In the span of a few seconds, Kristopherson realised that his plan was going to pay off. It all started the moment he picked up the phone and was warned of the impending threat appearing upon the horizon. His mother had called him, telling him that his extended family arrived.

"Milo left the house, saying that he was going to visit you." Missus Miles informed him. "Are you at home? It's probably not too late to pretend you're not there."

"No. Let him come." the wolfman replied with a bit of a smirk on his face. "I'm ready for him. He isn't going to find any designs, here."

"You hid them?"

"Everything. I hid designs, sketchbooks, fabric… Everything." Kristopherson proudly informed. "It's all in a safe in a top secret government area surrounded by armed guards."

"So, it's at the shop, you mean."

"Yep. The only way he's getting in there is if a werewolf bites him."

"Please don't bite your cousin."

"Ew, no way. He'd taste like hairspray and sadness. Dealing with him as a human is bad enough..."

"'Hairspray and sadness...'" his mother quoted with a laugh. "That's a good one. Alright, I was just giving you fair warning."

"Thanks, mum."

"Love you, sweetie. Bye-bye."

"Love you, too. Bye." the man said before hanging up. Setting his phone aside, he put his arm back around his boyfriend and settled back into the couch.

"That was my mum. She said my cousin is coming here. You should probably leave before that happens." he warned, but Logan didn't seem too bothered.

"Are you sure that you won't tear his head off, if I do?" questioned the incubus, watching the other hesitate for a moment. "I take that as a 'no'."

"Suit yourself." Answered the faux-blonde. "Worst-case scenario, a yelling contest ensues. I don't really want you to see me like that."

"I've see you transform into a werewolf on a regular basis. I think if I can handle barking, I can handle yelling."

"You will have to transform, though."

Without another word, Logan's horns sank back into his forehead and his tail disappeared. Light blue became light brown as his skin changed hues and in an instant, he was passable as a normal human being. With a smile, the incubus snapped his fingers and said: "Way ahead of you."

While nothing really warranted it, Kristopherson couldn't help but let out a laugh. "You're really cute no matter what form you take, huh?" he asked before kissing the other's head.

"So are you." Logan grinned, sitting up and kissing the wolfman right back.

"Yeah, but I should probably shave before Milo gets here." Kristopherson stated. Reached up and rubbed his chin. "I feel like I need to out-do him with fashion."

"From the sounds of things, that probably won't be hard."

"Nah, but it puts him in his place." the Wolfman said with a smug grin. With a grunt, he stood and headed toward the bathroom. "Be right back."

"Okay. Want me to pause this?" Loga asked while picking up the remote to the TV.

"Nah. You go ahead. Tell me what happens."

"If you want to know what happens, you could just watch it..." muttered the incubus while pushing the button anyway. He knew it would take a while for Kristopherson to take care of his beard situation, so he took to trying to find other ways to amuse himself in the mean time. Picking up some magazines on the table, he found himself impressed, but more often baffled by the fashion of humans.

"Who would wear this?" he thought while skimming through. "I've never seen anybody wear this in London. Ever. This is fashionable?" Sometimes, he didn't really understand what Kristopherson was doing with fashion, but was glad that he was interested in it. It was much more exciting to have a partner who was passionate about something he himself wasn't, rather than someone who wasn't passionate about anything at all.

His boyfriend was still in the bathroom when there was a knock at the door, however. "Kris! Should I get that?" he called out, but he got no response despite raising his voice. As this was the case, he stood up and headed that way, himself. The knocking grew louder and more aggressive, but he didn't walk any faster. Looking through the lock, he saw yet another thing he didn't understand.

He saw a man with a nasty-looking face and a band-aid on his nose on the other side. His hair wasn't blonde. It was some kind of orangey yellow and his outfit was strange as well. There were lots of rings on his fingers and fur around the collar of his purple coat. He seemed to be wearing more than one belt, strangely enough, and none of his clothes seemed to fit quite right. Yes, in Logan's mind, this was obviously Kristopherson's cousin.

