A Different Fate

by Musal

What if Train didn't know Creed killed Saya? What if he believed it was Chronos? What if Train helped Creed create the Apostles to get revenge on Chronos? What happens when Train learns the truth? CxT

33. Dinner Date

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

---

Charden drummed his fingers along a hardwood table, Echidna sitting next to him with a worried look on her face. After a few minutes, she reached out and took a gentle hold of his hand, trying to break her partner from his troubled thoughts.

"We don't have to do this right now if you don't want to…" She spoke calmly, caressing his hand with her fingers as she spoke.

Charden sighed and held her hand tenderly. "No. I've put it off long enough. I need to have this talk with him and make sure he understands the consequences his impulsive actions caused."

It had been a month since their encounter with Chronos as the sweepers and Charden had been refusing to speak to Jax until he cooled off. It was unlike him to be so angry for such a long time, but after the stunt his protege had pulled, Charden needed time to get his thoughts together before he had a proper conversation with him.

But I need to get this done before I check in with my undercover team. I can't keep putting this off. It's going to spoil our plans.

Charden nodded and released his lover's hand. "I'm ready. Can you retrieve him, my dear?"

Echidna smiled, then kissed the man's hand gently before standing up and walking towards the door that led to the kitchen. They were sitting outside on a small terrace, the boy waiting just on the other side of the door since he had been told Charden wanted to speak with him. The actress was back with him in no time, taking her seat next to the man once more as Jax stared at him with an apprehensive look.

Charden wanted to smile to comfort the child but knew the expression wouldn't let him see how disappointed he still was. He gestured for Jax to sit, which the teejndid so quickly, eager to make up for his blunder to his hero. The three of them sat there for a few minutes in silence, everyone waiting for Charden to say something. Finally, the Blood Taoist sighed and addressed Jax.

"Let's get straight to the point. What the hell were you thinking?" Charden made sure his voice conveyed how irate he was over the whole ordeal.

Jax sat on the edge of his seat and spoke quickly. He had been practicing what he was going to say for weeks, but now that the time had arrived, he felt unprepared. "I-I heard a lot of noise! I thought something might have been wrong and now that my Tao has awakened, I thought I could help. I-"

Charden slammed his hand on the table to make the boy stop talking. "That's enough sniffling! You are aware we had the Black Cat and his friends right where we wanted them, correct?"

Jax's face drained of color as he stuttered. "I-I didn't know that…"

Charden glared at the boy. "Not only was the Black Cat about to come quietly with us, but we were going to finally be rid of that number that's been following them once and for all. You know how hard we've been working towards both those goals, right?

Jax nodded. "He's… He's not dead?"

Echidna sighed and spoke for her lover. "As far as we know, he is not. Chronos left with him and we haven't seen or heard from him since. We can only assume Sephiria was able to patch him up before he died."

"O-oh…" Jax whispered as he looked down.

Charden watched the boy for a minute, then spoke. "I hate to say it… But if it wasn't for Hearnet… You would also be with Sephiria right now."

Jax looked up quickly. "No, I wouldn't! I would have definitely broken out by now!"

Charden rolled his eyes. "Creed has told me the story of how hard he and Train had to fight to break out of Chronos headquarters when they were leaving the organization. What makes you think you're that much better than them?"

Jax frowned. "They didn't have Tao to help them back then…"

Charden rolled his eyes. "Those men weaponless without their Tao are stronger than you as you stand right now."

The boy winced a little at his words. "I just wanted to help…"

"And how many times do I have to tell you you can help by training and getting stronger? You are of no use to us right now and you are especially of no use to us if you're captured by Chronos." He could tell his words hurt the boy, but he didn't care.

"I wouldn't have told them anything…" Jax said quietly, avoiding his hero's gaze. "I would have died before I told them anything…"

Charden sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You are of no use to us dead either! And you may not have had a choice in what you did or did not say. Torture isn't the only thing Chronos is capable of using to get information out of their enemies."

"I just wanted to help!" Jax said, desperately. "You keep telling me to train and wait until I'm ready. How much longer will that be?"

Charden slammed his fist on the table again. "You'll be ready when I say you're ready! The timeline of which is not important!" He took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses. "Sorry… I didn't mean to shout. If you want to speed up your abilities, then you need to train more. Not follow us into the unknown."

Jax was quiet and still for a minute, before nodding his head in understanding. "It… It won't happen again, Charden. I promise…"

Charden stared down at him for a minute, before nodding his head. "Good."

Jax knew that meant he could leave, but he wasn't ready yet. "Why… Why did the Black Cat save me?"

Echidna rolled her eyes. "Because he's too damn soft… He and Creed both. Let's not forget Diskenth tried to protect you as well."

Charden frowned at her words, knowing they were true. "He even offered to come with us to save Number X… It's like he's a completely different person."

The actress rolled her eyes. "Almost. He's still fixated on Heartnet."

Charden nodded in agreement, then remembered Jax was still there and decided to answer his question. "According to Creed, the Black Cat has always had a soft spot for children. I imagine he knew what Chronos would probably do to you and seeing as you're still in one piece with us, he figured you were better off with us than with them."

Jax frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Sounds like he was right…"

Charden sighed. "I know he was. Now leave before I decide to berate you for your actions again."

Jax stood slowly, then bowed politely before leaving quickly. Once he was gone, Echidna turned back to her partner. "Do you really think he learned his lesson?"

Charden shrugged his shoulders. "Only time will tell…"

Echidna stared at him for a second before speaking again. "What will you do if he does something like that again?"

The Blood Taoist gave her a weary look. "I… Don't know. All I can do is hope he gets the picture and stays put until he's ready."

Echidna frowned, sad to see her partner losing his patients easier these days. The stress of running this organization was starting to get to his normally calm demeanor and she didn't like seeing the man she loved being so distraught.

The woman reached out and massaged his shoulder slightly, giving him a warm smile as she spoke. "Why don't you relax for the rest of the day? You've been running yourself ragged."

Charden sighed as he leaned back into her caresses. "You know I can't. I still need to meet with Doctor about the improvements he's made on the Chronos drug. I'm also still waiting for an update from our undercover team."

Echidna sighed and stood slowly. "I'll deal with Nica and the others. You deal with Doctor. After that, you'll rest whether you like it or not."

Charden gave her a small smile. "Thank you, my dear."

I can't believe Creed ever took advantage of your loyalty…

Echidna gave him one last smile before leaving. He barely had a chance to think about his lover for a moment longer before he heard a loud crash of thunder, followed by a bright flash of lightning a few feet away from him. Charden looked over and saw Doctor standing there with Aja and Aztec on either side of the large panther. Aztec started to slowly sway back and forth, but Aja pressed against the wolf, helping him stand from the apparent dizziness the sudden transportation had caused him. Charden actually felt a pang of guilt for the creature, knowing Aja's flashing all too well and the motion sickness it caused.

Doctor left his creatures and stepped over to Charden, waiting for his leader to gesture for him to sit. Once he did, he folded his hands on the table and smirked wildly at the man. "The drug is ready."

Charden blinked at his straightforward statement, but nodded proudly in response. "Good. Now we just need to get the Black Cat back here."

Doctor's mood changed suddenly as he glared at the blonde man. "We would have had him if you didn't let the boy get in the way."

Charden rubbed his eyes and sighed. "We're not getting into this conversation again. We've already met with the rest of the team and closed the subject and Jax has been properly reprimanded."

Kanzaki seemed to be personally offended by that statement. "Reprimanded? That's it? Did you send him to time out as well?"

Charden glared at the man. "Don't start, Doctor…" With a flick of his wrist, he took control of the man's arms, pinning them to the table as he spoke. "Or do I need to remind you how I'm beginning to handle your stubbornness?"

Doctor sighed and nodded his head. "Understood…"

The last few weeks, Charden had appeared to have taken a page out of Creed's book and was slowly becoming a bit more violent. Although Echidna didn't seem to like it, Doctor was pleased that his leader was finally starting to see what it actually took to run this group. The biggest issue he had with the normally passive man running the terrorist organization was he was too leaninent. While he had earned the respect of the rest of the group, Doctor was worried he was going to be too soft to stoop to the levels he knew they needed to stoop to in order to win.

Being pinned down by his abilities is actually refreshing. I just hope Charden keeps this momentum going so we can do what needs to be done in the future.

Charden nodded and let the man go, then looked over at the creatures who seemed to be exploring the yard together, tails wrapped around each other as they walked. "And the beasts? How has it been going with them?"

Doctor smiled proudly as he watched his monstrous creations frolic as best as demons could. "Wonderfully. I still need Heartnet's DNA to further improve Aja's skills, but Aztec has grown quite beautifully. But that's thanks to the excess blood I took from Creed."

Charden rolled his eyes. "I get it, Doctor, you need the Black Cat. We're working on it."

Doctor was about to make a sarcastic comment, but stopped himself when he saw the warning his leader gave him. "Other than that, they are reacting to each other the way I expected. They are inseparable. Their bond is so strong that they refuse to be apart. That's the only reason Aztec is here now. He probably would have destroyed the lab if I left with Aja and not him."

That statement made Charden uneasy and he let it be known. "Doesn't that mean they're… codependent? Are you insinuating that about our former leaders?"

Doctor laughed loudly. "No, not at all. Well… Creed maybe a little, but certainly not Train. Similar to Train, Aja needs her alone time and I have to deal with a depressed Aztec during that time. You have to remember, they are beasts, as you put it earlier. The bond they've created is a pact between animals, not love between partners. Heartnet and Diskenth are humans who have made it clear they can exist outside of each other. Aja and Aztec see each other as their pact that they need to protect."

Charden laughed bitterly as he watched the creatures play with one another. It would have been cute if they weren't monsters. "I'd like to redirect you to your earlier statement about Creed being a different story. You remember how he was when Train left."

Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, but Creed was also not stable back then. His time apart from us and Chronos seems to have given him a bit of balance that before only Heartnet could provide him."

Charden eyed the beasts with a strange curiosity, then nodded. "True…" He turned back to Doctor with a serious look in his eyes. "How is it going with the nanomachines? Any new weapons to speak of? Any improvements with the children?"

Kanzaki's smirk widened and he adjusted his glasses. "Everything is going very well. In fact, better than well, it's been perfect. Every child has taken to the nanomachines wonderfully and those that have been infused with Hearnet and Diskenth DNA have shown a beautiful combination of the nanomachines and foriegn genes put into their bodies."

Charden cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

Doctor's smile widened. "I think you'll just have to see for yourself when they're ready. But, trust me when I say… You will be very pleased…"

Charden looked him up and down, then nodded. "What about Jax? He seems to be doing well."

Doctor sighed in frustration. "As much as I dislike that boy, he's coming along better than anyone else. If he keeps training, he will be a valuable asset."

Charden smirked. "Hence why I went out of my way to keep him safe."

