Raven took another sip of her drink and smirked. "I have, more than once."
Jinx stared dumbfounded at her violet haired teammate, slowly shaking her head in utter disbelief.
"You did it … on the beach … no freaking way … with who … was he hot?"
Raven narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean with who? I did it with Gar! Who else would I do it with?"
Karen was also wide eyed. "Girl, are you saying that you and BB just went ahead and did the nasty on the beach, buck naked, in broad daylight?"
"Correct, we did it fully exposed, we weren't under a towel or a sheet." Raven droned in her old school monotone.
"Weren't you afraid someone would see you?" Argent asked.
"No, we just decided to throw caution to the wind. I have to admit, while it was scary, it was also thrilling."
Kole was seated at the same table, and was also wide eyed at hearing Raven's confession. Rose was sitting next to her and crossed her arms before laughing.
"You guys are a bunch of gullible saps." Rose chortled.
"Are you saying that Raven is lying?" Starfire glared at the young Wilson.
Rose continued laughing. "Of course not, we all know that Raven never lies … but she's leaving out some facts … some rather salient facts."
Slade's daughter turned to Raven and grinned. "It was during your honeymoon, on that private island in the Caribbean, right? It was just the two of you; no one else was there to see."
Raven's face reddened. "How do you know that? Our honeymoon destination was a closely guarded secret. Only Cyborg, Nightwing and Starfire knew where we went."
Rose grinned. "Sorry to pop your bubble, Raven, but dad also knew … he knows everything the Titans do, you guys can't take a dump without him knowing. I'll bet he's watching this party, right now; the club is probably crawling with hidden cameras. And I have some bad news … he also watched you guys do it."
"He did what?" Raven growled in a dangerous tone.
"You heard me right; he watched you and Gar screw each other's brains out … you know, you might want to be more discreet next time."
Kole gasped. "Rose … are you sure your father really saw …"
"He showed me the footage … sorry Raven … at the time we were still enemies … so I watched."
Raven closed her eyes and when she reopened them they were crimson red.
"Your father is a dead man."
Kole grabbed her sister-in-law by the elbow and dragged her away from the table. When they were out of earshot she glared at Rose.
"You didn't have to tell her that. And why the hell did you tell her that you watched?"
"I thought the truth sets us free." Rose smirked.
Kole glared at her. "Don't be a jerk. Remember the talk we had? About how words can hurt?"
"I know, but I thought she'd want to know." Rose smirked.
"And she probably does … but she didn't need to know. Now what was once a romantic memory from her honeymoon has been ruined … did you stop to think about that? Shit … now I have to do some damage control, I'm gonna tell her that you didn't actually watch the video footage, that you were lying, and that's gonna be hard, Raven is an empath, you know."
Rose glared at Kole. "You're one to talk about discretion … you told Joey that he wasn't your first."
Kole looked stunned. "How did you know that? Raven is the only soul I've told about that."
"Dad bugged your house … don't worry, it's clean now, I removed all the bugs."
"Our house was bugged? But why?" Kole asked in a dismayed voice.
"Dad likes to keep tabs on Joey."
"Are you sure the house is clean now, how do you know you found all the bugs?"
"Easy, I was the one who put them there in the first place … but like I was saying, you told Joey that before you got serious with him that you banged some other guy. He didn't need to know that, yet you went ahead and told him. Joey is a sensitive guy, Kole and really old fashioned. I knew that even though I had never met him. You hurt him, big time, when you told him. Outing yourself like that … that unbelievably stupid."
Tears welled up in Kole's eyes. "I was living a lie and I couldn't do it anymore. I knew there was risk in telling him the truth."
Rose made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Yeah, right, risk. Did you think he would dump you or something? One thing we learned spying on Joey is that he is hopelessly in love with you, he'd never dump you but … you emasculated him … so, listen carefully. From now on you're going to tell him he's a sex god, that you can't get enough of him."
"I don't understand, how will that help?"
"Guys are insecure about that, they worry that they can't satisfy us and that we really want someone else."
"They do? That's crazy, I don't believe you. Why would Joey think that?"
Rose shook her head dismissively. "Kole, do you worry that he thinks you aren't physically attractive? Do you think that you're too short, that your boobs are too small or that your butt's too big? Do you think that he finds every girl he meets to be hotter than you?"