With a friendly smile, he opened the door to let him in, giving a polite "hello." The other man simply stared at him with a blank expression before wandering off without a word. Logan watched after him with an arched eyebrow before stepping back inside and closing the door. Maybe that wasn't him. When the incubus walked further into the apartment again, Kristopherson peeked his head out of the bathroom with shaving cream still on his face.

"Who was that?" asked the faux-blonde.

"I don't know? They looked at me and walked away? Am I missing something?"

"What did they look like?"

"Weird yellow hair. Kind of gaudy? He didn't look very nice, if I'm honest."

"That's him." Kristopherson smirked before stepping back into the bathroom. "He'll be back, don't worry about it. Come get me if he's at the door again and I'm not out yet."

Sure enough, a minute or so went by and there was another knock. Fortunately by this time, Kristopherson was finished and dressed enough to greet his unwanted guest. When he opened the door, the same man from before was there again, this time with and odd mixture of confusion and relief on his face.

"Kris?" he questioned.

"Yes?"

"Oh, thank god, it's you." Milo sighed, placing a hand on his chest. "I barely recognised you. You're huge!"

"I work out." Kristopherson answered bluntly with a smile. "Come on in. Did you have trouble finding the place?"

Stepping past the wolfman, the American walked right inside. "It took me a while. I had to look at the directions like, ten times because I couldn't find the door. I swear I tried this one already, but the first time, some Muslim guy answered, so I guess it wasn't it."

Just as he said that, he stepped into the living room, only to see Logan sitting on the sofa. The incubus turned his head to look back at him, obviously confused. Fortunately for him, Milo had it worse.

"Milo, this is Logan." Kristopherson butted in. He almost reveled in his relative messing up. "He's my boyfriend."

"Oh..." Milo said, obviously embarrassed. "I didn't mean it in like, a bad way, or anything. I'm voting for Barnie Saunders."

"Who's that?" asked Logan.

"Some American politician." answered the wolfman.

"Does he like Muslims or something?"

"I guess? I don't really know."

"He's going to be the next president." the American said with a sure nod. "He'll make it so everyone is equal. Gays and Muslims, too."

"That's good. Logan isn't either of those things, though." Kristopherson stated, catching the other man in yet another bind.

"I like men a lot more, but I'm actually Bi." the incubus very politely corrected while Kristopherson sat down next to him. "Don't worry, I'm not upset or anything. Mistakes happen." He said this despite the fact that he really didn't understand how Milo got to his conclusion.

The atmosphere was absolutely unbearable for the guest to the household. Kristopherson made sure of that. He was very smug about it, too. The thing was, however, that his cousin was here on a mission and wasn't going to give up that easily.

"My friends are thinking about putting together a fashion show." Milo eventually said, trying to move things along. "The thing is, though, I'm having the worst time trying to think of any designs!"

"That's not good. When's the show."

"In a few months, so I have plenty of time. I was wondering if you had any advice? London chic is always in."

"Why don't you look around?" suggested the wolfman under the pretense of helping. "It's always best to just see for yourself what people are wearing and what stores are selling right now."

"Maybe you should show me sometime? Have you been working on anything recently?"

"Nope. There's not a single sketchbook in here, either. I've just been too busy with Ana's wedding that I didn't have time." There was enough of a hint of truth in there to be convincing had it been anyone but Milo. Rather, it wasn't that he didn't know it to be true, it was that he didn't want it to be.

"That's a shame." the man said with a look that almost looked sympathetic. "Your work is always really inspiring!"

"Gay fashion designers are common for a reason, you know." Kristopherson jested despite the temptation of calling him out.

"I like to think that I'm gay in my art but straight in my life."

"What does that mean." It wasn't question that the wolfman asked.

"It means that like, I'm like a gay guy when I'm designing, but I'm normal everywhere else." Milo explained, ignorant to the hole he had just dug himself into.

"You know I was joking, right? We're not naturally good at fashion. I know several guys that kind of suck at it, even."

"It's fine. It's cool. We disagree. That's okay." insisted the American, having finally caught on. "It was just a joke."