Doctor brushed his words away in frustration and stood. "Will there be anything else? I would like to get back to Alle before she starts something I have not approved of."

Charden nodded and waved him away, watching as he approached his creatures again. With a German command, a loud boom, and a flash, he was gone once more. The Apostles' leader leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes, allowing himself a moment before he checked in on his partner and the other half of their team. However, before he even had a chance to open his eyes, he heard the door open once more and lifted his head to see the actress giving him a proud look.

Charden lifted his head and eyed her strangely. "Update?"

Echidna's illustrious smile grew as she nodded her elegant head. "Yes. Let's just say… We're in."

---

Train sighed as he leaned over a piece of paper that held a recipe his friend was making. "Seriously, Creed, why can't you recruit Eve for this? You know I don't know what I'm doing here."

Creed chuckled at his love as he placed a tray of chicken in the oven. "They're still not back yet. Also, watching you struggle is so much more fun. You can't deny me those simple pleasures in life."

Train mumbled under his breath. "My annoyance and ignorance should not amuse you…"

Creed looked over his shoulder at his beloved. "Well, it does when it's adorable."

Train made a strangled noise and picked up the paper to cover his face. "You say that about everything I do. That word has lost meaning when coming from you."

Creed rolled his eyes and turned back to face his beloved fully. "It's not my fault you fit the definition of the word so well. Either become less adorable, or get over it."

Train couldn't help the jubilant smile that spread across his face and tried to cover it up with the thin piece of paper that he held. "Whatever…"

Creed sighed peacefully at him. "You're aware that even that word coming from your mouth lights my heart on fire, right?"

Train tried to scoff, but it came out as a chuckle as he responded to the man. "And you're aware that you literally invited another Kyoko over for dinner tonight, right?"

Creed frowned at his love's back as Train turned away from him and placed the recipe back on the counter. "Does it bother you that much that I invited them over, Train?"

Train sighed and shook his head. "No… It actually only further proves how much you've changed. Your old demeanor wouldn't have given those unfortunate people a second glance let alone offer to cook them a free meal."

Creed beamed happily at his love's kind words, but spoke in a slightly regretful tone. "Please don't use that word so readily… Sven might come in here and set the kitchen on fire to get us out of it."

Train laughed and turned around so he could look fully at Creed, leaning his back against the counter and dropping the recipe he was looking at in the process. "What word? You mean fre-"

His words were cut off as Creed leapt forward and covered his face with his hand. "Shh! Yes! It's like a dog whistle to that man!"

Train blushed brightly at the contact, but made sure his eyes were mischievous as he looked at his sweeper partner and pulled Creed's hand away slightly to continue messing with the man. "Why did you agree to giving a free meal to a bunch of strangers, anyway?"

Creed glared at his beloved and clasped two hands over his mouth, giving Train a stern look as he spoke. "Seriously, Train! I didn't tell him yet!"

Train cocked an eyebrow at the man and pulled Creed's hand away gently, but kept his fingers wrapped around the man's digits. "Chill, Creed. He's not even here right now. But, why didn't you tell him?"

Creed sighed and tangled his fingers with Train, his other hand resting on the kitchen counter that his Kitten's back leaned on, taking a step towards his beloved. "Because I didn't think he'd be okay with knowing I offered to cook, for free, for a bunch of people we just met. You know how he gets with money."

Train rolled his eyes. "Yes, but is he wrong in this situation? It's not like we're flushed with cash right now."

Creed sighed and leaned forward, resting his head gently on Train's chest as he spoke. "I know… But I couldn't just ignore that family's turmoil. That would have been heartless…"

Train felt his heart beginning to pick up speed as Creed moved a little closer to him, feeling the silver man's finger tangling with his own only made the heat in his chest worse. "That's… That's nice to hear…"

Creed lifted his head so he could look in his Kitten's eyes and frowned slightly. "Why? You know I was homeless at one point, right?"

Train blinked his eyes in confusion, but the heat in his heart did not lessen. "You were?"

Creed nodded and caressed his love's face with the back of his hand. "Yes. When I was a kid my mother kicked me out. I was on the street until I tried to go home which is when… it happened… Then, I was homeless again until I joined Chronos."

Train didn't need to know what the man meant by 'it' and he could tell Creed didn't want to talk about it. Still, the cat wiped away the single tear that fell from his friend's eye and gave him a warm smile. "What happened to you when you were a kid was not your fault. It was self defense. And as long as I'm around, you'll always have a roof over your head."

Creed leaned into his love's touch and sighed blissfully. "Thank you, Train…" Seeing his Kitten was beginning to lose himself in the moment, Creed took another step closer and tried to bring the conversation back to the people coming over. "Can you explain to me why it's nice to hear that I care about providing these people a proper meal?"

Train's heart felt ready to leap out of his chest as his eyes met Creed's passionate blue ones, forgetting the question almost immediately after being asked it. "What?"

Creed chuckled and moved even closer to his beloved, tightening the fingers that were twisted around Train's and moving his other arm so it was resting on the counter behind his love. "Why is it nice to hear that I care about feeding a homeless family?"

Train's breathing picked up speed as Creed's face moved even closer to his own, knowing he wasn't going to be able to control himself if the silver man moved any closer to him. "W-well, after hearing that story I understand more. But before I thought it was just… so uncharacteristic of you…"

Creed smirked and moved his face even closer to Train. "Why did you think that before you heard my story?"

Train swallowed when he felt Creed's breath against his face, fighting the urge to press his lips against the other man's. "You never used to care about anyone other than me or yourself… Now you're making meals for people you barely know who are struggling making ends meet…"

Creed sighed and moved his hand so it tangled into Train's hair earnestly, his body preparing itself for something it desperately wanted from his cat. "What can I say? You've changed my views on the world and the people in it. You've made me a more empathetic person, Kitten..."

Train barely registered the pet name Creed used on him since he was lost in Creed's eyes and lips. His entire body was on fire as the swordsman moved even closer to him and he licked his lips subconsciously in preparation for what his heart was begging to happen next. His hand wrapped its fingers around Creed's firmly, making sure it had a tight hold on the man as his other hand placed itself delicately on the swordsman's waist to pull him a little closer. He felt Creed's body obey his repressed desires as the silverette took another step forward, pressing their bodies against one another fervently as Train moved his face even closer to Creed's.

The cat smiled zealously as he felt Creed's breath slide down his neck and to his chest, shivering in pleasure at the contact and the thought of what could possibly happen next. He nuzzled his face against Creed's, not aware of how loving and affectionate he was since he was just listening to what his heart was asking him to do. All logic left Train as he followed his gut completely, pressing his forehead against Creed's as he looked profoundly into the other man's eyes.

"...What were we talking about?" Train asked through breathless words.

Creed chuckled and moved his face even close to his cat, brushing his lips gently against Train's as he spoke. "Do you really care about that, or do you just want to kiss me?"

Train felt himself closing the distance between them before pushing away from the man, jumping on the counter behind him as he took the recipe with him. "Wh-what the hell is rice wine vinegar, anyway? You're aware we're serving underaged people tonight, right?"

Creed pouted as his love jumped away from him, his arms still leaning on the counter as he lowered his head in defeat. "It's not actually wine, Train..."

Train glanced at Creed over the paper, making sure to keep his distance since he still had the overwhelming urge to kiss the man. "Then what is it?"

Creed sighed as he lifted his head slightly to see his love. He could tell Train was purposefully changing the conversation to something completely off topic to prevent them from embracing one another again.

Oh, my dear Train, why do you have to be so difficult? You want it just as badly as I do, I can tell!

"In rice wine vinegar. They convert the alcohol into acetic acid which is made by fermenting the sugars in rice into alcohol, and then into acetic acid to make the vinegar. It has a mild, less acidic taste than white distilled vinegar, and is definitely sweeter."

Train blinked at the man's explanation. "So… We're making a sweet chicken sauce?"

Creed laughed despite the ever growing frustrating heat in his chest as he watched his beloved's naive face. "Tu as tellement de chance que tu es mignon." (1)

Train cocked an eyebrow at the man, unable to control the flirtatious comment that left his lip. "Oh vraiment? Quel sort m'attendrait si je ne l'étais pas?" (2)

Creed licked his lips, pleased with how easy it was to get them back on a more amorous subject. "Voulez-vous que je vous montre?" (3)

When Train saw Creed move closer to him again, he jumped off the counter and made his way over to the cabinet they knew they had vinegar in. "L-Let's just use regular vinegar. I'm going to mess it up if I make something as complicated as that."

Train glanced over his shoulder and saw the broken look on Creed's face and frowned painfully.

That was my fault… I set him up for it. Why did I say that?

He knew the answer to that question already. His heart was beating so fast in his chest he was sure Creed could hear it and he felt like he was swimming in a pool of fire. As he crouched down to grab the glass bottle, he heard Creed sigh and walk over to the freezer, opening it to most likely attempt to cool himself down. Train turned to watch his friend, hating himself for continuing to subconsciously toy with the man's emotions.

Is it really so bad if I kiss him? What… Harm could it do if I caved in to my desires right now?

Again, he knew the answer to that since he was sure kissing Creed now would only lead to something more heated in a matter of seconds. Sighing, Train stood up and faced the man, trying to change the subject again. "Did you set a timer for the chicken?"

Creed pulled his head out of the freezer and gave Train a startled look before cursing and pulling out his phone. He slammed the freeze door shut and set a timer, then smiled thankfully at his love. "By the way, we can't use regular vinegar. It's not the same. Did you not listen to my explanation at all?"

Train pouted and threw his arms in the air. "I did! I just know I'm going to mess it up! Why did you give that part to me?"

Creed giggled and took a gentle hold of his love's wrist to lead him back to the paper that held the recipe. "I believe I already answered that question."

Train groaned as he allowed himself to be led back to the one area he didn't want to go to. "Why did you have to trust me with that part…?"

Creed gave his love a sincere smile as he picked the recipe off the floor and placed it back on the counter. "Because I trust you with everything, Train."

Train blushed at the man's sweet smile and turned away quickly, snatching the paper from him and attempted to read the words it held. "Wh-whatever…" Without looking at Creed, he pointed an accusing finger at the man. "Don't."

Creed laughed again and shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't say anything."

Train eyed him wearily from the corner of his eye. "This time…"

Creed leaned on the counter and watched his beloved fondly as Train tried to figure out what to do with the recipe. After a few minutes of staring, he sighed longingly and leaned over the paper with his love. "It's really not that hard, Train. Just follow the instructions."

Train frowned at the paper. "I understand that. It's just… I'm worried about measuring something wrong or leaving out a certain ingredient because I'm so nervous about messing it up."

Creed pouted. "Why are you so worried around messing it up?"

Train sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Because I don't want my incompetence to make your cooking look bad."

