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

35. Growing Trust

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

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Creed sighed enchantedly as he nuzzled his face into his beloved hair, taking in a deep breath to allow Train's scent to fully enter his system. He pulled his cat closer to his chest, wrapping his arms tighter around the gunman's waist as his love snored crudely in his arms. Train had climbed into his bed later than usual last night, but Creed was happy it happened at all.

It didn't even sound like he had a bad dream either. It sounds like it happened by accident when he went to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but the fact that when he realized he was in my room he still chose to stay means so much to me.

Creed was currently snuggled as close to his Kitten as possible, the golden man's back pressing firmly against his chest and stomach as his legs wrapped possessively around Train's. The silver man wrapped his arms tighter around the gunman's waist, nuzzling his face even more against his chocolate locks as he smiled blithely at the feel of his beloved's silky locks gently tickling him. When he heard Train mumble a little under his breath, Creed's heart fluttered recklessly in his chest and he moved one of his arms so it was crossed up his Kitten's chest and clutched tightly to his lean shoulder.

What makes this all even better is Train only sleeps in his boxers. The last few months when he's slept in bed with me, he's made sure he was fully dressed. But last night in his sleepy state, he either didn't realize or didn't care that he was mostly naked when he crawled into bed with me.

Much to Creed's displeasure, nothing sexual happened between them last night. Train simply pulled the blankets back and collapsed next to him, falling asleep almost instantly, unaware he was even in Creed's room. His abrupt appearance woke Creed up, but of course he didn't complain. Especially when he saw how few clothes his Kitten wore. The silver man actually had a hard time falling back asleep since he was too busy touching Train wherever he could. However, his greedy hands eventually woke his cat up and Train was panicked at first that someone had been molesting every part of his body until he realized it was Creed. As soon as that happened, Train relaxed and allowed the swordsman to explore his body, but did not permit anything erotic.

As much as I wish he let me make love to him or even provide him oral pleasure, I'm overjoyed to know he was fine with me touching every inch of his bare skin.

Train also clearly enjoyed it and even touched Creed as well. The swordsman had on a full pajama set, so his beloved had to search a bit to get to his bare flesh, but that didn't matter to Creed. The mere thought that Train wanted to touch him was enough to ignite his heart. And, despite not having sex with his Kitten, it was still a magical night filled with beautiful sounds from his love, sensual caresses, and wondrous sensations. It only ended because Train was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but even as he drifted off, he allowed Creed to continue touching him until he was ready to fall asleep as well.

Train set boundaries of what I was and was not allowed to touch and I ended up staying up far too late so I could enjoy myself to my fullest, but it was worth it. My fatigued state is worth it to know I could fondle my beloved.

He sighed again and gave his Kitten a squeeze before kissing his cheek tenderly. He was surprised he was even awake right now after staying up for so long the previous night. However, the more he thought about that, the more it made sense why he was conscious. His body probably sensed that Train was still half naked in his arms and wanted to feel and taste more of him.

And with that in mind… Train wouldn't mind if I decided to snack on him again a little for breakfast, right?

Creed smirked and lowered his head so his lips met Train's neck and began nibbling at his skin hungrily. While his lips worked against the gunman's nape, Creed glided the hand that was wrapped around Train's waist against his stomach, tracing every segment of his beloved's nimble muscle as the hand holding the golden man's shoulder explored his love's chest. The swordsman's trained fingers outlined his Kitten's as if they were inspecting it for any defects or imperfections. Creed knew he would find none, but his resolve didn't allow him to give up until he was thoroughly satisfied.

And even though Train does thoroughly satisfy me, that satisfaction continuously resurfaces every time I see him.

He moved his head from Train's neck to his ear, sucking lightly at his beloved's lobe as his fingers continued to sustain themselves by massaging every inch of the man in his arms that he could. Creed then pulled Train up a little so he could have better access to his love's body, kissing, nipping, and sucking at his supple shoulder while the hand he had on his Kitten's stomach moved a little lower to his pelvis. His limber fingers pawing cannily at the elastic of Train's boxers, moaning with want as he permitted his hand just a few inches of access to the coveted treasure the fabric hid selfishly.

As he inched closer to Train's sensitive area, Creed licked his lips and sucked at Train's neck a bit more harshly, trying to tell himself not to go any further since his beloved was clear about where he could and could not touch. When he felt Train let out a loud, tired breath, he pulled his love closer to his body, leaving his hands where they were since he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to stop himself if he wanted.

Especially with Train moving and breathing so voluptuously… How can he be so sexy even when he's sleeping and snoring like a boar?

As if on cue, Train let out another loud snore which made Creed giggle, but was not enough to stop his hands journeying around his body and his mouth from sampling every part of his neck and shoulder. He smiled as sucked impatiently at the other man's neck, sure he was going to leave a mark and not caring since it would only act as proof that Train belonged to him. Even if it wasn't official and they were just having fun until his beloved figured out what he wanted, that wasn't going to stop Creed from living in his divine daydream where Train was his and no one else was permitted into his heart.

Creed then realized how close his hand was getting to Train's member and he had to bite his lip to make myself stop. He didn't have a hold on his love's shaft, but his fingers could feel it teasing his finger tips, making the silver man swallow thickly and he slowly pulled his hand back, but not out of his boxers. He sighed and left his hand just inside Train's underwear, his other continuing to stroke his beloved's chest and his lips devouring every inch of his Kitten's neck.

After violating Train's body for a few minutes, the cat finally started to come to and Creed could feel him stretching slightly and groaning as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, then looked down at the hands that were assaulting him, then rolled his eyes. Just as he was about to open his mouth to address the man that was attempting to abuse his body, Train cried out in pleasure instead as Creed bit down on his neck harshly.

Train moaned when the man behind him sucked vigorously at his neck and the cat's strong, lean arm jolted behind him and to the back of Creed's head, pulling the man closer to him as he pressed his body further into the swordsman. He let out a thrilling hiss when Creed's fingers began playing with his nipples, the silverette's tongue twirling around his skin excitedly as he pushed his body harder into Train's back. Creed smirked at his love's hand clinging desperately to his hair, then pinched his nipple harshly, his other hand still resting just inside his Kitten's boxers.

"Creed… What's going on?" Train moaned, his body slowly beginning to feel like it was swimming in a pool of fire the more Creed's mouth and hand worked against him.

Creed chuckled quietly, then pinched Train's nipple again before it decided to go back to its gentle caresses. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm having breakfast."

Train turned his head slightly so Creed could suck a little at the front of his neck, his fingers still tangled in the man's silver locks as he responded to his comment. "Then go get food…"

Creed's smirk widened as he pulled Train more acquisitively against himself. "Why would I do that when a delicious meal walked right into my bed last night?"

Train sighed. "Why do I keep getting molested in my sleep?"

Creed frowned at him, but continued his motions. "What do you mean?"

The Black Cat sighed again, but did not attempt to stop Creed. "This happened with Lin, too. And this isn't your first time doing it. Why can't I sleep in peace?"

Creed giggled and kissed his beloved. "It's your fault for being so sexy…"

Train moaned at the feelings Creed was giving him, but spoke teasingly. "That's victim blaming!"

Creed nibbled his neck. "You don't sound like a victim right now… Just tell me to stop and I will."

Train attempted to roll his eyes, but the gesture was cut off when Creed bit down on the area just below his chin, his tongue darting along his skin lustfully as his lips sucked powerfully at his flesh. The Black Cat moaned again, shutting his eyes and pressing Creed's head boisterously against him as he relaxed his back further into the man behind him. He allowed Creed's hand and mouth to travel along his body until he noticed only one hand was working against his chest. Train opened his eyes and looked down to see what could have possibly been stopping the man from using both of his hands and cocked a brow at what he saw.

Train removed his hand from Creed's hair and took hold of his other wrist, pulling the swordsman's hand out of his boxers and holding it in front of the silverette's face. "And what does this hand think it's doing?"

Creed pouted at his love, pulling his mouth away a little so he could speak, but not lessening his hold Train. "What breakfast would be complete without some meat?"

Train's eyes widened slightly at the man's crass comment, but for whatever reason the fire surrounding his body only got worse at the implication Creed made. "Since when am I food?"

Creed chuckled again and took his hand back from Train, trailing it down his body and towards his boxers once more. "Well, you've always been more rich than the darkest chocolates in the world… More savory than the rarest of steaks, and sweeter than syrup. And all three of those foods can be had for breakfast."

Train hissed again when Creed bit down on his neck again, his heart beginning to fill with a strong need for the man whose arms he never wished to leave. "Who has steak or chocolate for breakfast?"

Creed giggled and licked his love's neck, then trailed the wet muscle along Train's jawline and noshed on his ear again. "Chocolate chip pancakes? Chocolate muffin? You can even put chocolate in oatmeal if you'd like. But none of those foods can compare to the exquisite palatableness your body offers me."

Train gasped obscenely when Creed blew in his ear, then moaned as the silverette's hand slowly made its way back down to his boxers. "Are you trying to tell me that you're about to eat me?"

Creed smirked deviously and dug his teeth further into his beloved's neck, his tongue spinning rapidly around Train's smooth skin. "Well, I am starving…"

Train purred loudly as Creed's fingers slid underneath the elastic of his boxers again, his mouth still working wonders against his neck as he spoke. "Then, like I said before, go into the kitchen and get food."

"No." Creed said firmly as he moved his hand a little lower in his beloved's underwear, his heart beating faster the closer he got to the riches he sought. "As I said before… I can't imagine anything being more delicious than you…"

Creed pulled away from his Kitten quickly, then pushed Train down so his back was flat on the bed. He latched his lips back onto his beloved's neck, sucking harshly at the spot he was working hard to leave his mark on as both his hands made their way down his body.

The swordsman completely engulfed Train's neck, his hands continuing their journey below the equator of his love's body as he spoke. "I'm absolutely famished, Train and you're all I want, all I crave. Only you can satisfy my insatiable hunger. Anything else would be a disservice to my tastebuds."

Train felt dazed as Creed spoke such salacious words to him, the warmth of his lips alone marinating the cat's entire body in flames as his mind began to ascend to the sky, wafting aimlessly with the clouds as he gasped for breath beneath the wizardry the man on top of him was performing. What was more surprising to Train was they weren't doing anything completely x-rated. Creed was simply kissing and sucking at his neck, his hands merely massaging his chest and stomach. They had done far more lewd things in the past, so Train wasn't sure why these simple touches were sending him for far overboard.

Probably because I want to do so much more with him but I refuse to let it happen. My body is trying to make me lose all control of my senses so I'll forget myself and let him do as he pleases to me.

He wrapped his arms around Creed's back and slid them up to his shoulders, gripping them tightly as the swordsman sucked as hard as he could against his neck. Train was sure there was going to be a bruise there, but he was also sure he did not care. It felt too good to stop and his senses were slowly slipping away. When Creed pulled away from his neck and caught his lips, Train opened his mouth immediately and began sucking at the other man's tongue. The cat purred depravedly as their lips waltzed together, the muscles in their mouths sampling every inch of each other as Train pulled the man closer to his body.

"Oh, Train…" Creed whispered between kisses, making sure to rub his beloved's tongue with his own each time their lips met. "I'm positive there's nothing in this world that would ever match the gratification your flavor provides me…"

Creed lowered his hands even farther, reaching the elastic of his beloved's boxers once more and sliding them underneath again. He paused for a second to see if Train was going to protest his bold actions and upon hearing nothing but pleasurable moans and feeling nothing except the golden man's tongue earnestly licking his own, Creed took that as the go ahead and slipped his hands even further into Train's boxers. He began rooting eagerly for the valuables between his Kitten's legs, his heart increasing its speed as his fingers brushed fervently against Train's member.

Train arched his back and gasped into Creed's mouth when the swordsman's finger wrapped around his cock, his legs shaking with want as the man on top of him began moving them back and forth slowly. The cat pulled away slightly and bit Creed's lip, then pressed his sweeper partner harder against his chest and dove his tongue back into his mouth. That motion must have given the silver man more encouragement to continue doing what he was doing since he started to move his hands even faster, causing Train's breath to pick up speed as he clawed at the man's back.

After a few minutes, Train finally shook his head and removed his hands from Creed's back, taking gentle hold of the silver man's wrists and pulled them out of his boxers. "Forgetting the rules I set last night already?"

Creed moaned painfully as he collapsed against his love, resting his head next to Train's as he tried to break his hands free of his cat's strong grip. "I didn't forget… I was just hoping you did…"

Train chuckled and kissed Creed again, then moved his hands up so they were above his head, still holding the swordsman's wrists as he moved. "Why would I forget such an important rule I made?

Creed glared at the man, twisting his wrists around so he could pin his Kitten's hands against the bed. "I thought we agreed to no rules?"

Train rolled his eyes, but did not attempt to push Creed off him since he actually kind of enjoyed what the man was doing to him. "I think you're taking that rule a bit too literally. You know it was in reference to labels. We agreed last night you would follow my lead when it comes to things like this."

Creed pouted down at his love before leaning closer to kiss him again, his heart racing when he felt his cat kiss him back. "You seemed to be enjoying it a few minutes ago…"

Train captured each kiss Creed gave him, deepening it a bit every time their lips met. "That doesn't mean I can't change my mind."

Creed whined and made his next kiss a bit longer and more passionate before pulling away again, still hoping he could get Train flustered enough to move their intimate touch to the next level. "You know, we also agreed to 'no stress fun'. What fun is it if I can't make you climax?"

Train moaned zealously with the next kiss, twirling his tongue around Creed's before the silver man pulled away again. "What we're doing right now is pretty fun…"

Creed rolled his eyes and pinned Train's arms harder against the bed, diving his tongue as deep into his beloved's mouth as he could as he massaged, sucked, and rubbed every section of his Kitten's mouth. When he pulled away, he nuzzled his face against Train's, kissing his lips gently a few times before nibbling gently at his lower lip. Hearing his love purr enthusiastically, Creed smirked and moved so Train was looking into his eyes.

"You know I can make it more fun if you'd just let me…"

Hearing Creed's sultry voice and seeing his fervid eyes connect zestfully with his own, Train had to fight the urge to command the man to ravage his body, but instead kissed him deeply again. Train arched his back a little at the feel of the silverette's fiery lips scorching his own, then mournfully broke it to speak to the man he knew he loved more than anyone else in the world.

"...You know my limits, Creed."

Seeing the strict look in Train's eyes, Creed sighed sadly and nodded. "I know, my love… And you know I'll respect them." He leaned forward and gave his Kitten a few more pecks on the lips, happy that Train hadn't pushed him away and was even returning every one of his loving gestures. "Can I… Go back to what I was doing when you woke up?"

Train seemed to think about that for a second, then nodded his head, attempting to hold back a smile as his heart began to race a bit faster.

