Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Eight
...
Linda wasn't a workaholic, she just had a lot to deal with thanks to running a school for hundreds of super-powered teens. If that meant working on a weekend every now and then to keep on top of things, then that was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Of course, there were some days that she instantly regretted her decision to work over the weekend, and it looked like today was going to be one of those days.
Deciding she needed far more coffee than she'd consumed yet, Linda set her computer to sleep and went back to the kitchen to get the full carafe of coffee. Tempted to stick a straw in the carafe itself, she forced herself to get a mug instead.
Did she need to wash laundry? Or the pantry could be re-organised? She was sure there were some ingredients in there that were probably decades out of date. When was the last time she'd cleaned out the junk drawer?
"Come on, Linda. You can do this. Stop procrastinating," she muttered to herself, taking another long drink of coffee before taking the mug and carafe to her desk.
Unlocking her computer again, Linda took a deep breath and re-read the first few lines of the email that had sent her to the kitchen in the first place.
Dear Principal Powers,
I hope this email finds you well.
I was perusing WordJournal and came across the diary of someone who I believe to be one of your students - please see the link below.
While the diary 'Crimson Love Letter: Diary of a Super' doesn't mention explicit names, there are enough details to be deeply concerning for those involved, and enough information for a person with an iota of intelligence to connect to Sky High.
I understand privacy and safety are two of the school's main concerns - as it says in the brochure - and sought a way to notify you as soon as I could. I was able to find your email in one of the school newsletters from the 70s, and wrote to you immediately.
I have included the names of several super therapists for the author of the diary, as they seem quite disturbed and, if I can take the liberty of saying so after reading this "diary" for the last six hours, quite obsessive over L and M.
I apologise if this information is incorrect or dealing with other students at another super school, but I hope that I am correct so that it can be resolved.
Yours,
A concerned citizen
Linda poured another coffee and took another deep breath, then clicked the link.
...
"Wait, tell me this again. I only put five dollars in; I thought it was just a bit of fun," Yuki said incredulously, looking around the dining table at the various women - Nina was eagerly spreading coffee butter on her toast while Tilda looked ready to murder the next person who spoke to her before she finished her coffee.
"It is fun. It's also a fuckload of money," Honey said, grinning. "We're not betting Twizzlers here, dear."
"No, Twizzlers are for poker," Edith said. "The real money is in the betting pools."
"So... I need to hear the amount again, I think I blanked out," Yuki said, swallowing hard and hoping what she thought she had heard wasn't just her imagination.
"One hundred thousand, three hundred and sixty-five dollars," Honey recited, grinning at Yuki's expression.
"Fuck me."
"That's a whole different betting pool, dearie," Edith said, Yuki laughing incredulously.
"It's one of the larger betting pools, but Hyacinth and Edith both added forty thousand each. Most people only bet a few hundred each, but some of the risk takers added a few thousand. There won't be another one this large until... well, you'll all find out," Honey said with a dismissive wave.
Yuki was no longer surprised at Edith employing several hundred people to track those involved in her betting pools; if she'd known that sort of money was the prize, she would have locked Victor and Connor in a room together herself. Possibly with handcuffs and whipped cream.
"We'll discuss logistics later so the IRS isn't suspicious about your sudden income; it will be distributed over a set amount of time to handle the legal side of things. For now, just have some coffee before Nina and Tilda finish their drinks," Honey said, patting her hand.
Yuki nodded and poured a cup of coffee before someone - probably Nina, judging by the look in her eyes - could steal the whole pot.
...
Linda's coffee was cold by the time she'd finished reading the travesty masquerading as a diary.
There were the usual teenage angsts: the only one to feel a certain way; the certainty that thing A meant thing B (usually in the form of everlasting love); and the usual worries about family, relationships, and friends. Those she could understand; she had been a teenager once herself, after all.
However, there were a hundred other things that were so far beyond the norm that Linda was tempted to book an appointment with one of those therapists herself.
