Feed back would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, and enjoy! -Samron

Once everyone finished their food the whole floor seemed much calmer. The detectives all relaxed and Amaro specifically finally seemed more comfortable. Kurama knew he was hesitant at the beginning of this due to what he'd heard from Markus, and by how he looked… but now it seems him and Olivia had at least bare minimum accepted what was presented to them. He was sure there was still doubt floating around, they were detectives, there should always be questions.

The takeout was delicious, and Kurama felt much better after eating a large meal—and even though it'd been only today, he felt like he'd been here much longer, and finally didn't feel upset about being here. Reading over the files gave Kurama some of his own personal motivation to want to help. And finally, Markus seemed to be back to acting like himself. He probably had lots more questions for Kurama, but he'd let him approach when he was ready.

It was almost four o'clock now, since they all took their time to relax while eating and chatted afterwards for a bit. Olivia, Markus, and Kurama were still at the table. Smith had left right after she finished her food, and Amaro was on the phone outside.

"That's probably some of the best Chinese I've had in a while." Markus sipped his water as he leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his meal.

"Mmm, sure was." Olivia nodded as she swallowed her last bite.

"You like your food?" Markus looked to Kurama.

He nodded. "It was very good, yes."

"Agreed."

"So, Kurama. Can I ask you a few questions? These are off the record."

He looked to her, …everything was on the record during investigations, but he didn't mind. "Sure." He smiled as he sipped some tea.

"How long have you been with the SRS branch?" He glanced to Markus who made a face, looking back to his food, providing no help. Kurama knew how to lie, but this whole cover had just been thrown together today so it was weird thinking about it in the way they saw him.

"A while." He purposely acted nervous as he scratched the back of his head, not sure if he wanted to go the confident route or shy.

"You're not allowed to say?"

"You heard my director; we like to keep to ourselves."

"So you aren't allowed to talk to anyone about your work?" She frowned, obviously still not okay with how it all sounded.

"Not really, no." He smiled in apology.

"That must be frustrating."

"I'm used to it—and… not used to this." He laughed a little.

"Speaking openly about it?"

"Mmhm." He nodded, and he really wasn't used to it. Even if they were just using different words to talk about his actual life.

"How long have you been into fighting?"

Into…? He turned his head to that word—this was so strange with the melding of his two worlds. He worked for the 'SRS', which was just for Koenma, but he wasn't a demon. Decoding his speech to the standards of his situation was an added layer of focus. "I've always known it."

"Hmm. Do you do tournaments often?" Kurama got why she was so curious, he was different, and there wasn't much she knew to ask about since he'd provided only the details of his partial testimony—alongside what Markus may have said.

"No, actually that was the only one." He smiled awkwardly, glancing at Markus too who was enjoying Kurama speak.

"Oh, really? Why was that the only one?"

"It was a requirement of my team."

"Team? So it's more than just you and your partner?"

"We've changed in sizes over the years." He needed to steer the subject away.

"Hmm." She nodded, looking suspicious of him for the fiftieth time today.

"So… Haly said you aren't carrying?"

Kurama could feel her discomfort, so it was only fair to ask. "I don't use a gun, no."

She looked confused. "Would if someone pulls one on you?"

He glanced at Markus again, not sure where to go with this—and fully welcomed any help. "He's got a weapon." Markus mumbled, clearly annoyed by her questioning now.

Frowning, she looked at him even more confused. "And it's not a gun?"

"He doesn't need one." Kurama saw a small crack in Markus' ego, and that amused him.

She made a face and now looked back to Kurama. "Heh." He smiled again, feeling odd speaking on this.

"Is this a 'hands-off' subject too?" She looked bummed but understanding.

"It's getting close to one."

"Interesting." she said flatly as she stared at Kurama, trying to figure him out.