Creed smiled lovingly and patted Train's hand gently. "You're so sweet, Train…"

Train glanced at the hand that patted his, then back at Creed's face. His heart started beating fast again as their eyes locked and he felt himself leaning forward slightly, his eyes falling to the other man's lips once more. When he noticed Creed leaning towards him as well, Train pulled his face and hand away, turning his back to the swordsman.

"A-are you gonna keep staring at me or help me?" Train leaned his elbow on the counter, then rested his head in his hand as he tried to read the recipe that he had already gone through a thousand times.

Creed watched his beloved's back, stopping himself from turning Train around and kissing him passionately and took a deep breath. He stepped past his love and to one of the cabinets. "We'll need honey and soy sauce too. I'll get that."

Train blinked at him in confusion. "Honey and soy sauce? Just what the hell are we making?"

Despite how upset he was at constantly being rejected, Creed couldn't help but laugh at his love's uninformed culinary brain. "It's kind of a sweet chicken, like you said. I've never done it before, so we'll have to see how it turns out before we put it in our meal rotation."

Train frowned. "If you've never made it before, what makes you think I can?"

Creed turned around and gave him another innocent smile. "Because, like I said before, I trust you."

Train glared at the man despite his blushing cheeks. "Or you just enjoy seeing me get flustered and frustrated."

Creed shrugged his shoulders and put the new ingredients down on the counter next to his love, poking Train's nose lovingly. "Maybe."

Train attempted to smack the man's hand away, but Creed only grabbed his wrist and spun him around so the cat's back was against his chest, wrapping his arm around his beloved's shoulder as the other slithered around his waist. Train felt himself freeze a little, then relax as Creed held him closer, the silver man's breath tumbling down his neck as he leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"Is this sweeper life dulling your skills, or did you want me to catch you?" Creed made sure his lips brushed against his Kitten's ear as he spoke, making one last attempt to kiss the man before he gave up for the evening.

Train shook his head, the gesture coming out far more abandoned than he meant it to. "If anything, the sweeper life has cleared my head and made me stronger than ever."

Creed chuckled and nuzzled his face against Train's cheek. "Then why are you trapped in my arms like a rat?"

Train scoffed, unaware of how shaky his voice sounded as he spoke. "How dare you? I'm a cat. The Black Cat, in fact. Don't forget it."

Creed moved his face closer to Train's, his lips caressing the golden man's cheek as he spoke. "Oh… I never will, my cat…"

With one swift movement, Creed turned Train around and pushed him against the kitchen counter. Train did nothing to stop the man as Creed pressed his lips intensely against his own, surprised he had been able to resist his strong desires for as long as he did since he knew that kiss was what he wanted more than anything else in the world at that moment. As soon as their lips met, the cat felt rockets exploding in his chest and his arm slid up Creed's back and clutched his shoulder tightly. Train used one arm to pull the swordsman's body so it was flushed against his own, his other arm tangling itself in Creed's hair as he massaged the silver man's tongue with his own.

The swordsman wrapped his arms around Train's waist and gripped his love to his chest earnestly, making sure his cat couldn't leave his grasp even if he wanted. However, after hearing the moan that left Train's mouth, Creed was sure his Kitten wanted this kiss just as much as he did. The swordsman plunged his tongue deep into Train's mouth, tasting and touching every inch of the other man that he could. He felt himself moaning with his beloved, pressing Train closer to his body as he deepened the kiss even further.

Train had been longing so terribly to feel the man's tongue caress his own that he welcomed the appendage to enter his mouth even further, leaning his head back slightly to give Creed more access. He tightened his hold on Creed's shoulder and pulled him even closer, twirling their tongues together as the world slipped away from him, leaving only him and the swordsman in the vacant kitchen. The cat's other hand gripped tightly at Creed's hair, pressing their lips closer together as he sucked earnestly at the other man's tongue.

Creed's entire body was consumed by the heat of his passion for the man in his arms and he allowed that passion to take over. As he held onto Train's waist tightly, he lifted his love up and onto the counter, then wrapped his arms around the gunman's back to pull them against each other once more. Creed moaned heavenly as he moved Train closer to him, his heart beating as one with his love's as he held tightly to his beloved, desperate to taste and feel as much of his Kitten as he could. He twirled and spun his tongue eagerly around Train's, moaning and groaning lustfully at each taste and sensation he received.

"Mmm… Train…" Creed moaned between breaths, knowing their kiss was getting out of control quickly and not feeling the urge to slow it down at all. "I love you so much…"

Train pulled Creed's face closer and returned the silver man's moan with a passionate one of his own, his brain not registering the sound he made or swordsman's words since all he could sense was the other man's lips and tongue massaging and caressing his own. He felt Creed's hand slowly slid up the front of his shirt and he sighed lewdly, his body ready to move to the next level despite knowing he promised himself he wouldn't until he figured out what he wanted out of their relationship. Train leaned back a little, pulling Creed's face with him as he spread his legs to allow the other man more access, his logical side checking out as his animalistic side took over.

Creed felt his love's leg's separate and took the invitation with glee. He took a step forward and slipped his other hand up Train's shirt, his nimble fingers exploring every inch of the gunman, basking in each moan his Kitten let out, relishing how his perfect smooth skin and firm muscles felt beneath his finger tips. When Train wrapped both of his hands behind his head and tangled them harshly into his silver locks, Creed moved his hands up to Train's nipples and rubbed his thumb across each of them once. Hearing his beloved's breathing get faster and moans get louder, Creed did it again and again rejoicing in the canorous music Train made.

Feeling Train pull him closer, Creed following readily and kept one hand caressing, massaging, and pinching one of his nipples while the other traveled down to his thigh and began stroking the strong muscle there. As Train spread his legs further, Creed slowly slid his fingers down to his inner thigh, then slowly up to the area between his legs. He didn't touch Train's member yet, since he was still savoring the kiss and the feel of his beloved twitching against the work his fingers were doing against his chest. Slowly, while Train was too preoccupied delving thoroughly into his mouth and reveling in the sensations of the other man's fingers that were insistent on caressing his nipples, Creed snuck his other hand further up his love's thigh, only inches away from the area between his legs. Before he moved closer, Creed wiggled his fingers a little, allowing them to brush against the fabric of his pants to see if Train was going to stop him.

When he heard Train let out an excited moan and pulled at his hair slightly, Creed inched his hand even closer and pressed his fingertips lightly against his beloved's slowly hardening shaft. Train gasped into Creed's mouth, then dove his tongue back in to taste more of the man, unknowingly pulling the swordsman even closer as he wrapped his leg around Creed. Desiring to hear, taste, and feel more of his Kitten, Creed pressed his hand fully between Train's legs and began moving it back and forth, massaging his love's member with the palm of his hand.

Train gasped again, louder this time when he felt Creed's hand take a gentle hold of him and moved back and forth. The voice in his head was telling him to stop, but the further Creed took their kiss, the more muted that voice became. Every sensation he was receiving from the man was addictive and his heart, soul, and body craved for more. Train caressed every inch of the other man's mouth that he could, twirling and spinning with the muscle in Creed's mouth, clinging to hair tightly as the silver man jerked him off from over his pants.

Creed pulled away from the kiss and moved his lips to Train's neck, sucking gently at his skin so he could hear more of his beloved's cries. As he hit the spot just below his chin, Train arched his back slightly and pulled Creed closer to his neck, shaking with excitement at the idea of what the swordsman was trying to work him up enough for. When Creed nibbled at his neck, Train swallowed heavily and nuzzled the side of his face into his ex-partner's silver hair.

"Oh, Creed…" Train whispered, not aware of how lascivious his voice sounded. "Creed…"

Creed's heart erupted in passion when he heard his cat's voice say his name with a level of lust the silver man didn't think was possible and moved his hand even faster against his nipple and penis. He bit down on Train's neck, then twirled his tongue around his skin hungrily before sucking and nipping at it sensually. When Train arched his back again and tightened his hold on Creed, the silver man responded by gripping his love firmly between his legs, causing the cat to cry out louder than he intended to.

"Creed…" Train moaned again, his heart beating against his chest with a speed that matched a humming bird's wings. "Creed… I…. I…"

Creed pulled his head away and pressed his forehead against Train's locking eyes with his love as he made sure his hands continued lovingly assaulting his Kitten's body. "Yes, Kitten?"

Train's whole body caught fire at the use of Creed's pet name for him and felt his lips beginning to move on their own, no longer able to hold back what his heart had been imploring him to say for quite a while now. As Creed's hand pinched his nipples and moved even faster between his legs, Train tried to stop himself, but knew his words were inevitable. He knew that Creed was inevitable.

"Creed… I lo-"

However, a beeping coming from Creed's pocket cut the cat's sentence off and brought them both out of their stupor as Train opened his eyes, but did not push Creed away. The swordsman growled angrily and ripped his phone out of his pocket, slamming it with his thumb to make the noise stop before throwing it bitterly to the ground. He attempted to engage Train in the kiss once more, trying to get his beloved to complete his declaration.

"Finish your sentence, Train..." Creed couldn't help how excited his voice sounded, even though he tried to act as if he was as cool as a cucumber as latched back onto his cat's neck.

Train blinked a few times, trying to bring himself back to reality before Creed pulled him back into their concupiscent embrace. As Creed attacked his neck again, Train moaned, then shook his head and pushed at the silver man's shoulders to move Creed away from him and stop his ex-partner from sucking at his neck again. Creed whined as Train pushed him away, allowing his face to move, but did not remove his hands from his love's chest or pants.

Train gave him a stern but sorrowful look, his heart dropping to his stomach at the abrupt halt of their intimate contact, but knowing he had to stop before he said something he might regret later. "You need to take the food out of the oven… Before we ruin dinner."

Creed pulled away slightly, but not enough that their lips did touch when he talked. "That's not what you were going to say and you know it…"

Train frowned and grabbed Creed's wrists to stop the man's hands from caressing his body. "You don't know that. Now hurry up before you burn the chicken."

Creed growled in frustration and pulled his hands free of Train's grip and continued what he had been doing to his love's body. "I don't care. You taste better than any meal I could ever make…"

Train stifled a smile as he felt Creed kiss him again, then pushed the man off him once more. "I think our guests would disagree."

Creed growled and wrapped his arms around his love's back and pulled Train so he was solidly trapped in his embrace. "They don't get to taste you like this. No one does… Only I can…"

Train felt his heart beat faster and blushed, but cocked an eyebrow at Creed as he pressed his lips against his own again, his tongue diving into his mouth once more, making it difficult for the cat to concentrate on his ex-partner's avaricious words that floated dazedly through his head. He slowly began to return the kiss, the heat in his chest quickly swelling to an extreme level before he shook his head violently and pushed Creed off him again.

"No. You can't. No one can right now." Train's voice was attritional as he spoke and stared longingly into Creed's eyes.