Creed returned his beloved's unknowing smile and moved his hands from Train's wrists to his chest and stomach, tracing his Kitten's solid muscles with the same fondness he had been doing only moments ago. He leaned forward and kissed his Kitten again, smiling as he pulled away, overjoyed that Train was enjoying every time their lips met.

"Does this mean you're okay with kisses now?" Creed kissed him again, making sure it was soft and sweet just in case Train decided he didn't actually fancy them.

Train returned another one of Creed's kisses, their lips never fully separating as he spoke. "What makes you think that?"

Creed chuckled and kissed his love two more times. "It seems like your lips and tongues are at wars with themselves, my dear Train. Because you purr every time ours meet..."

As if hypnotized by Creed, Train purred again, trying to stop himself as Creed kissed him again and again. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

The swordsman frowned down at his love, not sure if Train was trying to kid himself or Creed, but he wasn't having any of it. Creed kissed him three more times, the first one gentle and sweet, the second one between a peck at a make out, and the last one as deep and unruly as the ocean. He made sure the kiss lasted quite a while, positive he was taking his beloved's life and breath away as his tongue swam through the depths of Train's mouth.

After what felt like aeons, Creed finally pulled away and gave his Kitten the most torrid, devout look he possibly could. "You want to keep singing that same song, Love?"

Train tried to pout up at Creed, but knew it was impossible with the fierceness that encompassed his body and the rapidiness of his heart. "Don't get so full of yourself, Creed…"

Creed's look changed from doting to lewd as he licked his lips and kissed his beloved again. "I'd rather be full of you…"

Train blushed brightly at his seductive words, but accepted the man's next kiss nonetheless. When he pulled away, he frowned despite the ribald feeling that swept through him. "Remember the boundaries, Creed."

Creed sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're telling me you don't like my provocative words?" Seeing his Kitten's blush get even brighter despite his narrowed eyes, the silver man chuckled and decided to change the subject to a slightly different topic. "Tell me again how you ended up in my bed last night?"

Train rolled his eyes at the playfulness Creed's voice held, watching as the man smirked at him as he glued his blue eyes back into the gunman's exposed chest. "I told you I'm not sure. I fell asleep in my bed, then the next thing I remember I was in yours. Are you sure you didn't kidnap me?"

Creed made an offended noise as he laid himself down slightly next to Train, his leg wrapped around his beloved's as he kissed his cat's cheek adoringly. "I would never perform such a rude action against you! And last night, you proved that I don't need to sink to such lows since you seem to subconsciously want to sleep with me."

Train frowned at the man, then purred a little as Creed's fingers twirled gingerly through his hair and along his chest. "Phrasing, Creed."

Creed winked at his love and kissed his neck. "I know what I said."

Train rolled his eyes and settled back into the pillow, tilting his head slightly so it rested against the top of Creed's head. "I'm being honest, I don't remember coming in here last night. I was so tired I don't even remember falling asleep."

Creed frowned and snuggled his head between his love's neck and shoulder, kissing Train neck again before he spoke. "Why didn't you join me when you came home? Why'd you come in so late?"

Train sighed and spoke with a slightly bitter voice. "Well, first of all, I don't have to sleep in your bed every night…"

Creed shrugged his shoulders as he trailed his fingers down his Kitten's arm, ignoring Train's tone since he knew the sourness behind it was just another way he was trying to push away from Creed.

Honestly, after everything we did last night and this morning and all the nights we've spent together, you think he'd realize his actions contradict his words. I mean, I know we haven't done anything beyond kisses, caresses, and cuddles, but still… Train should realize just sounding annoyed doesn't negate everything that's happened with us.

The silverette smirked at his thoughts and nodded his head in understanding at his beloved. "I know. But you have been. I'm just curious."

Train blushed lightly at that comment because he knew it was true. Night after night he found himself back in Creed's bed, even after promising himself he wouldn't, his damn heart would take over and practically force his feet to the other man's room. Obviously, Creed was never going to turn him away so every night he welcomed Train into his bed with open arms. However, lately it had been getting more intimate and the golden man found it harder and harder to keep turning down Creed's advances. Last night was the first night he set ground rules, even though he also was not happy with them. In actuality, he wanted to do more, but he refused to let his body win over his mind.

It's bad enough I've let my heart win over and over again, I can't give in to my physical desires for Creed. And as much as I enjoy what I have with him right now, my guilt still occasionally takes over and I find myself pushing him away again. I just wish I knew what Saya would want…

He was gently pushed out of his thoughts by the loving touches Creed's fingers were providing him, his hand dancing and twirling up and down his chest, making Train all but forget the salty tone he used earlier and his guilty thoughts. "Second of all, I got home really, really late last night. Everyone was already asleep by then. I was worried about waking you up, so I just went to my room."

Creed's heart was almost completely full from Train's words. The only piece missing from his heart was hearing the three words he had been dying his beloved to recite again for over a year. "Is the legendary Black Cat questioning his sneaking abilities?"

"Never!" Train exclaimed as he threw one fist into the air, jostling Creed only slightly as the silver man frowned and moved himself closer to his cat once more. "I really just didn't want to wake anyone up. I was worried even if I didn't wake you up, you might shout or make some kind of loud noise and wake someone else up."

Creed smirked deviously at Train as he poked his nose playfully. "What would you be doing that would make me scream out in the night…?"

Train felt his face turn an even brighter shade of red as his mind quickly changed to dirty thoughts at the look Creed was giving him. He lightly smacked Creed's hand away from his face, ignoring the swordsman giggle as he spoke. "You know what I mean. It was late and I didn't want to startle you into making a loud noise."

Creed rolled his eyes, his smirk never leaving his face as he pinched his beloved's cheek gently. "I'm offended you think you'd startle me. My skills are better than they've ever been."

Train chuckled and pushed Creed's hand away from his cheek. "Our last sparring match begs to differ."

Creed frowned and rested his hand against Train's chest, caressing his peck instead of his love's face. "That's just because I was distracted… I'll get you next time."

Train laughed louder and flicked Creed's head. "If the person your sparring is the person who can easily distract you, how do you expect to win?"

Creed made an insulted noise and pinched Train's shoulder. "Well, maybe if you'd stop being so beautiful, I'd be able to concentrate better!"

Train made sure his voice sounded confident. "I can't help how you see me. How about a rematch later today?"

Creed's smirk became duplicitous once more as his hands slowly moved down to Train's stomach. "Or we can do a rematch right now…"

Before Train could react, Creed was on top of him again, his mouth attacking his beloved's neck and his fingers assaulting Train's body. The gunman immediately began laughing hysterically as he tried to push Creed off him, but the man's mouth and hands were too attached to him. Creed smiled gleefully as his Kitten's sweet, symphonic laughter entered his ears. He twirled his tongue aggressively around Train's skin, sucking at the area he knew was the most ticklish on his cat's neck and moved his fingers as fast as they could along his stomach. When he felt Train try to push him up with his legs, Creed placed himself between the Black Cat's legs and pushed them apart so he wouldn't be able to fight with them.

"STOP!" Train shouted between bits of laughter, desperately trying to push the man off him. "You're going to wake someone else up!"

"Don't care." Creed said quickly before attaching himself back to his neck again. "Admit defeat, Black Cat!"

Train laughed louder and tried to pull his neck away from Creed. "NO!"

Creed snickered into his love's neck which seemed to only make Train laugh harder. "Then the attack will resume…"

Train didn't know how it was possible, but Creed managed to wriggle his fingers even faster and whirled his tongue more brutally. With his knees, the silver man spread Train legs apart more, making sure the cat couldn't use them to help him escape and pressed his upper body harder against Train's. He was sure if his love wasn't weak from laughter, Train would have probably been able to escape, but Creed refused to let up. He was determined to win this match no matter what.

"Creed, get off!" Train laughed again, trying to catch his breath as he tried to pry his companion off him.

When Train's eyes began to burn with tears, Creed laughed evilly and pulled away only slightly to speak. "Do you admit defeat yet, Train?"

After a few more minutes of toture, Train finally nodded his head. "Yes! I admit defeat! You win, just get off!"

Creed pulled away fully and smirked down at his Kitten, still pinning him to the bed as he spoke. "Told you I'd get you next time."

Train was still breathless as he spoke, but managed to shake his head wildly nonetheless. "That's not fair, I didn't have Hades."

Creed shrugged his shoulders and moved his legs from being in between Train's to wrapped around them. "And I didn't have my Imagine Blade. Sounds pretty even to me."

Train glared up at him, then pushed him off so Creed was laying back on his side. "It was a sneak attack. Sneak attacks down count."

Creed rolled his eyes as he curled up next to his beloved again and wrapped his arms and legs back around him. "If that's the case, then half of your attacks have never counted and I've won far more spars against you."

Train narrowed his eyes at his companion, then turned away as he settled his head on top of Creed's. "Whatever…"

Creed nuzzled his face into Train's neck, his fingers going back to the caressing motions they had previously stopped as he brought the conversation back full circle. "You were gone for quite a while yesterday. Does that mean Lin is doing well?"

Train smiled a little and nodded, wrapping one arm around Creed's back to pull him closer and snuggled his head further into the silver man's hair. "Yeah. His therapy is coming along really well. The doctors said he could be back to normal in as little as a month."

Creed giggled. "Might be sooner if he keeps having your company."

Train knew Creed was trying to be happy, but he could tell there was a part of him that was sad he was gone for so long yesterday. "I'm sorry I didn't see you last night. I know I said I'd make it home for dinner, but Lin's therapy went late and I ended up just grabbing food at a nearby restaurant and eating with him. He's been lonely."

Creed tried to make his pout look like it was because his love had eaten take out last night instead of having dinner with him and their family. "Was it fast food, Train?"

Train made a frustrated noise and flicked the silver man's forehead. "What's the deal with you and fast food?"

"It's just fat and lard on a stick, Train! There's no nutritional value to it." He rubbed his forehead and frowned at his beloved, leaning up on his elbow so he could lock eyes with Train. "At least tell me you didn't give it to Lin in his weakened state… That greasy garbage would only make him feel worse."

Train shook his head. "No. He's on a strict diet."

Creed nodded, then rested his head back against his love's chest. "Chronos food then?"

Train shrugged his shoulders and felt his hand moving on its own as his fingers delicately traced Creed's back. "I guess? I don't think it's the same thing we were eating when we were with Chronos."

Creed cocked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

Train sighed. "I'm really not sure. Lin mentioned something a while back about how they only make certain people eat their food which led me to believe he wasn't one of those people but maybe we were."

Creed felt uneasy by that comment and decided to push for more information. "I… don't like that way that sounds…"

Train nodded in agreement. "I don't either… But Lin was confused when I seemed confused and I'd rather be talking about non-Chronos or Apostles things when I'm visiting him."

Creed smiled at his love. "Makes sense. Maybe we should ask Sephiria the next time we speak to her?"

Train shrugged his shoulders again as he pulled Creed closer, his other hand running through the man's silver hair once before landing lightly on his cheek, locking eyes with the man as he spoke. "Maybe… I'm not sure how important it is really."

Creed felt his heart catch at the attentive look his beloved was giving him, not sure Train was aware of how lovingly he was looking at him, but choosing not to tell him in favor of returning the golden man's look. He leaned forward and kissed Train again, moaning happily as he felt Train's tongue and breath mingling eroctically with his own. When they finally broke, Creed nuzzled against Train's face, shocked beyond belief that the Black Cat still refused to officially be with him or even admit how he very obviously felt about him.

As he gazed into the expanse of his love's endless golden eyes, he suddenly felt the poetic side of him take over and couldn't stop the lyrical words that left his mouth. Creed whispered as he pulled Train so he was flushed against his chest, rubbing his back adoringly as he spoke.

"Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;

Their beauty shakes me who was once serene;

Straight through my heart the wound is quick and keen.

Only your word will heal the injury

To my hurt heart, while yet the wound is clean."

Train felt his heart flutter viciously in his chest, but prevented himself from returning the man's lilting words, no matter how much his heart begged him to. "Who are you plagiarising now?"

Creed chuckled admiringly as he kissed Train tenderly. "Geoffrey Chaucer, 'Rondel of Merciless Beauty'. Reminds me of you every time I hear it."

Train smiled warmly and rolled his eyes. "What poem doesn't remind you of me?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and ran his fingers through his love's hair. "The ones that aren't about love or beauty…"

Train felt himself leaning into the man's affectionate hands, then shook his head slightly before he got carried away. He rolled over so he was on his back once more. "How do you memorize all these poems?"

Creed frowned as his love rolled away, knowing it was Train's way of pushing his feelings aside. "I've always been good at memorizing things. That's how I'm able to memorize all the music I play. However, that wasn't the full poem."

Train cocked an eyebrow at him as the silver man reached his hand over to take a light hold of his own. "Really?"

Creed nodded as he tangled their fingers today, nuzzled his head back into Train's shoulder and neck. "Yes. Would you like me to finish it?"

Train's screamed yes, but his head shook. "It's… okay… You don't have to…"

Creed frowned at Train's hesitant words, but obeyed his Kitten nonetheless. He sighed blissfully as he watched his love's fingers wrapped around his as well, snuggling his face closer to Train as he spoke. "If you were at the hospital all day yesterday, does that mean Sephiria is fine with you helping Lin through his therapy?"

Train was both depressed and happy the subject changed back to something less romantic and nodded. "Yes. She actually realized that Lin does better when I'm there for his therapy. I make him laugh whenever he's getting too tired or upset about his physical state which seems to give him the strength to keep going."

Creed giggled as Train's thumb began to massage the back of his fingers. "Does he walk faster when you stand at the end of parallel bars?"

Train cocked an eyebrow at the man. "How'd you know we did that?"

Creed blinked at his love, then laughed heartily. "I was just joking! Do you really do that?"

Train blushed in embarrassment and turned away slightly from Creed. "Only towards the end of his session when he's getting tired…"

Creed imagined the scene and smirked. "I'm pretty sure I'd go running if I saw you at the end of a harsh journey. No matter what the shape of my core was."

Train laughed quietly. "Who would have thought a person's core did so much for their body?"

Creed laughed with his love. "I think every doctor ever. Along with yourself after all the learning about anatomy they made us do at Chronos."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "True, but still, it's shocking how long his recovery is taking."

Creed smiled warmly as he watched his Kitten's finger begin to slowly play with his own and lift slightly so they were above their heads. "I'm not. A core injury is one of the worst injuries you can get. And he got a sword right through it."

Creed's smile faded when he noticed Train stopped playing with his fingers, their hands still raised above their faces, but no longer moving. The silver man looked over at his love and felt his heart shatter at the lost look his cat's gorgeous face took on.

How insensitive of me… I shouldn't have said that.

"Train… It's not your fault…" Creed wrapped his fingers around Train's again, squeezing them slightly in an attempt to comfort him.