Kole opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"You know that women worry about how we look … well, guess what? Guys worry about how studly they are. Did you know that a lot of young, perfectly healthy guys take Viagra and other ED pills, hoping that they'll make them even bigger?"
Kole slowly shook her head.
"Kole, I'm telling you this because I like you. You're great for Joey and I want you guys to be happy together. But right now, there is a nagging doubt in the back of his mind. He's worried that you liked having sex more with your old boyfriend than you do with him."
"But that's not true." Kole whimpered.
"But he doesn't know that. And just telling him the truth doesn't cut it, that doesn't work with guys. You have to show him that he's your man, the one who really satisfies your needs and urges. Don't wait for him to ask for sex, you ask for it first. And the orgasms, fake them if you have to."
"I … won't need to fake them, I never have."
"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. I want to be able to hear you scream his name all the way from my room … every night. Joey is a Wilson, so that he can make you do that is a given. Capsiche?"
Kole nodded as the shirtless superheroes began to serve dinner. Rose wrapped an arm around Kole's shoulder. "Good, everything is going to be fine. Come on, sister, let's go eat."
Bumblebee was seated between Raven and Starfire, Kole's place was next to the demoness, who touched her arm as she sat down. "It's OK, Kole, I'm a big girl, you didn't have to chew Rose out for my sake, but I appreciate the gesture."
Kole grabbed her drink and quickly polished it off before looking nervously at the sorceress. "Raven … Rose was exaggerating … she didn't actually watch the video."
Raven empathic senses immediately told her that Kole was lying, but she appreciated the effort her pink haired friend was making.
"Thanks, it helps to know that." Raven lied, playing along with Kole's attempt to fix the unfixable.
-( - )-
"Who knew you could get Tofu Tacos in Tokyo?" The changeling told Cyborg as he wolfed down yet another east-west taco."
"Yeah, but they have soy sauce in them. Tacos with soy sauce?" Cyborg asked as his warily examined his chicken teriyaki tacos, which were part of the meals provided by the tournament organizers. The changeling handed him a bottle of Sriracha sauce. The tin man gladly accepted it and squirted some of the spicy Asian salsa onto his cross-over taco, of which he then took a bite. He smacked his lips.
"Huh … not bad, I think I'll have another one … or ten."
The friends sat down together and chowed down during the brief interlude before they would play their respective final matches. Beast Boy won his quarterfinal match and went on to beat Greg Cipes in the semifinal. His final match, against Simon Cowell, was scheduled to start in half an hour. The actual game selected was a Formula 1 racing game that was set in Jump City. Though he came close to winning every time he played against Cyborg, he never managed to beat his bionic fried. As the changeling began to eat his second taco, Cyborg put down the huge platter, now empty, and burped loudly.
"You remember all my moves in this game, right?" The tin man asked.
"How could I forget them? I always lost because you'd pull one of them off."
"Good, because he's gonna use the same moves on you."
"Great."
"But he isn't as good as me … not even close. I've been watching him play B … you can beat him … I know you can. I know moves he doesn't know."
Gar finished eating his second taco before responding. "Do you have any advice?"
"Two words, B: The Tornado."
"The Tornado? Cy, I know it's a legal move but … is it ethical?"
"Ethical? This is Simon Cowell we're talking about! The man doesn't deserve a break."
The changeling scratched his chin. "You have a point there, tin man."
Victor got up from his chair and gestured the changeling to follow him into one of the practice rooms, which had a game system set up. They sat down on the recliners in the room and Cyborg fired up the system.
"My final isn't until later this afternoon, so I'm gonna get you ready to win, grass stain. I'm gonna teach you every move I know and how to defend against them."
The TV flickered to life, showing the racetrack's starting line.
"Simon Cowell is going down, or my name isn't Victor Stone."
-( - )-
As Raven had requested, the meal served was fit for a King. Both Verdant's owner and manager came to the main table to make sure everything was up to par and had met Bumblebee's expectations. As they engaged in small talk the shirtless superheroes began to serve champagne to all the tables. Once everyone had been served Raven rose to her feet. She raised her champagne flute in the air and cleared her throat.
"Bumblebee, here's wishing you and Cyborg a lifetime of happiness."