Creed whimpered and rested his forehead against Train's chest, relishing the feeling of his love's breath rolling down his back as he tightened his hold on his beloved. "I know, Train… I know…"

Train sulked as he tried to pull away from Creed in an attempt to push him away, but the other man had apparently decided he was not going anywhere since he seemed to refuse to let go. "Go take the food out before we burn the house down."

Creed shook his head and tightened his hold on Train. "No. What were you going to say, Train?"

Train blinked, knowing Creed asked a question, but his tone of voice made it sound like a statement. "I-I told you, I was going to tell you to take the chicken out."

Creed rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "No you weren't and you know it. What were you going to say?"

Train made sure to keep his hands off Creed, but didn't bother trying to push the silver man away since he seemed intent on keeping him where he was. "N-nothing, Creed."

Creed growled a little under his breath as his beloved turned his face away from him. Keeping one arm wrapped firmly around Train's back, Creed used his other hand to grab Train's chin and forced their eyes to meet. "Just say it, Train."

Train sat there frozen, not sure what to do as Creed slowly moved his lips closer again for another kiss. After a few minutes, the cat forced his head out of Creed's grasp and whispered under his breath. "Drop it, Creed… Please?"

Creed stared at his love for a few seconds. "Anything you want, Train…" He wept sadly as he gazed earnestly at his love, his body still on fire, still refusing to pull his arms away from Train. He snuggled his head against his beloved's cheek and whispered longingly into Train's ear, hoping his Kitten would receive his question positively. "To be continued…?"

Train stared at Creed for a moment, not sure how to answer the question.

His possessive words actually broke me out of the kiss more than anything else… We need to talk about that and what's been going on between us before anything like this can happen again… Although, I guess I've said that before.

Since Creed's birthday, Train had been on his best behavior, but that didn't change how much he wanted to be with the swordsman again. He desired Creed in both a romantic and sexual way, but he managed to keep finding excuses outside of Saya to say no. Since he still wasn't sure what the woman would have wanted for him, Train started to think of other reasons to deny his heart and Creed their pleasures and it seemed like this time he was honing in on those words his ex-lover chose to whisper adoringly to him.

Seeing Creed still giving him those pleading, puppy dog eyes, Train sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Just as the cat was about to respond, he heard the door open and Sven's voice yelling angrily at Kyoko over something the girl apparently purchased.

"Why the hell did you need a giant pink cat?! And how the hell did you sneak it into the cart without me noticing?!"

Kyoko made a pleased squeal as she answered the man's furious question with a happy voice. "It's for Kuro-sama, of course! And don't question Kyoko's methods! If I told you, then I wouldn't be able to get away with it again."

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I WANT TO KNOW!"

Train rolled his eyes and pushed Creed a little more purposefully away, forcing the man to let go of him. "We'll talk about this later, Creed. Also about that slightly possessive comment you just made."

Creed blinked in confusion, not sure what he meant, but whined sadly as his love jumped off the counter and left the kitchen to greet their friends. Sighing longingly at his love's back and ignoring when Kyoko embraced Train too tightly, Creed turned around and pulled the chicken out of the oven, trying to push aside his aching and bleeding heart in favor of a menial hobby he picked up mostly to distract him, but also to bring his love more joy.

What does he mean by 'possessive comment'? I thought he liked when I spoke that way… I always saw it as a bit of dirty talk we shared.

Deciding it would have to be a conversation for later, Creed went back to the glaze his beloved had never made and began making it himself. He listened to his love yell at Kyoko and smiled a yearning, sad smile, then felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. Creed looked over his shoulder to see Eve looking up at him, handing him his phone that he had thrown on the ground just a few moments earlier.

Creed smiled kindly at her and took it, then went back to what he was doing. "Thank you, Eve. I'm happy to see the screen didn't crack."

Eve frowned, knowing the man well enough to know when he was upset and pulled out her phone to send him something. When Creed jumped and looked at his screen, Eve pocketed her device and stepped away from the man and towards the door.

"It's from me. I took it a while ago and I've been waiting for the right moment to send it to you." She heard Sven yelling at both Train and Kyoko now and she decided they probably needed her help, so he left the kitchen quickly.

Creed blinked at her in confusion, then clicked his phone open to see what the girl had sent him. His lips curled into an elegant, mirthful smile as he eyed the picture on his phone's screen. It was one of him and Train sleeping on the couch at the mansion. They had fallen asleep on the couch several times during their time there, but this one was special since Train was resting peacefully in his arms, his love's back pressed against his chest with Creed's arms wrapped around his waist, holding him as close to his body as he could. Train's face looked as crude as it always did when he was sleeping, but it never failed to lift Creed's heart and spirits. Creed's face was showing utter delight and happiness as he nestled the side of his face into Train's hair.

I still don't know how I was able to get him in such a cuddly position, but I guess it must have been because he was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open.

Creed remembered that moment all too well. It was a few days after Train initially came back from seeing Lin at the hospital and apparently still hadn't been sleeping well. The swordsman was already laying on the couch, watching television as he waited for his beloved to come home and was surprised when Train sat next to him. After sitting there for a few minutes and speaking incoherently, the gunman eventually fell over and snuggled his back into Creed which was something the silver man wasn't going to turn down in a million years. He took that opportunity to cuddle his love as close as he could and fell asleep with Train in his arms. After that, Train started to crawl into bed with him almost every night, since his cat claimed it stopped him from having night terrors.

Did Eve take this picture while we were sleeping? Why did she do that?

He clutched his phone to his chest and turned around to thank the girl, but saw she had already left to try to calm down whatever situation was happening in the living room. Creed frowned and stepped to the doorway that led to the room his friends were in, trying to figure out what the commotion was about.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Sven said, waving his arms angrily at Train.

Train sighed and rubbed his eyes, pushing Kyoko and the stuffed cat away angrily. "Because it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission."

Sven growled in frustration, then glanced at Creed standing in the kitchen. "Do you trust these people…?"

Creed tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sven sighed in annoyance and ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe I'm the one saying this… But didn't Sephiria tell us to be careful with new people? How do we know they aren't Apostles that infiltrated Creed's school?"

Train laughed and smacked the green sweeper's shoulder. "Really, Sven?! You think the Apostles recruited a homeless family and then got them to invade a music school just to get to Creed? There are so many better ways to get to us than to use a kid, her parents, and an old man. Right, Creed?"

Creed felt his heart freeze a little at Sven's idea, barely registering his love's words as he tried to process this new bit of information. "...It's almost too obvious of a plan…"

Train blinked at him. "Are you seriously considering this to be a possibility? Are we just not supposed to trust anyone anymore? Do you really think the Apostles would try to get to us by taking over an old woman's music school?"

Sven answered for Creed since the silver man seemed to be working through the idea in his head. "Why is it so hard to believe? Isn't Chronos keeping an eye on the school because they think Charden might come after Creed's friends?"

Train rolled his eyes. "They said the chances of that are slim. Sephiria is more confident they'll go after you, Kyoko, Eve, or Rinslet since you're essentially our family."

"But aren't those musicians also Creed's family?" Sven's voice was stern as he spoke. "And you're close with Anastasia as well. I think it makes sense they'd concentrate their forces on them just as much as us."

"They are also less capable of defending themselves…" Creed added to Sven's comment, his mind still working out the possibility of this idea. "And Charden might know Chronos has more eyes on us than on them. Especially with Lin out of commission at the moment, Sephiria would want to double her surveillance on us since the Apostles purposefully went for him to make us more vulnerable…"

Train frowned at the silver man. "...Why would the Apostles recruit a homeless family to attack a music school? That makes no sense."

Sven sighed. "Unless they're lying about being homeless and it's all an act."

Creed felt his heart shaking a little. "And Anastasia has a soft spot for troubled people… She even took Aliane under her wing…"

Train didn't like how somber Creed was beginning to sound and took a step towards him, placing a caring hand on his shoulder as he looked warmly into his eyes. "Creed… Anastasia wouldn't just let anyone in her school. She's a smart woman with a good judge of character. There's no way the Apostles could pull one over on her."

Creed tried to smile at his love's kind words, but his heart was still beating anxiously. "But she has a blind spot for people who are down on their luck, you know that. It's possible she's ignoring the signs in favor of listening to her caring heart."

Train sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "So… Do you really think we've just invited the Apostles over for dinner?"

Creed shook his head slightly. "I… I don't know, but I think it's important we're on guard at least."

"Should we bring this up with Anastasia?" Eve chimed in quickly. "She knows them better. Won't she be able to tell us more about them?"

Creed frowned at the girl. "I don't think that would work. She's more stubborn than Train and me combined. If I brought this up to her and gave her the idea that we didn't trust her judgement when it comes to her students, she might freak out."

Sven rolled his eyes. "Isn't that better than inviting potential Apostles into our home?"

Creed sighed. "That's not what I meant… Anastasia is a generous and kind hearted woman, but she's also fiercely protective of those she cares about. I know she cares about me, but if she thinks I'm questioning who she let's into her school, she'll probably just clam up and refuse to talk about it. She's good at that…"

Train saw his friend's sad expression, trying to think of what he could say to make the man feel better, but knowing he was right. "If I were to entertain this idea, and I'm not saying that I am, Anastasia would probably be embarrassed beyond recognition and refuse to take in any new students. Or, as Creed just said, shut down completely."

"Or blame us and cut us off…" Creed's voice was growing distant as he spoke, thinking of a future without his teacher and beginning to feel cold.

I'm such an idiot… I trust Anastasia so completely and I was so excited to receive the news that I would start running the school with her that I put her in potential danger. The idea that she's been potentially not only welcoming them into her business but teaching an Apostles member sickens me.

"I'm so stupid…" Creed mumbled under his breath, not aware he had spoken the words out loud.

Train frowned at Creed and approached him again, putting both his hands on his shoulders and shook him slightly as he rested his forehead against the silver man's. "That won't happen, Creed. She wouldn't just abandon you. No matter what you do."

Creed smiled at his beloved, fighting the urge to kiss him again as he gazed reverently into his genuine, golden eyes and nodded slowly. "You're right, Train…"

As if sensing the passionate tension that was beginning to brew between his partners, Sven sighed deeply and rubbed his face, trying to cut the prurient force with his words to break up whatever was happening between them. "Alright, so we don't ask Anastasia. What do we do then? Just let them come over and act like we're not suspicious?"

Creed was too lost in his love to respond to Sven, but when Train patted his shoulders again and pulled away, he suddenly registered his words and shook his head to try and form an answer for the green sweeper. Creed frowned at his friends, working out in his rational, plan oriented mind the outcomes they could possibly face.

Slowly, his frown changed to a smile as a thought occurred to him. "Before I answer that, I want to state that I trust Anastasia almost as much as I trust Train." He looked at his beloved and smirked as Train blushed. "But… If we want to err on the side of caution… I think we should keep the dinner on and act like we're not suspicious."

Sven felt his jaw drop and he took his head in shock. "What?! Why?"

