the boy's brows creased in confusion as he'd realized they'd come to a stop, though it wasn't in front of Red's apartment like he'd been expecting. It was in the area, sure, but it was closer to the park were they'd taken their midnight walks. Actually, it was pretty much right next to the park, as in 'cross the street and you'll be there' close .

"Where are we-"

"Just follow me." The secret smirk slowly spreading across Lucas's face made Ness's eyes narrow in suspicion. He was up to something, he just wasn't sure what. Getting out of the car, he was surprised to feel the blonde take hold of his hand and lead the way into a nearby building. The whole holding hands thing wasn't what surprised him, they did that enough so that now Ness didn't even feel self-conscious or anything walking around hand-in-hand like that in public. It was the excitement in his touch, perhaps with a sense of urgency, that surprised him.

Leading him into an elevator, Ness cast a suspicious glance in the blonde's direction as Lucas leaned forward and pressed the number 7 button with his free hand.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he mused, obviously satisfied by the puzzled look on Ness's face. "I assure you, however, that it is somewhat related to the conversation we were just having."

"Wait… we're not going to Shulk/s apartment, are we?"

The jock let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "No, Nathaniel. I do not think doing so would exactly be the wisest choice at this time. Going in with no back-up, at 10:30 at night when Shulk will undoubtedly be at home is not exactly what I would call a strategic move."

Well, what the hell were they doing here then? Ness wracked his brain for answers as the elevator reached floor 7 and Lucas led the way over to a nearby door. Reaching into his pocket, he cast one last perplexing glance over his shoulder before unlocking the door and pushing it open for his boyfriend.

Cautiously, Ness gave his boyfriend one last suspicious glance before stepping inside. Even after all this time, there we're still instances where he had no idea what Lucas was thinking. Yeah, most of the time he could get a read on him, but he had a feeling that that was only because his boyfriend wanted him to. When he had his heart set on hiding something, Ness might as well be staring at a brick wall to try and get any sort of physical clues out of him to figure out what he was thinking.

Taking a few steps inside, he froze as it hit him. The whole apartment, it smelled like peppermint, like Lucas's peppermint. The place was decent sized, bigger than both Red and Lucas's apartments had been, and warmly decorated.

Glancing to the left, Ness froze as he spotted something oddly familiar framed on the wall. Cautiously taking a few steps forward, he did a double take to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him and he was actually seeing what he thought.

"The note. This is the note, the one I wrote in the beginning, with all my questions and-"

He spun around, locking eyes with Lucas, who was leaning casually against the doorway, a soft smile on his lips.

Holy shit. He'd kept it all this time. He must've gotten in back from Red sometime between all the bullshit that had gone down because of it. But still. Holy shit. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, because it was his boyfriend, and he just did shit like this, but he was.

"You know, Nathaniel, I do believe you know the answers to each and every one of those questions now."

Ness bit down on his lip. God. He didn't know whether to laugh or get all emotional and shit. It was just… he was in love with him. Actually in crazy, head-over heels ,'I get butterflies every time I'm around you' love. And Lucas actually felt the same way.

It all seemed so surreal. Actually, these past few months all seemed so unreal. He had to keep telling himself this wasn't some sort of movie or dream or anything. This was actually his life. He wasn't sure what the hell the blonde saw in him, nor did he understand why Lucas didn't go off and date some hot model that was actually in his league, but he'd gotten past the point of being all hung up on understanding any of that shit. The jock was his. That was all that mattered. And as long as Lucas would have him, he was going to take advantage of every second of it.

"I'd recommend, however, that you explore the rest of the place. You never know what you might find."

His eye's resting on Lucas's for a moment, Ness forced his gaze back to the rest of the apartment, methodically surveying the rest of the living room. There was a flat screen t.v. at the far end of the room, and next to it a shelf full of just about every Disney movie to ever exist. Of course, movie night.