"Hear, hear!" Someone called.
"To the bride!" Raven shouted as she raised her flute even higher.
"To the bride!" The guests thundered in unison.
Raven sat back down and the entire squad of shirtless Justice Leaguers assembled around the main table. Superman was in front and he gallantly bowed to Bumblebee.
"OK Gentlemen, just like we practiced … 1 … 2 … 3 …"
The twenty or so assembled heroes began to serenade Karen, acapella and in perfect harmony. Their rich voices soared in the room, filling it with their song:
Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you
A happy smile appeared on Bumblebee's face as the men finished singing the song, while all her guests broke out in applause. Jinx leaned over and whispered into Raven's ear. "I take it all back; you know how to throw a great bachelorette party."
Raven allowed a small smile to appear on her lips.
-( - )-
"OK, B, are you in the zone?"
The changeling was seated in a lotus position, his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees, forming mudras with his thumb and middle finger.
"I'm in the zone." He replied in a voice that oozed serenity.
"Nothing perturbs you."
"Nothing perturbs me."
"You are one with the road."
"I am one with the road."
"You are the car."
The changeling opened his right eye.
"I'm not half machine like you, tin man."
Cyborg glared at him. "Come on, B, focus."
He closed his eye. "Sorry."
"It's OK … now pick a mantra and say it over and over until you and the car are one."
"Azarath … Metrion … Zinthos … Azarath … Metrion …"
"Not that one, that's hers … pick one of your own."
"I like her mantra."
"Whatever … just focus." Cyborg moaned.
The changeling continued to repeat Raven's mantra and to Cyborg's surprise … it worked. His green friend didn't levitate of course, but Victor knew that Gar was truly in the zone. Beast Boy opened his eyes.
"I'm ready."
"It's show time." Cyborg replied in a deadpan.
With a calm and fluid motion the changeling rose to his feet and followed Cyborg out the door into the back door corridor that led to the grand ballroom when the final was being held. It was a magnificent room, with massive chandeliers on the ceiling. There were over 4000 stackable chairs set up in tidy rows and they were already occupied by noisy fans. The changeling was so focused that he was unaware of the massive audience before him as he climbed up the steps to the makeshift stage. Simon Cowell, who was looking as smug as ever, was already there.
"So, another superhero yank? I was hoping for a challenge this year, but it's going to be the opposite … I guess I could move up to the professional divisions, but I suppose that wouldn't be fair to them."
The changeling did not respond to the taunts as his mind appeared to be somewhere else. Cowell gave him a curious look, before snickering. "I don't believe it, he's stoned … this is going to be far too easy."
The Master of Ceremonies picked up a microphone, and walked to center stage, flanked by several cheerleaders shaking pom-poms. He addressed the audience in alternating Japanese and English. After babbling about the tournament and acknowledging its countless sponsors he turned to the competitors and gestured at Cowell with his right hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the defending and six time celebrity division champion, the one and only … Simon Cowell!"
Cowell stepped forward and raised his fisted arms as if he had already won. The crowd erupted into wild cheers, though more than a few boos and catcalls were also heard.
Reluctantly, Cowell stepped back as the MC resumed speaking.
"And the challenger, who is competing here for the first time, the world famous Changeling!"
A huge throng of school girls, attired in their uniforms, burst into excited cheers while the rest of the audience joined in, applauding and cheering as well. Beast Boy stepped forward and calmly bowed at the crowd.
"Gentlemen … take your seats … and prepare to race!"
-( - )-
Several hours later …
"Oh … my head." Raven groaned as she trudged into their room. According to the clock on the wall it was past 3 AM. "I'll never drink a Mai Tai again, not even if Aqualad were to serve it to me in the buff … OK, maybe I would accept it from him." She continued to groan.
Raven peeked into the children's room. Mark and Coraline were sound asleep in their beds and Melvin was snoring on the floor, in a sleeping bag. She debated whether or not to wake the babysitter but decided to leave well enough alone and gently closed the door behind her.
The room was lit only by the moonlight which made her skin look even paler than usual as she undressed and changed into a pair of flannel boxers and a t-shirt. A huge yawn escaped from her mouth as she pulled back the bedcovers. As she completed her yawn she nearly gasped, as there was someone sleeping in her bed.