Creed folded his arms across his chest and leaned on the doorway as he spoke. "Since we know Anastasia won't take well to the conversation, I suggest we just learn as much about them as possible on our own. If they aren't who they say they are, they'll have to slip up at some point."

Sven wasn't convinced. "If they are the Apostles, they definitely won't slip up. Or tonight will just end in a giant fight."

"So?" Creed said calmly. "Even if we don't know their abilities, we still outnumber them."

Sven rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but only by one. And we already know I'm not nearly as useful against them as the rest of you are."

Creed noticed Eve perk up at her guardian's open admission of her strength and smiled at the girl before he spoke. "Train and I count for at least two extra people and if they are new members of the Apostles, they're skills won't be as tailored as ours. That would be why Charden would send them under cover. Because they can't take us in a fight on their own. They need the element of surprise."

Train started to piece together what Creed was saying and nodded in agreement. "So, essentially, we're trying to befriend the enemy."

Creed put a hand up to stop his beloved, smiling warmly at him. "I'm not saying they're the enemy. As I stated, I trust Anastasia. I don't think she'd get duped so easily. However… as the old saying goes: Keep you friends close and your enemies closer."

"Hear, hear!" Train shouted as he threw his fist in the air. Kyoko mimicked his enthusiasm, copying his motion even though the cat was pretty sure she wasn't paying attention and grumbled as she beamed brightly up at him.

Creed giggled at his love and addressed the rest of his friends. "But we can't act like we're suspicious. After all, this is just a dinner with new friends."

Eve nodded, then sat on the couch. "This idea makes sense to me. And I won't act skeptical."

Sven watched as Creed smiled happily at her, then turned to him. He didn't like the plan, but knew he didn't have a say in the matter since it seemed like everyone else was on board. "Why don't you all take to my plans like you take to Creed's?"

Creed chuckled quietly at the man. "We do. It's Train that doesn't."

Sven tossed an angry glare at the cat, who had the decency to look ashamed as he put his hand behind his head and jumped over the couch to sit next to Eve. The green sweeper sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It's probably too late to cancel anyway…"

"YAY! Sven's on board!" Train yelled as he threw his hands in the air again.

Sven gave the cat a sour look as Kyoko cheered with him and attempted to jump on his lap. Eve decided to ignore them all and picked up the book she left on the table to start reading again and Creed simply giggled at his cat who was pushing Kyoko off him and onto the floor. He allowed himself the vision of his sweeper family for a few more moments before sighing happily and stepping back into the kitchen to finish dinner.

This is never what I imagined my life to be, but now that I have it… I can't imagine it any other way.

He heard a knock at the door then listened as he heard his beloved scramble off the couch to answer it, but Creed could tell by the undignified way his Kitten answered the door that he was really just using it as an excuse to get away from Kyoko. As soon as the door opened, he knew it was Anastasia since Train sounded excited to see whoever it was and as much of an extrovert his love was, he wouldn't give such a warm welcome to people he just met.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought Aimee with me. It's not really like she has anywhere else to go." Anastasia allowed Train to take her coat as she stepped into the room and followed Aimee to the couch.

Train gave Sven a warning look before he could protest about feeding someone else for free, beamed cheekily at the woman. "I actually think Creed assumed she would be coming."

"I did!" Creed shouted from the kitchen, not bothering to leave as he drained some water that held broccoli.

Anastasia laughed loud enough for her student to hear him. "Good! And we came with empty stomachs! As I'm sure our other guests will be."

Sven knew he was going to say something he would regret, so he decided to leave the room instead. He wanted to get changed before the new people arrived anyway.

Train frowned as he watched Sven leave. He understood why the man was uneasy about the whole situation and as much as he didn't think it was true, Train was glad he thought of it and brought it up. On the off chance that they were part of the Apostles, it was good that they were prepared now.

It's better to prepare for the worst and expect the best, right?

"Are they not here yet?" Anastasia asked as she looked around the house.

Train rolled his eyes. "No, we're hiding them in the back. Of course they're not here yet. You're early!"

The woman laughed. "No, I'm just stuck on musician time. They probably are too, so I'll expect they'll be here any minute."

Train sighed at her comment. "I hope not… Creed still needs to finish."

"Oh, it's pretty much finished, Train. I figured they'd all be early anyway for that reason." Creed peeked his head out of the kitchen and smirked at Train.

Train pouted. "But I didn't get to help…"

Creed rolled his eyes and giggled. "You had your chance and you kissed it away."

Train felt his face turn a bright shade of red at Creed's words and hid his face from everyone else by turning away from the group. He glared at the silver man who simply smiled and winked at him, which only made the redness of his face worse.

Hearing another knock at the door, Train felt relieved that the rest of the guests arrived and would save him from the embarrassment Creed seemed more than happy to put him through. Before he could answer the door, Eve was already standing there and welcoming the people in. Nica was the first to enter, followed soon by her husband with the grandfather and Aliane coming in after them. As the adults greeted the room with pleasant smiles and were slowly introduced to the sweepers, Aliane scanned the area to find a certain Black Cat she had been looking forward to seeing since they met at the school. Once she laid eyes on him, she gave Train a perky smile and ran into the room.

"Hello, Sugarplum!"

Train groaned as the girl jumped on the couch and embraced him tightly. Kyoko gasped wildly and pointed an accusing finger at her crush as this new girl. "KURO-SAMA, HOW COULD YOU?!"

Aliane glared at the girl as she sat herself on Train's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Who's Kuro-sama?"

"That's what Kyoko calls Train." Eve said in her normal monotone voice as she showed the guests where they could hang their coats.

She frowned as she noticed how thin and torn they were, positive the outerwear wasn't enough to protect them from the chilly air. Winter may have been reaching its end, but that didn't mean it was time to pack up the sweaters and take out the shorts. Knowing they would be looking for any signs of whether or not they could trust these people, Eve made a mental note of that, since it was a point in the direction they were just a normal family who was having a hard time.

Aliane made a strange face the mention of another girl's name. "Who's Kyoko?"

Kyoko fumed at the girl who was still on Train's lap. "Kyoko is Kyoko!"

Aliane rolled her eyes. "Okay, but who is Kyoko?"

Kyoko puffed out a breath of smoke as she glared at the other girl which seemed to amuse her more than anything else. "Oooh, do you speak in the third person? That's so… dumb."

Before Kyoko could start throwing punches, Train stood quickly which pushed the girl off him, but made it seem like he didn't mean to. "I'm gonna go see if Creed needs help."

Creed heard his beloved and chuckled lightly. "I'm good, Train."

Train ignored his friend and made his way to the kitchen. "I'll be the judge of that."

When his cat entered, Creed smirked at him. "You already know how good I am, Train…"

Train's face got hot again and he brushed the man's amorous words away in favor of trying to help anyway. "Would you cool it? I'm just trying to save myself from my fans."

Creed rolled his eyes. "So you're hiding from your fans with the man who's probably your biggest fan?"

Train scowled at him, not bothering to cover his flustered face as tried to grab one of the trays off the counter. "You know what I mean…"

Creed purred as he grabbed Train's wrist to stop the man from taking the food and pulled his beloved a little closer, just to mess with him. "No, I don't. Explain it to me."

Train swallowed and shook his head. "Creed, there are people literally in the next room. Do you have to be so… forward?"

Creed smirked. "Yes, but only because you have to be so cute."

Train couldn't help but smirk back at him, pulling his wrist free as he tried to grab the same tray again. "Is this the thanks I get to checking to see if you're doing a good job in here?"

Seeing his Kitten blush, Creed wrapped his arm around Train's waist, spinning them around once so the cat was facing the opposite direction he was in before. "I'd love for you to remember how good of a job I can do again, Train. I'd love that more than anything else in the world…"

With his arm still around Train's waist, Creed poked his nose, dabbing him a little with the glaze he made for the chicken before pulling away and avoiding a slap from his Kitten. He grabbed the tray of food he had prepared and made his way towards their company, but never broke eye contact with his cat. He winked at his love's flustered face and stepped out of the kitchen backwards so he could continue talking to Train.

"But I really am good, Train. Everything is ready to be served. Just grab that pot there." Creed pointed with his elbow at said pot, then spun back around and placed the tray he was holding on the small dining room table. "I hope everyone is over with a buffet style. We don't really have the space to seat this many people at our table."

Nica approached him and gave him a warm smile, patting his shoulder kindly as she spoke. "This is far better than that motel or a soup kitchen… Thank you so much for inviting us over."

"How long have you been at the motel for?" Sven had apparently re-entered the room during the time their guests had arrived and was already starting to drill them.

Creed assumed they had all been introduced at that point, but gave Sven a warning look, silently asking him to tread lightly before turning back into the kitchen to help Eve grab plates for everyone. As he stepped in, Train stepped out and Creed couldn't help himself as he pinched his love's cheek, getting more sauce on it and making his Kitten sputter in annoyance. He knew that meant Train was going to have to wash his face off, but it was worth it to Creed if it meant he could flirt with the man.

Watts groaned at Sven's question, leaning back on the couch, legs sprawled as he took up entirely too much room for a man of his small stature. "Six loooong months…"

Nica sighed and nodded. "Actually, six and a half now." She turned to her husband and gave him a sad look. "It's better than the streets, Sweetheart…"

Watts sighed and nodded his head. "True…"

Kenneth beamed happily from the chair he sat in. "I actually kind of like the soup kitchen!"

Watts glared at him. "Then you go eat their food…"

"DON'T YELL AT GRANDPA!" Aliane shouted, making the whole room freeze for a second.

Sven glanced at Creed as he walked back into the living room, cocking a suspicious eyebrow at him. Creed shook his head quickly and gestured for him to be quiet, which seemed to be enough to tell the man that wasn't a reaction that pointed towards them being the enemy. The green man watched as Nica approached her daughter and spoke to her in a soothing voice before she calmed down.

Eve handed Aliane a plate, watching closely as her mother took a seat next to her on the couch and ran her fingers lovingly through her daughter's hair. Even Watts was beginning to act affectionate as he reached his hand out to rub her knee soothingly. That was another mental note that Eve made, but the biggest note she took was when she looked into the girl's eyes, searching for any signs of kindness she might have.

Eve was good at keeping her cool, so it didn't seem strange when she locked eyes for an extended amount of time with the girl. "Do you go to school?"

Aliane blinked at Eve, then took the plate offered to her with a small smile on her face. "Does the music school count?"

Nica sighed and shook her head. "We move around so much she's never able to make it through a year. This is the longest we've stayed in one place."

Watts added to his wife's comment as he also took a plate offered to him. "Even when we do, she doesn't last long. She's very smart, but the school systems we've been a part of haven't been able to handle her."

That comment seemed to trigger Alaine again as she folded her arms across her chest and threw the plate to the ground. "It's not fair! I want to live a normal teenage life and make friends and kiss boys and all that stupid junk teens do." She paused and seemed to think her words over, then smirked deviously. "Although, I don't think any boys will be as cute as Train is."