The golden man felt the pressure of his companions fingers around his own and relaxed a little at the soothing tone he used. "I… I think I'm beginning to see that… But, I just wished he'd get better so we could get back to normal…"

Creed smiled softly at his Kitten. "Has Sephiria said he can come back with us?"

Train shook his head. "She hasn't said one way or the other yet, but I decided not to worry about it like you suggested. He's family. Nothing will keep him apart from us."

Creed nodded and felt relief as his beloved began playing with his fingers again. "I'm so happy to see you being confident again. I was worried for a little."

Train turned his head and gave his companion a cheeky smile. "My confidence never left. It just… took a vacation while Lin recovered."

Creed sighed lovingly at his Kitten's proud look. "I never doubted you for a minute…"

As Train stared into Creed's ardent blue eyes, he felt fireworks slowly beginning to burst in his chest and knew he needed to change the subject again before the finale took over his senses. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you. Anastasia has a bunch of music schools all over the place, right?"

"Mhm…" Was Creed's only response as he allowed the rockets in his chest to show on his face.

Hearing his companion's affirmative answer, Train continued with his query. "Does that mean you'll be in charge of all of them? And are you going through the paperworks for every one of them?"

Creed nodded his head. "Yup and yup. The money is actually pretty good, but there's a lot involved in running the business. I might even have to move into one of the buildings and live there like Anastasia does."

He hadn't told anyone yet, not even Train, but Anastasia had actually started paying him for his time organizing and learning about her business. They had been struggling to keep their heads above water financially since the fire and Creed was sneaking money into their bank accounts as often as he could. He knew if he told any of them that he had been paying for food out of his own side-gig paychecks, they would all turn away his financial help immediately, claiming they didn't need the extra money to get them by.

Even Train would refuse the help. It's just how they are. I haven't told Train Anastasia's been setting me up with paying piano performances either. I hate keeping that secret from him, but again, I know if he knew I was bringing in extra money he'd insist I kept it for myself to buy a piano or something, even though there's nothing I want to do with it other than make him happy and provide for him and the others.

Still, he hadn't kept a secret from Train since he ended their relationship. Creed knew that secret was nowhere near as big as the one he kept before and Train would be more angry at Creed for providing them with secret funds instead of telling them about the money upfront, but he hated seeing Train not able to eat the foods he wanted. All of his beloved's favorite meals required more expensive ingredients and since Creed started volunteering to do the grocery shopping on his own, no one had noticed much of a difference in their funds.

Sven thinks we've just gotten better with budgeting when in reality I keep slipping them more money. I'd do that and more if it meant Train could have all the milk he ever wanted.

The fireworks in Train's body began to subside as he thought of what Creed said, the coldness taking over immediately at the idea of no longer living with Creed or possibly never even working with him on sweeps anymore. "Does… Does that mean you won't be traveling with us anymore...? Or… Or living with us…?"

Creed blinked at his love, hearing the sadness in Train's voice and feeling the need to comfort him immediately. "Of course not! If I have to live in the building, I'll still travel with you. She has a school in almost every town. That's why we always see her. Besides, you know I'd never leave you. I don't want that anymore than you do."

Seeing Train's face was still frozen in fear, Creed frowned and moved his hand that was twirling around his cat's fingers and gently cupped Train's cheek to turn his head so their eyes met. "You can move in with me, Train. That way we'd never be apart…"

He watched as his beloved's face began to relax a little at the thought, but still not fully, so he decided to continue. "If you move in with me, we could still live together. We could keep embracing like this and we could be together. And…" He paused a little, making sure Train was paying attention for his next words. "And… We could live happily together… Just the two of us… No interruptions ever…"

As Creed painted a picture of their possible future, Train's heart began trembling terrifically and he was positive his eyes were blazing with a bright shade of orange and red. His skin slowly combusted in fiery excitement and he felt his body being gradually submerged in an inferno of pleasurable heat, the corner of his lips turning slightly upwards in an ambrosial smile that his mind was trying to hide from Creed's knowing, transpicuous eyes.

"I… Are you asking me to move in with you?" Train said, his voice shaking with rapture as he spoke.

Creed chuckled lightly and caressed his love's cheek delicately. "Yes. Yes I am."

Train knew he was still smiling like a fool and shook his head in hopes that would get rid of the dazed, euphoric look he knew he took on. "I… I mean… Don't we… Don't we have to be like… together before we…. take that step?"

Creed giggled again at his love's innocent, yet pleasantly charming look and ran his fingers lovingly through Train's chocolate hair. "I mean, we've been living together for the last few years, haven't we? Even when we were and weren't together at the Apostles we were living together."

Train tried to frown, but knew he was unable to since the happiness in his heart made it impossible to do anything except smile like an idiot. "But… We always lived with someone else. What you're suggesting is very… spousal…"

Creed blinked, but made sure his voice had a playful tone to it. "Are you proposing to me, Train? That's a level of commitment I never thought you'd make!" Seeing his Kitten's cute, grumpy look, Creed giggled again and continued. "I'm just teasing, Train. But, yes, for this particular situation our lives seem to be smacking us in the face with... I'm asking you to move in with just me."

Train's heart was screaming at him to say yes, but his mind would not allow it. It was as if his conscience was trying to protect him from the inevitable pain he believed he was going to experience and it began scolding him for even considering Creed's idea. He heard the fatalistic voice in his head return, reprimanding him for all but forgetting what Creed did to Saya and how terribly their relationship ended the first time. Falling back into the past was something he used to do without trying whenever he and Creed were starting to get close, but now it was something he forced onto himself in order to keep the silver man at arms length. As a reminder for why he needed to slow down.

Train stared at the swordsman, wanting nothing more than to accept his offer and live a cliche happily ever after with him, but his brain slowly began to replay the night he left Creed almost two years ago in an attempt to give him the strength he needed to say no. As he saw an image of his past self sobbing alone in an abandoned building, he found the courage to say what he knew he needed to say to protect himself and keep Saya's honor intact. However, the worst part was it worked a little too well as the anger he hadn't felt towards Creed in quite a while slowly began to rise in his heart again.

Train pushed Creed off him and rolled over so his back was facing the man. "I can't do that. I can't abandon Sven and Eve like that."

Creed was shocked at the sudden change in his cat's demeanor and frowned deeply. "Well, like I just said, we could still travel with them. Anastasia's business spans through many towns and even though I'd be making decent money, you don't have to give up sweeping. I'd never make you do something you didn't want to."

"You already did…" Train mumbled as he pushed Creed's hand away again, stopping the silver man from pulling him back against his chest. "No, Creed."

Creed blinked in confusion at his beloved, then down at his hands, not sure why Train was no longer in them nor really understanding what his cat was saying no to. "Are you… saying no to moving in with me or no to my touches?"

"Both." Train said sternly, unable to lose the images of his past self that began swirling through his head.

He saw himself running through the woods, away from the castle he left the Apostles almost two years ago. Back before he had control over his flashing abilities and could only transport himself a few yards. He could hear Creed's bereft, bleak screams for him to come back and felt his heart shatter again as he saw his past self run as fast as he could, ignoring the tears that burned his cheeks along with the pain that both stabbed and consumed his heart.

"You can move out whenever you need to. Join us on sweeps when you want." Train saw himself crying desolate tears in an empty room, pulling at his hair as he tried to prevent himself from wrenching up the food he had finally managed to choke down.

Train felt Creed reach out and try to caress him again, then jumped a little and moved towards the end of the bed. "I… I need to go…"

Creed watched as Train swung his feet off the bed and stopped his Kitten before he stepped off it. "Train… What just happened? Where did you go just now?"

Train sat at the edge of the bed for a minute, questioning if he should tell Creed where his mind wandered off to and shook his head. "N-Nowhere… Nothing… I-I need to go..."

Creed didn't let go of his arm and instead pulled Train back a little so he could see his face better. Train's normally lively, amber eyes were dull and lost, as if he wasn't even there. "Train… If being with you has taught me anything… It's that we need to talk… No matter how much it might hurt, we need to be open with each other. No matter what."

Those words were able to make Train turn an angry look to the man, something he wasn't able to sincerely do quite a while. "We're not together."

Creed felt his heart break, since that was the first time Train had said that in several months where it sounded genuine. "I-I know that, Train, but… We're friends... right?"

Train did not respond. Instead, he harshened his glare at the man, making Creed wince a little in pain, but that was not enough to make him back down. He wasn't sure why, but Train was in pain right now, and that wasn't something Creed was ever going to accept without a fight.

"Train… Five minutes ago, you were laying in my arms, kissing me and allowing me to caress you everywhere I could. Now, you look like you're trying to kill me with your eyes and flinching at my every touch." To make his point, Creed reached out and touched Train's shoulder again, holding back the agonized whimper when he saw his beloved wrench his arm away from him. "Unless we've overlooked some kind of diagnosable disorder with you, something happened in the span of me teasing you about living together and right now."

Train scoffed and ripped himself out of Creed's grasp, turning away from the man once more. "So now you were just teasing me? You didn't even mean it?"

Creed felt his body get colder as he stared at Train's back, the distance between them suddenly widening even though they were still both on the same bed. "You know what I mean, Train. I was only half teasing. You know I'd want nothing more than you to have you all to myself all day every day… But I'm not going to force something on you that you don't want."

Train laughed bitterly, but still did not turn around to look at Creed. "You already did…"

Creed clutched at his broken heart, not sure what he had said or done to set Train off that much and desperately needed to find out what it was. "That's the second time you said that. Did you not want me to kiss you just now? To touch you? To hold you? Tickle you? What, Train? What didn't you want me to do? Tell me and I'll make sure to never do it again."

Train was silent for a long, painful minute, then spoke in a harsh whisper. "You made me leave you…"

Creed had to strain to hear what his beloved said, then stared in shock at Train's back. "Wha-"

"-I need to leave. It's probably getting late. People will wake up and wonder why I'm leaving your room." Train didn't even bother trying to check the time since he was really using this as an excuse to leave.

Creed saw Train start to stand up again and grabbed his arm one more time. "Train. Talk to me."

Train glared at the hand that held him, but refused to look Creed in the eyes since he was pretty sure if he did, he would cave and give the man what he wanted. "I don't want to. And you just said you'd never make me do something I didn't want to."

Creed sighed, but did not let go of Train. "Because I know you do want to talk, you're just telling yourself you don't want to. I know in a few days from now, you're going to regret everything that just happened and want to have a conversation where you apologize to me and I tell you it's okay. Can we just skip that bit and get to the part where you tell me what's really wrong and I comfort you and remind you how much I love you?"

Train heard the man's pleading voice and was able to come back a little to reality because of it. He slowly met the man's gaze and felt his heart begin to heal itself a little and beat a little faster when Creed's faithful blue eyes locked onto his. "I… Just… Did I…" He paused for a second, trying to think how to start the conversation and sighed deeply. "Did I ever tell you where I went after I left the Apostles, Creed?"

Creed felt his chest get heavy at his beloved's word and shook his head a little. "No…"

Train ran his fingers through his hair, then sat at the edge of the bed with his back still to Creed. "Back then, I could only flash a few yards away. I also wasn't sure where I was going, so I only ended up in the middle of the woods. I could still hear you screaming for me to come back… but I ran in the opposite direction as far as I could. Well… after throwing up that is. That happened a lot before I got used to my mode of transportation…"

"Train, I-"

Without turning around, Train put a hand up to stop Creed from talking. "Just let me tell my story, okay?"

Creed nodded, so Train continued. "I was so distraught that I couldn't find my way out of the woods. I ended up climbing up a tall tree and spending the night there." He turned back to see the sad look on the silver man's face and shook his head. "Don't feel bad about that. I've done it before. By choice. It wasn't too bad."

He leaned back on his hands a little, starting to feel a bit better now that he was telling his story for the first time in almost two years. "I spent all night searching the sky, trying to find any hint from Saya that she forgave me for what I did… For betraying her and tarnishing her memory… But… I saw nothing. I took that as a sign that she hated me and wanted nothing more to do with me. It seemed so unlike her, but I was too upset to think logically back then."

Train stared up at the ceiling, still not ready to look at Creed yet. "The next morning, I found my way out. Mostly by just flying through the air until I was able to find the town I left Kyoko at with Sven. Once I checked in with them, made sure Sven was okay with keeping an eye on her for a while, and gave him a bunch of cash for the trouble of caring for her, I left. Again, I didn't know where I was going, so I just shut my eyes, imagined a town that was far away from where I was, and boom, I was there. The only downside was, I had no idea where I was and didn't know how much money I needed to survive for a while."

A thought occurred to Train, and he finally decided to turn and glance at Creed for a quick second. "Did you ever find out I stole cash from the safes before I left?"

Creed blinked, his eyes brimming with tears at Train's story and shook his head. "N-No…"

Train nodded and smiled proudly. "Good. That means I did a good job if you didn't notice."

Creed held back a shaky sob as he spoke. "Don't get too cocky. I was so hysterical I don't think I would have noticed even if I caught it on camera."

Train poked Creed's forehead, a bit of his playfulness returning as he spoke his truth. "Of course you were. Anyway, I didn't want to use the money on hotels or rent or anything, so I ended up finding an abandoned building and spending the night there. I think it used to be an office building, but there was a room with a bed in it, so I decided to make due with that. There wasn't any electricity, but I assumed I hadn't been feeling any changes in weather because I was just so numb from the pain… I never imagined it was because of my leveled up Tao."

"Train…" Creed felt the need to step into the story, since the idea of his love feeling numb from pain was something he couldn't take lightly. "I'm sorry… I didn't know… If I had, I would have-"

"-What? Made me come back?" Creed nodded and Train rolled his eyes. "You and I both know I would have attacked you the moment I saw you. There was no way in hell I was going to go back with you willingly and you just said you would never make me do something I didn't want to."

Creed felt his heart shake, not wanting to say his thoughts out loud, but knowing he needed to be honest with his beloved. "Actually… Back then I was so desperate and unhinged that I just might have kidnapped you. I wanted you back so badly, I don't think it would have been beneath me to force you to come back."

Train nodded. "Thank you for being honest, but seeing what state you were in when we finally met again, I don't think you would have stood a chance against me. Even with the other Apostles' help, I would have kept flashing away until I was on another continent."

Creed smiled sourly. "You're… Right."

He hated talking about how their relationship ended, but he knew Train needed to get it out. They had never spoken in depth about what happened to Train after he left, and it was high time they did.

"I spent a few nights in that town… alone…. Attempting to eat but unable to keep anything down. After about two weeks, I ran out of money and knew that I needed to do something to make ends meet. Even though I wasn't eating, I knew I had to eventually and you need money to do that."