"Here. I got somethin' for ya." Markus stood up, walking over to the area where the whiteboard was, opening a drawer and pulling out a thin file. "He won't say it—but I will as your fellow detective." He gave Kurama a cold look. He perked up, wondering what Markus was about to do. "This is how I found out about 'em." He set the file down in front of Olivia.

It looked like a medical file.

She opened it and read for a little, then frowned as she continued. "Who's Bryan Rossi?"

Kurama frowned, dropping his head to the side. "Why do you insist on trying to intimidate them?"

"I just want them to understand."

"Understand what?"

"That you aren't a victim, and they don't need to protect you." He was frustrated and wouldn't look at Kurama. Well… that made a little more sense. He glanced at Olivia who was reading intently, and Kurama could feel there was another reason he was showing her this.

"He was a bouncer that worked at Winters' club while I was there. I had just gotten involved in trying to get Cherry to help me with my case, when I caught this sick fuck following him into the back. My temper got the best of me, so I followed, to make sure he wasn't gonna try anything."

Kurama rolled his eyes, not enjoying the fact he had to think about Bryan again—but, understanding now why Markus kept harping on his fighting abilities. He was defending him as well as trying to provide a higher status for him. Other than some mysterious 'agent' who didn't carry a gun and was assaulted by Simon. It was nice of him and all, but Kurama used that portrayed weakness as a backup defense, so he'd have a talk with Markus if this became a theme.

But, at the same time, maybe Markus was protecting the area of Kurama that he knew they weren't allowed to speak on. Maybe he was distracting Olivia with these meaningless details to keep her away from the fact that Kurama's weapon was something she'd never believe. Hmm. That made Kurama smile to himself—he'd have to thank him later.

"These are extensive injuries." She frowned as she studied the file some more.

"Apparently Mr. Rossi likes guys, but only when he forces himself on them." Markus explained.

"This true?" Her eyes shot up to Kurama.

"Yes." He swallowed his embarrassment, reminding himself that she didn't know the details.

"I'm sure Kurama was trying to keep his cover intact until he realized that his buddy was actually tryin' to fuck him." He shook his head in disgust. "You can imagine my surprise when my rescue attempt was interrupted by Cherry, putting Mr. Rossi on the floor to choke on his own face." Kurama cringed at Markus' crass way of speaking, looking away in irritation. Why did he always speak about him like he wasn't here? Olivia's face grew into a cringe as she read on, and Markus continued. "Self-defense is one thing—but how he took this guy down was second nature. Three hits." He barely let a chuckle slip.

She gave him a look, "This is funny to you?"

"Bryan getting his ass handed to him? Yeah." He looked to her with confidence.

She stared at him for a moment, accepting his response, then refocusing on the file. "His jaw was broken in multiple places…" She trailed off, narrowing her eyes as she leaned in to read more. "His nasal and oral cavity were both fractured. Along with a shattered knee, a grade two injury to his PCL and a grade three to his ACL…" She pressed her lips together in concern.

Oops. Kurama held back a smirk as he casually leaned over, placing his finger over his mouth, resting his chin on his thumb. He didn't think he'd get a reward like this today, but he'd take it. Hearing those details were far more satisfying than he thought they'd be. That poor guy would probably never breathe or walk comfortably, again.

She sighed out in frustration, looking to Kurama pointedly. "You did this?"

He didn't hesitate. "Yes." Rapist deserved to be put down.

"He was trying to sexually assault you?"

"Rape." He corrected her, openly showing his cold expression. "He was trying to rape me. I put it together right then that he'd raped another male dancer of ours, …who knows how many times." Kurama still felt guilty that he hadn't realized sooner.

She frowned as she let that sink in, now lowering her gaze to think. "What's your point?" She now looked back to Markus.

"The same point I've been trying to makes since introducing the idea. We could use his help because of his involvement, you guys have a solid story from someone whose experienced Winters firsthand—and, he's a great asset as far as protection and intelligence. He's not just some kid… he's very good at what he does."