The main plan seemed to involve attempting to coerce several individuals into romantic and sexual relationships under the guise of forming friendships with them; stalking others and attempting to find their addresses by accessing certain secret sanctums; appealing to others' sense of heroism by falling in front of them - that was a lesson taught in the Damsels in Distress class as a way to distract, not attract - and thanking them in a way that was entirely inappropriate; and using her current boyfriend to make the others jealous by appearing attractive by society's standards and planning to go so far as... no, she couldn't even think about it.
Magenta was already in detention after her behaviour earlier in the week, along with far too many individuals who should have known better than to break rules right in front of the school cameras (especially since she had to review the footage manually herself - after ten damn hours, it was a miracle she hadn't given the whole school detention on principle), and Linda knew the next step would involve suspension. It would also mean discussing Magenta's behaviour with her parents. While they weren't as painful as Josie and Steve Stronghold, the Yolandas could certainly be stubborn where their daughter was concerned: in their eyes, only behaviour they deemed as wrong was actually wrong. Everyone else was simply overreacting or wrong themselves.
A migraine-inducing headache was building at her temples and she knew nothing would make it go away. Linda buried her head in her hands and groaned loudly, trying to put all of her frustration into that sound and make it leave her poor aching head.
Determining that she either needed a holiday or more coffee - or something stronger - Linda stepped out of her office, turned to her comet form, and tried to let her tension dissipate as she flew out of her home to go somewhere far, far away to get her coffee. Whether or not she returned home that day would be determined by the quality of her coffee.
...
"Holy shit, holy actual shit."
"Please, Pat, stop. Your vocabulary is far too varied; we can't understand you."
"Oh, shut up. You probably said something similar when you first saw down here," Pat said, scowling at Zach, who just grinned.
"I believe he was speechless. It's very rare for that to occur, so I kept a mental note of it," Ethan said helpfully, smiling when Zach spluttered at him.
"Hey, I'm your boyfriend, you're meant to take my side!"
"Whether you're my boyfriend or not, I refuse to take sides in something as trivial as this."
"Trivial? Aw, c'mon, Eth. I was totally crushing him. You're crushed, right?" Zach asked Pat.
"Uh huh. Totally."
Zach narrowed his eyes at Pat's deadpan tone. "I don't believe you."
Craig snorted. "Not even I believe that one. C'mon, Pat. We need your input - pit with snakes, yay or nay?"
"It's animal cruelty, Craig!" Justina called, glaring at him.
"It's a classic! We need a pit."
"Pit of despair?"
"Pit of colourful balls?"
"Ooh!" Zach began excitedly, then shook his head. "Wait, no, hygiene is a thing."
"Did you just convince yourself not to have a ball pit in two seconds?" Craig asked incredulously.
"Heidi's third birthday party was at one of those kids party places. One of the kids peed in the ball pit. I just... they've been ruined forever."
Craig shuddered violently. "Yeah, no. That's disgusting."
"Um, gross, and what are we putting in the pit? I vote for sharp spikes!" Robin called out.
"Seconded!" Justina called with a cackle.
"You're scary good at the evil cackle, Justina."
"Aw, thanks! There was a voice coach at camp. They didn't care what we did, so long as we were in the vocal range. I can totally do one of those ascending laughs, y'know, how it starts off as a small laugh and ends up in a cackle that makes you think someone's going to kill you?"
"Ooh, teach me! I want to make the death laugh," Craig said excitedly.
"Ditto!" Zach called, hurrying over to Justina.
"Can I third the vote for sharp spikes in the pit?" Pat asked, seeing the plan projected on the wall.
"Of course. We've got a list of additions on the whiteboard, and... " Ethan cut off with a heavy sigh. "For the fifth time: we are not getting a portkey! They're not even real!"
"Portkey, wormhole, portal, blackhole. Same difference," Craig called over his shoulder.
"We're not getting any of those either! They can kill people!"
"So can sharp spikes at the bottom of a pit."
"That's not the point; sharp spikes in a pit are expected and one of the common dangers for heroes and/or villains. Being sent through a blackhole, which could either destroy their very atoms or send them into an alternate dimension, is not what anyone sees in the 'expected requirements' section of a job description!"
"If we only do what's expected, people can get through it," Pat said, frowning.
"That's the point: Layla and Warren want to deal with people themselves."
