Summary: Trusting someone with her secrets was about as difficult for Nico as admitting that she needed help, or and that her soulmate was more attractive than her. However, with a little push and the person showing that they trusted her with secrets of their own, she might be able to open up at least a little.


Nico fidgeted restlessly, her small body squirming a bit in place on the bed. Her legs were hidden under the blankets and she had a picture book on her lap, but it wasn't all that interesting. Not while she hadn't seen either of her parents since this morning when mama had gently sat her down and told her that papa's parents were going to take care of her till tonight since she and papa had some stuff going on today that they couldn't take her with them.

But she had said they would be back by midnight. Which was why Nico was still awake, waiting. They always kept their promises and Nico could feel that mama was happy and close by, which meant that they had to be coming, right?

Before Nico's doubts could set in, her bedroom door opened.

Amber eyes, blue hair, jacket and sweatpants, and a lanky build…

"Papa!" Nico scrambled up but quickly covered her mouth with a hand when papa hastily held a finger to their lips and leaned backward to glance down the hall, no doubt to make sure their parents didn't wake up.

Thankfully, it seemed like they hadn't since papa stepped into the room and knelt down to her height. Geez pup, are you trying to get me and mama in trouble?

Sorry Papa! Nico apologized sheepishly through telepathy and ran up to them to give them a hug. Where's Mama?

She's outside.

Nico cocked her head, why?

Because she has something to show you, papa hummed, huh Kotori?

Yup, mama's gentle voice rumbled in her head and Nico felt her softly nudge her mind in a motherly fashion, but only if you can keep it down till you and papa get outside, kay?

Nico nodded and held a finger to her lips rather than speaking, which made papa smile. The alpha then scooped her up and carefully poked their head out of the room. Before carefully, and silently, making their way down the hall and down the stairs via the banister.

What's mama gonna show me, papa?

It's a secret princess, papa replied and Nico pouted the rest of the way through the house. Sorry, I promise it's something you won't want me to spoil, just trust me.

Nico just sulked, even if the anticipation was beginning to kill her as she caught sight of mama sitting on the back porch looking out at the twinkling stars outside. Like papa, she wasn't exactly put together at the moment in a long button-up shirt that was probably papas.

Mama turned to face them as papa slid the sliding door shut behind them and she gave a wide smile and lifted her arms for papa to deposit Nico into. Unlike in the first memory, Kotori had fully filled out by this one besides her height, and if Nico wasn't aware how old Maki was, being six, she would've guessed that Kotori was seventeen, at least three years older than she actually was, which was fourteen.

Mama! Nico giggled as the ash-blonde teenager wrapped her in her arms and playfully blew a raspberry over her cheek, I missed you and papa!

We did too, pumpkin, mama rumbled and Nico could feel her throat vibrating in a loving fashion. She smelled of the forest and strongly of papa, the sunny scent of her magic being masked by the strong oaky musk of Nico's father, I missed you more than papa did! She half teased and Nico nuzzled her nose deeper into her mother's shirt, breathing in the mix of her mother's reassuring soft scent and her father's powerful alpha scent. Her parents were finally home… they had come back like they always did, and mama still loved and wanted her.

Ouch, papa deadpanned and both Nico and mama giggled. Now come here little one, they took her from mama's arms and held her close. Or did you forget that mama has something to show you?

I didn't forget! I just wanted a hug mama first! Nico giggled though her attention was drawn to mama as she stood up and walked a few feet away. Papa put her down and Nico stood there, a bit confused as to what was going on.

Cover and close your eyes, Nico, mama giggled, and don't open them till I say so, okay?

Okay! Nico shut and covered her eyes with her hands, waiting for the go ahead to be allowed to look at her.

She could hear a bit of cloth rustling before it was silent beyond the chirping of crickets and rustling of the leaves in the forest's wind.

Open your eyes, Nico, mama and papa said at the same time after a second and Nico did as she was told, only to open her eyes to see that there was a slender she-wolf standing on the grass in front of her.