"With you, it's hard to tell." Needless to say, the wolfman did not buy that excuse, but chose not to pursue it. It wasn't worth it. As long as he could ensure that Milo did not remain interested, he could coax him into leaving.

With that boring response, the group just sat in awkward silence while Milo scrambled to think of something to talk about. His cousin had no interest in continuing the conversation and Logan was too tense from the atmosphere surrounding them to think of anything. Milo's gaze wandered around the room as he thought.

"So, uh..." Eventually, he landed on Kristopherson himself. "How long have you been working out?"

"Since secondary school."

"That's like high school, right?"

"I guess so."

"You're a lot bigger than the last time I saw you."

"You're still scrawny." noted the wolfman. "Just with more jewelry."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Relax. It's just a joke."

Everything was going according to plan, but with one additional casualty. Kristopherson noticed his boyfriend sitting awkwardly next to him while trying not to suffocate. It wasn't fair to make him sit through this, even if he initially volunteered.

"Oh, Logan," he began, "Don't you have work today?" He gave the other a look indicative of his plan and with an apologetic smile, the incubus nodded. The two of them knew perfectly well that Logan had the day off. Kristopherson had just given him an escape route.

"Oh. Yeah. I do." Logan lied, standing up while his nervous smile thanked his boyfriend profusely. "Thanks for reminding me."

"See you later." his boyfriend said reassuringly before pecking him on the lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too~!" the incubus chimed, walking backwards while he fled. He stepped out the door before the distinct sound of it locking behind him could be heard. Naturally, Logan had his own set of keys to Mister Miles' apartment. It was a subtle thing that registered in Milo's brain but was not conscious. On the surface, he just found the exchange odd and it was slightly visible on his face.

"What's with his clothes?" rudely questioned the unwanted guest. "Did he get them at Goodwill?"

"So what if he did? I like him, not his clothes." retorted Kristopherson, unable to give a boring answer on that. How dare this tacky thief ridicule someone as aesthetically pleasing as his boyfriend? Clearly, it was a flaw in Milo's character.

"Surely you could design him something better. We should take him shopping."

"Milo, I guarantee you, without a shred of doubt, that no matter what outfit you pick out for him, he would absolutely hate it. He's a practical guy- something you don't understand."

"What's that mean?"

"You're wearing a coat with faux-fur in July."

"This fur is not fake!"

"Did the clerk tell you that? You got swindled."

"At least my girlfriend doesn't look homeless." Milo snapped, causing something within Kristopherson to snap as well. Fist clenching and his nose wrinkled into a snarl, Kristopherson lurched toward the other, making his outright distaste for the man known.

"You do not talk about him like that, you tacky, know-nothing hack!" For the first time that day, the wolfman raised his voice slightly, being careful not to get too worked up. Going overboard was risky, as he might accidentally have a "wolf-out" fit and start barking or growing more hair, as occasionally happened with newer werewolves.

"How dare you?!" gasped his cousin, clutching at his figurative pearls. He, too, was careful not to cross any lines, as he was indeed intimidated in that moment and knew that if things got physical, he might need more than a band-aid to cover up what happened to him. "Why would you say that? I am an extremely respected member of the fashion community!"

"Bitch, where?" Kristopherson snorted. "You're a nobody and you know it. You can't create anything on your own if you do get included in a show. You either steal it outright or have assistants do everything."

"I do not!" Now the American was forced to stand up to defend his honour. He had been called out and the weakness in his voice was indicative of the truth. "I have never stolen anything! All of my work is 100% original! My assistants only put the clothes together to sell!"

"Yeah. They put together my designs." Suddenly, Milo's expression fell and Kristopherson noticed. "Yeah. I remember that. Funny how your line looked suspiciously like the sketches I drew when I was in school, huh? And how they look nothing like your usual work? That's fascinating, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. If you think I stole from you, you're dead wrong!"

"The whole goddamn family knows what you did, asshole. That's why you always get rejected in Europe! Literally no one wants to see your designs because they'll be looking at somebody else's. They can't sign you. From a business standpoint, you're too much of a risk, not because you're 'daring', but because you can't design shit!"