"That's not very smart; what if a whole team gets through their labyrinth?" Pat asked.
"See? That's what I've been saying this whole time! We need one of those dart walls that shoot darts when there's pressure on the floor!" Ry said.
"We've already agreed to that, Ryuu. And the labyrinth will be somewhat more difficult than the usual job description. You know Pat's right, Ethan," Layla said from the doorway, Warren beside her.
He still didn't look great from his ordeal the day before, but he wasn't as pale or red-eyed as he had been. "It won't kill the smarter ones; the ones that don't make it through don't deserve to meet us."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "It's an honour."
"'Course it is," Craig said with a cackling laugh. "How was that?"
"Better," Justina said, nodding.
"You know what I meant, Popsicle," Warren said, rolling his eyes.
"Can I hug you yet?" Craig asked.
"Sure thing, Cee. I'm okay," Warren promised.
Craig stretched over to Warren, hugging him tightly. "Don't lie, dude. We can totally feel you."
"Um, what? Also, should I be concerned?" Pat asked, looking around the room.
"They have all of these cool brands that let them feel Layla and Warren's feelings. Oh, and lets them feel things back and control them, and... find them if they get kidnapped. Right?" Robin asked.
"How did you know that?"
Robin rolled their eyes. "Craig talks in his sleep and you're not exactly subtle with the whole emotional manipulation thing."
"The kidnapping thing is kind of specific though," Warren pointed out.
"Extrapolation and Craig talks in his sleep a lot," Robin repeated with a shrug.
"Can I see one of these brands? And why are they called brands?" Pat asked, somewhat concerned.
"I'll show you," Ryuu offered, blushing when the others looked at him in surprise. "What? I'm starting to get a toned chest and I doubt I'll get much opportunity to show anyone, so... oh, shut up with your faces."
Craig snorted. "You just want to show off your abs."
Ry laughed. "I just said that, shut up." He grabbed his shirt at the base of his neck, pulling the material off to reveal the full brand over his shoulder.
"All right, pose for us: we want to see these abs of yours," Zach called, laughing.
Ry threw his shirt at Zach's head. "Brand first. C'mon, Pat. I won't bite."
"You gotta ask nicely for the biting," Craig said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Ry wished he hadn't thrown his shirt already. "Shut up."
"Do you mind if I touch it? Is it alive, if you can feel things through it?" Pat asked, ignoring the others' comments for the moment.
The vine and fire brands were two single ropes of colour, intertwining in a double helix style, green and red with thorns of black and a deep blue in the flames that Pat swore were moving.
"It's not alive, but... it's kinda warm. You'll see," Ry said, grabbing Pat's hand and putting it on his shoulder.
The sudden heat in his palm made Pat jump in surprise. "Oh. That's... kind of nice?"
"Yeah, difficult to explain, huh?"
"If you were going to hurt Ry, it wouldn't feel nice at all," Warren admitted. "Zach, move back for a sec?"
"Sure; what're you doing?" Zach asked curiously as Pat continued to question Ry and the others about their brands.
"You'll see."
"How intense are the emotions you feel?" Pat asked.
"Depends on how intense Lay and Warren feel them. If it's like they are now, then it's not really noticeable. If it's like it was yesterday, then it can really fuck you up."
"It's not enjoyable, but it's rare. The spikes in lust have been... interesting."
Craig snickered. "You can say that again, Eth."
"Also so embarrassing," Zach muttered, covering his face.
"Ooh, tell!"
"No."
"Tell, tell, tell, tell, tell, tell, yell, I mean... tellllll," Craig whined.
"No, no, double no. And then no again."
"Adam! You know what Zach's talking about, right?"
"No."
"You suck!"
"No, I don't."
"Hate you."
"No, you don't."
"Ughh, you all suck."
"No, we don't."
"Craig, dear, we're trying to concentrate here," Layla called over her shoulder.
"Why, you're just standing... whoa. When the fuck did that happen?" Craig exclaimed, his eyes wide at the sight of the forest in front of them.
Layla didn't reply, trees flattening the ground along the side of the arena to create what looked like a running track. Further into the forest, dull sounds of trees falling created what they were all sure were pits filled with sharp spikes and toothpicks.