It had a coat the same color as mama's hair, a fluffy tail that curled over itself like a domestic husky's, an ear that was flopped over, and… it's eyes… they were mama's honey colored eyes. She could see the same motherly love that she frequently saw in her mother's eyes along with the same gentleness that her eyes always had.

Mama had a wolf form now…

Surprise, Nico, mama rumbled and the wolf nuzzled her with her nose. I'm a werewolf now, just like you and papa.

Nico squealed and threw her arms around the wolf's neck while papa knelt down on the grass beside her, their warm hand lingering on her back in a gesture of support and affection.

"Hey, you hungry?"

"What?" The mage fought to open her eyes and blinked groggily at the other occupant of this area of the plane since Umi was off who knows where.

Maki looked unimpressed at the lack of response to her question, "are you hungry," she repeated, but slower and shook the snack sized bag of doritoes at her. "You'd think you were deaf or something."

"I'm not deaf, I was sleeping tomatohead," Nico snapped back and pushed herself into sitting up, "unlike you, Nico's tired."

Maki tossed her the bag and acutely ignored the latter sentence of Nico's, "what'd you dream about?"

"What?" Nico gave her an insulted look and threw one of the chips of the bag she just opened at her for the nosey comment.

Maki caught the chip in her mouth and shrugged, "you heard me."

Nico rolled her eyes, "about one of your dumb memories again, you were what, six?"

"What did you think of the memory then?" Maki asked after she swallowed and as she got comfortable.

Nico narrowed her eyes at her, then, deciding to mess with the redhead who had just eaten a chip of her own from her own bag, shrugged and leaned back in her seat, "Kotori's unfairly hot as a teenager."

Maki choked.

Nico meanwhile watched with a smirk as the redhead glared at her while coughing up a lung and scrambling to crack open a water bottle.

She burst out laughing when Maki finally got the cap off of the water bottle and flipped her off with the hand holding the cap as she took a big swig in an attempt to stop choking and coughing.

"What? It's true," Nico laughed, "Nico can appreciate beauty when she sees it, tomatohead!"

"Apreciate whoever the hell you want," Maki coughed into a hand, "but just remember that's my parent dumbass, that's just disgusting."

Nico smirked, "I was just saying she's beautiful, just like you and I. You sure you're not the one taking it weird?"

Maki rolled her eyes and seemed to have finally recovered and an emotion Nico didn't recognize crossed her face.

Nico wasn't expecting the next words that came out of her mouth.

"Your mother's beautiful Nico, her personality reminds me of what Kotori's told me about my birth mom." At Nico's lack of response and Nico's expression, Maki then explained a little, "I saw a bit of a memory while I was asleep in the car."

So Maki was seeing her memories in her sleep now too, like Nico was seeing Maki's? And she was seeing memories of her childhood? Her mom? Did she see anything with her father?

Nico froze.

If Maki had seen anything involving her father, Nico didn't know what she would've done. Those memories were memories she repressed on purpose, nobody else on the planet needed to experience those, even if it was nothing in comparison to Maki's horror show of a birth father.

Nico swallowed hard before she spoke, attempting to seem unaffected. "What… what did you see?" her voice was hoarse, all semblance of composure being lost in the wind after Maki's words.

"Nothing bad," Maki reassured. Though by the serious expression on her face and how she pushed herself to her feet and approached her, Nico could tell that the redhead knew she had unintentionally stepped over boundaries she wasn't fully aware was in place. "I just watched your mother teaching you to sing and the basics of piano."

Thank. God.

Maki half awkwardly sat down beside her but kept a polite, or maybe she was too awkward, distance between them. Though she did smirk at her, "you were a pretty good singer, for a five year old." The comment had just enough of a jab that gave Nico a bit of normalcy through the mild turbulence of her mind right now. Even if that normalcy consisted of constant change, new people, and new surroundings all the time.

Nico clung to the hint of normalcy and found herself relaxing in the game of cat and mouse that over the past day and half, had become one of things within her new normal.

