If there was any trace of high spirits between you before, you couldn't find it. Instead, a wave of awkwardness doused the atmosphere in all members of your party; the exclusion, of course, being Rin. She seemed to glow ever more brightly and you could see she was on the verge of tears of happiness.

"Eh. Romance? That's not what I was hoping for." Toriko mumbled, eyeing off Rin as she bounced rapidly on the balls of her feet.

"Maybe there's a catch to it?" You said quietly, still avoiding looking at Coco by any means. You could feel the heat radiating off your cheeks at this point. Juzo's voice boomed out again.

"Yes, tonight we will be celebrating the beautiful act of romance. From new relationships, all the way to true love and everything in between!"

Komatsu had covered his face with both of his hands, shaking his head rapidly.

"Love? No, this is so embarrassing..." he whined.

"We will be offering tonight a range of special preparation ingredients that can only truly be enjoyed by sharing them with your partners. Let love blossom between everyone tonight!"

"That's a broad generalisation." You said, watching as the horde of patrons began to file into the dining room when the doors opened. "Surely, they would have known that not everyone attending would be dating each other, right?"

"The IGO helps organise these events, so they pull out all the stops when planning." Coco said, finally breaking his silence. "They like to make a good impression for their backers to get more funding. I guess theming the banquets is better for fundraising."

"Well, the food should be tasty regardless." Melk offered, a blush still tinting her cheeks. "Don't we all share food together anyhow?"

"That's true." Toriko replied, his arm still being shaken from Rin's incessant bouncing. "It smells amazing in there, so let's just have some good food."

With that, Toriko lead the way, his pure love of eating overcoming his embarrassment. With a shrug, you followed him inside to the next room.

"Hey, Coco?" Sunny probed. "Didn't you know that this what was going to happen?"

"What do you mean?"

Sunny gave him a deadpan look.

"You're a fortune teller, aren't you? Couldn't you have told us that this was going to be happening?"

"I didn't know." Coco said simply.

"Huh? How can you not know?"

"Because I didn't look into it? I'm allowed to be surprised too. What am I, some sort of ham radio?"

Sunny bit back a retort at this.

"Still, you have to appreciate the harmony in this room." The rainbow-haired man said, surveying the scene. Those same red curtains and white linen draped the room and lengths of trestle tables. Dotted between tables of food were Stained Flowers; their petals of stained-glass refracting colours over platters of food that practically glistened under all of the lighting. A small band played sweet jazz music from a small raised stage at one end of the room, while waiters dressed in red and black suits drifted between people, offering samples of foods and drinks to eaters.

Your stomach rumbled with hunger as you drank in the sights around you. You could smell a mix of sweet roses and flowers intertwining with the scent of foods. Toriko was drooling over the food before him. He stopped and sniffed the air like a bloodhound.

"Hang on, I recognise that smell..." he said quietly, trying to locate its origin.

"What can you smell?" Komatsu asked, looking around the room.

"Here we go!" Toriko's voice rose in happiness. "Hey, Komatsu, check it out!"

He picked up a whole plate filled with a green leaf-looking food.

"Ozone grass!" Komatsu exclaimed.

"Ozone grass?" You said, completely lost.

"Yeah, it's a crazy difficult ingredient to get normally." Toriko said, holding the plate out for everyone to take a piece. "The trick is that you need another person to eat it with you at the same time."

With that, he gestured for Komatsu to come over and they both chomped down onto either side of the bright green leaf. Their faces filled with pure joy as they chewed, conveniently blocking out the pout he was receiving from Rin.

"Toriko! Why couldn't we have shared it?" She whined.

"Oh, sorry. Here, try it." He held out a fresh leaf between them and they took a bite at the same time. Rin then shared that same face of happiness.

"Oh, it's so delicious!" She exclaimed. Toriko has his mouth full and he nodded in agreement. "There's so many blends of vegetables in this one bite, and it's so refreshing!"

"Oh, I get it." You said, looking at the Ozone Grass in your hand. "These foods tonight are all designed to be eaten with someone else."

A distinctive deep voice spoke up behind you.

"That's correct!" Juzo said, waddling up to your circle. "We have a variety of dishes that are all dependent on eating with someone of the opposite gender though. Special preparation ingredients that will only taste better when you're eating them with someone else. Of course, we also have lots of other delicious foods available, but they pale in comparison to the others."