"Pit of vines that look like snakes!" Craig called suddenly, laughing. "I call dibs on going first!"
Warren clenched his jaw as trees rose up out of the ground at his command, pulling columns of earth with them and separating spaces between them to make giant and precarious spikes. A pit was at the bottom to ensure anyone who made a misstep would meet their demise in the most painful way possible.
As he continued to make traps and pits, Layla worked on the more precise dart wall, poisonous flowers encased in each small cylinder to project out at the first sign of motion. With that done, Layla turned her attention to creating trees as tall as buildings and citizens scattered throughout.
Warren finished the spikes, traps, and pits. Turning his attention to the space behind them, he created a Wing Chun wooden dummy. Ry's eyes widened eagerly and Warren grinned, nodding for his friend to test the dummy.
Ry launched himself at the dummy, hitting, blocking, and kicking in quick succession. "Awesome! Thanks, Warren."
Several more appeared with barely a thought, Warren turning back to the arena he and Layla were creating. Another crash of a tree and pit was created with an intense fire burning at the bottom. When everything was finished, Layla created a thin and strong netting to cover each pit and trap. Neither she nor Warren were going to let their friends be injured as a result of their creation, let alone die.
"Have fun but be careful," Warren said.
"All right, Dad!" Craig called over his shoulder, laughter in his tone as he darted into the forest.
"Potential for death?" Ethan asked, taking Zach's hand before he could rush in.
"Less if you watch where you're going," Layla replied.
Ethan thought about it for a moment, then nodded and stepped into the tree line with Zach by his side.
Pat looked between them and Layla and Warren, then grinned broadly and jogged after Ethan and Zach. "Wait for me!"
"Do we actually have a goal with this?" Ry asked.
"Save the citizen."
"Defeat the heroes."
"Don't die."
"Finish the whole course."
Ry looked between them, eyes narrowed. "Did you two practice that? It was creepy. Seriously creepy."
There was a high pitched scream that everyone recognised as Craig. A few seconds later there was another call. "I'm fine!"
"Super Jesus. I'll make sure he doesn't kill himself. If he dies before his date, I'll probably be haunted for the rest of my life," Ry said, shaking his head and following Craig's trail into the forest.
"Beat you to the finish line, Robin!" Justina called over her shoulder.
"Hey, no fair! You can't say that when you're already running in there!" Robin called, running after their friend. "We want brands later, don't forget!" they called over their shoulder before tackling Justina at the edge of the tree line.
Justina just laughed and carried Robin into the forest piggy-back style.
"Ace, you trying it?" Layla asked, glancing at her phone.
"Nope. I'm letting them do all the hard work and creating a map. Then I'll do it."
Warren snorted. "Cheat."
"I'm using the resources at my disposal, that's smart not cheating."
"I'll be right down!" Terrence called, the sound of Adam's door closing echoing. "You should see this thing from the roof; it's actually kinda pretty. You've seen the cameras in here, right?" he asked as he walked into the training arena, indicating to the roof.
"We saw them. You'll have to work with Adam to let us know if there's anything we've missed," Layla said.
Terrence grinned. "Sure thing. Check my schedule, Ace?"
"Sure. Have fun, dude," Adam said. When Layla and Warren were alone, he coughed to get their attention. "You should see what Magenta's been doing. Wendy saw you earlier, yeah?"
"Yeah. Is it worse?" Warren asked.
"She's just updated it again. I kinda wanna puke, but that's my normal response by now."
"We'll be right up, Ace."
Listening to their friends in the forest and arena for a moment - mostly swearing, some nervous laughter, a few screams of surprise - Layla and Warren ensured they would all be all right before heading upstairs to Adam's room.
...
"You're sure, Yuki? Positive, a hundred percent sure?" Andy asked. He wasn't sure when he had moved to sit down, only that he had been standing three minutes ago when Yuki had come home, bright-eyed with her announcement.
"Positive. There were about fifty people in this betting pool, apparently. It's kind of worrying that all of these elderly people at Edith's bridge game are so eager to bet on two strangers' love lives, but I won, so I don't care about all of that moral crap right now."