"Well of course Nico was," Nico snorted a bit smugly, and felt her mind begin to settle a little, "singing was and still is, one of Nico's many talents."

"What about piano?" Through the banter, Nico could see the way the edges of the redhead's alluring purple eyes relaxed along with her eyebrows. Thereby smoothing out the concerned intensity in her eyes and expression, "now that was a complete horror show."

"Hey, nobody's absolutely perfect, even if Nico's about as perfect as a girl can get," Nico chuckled, finding herself much more relaxed than she would've been in any other situation. "These hands," she wiggled her fingers for emphasis while she maintained her mildly smug smirk, "are meant for other things than cold hard white keys. Nico's got plenty of talent within them in other areas, if you get what I mean."

"Gross," Maki deadpanned with an eyebrow twitch and her expression made Nico laugh. "Nozomi's rubbed off on you faster than she rubbed off on Kotori."

"That's impossible tomatohead, since I g-" Nico cut herself off before she could reveal that she had grown up with Nozomi.

Information that while public, the extent of just how much they had grown up together and the events thereof, weren't fully public.

Information that Nico hesitated on giving up. What if Maki used it against her? The red head would definitely ask about what exactly she meant that she grew up with Nozomi, and Nico would be obligated to tell her the story. All of it.

Nico scooted a few inches away from the redhead, who looked startled at the sudden shut down of conversation and Nico pulling away, but to Nico's surprise, she didn't really read any hurt on the werewolf's face. Instead, Maki just relaxed more in her seat on the padded bench, faced forward, and propped her feet up on the coffee table.

Slumped so her hoodie was bunched up at her shoulders, the hood was hanging low, hiding a good amount of her red hair, and with her hands tucked into her pockets, paired with casual denim shorts, Maki gave off a much different aura than the one Nico had initially gotten from her. It was more of an awkward, klutzy, but self-confident one than the whole 'rich princess' thing she had gotten at first.

Though Nico could also grumpily admit that the werewolf was way hotter like this. Especially since she could catch a glimpse of pale freckled skin of her side at her beltline with the way Maki's hoodie had ridden up.

Damnit.

Nico had hoped a bit for an attractive soulmate, someone who could match Nico herself. However, Maki outclassed her and it wasn't fair. She was just so god damn pretty.

"You know, Kotori can make a kind of goofy noise."

Maki's calm voice yanked Nico out of her sulking and back into the uncertain she could trust her mindset, which suffice to say, she wasn't a fan of. Still, she was thankful for the distraction and slight change of topic and focus.

This wasn't a conversation Nico was exactly comfortable having the spotlight in.

Nico relaxed a bit in her seat, following Maki's example in putting her feet up on the coffe table and not interrupting her, not when she felt like Maki wouldn't like it if she did.

"She's pretty incapable of growling properly unless she's really mad."

A glimpse of Kotori whirling around and making a snarling growl that made the hairs on the back of Nico's neck stand on end popped into Nico's mind and Nico cringed. She made the mental note to never piss off the sun-angel.

"Even though a soft rumbling growl's kinda one of those noises werewolves use to show affection," Maki's purple eyes gazed out at the night sky through one of the windows on the opposite side of the plane. "So for almost as long as I can remember, she's made this goofy, almost purring like sound when she's really happy."

At this point the feeling of a memory pressing against Nico's mind wasn't a shock.

Nico didn't need to be in the room yet to know Kotori was happy. Not when she knew Umi had surprised her for her birthday, arranging Honoka to be here and scheduling all three of them time off for a few days. So while Nico hadn't actually seen a lot of Kotori today, since Kotori wasn't home most of the day and Nico had been down in the lab for a while, she just knew, even without the bond, that Kotori was happy.

Still, Nico finished making her way up the staircase, able to now hear the iconic sound that had first told her just how happy Kotori was right now.

Her parents were on the couch, sitting there with Umi putting down their guitar while Kotori had her arms looped loosely around Umi's neck. Before in one motion, Kotori fell backward, pulling Umi down with her and holding the blunette close.