"Gar?"
A sleepy faced changeling looked up at her. "Oh … you're back." He mumbled as he scooted over. She got into the bed and he sloppily flopped the bedcovers over her. They exchanged a tender kiss and he gently nudged her to roll over, after which he curled up with her, spooning his wife very intimately, wrapping his arm around her, gently caressing her arms.
"I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow." She whispered in a sleepy voice. "Not that I'm complaining."
"That was the plan, but after the final match I was tired, I've been awake for 24 hours … I was ready to come home."
"I'm glad you did, but right now all I want to do is sleep." She replied.
"Me too." He curled up even closer to her while she melted into his full body embrace. "Good night, Rae."
"Good night, Gar."
Within just a few minutes the two friends, lovers and spouses were sound asleep.
-( - )-
Raven scrunched her eyes, which were right in the path of stray sunbeam that slipped through a crack between the curtains. She raised her hand to shield her face and glanced at her alarm clock, which boldly proclaimed that it was just past 9 AM. She also noticed a note next to the alarm clock. With a half awake look on her face she grabbed the note and read it
Already changed Coraline and gave her a bottle, and I took her and Mark to the common room so you and uncle Gar could rest.
-Melvin
Raven dropped the note and rolled over to face her spouse, who was resting face down and was still sound asleep. Suddenly feeling restless she sat up and stretched. She gently got out of the bed so as not to wake him, scratching her butt in the process. Trudging off to the bathroom, she pondered the mundane nature of getting up in the morning and how sharing a bed with a life partner was a lot less glamorous than it was portrayed in the movies or on TV.
After relieving her bladder and performing a few basic morning ablutions in the bathroom she emerged, debating whether or not to get back into the bed and try to sleep some more. Before she could make up her mind she noticed the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. She grabbed the remote control and turned it on. It displayed a menu screen that indicated there were two new recordings on the Tower's mainframe. Upon examining them more closely she found they were titled "Changeling Final Match" and "Cyborg Final Match". Young Robin made good on his promised to record the events.
Raven turned to check on Gar and found him not only still asleep, but snoring loudly. She selected his race from the menu and clicked "play".
-( - )-
Beast Boy woke up. He felt groggy as his sleep had been interrupted. His training as a superhero kicked in and he quickly brushed away the cobwebs in his head and within seconds he was fully lucid. It was then that he heard her voice.
"Come on, you can't let that jerk win."
Without getting up he opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him was Raven's backside, clad only in her improvised sleepwear. She was standing in front of the TV and she gestured vigorously every time Cowell managed to block Gar from passing him.
"The race is almost over; you're running out of time!" She shouted at the screen.
Garfield sat up and smiled. The cars were approaching the final curve.
"Come on Gar, it's now or never." She continued to shout at the screen.
As the cars entered the curve Beast Boy rear ended Cowell's car. It went into a skid, but Cowell was still in control. Raven stopped shouting, as she had seen the maneuver before.
"The Tornado." She said breathlessly.
As though if by magic Beast Boy's car popped up onto its rear wheels and began to spin like a top. Cowell's was too busy controlling the skid to react before the spinning car his vehicle in the rear. A look of horror appeared on the Englishman's face.
"That's not fair, there's no defense against the Tornado." He muttered as his car crashed into curve's wall and exploded. Gar's car stopped spinning and landed on all four wheels just before he crossed the finish line.
"Yes, yes! You did it!" Raven pumped her arm repeatedly.
"I thought videogames were stupid." She suddenly heard his voice.
Raven spun around, tripped, fell and land on her butt.
"Did I wake you?" She asked innocently.
"Yeah, but that's OK … so, you were rooting for me?"
"Well … yeah … why wouldn't I?"
"Because you don't like video games … you always tell me that I'm too old to play them."
"I was … recently educated in how that's not true. That they're important for you." She responded contritely.
He approached his still bed headed wife and wrapped his arms around her. "So, I'm a world champ … I handed Simon Cowell his head to him on a platter … is that cool or what?"
Raven placed a hand behind his head and drew him into a deep kiss. As they finished their smooch, she looked him in the eyes.
"That was very cool … and … I have some news."