"A hundred thousand, three hundred and sixty-five dollars. You're really positive it's right?" Andy asked.
"Positive, Andy. I even got Honey to write it down in both numerical and word format so I could check everything. Of course, we're on the run from the government with different names and the IRS are the usual sticks in the mud, so we don't get it all at once. We'll be getting it over the next two years: you and I get it as a gift of $15,000 each, and Sen and Rose will get $10,000 added to a trust fund for them as a gift. It's the most you can gift to individuals without being taxed," Yuki added. "Next year will be the same for us and the kids will get whatever's leftover."
"Do we tell the kids?"
"Tell us what?" Sen asked, narrowing his eyes as he came into the room to see his father pale and his mother looking happier than he'd seen in a while.
"Are you keeping secrets from us?" Rose asked, following her brother inside and crossing her arms over her chest.
"We're getting takeaway for dinner, my treat since I start my new job tomorrow. I was going to surprise you, but I guess it's too late for that," Yuki said, raising her eyebrow at her daughter's tone.
"Oh. Okay. What are we having?"
"Nothing if you keep up that tone, Miss Attitude."
"Sorry, Ma."
"Can we order?" Sen asked eagerly.
"Can we stop you?" Andy asked, laughing when Sen shook his head quickly.
"Pizza? Ribs? Ribs on pizza?"
"I vote pizza. With garlic bread," Rose added hopefully.
"Sure, why not?" Yuki said, grinning.
"Awesome, thanks!"
As their children ordered dinner and set the table, Andy looked to Yuki and made himself stand up on shaky legs. "You're sure about not telling them?" he asked, voice quiet as he hugged her.
"It's just until we actually get it, then we'll tell them," Yuki murmured in response. "So much changes in an instant, I don't want to give them false hope."
"False hope is agreeing to garlic bread once. You know it's a rip off; we can buy it so much cheaper at the store and cook it ourselves!" Andy said as he pulled away from their hug.
"That just means you're not getting any, Andy," Yuki teased.
"Hey! I didn't mean that!"
...
Craig sat at the table, glancing to the door every time it opened. Finally, Beau walked in. Craig smiled brightly and waved. Beau seemed surprised to see him, but smiled as he headed over.
"Hey, Beau. You're early."
"So are you," Beau said with a grin. "How long have you been here?"
"Uh, since... well, eleven."
"Our date isn't until twelve."
"I know. I didn't want to be late."
Beau laughed as he sat down, reaching across the table to squeeze Craig's hand. "I don't think there's a chance you would be late by arriving an hour early."
"How long do you think it'll take for Grant and Jewel to get here?" Craig asked, his cheeks flushed at the touch of Beau's hand on his. He turned his hand so they could thread their fingers together.
Beau looked at their hands for a long moment, trying to calm his thundering heart.
"Is this okay?" Craig asked quietly, worried at how still Beau was.
Beau nodded shyly, caressing the back of Craig's hand with his thumb. "Very okay. To answer your earlier question, I think Grant and Jewel will be here in about two minutes."
"That's very specific."
"Jewel's car just arrived," Beau admitted, nodding down the road to where he could see Grant getting out of the car.
"Oh, awesome!"
Craig waved as Grant and Jewel walked in the door, both of them looking amused on seeing both Craig and Beau already waiting.
"We're here fifteen minutes early. How long have you been waiting?" Jewel asked, kissing Craig's cheek before sitting down.
"I've only been here about five minutes," Beau said.
"I've been here since eleven," Craig admitted, kissing Grant's cheek.
"Can I kiss your cheek, Beau?" Grant asked hopefully.
Beau nodded, the words stuck in his throat. Grant smiled and leaned down to press a chaste kiss to his cheek.
"Can I kiss your mouth?" Jewel asked, licking her lips.
"Jewel."
"It's not my fault he looks so damn kissable."
"Jewel."
"Yes," Beau said, cheeks burning.
Jewel's eyes widened slightly. "You're sure?"