Juzo smiled cheekily, waggling his finger to emphasise his next point.

"You won't find out what some of the dishes are unless you try them as well. One of the staff members will then explain what they are afterwards, so don't think you can sneak by without trying them!"

"Oh, so that's why there aren't any placards?" Stella said, and you followed her prompt, only to realise that she was correct. There weren't any name cards in front of the platters.

"Precisely!" Juzo said enthusiastically. "I am more than pleased to see three of the Heavenly Kings in my beloved hotel, too. Please eat to your heart's content and who knows? Maybe there'll be a budding new romance by the end of the evening!"

Juzo gave Komatsu a wink before walking off to mingle with other guests, leaving a very flustered Komatsu again.

"You have to admit, that's pretty clever of them." Sunny said, smiling softly. "Well, Stella, Care to share?"

Stella nodded and mimicked eating the Ozone Grass as they were shown. Sunny's skin practically glowed as he ate the vegetable, his face in bliss. Komatsu and Melk then followed suit, and you gave Coco a little smile.

"Shall we?" You offered, feeling your blush creeping up once again. Coco nodded and you each took a bite; understanding the appeal of the ingredient. In an instant, you felt your body being filled with nutrients with each chew.

"Mmm, this is so yummy!" You exclaimed; eyes closed in immense joy. "I never thought I could enjoy vegetables so much!"

This earned a chuckle from the other group members.

"Obviously you haven't had too many good vegetables then." Toriko joked, mouth still full with his vegetable.

"Nothing like this!"

"Do you think that everything is going to be like this?" Komatsu asked.

"Probably." Sunny said, marvelling at the way his skin was now. "If it's like this, then maybe it won't be so bad?"

"I guess we'll find out." The short man said.

You and Coco opted to continue eating the Ozone Grass, but as you both got closer to the centre stem, you could both feel unease bubbling between the two of you. You were getting uncomfortably close to Coco's face with each new bite, and decided to stop once the tip of your nose brushed his ever so slightly. Coco, on his part, was more worried about if he was inadvertently coating the leaf with his poison. Rin saw the entire process and squeaked with delight.

"Aww, that's so cute!" she gushed,clapping her hands together. "I've never seen Coco get so close to someone before!"

Coco gave Rin a look of annoyance.

"Please don't make a scene." He pleaded quietly.

"I'm sorry! But you have to admit, it is a rare sight."

"Well, enjoy it while you can then. Don't expect it to be a common thing."

"Should we try something else?" You said, trying to prevent an argument from breaking out. "Something over there looks tasty."

You pointed to one of the trays being carried from one of the waiters, and flagged him over. He greeted you all with a smile and offered the tray before you.

"Would you care for a drink?" He said.

"Yes please." You said, taking one of the hot mugs carefully and taking a deep whiff. Smells of a rich chocolate wafted out and swirled with a creamy velvet appearance. The others followed suit and grabbed a mug as well, taking in the deep aroma before taking a sip each. The rich beverage travelled down your throat and into the pit of your stomach with a comforting warmth, before the taste of chocolate turned into something very different. You opened your mouth to say something before Rin cut in.

"It tastes like a wedding cake!" she shouted. "Toriko, are we going to get married?!"

"Huh? Why would you think that?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"That's not it." You frowned, staring back into your mug.

"It's like a sweet fruit cake lightly sprinkled with cinnamon!" Rin said, taking another hearty gulp.

"That's not what mine tastes like." Toriko said, just as confused as you were. "Oi, Rin, let me try some of yours."

"Of course!"

She happily held out her drink for him to taste, giddy over the fact that they were sharing yet again. Toriko took a larger sip this time and swallowed, frowning still over it all.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked his navy-haired partner. "It doesn't taste anything like that. It tastes like a birthday cake."

Rin blinked, suddenly dawning on her that things weren't matching up.

"Eh? Are you guys not…?"

The rest of you shook your heads at her, all except for Sunny.

"Ah, that's weird." He said, looking back down at his drink and back up again. "Mine tastes like wedding cake as well."

"See?! I'm not weird!"

"Excuse me," you said to the waiter. "Is there something that we're not doing right?"

"Not at all!" He said chipperly. "That's just how Hot Chocakeolates work!"

"Hot Chocakeolates?"