Umi crooned softly, unfazed by their mate's actions. Kotori nuzzled the side of their head, brushing their nose along their head in a gesture of affection and love. The ash-blonde's throat was vibrating, producing a sound remarkably similar to a cat's purr. The sound and type of sound that told Nico she was really happy.

"Happy birthday mama," Nico rumbled as she approached them both and smiled at the smile Kotori gave her.

Nico blinked

"But she has a special version of it for me."

"Every werewolf mother makes a special set of vocalizations for each of her children," Maki explained, if just slightly awkwardly and paused to swallow, but pushed on. "When I asked her why she uses a unique, deeper version of the purring growl for me, she smiled at me and told me…" Maki's voice was a bit thick with emotion, "... that my birth mother made the same sound for me when she met her and Kotori had her teach her how to mimic it as close as she could."

Nico felt a lump growing in her throat. This was information Maki had no obligation to share, was very important and special, and yet here she was.

Maki briefly glanced over at her before she looked back out the window again, her voice back to normal. "It's Kotori's way of reminding me that my birth mom loved me just as much as she does."

"Why… why are you telling me that?" Nico asked, making no attempt to hide the thickness of her voice. "I'm hella grateful, I just…" she trailed off, unsure how to continue the sentence.

"I'm telling you because I trust you," Maki replied simply and looked over at her, deep purple eyes meeting Nico's red ones. Where sincerity shone beneath the awkwardness in their depths, "and because I want you to get to know me better. Even if I'm horrible at talking to people and everything's a mess right now."

Nico's heart clenched. With two sentences the redhead had nearly yanked her heartstrings out of her chest.

Maki was such an awkward, klutzy, fiery, slightly arrogant, mess, that once again, Nico had forgotten that beneath all of that, Maki had her moments of utter sincerity. Even if those moments were rather few and far between.

Nico impulsively lowered her head, breaking eye contact with her, feeling a little vulnerable under the redhead's gaze.

Part of Nico, a deeper, hidden from others, part of her knew that she could trust Maki.

The redhead had already put a rather imensive amount of trust in her by disclosing who raised her, a detail of her past that was dear to her heart, and letting her into her mind for that brief moment to reassure Nico that it had all turned out alright.

What else did she have to do for Nico to give her the same trust back?

Did Nico really trust her?

Yes.

Nico knew that a major part of why she did trust her was because of the potential bond lingering between them. Maki was obviously awkward and about as unsure about it all as Nico was, but, when it really mattered, she put her trust in her.

When Nico had been overwhelmed and nearly had a panic attack from when Umi had accidentally contacted her with telepathy as well, Maki had pulled her out of it.

After being woken up from a truly disturbing memory that wasn't Nico's own, the first thing Maki had done was hug her and apologize that she had ever had to see it. Before she had reassured her, comforting her and helping her realize that it was okay.

And now, giving her a detail that intimate to her.

Maki trusted her.

… Maybe it was about time for Nico to return some of that trust.

"... I grew up with Nozomi," Nico murmured, keeping her voice low as she spoke, clinging to the knowledge that Maki trusted her and she trusted Maki to a degree as well. "Hold on, that's not right." Nico swallowed hard, "I mean, Nozomi saved me."

She hated delving into her memories, especially the ones she didn't like nor wanted to see, think about, or experience ever again. They only brought hurt, hurt and pain. Pain Nico didn't like.

"I've got daddy issues too," Nico scowled spitefully. "My dad was a great guy, a bit of the silent type but playful, and me, my mom, and my younger sister, all adored him. He was my hero, an actor who aimed for the big screen, till suddenly he… just wasn't."

"What happened?" Maki's voice was low as well, the slightly deeper, soothing, undertones washing over Nico.

"He started drinking when I was five," Nico replied bitterly, "and the difference between him being drunk and sober was fucking ridiculous and it made everything so much worse. During the day and he was sober he was himself, but at night…" Nico's body tensed, tightening at the reminders. "He was drunk and flew into these wild rages. My mom would always tell me to run and hide, but sometimes he would still find me and drag me out of the closet by the ear."