He nodded firmly. Before her boyfriends could stop her, Jewel leaned over and kissed Beau, her lips soft against his. Beau licked his lips as she pulled away, both of them blushing, though Jewel looked like she was ready to climb in his lap and kiss him senseless if given the chance.
"We're meant to talk first. That's what this whole date is about," Grant said. He sat next to Jewel and very pointedly kissed Beau's taste from her mouth.
"Me next," Craig said, squeezing Beau's hand tightly and glad this restaurant had long tablecloths to hide his growing erection.
Jewel turned from Grant's kiss to kiss Craig deeply, her tongue caressing his and her hand slipping beneath the table to squeeze his thigh. She could feel how all of this was impacting Craig and wished they were somewhere with more privacy.
"Jewel, down," Grant murmured, placing a hand on hers.
She pulled away from Craig with a sigh and pout, though she smiled at the blush on his cheeks. "Super Jesus, you're gorgeous."
"He really is," Beau agreed breathlessly, clutching Craig's hand tight.
"I don't want to assume, even after all that, so I have to ask. Will you be with us?" Grant asked Beau, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. He liked Beau - he was smart and funny and could get them through panic attacks and he really, really wanted to kiss him after that small taste from Jewel - and he wanted to learn more about him so he could fall in love with him, too. Grant doubted it would take long at all.
Beau looked between the three of them - Craig's blush gone thanks to a fast shift - and smiled at the hope he saw on their faces. "I want to be with you. Whatever it takes."
The relief was palpable and Grant tugged his backpack open to bring out a small stack of papers. Beau's eyes widened at them, but nodded firmly and started to read as Grant, Jewel, and Craig explained what the papers meant. They had lists of their own likes and dislikes, a questionnaire about his own, as well as what he was comfortable with (pet names, PDA, visiting a store called the Sweet Spot with them), and the rules.
The rules were similar to the likes and dislikes but also included a few extra statements:
No dates without Jewel, unless agreed upon earlier
Talk about everything, even if it's awkward - miscommunication and misunderstandings hurts hearts
No sex with Craig until allowed by guardian, Victor Harland - currently 18th birthday
A handwritten note was beneath it stating Grant and Jewel had chosen not to have sex with each other until that time, either. Beau looked from the note to the three around him.
"How long until you turn eighteen?"
Craig winced. "Seven months and twenty five days."
"Super Jesus."
"I know. I'm sorry!"
"No. Not that, Craig. You don't have to be sorry," Beau said quickly - misunderstandings and miscommunication hurt hearts, after all. "I'm just surprised, but it's not a bad thing. How long have you been waiting?" he asked Jewel and Grant.
"I haven't been keeping track," Grant said with a shrug.
"Six months, eighteen days, and four hours since my last non-battery operated orgasm," Jewel said.
Poor Craig looked miserable and Beau felt bad for asking.
"The Skype dates are awesome. We get to watch," Grant said, smiling at their girlfriend.
"You can't watch in the same room?" Beau asked curiously.
Jewel shook her head. "I'm too irresistible, apparently."
"It's true," Grant said, grinning as he kissed the back of her hand.
"I can imagine," Beau admitted, his cheeks red as he did exactly that.
"I'll be right back," Craig said, groaning as he stood up, a minuscule shift making his clothes straighter than they were before he headed to the bathroom.
"So is it just sex or are there other rules with Craig?" Beau asked.
"Mostly sex. We try to see what boundaries we can push, but Grant has to be convinced first."
Grant shrugged. "I'm fine being the voice of reason. I don't want to be a teenage father any more than you want to be a teen mother, Jewel."
"That's what contraception is for."
"It's not 100% effective and you know it. Besides, you heard what Ida said about Craig's ability to get pregnant."
"Wait, what?" Beau asked in surprise.
"Craig can shift into anyone, including someone with a uterus and womb, meaning he can get pregnant."
"He's gotta have at least one period to tell you both how awful it is and you can be sympathetic and bring me chocolate when I'm in pain," Jewel said decisively.
Grant looked at Beau. "Are you all right with Craig potentially doing that?"
Beau swallowed hard at the mental image of Craig pregnant, and nodded firmly. "I need to go back to the likes section," he muttered, his cheeks pink as he flipped back through the pages.