Kneeling down, he thumbed through the collection, recognizing a few of the videos. There were plenty, though, that he hadn't seen before, which would be nice for a change of pace. You could only watch Finding Nemo so many times before you started to lose your mind.

"You know, I think the woman who served as my cash register person found my taste in movies rather amusing. I suppose an eighteen year old boy stalking up on almost every Disney movie in existence does appear rather comedic."

Ness snorted, letting out a stifled laugh. Yeah, before he'd gotten to know Lucas, he would've pegged him as the type of guy that was into action and gore movies. No porn, because he was definitely attractive enough to go out and get laid instead of just watching it on t.v., but that still was higher on the list of likely movie picks than Disney movies.

This had to be Lucas's new place. Ness could feel his heart sink a little at the very thought, though he knew feeling like that was selfish at best. He should be happy that his boyfriend was finally going to be able to move out of Red's and have his own place again… except he just couldn't bring himself to. Because that meant he wouldn't be living with Lucas anymore either. He would probably cash in on the little deal he'd made to apologize to his mom and all, and then he'd have to go back to living with her. Which would be just great.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, Ness forced his feet forward, moving into the kitchen. On the counter was an espresso maker, with a few bags of coffee grounds from the shop they always went to for study dates… the shop they'd had their first unofficial date at. He knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Nothing was with Lucas.

Ness had never actually been one for just straight coffee, or anything that wasn't loaded with sweetener and whipped cream, but he did like waking up to the smell of coffee in the morning. That was how it had been when he'd lived with his mother, except most of the time she ruined the whole relaxing effect it had on him by trying to force some type of intellectual conversation out of him the few times he'd dared venture down into the kitchen before 11. Ness wasn't a morning person. Period. And he sure as hell wasn't up for having some sort of intellectual, deep conversation when he could barely manage to walk a straight line.

God. Going back to live with her was going to be hell. But whatever, it wasn't as if he could stay like this with Lucas forever. Yeah, he'd give anything to, but it really wouldn't be fair to him. And besides… Ness had been trying to ignore the thought, but he couldn't help but realize half the school year was almost over. And the jock was a senior. Which meant going off to college once summer rolled around.

Gah. Why did he have to be a junior? Honestly, if he could manage to get accepted to wherever it was Lucas was planning on going, he would, just so they could be together. But there was no chance in hell that was going to happen. The blonde was smart enough to go somewhere like Harvard, or Yale, or one of those prestigious schools, and he had enough money to too.

There was no way Ness was going to ask him to stay here and go to one of the lame colleges around here either. Yeah, he was selfish sometimes, but not that selfish. Lucas was going to go places, and do amazing shit with his life, and he wasn't going to stand in his way.

He'd tried to bring up the conversation with him a few times, actually, but every time he did, he always found himself getting cold feet and not following through. It was just… right now, Lucas was his life, point blank. And if they made it through all this shit with Shulk, it was going to kill him to have to not see him every day and all that shit. Yeah, they'd probably have weekend visits and all, but there was just a certain level of intimacy you could only get from waking up next to someone every day.

Hell, look at how bad he'd missed him when he'd been gone just a few days to find out who the stalker was. Maybe he could convince the blonde to let him live with him wherever he ended up attending college and finish up his last year of high school somewhere close. Yeah. That sounded a hell of a lot better than the whole 'long distance relationship' thing. But whatever. That conversation was for another time.

Angling his head to the right, Ness paused, his gaze lingering on a piece of paper held on the front of the fridge by a single magnet.

Posted on the refrigerator was a recipe for Chili, spicy chili to be exact. He could feel a grin tugging at the corner's of his lips as he thought back to the first time Lucas had come into Mac's Diner and insisted on talking to him despite Ness's best efforts to get rid of the guy. Then he'd tried to pull a fast one of him by recommending he order the hottest thing off the menu, but Lucas hadn't even been fazed.