"Did he hit you?"

"What do you think?" Nico lashed out a bit, "of course he did! And the asshole dared to call me his fucking princess in the morning while my mom was nursing injuries of her own!"

Maki turned toward her and scooted over a few inches. The way Maki then awkwardly reached out and grasped Nico's hand made all of the bubbling anger vanish. Replaced with the warmth of the werewolf's slender hand and attentive expression, even if her cheeks were red with awkward embarrassment and her ears had switched forms to be red velvet and fluffy.

Nico took a deep breath and continued.

"Nozomi moved in next door when I was seven. We were in the same class and school and she eventually warmed up enough to me to be friends and we hung out together all the time. Till my little brother was born anyway. He's a highly special needs kid, and my dad flew off the handle. I couldn't hide the bruising anymore and when I broke my arm, Nozomi, being her nosy self, took it on herself to find out what was going on and get me help. Obviously my mom and I didn't admit what was going on, which stonewalled her and her parents."

"I was nine when Nozomi, without my permission, snuck over, and tricked my father into flying off the handle before she caught it all on video and her parents stepped in and my mom was taken to the ER. That's when I first met Kotori."

"My dad had done a number on my mom, and everyone was panicking, talking about emergency surgery or something till by some miracle the sun-angel had wandered over from who knows where and healed her despite being really sick herself."

Judging by the flicker of recognition in Maki's eyes, the redhead knew why Kotori was there. That didn't explain why she lost a shade of color in her face though.

Giving the redhead an odd look, she wrapped it up. "Nozomi and her parents offered my mom a job with them and I owe them for having the opportunities I've had so far."

Maki nodded slowly, then she smiled a little at her, "I'm glad you're here," she admitted.

Nico's ears turned bright red and she felt the warmth on her face. Tugging her hand free from Maki's with a noise of embarrassment, the ravenette tried to calm herself down and recover her composure. "Y-Yeah, me too… How come you're so calm, anyway?"

The crooked smile from the redhead nearly made Nico's heart skip a beat despite the earlier dreary tone of conversation. "Beta moments have their perks," the werewolf hummed and Nico nearly face palmed.

Of course, see, now the odd calmness all made sense.

"Right, forgot that you werewolves are weird," Nico deadpanned and smiled at Maki's eye roll.

"Right, well I guess you don't want to know why Kotori was there in that hospital at that time," Maki drawled and Nico pretended to give her more attention. Even if in reality most of her attention was on the redhead anyway.

"I'm listening!"

"When Kotori was seventeen and I was nine, she and Umi were at a meeting while I was pretending to be Umi's apprentice," Maki explained. "The meeting was boring, like usual, till…" her eyes darkened and Nico felt worry bubble in her stomach.

"...Kotori's head hit the table before started having a seizure and foaming at the mouth and Umi was instantly beside her. The seizing wouldn't stop and her magic was beginning to leak from her mouth and nose-"

Nico's eyes widened. A magic repellant? Put into her body?

Nico saw that the loud sound of a head meeting wood broke Maki's concentration from her rubix cube and saw her eyes widen at the sight of Kotori's head resting on the table. She was groaning, the sound wet and gutteral around the rapid shaking that was emerging throughout her entire body.

"Minami-sama!" Umi had their jacket removed in a split second before they were rushing to the groaning sun-angel, who just before they reached her, began violently trembling, muscles spasming.

"Secure the building!" A ginger shouted to those standing guard at the door as she ran toward Umi and the sun-angel, "nobody gets in or out!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Umi had Kotori on the floor now, holding the liaison up at an angle while Kotori's entire body shook with violent tremors and spasms and what looked like foam bubbled up at her mouth. Her eyes were open and partially alert, even if they were glazed over and wide with what looked like terror.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" Umi asked and Kotori didn't respond verbally, but Umi seemed to know she could hear them, "try and stay calm, I know you're scared…"

It was hard for Nico to focus around the cacophony of noise and things going on in the room, but her attention was quickly honed in on Kotori as the sun-angel began to seize. Her entire body giving full scale rapid seizing in a full body violent seizure while she was mouthing at the mouth and the viens in her neck were beginning to glow green. A sign of physical damage only being prevented by magic.