Creed tried to return Train's cheeky smile, but was unable to. His heart was in pieces, floating aimlessly through his chest at the thought of his beloved not being able to eat. Train loved food more than anything else in the world and knowing he wasn't able to eat properly made Creed feel lower than he ever had. He wanted to apologize to his Kitten again, but he knew Train would only tell him to be quiet, so he kept his mouth shut. However, he did try to make sure his love knew how compunctious he was with his eyes.

Train flicked the man's forehead again, wanting to get those puppy dog eyes off him so he could finish his story in peace. It was rejuvenating to finally tell his story. "After a while, I tried a few odd end jobs here and there, but ended up losing out on a lot of the money they brought in because I couldn't concentrate on anything else except the pain in my heart. However, slowly the pain began to turn into a burning rage, and I decided that was worse. And it seemed like my clients thought it was as well, since I would lash out at them and ended up losing even more jobs."

Train chuckled lightly at a certain memory that popped into his head. "One time, a lady hired me to find her kid's dog and I ended up bringing her the wrong one. The woman chastised me for screwing up and I let her for a little until I let the rage take over and scared her near to death. I told her it was a brown dog with a white tail which meant it was good enough for her stupid kid. Needless to say, I didn't get paid and had to lay low for a while. It was a small town and they were all beginning to hate me."

Creed grimaced at the story, even though Train was telling it as if it were a fond memory. "That woman shouldn't have yelled at you. You didn't deserve it."

Train sighed. "Yes, I did. Her husband recently passed and the dog running away was just salt in the wounds for the family. However, I was too busy wallowing in my own misery that I wasn't paying attention and found the wrong one. It may seem like something small, but for a family who just lost everything, it was a lot."

He pulled his legs onto the bed, crossing them and finally turning to face Creed as he spoke. "Small mistakes like that kept happening, but I was able to keep it together enough to at least afford the bare minimum a human needed to survive. I was still staying in the abandoned building so I only needed to worry about food and water. It was actually… kind of refreshing. It started to give me a different outlook on life. Despite how chaotic the random jobs could get and how stressful it may have been to make sure I always had something to eat there was a peacefulness behind it. It sort of put things into perspective for me and I felt myself beginning to… relax. The pain and anger from what happened was still there, but I was able to forget about it every so often. Sure, waves of the fury would come back, as you saw when we met again, but for the most part… I had never felt more like myself than I ever did in that moment."

Train looked up at Creed, smiling kindly as he felt himself calming down again. "Then… After about a month and a half in that town, I finally saw a sign from Saya. Do you remember that song I destroyed your piano over?"

Creed frowned, then nodded his head slowly. "Yes… I promised I would never play it again."

Train chuckled, still not ready to tell Creed he had heard him singing it in his sleep a while back. "Well… I heard it again. In a music box at an antique store. Obviously, I couldn't afford it, but I sat there for what felt like hours just playing it over and over again until I saw a flash of white pass by the store window. I ran outside, totally believing it was Saya, but wasn't able to catch whoever or whatever it was."

He leaned back slightly as he spoke, smiling at the ceiling as the memories slowly became happy. "Instead, I ran right by a bank that was in the middle of being robbed. I hadn't used my Tao ability since I left since I had convinced myself it was wrong to use it which is why I told Kyoko not to use it unless the Apostles attacked, but in that moment when I saw the robber running at me, full speed with a gun in his hand, I just flicked my wrist to get Hades and a beam of ice came out and froze him to the spot. Luckily, no one had seen it and it melted rather quickly and I was able to apprehend him and hand him over to the police which is when they asked me that fateful question."

He looked back down at Creed, curiosity combined with sadness mixed in his eyes as he stared into his beloved's flawless golden eyes. "...Which was?"

Train gave him a cheeky smile.

"Are you a sweeper?"

Train blinked at the man behind the counter, not sure how to respond. "Why does that matter?"

The man cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, I just wanted to know if you wanted to collect the bounty on this man's head."

Train blinked again. "Bounty?"

The man seemed to be growing frustrated with him. "Yes, bounty. What're you new to this gig or something? We've been after this guy for a while. With how easily you were able to apprehend him, I assumed you had to be a sweeper. The police couldn't catch him let alone the average citizen."

Train stared at him, dumbfounded and not sure what to say. He knew he wasn't a sweeper and he wondered if it was wrong to claim that he was and take the money out of another person's mouth, but he also couldn't deny that he desperately needed the money.

The man behind the counter began tapping his pencil impatiently. "Are you trying to tell me an average citizen did apprehend this criminal? We've been searching for him for months. This is the second bank he's robbed in his town alone and he's had his wanted sign up in other towns as well. He even runs his own gang who smuggle illegal weapons in and out of cities. He's pretty dangerous, so if you're about to tell me you're not a sweeper, then I think you might want to become a cop."

Train shook his head. "No, I definitely don't want to be a cop." Seeing that seemed to offend the man, so the cat tried to backpedal quickly. "I didn't mean that like it sounded! It's just…"

He began to sweat a little, then saw another white flash out of the corner of his eye. His heart skipped a beat and he ran over to where it came from, ignoring the police officer's shouts at him to answer the question as he hurried over to a figure that appeared to be clad in white. When he reached this mysterious person, Train grabbed their shoulder and turned them around, only to see it was a woman much older than Saya who looked nothing like her. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes and her skin was also much darker. Train stared at her for a moment, the woman waiting for him to say something since he had just grabbed her so rudely.

"Normally a guy has to buy me a few drinks or at least a meal before I let him touch me like that, but seeing as you're so cute, I'll let you off with a warning this time."

Train frowned at her, then released his hold on her shoulder. "S-Sorry, you just looked like an old friend. I… didn't mean to startle you."

The woman brushed off his worries. "Don't apologize, I know I'm a sight be behold. This friend of yours must be quite pretty as well."

Train blinked at her confidence, reminding him of Saya even more despite the fact that they looked nothing alike. He glanced down at what she was wearing and noticed it was indeed a white yukata, though the pattern was completely different. Still, it was very similar and Train felt himself a bit dazed at the sight before him.

The woman's snapping fingers finally brought his eyes forward and Train blushed wildly. "S-Sorry! It's just… such a strange thing to wear in public."

The woman sighed in frustration and raised her arms up. "I know I absolutely hate it, but I just came from a costume breakfast party."

Train cocked an eyebrow at her. "Costume breakfast party?" He glanced outside and frowned at the afternoon soon. "That's a very strange party to have attended..."

The woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "It was part of my sister's bachelorette party weekend and she loves anything Japanese. Breakfast was just round one. I'm on my way to round two right now which is going to be so much worse. Everyone's bringing their significant others for afternoon brunch and I'm the only one that's single."

A devious look glinted in her eyes that Train ignored in favor of a question. "Bachelorette party? Then why are you at a police station?"

The woman's mischievous look did not change as she answered his question matter-of-factly. "One of the bridesmaids was arrested for public indecency last night. I'm here to pick her up and be the hero for the day."

"Oh." Train stated bluntly, not aware of how dumb his voice sounded. "Well, again, I'm so-"

"Mr. Heartnet?" The man from behind the desk had apparently grown impatient, since he was now standing behind Train, tapping his foot angrily on the ground. "Do you want this reward money or not?"

Train stared down at the slightly shorter man and shook his head slightly. "It's just that I'm not-"

"-Oooh, are you a sweeper?" The woman on the other side of him sneered. "What an interesting career… I bet you have a lot of stories to tell."

Train thought about her words for a couple of minutes before he realized that even though he wasn't a sweeper, it was still true. He had been working odd end jobs for the last six weeks and did have a lot of stories to tell. It began to occur to him that he was acting like a sweeper, even though he didn't have the proper licensing to do it. Most of the jobs he picked up were too low grade or dangerous for any sweeper which gave him the edge since he could pretty much handle anything his clients threw at him. The unfortunate part of it was if they decided not to pay him afterwards there was nothing he could do about it. However, if he was a sweeper…

"Mr. Heartnet, please just answer the question so I can get out of here? I was just about to clock out before you showed up with Rin Abe, and I'd really like to get home to my kids. I've been here all night."

Train frowned at the man, feeling bad for him and about to open his mouth to tell him he didn't have rights to the money since he wasn't a sweeper before the woman standing next to him clung to his arm and pulled him close. Train looked down at her, seeing her eyes still shining brightly with excitement as she answered the question on his behalf.

"You'll have to excuse my boyfriend, he's a bit tired right now. Yes, he'll take the reward money. And while you're at it, can you have them release Aira Taylor?"

The man looked her up and down, before nodding and walking away. Train gawked at her for a second before pulling his arm away. "What the hell was that?! You don't know who I am! I'm not a sweeper! I could get in trouble for taking that money!"

The woman rolled her eyes and brushed him away. "Relax! No one really cares about that! Do you even know who Rin Abe is?" Seeing Train shake her head, she smacked her forehead in disbelief. "If you're able to take down Rin Abe without even knowing who he is and appearing to be completely unharmed, then I think a sweeper license would be a piece of cake. Don't you want the money? You sure look like you could use it."

Train looked down at himself and realized how disheveled he looked. He packed all the clothes he could, but there wasn't much he could do without running water and he knew he probably looked homeless, which he technically was. It didn't bother him too much, but his raggedy appearance did put off a lot of people and he started to have a harder and harder time finding work.

Train frowned. "Still, it's not right… That's money a real sweeper could use."

The woman seemed to be getting more and more annoyed by him and she smacked the back of his head. "Just shut up and take the money. You can get a sweeper license another day, but right now, you have plans."

Train blinked again. "I do?"

The woman laughed as the golden eyed man pulled out his phone to check his calendar, not sure how he was still able to afford a phone since it didn't look like he had a decent wash in weeks. She smacked the phone out of his hand, rolling her eyes at his frustrated look. "With how much money that man is probably worth, you can buy new clothes and a new phone, so stop your whining."

Train glared at her. "I don't know if I like you…"

The woman laughed and patted his arm. "You will, because you won't have a choice. Because your plans are with me." Seeing the confused look on his face and knowing she had his full attention, the woman smirked. "You're going to be my date for the day."

Train felt his eyes widen as he pulled his arm away from the woman. "WHAT?!"

The woman seemed pleased with his response and nodded. "That's right. How else do you think you'll repay me for helping you make all that money in one day?"

Train narrowed his eyes at her. "I didn't ask you to do that…"

"Yeah, well, I did, so tough shit. You owe me now."

Train blinked at the woman and felt his mouth open slightly in shock. She really was a lot like Saya, but with a bit of a fouler mouth. "If this guy is really worth as much as you say he is… I could just pay you…"

"Nope. Not what I asked for. You're my boyfriend for the day. Everything else we're doing is super couply and I'm getting tired of having to answer the question to waiters and waitresses of why I'm still single at thirty-three."

"Thirty-three…" Train frowned at her as he looked her up and down. "You look ol-"

"I KNOW I LOOK OLDER THAN THIRTY-THREE! BEING A NURSE DOES THAT TO YOU, YA KNOW?!"

Train actually started to chuckle a little at her flustered face, wondering if that is what Saya would have looked like if she had lived long enough to reach that age. However, thinking of his dead friend brought back his melancholy thoughts, and he shook his head again.

"I can't do that, I'm sorry. You really don't want me in your life and you especially don't want me to pretend to be your boyfriend. You might piss the wrong person off." Train's voice slowly became a whisper as he spoke, as if his enemies could hear him right now.

The woman tilted her head in confusion at the thought. "You have a jealous ex stalking you or something?"

Train grimaced. "I… Guess you could say that."

The woman rolled her eyes and latched back onto his arm. "I'll take the risk. If I'm able to act like such an attractive young man is my lover, it's worth dealing with a jealous ex. Might even add to the drama of the night."

Train grimaced again and felt his chest begin to grow with anxiety. "You really don't want that…"

"Whatever, chances of that happening are slim. Unless… you've heard from his ex recently?"

Train felt his heart relax a little at that thought. "No."

The woman smiled. "Then we'll be fine."

Train didn't see how her plan was going to work and decided to question it. "Won't everyone know it's fake? Didn't you just see these people yesterday? Didn't you say the bride-to-be is your sister? They'll know you're paying me or at least blackmailing me."

The woman glared at him as he used the word 'blackmail', then smiled again. "I know all that! That just makes this all the more impressive. I'll say I ran into you on the way to the station and it was love at first sight."

Train felt his heart go cold. "...Love?"

The woman felt his arm tense up and gave him a curious look. "Man, this relationship must have been intense if you're reacting this way to such a simple word…"

Train looked down, his heart breaking all over again as the coldness took over once more. "I wouldn't describe the word love as simple…"

The woman frowned. "Sorry, didn't mean to trigger you. How about we just say it was a strong connection and we really wanted to see where it was going?"

Train sighed deeply. "No… I can't…"

The woman reached up and grabbed his chin so their eyes met. "Listen, you've clearly been through some shit. Maybe you need this just as much as I do. Maybe you need time with real people and just have some fun. You don't look like you've relaxed or had fun in a long time."

Train stared at her stubborn eyes and thought about her words. She was right. While he was beginning to discover who he was after everything that happened with the Apostles and Creed, he still felt so tense and stressed all the time. While he may have been softening and starting to see the world in a whole new way, that didn't change the anxiety he felt at being caught by his ex-lover any day now. It also didn't stop the constant heartache and nightmares he was plagued with night after night.

"Maybe reconnecting with society is what I need…"

"Huh?" The woman asked in confusion. "I'm gonna need some context for that sentence, Cutie."

Train chuckled and pulled his head out of her hands. "Don't worry about it. I think you're right. This might be fun. I can play the doting new lover for a day."

The woman punched the air in front of her twice. "Alright! Hot new arm candy! Jessy will be so jealous!"

Train frowned at her. "Who?"

"The maid of honor. She's been riding me all weekend about how 'lonely I must feel' and no matter how much I tell her I don't care about being with someone, she won't shut up about it. This is really just so they'll all get off my back. I don't actually care about falling in love or any of that crap. I just want to have fun." He looked Train up and down, then reached out to squeeze his arm, smiling as if she was pleased at what she felt. "However… If you do decide you want to experiment with this facade of a relationship for real… I'm more than willing to give it a shot."

Train blush brightly then shook his head. "N-No thanks and no offense, but let's just say I'm… abstaining for awhile."

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself. I heard I make a great rebound."

Train blinked innocently at her. "Rebound?"

The woman widened her eyes in shock at him. "Oh my God, you're so innocent it's adorable. I'll explain to you on the way."

She grabbed his arm and began to walk off with him just as Train was about to protest that he didn't get his money nor did she get the woman she came to pick up. She stopped when she heard a voice coming towards them.

"Mr. Hearnet! Wait! Don't you want your reward? And miss, don't you want Ms. Taylor?" The man ran up to them with an envelope in his hand.

Before Train could take it, the woman next to him grabbed it and smirked. "Keep Aria. No one even knew I came to pick her up. She's been an annoyance all weekend. She can stew in here a bit longer."