God, that seemed like a lifetime ago. How could he have even thought pushing Lucas away was a good idea? He'd been such a different person back then… still hiding in the closet, mainly because of his mother, not doing much with his life besides gossiping over petty shit with Nana and walking around as ignorant as ever, thinking Red and Lucas we're just a bunch of dumb jocks.

Yeah. He'd definitely been a different person back then. And thank god he'd grown… he still didn't really feel like an adult or anything, but he definitely felt like he'd grown up a lot.

Rifling through the rest of the kitchen, Ness threw around the idea in his head that even if he did have to go back and live with his mother, maybe Lucas would still teach him how to cook. Eventually, he wanted to be able to cook for the blonde, like he had for him so many times. He liked the idea of being able to provide and care for him in some way, seeing as most of the time it seemed like Lucas was doing all the taking care of.

He could feel his boyfriend's eyes on him, though he remained silent as he waited for Ness to explore the rest of the apartment. He felt like he should say something, except he was kind of getting a little sentimental Lucas had remembered all this shit, and he really didn't want to embarrass himself by having his voice crack. Settling for a comfortable silence, Nate moved on to the next room, and definitely by far his favorite room.

The first thing Ness noticed when he walked into the bedroom was the huge window on the far side of the room. Slowly making his way over to it, he realized it pretty much offered a perfect view of the park they'd spent almost every night this past month taking midnight walks in. It looked almost as beautiful from up here than it did actually being in the park. Up this high with the moon out and all, it illuminated the park beautifully, bringing back fond memories that left Ness flushing slightly. Yeah. They'd definitely made a lot of memories in that park, one in particular that he liked to revisit in his mind a lot more that he had any right to.

He glanced over his shoulder, following Lucas's gaze to the dresser lined up against the right wall. Taking the queue, Ness moved forward, pulling open the top drawer. The raven haired boy could feel a ridiculous smile spread across his face as he took in the sight that welcomed him. The whole drawer was filled with all sorts and types of belt buckles. Holy shit. There had to be at least thirty in here. He'd be able to wear a different one each day of the month.

"Yes, I thought, perhaps you might need a few more." Lucas mused, an amused smirk on his face.

Ness snorted, letting out a loud laugh. "These are going to be freaking heavy as hell to carry out of here though."

The jock's smirk faltered slightly as his brows creased. "Carry out?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I can't just come over to your place every time I need a wardrobe change."

Lucas blinked, an unreadable expression flashing across his face before he let out a small laugh.

"Ah. I see. You misunderstand, Nathaniel. This is not my apartment. This is our apartment. "

Ness froze, vaguely registering the fact that he'd just dropped the belt buckle he'd been inspecting.

"Huh?"

"I told you I planned for all scenarios, didn't I Nathaniel? I suppose I should have consulted you about this, but naturally I just assumed that eventually you and I would get our own place. It seems only the logical thing to do, seeing as you and I are in love. Yes, perhaps now is not the best time for such things, which is why I was going to wait to show you the place till after we settled our unfinished business with Shulk. However, after our little conversation in the car about how you felt I was expecting the worst outcome from this situation, I felt the need to prove to you otherwise."

"Lucas..." the waiter blushed.

Taking a few steps forward, Lucas came to a stop in front of Ness, taking his hands in his.

"You see, I very much believe that you and I will come out of this unscathed, and that eventually we will find the peace we've been looking for. This place… I bought it for us, Nathaniel. Yes, originally, I did plan for you to move back in with your mother until you graduated from high school… but, after all that has transpired, I highly doubt I will be able to remain sane if I'm not around you 24/7 to keep you safe-"

"But what about college. I mean, Lucas, you can't just stay here for me. You could go just about anywhere-"

"Why would I? I have already found what makes me happy in life, and that's being here, with you. Why seek to fix something that is not broken, Nathaniel? I've already made my decision on the matter, and I will attend college here, at least until you graduate high school. Then, we can explore other possibilities, such as where you hope to attend college."