"Sonoda-san!" A woman Nico recognized as Kotori's mother, the materiarch of the Minami family knelt down on her seizing daughter's other side, "what's going on?"

"I think she's been poisoned!" Umi let the sun-angel seize without interfering, "I need to get her to a…" their voice trailed off at the sight of a viscous, bright green liquid mixed with the red of blood, beginning to ooze and pool in the shell of Kotori's ears from inside her ear. Her nose started bleeding as well and Kotori gave a halted groan that was no doubt pain as the same green liquid began leaking from her nose and was mixed in the foam in her mouth.

Liquid that Nico recognized as the physical manifestation of a mage's life magic. Meaning the magic, their life force, was being expelled from their body.

Umi was on their feet and racing for the window in an instant, "I trust my apprentic with you Kosuka-san! Bring her to the hospital!"

Nico blinked into awareness of the real world and shuddered. She didn't want to think what would happen if that ever happened to her.

"-Kotori's childhood friend but the building on lock down and all officials were taken to a safe place, but I was busy crying in her friend's arms while Umi broke the window carrying Kotori and flying. ER put Kotori on oxygen, a tonic solution, and the antidote, which took about two hours. She did end up getting up at one point, saying someone needed her, but I wasn't allowed to leave the area, so I can only guess that she ended up healing your mom. Since she came back barely able to stand with Umi's help and all. The poison was meant for her mom, who was sitting to her left, but the one responsible had forgotten that Kotori's left handed."

Nico lightly shook her head in disbelief after Maki finished, "wow, I forgot how much stuff happens to Kotori."

"Umi's prepared for almost everything these days so it rarely happens anymore," Maki admitted with a mild chuckle.

Nico couldn't help but turn a bit serious and ask the question that admittedly, had been lurking on her mind since they had gotten in the car in the first place. "But something happened yesterday, right?"

Maki grimaced but nodded, "yeah. I don't… I don't really know what happened yet," the redhead admitted, "all I know is that it was pretty bad for Umi to have no magic left and us to need to be taken to her for safety. Though…" the redhead hesitated and Nico waited till she continued, if reluctantly. "... I know Umi's injured."

Nico's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? How do you know?"

"I just know," Maki responded sarcastically, looks like Maki was back to normal. "I just asked, but I don't know how bad it is."

Nico grimaced, "looks like we'll find out soon."


Umi had intended to return to the main cabin after a short call with Honoka about what was going on, but when they had heard Maki telling Nico about Kotori's purr growls, and their phone had gone off, they had ultimately decided to give the two space.

Which was why they were sitting in one of the private areas of the private jet with earphones in, smiling a little at their phone screen and the ash-blonde on the other side of the screen.

The alpha had their cheek resting on their hand, propping their head up in a casual fashion while their other hand idly went around the edge of their glass of a simple wolfsbane tonic. Something to help calm the wild side of them when Kotori had activated it earlier, not that Umi had minded too much. Not while they were both this stressed, this rattled, this worried about each other and a big part of Umi wanted to snuggle their luna close and check her over with sniffs and soft kisses all over her skin to make sure she was really okay. Even if another part of them wanted to mark her, a silent rebellious reminder to the world that she was theirs and something Umi had never properly done since their relationship was a secret.

It didn't help that their minds and souls tended to mingle and mix due to the intensity and experience of their bond. So Umi could feel, even this far away, Kotori's high strung anxiety and the stifling need of an anxious luna for Umi's affection and reassurance that everything was okay, that Umi was okay, the pack was okay, and that they had her and nothing could reach her in the protection of their arms.

Which was why Umi had accepted the facetime call when the sun-angel had called her forty-five minutes ago. They weren't within range of each other for telepathy, which in itself felt weird not having her voice in the back of their head, so digital communication was the only option.