This was the side of Markus Kurama hadn't seen. He was diplomatic, firm, and well-spoken about his plan. He was impressed, and it was flattering hearing Markus speak positively about him.

"Well. I can talk with Amaro, then get back to you?"

"Perfect."

"You okay with coming back tomorrow?" She looked to Kurama.

Oh yeah. He hadn't told them he had been assigned, she still thought he had a choice… he'd leave it that way for now. "Sure." He smiled.

She nodded, clearly still unsure of him. "Okay, well, I know I'm tired. Should we call it a day?"

"Sounds good to me." Markus stood up.

Kurama nodded to her while they both stood, she then began walking to find Amaro.

"What about Judith?" Markus shot out.

She turned around to look at him, seeming to remember whatever he was talking about. "Oh right." She looked to Kurama. "If you're willing. We'd like to get going ASAP with our current lead, your friend Haley. We know where she's at."

"Oh?" His eyebrows shot up, anxious to know if she was okay. But stopped himself from any questions.

"Once I've caught Amaro up on everything, and we get a plan together, we might need your help. Since, she already completely rejected Haly." She smirked up to him, picking.

He rolled his eyes as he groaned out in annoyance. "She's a drama queen."

"She's traumatized."

"Aren't we all…" Markus pouted as he looked away with irritation.

She looked back to Kurama. "We'll chat tomorrow. For now we all need rest."

He nodded and she smiled, "You need a ride back to your school?"

"I'll take him, you two get your rest." Markus interrupted. That surprised him, but Kurama was relieved that Markus volunteered.

Olivia looked intrigued, as she stared at him with slight suspicion. "You sure?" She asked both of them as she looked back to Kurama.

"It'd be nice to catch up." Kurama calmed her, realizing it'd be a while before she didn't see him as a young victim she needed to protect—even with all she heard, he understood that was her default.

"Alright." She eyed Markus once more. "You two have a good night."

Amaro was approaching right then, as she gathered her things. He looked relieved hearing her say that.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." He glanced to Kurama, then back to her.

"Haly's gonna take Kurama back."

Amaro sighed out and smiled to Markus for the first time today. "Thanks."

He waved his hand as they both left, now it was much quieter once the elevator shut, and they were gone. Markus threw away a few more empty food trays, now wiping down the empty desk down.

"How is she?" Kurama asked.

Markus hesitated as he looked up to him, then chuckled out as he continued, "She seems about the same, but wants nothin' to do with me! She got me kicked out the first time we tried to make contact."

"What makes you think she won't react the same to me?"

"I've got a good feelin' about it. She really trusted you, and you two actually seemed to enjoy each other." He eyed Kurama. "Unless that was your cover?"

Kurama did want to see her, but also didn't want to re-traumatize her. He was glad she was still alive and seemed to have her usual spunk that he remembered. "You'll never know." He smiled.

"Pfft." He chuckled out now throwing out the rest of the trash he'd gathered. "You'd have to use a cover again." He sat on the edge of the desk as he crossed his arms.

Kurama hesitated. "Why's that?"

He sighed and looked away, "She's at another club."

"Another club?"

Markus swallowed, "Another one of Winters' clubs." He tensed as he looked back at Kurama.

Frowning now, Kurama rolled his eyes as he sat back down. "I won't do another cover like that."

His hands went up, "Not expecting you to. We actually talked about it a little when I introduced the idea of involving you. You'd be a guest, but you'd have to be careful."

"Why do I have go under?" He sounded like a child, but he really didn't want to.

"You know why." He looked annoyed. "She got me kicked out, and after our little chat outside it's clear you're good at gettin' into places that you're not allowed. You thief."

He had a good point.

"I take offense to that." Kurama frowned playfully.

Markus smirked, "We'll discuss details tomorrow, but that's the last we spoke on it."

Kurama nodded.

"Now let's get the fuck outta here, I'm exhausted."