Before the man could say anything more, the woman pulled his arm and walked him out the door. Once they were outside, Train finally was able to pull himself free and ask her a question. "You're really just going to let her sit there in prison?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "First of all, it's not prison, it's just a holding cell and second, her family is loaded. I'm sure they'll come pick her up soon. Now I don't have to use my own money to bail her out."

Train felt a little better at that, but still didn't like walking away from a woman who was just annoying. "Still, it doesn't seem right…"

She sighed and turned to him, hands on her hips reminding the cat even more of his deceased sweeper friend. "She tried to drive drunk last night and only stopped after I wrestled the keys out of her hands. She then punched me in the face and called me an old hag and began to scream obscenities at my sister. That's when she got arrested. She even tried to deck the cop, but I refused to press charges on her. We just wanted her to have a place to sober up and we agreed we deal with it today."

Train blinked at her, a gesture the woman seemed to be able to get out of him with ease. "I see… Well… weren't you going to be the hero that saved her? And wasn't that the excuse for how we met?" He really just wanted to make sure they got their story straight in case they were questioned by the women and Train had a feeling after hearing more about what they were like, they would be.

The woman shrugged her shoulders and began walking down the street again. "Like I said, they didn't know. I'll just grab the girls coffee and say I met you at the shop." She stopped dead in her tracks, then turned to Train and eyed him up and down in disapproval. "We need to get you cleaned up with new clothes. This simply won't do."

Train frowned at her, then down at himself. "With what money? I'm broke, remember?"

The woman smacked the envelope against his chest and smirked at him. "No anymore you're not. Now come on, I'm gonna Pretty Woman the shit out of you."

Train blinked again. "Pretty Woman? The movie?"

"Yup! That's the woman! You are kind of a hooker right now, after all." She winked at him, then turned on her heel and walked away quickly.

Train glared at her back and caught up quickly. "What an uncool thing to say to a man who was just trying to hand over a bank robber! I'm just repaying a favor I didn't ask for! If anything, you're blackmailing me like I insinuated before!"

The woman narrowed her eyes at Train. "Don't use that word around the girls. Even if it is true…"

Train pointed an accusing finger at her. "AHA! So you admit it!"

The woman sighed and smacked his shoulder. "Of course I do! I know what I'm about! Now shut up and get in this store. We need to pick something sexy out for you."

Train blushed, then growled quietly at her. "And just who is paying for this 'sexy' outfit?"

The woman smiled innocently at him. "You, of course. After all, you just came into a bunch of money recently."

"Yeah, for clothes that I would wear more than once! I would never wear something 'sexy' unless I'm being BLACKMAILED!"

"Shhh! People can hear you! What did I say about that word, Hooker?!" She looked around and tried to smile kindly at the people who were staring at them.

"Don't call me a hooker, Blackmailer!" Train made sure to emphasize the last word, not caring at how many people were staring since he was beginning to feel like his old self again already.

The woman glared at him. "By the way, you're also paying for all my meals today."

Train jumped then harshened his glare at her as they stepped further into the store. "Says who?!"

"Says your new fake girlfriend! Now shut up and try this on!" As she handed it to him, she realized something then looked up curiously at him. "Hey, I just realized we never got each other's names. Guess I should know the name of my fake boyfriend, huh?"

Train chuckled lightly. "Yeah, makes sense." He put a hand out for her to take. "Train Heartnet."

The woman returned his smile and shook his hand firmly. "Effie Mayberry. Most people call me 'E'. Don't ask why, just do it."

Train smiled then nodded and attempted to pull away, but apparently the woman had one last question. "Also, what do you do to make money? I can't have my eye candy being a homeless bum. I know you're not a sweeper, but-"

"-No. I'm a sweeper." As soon as Train said the words, he knew it was true. He had been acting like a sweeper for a while now, and it seemed like that was the plan Saya had in mind for him. "I may not have a license, but I'm definitely a sweeper. And like you said, I'll be able to get one with no problem."

The woman named E nodded and shoved the clothes in his arms, then spun him around and towards the dressing room. "Well then, sweeper Train, go fulfill your destiny as my eye candy for the day."

Train smiled happily at the memory, not sure when he ended up laying back down on the bed next to Creed, but knowing he didn't care to try and remember. "After that, I got my sweeper license and began playing around with my new Tao. I started to make peace with that side of me as well and when I felt like I had mastered my ability I realized that it didn't make me inhuman nor did I see it as a terrible reminder of what happened to me. It was a part of me and I decided it was time to accept everything I had to offer myself."

Creed smiled down at his love, sitting next to him and running his fingers through his hair lovingly, relieved that Train was allowing him to touch him again. "Why did you never tell me about that woman, Train?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I never told anyone. And she wasn't the only friend I made along the way. She was just the one I seemed to connect with the most and was the first. She was also a lot like Saya and helped me open up to new relationships again. I even was her date for the wedding."

Creed giggled at the thought of Train at a wedding. "It's hard to imagine the Black Cat at a wedding…"

Train gave him an offended look. "How dare you?! I was the life of the party! Everyone wanted to dance with me! Even though I couldn't dance."

Creed giggled again. "I can only imagine why they wanted to dance with you. Did she make you wear something sexy to that as well?"

Train blushed and glared at his friend. "No. I wore a suite. Like at Freesia's birthday." He realized what he said, then smiled warmly at the memory of him and Creed on their first supposed date. "And the dancing you taught me actually helped a lot. That, combined with my natural awesomeness, helped me not look like a fool."

Creed returned his beloved's smile. "I'm glad I could help… Even if that night turned out to be terrible."

Train brushed his words aside. "It wasn't terrible. It was just expected for what our relationship was."

Creed frowned. "What? Chaotic and toxic?"

Train shook his head. "No. Exciting and passionate."

Creed sighed blissfully at his love, happy to see he was acting like himself again and allowing the silver man to touch him once more.

I could redo that date with you, Train… If you'd just let me. I could show you how wonderful you deserve to be treated…

Realizing how fond his words sounded, Train rubbed his face to get rid of the warm feeling that never seemed to go away when Creed was around. "I guess you could say E gave me my first real date after you."

Creed laughed loudly at that. "And here I thought it was Lin!"

Train rolled his eyes. "I think he probably thought that too…"

A thought occurred to Creed, and he wasn't sure how Train would take it, but he knew he needed to ask it anyway. "Did you… Did you-"

"Sleep with her? No. I mean, she put it out there if I ever wanted it, but I declined over and over. I never even got her number. We just kept running into each other by chance. I only went to the wedding by coincidence. I ran into her again at the music shop that time and she was able to blackmail me into playing the loving boyfriend again." Train smiled wistfully at the memory. "It was nice though. She was right. I needed to be reintroduced into society. As much as I enjoy being alone every so often, she reminded me what it was like to have friends again. I started reaching out to Sven after that and meeting him and Eve every so often. And if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have made all those other friends along the way."

Creed nodded. "I'm happy you met her… but…." He gave his cat a nervous look, not sure how he would take his next question. "Why'd you… turn her down?"

Train gave his friend a confused look. "Are you asking me why I didn't sleep with her? That's such an odd question for you of all people to ask." Seeing Creed shrug his shoulders, the gunman rolled his eyes and decided to answer the question anyway. "I just… wasn't ready for anything like that. She insisted it would be casual and no strings attached, but that didn't matter to me. It was too soon."

Creed nodded in understanding, but still wasn't satisfied yet. "Other than Lin did you… sleep with anyone else?"

Train rubbed his eyes in frustration. "You can be so possessive…" He pulled his hands away so he could eye the man giving him a pitiful look. "I don't really think it's any of your business, but no. I did not."

Creed nodded again. "Was it… offered to you?"

"Oh my God, Creed!" Train said as he threw his arms in the air. "Yes! By several people! Men and women alike, but I turned them all down because I wasn't ready. I was never even interested in sex until you, and I chose to abstain from it for those six months I was away because I didn't want to be reminded of what happened. It wasn't until I met Lin was I ready again."

Creed smiled at his beloved, a little hurt by his words, but also knowing he had no right to be.

Guess I shouldn't be surprised it was offered to him so often. He is Train, after all. However, he just said he was never even interested in it until me. I knew I was his first, but that meant he loved me enough at one point to finally decide to give it a shot. That's a pretty significant thing for the Black Cat to take into his life. I'm…. touched.

"Making love to someone requires you to become completely vulnerable both physically and emotionally. Lin really must have been special to you too..." Creed whispered his words, not aware he had said them out loud.

Train cocked an eyebrow at him, not sure why Creed's voice took on such a contemplative tone. "I did. I still do. But you know it's not love. So does he."

I already told him being with Lin wasn't the same as being with him and I don't feel like repeating myself. Even if it does look like he needs comforting, this is a silly thing for him to be upset about. Especially since he still technically has no claims to me… no matter what my heart tells me.

Creed nodded again. "I'm… happy you were able to feel safe enough with me at one point to allow me to be with you that way. I'm also happy you felt safe enough with Lin. Even if both those relationships are over, it warms my heart knowing you are capable of being that vulnerable again. And I hope you can in the future again with someone…"

Seems like Train only sleeps with people he feels like he has a connection with. If he really turned down that many people, both Lin and myself must have been special to him...

Train rolled his eyes. "Stop being dramatic. What about you? Did you meet anyone during those six months?"

Creed laughed vociferously at that. "Absolutely not! I was pathetically locked away in my room the entire time you were gone. The only person I saw was Echidna when she came to bring me food that I refused to eat to try to convince me to come out."

Train chuckled a little. "Well, I'm sure she would have been more than willing to keep you company."

Creed made a disgusted face. "No. Never with her. I've slept with countless people, but I've never had anyone I called a lover until you. Even if I did leave and meet someone, I would have said no. After knowing what it's like to be with you, I know nothing else will be the same. That's why I turn down Sergey every day."

Train was a little surprised at that and decided to voice his feelings. "That's a little shocking to me. You always struck me as a… promiscuous man."

Creed rolled his eyes. "Oh, so I'm a hooker now?" He giggled at the glare Train gave him and shrugged his shoulders. "Of course I enjoy it. Who doesn't? But, as I told you before, I only was ever with anyone else because you barely knew I existed. I needed to get my desires out before I forced something on you that you didn't want. But… Now that I know how divine it is to be with you… nothing else will compare. Even if that means I never sleep with anyone again, I refuse to taint the memory of being with you."

Train felt his heart flutter at Creed's words and had to fight the urge to pin the man to the bed and tell him they could experience what it was like to be with each other again. Instead, he sighed and looked away from Creed, making sure the man didn't see the passion he knew was showing in his eyes. "So dramatic…"

Creed smiled warmly at his kitten, then reached out to touch his cheek lightly with the back of his fingers. "What made you decide to come back? It sounds like you started to have fun on your own. Why did you come back to Sven and Eve?"

Train laughed quietly. "Well, first of all I knew they still had Kyoko and I knew she was driving them insane, so I had to go back for her. But… I kept in touch with Sven the whole time. There was just a… connection between us that I knew I couldn't ignore." Train pointed an accusing finger at Creed, stopping him before he could speak. "And before you read into that, it's a totally platonic connection. He was a good friend to me even when he had no reason to be. He took pity on me when I didn't want him to, but needed him to. As much as I enjoyed being a free, wayward, nomad cat, I also couldn't ignore how lonely I was getting traveling by myself. Just like Saya."

Creed nodded in understanding, happy his beloved had cut him off before he asked another jealous question. "You're always looking for connection with people. It's so sweet…"

Train gave him a knowing look. "And you're not? We're birds of a feather, Creed. It just took you longer to realize you could create connections outside of me."

Creed laughed lightly. "And it took Saya to show you that you could connect with anyone."

I owe her so much...

Creed decided not to voice his words out loud since he knew it would just start a whole new conversation. Instead, he chose to finish his earlier thoughts. "It doesn't sound like you were alone, though… Why come back? Why not keep being a wayward cat?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I was basically alone. A few comrades and friends here and there does not make one feel like they are not alone and I could never recreate the connection I had with Sven, Eve, or you throughout all my travels. I always knew I was going to go back, I just needed to make sure I was ready."

Creed nodded and asked his next question shakily. "What made you decide you were ready?"

Train looked at him knowingly. "Do you really want me to answer that question, Creed? I don't think you'll like the answer…"

Creed nodded his head firmly. "Yes. I want to know. Even if it hurts me, I want to know."

Train was quiet for another minute, then took a deep breath. "When I realized I didn't want to kill you anymore."

The room was silent after Train spoke those words, but Creed knew he needed to break it in order to let his love know he wasn't hurt by that statement, even though he was. "I'm glad you were able to come to that conclusion on your own…"

Train sighed. "I don't know if that's entirely true… Life made me realize that… Being free and seeing what the world had to offer made me see that revenge wasn't going to change anything. It wouldn't bring Saya back. And I needed to accept that." He rolled over so he was looking at Creed, making sure the man saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Don't say sorry. You've said it enough."

Creed shut his mouth, then nodded at his love. "Then… Why do these moments keep happening? If you've made peace with it all… Why are you still tormented so?"

After seeing his Kitten react so extremely, Creed had more of an idea of what went through his beloved's head whenever they were starting to get close again. While Train may have been able to accept what was happening between them to a certain point, he always stopped himself and made sure there was distance between them. Moments like this still occasionally happened, but nothing to the extent of that.

I hate seeing Train so mistreated by his own guilt, but at least now I understand it more. Now I understand what he's going through. And he was able to bring himself back relatively easily. I'm sure he's used that story before to remind him of what conclusions he drew to no longer hate me. But… He's also probably used it as a reminder of why he hated me in the first place. I guess it must be harder since his feelings for me are getting stronger…

Train watched Creed's pensive face and knew his was reflecting the same emotion. He was trying to figure out the best way to answer that question, but he had a feeling Creed might have answered it on his own already. "It's… hard, Creed… It's not like flipping off a switch. I… I need more time…"

Creed nodded. "I understand… Stupid question…"

Train shook his head. "Not stupid, just hopeful. I'm sorry if my story hurt you at all, Creed."

Creed smiled adoringly down at his cat, then reached out to caress Train's cheek with the back of his hand, feeling his poetic side take over once more.

"Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;

Their beauty shakes me who was once serene.

Upon my word, I tell you faithfully

Through life and after death you are my queen;

For with my death the whole truth shall be seen.

Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;

Their beauty shakes me who was once serene;

Straight through my heart the wound is quick and keen."

Seeing Train's stunned, blushing face, Creed chuckled and kissed his foreforead. "That was the rest of the poem. I know you said I didn't have to finish it, but I wanted to. I wanted you to know I'm fine, and you don't have to worry about me." He paused for a second as he outlined his beloved's face with his index finger, then spoke again. "I also just wanted to remind you that I love you, but I don't think you really need a reminder of that."