-( - )-
About an hour later …
The mood in the common room was festive and Cyborg was the center of attention. His championship bout, a martial arts game, was playing back on a continuous loop on the giant screen, over and over. Meanwhile, the Tin Man was busy showing off his trophy to all present. Connor, Bart and Tim were clearly awestruck with the huge trophy, which had a gold plated GameStation controller on top.
The rest of the guys who took the trip to Tokyo were also present, watching Cyborg easily thrash his opponent, over and over on the screen. The bionic Titan had set a new record, defeating his opponent in just under 2 minutes. The Logans entered the room just in time to see the Cyborg on the screen celebrate his victory with his signature "boo-yah" after which he taunted his opponent by saying "Sayonara, Yoshi." His opponent, a young Asian man, left in a huff, but not before turning around and saying "I'm not Japanese, I'm Korean! And my name isn't Yoshi!"
Garfield's trophy, which was displayed on the kitchen table, while similar to Cyborg's, was not quite as huge since it was only for the Celebrity Division, but it was still rather massive. Raven winced when saw the huge, gaudy trophy, knowing that Garfield would want it prominently displayed wherever it was that they ended up living after moving out of the Tower. She would display the ugly trophy, of course and without complaint. The things one does out of love, she reminded herself.
That of course was the next order of business. They were turning the Tower over to the next generation, and that meant they were all moving out, probably after the wedding. It was a given that Cyborg and Bumblebee would move back to Steele City. Jinx and Wally would go back to Central City. The Graysons had also committed to joining Titans East. The only holdouts that remained were the Logans.
Once the celebration party wound down, Nightwing called a meeting and once again the original Titans plus Bumblebee convened in a conference room. Beast Boy and Raven were the last ones to arrive. The meeting's agenda, while not announced, was more than obvious as all eyes were upon the Logans. They all took their seats and Nightwing cleared his throat.
"Well guys." He addressed the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ "Are you coming to Steele City with us?"
The room fell silent. Gar and Raven exchanged glances. Raven gave him an inquisitive look and he subtly nodded to her. Raven slowly rose to her feet and addressed what she once told her father was her family.
"I'm sorry, but no, we're staying in Jump. Gar and I are going to reopen the store and the veterinary practice."
A collective sigh was heard across the room. Starfire was the first to speak. "Raven, Garfield … are you certain of this? I know that we have been apart so many years, but we are together again ... do we really want to part ways again?"
"Guys, we promise to stay in touch … we'll come visit … but you see, we're ready to move on from the superhero biz. I know Rave and I will never be 'normal people', but we want to give it a try. Plus … there's something else."
"Something else?" Bumblebee asked in a puzzled tone.
Raven nodded. "Yes … I'm pregnant."
"Whoa, whoa!" Cyborg bellowed. "Are you saying you got another bun in the oven? Haven't you guys ever heard of birth control?"
A sheepish smile appeared on Raven's face while her husband stood and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Dr. Midnight prescribed some special pills for me and I have been taking them. I found out this morning that they didn't work. Gar and I have a theory as to why: we think my healing trances, which I have been using quite a bit these past few months, probably neutralized the contraceptives in my body. Or it might have been using my powers in general … we really aren't sure."
"Anyway, since Rave is preggers and we're gonna have three kids …"
"Five kids." Bart whispered to his teammates.
"… and since Jump has a new set of Titans in the Tower, we decided that it's time for us to retire, permanently."
Grayson pursed his lips as he stared stoically at the floor, clearly unhappy with the news. Starfire immediately ran forward and embraced her friends, as did Karen.
Cyborg sniffled. "So, this is it … the Titans are no more."
"I wouldn't say that. We will always be the Titans … but Gar and I won't be fighting villains anymore. We'll leave that task to the New Teen Titans. We have new challenges ahead of us, they might not be as dramatic or heroic as saving the city, but they are every bit as important to us."
Raven glanced at the new Kid Flash. "And no, Bart, we aren't going to have five kids."
"We'll see about that." The speedster from the future mumbled under his breath.
-( - )-
The ever present sound of gears grinding filled the air as Slade inspected his new lair. As always, things were going according to plan with ruthless punctuality and efficiency as work on the new hideout was almost complete. A door slid open and Wintergreen entered the room carrying a silver tray with a tea set on it. He stopped in front of Slade, who poured himself a cup of brew and mixed in milk and sugar before taking a sip.