Kyoko made a disgusted look at her, about to open her mouth only to have it shut quickly when Creed shoved a plate in her hand and gestured for her to get food. Kyoko pouted, but nodded in compliance to his command, walking to the table and piling food on her plate. Creed glanced down the hall where Train had gone, knowing he was washing his face off and grateful he didn't have to be here for that comment. As adorable as he thought Train was when he was annoyed, he wanted tonight to be as drama free as possibly.

That'll make it easier to get to know who these people are so we know if we can trust them or not.

Eve watched as the girl's parents calmed her down again, then frowned as she glanced at Creed before offering something she wasn't sure was going to work. "I could… tutor you if you'd like."

Watts rolled his eyes. "We can't afford a tutor! The only reason she gets oboe lessons is because Anastasia doesn't charge."

Eve shook her head. "I won't charge."

Sven began to protest, but Creed shut him up the same way he did Kyoko, pushing him toward the food as he walked over Anastasia, Aimee, and Kenneth to give them plates as well. Kenneth took his, frowned at it as if he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, which plucked at Creed's heartstrings and he decided to fill the old man's plate for him. Aimee did the same for her adoptive mother, but for different reasons.

Nica still seemed skeptical as she eyed the girl up and down. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound rude but… You look younger than my daughter. How could you possibly tutor her on subjects you haven't even learned yourself?"

"Because Eve's a little genius!" Train exclaimed as he entered the room, hands on his hips as he beamed merrily at Eve, as if he were a big brother proud of his little sister. "Eve doesn't go to school either. She's self taught."

Watts frowned. "How does that make this idea better?"

Train rolled his eyes as he stepped further into the room. "Just give our Lil' Princess a shot and you'll see how smart she is."

Still unsure, but seeing how excited it made his daughter, Watts sighed as he stood up to serve himself dinner. "If it's okay with the misses, then it's okay with me."

Aliane turned her puppy dog eyes to her mother, who stared at her for a second before sighing and nodding her head in defeat. "Fine. I'll say anything if it'll get those sad eyes off me."

Aliane jumped in the air excitedly as her mother followed after her husband to get dinner as well. "THIS IS AWESOME!" She turned eagerly to Eve, clutching her shoulders as she spoke. "Will we be studying here?"

Eve blinked, then nodded her head. "I don't know where else we would go…"

That seemed to energize the girl even more as she pulled her new tutor in for a tight hug. "AMAZING! That means I get to see Train more!"

"What?!" Train and Kyoko said at the same time, food falling out of the girl's mouth as she spoke.

Creed giggled at his beloved as he handed Kenneth his plate of food, checking on Aimee and Anastasia before moving back over to his beloved. "Like Eve said, where else would they go?"

Train frowned at his friend. "They could go to the motel room…"

Anastasia scoffed at the cat between bites of food. "Don't be ridiculous. This place is far nicer than a motel room."

Train gave the woman a stern look. "How would I know if you've never seen it…?"

"Hey!" Sven yelled as he slapped his fork on his plate to point a finger at the gunman. "I worked hard to find this place! You should be grateful!"

"What the green man said!" Kenneth said, seemingly forgetting Sven's name even though he learned it only a few minutes ago.

"OH! Kyoko knows!" Kyoko shouted as she raised her hand as if she'd been called on. "Eve could take the new girl to the library! That's a good place to study. Kyoko used to go there with her friends."

Sven glanced at the girl. "That reminds me… Shouldn't you be back in school by now?"

Kyoko shrugged her shoulders and leaned back into the couch. "Soon…"

Aliane glared at the girl she was beginning to see as competition. "Where's your family? Shouldn't you be with them?"

Kyoko stuck her tongue out at the girl. "I am with my family."

Aliane rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant…"

"Kyoko's family is gone a lot. She actually gets tutoring lessons from me as well." Eve said as she took a seat on the floor since there was nowhere else to sit.

Alaine seemed unsure as she eyed the other teen up and down. "Well… I guess if you can tutor her, you can tutor anyone…"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Kyoko shouted, only to have a spoon thrown at her from Train. She pouted at her crush, then turned back around, grumbling under her breath.

Creed snickered at his love as he offered Train one of the plates of food he was holding, pulling it away just before the gunman took it and grabbing his wrist once more. Train narrowed his eyes at the man, then used his other hand to grab Creed's shoulder and spin him around, pinning the man's back against his chest as he wrapped his arm around the swordsman's waist.

Train smirked and leaned forward, speaking quietly in Creed's ear in an attempt to distract him. "Withholding food from me now? Are you getting that desperate?"

Creed felt his knees go weak at his love's harsh whisper and leaned his head back against his shoulder. "You know I'd never withhold anything from you, Train…"

Seeing Creed was properly distracted, Train grabbed one of the plates and held it in the air and away from his sweeper partner. "Then you won't mind if I take this!"

Creed pouted as Train snickered and pushed him away, gesturing with his hands for the silver man to get food as well. Creed sighed, but obeyed his love, checking in the conversations the rest of the group was having as he made his way back to Train, standing next to his beloved who leaned on the wall and watched the group with interest.

"It seems to be going well…" Creed mused as he scanned the room, looking for any signs of distress from his friends or suspicion behavior from the family.

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. But isn't that the story of our lives? Things always go well until they don't?"

Creed giggled at his love. "I think that's just life in general, Train. Not just our lives."

Train made a face at Creed, then went back to his food and his view of the people in the room. "No. Our lives usually decide everything needs to explode in our faces just when we think we're getting comfortable."

Creed frowned, then watched his new musician friends intensely as they spoke to his family. "Do you really think the Apostles would send people like this to take us down?"

"No." Train said confidently as he smiled at the group.

Creed sighed as he picked lazily at his food. "How can you be so confident about it?"

Train looked at his friend from the corner of his eye, seeing how anxious Creed was and frowned. "Because if we live our lives in fear, the terrorists, win right?"

Creed took a deep breath, leaning his head against the wall as he spoke. "But if the price of making new friends means losing the life I already have…" He eyed Anastasia and Aimee forlornly. "Or cost anyone else their's… Then I don't know if I want to take that risk."

Train followed where his friend's gaze went and realized what he meant by that statement. He paused his eating and reached out one of his hands to take gentle hold of Creed's, rubbing the silver man's fingers with his thumb tenderly as he tried to get the man to look at him. When he saw Creed turn his head to face him with dismal, blue eyes, Train gave him the most bold, gentle smile he could muster.

"No one is going to die and you won't lose the life you've worked so hard to build… I promise."

Seeing Creed was about to protest, Train shoved a forkful of his food into the silver man's mouth and snickered at his disturbed face. "Just shut up and eat your food. We worked hard on it after all."

Creed narrowed his eyes at Train, smirking as he swallowed the bit his love forced on him. "Who's this we you're talking about? From what I remember, you gave up about half way through."

Train rolled his eyes. "I got distracted…"

Creed tickled his beloved's side with his fingers. "I'm happy to distract you anytime."

Train jumped a little and pushed Creed's hand away, flicking a bit of food at him as he smiled fondly at the man. "I thought I told you to shut up."

---

Creed was sitting on the roof, waiting for his beloved who insisted on cleaning up since he hadn't actually helped with the cooking. Creed tried to convince Train that he didn't have to do that or he at least didn't have to do it alone, but his Kitten was being stubborn and refused to let the silver man help. Instead, Train asked him to wait on the roof so they could talk about what happened earlier in the kitchen. That made Creed a little nervous, even though he did want to talk about it and about everything else that had been going on between them lately. However, they didn't change how anxious he was feeling, since he believed his love was going to tell him it all needed to stop... again.

I don't think I did anything wrong… But lately Train has been seeming to find anything he could to try and push his true feelings or me away. I guess I've been too flirtatious, but he's seemed to like that. However, with how uncertain he's become, he may suddenly decide that my affectionate behavior is not okay and I need to stop.

Creed sighed, seeing his breath in the air as he wrapped a blanket tighter around himself. He would have brought a jacket with him, but since he knew he was going to bed after his conversation with his cat, he didn't feel like putting on more clothes. His heart broke as his thoughts slowly trailed off to the nights he had been spending with his beloved.

What if Train says he won't spend the night with me anymore…? What if he starts to pull away from me even more and we go back to being the book definition of friends?

Creed shook his head to stop himself from getting overly dramatic and crying over something that hadn't even happened yet. While it may have been hard to define what his relationship with Train was right now, he greatly preferred it to clear cut 'just friends' relationship they had before. At least now, he got to hold hands, cuddle, and flirt with his beloved without Train telling him no constantly. And tonight even proved Creed was permitted the occasional kiss.

As long as Train starts the kiss that is. But tonight we went even further than that. If my alarm didn't go off, I might have been able to carry him to my bedroom and ravish his body completely.

Creed felt his body get warm at the thought, then glared at his phone that he had resting next to him on the roof just in case Train sent him a message. He glared at it, then shoved it aside and turned away. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself and mumbled curse words at the inanimate object. Despite the fact that the phone had no control over whether or not it interrupted his intimate moments with Train, he was still furious with it. The only reason he even had it near him at the moment was to be available to Train.

A new thought popped into his head, one that made him slowly forget all the negative ones he had been having since coming to the roof. He reached over and grabbed his phone quickly, unlocking it and flipping to the message Eve sent him earlier. He smiled warmly, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them under the blanket as he rested his chin on his knees. Creed sighed, ignoring the air he saw leave his mouth as he gazed fondly at the picture of him and Train.

Please, my love… Don't take this away from me…

As he stared at his phone's screen, he heard footsteps approaching from behind and locked his phone quickly, placing it under the blanket next to him. Just as he was about to turn and address his beloved, Train shoved a warm cup into his hand, the cold air making the steam from the liquid more visible than it would have been inside. Creed smiled, then took the offered cup, able to tell what the drink was just from the smell.

"Since when did Sven start keeping hot chocolate in the house?" Creed blew on the cup slightly, watching his love as he sat next to him.

Train shrugged his shoulders and situated himself next to his friend. "I don't think it was Sven. I think Kyoko snuck it in the cart today. Like that damned pink cat."

Creed giggled as he took a small sip, wincing a little when he realized it was still too warm. "What'd you end up doing with Sir Fluffies?"

Train grimaced at the name of the cursed toy. "I threw it back in Kyoko's room and slammed the door shut."

Creed giggled again. "It'll find its way back into your room."

Train rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it already has."

Creed smiled fondly at his love, then cocked an eyebrow as a thought that occurred to him. "Is that really all true about Kyoko? Is her family really never home?"

Train sighed. "Yeah. I didn't believe her at first either, but one day I got so sick of her pestering me, I decided to bring her home and see for myself. Not only was her apartment trashed, but it looked like no one had been living in it for months."

Creed felt his body go cold a little as the memory of that day resurfaced. "Train, I have to confess something…"

Train turned his head and blinked in confusion at the man. "What?"