Train smiled up at his friend, warmth taking over again and he could feel his hand stretching out to touch Creed as well when he glanced out the window behind the silver man and felt his eyes widened as he thought of something. "I know I was saying this out of anger before, but what time is it?"

Creed blinked at his love, then reached over to the nightstand to check his phone. "It's almost eleven…"

Train sat up quickly. "Shit, really?! They're definitely awake now!"

Creed frowned at his beloved. "If you want, I can walk out and distract them so you can sneak to your room. That way they won't know we spent the night together…."

Again…

Creed resisted the urge to smile at his own thought, waiting for his love to answer. Every other morning, they woke up early enough that Train was able to sneak out and go back to his own room before anyone noticed. Creed was always an early riser anyway, so it wasn't suspicious to see him up before anyone else and since Train slept it, it made sense that he was one of the people who woke up late.

"That's a bit overboard, I think… Besides, I don't think it'll matter anyway. They'll probably figure it out." Train heard his stomach rumble and frowned down at it. "Besides, I'm starving. I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. Maybe they're all still asleep.

Creed frowned at his love. "I don't know what you still want to hide it… It's not like anything is happening anyway. Besides, I'm sure Eve has figured it out."

Train sighed at the sad look Creed was trying to conceal. "But Sven and Kyoko don't… I just… I wouldn't know what to tell them."

Creed rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell them anything. It's none of their business."

Train frowned. "I mean… it kind of is… They have a right to know what's going on between their housemates and sweeper partners."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "I guess… But, nothing's happening..."

Much to my displeasure… Though I guess being able to kiss him is an upgrade. I wonder if he'll let me do that in public…

Wanting a change of subject and seeing Train wasn't making a move to get up even though he mentioned he was hungry, he spoke again. "Do you still have that 'sexy' thing E made you buy for your blackmail date?"

Train blushed, but was able to glare at Creed despite that. "I did…"

Creed laughed at his beloved and squished his cheeks. "Why did you keep it?"

Train growled and pushed Creed's hand away. "Sentimental reasons. I haven't worn it since."

Creed gave his love a seductive smile. "Maybe I can change your mind someday…"

Train rolled his eyes. "Good luck. Lin was never able to convince me to wear it. He saw it one day in my closet and I immediately hid it. Besides, it got destroyed in the fire anyway. And it's not like I'm going to replace that..."

Creed gave his love a depressed look, then reached out and ran his fingers down his chest again. "Sorry… Didn't mean to bring up those memories…"

Train saw the sadness in his companions eyes and sighed. "You lost more than I did. I'm sorry we haven't gotten you a piano yet. We're working on it."

Creed nodded and smiled lovingly at his cat. "I know, Train… There's no rush. I know after the fire we need to replace our more important belongings before we can even think about the luxury ones. Honestly, it might not even be necessary anymore. With how much I'm at the music school, I don't think I'll need one here. Especially if I end up living there."

Train sighed peacefully as Creed's fingers glided along his chest. "Do you really think that'll happen?"

Creed shrugged. "Only time will tell… Just know that my offer earlier was for real. You're more than welcomed to join me. No matter what the state of our relationship is."

Train smirked at him. "Even if I decide I hate you again?"

Creed returned his smirk with an insidious one of his own. "Especially if you hate me. Angry sex is better than regular sex."

Train blushed brightly and grabbed Creed's wrist before it could make its way down his boxers again. "You insatiable bastard…"

Creed winked at his love, then leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Teasing you is just too much fun, Train…" He heard his beloved's stomach grumble again and laughed. "Do you want me to make you breakfast? Or brunch, as it would be at this point in the day?"

Train sighed, trying to calm his body down from Creed's touches, then nodded. "Yeah. I think if I don't eat soon I'll have to eat you."

Creed seemed to think that over. "I mean… That's what I was trying to do when we first woke up and you told me no. Are you offering yourself up this time?"

Train felt his face get hot again as Creed took his hand and began gently sucking on his finger tips, then pulled it away quickly, rolling over so the silver man wouldn't see how worked up he was getting. The boxers didn't leave much to the imagination after all. "S-Stop with the perverted thoughts and go make food."

Creed smirked, overjoyed to see his love was letting him flirt openly with him again and traced his fingers down Train's arm, snuggling close so he could whisper in his Kitten's ear with an enticing tone. "Your wish is always my command, Train…"

His heart swelled with delight at the bright red his face and eyes took on, then kissed his beloved one more time before crawling over him, pinning him back to the bed for a second just to tease him a moment longer. After running his hands down Train's chest and stomach, giving him another deep kiss, Creed flipped himself gracefully off the bed and walked towards the door.

"By the way, I meant it when I said I want a rematch. We have nothing planned this weekend and I don't need to be at the music school until Monday, so we should schedule a time." Creed leaned his back against the door so he could continue watching his love's adorably flustered face.

It took Train a second, but he was finally able to shake himself of the warmth Creed's body left him with and respond. "Sure. Just pick a time."

Creed nodded, then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Actually… scratch that. I have to be at the music school tomorrow." He gave his love an apologetic look. "Sorry…"

He convinced himself that was only a half lie. He did have to do something music related and it was a job given to him by Anatastia, but it wasn't involving the music school. He had been playing for a local woman who had an insane amount of money and taken an interest in Creed's piano skills so he had been playing for her more and more lately.

She's taken an interest in more than just my playing, but I'm always able to get out unscathed. And the money is good… Almost worth the harassment. Still, it makes me uncomfortable. I mean, who seriously has the money to invite piano players over to perform a show just for them?

He knew he was going to start turning these gigs down when they had more money, but they were still struggling to get back on their feet after the fire. They lost so much and Creed hated seeing his family suffer. If bringing in more money meant putting up with an older woman's advances and playing a little piano for her, he was more than happy to put on his rakish clothes and kiss her wrinkled hand.

I'll tell Train soon. Just… not yet. Not until I feel like we're secure enough.

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. You're the one that's sore about losing. Just give me a time and a place and I'll kick your ass again."

Creed smirked at his love. "We'll see about that." He turned around quickly, opening the door and hearing voices which made him shut it again. He looked over his shoulder at his cat's confused face and frowned. "You might want to find some clothes before you step out. Eve is tutoring Kyoko and Aliane right now."

Train sat up quickly. "Both of them?! This early in the morning?! Why?!"

Creed sighed. "Eve likes to get it done early. She says it gives her time to decompress after the stress they give her. She also thinks the brain works better in the morning. This happens every other morning, I don't know why you're surprised."

Train rolled his eyes. "I was hoping they'd cancel for whatever reason… Or maybe they finished early..."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. Train."

Train made a frustrated noise and leapt off the bed and towards Creed's dresser, digging through the clothes and throwing them aside carelessly. Creed gasped and ran from the door, picking up the clothes his beloved had thrown and cradling them delicately in his arms.

"What are you doing?!"

Train didn't turn around nor did he stop his intrusive actions. "Trying to find something that's not so 'Creed-like' that I can wear."

Creed blinked, his heart fluttering a little at those words. "...Are you going to wear my clothes, Train?"

"Duh! I'm not gonna sneak into my room and potentially get caught half naked with two hormonal teenagers sitting on the other side of this door. That's suicide!"

Creed didn't even care when a bright blue floral shirt hit him in the face as he digested his love's words. The idea of Train wearing his clothes gave him an unreasonably high level of happiness and he wasn't even sure why. They had been intimate far beyond wearing each other's clothes, but for some reason, Train wearing his set his heart on fire.

Even when we were lovers he never did that. Though I guess we weren't lovers for very long….

Now that he thought about it, they had only been together officially for a few months. Even now he knew the definition of their relationship was complicated, which may have been part of why the thought of Train wearing his clothes made him so unbelievably jubilant. Maybe it just excited him to know Train was about to do something Creed knew only couples did.

Or I guess maybe good girl friends. But since neither of us are girls….

"I know there's a plain shirt in there somewhere. You'll find it. And after you do, please clean this mess up." Creed stood up and dropped the pile of clothes he had on Train's head, ignoring his love's cries of anguish as he turned towards the door again. Before he left, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at his beloved one more time. "Train… What was the name of that town you met E in?"

Train stopped what he was doing and gave Creed a curious look. "Greenville. Why?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "No reason. Just curious. I'll go prepare something for everyone to eat."

Creed stepped out of the room a bit regretfully, leaning against the door and sighing deeply. As much as he wanted to stay in bed with Train all day, he knew they had to get up at some point. He just wished it didn't have to be so soon.

I know we were in there for several hours just talking, but that's still too soon for me. Now, if we lived together by ourselves… We wouldn't have to worry about waking anyone else up or wonder what other people would think about us staying in bed all day.

Creed didn't know why Train cared anyway, but the fact was he did, and he wasn't going to make his beloved uncomfortable. Besides, Train was hungry. And there was no way in hell Creed was going to pass up the chance to make his beloved something that might just be delicious enough to push him over the edge and tell him he loved him.

I know it's a bit immature to think that, but I'm starting to get desperate to hear him say those words again. He's almost slipped up a few times, so who knows? Maybe the right meal will work. He does love food after all.

With that last thought, Creed felt determined enough to make his foolish thought a reality. He stepped away from the door and towards the kitchen, pausing in the dining room where Eve was sitting with two teen girls on either side of her. Eve was currently resting her head against a book, her face covered, but Creed had a feeling she was looking more than a little annoyed. Next to her, Kyoko glared at Aliane who was on the opposite side of their tutor, clearly angry with something the other girl had said.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK! KYOKO KNOWS HOW TO READ!" Kyoko pointed a finger in the other teen's face, her cheeks bright with embarrassment and fury.

Aliane rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, pushing the girl's finger out of her face as she spoke. "Then pronounce this word. Without sounding it out in that ridiculous manner that you do."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the girl a bit more before following Aliane's finger to where she was pointing. "Hem-o-goblin…"

Aliane laughed loudly at Kyoko, enjoying the frustrated look she gave her. "It's Hemoglobin. It's in your blood. Did you really think goblins were in your blood?"

Kyoko slammed both her fists on the table. "NO! How was Kyoko supposed to know the definition of that word?!"

Aliane rolled her eyes again. "Because we're in the middle of a science lesson…"

"SENSEI EVE DIDN'T TELL US THIS DEFINITION YET!"

"Please stop calling me sensei…" Eve said in a strained voice.

Aliane gave Kyoko a smug look. "You could have also just read the definition. I'm sure that's what Sensei Eve was about to do. Isn't that right, Sensei?"

Eve made an annoyed sound, but did not pull the book away from her face. "I thought I just told you to stop calling me that…"

"YOU'RE MAKING SENSEI EVE MAD!"

"Sensei's not mad! She's annoyed because of how stupid and unteachable you are!"

"Wenn ich in einer anderen Sprache spreche, hören sie mir vielleicht tatsächlich zu.…" (1) Eve mumbled, but spoke it loud enough that the girl could hear her.

"Ooh, Sensei, are you going to teach us German? Does that mean I can talk to my Sugarplum without this annoying girl hearing us?" Aliane looked eagerly at Eve, ignoring the glare Kyoko gave her.

"STOP CALLING KURO-SAMA THAT RIDICULOUS NAME!" Kyoko yelled at the girl.

"And stop calling Sensei Eve Sensei! You heard her, she doesn't like when you call her that." Aliane retorted, enjoying the rage she could easily bring out in the other teen.

Eve banged her head lightly on the book. "Ich möchte nicht, dass einer von euch mich so nennt... Ihr seid beide älter als ich…" (2)

"What was that Sensei? You said Kyoko's an idiot?" Aliane asked with a smirk on her face, eyes never leaving Kyoko as she spoke.

Kyoko blew a small breath of fire at her. "She did not say that…" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Creed standing there, giggling quietly at the scene before them. "What did she say, Creed-sama?! Tell this brat it wasn't 'Kyoko's an idiot'! Sensei Eve would never say that."

Aliane and Eve both looked at Creed, the silver man smiling apologetically at the bio-girl's irked look. It was rare to see Eve so bothered, but considering she had been tutoring two of the most annoying teen girls Creed had ever met, he wasn't surprised.

"She said you're both doing a wonderful job, but she needs a break to help me make brunch." Creed winked at the blonde girl, glad to see the relief that slowly flooded her face.

Aliane glared at Creed. "She did not say that…"

Eve stood slowly and put the book she was using to cover her face down. "I did. It's time you two quiz each other anyway. Use the flashcards."

As she approached Creed, she smiled gratefully at him. "Vielen Dank. Ich wollte gerade meinen Kopf durch die Wand schlagen." (3)

Creed nodded and gestured to her to start walking towards the kitchen before the girls started to do as their 'sensei' told them and they were pulled into another argument. "Bitte. Ich wollte Ihnen übrigens sagen, dass sich Ihr Deutsch stark verbessert hat. Sie scheinen es fließend zu sprechen." (4)

Eve smiled a little at the compliment. "Vielen Dank. Ich habe viel geübt. Train hat ausführliche Gespräche mit mir geführt, um zu helfen." (5)

Creed smiled warmly at the mention of his beloved helping the girl out and turned towards the fridge. "Das ist der beste Weg, um eine neue Sprache zu lernen." (6)

Eve nodded and took the carton of eggs Creed offered her. "Das hat Train auch gesagt." (7)

"Are you going to continue pretending I'm not here and talking in another language?"

Creed turned around and finally noticed Sven sitting at the kitchen table, newspaper in one had and mug in the other. He was drinking coffee with Kenneth and Nica, who were waiting for Aliane's tutoring session to end. The woman was smiling kindly at them, Kenneth looking around the room as if it were the first time being in it even though he had coffee with Sven almost every morning they brought Aliane over to study with Eve.

Creed blushed lightly and placed the eggs down on the counter. "Sorry, Sven… I know you don't like it when we speak another language in front of you. But it really is the best way for Eve to master the language."

Sven rolled his eyes. "Could you at least speak Spanish? That's the only one I've been working on."

Creed nodded. "Si, Sven."

Sven smirked. "See, now that I understood."

Creed smiled and turned back to the fridge to retrieve more items. Sven had been practicing Spanish the last month to at least try and keep with the rest of them. Eve had not only mastered German at that point, but also Spanish and Italian. She was currently concentrating on French and had Chinese next on her list.

"Si quieres estar al día con nosotros, tendrás que empezar a hablar español con mucha más frecuencia." Creed smiled wittingly at the green haired man.

Sven concentrated a bit too hard on Creed's words, making Nica giggle and blush a little until he finally worked out most of what the silver man had said and responded. "Eso es lo que Nica ha estado haciendo conmigo ahora." (8) He turned to the woman and gave her a concerned look, silently asking if he spoke that sentence correctly.