"Yes. These drinks start off as a simple, yet delicious hot chocolate, but their tastes change depending on the state of your romantic relationships."

You took another sip of your drink, focussing on the flavour it changed into. It tasted like a blend of vanilla with a hint of chocolate, but the tang of acidic vinegar balanced it from becoming too sweet. There was a subtle layer of creaminess underlying the tone, as a brief flash of cream cheese washed over your tastebuds.

"I think mine tastes like… red velvet?" You said, watching as the waiter's smile grew again.

"Ahh, lucky lady. It would seem that you have feelings for someone special, then."

You balked at this comment.

"Ahh, no-" you stammered, trying to suppress the blush from creeping over your cheeks.

"Food doesn't lie." The waiter simply said, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Ooh, (y/n), is it Coco?" Komatsu asked innocently, his curiosity the better of him.

"No, that's not it." You said quietly, cheeks turning beet red.

"Are you sure? You're very red."

"Don't badger her." Coco interjected. "What are the other flavours and what do they mean?"

"There's five flavours in total." The waiter explained. "The first is Birthday Cake, meaning that the drinker has no romantic feelings at all, but they are happy."

You winced at the look of pure rejection on Rin's face, as her worst nightmare was just confirmed in front of her.

"Does that mean-?" Rin squeaked, on the verge of tears. You patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"I guess not. Sorry, Rin." You said quietly, trying to comfort her. Meanwhile, Toriko was oblivious to her anguish as he downed his drink heartily.

"It's so good!" he commented, wiping his mouth happily.

"Red Velvet symbolises that the drinker has feelings for someone. Whether or not they have been expressed to the recipient matters not." The waiter continued explaining.

"Third is Pavlova, meaning that the drinker is in a happy relationship with their significant other. Fourth, is a traditional fruitcake Wedding Cake. This means that true love has been felt. Finally, there is Poppy Seed Cake. I pity whoever tastes this flavour."

"How come?" Melk asked.

"It means that they have lost love. It's such a poor thing to experience, to have loved and lost it."

"Does anyone have that flavour?" You asked the group, happy that there weren't any nodding heads.

"That doesn't explain why Sunny's tastes like it does, though." Rin said, having bounced back from her grief from curiosity. "He's not in love with anyone."

"It's probably because he's in love with himself." Toriko quipped, earning a sour look from Sunny.

"Can that happen?" You queried.

The waiter gave a brief moment of hesitation as he thought.

"I suppose if the love they show themselves is strong enough, it's highly possible."

Everyone laughed at this, causing Sunny to glower even more.

"Well, excuse me for thinking good of myself!" he scoffed.

"I don't think it's a bad thing." You said, trying to come to the aid of the Heavenly King. "I have to say, I'm quite jealous of your looks, and your hair is amazing. You'll have to teach me how you get it to be so nice."

"Well, thank you." Sunny said, flipping his long ponytail. "It's all about good food and treatment. And I'm sure Stella has her trade secrets."

"You know it!" Stella said, winking at Sunny.

While your group began bantering amongst yourselves, Coco stayed quiet and listened to the conversations crossing over each other, smiling and laughing as the other Heavenly Kings pestered Komatsu and Melk for their flavours. Much to their chagrin, they wouldn't be left alone. Komatsu eventually relented, lying to say his tasted like Birthday Cake, earning more ribbings from his friends. Coco finished off the contents in his mug, watching the last dregs form a ring at the base of the white ceramic.

His tasted like Red Velvet.

Eventually your group had split off into your respective couples, wandering around the room and eating many of the different foods on offer for the event. You found your embarrassment rise with every food you had to share, and you weren't the only one. At times, the tension emanating from Coco filled you with such unease that you offered to look for other foods to eat; preferably ones that didn't rely heavily on intimacy. Unfortunately for you, this proved to be very difficult since the hotel took preference on serving dishes closely related to their theme. You couldn't help but give them kudos for going full force on their theme, though.

You passed a table of bowls that you observed were rapidly running out of stock. Thin, glistening noodles of spaghetti topped off with a pink sauce that glittered were inside, and you felt your stomach growl in anticipation. You picked one up and giggled a little that the sauce was in the shape of a heart. Still, it looked enticing and you took the one of the forks sticking out in hand. You were a little surprised to see that a length of noodle had already been twirled around the metallic tines and took a mouthful. With the way this particular dish was practically walking out by itself, you were a little disappointed at the taste.