He took a deep breath and blurted the words out before he stopped himself. " That was me. I trashed her apartment."

Train's look did not change as he gawked a little at the man. "Again, what?"

Creed sighed and attempted to curl tighter in a ball as he re-lived the story. "It was… after you left the Apostles… left me. I went crazy and started searching for you everywhere. When I realized Kyoko was gone too, I went to her apartment and all but destroyed it looking for you. After seeing you weren't there, I left."

Train didn't know what to say at first, then started chuckling quietly, which soon turned into a fit of jovial laughter. Seeing the confused look on Creed's face, Train leaned on his elbows and explained his reaction. "Kyoko's apartment was literally the town over from where I was! You could have found me if you just walked a few blocks down."

Creed stared at his love, then decided it was okay to laugh since Train was laughing. "How ironic… Although, I don't think finding you then would have fixed anything."

Train shook his head. "No. But, that actually proves even more how separated she is from her family. That was almost two years ago at this point and it looks like they haven't been back since."

Creed frowned. "That's actually… Concerning to me."

Train brushed his worries away. "She told me she still talks to them randomly so I know they're okay. I think it's more concerning how little her family seems to care about her. It's really the only reason why I put up with her as much as I do and why Sven let's her stay with her. We feel bad for her."

Creed nodded. "Maybe we should get her to pick up an instrument and she'll be Anastasia's problem."

Train laughed at the idea of the girl playing an instrument and rolled his eyes. "Sven would never buy her something that expensive. And honestly, I'm surprised no one has been in that apartment in almost two years."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "If no one's living there, there's no food to spoil and they're rent could be paid for automatically by the bank. Honestly, if no one is looking for them, I can't imagine anyone would ever think to check it out."

Train nodded. "Fair enough…" He glanced at his friend as he laid back down on the roof. "As long as we're confessing, there's something I've been meaning to confess to you…"

Creed felt his heart beat so loud he wasn't sure how Train didn't hear it. He turned quickly and hopefully to his love, but tried to remain calm. "Yes?"

Train sighed. "It's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now…"

Creed clutched the mug in his hand tightly, moving so he was closer to his love, his voice shaking slightly with excited anticipation as he spoke. "You can tell me anything, Train."

Train took a deep breath before he spoke. "Do you remember back when the Apostles took you and we came to get you?" Seeing Creed nod and his demeanor becoming less hopeful, Train frowned but continued. "Well… To get you out of the bloodthirsty state Doctor seemed to put in you… I had to… kiss you."

Creed's heart broke, then healed itself slightly when he heard that statement and tilted his head in confusion. "That's your confession?" Train nodded his head and the swordsman pushed his love slightly in annoyance. "That's not a confession. Confessions are when you admit something to someone you care about that might potentially make them angry. That only makes me happy. Well… Maybe a little bit angry since I don't remember it."

My poor, aching heart… I was sure this was going to be the moment Train confessed he loved me...

Train frowned at the playful push, then rolled his eyes. "Jeeze, just trying to be open with you. Guess I'll keep my secrets to myself."

Creed sighed sadly, then smirked teasingly at his love. "Not unless they're juicy. Then I want to know. Telling me you kissed me to save me only makes me love you more."

Train felt himself blush and looked away. "Then I guess I don't have any confessions since I've always been upfront with you…"

Are you sure about that, my sweet Kitten?

"And I appreciate that more than you know, Train." Creed blew on his drink again, then took another sip as he decided to change the subject so he would stop focusing on the confession that didn't happen. "How do you think tonight went?"

Train smirked as he took a big gulp of his hot chocolate, finishing it with one swallow and barely feeling the heat as he leaned back on his hands. "I think it went well. Your dinner was delicious as always and it seemed like everyone got along. On top of that, you helped out a family in need." He turned so his eyes met Creed's, making the silver man's heart skip a beat and he once again had to resist the urge to take the golden man in his arms. "You did a good thing tonight, Creed."

Creed swooned at his cat, almost forgetting about the mug in his hand as he leaned towards his beloved, then stopped himself before he got to close. "Thank you… But that's not what I meant…"

Train sighed and set his empty cup down, laying back on the roof as he watched the stars. "I know what you meant. I was just hoping to not bring this subject up again. And I also think that went well too. I can say that I certainly feel better about their innocence."

Creed frowned at his love, a hard gesture to do with the moon flitting wondrously against Train's impeccable skin and the stars flickering superbly in his amber eyes. "Why are you so convinced they have nothing to do with the Apostles?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "My gut mostly. And my gut has never been wrong before. Also, I feel bad suspecting such a vulnerable family. It just feels wrong to be so… incredulous towards them. Especially knowing the disorder their daughter has and Kenneth with his Alztiemers. I don't like looking at the world through that lens."

Creed sighed and allowed his eyes to outline his beloved's body, feeling warm all over and knowing it had nothing to do with the chocolate he sipped on. "I know you follow your instincts, and I sympathize with your feelings of pity towards them, but the fact that we're dealing with the Apostles means we need more than a gut feeling and compassion. They would want us to empathize with them so they could get close to us. I know you have a kind heart, but… I'm sorry, Train, we need facts."

Train rolled his eyes. "You want facts? Alright, here are the facts: Anastasia trusts them, and you know her gut is stronger than mine. I trust her more than I trust myself. And, as I said before, one of these people we're deciding to mistrust is a troubled child and the other a senile old man. Added to that, Sven grilled them all night and they answered every question with ease. They were all on the same page, never changed their story, and they very much acted like a family."

Creed kept his eyes on his Kitten as he drank more of his cocoa. "I think the key word in that last sentence is 'acted'..."

The cat rolled his eyes and brushed his friend's words away. "On top of all that, Eve mentioned how ratty their jackets were and just by looking at them you can tell they don't have much. Also, they were hesitant to take torturing lessons from Eve and have dinner with us tonight. They actually seemed to distrust us which probably is due to the traumatic life they've lived. It makes sense they wouldn't trust strangers which also explains why they were hesitant to come to our house despite not having any food and why Watts hates the crush his daughter has on me. If they wanted to get closer to us, they would have jumped at the opportunity to be around us more. Not try to fight us every step of the way."

Creed lowered his eyes a little and frowned. "That all makes sense… But still…"

Train sighed in frustration and turned on his side so he could face Creed. "I know Sephiria said to be on our toes, but I really don't think these people are Apostles. There's no way anyone involved in a group that homicidal can act like they care about each other as much as they did."

Creed locked eyes with his love, fighting the urge to jump on top of him and pillage his body in favor of trying to read the silent message his cat was trying to relay to him. After he pushed his lewd thoughts aside, the swordsman searched his Kitten's golden depths, his heart fluttering at the beauty Train undoubtedly held and saw the sincerity and faith he was trying to convey to Creed. The silver man moaned a little with want, but felt himself beginning to relax as trust for their new friends took over and he nodded his head.

"Okay, Train. I believe in you and Anastasia more than anything. If you both trust them, then I trust them."

Train nodded his head confidently and turned back to face the sky. "It's too easy to convince you."

Creed rolled his eyes, but smiled despite the sarcastic gesture. "Do I really have a choice? If both you and Anastasia agree on the same thing, what am I supposed to do? Tell you both no?"

Train laughed at his friend's joke. "You could, but I can't say how far it'll get you."

Creed sighed. "I can tell you the answer to that. Not far at all."

Train chuckled quietly and pulled out a bag of marshmallows from his jacket pocket he brought to the roof. Creed watched as Train popped one into his mouth, giggling as his love chewed it and threw three more in his mouth. "Are you still hungry, Train?"

Train gave him a cheeky smile, speaking with his mouth full of the sweet pillows as he spoke. "You know the answer to that."

Creed laughed at him and leaned forward to push the treat back in his mouth. "Always…" He saw Train blush, then scooted a little closer. "Are you gonna share?"

Train held the bag defensively to his chest,his words muffled as he tried to speak behind a mouthful of fluffy treats. "You'll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands."

Creed smirked. "That can be arranged…"

The swordsman jumped forward and made a grab for the bag. Train pulled it away and to the other side of his body, preventing his friend from grabbing it from him. Creed gave his love a teasing scowl and positioned himself so he was on top of Train, wrapping his legs on either side of his Kitten's body as his love held the marshmallows above his head. Creed smirked, the blanket still resting on his back as he reached up and pinned Train's arms against the roof, his beloved's fingers still clutching tightly at the bag that held the sweets.

Creed moved his face so it was only inches away from Train's, enjoying the feel of his Kitten's breath brushing against his cheek at the blush that was charmingly painted on his face. "Are you gonna share now?"

Train knew he had a deer in the headlights look, but still managed to shake his head. "No."

Creed moved himself a little closer, sliding himself up a little so he was even closer to his beloved's face. "What happened to that confidence you were feeling earlier?"

Train swallowed and tried to respond with a solid voice, but failed miserably. "I-It's still there. I-It's just c-cold out here…"

Creed chuckled and slowly moved his hands so they slid down Train's arms and to his back. "Liar…"

With one swift movement, Creed wrapped his arms around Train's back and flipped him over, the blanket falling off his back as he spun his love so he was now sitting on his lap. While Train was distracted by the man's sudden change in position, Creed grabbed the hand that held the marshmallows and took a gentle hold of his wrist, squeezing slightly so Train would slowly let go of them.

Creed took the bag and put them to the side, since he really didn't care about the sweets anyway as he settled one of his hands on Train's lower back. "Well… Looks like I got them anyway."

Train wasn't aware of what just happened as his hand subconsciously went to Creed's cheek as he blinked in bewilderment at the man. "Got what…?"

Creed closed his eyes as Train cupped his cheek, pulling his beloved a little closer to his chest as he spread his legs slightly so his cat was sitting more comfortably on his lap. His other arm slid under Train's knee as he slowly closed the distance between their lips, completely forgetting that what he was about to do was the reason his cat asked to speak with him in the first place. As Train saw the space between their lips lessen, he shut his eyes as well and caressed the man's cheek with his thumb, his mind going blank as his whole body caught on fire.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, their lips met and Train pulled Creed's head closer. The moment they touched, the cat gasped in delight at the feeling of the silver man's fiery skin pressing intensely against his own. He opened his mouth to allow Creed access to his tongue, his hand slowly sliding to the back of the swordsman's head to clutch tightly at his hair. When Creed's tongue massaged his town, Train moaned lustfully and gripped the silver man's shirt firmly with his other hand, making sure he wouldn't move.

However, the moment he felt Creed's hand slide up his leg and edge closer to his sensitive area, Train shook his head and pushed himself away from the kiss, but not out of Creed's arms. "No. This is why I asked you to talk in the first place…"

Creed groaned painfully and tightened his arms around Train, refusing to let him go even though his beloved broke the kiss. "I'm sorry, Train…"

Train sighed and pushed himself out of Creed's arms, scooting himself away from the other man so he was sitting in front of him. Without turning around, the gunman gripped his hair tightly and let out a long, tired breath.