It was quiet right now between them unlike before. Each silently taking in eachother's digital presence and letting it their calm anxious ruffled feathers and protectively bristled fur.

Umi could hear the tv playing in the background on Kotori's end and could see the dimmed lighting in the room around the way Kotori's face was being lit up by the light of her phone and no doubt the tv that they could hear in the background. Which was probably Honoka's doing since they had requested the ginger stay with Kotori till the transfer and Honoka knew Kotori didn't fair well with utter silence while anxious and stressed.

Umi idly felt bad for Maki, since the redhead was going to be hit with the intensity of Kotori's anxiety through their mother-daughter bond when they got near her. Maki had been struggling earlier today according to Kotori and that was when they were hours away. So they resolved to make sure Kotori was asleep before they got there.

Which wouldn't be too hard, judging by how Kotori was looking right now.

The sun-angel was sitting next to Honoka on the couch. Sitting with her knees drawn to her chest and leaning her body into the ginger's side for support and reassurance while her mate was so far away. However, Umi could see how Kotori's head was tilted to the side and there was a glaze of exhaustion in her golden eyes mixed with sleepiness. Even if Kotori's eyes kept drooping shut and her head would tilt further. Before she'd jerk awake a moment later, startled and wide eyed as she'd stare at them for a little while through the phone screen. Which was what she was doing right now.

Umi had the urge to smooth her thumb over the area being wrinkled by the luna's anxiously furrowed eyebrows and kiss away the water still clinging to her lashes. Water from the moments where the anxiety started to eat at her and Umi had to softly remind her that they were on the way and that she was safe with Honoka.

Speaking of which, Honoka was playing with their best friend's hair, running her fingers through the long lightly curly strands and messing with them on occasion, all in all doing it in a fashion similar to how Umi did it on occasion. Umi didn't need to see Honoka's face to know that she was probably giving Kotori worried looks here and there, worried about her. Not that Umi blamed her.

Kotori rarely lost control of her anxiety, anxiety that used to control her as a teenager and child, but lingered even now despite her calm, low intensity nature to the public and teasing flirt to the pack.

That just meant that when she did lose control, everything she had been repressing would come to the surface. Thereby making her have a lot of close together, high intensity, anxiety attacks, which were what the tears still clinging to Kotori's lashes were from. The luna would start sniffling and gradually tightly grasp the extra tuft on her head while her other would be pressed against her chest in an attempt to soften the feeling of an elephant sitting stubbornly on her chest and making it hard for her to breathe.

If Umi's weakness was overworking and internalizing stress, Kotori's was over worrying and hiding anxiety despite being prone to it.

Since Umi had been sitting here digitally with her, Kotori had had five anxiety attacks, and it was taking it's toll on her in the form of exhaustion, the rims of her eyes being red, and shivering. Luckily she had calmed down now, though Umi could assume that she was just too tired to think about anything anymore and was slightly numb to it all.

"Hey, Umi?" It was Honoka that spoke rather than Kotori, as the ash-blonde tucked a lock of her messy hair behind her ear.

"Mhmm?" Umi hummed and saw Kotori's shoulders relax a little at the sound of their voice, so they replied properly. "Yes, what is it, Honoka?"

"Do you remember visiting that lake for Kotori-chan's birthday when we were teens?" The ginger asked and Umi recognized the attempt in engaging them in conversation so Kotori could listen to them talk.

"If you mean the one where you and Kotori ganged up on me to drop you thirty feet in the air into the lake and I had to fight Maki's puppy eyes when she wanted me to," Umi chuckled, "then yes, yes I do."

"Hey, that was a blast, thank you very much! It was one-hundred percent worth the water in my nose," Honoka chuckled and Umi silently thanked her for keeping her voice down so as to not startle Kotori. "Besides, I seem to remember you and Kotori-chan sneaking off in the middle of the night and nearly getting caught by Maki!"

Umi chuckled and lightly shook their head in amusement, "they have a strong bond, what can I say? It's also not my fault. Maybe if you had kept her in your tent like I had asked, it wouldn't have nearly happened."