"But-"

"Listen to me Nathaniel. You believe that attending college somewhere else it what is best for me,but I assure you, that is not true, not if you're not there with me. My future is with you, as is yours with me."

Ness didn't even try and stop himself as he leaned forward on his tiptoes, pulling Lucas towards him by the front of his shirt and kissing him hard. That had been exactly what he needed to hear. Yeah, he'd told him that he should just go off and do the smart thing and go to college or whatever, but really, he'd wanted him to stay with him here. He couldn't even picture his life without Lucas, and he didn't even want to think about a future without him. He'd become so much more than just his boyfriend. He'd become his best friend, his confidante, everything he'd ever wanted and needed. He was the one person in his life Ness honestly felt like he couldn't live without. And he needed to know Lucas felt the same way, because honestly, if he wanted, Erik could just pick up and move wherever and probably get some new boyfriend in, like, a week. But he couldn't, and even if he could, he knew he'd always want Erik.

It was just… nice to know Lucas wanted a future with him as much as he did. He'd been trying his hardest not to come off all desperate and clingy and shit these past few days, but after realizing how it actually felt to be away from the blonde for the first time, he'd realized exactly how much he needed him. He wasn't just his other half or some shit like that. Because you can still go on and live or whatever with just half of you. It was more than that. He didn't know who he was without Lucas, or what the hell the purpose was to going through the motions and getting through life.

Ness smiled as he felt Lucas laugh into the kiss, obviously amused by his reaction.

The boy's mind, however, had gone in a totally different direction, now that it had officially been established that this was in fact him and Lucas's apartment. See, the way he saw it, right now, that meant they were standing in the middle of their bedroom, just the two of them, with no one to interrupt and shit if things took a turn in the direction Ness was hoping they would.

They hadn't been alone like this in, like, forever. Yeah, they'd had movie nights and midnight walks, but it wasn't the same, not really. With those, they always had it in the back of their minds that they had to return back to Red's apartment at some point, and going back all excited and shit wasn't something that would please their roommate. Not at all.

Ness kept his hands on Lucas's shirt as he pulled away just far enough so they'd be able to speak.

"So…" he drawled, a mischievous smile on his face as he slowly ran a finger up the blonde's chest.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, his smile turning into a crooked smirk as he glanced down at Ness's finger accusingly.

"That's not very nice, Nathaniel."

He did his best to put on an innocent face, pulling Erik a little closer by the front of his shirt.

Beep. Beep.

Lucas made no move to reach for his phone as it rang in his pants pocket. Thank god they hadn't called a few seconds ago, because if they had, Ness would've had to murder whoever it was. Literally. Wait... he needed to kill whoever called, they were just about to get to first base.

Then Ness's started going off, both phone's ringing incessantly. What the fuck? Whoever it was, they better have a damn good reason for calling.

Cursing under his breath, he hesitantly slid off the bed, reaching for Ness's phone and handing it to him before digging into his pant pocket for his own.

Flipping open his phone, Ness angrily barked an annoyed hello.

Nana's overexcited voice came through on the other line, her words meshing together.

"Oh my god, Ness, where are you!"

"Are you fucking kidding me. What the hell do you want, Nana? I'm kinda busy right now."

"Red and I have been trying to call you and Lucas! Shulk broke into the apartment. None of us were here or anything. But, like, he left us a note... or, well, a calling card, rather. There's no way were going to be able to break into his apartment, Ness. He's known Lucas's been following him all along. You guys need to get over here ASAP, in case he decides to pull some shit while the two of you are alone."

Ness could feel the blood drain from his face, paling immediately as he looked up at Lucas's. The blonde's face had taken on a similar expression, his eyes connecting with his as his jaw tensed up. Well, shit. So much for the whole romantic mood... hell, they'd be lucky to even sleep after this.

Just a sweet, little calm chapter. There was more, but I'm not going that far into right now, got more things to do. So... there are four chapters left my friends from 37. Four. Our end is rapidly upon us and I think I'm literally going to kill you all now before we get there as it'll be so heartbreaking and gut wrenching you'll throw a riot. I totally bet, haha. Here's review replies (which you're all awesome at.)