"What's wrong?" Coco asked, noticing your disappointment.

"It's a little…bland?" you admitted, biting the long noodle dangling out of your mouth to cut it off. "Here, try some."

Coco took the other fork and copied, disappointment rising behind his eyes.

"I see what you mean." He said, cutting off his bite as well.

"Maybe we're doing it wrong?"

You took a seat at a nearby table, watching some of the other patrons as they ate. You tried scouting for ones specifically eating the same dish, when you noticed that others eaters were both eating from the bowl at the same time, slurping happily.

"Of course." You said with exasperation. "We have to eat it together."

Coco looked apprehensive, but nodded.

"I guess we don't have a choice."

You twirled the piece you had bitten off around your fork as Coco did with his. Once you both had a generous amount wrapped, you nodded at each other and took a bite. This time, your mouth exploded with savoury flavours; combinations of different meats emanating from the sauce while the noodles counteracted with a sweet palate that reminded you of a honey glaze. Your eyes opened wide from the burst of flavour, as you slurped up what felt like the longest noodle in existence. You looked over to see Coco smiling from the taste as he too, kept pulling in a long strand of spaghetti. You started to giggle as you helped guide the noodle past your lips, finding its length humorous. The potency of the flavour remained however, so you kept eating it, too caught up in the flavours it offered.

That was until you noticed the noodle getting shorter, as it unravelled from the bowl in front of you. The strands kept raising higher and higher until there weren't any curls to look at in the bowl. Horrified, you noticed exactly where the end of it was.

Coco had the other end in his mouth.

Your heart flipped out as you realised that if you didn't act soon, there wouldn't be enough length left before your lips would meet. Your body was in conflict; you knew all too well that this would end badly if you continued, but parts of you were screaming to let it happen. On the other side, Coco was trying to think of his own way to break it all off without being rude.

The noodle was disappearing more and more with every second, and you both stared each other down in conflict. Neither of you wanted to take the initiative and you were drawn closer together; your heart beating a bruise on your ribcage. You felt the small, hot rush of air as Coco breathed from his nose before the tips of your noses brushed up again; more prominent this time and you acted on impulse. You cut the spaghetti with your teeth and pulled away, watching the last few centimetres disappear behind Coco's lips. You both stared at each other before averting your gaze.

"Oh, I see you both found the Spaghetti BoLovenaise." A waitress said, coming to collect your empty dish. "Did you enjoy it?"

"It had a lovely taste." You murmured, trying to calm your racing heart.

"It's made with the Unionoodle too." She stated, smiling at you both. "It's an ingredient that only reacts when both ends are being eaten at the same time. Of course, you could just eat them both by yourself, but isn't sharing more fun?"

"You could say that." Coco offered, giving her a smile in return before she walked away to her next task.

"It certainly was tasty." He finished, looking back at you. You were shaking a little with your hands balled into fists on your lap.

"Are you alright? You don't look too good."

"Oh, it's nothing! I'm fine!" you squeaked, the words joining together into one messy sentence.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep! Positive!" You stood up from the table. "I'll be right back, just need the bathroom!"

With that, you scampered off towards the ladies' room, leaving a very confused Coco behind.

Cool water ran over your fingers from the gilded tap over the basin, trying to focus the additional heat in your body to cool down from the sensation.

"That was too close." You thought, keeping your hands under the running water. "What am I even doing? I could have played it off a lot better back there."

"(Y/N), are you alright?" Rin's voice cut through your reverie as she poked her head into the bathroom. "You've been in here a while, so Coco asked me to check on you."

"Yeah, I'm fine." You said, finally pulling your hand away and switching the water off. "I'm sorry for causing an alarm. Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah, sharing food with my Toriko is great!" she beamed, coming in to talk to you better. "The food here is so tasty too! Have you been eating a lot?"

"Uh, I've had a few things."

"You know," Rin leaned up against the counter of basins. "It's really nice seeing Coco interact with someone else. He's not usually so open about it."

"Yeah, I know. He's pretty private." You said, drying your hands with a warm towel that Rin passed to you from a stack in the corner.