Craig returned to their table, cheeks flushed and hands thoroughly washed. "What did I miss?"
"Beau likes the idea of you pregnant, babe," Jewel said, winking.
"What? We haven't even started properly dating yet!" Craig said incredulously, then grinned when he saw the red blush on Beau's cheeks. "You want to see me all fat with your babies, huh?" he asked, shifting so heavy breasts began to form and his stomach rounded out.
Beau's whole face turned red and his jaw dropped. He excused himself with an unintelligible stammer, knocking into something fragile along the way to the bathroom but not pausing to stop, his pants uncomfortably tight. Grant was a few seconds behind him, apologising to the staff for the broken crockery over his shoulder.
Apparently the answer was yes.
Jewel snickered at their abrupt departure, then looked at Craig. "You're not actually pregnant right now, are you?"
Craig shifted back and shook his head. "I was just seriously bloated. We're sitting down, it looked similar enough."
Jewel considered that for a moment then shrugged. "Can you have a period so you can tell them how awful it is so I get more sympathy?"
"No?"
"Aww, but you don't know how horrible it is! And with my everything, it's worse."
Craig really didn't want to know. "You're not really selling it for me."
"Oh, I know. It just sucks so damn bad. Every month, too. Like, who did I kill in a past life to go through this shit now?"
"Are you actually asking? 'Cause the Department of Births, Death, Re-death, and Marriages could have a record of it."
"I keep forgetting to check my past lives. I kinda wanna know but at the same time, what if I was some horrible person?"
Craig just nodded, his gaze drawn to Beau and Grant leaving the bathroom, both looking dishevelled. Grant had a beard burn on his neck and Beau's clothes were obviously stained, Beau adjusting his shirt to try to cover up.
"Aww, they made out without us," Jewel said with a pretty pout.
"Excuse me, sirs? You'll need to leave the establishment. We don't condone that sort of behaviour here. The same is true if you had been in there with your girlfriend," the manager added, apologetic but stern.
"Right. Sorry about that," Grant said, taking Beau's hand and leading him over to the table.
"Why are we being kicked out? We didn't do anything," Jewel said with a glare.
"You want to stay here without us?" Grant asked pointedly, grabbing the stack of papers off the table and stuffing them in his bag.
Craig and Jewel looked at each other with grins, but Beau was still blushing adorably pink and the manager was waiting nearby to ensure they left, so they stood and followed their boyfriends outside.
"I can't believe that just happened."
"What, that we got kicked out?" Craig asked.
"I've never been kicked out of a place before," Beau admitted.
"Beau, dearest, we just had orgasms in the middle of the day in a restaurant after discussing a polyamorous relationship and kink negotiation in the dining area. I'm surprised they didn't kick us out sooner," Grant said, shrugging.
Jewel laughed as Beau's ears turned pink. "Oh, now that is cute. I want to bite them," she said, biting her lip.
"Huh?"
"Your ears are pink. I think poor Beau's embarrassed."
Beau groaned, stopping on the sidewalk and burying his face in his hands. "I can't believe we just did that. Also, I'm pretty sure I broke something valuable."
"It was a cheap vase they can replace at Target," Craig said, then grinned. "I can't believe you're still walking around with spunk on your pants." Beau made a horrified noise, and Craig winced at the noise. Tugging on Beau's hands, he kissed him firmly and set an illusion. "There, better? It won't last all day, and try not to disrupt it if you can. Illusions are fickle, no matter how much power I've got."
"Thanks, babe. Uh, you do like being called babe, right?"
Craig nodded again. "By you three? Hell yes."
"Oh, there's a coffee shop. Let's get something to eat; Grant can pay since he got us kicked out of the restaurant," Jewel said, looping her arms around Beau and Craig's arms.
Grant didn't mind since it gave him the opportunity to watch their asses as they walked ahead of him to go to Koffeebahn.
"My eyes are up here, Grant," Craig called over his shoulder with a laugh.
Grant just grinned and followed his girlfriend and boyfriends without a word of complaint.
...
End of the hundred and thirty-eighth chapter.