"...I don't know what to do, Creed."

Creed pouted at his love's back, desperate to reach out and comfort his Kitten, but not sure what he could say to make him feel better. "What do you want to do?"

Train gave him a dirty look over his shoulder. "I think we both know the answer to that…"

Creed felt his heart skip a beat, misreading his beloved's face for a second before he realized Train wasn't happy with what he wanted. "Why is it so difficult to accept what your heart really wants, Train?"

Train sighed again and turned so he was no longer looking at his friend. "Again… I think you know the answer to that…"

Should I tell Creed about Saya? About how I keep seeing her spirit around him?

Train shook his head, knowing that wasn't a solution since Creed would take any idea that might have pointed him back in the silver man's arms and embrace it far too tightly. "It's not that easy, and you know it…"

Creed frowned and poked at the mug he had set down the moment he threw himself at Train. "I know… I just wish it was."

Train laughed bitterly. "I wish it was too…"

A moment of silence was shared between them which Creed decided to break with a straightforward question. "Train… What are we?"

Train blinked at his question, then frowned and spoke carefully. "We're friends…"

Creed shook his head wildly, even though he knew Train couldn't see it since he refused to turn around. "No, we're not. We're more than that."

Train sighed. "Creed, I-"

"No." Creed said firmly as he reached out and grabbed Train's shoulder, turning him back around so their eyes met once more. "If we're shoving knowledge that we already know into each other's faces right now, then I deserve to shove something in your beautiful face. We are not just friends and you know it."

Train felt his heart skip a beat at the ardent, pleading look he was receiving from Creed and turned his head away. "No. We're friends, Creed. Just friends."

Creed shook his love's shoulders so Train would look at him again. "Then what was all that crap you just told me about how I know what you want? If that's true, then I know you consider us to be more than just friends or you at least want us to be more than just friends."

Train frowned deeply at the man, but did not look away. "That's not it…"

Creed growled slightly. "Then what is it, Train? What do you want? I feel like we've had this conversation so many times I don't know what the point of it is anymore." He let go of his love and slowly lowered his arms, watching the discarded bag of marshmallows sadly. "What are we doing, Train? You know what I want. I've made it very clear and I remind you every day how much I love you, but you're constantly changing your mind."

Train gave him a curious look, even though he was pretty sure he knew what he meant. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Creed scoffed. "Of course you do. One minute, you're making out with me on the kitchen counter or holding my hand as we walk down the street, the next you're pushing me away and telling me we're just friends. Have we not spent the night in the same bed almost every night for the last few weeks?"

Train nodded his head, but did not respond verbally, giving the swordsman room to continue. "You know I'm never going to say no to your affections, but I'm also never going to force myself on you. Have I ever?"

Train looked at him out of the corner of his eye as he spoke. "You made that comment in the kitchen earlier tonight…"

Creed rolled his eyes and made an annoyed growl. "Really, Train? You and I both know that's just an excuse you're telling yourself in order to not be with me. It seems like that's all you've been doing lately: Making up excuses for us to not be together when we both know you already have a perfectly good one after what I did to you."

His statement caused another silence to pass between them, but that did not make Creed regret what he said. There was a point he was trying to make, and it seemed like Train was finally starting to get it. "This conversation is pointless, Train. We've had it too many times and you've told me far too often that we need to stop. Yet, time and time again, you end up back in my arms or against my lips only to push me away with some trite excuse as to why you pushed me away in the first place. This time it was one comment I made in a heated moment that I've made several times in the past and you've never had a problem with until now, and next time it'll probably be because my shoes weren't tied correctly."

Train sighed and crossed his legs. "That's ridiculous, even for me..."

"Is it, Train? Or are you just trying to avoid the point I'm trying to make with my monologue?" Creed leaned forward a little so Train would look at him.

Train laughed bitterly. "It's not a monologue if I'm talking as well…"

Creed put his finger to Train's lips and gave him a stern look. "Then shut your gorgeous mouth so I can speak." He pulled his finger away from his love's mouth, then reached out and took a gentle hold of his Kitten's hands. "Train… You know what I want and you know how I feel. You know I'm not going anywhere, and you know my feelings for you will never change. No matter how much it pains me to have you so close yet so far, it's better than the alternative of losing you forever… But…"

He took a deep breath and squeezed Train's hands slightly. "I'm tired, Train. I'm tired of pretending you don't feel anything for me. I'm tired of having to tip-toe around your heart and act like you only want our relationship to be platonic. But, I also know I don't deserve to feel comfortable and safe and I especially know I don't deserve your love. And I'll take the heartache and the teasing if it means I can even be graced by your shadow, but if we keep having to have this same conversation about how we can't be together and we need to put space between us only to go back to you sleeping in my arms every night, I'm going to take Hades from you and blow my brains out."

Train felt himself grab hold of Creed's fingers at that thought and looked away from the man. "Don't do that… Then I'd have to clean Hades…"

Creed chuckled and moved himself a little closer to his love. "I hope you do that already." Seeing his love laugh again, he reached out and took gentle hold of his cat's chin and turned his head so their eyes met again. "Train… Are you happy?"

Train gave Creed a confused look, then nodded his head slowly. Creed sighed and held his love's hands a little tighter. "Then why do we need to keep obsessing over this topic? I already told you to take your time and figure out what you want and I would be waiting here patiently no matter what the decision is. Why do we have to keep coming back to this exhausted conversation?"

Train frowned at the man, keeping his hands where they were as he spoke. "Because I don't want to keep hurting you…"

Creed rolled his eyes. "Another lame excuse. I'm fine, Train."

Train still tried to push his point. "Then what do I refer to you as when people ask us what our relationship is? Because it happens a lot. Like today at the school, I had no idea how to answer that question."

"And why does it matter if some teen girl doesn't understand what our relationship is?" Creed paused after his question and saw his beloved was speechless and continued. "You can call me whatever you want, just as long as it's not said with malice. Even if that is 'friend' or 'ex-lover' or 'that guy' or even just 'Creed', I don't care. What I care about is that you're happy and comfortable with whatever is happening between us."

"I'm not comfortable with what's happening. That's why I wanted to have this conversation in the first place." Train took his hands away a bit more forcefully than he intended.

Creed sighed again. "Then do you want to stop? Because you've said that before and now you're sleeping next to me almost every night." Hearing his cat grumble, Creed smiled and took Train's hands back. "By comfort, I don't mean for you to understand what's going on in your heart. That's called confusion and unfortunately, I can't help you with that. What I mean by comfort is you enjoy what's happening between us, even if you can't quite put a finger on what that is."

Train furrowed his brow at Creed, then nodded his head slowly.

Creed held his love's hands tighter as he spoke. "And you already said you were happy, so can we please stop having these conversations and just enjoy each other's company? You know what I want, and if you ever decide you want it as well, you know where to find me and you know what my answer will be. In the meantime, why can't we just have fun and be happy with what we have right now? Why do you have to keep questioning it and putting rules on it?"

Train blinked at the man. "Like I just said, I don't want to hurt you. Doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it bother you to have me embrace you and push you away at the same time?"

Creed giggled at his love's question, but did not let go of his hands. "I actually prefer the uncertainty to the strict rules. With rules, I don't get to hold you like this. I'm happier with whatever ambiguity is happening between us now than going back to the book definition of friends."

Train blushed, then smiling unknowingly as he nodded his head. "So… You're really okay with it? With this enigma of a relationship that we have going?"

Creed caressed his love's chin with his thumb. "I'd prefer the next level, but it's far better than you hating me or truly being just your friend. Having our old lover and boyfriend label would be nice, but I'm more than happy living in the grey area than living by blatant black and white rules that prevent me from ever touching or flirting with you."

Train had one more question to ask before he complied with the man's request to put the topic to bed. "What if… What if I decide that I don't want it? What if I decide I don't even want what we have right now?"

Creed felt his heart beginning to crack, but ignored it in favor of answering his beloved. "Then you let me know and I'll stop. You know I'll give you whatever you want, Train. All you have to do is say the word."

Train sighed. "Okay… I'll stop forcing these conversations on you."

Creed laughed. "Well, let's not get too carried away. If these conversations start with hot chocolate and a make out session under the moonlight, then I take back everything I said."

Train rolled his eyes, but smirked nonetheless. "That was your fault this time."

Creed nodded. "Yes, it was. And I'm proud of it."

"Of course you are." Train eyed the blanket that was behind Creed and reached over to grab it and wrap back around his sweeper partner's shoulders. "Aren't you cold?"

Creed blinked as his love attempted to warm him, then shook his head. "Not after that kiss and this conversation. Besides, the cold weather is starting to subside. It'll be spring before we know it."

Train smiled. "And then it'll be my birthday."

Creed smiled at his beloved. "Trust me, I know."

Train looked at his companion for a few more minutes, then touched Creed's hand and frowned at how cold they were. "You still feel cold…"

He crawled between Creed's legs and rested his back against the silver man's chest, grabbing both of the swordsman's hand in his own and tangling their fingers together. Train settled his back against the other man's chest, pulling Creed's arms so they were wrapped around his waist and rested his head against his friend's shoulder.

Train sparked his body slightly and smiled warmly, eyes staying on the bright stars that shined reassuringly down on him. "I'll help keep you warm."

Creed's heart was ready to leap out of his ribcage and fly into Train's arms as he squeezed his beloved against his chest. "Is keeping my warm just another excuse to be in my arms again?"

Train shrugged his shoulders, but spoke firmly despite the unsure gesture his body made. "No."

He thought about telling Creed about the nightmare he had that brought him to the music school earlier that day, but decided against it. The moment felt too perfect to spoil with another emotional conversation. Even though he knew Creed would want to hear about it, Train wanted to take the man's advice and enjoy the company his ex-lover provided along with the glamorous sky above them.

Creed smiled and rested his cheek against Train's head, watching as their fingers knotted soundly around each other, not caring at all about the stars his love seemed intent on watching for any signs of life from his deceased friend.

The view he provides is far more beautiful anyway...

"You tell yourself whatever you need to if it keeps you in my arms, Train…" Creed whispered as he nuzzled his head as far into his Kitten's hair as he could.

Creed wrapped his arms earnestly around Train's body, holding tight to the only many he loved and the utopian moment they shared. He squeezed his beloved when he heard Train make a blissful mewling sound, determined to submerge himself completely in that point in time, memorizing every sensation he was experiencing before his cat came up with an excuse for it to end.

"As long as you're happy, you know I'll never let go…" Creed held his love resolutely and nuzzled a little closer. "I'll take anything you'll give me, my love…"

---

Translations:

(1) "You're so lucky you're cute."

(2) "Oh, really? What fate would await me if I wasn't?"

(3) "Want me to show you?"