Kurama stood and followed Markus to the elevator. Markus pushed the first floor then looked to him, "How far is your school?"

He glanced to the clock; it was now five. "I can take the train."

"What?"

"It was nearly two hours, driving." He looked at him, knowing he wouldn't want to make that drive during rush hour.

Markus glared as he tried to hide his disdain for the idea of driving that. The elevator door opened, and they both got in. "Why don't you stay at my place?" He perked up, far too excited.

Kurama glared. "No."

Markus laughed. "Jeez. It's not really my place, it's a rental I've been using since I met up with those two."

"Still, no."

The elevator opened at the first floor, and it wasn't nearly as busy as it was this morning. But it was still busy with people everywhere. Kurama suddenly realized how tired he was as he saw the sun setting through the main entry doors, now remembering that he was going to be getting much more tired in the evenings since he was in his heat again. They walked out of the building and the cold air woke him up some. He sighed as he followed Markus to his car.

"They might want to get an early start, and we could be up late." He pushed as he unlocked his car so they could get in. Kurama sat in the passenger seat. "The club is almost an hour away from here." He kept on as he go into the car too.

Feeling heavy, Kurama glared at Markus, who pulled out his keys while staring back. "Fine." He sighed out, relenting himself to his exhaustion; assuming tomorrow he'd be even more tired. It was probably best if he had a place close by.

Markus smiled. "Cool." He said calmly as he started the black squad car. "And my place is only fifteen minutes from here." He mumbled out as he started to drive.

Kurama rolled his eyes as he buckled his seatbelt and sank into the seat, realizing the toll today took on him, and worried about what tomorrow might bring. After almost a year from their last mission involving Simon… he was now suddenly thrown back in and not even a full day away from being back in that depraved world. Why did this have to happen? He leaned over, resting his elbow on the arm rest of the door as he watched the road go by. "Is Simon there?" he asked, now admiring the beautiful sunset.

Markus hesitated then glanced to him. "We don't know yet."

"Hmm." That unknown made Kurama's stomach turn.

The car ride back seemed quick, probably because it was finally quiet, and he knew sleep was coming soon. They drove into a little suburb area, more out of town, so not entirely busy and enough nature around to feel like it was away from the city. He pulled his car into a driveway of a small home. Kurama got out of the car, and followed Markus up to the door who opened it and they both walked inside. It smelled nice inside, and the modern décor was simple—a bit darker toned, but warm enough with the red accents that it did feel homey.

"It's small, but nice." He smirked to Kurama as he walked in, holding the door open for him.

Kurama walked in looking around. There was a staircase directly in front of them that went up to a loft area, then to a hallway which he assumed the bedrooms were. To his left there was a living room area with a leather couch sat down in front of a quaint gas fireplace. A TV hung from the wall above that, and then straight down the hall lead to a small kitchenette area, then another hallway that led off to the right.

"Cozy." He said.

It was strange to think he was with this man after so long, alone in his temporary home, and feeling entirely comfortable with all of it. But, knowing Markus it made sense from what he'd experienced with him… It was a bit of a relief realizing that it was just Markus, and not his own pathetic desperation from the club's strain that caused him to feel the way he did. Yet, on the other side of that thought he stressed because he wondered why he was so comfortable around him, and why he was even a little bit happy to be with him.

"It's almost six… you think you'd wanna eat in an hour or so?"

That snapped him out of his own head, but he easily smiled with a quick response. "Or so."

"Okay, I'll show you your room." He walked up the staircase.

Kurama followed, still wondering if this was a good idea. Markus lead him down the hallway and stopped at the first room. There was a queen size bed, and the room was rather large. It was fully furnished, and even had a bathroom in it.

"I've got the master, but this is just as good…" He shrugged. "Does it work?"

"It's great." Kurama nodded.

The bed looked cozy, and the light was dim adding to the warmth of the room. Directly across the room from them was the door to the bathroom, the bed was centered on the wall to their left and at the end of the bed there was a small, cushioned bench. Nightstands stood on each side of the bed, one with its lamp light on which lit the room.