"Perfectly brewed." Slade congratulated his confidant.
"Thank you, Wilson … there is news regarding Rose … she removed the bugs from Joey's house."
"Yes, I was aware of that."
"What shall we do about that?"
Slade, who had removed his mask, took another swig from his teacup.
"We will do nothing, my friend."
"We're going to abandon her to the Titans?"
Slade shook his head. "Never, but she isn't with the Titans, she's with her brother. And right now, that is where she belongs … she was never really one of us, Wintergreen. Joey will take care of her … and so will his pink haired wife. Rose is in good hands, my friend. But we have other concerns to deal with."
"You mean …"
"Wonder Girl, Robin, Superboy, Speedy and Kid Flash."
"But they are just teenagers, Wilson."
The unmasked supervillain smiled at his confidant. "They are much more than just teenagers, just like their predecessors were. I will miss my worthy opponents. Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy foiled many of my plans … but I respect them. The new kids on the block have a lot to live up to and I'm sure they are eager to prove themselves. We don't want to disappoint them now, do we?"
Wintergreen smiled. "We would never want to do that."
-( - )-
The end of the story is approaching!
Will BB and Raven have five kids as Bart predicts, or is he full of it?
One note before I go to the mail bag. This story is on the verge of becoming the most reviewed story ever in the K-T section. If we get enough reviews for this chapter we'll shatter the record, which is held by a story written back in 2005. When I pulled 8 Years Later out of the dustbin and decided to give it a second try I never dreamed that it would be this successful. Thanks to all of you!
And a special shout out to krostovikraven1! She helped me pick the song that the Justice Leaguers would sing to Bumblebee.
And now, the mailbag:
Me – I am afraid that we are getting very close to the end.
the great slacke – I don't recall Cowell being in that story.
ii D l – That is impressive.
mlbv-grimm – Raven was determined to not have that happen
brooklynrhyno – Thanks, I like to think that I can write a "mature" story without resorting to smut.
Me – Thanks!
BartWLewis – And he did. Playing all those years against Cyborg paid off for BB. He rarely beat his friend but he beat Cowell.
Just a Reviewer – Thanks, I figured that a videogame championship was the perfect way to celebrate Cyborg.
Soulsurfer2112 – I was inspired by the episode where Cyborg plays video games vs. Atlas.
BeautifulempathRaven – Your wish is my command!
gabylokita41 – Raven had it all under control.
Anoymous136 – I was wondering if anyone was going to notice that I borrowed the club name from the TV series Arrow.
krostovikraven1 – I thought having the guys serve was a fun touch.
acosta perez jose Ramiro – Si, verdad? Era el pleno paraiso para Cyborg.
AWordToTheNot-So-Wise – No apologies needed. Glad you are back. If you are looking for a fic to read, you have to check out Sir Alwick's "Crime of Passion". I wish I was half as good a writer as he is.
Kidstandout – I wonder if there really is a World Championship Tournament? Maybe EA or someone else runs it?
The Cretin – The Vegas odds makers were on Cowell's side. They lost.
jovanchin2013 – I think that Raven is too disciplined to let her inner demon whore (AKA Rage) out loose.
jim78559 – I aim to enlighten.
JasonVUK – I'll see what I can do. Not many chapters left, I'm afraid.
Spartacusj23 – I wonder how Raven pulled that off.
Bluedog197 – I think that there is an element of corruption in all tournaments.
Shadico – Raven stood her ground. And in the end she was vindicated.
Hairul The Nightrage Beast – Or better yet, the subtle mention that BB beat Greg Cipes in the semifinal. I was tempted to flesh out that match, but decided that wouldn't add anything to the story.
SuperNolon – If I added chainsaws, would have to switch the story's rating to M.
titanfan45 – I'll bet the guys had a grand time in Tokyo.
And finally – a recent review for chapter 12. I usually don't reply to reviews for previous chapters in the mail bag, but made an exception for this one.
Guest - "There's so much I like about this story. But the whole being ashamed of casual sex thing bugs the crap outta me. Who gives a f***?"
Actually, a lot of people care about this. Different people have different values, and they don't always align with yours or mine.