YuukixMitsuru- Hey! Man, I've been waiting and waiting haha. Some do, but the one I see is actually super nice and really listens which is all I could ever ask for. Hey, you slipped up dude. I'm okay with my name, but all of a sudden I see pictures of me as your profile or other things then I'll have an issue. Glad you're in love. Oh, I dunno. I'll tell you this much, some part of Lucas will die before this is over.

The Almighty CGA- Well, then sound it off! I love having the answer in my head and seeing the supposed at bay. What is it? Glad to know I keep you on your toes- I'm never one way when it comes for plots and predictions unless I make it truly obvious when the story calls for it. Thanks!

Mr. Squirtle6- Well, if Ness died, who mind you has the majority of all main P.O.V's, who'd I run it from? If he were to die, it'd be at the very end. I wonder when you read Cross Examined, did you have all the plot points connected and you knew who'd be dying when and what where lol. Try and figure it out. If you believe it's gonna be Red, then say it'll be Red. He'd be dying like a sacrificial lamb or for glory type of moment. Be nervous, my friend. If you aren't nervous, I'm not doing my job. And stop it! You're amazing, okay?

Ninten64- See? The boy is coming around. Have faith my friends, have glorious faith! Perhaps, because it means someone will be constantly around her, probably Red himself. Maybe they'll hook-up, hmm? Wow, you've got quite the imaginative mind... but nope, no one is in a coma. The death that will happen will be fully true. So... you think Shulk will kill a hero? Okay, got it.

SpiritWolfay- Haha, you're like a great big fluffy ball of energy which I love. Keep it up, makes me smile reading your reviews! Ooh, dancing? You a dancer, or like one of those people at parties who try but don't have any sort of skill ever? Ness isn't hurt, least not yet. Hey, no self plugging. Let me do the plugging here, like for Yuuki's How I Met Him. But sure, I'll definitely check it out between now and the next update, you may just have to PM me and remind me so I don't forget. Wow. That makes me envious, at the view count. Cross Examined is somewhere in the 30thousands or something, and this story is in the 6 or 7thousands, but don't quote me. Hey, don't say that. I was thirteen when I majorly wrote Cross Examined- look where it put me now!

Ender2412- You are that one adorable like seven year-old. If you wanna see more Lucas where's he rather shy but strong and in a Yaoi relationship, go read Policies in Detention. He practically was the main character and I mixed things up by giving him a relationship with Little Mac which was really fun! Your sign confuses me. What exactly did you make, lol? Wow, thank you so much! I love Orson's work, so to be compared to him like that via characterization just made my day man, thank you SO much! *hugs* Keep the conspiracy thoughts in your head, but who do you think will die? Have a great day frothing with that one!

Summer Halos- A great person who is humble will thank all their supporters, and even their haters, so me saying thank you is the simplest gratitude I could do. If I knew you face to face, I'd say it to your face. Delicious, lol? There wasn't even any smut. (Want smut, read chapter thirty two? Or read Oasis, Dark Tech Tethered on Darkness, or Honeymoon Stage. There's your smut). And you reread the chapters till the next one comes out? Damn. Dedication.

mother-sins- I'm like a real life Halloween horror story. You're welcome for not ruining your life. Least, not yet.

So that's all for this chapter. Thanks for reading and please review. This story is now my longest story, we're in the 120k mark now, surpassing my Hunger Games piece Capitol's Strike (which, if you like the HG fandom, I'd love for you to read). While you're waiting for the next chapter, I highly suggest going to read Icarus Chronicle, which will have an update sometime tomorrow or Tuesday, an AU Fantasy/Drama with Pit, Dark Pit, Robin, Peach, Roy and more! You guys are the greatest, have a great day! Love you all! Bye! I should have Chapter 37 out by Thursday!

~ Paradigm