The other man opened his mouth to shout back, but his defiance died in his throat. He had been stabbed by Kristopherson's words. All of them were true, but that didn't mean that he wanted to admit it. In his mind, Milo was an artist. He was the best of the best. If people didn't like his stuff, it was simply to highbrow for them. It was the cutting edge of fashion. Nevermind the fact that the only times he ever made money on what he presented, it was usually partially or entirely "borrowed" from someone else. The man lost many friends this way, but the world of fashion is cruel and unforgiving.

He knew Kristopherson was good. Very good. The man had more creativity in his toenail than Milo had in his whole body. That's why his cousin wanted to see his work. If Kristopherson took the fashion industry seriously, he would be a destructive force, but fortunately for Milo, the wolfman was far more interested in other things. What those things were, however, he hadn't the foggiest idea of. Truth be told, he didn't really care.

Either way, he was trapped at the moment. There was no argument he could possibly make that would convince Kristopherson. The man would know that he was lying.

"So what if I took them?" Milo asked, scoffing and folding his arms despite averting his gaze. "You weren't going to use them anyway..."

"I never said that! I said I might use them!"

"That's not true. You said you weren't going to use them."

"You liar! You stole them and made money off of them! That dress by the way, is not worth a thousand a head. You're a thief in more ways than one!"

"You weren't going to use it, so I did. You should be glad your work got out there!"

"Under your name? While you made all the money off of it? Nice try, asswipe. I'm not falling for your shit. That might work on the young hopefuls who don't know any better, but you're playing with the big boys, now." On the last bit, Kristopherson stabbed his cousin in the chest with his finger. "People who actually have some experience know that being offered 'exposure' in return for designs translates into being offered to be ripped off."

When the other didn't respond, he added: "That's what you tell them, isn't it? That it'll be 'good exposure'?"

"Shut up." the other huffed. Yes, that was Milo's go-to. He was losing the argument and had run out of excuses. Ordinarily, he might have started punching, but looking at Kristopherson's size and brawn, he decided against this. That didn't stop him from fibbing, however. "I'll beat your ass."

"Try it." Kristopherson replied. He took a step closer, but made no move to raise a hand.

"You see this?" his cousin questioned, while pointing at the patch on his nose. He hoped it would distract the wolfman from the fact that he took a step back. "I got this in a bar fight before we left the states. You do not want me to try it."

"What's that? Did someone finally punch you in the nose? I wish I knew who it was. I'd shake his hand and buy him a drink."

"I've had enough of this." Flee! It was time to flee! Nothing was working on Kristopherson. Thus, with no other options, it was time for Milo to use his last resort. "That happened a long time ago. Grow up already. Move on."

He moved toward the door while making a show of "being the bigger person". All the while, his tail was between his legs. The effect was even greater since the Miles did not back down, still wearing the haughty expression of someone who had just caught another in a bind. Needless to say, Kristopherson was incredibly pleased with himself, locking the door behind the other once Milo left. It was worth it. It was completely worth it. Later on, he received a phone call from his mother once his cousin returned to her house. Andrea congratulated her son for confronting his nemesis and winning. Kristopherson grinned widely as he imagined future interactions with his foe. Oh, how fun this was going to be.


A/N: This chapter is 3,204 words long. You're welcome.

Milo is too many people I know... Oh, god... I've seen this person... He likes to pretend he's super "with it", but when you call him out on bullshit, he acts like the douche he is. I actually wish I could have emphasized that more...

Speaking of annoying relatives, I have to see mine. So I won't be able to write much if at all for the next three days...

I hate it.

I don't wanna go...

I wanna write...

Nuuuuhhh...

I am pitiful.

Woe is me.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!


CHARACTER SHET

Question: "audrey! would you say you've gotten better with your social anxiety? it seems like you have, especially when comparing you to how you were early on." by forestkiid

Audrey: "I guess I have. I'm still very nervous in stressful situations, though. That's normal. It's easier to talk to people, but it's still kind of terrifying sometimes."