"It's not just that." She said, looking at you with kind eyes. "I've never really known him to get close with anyone, except my brother and Toriko. He doesn't trust a lot of people."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I guess he never told you, but a long time ago, a team of scientists hunted him down for testing. They wanted to try and research his body to make serums and medicine. He was captured for a long time, so I can't imagine how that would have been like for him."

A mental image of him being chained to a wall in a cell filtered in front of your eyes; faces of pain and anguish on his features. Though you couldn't imagine what he looked like younger, seeing him even in his adult form this way made your blood turn cold.

"That's horrible…" you whispered.

"It was. He was basically treated like a dangerous beast and even put on a high-threat list. It's no wonder he is as aloof as he is."

Rin put a hand on your shoulder and smiled.

"This is actually the first time I've seen him so relaxed around someone that wasn't one of his family. You should feel blessed!"

A smile tugged at your lips as a warm feeling spread throughout your body.

"I guess I do." You smiled back at her.

"Anyways, I'll go let him know you're okay. Don't take too long now!" With that, Rin turned on her heel and made her way back out into the dining room. You quickly checked to see if everything was in order, tucking a loose piece of hair back into place. You also stuck your tongue out for a brief glance and frowned. Those pesky green spots had almost doubled in size on the back of your tongue; much faster than you had known them to. You shrugged, not able to do anything about them now and headed back out into the open.

By this point, many of the guests had eaten their fill and were utilising the dance floor available, coupled off into pairs. This made it easier to find someone you recognised, recognising Toriko's blue hair as a beacon. He was standing with Coco and Rin, chewing on something else. You made a beeline for them.

"Everything alright then?" Coco asked warmly at your arrival.

"Yeah, all good. I just needed a moment." You replied. You glanced at Toriko who had an armful of fruit. "What'cha got there, Toriko?"

"Peachass." He grinned, tossing one to you. "Try them, they're delicious."

You looked at the fruit and let out a snicker. These peaches had fuzzy skin, but what was really interesting was the extra layer of peel that sat over the fruit, like a pair of lacy panties. Each individual fruit had a different coloured set of "underwear", making for a very colourful sight. You bit into yours and felt a wave of juice flood into your mouth, swallowing with delight.

"So good!" you cried, taking another bite, and then another. You had finished it before long, holding the leftover peel in your hand.

"That's edible too." Toriko said, stuffing another one into his mouth in one go. You snickered again, taking a bite of the peel. It tasted like a pressed-fruit snack.

"I never thought I'd be eating panties in my life." You joked, locking eyes with Coco as you did. He raised an eyebrow at you in return and smirked. "You should try some."

"I'll pass." He said, still smirking at you while you finished.

Suddenly, the music from the band swelled into an upbeat groove, turning a lot of heads. Rin tugged at Toriko's arm.

"Come on, Toriko, stop eating and let's dance!" she suggested, much to Toriko's irritation.

"Let me finish first." He said, stuffing the rest into his mouth quickly before being led by a surprisingly strong Rin. You pulled up next to Coco, tapping your foot to the music. An awkward beat passed before you worked up the courage to ask him what you were thinking.

"Do you want to dance?"

Coco blinked at you before sighing.

"Dancing isn't really my thing-"

"Let me guess, you're just worried, right?" You said exasperated, before taking his hand in yours and pulling. He blanched a little at your touch.

"But my poison-"

"I don't care!" you said, pulling him onto the edge of the dancefloor. "It's probably not even as bad as you say it is."

With that, you slipped your hand on his shouler and took his other hand; that cool, soft touch spread over your palms again. Despite his reluctance, Coco shifted himself into a more comfortable stance, hand on the small of your back and began leading you in time to the music.

"I thought you said dancing wasn't your thing?" You queried, raising an eyebrow at him now.

"It isn't." He said bluntly. "But it doesn't mean I'm not good at it."

You gave him a playful swat on the shoulder.

"What else don't I know about you?"

"I assure you, many things."

"Do you want to tell me something then?"

"Not really. I thought we were just dancing?"

"What, you can't do more than one thing at a time?"

"Sure I can."

"Well then, tell me something new about you."

"Hmm." He pondered for a moment, never straying from the beat.

"You've met my brothers."

"Huh? Wait... Toriko and Sunny are your brothers?"

"Yes."

"No…really?"

"Yes."

"You don't even look alike!"

"Well, they're technically my adoptive brothers."

"Oh! That makes a lot more sense. Does that mean Rin is your sister, too?"