Nica smirked and patted his hand kindly. "Casi. Arruinaste un poco tu gramática."

Sven smiled thankfully at her. "Grammar is the hardest part…"

Creed looked between the two of them, cocking an eyebrow as he pieced together what was going on before turning back to the stove.

She's… married… isn't she? Sven would never go after a married woman...

"Like I was saying to Eve, having conversations in the language helps. It'll help with grammar as well." Creed decided to make mental note of their interaction and question the man on it later. Chances were he had no idea about the woman's reactions to him and would probably be grateful for the head's up.

I know Sven wouldn't be okay with it. But, I guess I don't really know what's going on with Watts and Nica… Might be hard maintaining a healthy marriage in such trying times for them.

Creed smiled as he thought of Train, knowing they had been through a lot together and his feelings for the Black Cat had never wavered once. He was sure there was nothing that could tear him and his beloved apart.

Sven rolled his eyes. "I know. It's just hard."

Nica smiled warmly at him and patted his hand one more time. "You'll get the hang out of it."

Creed gave the woman another curious look, noticing Sven seemed to either ignore the gesture or not notice it and turned to help Eve crack eggs into a bowl. "Are you able to join us for brunch?"

Kenneth's eyes lit up at that word and he banged his cane on the ground. "¡Si! ¡Desayuno tardío!" (10)

Sven gave Creed a strained look which the silver man rolled his eyes at. "We have plenty of food, Sven. I don't want to hear it."

Seeing the green man sigh and open his newspaper again, Creed smirked. He knew he was going to tell them about the extra money soon, but he didn't want to do it in front of their new friends.

Creed chuckled at the older man's words. "I didn't know Kenneth spoke Spanish as well."

Nica rolled her eyes. "He used to. He's actually from Spain, but he's lived here for most of his life now and forgotten a lot of it. He taught me when I was growing up, which is why I know it, but lately it's hard to maintain conversations with him in any language."

Creed frowned as he felt his heart break for the man, watching as his daughter dabbed some coffee he had unknowingly spilled on his shirt.

If their marriage is on the rocks, I can't blame the woman. Sven's a charming gentleman and they have been spending a lot of time together. Watts seems to almost never be around either… She says he's always working, but I wonder if that's true…

Creed shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts, knowing it would get him nowhere until he could talk to Sven about it. Aliane, Nica, and Kenneth had been there every other morning for the last month for the girl's tutoring so they had gotten to know the three of them pretty well. Train was absolutely convinced they were innocent and Eve was mostly, but Sven was still having a hard time accepting it. While he definitely seemed more relaxed and open to the idea, there was something he couldn't shake no matter how much the rest of them tried to convince him.

Usually it's Train I'm trying to convince, but he seems to be at peace with the friendship we've developed with them. Even I can't see them being Apostles after how much we've learned about them. Knowing they may have a rocky marriage just convinces me more that they're a normal family. It humanizes them. Every relationship has its ups and downs. Even with how perfect my relationship with Train was, we still had our bad days.

Creed knew the complications of his relationship with Train were far different than a married couple having a hard time keeping the spark going after experiencing the hardships they had, but the idea was the same. If the Apostles wanted to pass them off as a loving family, chances were they would make sure they looked absolutely perfect. The fact that they were clearly having marriage problems made them look more normal to Creed.

"Well, I'll take his earlier enthusiasm as an interest in eating with us. I won't bother to ask again." Creed handed the bowl of eggs to Eve.

The bio-girl looked at the bowl, then at the people sitting behind her and grabbed a fork. Creed smirked at her, knowing she was about to use her nanomachines, but stopped herself after she realized their new friends didn't know anything about their abilities. They didn't know about Creed or Train's Tao or Eve's nanomachines. None of them hid that they were highly skilled sweepers, but there was nothing strange about that.

However, everything else about us is beyond pelicular. They haven't seen the extent of what we're capable of even without our Tao.

Nica gave Creed a grateful look, then turned back to her coffee and the company of the men next to her. Before anyone else could speak again, they girls in the next room began shouting loudly, signalling that Train had finally exited the room.

"NO! I don't care what you've been learning, get off my arm!" Train's voice was annoyed as he spoke.

They heard Kyoko whine as she clearly was pushed off her crush. "But Kuro-sama! I need a better study buddy than this brat!"

Aliane must have been on Train's other arm since they heard a second thump, followed by the other girl's angry words. "You have far too many stupid names for people! Sugarplum doesn't like it when you call him Kuro-sama!"

Kyoko growled loudly. "KURO-SAMA TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING HIM THAT!"

"AND HE TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING HIM KURO-SAMA!"

"Oh no…" Nica said as she stood slowly. "I better get out there before a fight starts for real…"

"I got it." Eve said as she left the kitchen quickly to break up whatever was going on.

Before she went out there, the shouting grew louder and they could hear Train desperately trying to calm Aliane down while blocking Kyoko from her. However, after Eve left the room, the shouting slowly stopped and Aliane seemed to calm down. When Train snuck into the kitchen with a relieved look on his face, Nica breathed a reassuring sigh.

"She has a way with Aliane." Nica gave Sven an appreciative look.

Sven smiled proudly. "That's our girl! Good at keeping her head cool in even the most heated situations."

Nica returned his smile. "I have to say, I was worried at first about her torturing Aliane, but now I'm glad we met you all and agreed to this. I don't think anyone else would have been able to handle her outbursts."

Sven nodded. "Eve's great. Although I do think Kyoko and Aliane give her a run for her money."

Nica laughed a bit too loudly at his joke. "I bet they do!"

Train stepped closer to Creed, as if the silver man was going to protect him from the girls in the other room and gave him a questioning look at the interaction between Sven and Nica. Creed smiled at his beloved, noticing he had messed up the buttons on the shirt he was wearing and decided to help him before the teens noticed.

"Je vois ce que tu vois. Nous pouvons en parler avec Sven plus tard." (11) Creed said to answer his cat's silent question about Sven.

Train nodded, then looked down at Creed's fingers that were busy fixing his shirt. "You know I can do that, right?"

Creed brushed his words aside. "Clearly you can't since your entire stomach is exposed."

Train made a strangled noise then looked down and saw what the man meant. He glanced behind himself at where he knew the teens were. "...Do you think they noticed?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "I'd be surprised if they didn't. Après tout, c'est la première chose que j'ai remarquée." (12)

Train rolled his eyes. "Vous comparez-vous à un adolescent hormonal?" (13)

Creed poked Train's nose, a gesture he loved doing to his cat since it seemed to annoy him, then went back to fixing his shirt. "Désolé, mais tu fais ressortir ça en moi, mon chat." (14)

Train blushed, then sighed. "Peu importe…" (15)

"Hey! What did I just say about other languages?" Sven pointed a finger at the two of them, not seeming to care about the familiar position they were in.

Creed rolled his eyes, taking his time fixing his beloved's shirt so he could enjoy it a bit longer. "Solo está bien si hablamos el único idioma que conoces." (16)

Train laughed loudly at Sven's annoyed look, then decided to join him in torturing Sven. "¿Qué pasa? Entendiste lo que dijo Creed, así que no veo cuál es el problema." (17)

Sven grumbled at the cat as he took a sip of his coffee. "Gato estúpido…" (18)

Train gave Sven a cheeky smile, even though he knew the older man couldn't see it behind the newspaper he held in front of his face. "Muy bueno, Sven! That sentence had perfect grammar."

Sven shot a glare at him over the paper, not noticing the cheery giggle that came from Nica as he flipped a page and ignored Train once more.

Creed smirked a little at his love's proud beam, continuing to take his time with fixing his shirt. "Be nice to Sven, he's still learning."

Train rolled his eyes. "Eve learned three languages this last year. What's his excuse?"

"He's old!" Kenneth said, seeming to finally understand where he was and what they were talking about. "Take it from me, it ain't easy and it gets worse!"

Both Train and Nica laughed at Sven's flustered face, wanting nothing more than to yell at the old man, but knowing that wouldn't be right. Instead, he sighed in exhaustion and leaned back in his seat, once more trying to read his paper is peace.

Train smiled once more at the newspaper that hid Sven's face and looked back at Creed. "Seriously, how long does it take to button a shirt? This is getting a bit ridiculous."

Creed smiled, but kept his eyes on Train's chest. "Just enjoying the view for a little longer, Train…"

Train blushed and rolled his eyes, but did not push the man's hands away. "Well, hurry up and get to cooking. I'm starving."

"KURO-SAMA!"

Train reacted before Kyoko even stepped into the room and leapt behind Creed, using the other man as a shield from the overly zealous girl. The cat cowered behind Creed slightly as Kyoko frowned at Creed's half annoyed, half amused face, then leaned to the side to get a better look at her crush.

"Kuro-sama, did you come out of Creed-sama's room this morning?"

The whole room got silent when she said that and Train felt all eyes on him. The color drained from his face and he looked up at Creed for help, but the swordsman simply shrugged his shoulders and kept his mouth shut, leaving Train to come up with an excuse on his own.

"He's been coming out of Creed's room almost every morning. Are you only just noticing this now?" Eve stepped into the kitchen after the girl, ignoring the awkward silence Kyoko's question had brought on in favor of going back to the bowl of eggs she left on the counter.

Aliane was the next to enter and heard what Eve had said. She frowned and looked at Train sadly. "Is that true?"

Again, the room was silent, Sven doing his best to pretend he wasn't listening or amused at the obvious unease Train felt, Nica watching the cat through the corner of her eye with interest and Kenneth seemingly forgetting that anyone else was in the room altogether. Train felt himself beginning to sweat a little as he cowered a little more behind the silver man. He looked up Creed once more for help, but his companion apparently decided to become mute within the last five minutes and refused to answer.

Bastard, of course he's not answering. He wants everyone to know.

Realizing he had been quiet for too long, Train finally decided enough was enough and he was just going to bail from the entire situation. "It's getting far too crowded in here. I'm stepping outside. Let me know when the food is ready."

"KYOKO WILL COME WITH YOU KURO-SAMA!"

"And I'll protect you from this annoying brat, Sugarplum!" Aliane stepped further into the kitchen and towards the back door where Train was heading.

"Nope! Not necessary from either of you! I'm going to the roof." Train opened the door quickly and immediately jumped to the roof before they could even step outside. He made sure not to use his flash ability just in case the family saw him. He knew he couldn't use his Tao in front of their new friends.

Aliane shoved Kyoko out of the doorway and looked up to see Train moving to the center of the roof where they wouldn't be able to see him from the door. She turned to the fire breathing girl angrily and glared at her. "Look what you did! You scared him away!"

Kyoko breathed a small breath of fire and returned her glare. "You're the one that scared Kuro-sama! He's never run from me like that before."

"Not true." Eve mumbled in response, even though Kyoko wasn't talking to her.

Aliane watched the small bit of fire that left the girl's mouth and cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you keep having fire come out of your mouth? Are you a dragon or something?"

Sven choked on his coffee a bit which brought Nica's attention to her daughter and her question as well. "Yeah, I've been wondering that as well. She's done it a few times. I understand Creed and Train's training have made them faster and stronger than the average person, but what's with the fire breathing?"

Sven kept the paper between him and the woman, giving Creed a desperate look, silently asking him to figure out a response quickly. They didn't want to tell these people about the Tao. Creed was a bit surprised at Sven's response since the green man had made it clear he still didn't fully trust them.

Shouldn't this be more proof to him that they're not Apostles? They wouldn't be questioning Kyoko's abilities if they were.

Before Creed could answer, Eve already came up with an idea. "It's a brand of gum that Kyoko's chews. It looks like a small explosion every time she blows a bubble."

Sven and Creed both looked at Eve as she turned around and scanned the room, continuing to beat the eggs in the large bowl. They waited for a response from the other family, holding their breath to see if they bought it.

It's kind of a bad answer, but what else are we supposed to say? How do you explain why a teen girl is blowing little puffs of fire?

Creed was starting to worry they weren't going to buy it, then gave Kyoko a subtle, but evil look since her inability to control her emotions was the reason they were in this mess in the first place. Kyoko began to pretend she was chewing gum, cowering a little at Creed's evil glare as she moved her jaw back and forth slightly. He was going to scold her later despite the twisted logic behind him being the one to chide someone on letting their emotions get the better of them. However, his stress was alleviated when he heard the bright voice of the oboist.

"I've never heard of that kind of gum. Give me some!" Alaine took out the gum she had in her mouth and put a hand out for Kyoko to share.

Kyoko gave the girl a repulsed look and shook her head. "What makes you think Kyoko would ever share with you?!"

Aliane looked more than offended as she clutched her hand in a fist and put it to her side. "Friends are supposed to share…"

Kyoko crossed her arms against her chest. "You're not Kyoko's friend…"

Creed saw Aliane about ready to explode, but Eve had stepped in and stopped it before anything could happen. "Aliane, tell me what happens when someone has low hemoglobin?"

Alaine looked down at the shorter girl quickly and suddenly her mind began to think about the question which seemed to make her forget about the earlier rage she was feeling against Kyoko. "If a disease or condition affects the body's production of red blood cells, the hemoglobin levels may drop. Fewer red blood cells and lower hemoglobin levels may cause the person to develop anemia."

Eve nodded and smiled proudly at the girl. "Correct. Go back into the dining room and read more about the cardiovascular system."

Aliane nodded her head, smiling brightly as her mood changed in an instance at being praised by her tutor. As soon as she left the room, Eve looked back at Kyoko and asked her a question. "Kyoko, what are the main causes of anemia?"

Kyoko blinked at her in confusion. "Didn't Aliane-kun just answer that question?" Seeing Eve's stern look, she had a feeling that meant she did not and tried to answer as best she could. "It means you have low… potassium in your system?"

Eve sighed and shook her head. "No. That was supposed to be an easy question. Go to your room and read about what your body needs to produce in order to function properly. It's in chapter twelve."

Kyoko pouted and stormed out of the room, muttering under her breath something about how unfair it was and how she hated reading. When they were both gone, Eve was back at the counter once more, scrambling the eggs and ignoring the impressed look all the adults in the room were giving her.

Nica was the first to break the silence as she smiled fondly at the girl. "You'll make a great mother one day, Eve."

Eve blushed a little and turned away from the woman. "Who says that's what I want?"

"Maybe you could be a teacher! After seeing how Aliane interacts with Kyoko, I was about to say my daughter can't come out anymore, but seeing how well you manage them both, my mind changed before I even spoke the words." Nica leaned her elbow on the table and her cheek in her hand as she continued smiling at the small girl. "You have a natural talent."

Creed smirked and pulled out some pans. "Eve is good at a lot of things, so let's not put her in a box just yet."

Sven nodded. "That's right. She's still young. She has plenty of time to figure out what she wants to be. And with her intelligence and passion for knowledge, she could be anything."