"Nice. I'm gonna go change out of these damned pants and wash up…" He frowned, "You don't have anything to change into, do ya? We could stop by the store tomorrow if you'd like, or I could drive you home…" He smirked.

Kurama gave him a look.

"Heh… You're welcome to borrow some of my shit." He chuckled.

He shook his head with a small smile… he was always pushing boundaries. "A fresh change of clothes would be nice."

"Cool. I'll get you a shirt, sweatpants, and… there should be soap in the bathroom plus all the other random shit if you need. Oh! And this place even stocked underwear, socks, and every toiletry you could think of." He was a little too excited about it.

"Is this your first sleep over?" He teased back.

He glared, "Oh, okay." He walked off down to the room at the end of the hall while chuckling to himself.

Kurama smirked, then walked into his new room. It could be a bit… so, he decided to start thinking about in that way. He sat on the bed, realizing how comfortable it felt and sighed. Maybe it was the best idea coming back here—right now he wasn't sure if he'd want to deal with acting normal around his family. So, instead of secluding himself in his tiny home, or at school, this place was giving him his own space that he could take full advantage of. He frowned at that thought. That was almost exactly how he felt about Markus when he knew him at the club… He always provided Kurama a hiding place, a spot where he was allowed to do whatever.

"Hey." He heard Markus say before looking into the room. "Here." He walked in and handed Kurama a dark gray t-shirt, and some heather grey sweatpants. "They're clean, I swear."

"Thank you." He smiled as he took them.

"Food?"

"Give me some time…" He looked annoyed on purpose.

Markus laughed, and that made Kurama smile… the man was sure laughing a lot. "Fine. But you better think of somethin' before I get back." He loosely pointed at him as he walked out, back to his room.

Thankfully Kurama had already showered today, so he just looked through the drawers that Markus bragged about and was surprised to see exactly what he said. Several newly purchased packages of different sized underwear, t-shirts, and socks. Another drawer supplied all for women as well. So, he opened a new package of briefs in his size, taking a pair out. He walked to the bathroom, it had a shower, toilet, and small sink with a large mirror hanging above it. The entire room was fully stocked with whatever toiletry he'd need.

He took a hair tie from the freshly bought package, tied his hair up, then washed his face. He changed into the fresh clothes, and right away he could smell Markus. He smiled to himself as he grabbed a small part of the collar of his shirt, bringing up to his nose to smell better. It was strange how smells could trigger so much… He stared at the floor while his mind raced through the many memories of his at Simon's club. He knew this was entirely different this time around, and he felt much more in control, but just smelling Markus' scent made him remember the feeling of tension he had constantly during that entire mission. He turned to look at himself in Markus' clothes, and chuckled out, just by the oddness of it all as he forced himself to quit thinking so hard. He'd done enough today and needed to rest his mind.

The clothes were baggy on him, which was nice, but he felt odd wearing such casual things around anyone. It really was like a sleep over… He rolled his eyes as he walked out of the bathroom and sat back on the bed to rest. He decided to keep his hair up, since he was going to be eating soon and was surprised he was already hungry again. Regardless, he was excited to enjoy Markus' company and let his guard down some. He brought his legs up to get comfortable, bringing one knee to his chest, and the other leg wrapped around him in a half cross legged position. Then he leaned his elbow onto his knee, resting his chin into his hand as his other arm wrapped loosely around himself. He closed his eyes as he let out the stress of the day, glad to finally relax as he allowed his mind to zone out.

"You ready for some food?"

Markus snapped him out of his rest. He didn't mean to, but he almost fell asleep, and he wasn't entirely sure how many minutes had passed. He opened his eyes, moving his hand away from his chin to look over to him. Almost immediately he was hit with the warmth and clean scent from Markus due to him having just showered. The damned man only had on a pair of black sweatpants as he leaned in Kurama's doorway, holding a clump of a shirt in his hands. Kurama was taken off guard and felt heat rush to his crotch, and his eyebrows barely moving up. He automatically examined what was so suddenly presented to him.