"Ruude," Umi didn't have to see her to know she was pouting, "at least I went after her before she could, you know!"

"It wouldn't have mattered since we were in a tree," Umi snorted and their eyes softened at the way Kotori's head was drooping forward and her eyes were threatening to flutter closed. "Most of what I remember is you pretending to be a grizzly bear and pouncing on our tent early in the morning, making Kotori instinctively cast a shockwave spell to protect the crying Maki while half asleep."

Umi didn't fight the smile that spread on their lips when Kotori's eyes finally closed fully and stayed closed and the camera on her phone tilted awkwardly, meaning she let it go. Finally, her mate could get some precious sleep before they had to move her to secure her safety.

"Didn't a tree nearly fall over from how hard you hit it?"

"Oh yeah… see, now that was just awesome," Honoka laughed and Umi saw her arm come around Kotori's shoulder from the bottom of the camera and gently pull the sleeping luna into her, making sure she was comfortable.

For a moment it was silent between them, with Umi lifting their half-finished glass to their lips and Honoka doing who knows what.

"Hey," Honoka eventually spoke up and the camera moved till Umi was able to see their ginger best friend's face and the small cut in her cheek from earlier today. "Are you sure you're okay Umi?"

Umi swallowed and nodded before they answered. "I will be alright, Honoka, don't worry. My body's healing and I will rest once we're all safe."

Umi could see the minor worry on their friend's face, but Honoka didn't press, aware that if Umi didn't want to divulge anything else then they wouldn't. "It sucks we met up again under these circumstances," the ginger admitted, "I wanted to come by for a visit last winter, but stuff got in the way."

"You sure you didn't just want to watch how much of an idiot both Kotori and I am during our heats?" Umi teased, well aware that Honoka already knew what kind of goofball werewolves her two best friends were during the winter and their separate heats. That's what happened when you, as a werewolf, grew up close with a werewolf couple.

"Nah, it's like watching you be a teenager all over again," Honoka giggled and Umi chuckled along with her. "Being a risk taker, a bit competitive, and possessive-"

"Don't forget the whole, intent on sex thing, like any other alpha at that age," Umi snorted, amused at the mild reminder of what they were like as a teenager outside of work and post sixteen.

"Oh yeah, can't forget about that," Honoka laughed and Umi smiled, "you were pretty bad, huh?"

"Hey now, Kotori never complained about my sex-drive," Umi playfully brushed it off with a teasing smirk and the giggles they got made the teasing comment worth it.

"Well duh," Honoka giggled, "cause you were doing her! Plus, Kotori's got the alpha drive too so she wanted it just as much as you did!"

Umi knew that part of why Kotori had been so eager as a teenager, outside of the true statement of having an alpha drive from the omega-alpha werewolf in her, was because it had been a major stress reliever for the sun-angel that had been barely keeping up with everything in her life at the time. Though most importantly, Kotori got to spend some time alone with Umi in close proximity to just relax and unwind.

While Umi had still been learning how they were supposed to control the wild thing that was their libido and had been having too much fun indulging their instincts and urges when outside of it they had to maintain perfect control all the time.

That and they both had been hormonal teenagers with Kotori's hormones being even higher since they were raising a child. Even if the said child was technically adopted, Kotori's body had adjusted and changed to better suit the needs of the small underweight and malnourished four year old. Allowing her to do what any other werewolf adopted mother would've, and nurse her to help supplement what the kid needed to help her catch up to other kids her age.

"Sneaking around was pretty fun," Umi admitted after the moment of silence with a chuckle, "it's still a miracle that we didn't get caught by anyone but you and that was because Kotori was being lazy and after that it was just cause you were always coming over to my house."

"Hey! It's not my fault you two were at it whenever I showed up…"

Umi smiled, it was okay to indulge one's self sometimes, and today… Well, they decided that they would indulge themself in talking to their oldest, besides Kotori, friend. After all, they had another forty-five minutes on this plane, so there was no rush.