Creed couldn't see the girl's face, but he knew she was blushing wildly and smiling happily at her guardian's belief in her. She never said it out loud, but she valued Sven's opinion more than anyone else's.

"Nevertheless, we'll talk to Kyoko about how she acts around Aliane. And we've made sure Train isn't around as much as possible so there are no distractions. Make sure you tell Watts that." Creed glanced at Nica as he spoke, making sure she heard him.

Nica rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'll tell him. He still won't like it."

Sven frowned at her from over the table. "He working again?"

Nica nodded and sighed. "Yeah… Or so he says…"

Creed's ears perked at that comment since it almost confirmed his earlier thoughts, but decided not to push the manner anymore. Instead, he took the bowl of eggs offered to him by Eve and began frying them in a pan. Eve knew what would come next and pulled out the bacon, gently placing it on a pan Creed had already heated up. Sven felt bad for the woman who had been keeping him company while Eve tutored and was about to comfort her when her phone on the table began to vibrate. The name that popped up was Watts' which seemed to displease Nica and she answered it rather harshly.

"Yes, Dear?" There was a bit of a pause, but Sven watched as the woman's face became even more aggravated. "I'm at Sven's house while Aliane is getting tutored... Yes, I know they should have been done, but I don't want to cut off her learning. Her education is import-" She sighed and rubbed her eyes with her unaccompanied hand. "We were going to eat brunch with them…"

Creed glanced over his shoulder, watching the conversation with interest and noticing Sven and Eve were listening in as well. It was clear they were having an argument, but the woman was clearly trying to hide it. After a few more seconds, Nica excused herself and stepped outside, forgetting Train was still sitting on the roof as she continued speaking rather angrily with her husband. They couldn't hear what they were saying through the door, but her voice was loud enough that they could at least hear her frustrated tone.

"They've been fighting more and more lately…" Aliane had stepped back into the kitchen, book still in hand as she gave them all a despondent look. "It's almost all they do now. Dad doesn't come home at night sometimes… We don't know where he is, but he says he's working…"

The room was silent again, not sure how to react to the teen's sad comment, but Eve decided to play teacher again. The small girl turned the stove off and moved the pan to the side so she didn't burn the food. She grabbed Aliane's wrist and led her back into the dining room, saying she was going to teach her about the nervous system next.

Creed looked over and noticed Kenneth had fallen asleep and was snoring rather loudly next to Sven. Not able to hold back his thoughts, he decided to ask the green sweeper a question. "Do you believe them now?"

Sven glanced at the man sitting next to him and frowned. "I have to admit… this is convincing…"

The back door opened again, revealing a barely composed Nica as she straightened out her shirt in an attempt to make herself look less flustered. "I'm sorry, Creed, but we need to leave. Watts came home early and doesn't like that we left without him."

Sven didn't like the way she said that and tried to push her for more information. "Will you… be okay with him alone?"

Nica gave Sven a thankful look and nodded. "Yes. He's never laid a hand on me and I don't expect him to start."

Sven's frowned deepened. "Just… let us know if you need a place to stay… We can make temporary accommodations for you three…"

Nica sighed and slipped her phone back in her pocket. "You have no idea how much that means to me, but… you've done enough for us. We can't put you out any more than we already have."

Sven wasn't satisfied with her response or her demeanor, so he smiled at her as best he could. "It won't put us out. Trust me, this place has sort of become a safe haven for strays."

Creed chuckled at that. "You have no idea how true that statement is, Nica." He looked over his shoulder at her, but made sure not to stop his cooking. "When Sven makes an offer like that, he means it."

Nica blushed a little, then glanced at Sven before clearing her throat and smoothing out her already smoothed skirt. "Th-that's very generous of you, but we need to get going. He's worried." She frowned as she looked over at her father, then approached him quickly to shake him awake. "Dad, we need to get going."

Kenneth's eyes shot open and he jolted up so quickly he knocked Nica back, the woman tripping on a chair and beginning to fall over. Sven was able to jump up and catch her before she smashed her head into the counter, then helped her stand up.

"WHO?! WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Kenneth looked around the kitchen and seemed to panic a little. "Where are we now?!"

Nica caught her breath, then rested her head in her hands for a minute, seemingly trying to calm herself down enough to address her senile father. After a few seconds, she sighed deeply, pushed herself out of Sven's arms, gave him a thankful smile before speaking soothingly to her dad.

"Dad… We need to leave… Watts isn't happy we left without telling him…"

Kenneth glared at her. "You're still with that jerk?"

Nica sighed and lowered her head. "Dad…"

"I told you to leave him after the first time he-"

His voice was cut off as Nica clamped a hand over it and gave him a stern look. She turned back to Sven and Creed, seeing their concerned and panicked looks. "It's not what you think. Like I said, he's never laid a hand on me. We need to go."

She quickly grabbed her dad's wrist and led him out of the kitchen. Creed and Sven could hear her muffled voice explaining to their daughter why they had to leave so suddenly, both of the men cringing when they heard Nica raise her voice at the girl since she had never done that before. After a few seconds of a loud exchange between the two of them, they finally heard the front door open and close quickly

Eve entered the kitchen after that, a confused and sorrowful look on her face as she addressed the men in the room. "What happened?"

Before either of them could answer, Train had come back in through the back door, frowning deeply at his friends. "What the hell is going on between Watts and Nica?"

Sven sighed as he stared at the door where the family had left through. "Nothing good it sounds like…"

Eve looked behind her at the door. "Is there anything we can do about it?"

Creed sighed and went back to his cooking. "Sven offered her sanctuary if she needed it. I think that's all we can do right now. We can't force her to leave him."

Train felt the tenseness in the room and felt a bit of anger in him rising as well. "I overheard the end of their conversation when she stepped outside. I wouldn't be surprised if she leaves him soon." He then turned to Sven and frowned. "Do you believe them now?"

Sven was silent for a minute while the rest of his family looked at him, then sighed deeply. "Unless it's all an act…"

Train threw his arms in the air, then slammed them on the table that Sven sat at. "Come on, Sven! After what we just saw, you're still skeptical?"

Eve moved back to the stove next to Creed to continue her earlier task. "I'd also like to point out she left her phone out the entire time she was here. Do you really think an Apostle would do that?"

"I also don't think the Apostles would go so far into this role of theirs. Wouldn't they want us to think they were a happy family?" Train added, thankful Eve was talking sense.

Creed spoke his words quietly, since he was pretty sure they were going to set off his beloved even more. "It's easier to manipulate people when you feel sorry for them…"

Train turned to his companion, his mouth hanging open in shock. "Not you too, Creed… You really want to be suspicious of people who are in this terrible situation?"

Creed sighed and shook his head. "No, I don't. But… I don't want to be fully trusting yet either."

"Then why are you still comfortable having them here?" Eve asked next to him.

Sven answered for him. "Because Creed, like me, wants to know more about them before we completely trust or distrust them."

Train, still feeling a bit angry and wanting to make the green man uncomfortable decided to give Sven a mischievous smirk. "Is it that, or do you just like having a pretty woman around?"

Sven blushed wildly and spit out his coffee on the newspaper. He turned shocked eyes to Train's knowing smile. "WHAT?!"

Train rolled his eyes and jumped on the counter behind Sven and sat. "Oh, come on, Sven. Anyone with two eyes can see she was flirting with you."

Eve nodded. "Even I see it, Sven."

Sven felt his face get hotter. "She's married!"

"Maybe not for much longer. And if she isn't an Apostle… then I think you should at least entertain the idea…" Creed smirked down at Eve as he spoke, knowing the girl was enjoying tormenting her guardian even if her face didn't show it.

Sven, not liking where this conversation was going and needing a bit of revenge, turned to Train and returned his devious smirk. "And what about you? Why did you come out of Creed's room this morning?"

Train blushed brightly and began stuttering his words. "W-Welll… U-umm… Th-that's just… Y-you see…"

"While you're at it, you can explain the other mornings as well. And what's that mark on your neck?" Eve glanced at up Creed who was also blushing, but his smile gave away what he was thinking.

Train slapped his hand on the spot he knew Eve meant and glared at the girl, then back at Sven who had been cleaning up the mess he made from his coffee and laughing merrily at the cat's discomfort. "That's… I've… We've just been…"

Sven cocked an eyebrow at him. "You've just been what, Train?"

"He's just been keeping me company, that's all. I haven't been sleeping well and Train knows I sleep better when he's with me. That's all." Creed spoke confidently, since he knew it was partially true. Train had been keeping Creed company and nothing had happened, but he changed the part about who had been having nightmares.

Train wasn't sure how he felt about that response, but knew there was no other way to explain it. "Th-that's right… That's all it's been…"

"Does this mean you're together again?" Eve asked bluntly, trying to help the silver man out."

Train swallowed thickly, then shook his head. "N-No… That's not what this means at all… Like we just said…. Nothing's happening…"

Eve glanced up at Creed, seeing his sad expression and knowing that part was true. She frowned, then turned around and flung a piece of cooked bacon at Train. "Tell me if that's done, Train."

Train yelped and caught the bacon, glaring at the girl quickly then smiled in approval as he ate the bacon. "Perfect! Keep them coming!"

Creed smirked and scooped up a bit of the eggs he was making and flung them at his love. "How about some eggs instead?"

Train cried out as the eggs landed on his shirt, trying to wipe them off right away. "What the hell, Creed! You know this is your shirt, right?!"

Again, the room got silent, except this time it was more out of amusement than awkwardness. Sven was the first to break the silence as he gave Train a ploring look. "Is that so? What happened to your clothes, Train?"

Train felt himself ready to panic and decided to distract Sven by reaching over to the sink behind him, pulling the spout out of the faucet enough so it was aimed at the green man. He smirked and turned the water on, splashing the man's shirt, right where he had spilled the coffee.

Sven shouted loudly and jumped out of his chair, knocking it over along with his coffee as he gave the cat the dirtiest look he could. "WHAT THE HELL, TRAIN!? You're cleaning that up!"

Train laughed wildly. "I'm just cleaning up the spots you missed!" He sprayed it at his face and laughed again. "Sorry! Thought you missed a spot on your face. Apparently it was just your face."

Sven was about to yell at the man when he saw another piece of bacon flying in Train's direction and hitting him directly in the face. The older man turned his glare to Eve and directed a bit of his annoyance at the girl instead of Train.

"Eve… Stop wasting food…"

Creed responded by flinging eggs at Sven's face, then smiling wickedly at him. "Well… We did prepare enough for three extra people… So it's not really a waste…"

Sven sputtered and whipped the half cooked egg off his face. "That's all the more reason you should cook it and we save it for later!"

Train shot Sven with more water and laughed. "We don't even have a microwave yet!"

Sven turned a quick and furious glare at the golden man. "That's what the stove and oven are for…"

Eve joined the other two in their apparent team up against Sven and crunched up a piece of bacon she over cooked and stretched her arm out to sprinkle it in his green hair. "Reheating food without a microwave is hard and you know it, Sven."

The older man looked at the three of them, then sighed sadly as he brushed the shattered meat from his hair. "Guys… I know things have been tight lately, but we'll get a microwave soon. Right now we need to make sure we can keep paying the bills. I don't know where Creed is finding these bargains for the food, but we really shouldn't waste it, we're still recover-HEY, WHAT DID I JUST SAY, TRAIN!"

During his speech, Train had apparently opened the bread drawer underneath him and pulled out a loaf they had sitting there and began throwing slices at Sven's face. He laughed cheerfully and then shoved a piece in his mouth, chewing crudely as he spoke.

"Come on, Sven, don't you think we've earned at least an hour without worrying about money? We'll make it back soon enough. And until they-HEY, NOT FAIR LIL' PRINCESS! I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE USING OUR ABILITIES!"

Eve shrugged her shoulders and took her stretched arm back that had a gallon of milk in which she poured on top of Train's head. "Sorry, I thought you loved milk."

Train gave her a completely distraught look at the nearly empty gallon and pointed an angry, shaky hand at her. "HOW DARE YOU WASTE MILK LIKE THAT?!"

Eve rolled her eyes. "It was nearly empty when I opened it…"

Creed snickered, then flung a scoop of egg at Eve's face, making the girl glare at him. "Sorry, Eve, as much as I care about you, I'll always have Train's back."

Eve growled quietly, then splashed a little milk at him as well which made Train cry out in anguish. "NO! Pick on someone your own size, Lil' Princess!"

Eve rolled her eyes since she knew the cat was talking about the milk and not Creed, then blocked herself from a piece of bread Train threw at her with a small hand shield she created from her hair. "You're not my size either, Train."

"Yeah, but Kyoko is closer to it!"

Kyoko leapt into the kitchen, grabbed a huge scoop of eggs off Creed's pan and launched it at Eve. The bio-girl responded by throwing several pieces of bacon at her, followed by another attack of milk that made Train jump up and freeze in mid air. Creed, not liking how Kyoko took more egg than he wanted to use, grabbed the rest of it and dumped it on the girl's head, smirking proudly as she sputtered and spit the food out of her mouth.

Sven watched his friends for a few minutes, ready to stop them before remembering Train's words. He sighed deeply and smiled slightly. "I guess Train's right… We could use an hour of horseplay without worrying about being wasteful…"

Sven reached behind him and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, launching it at Train's head, knowing full well the man was skilled enough to stop it before it hit him. Without turning around, Train stopped it by controlling the air around it, then looked over his shoulder and smirked at Sven. Train reached out and grabbed it midair, blocking another milk assault from Eve who was dodging eggs from Creed and Kyoko, and took a big bite out of it.

"Deciding to stop being a stick in the mud, Sven?"

Sven smirked and reached over to grab an orange. "I'm just thinking of what the look on your face will be when you clean this mess up…" Seeing Train's eyes widen, Sven snickered and gripped the orange he held tighter. "That's the one… Now catch!"

---

Translation:

(1) "Maybe if I speak in another language, they'll actually listen to me…"

(2) "I don't want either of you to call me that... You're both older than me…"

(3) "Thank you. I was about to slam my head through the wall."

(4) "You're welcome. By the way, I've been meaning to tell you, your German has improved a lot. You appear to be speaking it fluently."

(5) "Thank you. I've been practicing a lot. Train has been having full conversations with me to help."

(6) "That's the best way to learn a new language."

(7) "That's what Train said too."

(8) "That's what Nica has been doing with me right now."

(9) "Almost. You messed up your grammar a little."

(10) "Yes! Brunch!"

(11) "I see what you see. We can bring it up with Sven later."

(12) "After all, it was the first thing I noticed."

(13) "Are you comparing yourself to a hormonal teenager?"

(14) "Sorry, but you bring that out in me, my cat."

(15) "Whatever…"

(16) "It's only okay if we speak the only language you know."

(17) "What's wrong? You understood what Creed said, so I don't see what the problem is."

(18) "Stupid cat…"