Markus had sweatpants on now, so Kurama immediately noticed how much more prominent his crotch was through the loose cloth. His stomach twisted with heat as his eyes continued up his body, admiring his muscle. There was still water dripping down his skin from his wet hair, which added to the aesthetic. He clearly worked out and kept himself in top shape. It was quick, but Kurama cursed himself as he met eyes with Markus'. Realizing he completely just checked him out on instinct, and Markus definitely noticed.

He was smiling proudly, obviously loving the fact he got that reaction. "Woah there."

Kurama felt his face heat up far too fast as he shot a glare into those happy green eyes, placing his blushing face back down to rest in his hand. Markus walked in as he finally unraveled the jumbled shirt, pulling it on before sliding himself onto the end of Kurama's bed. Now on his side, he continued smiling at Kurama while resting his head on his hand.

That pissed him off, so Kurama brought his eyes back to him quickly, glaring in defense as his face still burned. "You're on my bed." He sneered.

"Technically it's my bed…" Reminding himself that this man loved getting a reaction out of people, Kurama took in a deep breath as he looked away, reaching back to scratch his neck. "You look great with your hair up." Markus spoke again.

Kurama closed his eyes in frustration as he now scratched the side of his forehead. "You're being highly unprofessional." He breathed out with a smile after quoting Olivia.

"Hah!" Markus picked up on that, "I'm off the clock." He smiled bigger, and Kurama felt his heartbeat faster—that smile was real, and extremely attractive. "Seriously though." His eyebrows went up. "You look great." He said so confidently it made Kurama want to squirm.

He felt his body reacting in ways he definitely didn't want and was thankful he was sitting the way he was, since the heat in his crotch was now hard to ignore. "Thank you." He kept his gaze down.

"Hmm." Markus chuckled softly. "You hungry yet?"

"Yes."

"Cool. Sushi sound good?" Kurama shrugged, and Markus made a face. "Hamburgers?"

"Much better." He smiled some, realizing he was hungrier than he thought.

"Heh." He huffed out again as he sat up, now leaning his weight onto his hand. "I didn't think of you as the hamburger type."

"I love all food." Kurama looked offended as he sat up straight too, finally able to drop his leg down, sitting fully cross legged.

"Well, it'll be fun seeing you eat a hamburger."

Kurama sighed openly as he made a worried face. "Must you always tease me?"

"You know me."

"Unfortunately." Kurama shot back, and Markus laughed out again, clearly enjoying his company.

"All seriousness. It's good seeing you again. And, I hope you aren't too mad at me for lookin' for you." He was serious now, keeping it lighthearted, but also trying to convey he cared.

Kurama stared at him in. "It's nice seeing you again too. I hadn't realized how many friends I gained from that mission until I was given time to reflect upon it."

"So you aren't mad?"

He shifted his head to the side as he looked up. "No. But I'm not the happiest being involved with Simon again."

"Sorry."

"I forgot to tell you, Koenma assigned me to the case before leaving. So, you're stuck with me, and I have no say in the matter." Kurama showed no emotion this time.

Markus looked guilty and uncomfortable as the subject of Kurama's world was brought up. "I know you may not believe it… but, I am sorry."

"You're just doing what you think you should." He shrugged as he looked back to him. "And, like I said, you're a friend… so it's hard to stay angry with you." He smiled, again wanting to comfort Markus instead of condemning.

"Well, regardless. I do appreciate your help—I need you." He said passionately. Kurama felt his stomach flutter to those words as he looked down again, hoping to keep his body under control. Markus sighed. "I guess I owe you some info?"

He wanted to forget about his stresses right now and just eat, then sleep. "You do. But, there's no rush."

"Okay."