"No, she's Sunny's biological sister. I don't think it counts with me."

"Fair point."

You cast your eyes over the room, entertained at seeing Toriko and Rin dancing together to the music. For a big guy, Toriko was oddly agile. Rin looked like she was in a heaven. You could hear a small shriek and saw Sunny twirling Komatsu around in circles, while Melk and Stella both watched from the sidelines, talking.

"It's your turn." Coco said quietly, pulling you back into the moment.

"My turn?"

"Didn't we agree to take it in turns sharing information?"

"Ah. Umm…"

You stepped in time to the music as it began to slow, morphing into a new song with a softer tempo. You found yourself in a clinch with Coco, and your heart swelled at the whole concept. You couldn't remember a time before this past month that made you feel this happy; and you could feel your emotions hitting you like a ton of bricks.

"…before tonight…this last month, I couldn't remember the last time I had been treated like a human." You whispered into Coco's chest, avoiding his eyes.

"I can't thank you enough." You breathed, looking up into his soft, hazel eyes. A single tear betrayed you, cascading down your cheek. His eyes widened ever so briefly, before he returned to his sweet smile at you. He held you just that tiny bit closer to his body.

"Let's just have fun tonight, okay?" He said quietly. His words were for you, and only you. He grazed a thumb over your face so quickly, you almost didn't feel it. That could have been for two reasons: one, he didn't want anyone to see, or two, he was afraid of letting too much of his exposed skin on you. He still hadn't quite shaken that fear.

But he was trying.

Having your stomach full of good food left you feeling sluggish and ready for a good sleep, as a yawn broke through your defences. The banquet had begun to wind down, and guests were trawling slowly out of the door for the night, yourselves included. On your way out, Juzo and the other staff members were handing out small gift-wrapped boxes.

"We hope you've enjoyed you time tonight." Juzo said, pressing the small ribboned box into your hands as you were leaving. "Please come back any time."

A small shiver ran down your spine as you stepped out into the brisk night air, your breath misting up in front of you as you waited for Coco to join you. You decided to take a peek at the gift you had been given, opening it up. It was no bigger than a ring box, and you popped the little black box open. Inside was a small, vibrant red pearl. Its outer layer shone under the white lights of the sign of Hotel Elune. You gave it a small sniff, but it contained no distinctive odour. There was a small white card tucked into the hollowed lid of the box and you plucked it out to read. Before you could, the sound of footsteps took your attention, and Coco walked up next to you.

"Ready?" He asked, and you nodded.

Coco drew his fingers to his lips to whistle for Kiss, but just as he was about to commit to his whistle, his fingers began to turn that ominous shade of purple again. He stared down at his fingertips in horror as his skin began to pulse with the spreading poison. His eyes widened in even more horror and he fell to his knees.

"Coco! What's wrong?" you cried, trying to take his weight. Unsurprisingly, his weight matched the ratio of his muscles, and you could feel yourself buckling as you tried to support him.

"I can't-" he gasped, his face shifting between shades of lilac and eggplant. You could feel his body heat increasing as it leaked through his formal wear; a far cry different from the cool skin you had felt pressed against yours earlier.

"My poison… I can't…control it…" he panted, looking up at you. This was the first time you had seen any trace of fear in his eyes, and you felt panic rising up inside you.

"Stay calm." You commanded yourself internally. "You're not in a position to panic right now!"

"Hang on, Coco." You whispered, trying to think of your next step. "I'll get some help."

"No, I'm-" he croaked, before passing out entirely. His limp body caused your legs to buckle again, but you stood your ground. You couldn't whistle like he did, so you had to think of what to do next.

You stumbled over to the kerb and signalled to hail a taxi. You watched as two cars passed you by, but the next one pulled over in front of you. With all of your effort, you wrenched open the door and crawled into the back seat with much difficulty; taking care not to let Coco's face make contact with anything on the way in. You wrapped your hand over his face, ignoring the heat of the poison rippling over his skin. You kept his face covered as you directed the driver to an address you practically spewed out at him.

"Please, hurry!"

The taxi pulled out with a screech and drove into the night. You cradled Coco's head in your lap, feeling his heavy breathing as his skin radiated an unbearable heat.

"Hang in there, Coco." You whispered to him, tipping your forehead onto his and throwing caution to the wind.