The bickering lol. Please read and review! -Samron (P.S. - Thank you, Princesa andrmeda for all those reviews! I appreciate it!)

Kurama woke up to the warmth of the sun on him, he'd been sleeping so deep that it was taking him a minute to register his surroundings. He felt rested, and the peace in his mind after freshy waking up was always something he loved. No reality to bother him in these few precious moments.

His eyes opened and remembered the room he was in, and why he was here. Laying on his side, comfortably squished into his pillow, and the blankets surrounding him helped him relax even more as he woke. He looked to the window next to the bathroom entrance, then to bed, admiring the pattern the sun made through the blinds. He didn't move, but his eyes glanced back. Acknowledging the breathing from Markus behind him, he smiled as he lowered his head even more into the pillow.

He'd surprised himself a little bit, but what he did also made sense. Of course he would yearn for familiarity after being on his own for so long, having to deal with the burden of the club was tough enough. He was used to dealing with things on his own, but since joining up with Koenma and his team he'd always had someone to talk to who understood—and that was all he really ever needed. He never needed to 'talk about it', but simply having that person around to be with was plenty. And since seeing Markus yesterday, he'd realized that after such an awful departure, having no one around to speak to really did take its toll. Especially with the added stress of his heat starting, …and, Yusuke's absence…

He was thankful to have eliminated this issue of heat quicker than expected, but he wasn't stupid to ignore the fact he did feel differently toward Markus. And he could choose whichever option he allowed himself—but, he knew the feelings he had for Markus differed from anything he'd ever felt with another human. He wasn't sure why, and that's why for now, he chose to ignore it.

His curiosity finally got the best of him as he turned over to sneak a peek at the sleeping detective. Markus was laying on his stomach with his head turned toward him, and his arm stretched out some as if about to touch him. His face was so peaceful, and honestly didn't look much different as he slept, and that made Kurama smile. It wasn't a surprise, since this man was always so up front with his thoughts and feelings. He took his time admiring Markus' face as he slept, feeling himself blush some as his mind wandered through the many expressions he'd made last night.

He brought himself up, now sitting, to get a better look as his eyes wandered; admiring Markus' body, realizing again how attractive he was to him. He took in a breath as he reached out to glide his hand down his back, feeling the muscles. He smiled again because the blankets barely covered the man's butt, and that just reminded him again of how comfortable this guy was with himself. He lifted the blanket just a bit so he could get a full look at his butt, feeling his stomach swirl as he tried holding back an even bigger smile.

"Get outta there pervert." Markus mumbled sleepily; startling Kurama to let go quickly.

He looked over and Markus hadn't moved an inch, but he was smirking up to Kurama, clearly pleased with, …probably everything at the moment.

Kurama chuckled out. "You startled me." He sounded more excited than he meant to.

"Again?" He was still groggy as he chuckled, now pushing himself up onto his elbows to rub his face. Then froze, moving his hands down quickly to look back to Kurama as if he just remembered last night. He was staring at Kurama's backside, obviously enjoying himself as his eyes took in all of him. He finally looked up to meet his eyes. "Morning." He smirked.

Feeling pride as Markus admired him, he smiled back. "Good morning, Markus." He said with his usual calm, leaning forward some to relax. "Your hair is a mess." He smiled, reaching over in an attempt to tame it—taking some fault for it due to him playing with it as he fell asleep.

Markus stared up at him, and Kurama wasn't sure what that face was as he could tell the man was thinking deeply. But then Markus pushed himself up swiftly to sit up, now scooting as close as he could to Kurama. Blinking quickly to register what he was doing, Kurama looked up to him for explanation. The blankets moved off as he did, exposing Markus' nakedness. Kurama's eyebrows went up as he felt his face burn hot, automatically looking forward he brought his hand to his lap, feeling flustered.

"What?" Markus teased as he barely pulled the blankets back over his lap, now right next to Kurama. "You only curious when I'm asleep?" He raised his eyebrows in amusement, and Kurama felt his chest flutter as Markus' voice was a bit deeper due to just waking—and it sounded nice.

Hesitating, Kurama just closed his eyes and laughed quietly. He felt a sweat start on his forehead as the embarrassment swelled, he reminded himself he was naked too, and that made his crotch heat up.

Markus leaned in more as he placed his lips on Kurama's shoulder, closing his eyes while taking in his scent. Kurama turned his head toward him, somehow surprised Markus was acting perfectly normally with this. But, he enjoyed feeling the man close and was glad about the casual attitude, as it helped him relax. Markus looked at Kurama, making Kurama's eyebrows go up. His eyes were as usual, but the morning sun lit them up wonderfully.

"Your eyes are quite beautiful." He said quietly.

Markus stared, then barely let a small smirk slip out. Showing how much Kurama's opinion meant to him. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He smiled, but his comment was serious.

Kurama shrugged. "It's true."

"Well thank you." He did that grin of his… when his eyes smiled too, which always made Kurama want to smile back.

Markus' smile faltered, as he got serious now studying Kurama's face intently. Kurama froze, glancing down once he noticed Markus' hand that moved under the blankets, he looked back to keep eye contact as he felt his warm hand slide onto his thigh. Kurama stiffened as he took in a small breath, lowering his gaze as he accepted Markus' touch and parting his lips to allow air through faster.

"You scared me last night." Kurama was stunned to hear those words come out of his mouth. His eyes shot back to his, showing his surprise as he tried to read him. "I've never heard you sound like that."

He frowned, in apology. "It was a heavy night…"

His hand began moving slowly, gliding his fingers gently across Kurama's thigh. Making small movements as he spoke. "I didn't know how else to tell you, bringing shit up like that is impossible."

"It's alright." He said gently, "And you really did startle me." He made a face, cringing for Markus.

"Sorry." He smiled again.

"Me too." He sighed out, far too distracted by his hand.

Markus took him off guard again as he leaned in, gently pressing his lips against Kurama's, still stroking his inner thigh. Kurama felt himself relax as he leaned toward him, taking the kiss with a sigh. Markus' hand gliding up and down as it moved closer and closer to his manhood, which was riling him up, making him want more.

He was aware they'd had sex last night, but this was different. Markus was pushing boundaries again, Kurama didn't mind—but, he'd never touched him like this… and it was it overwhelming. Markus pulled away from the kiss as he rested his lips on Kurama's cheek, now focusing on what his hand was doing. Kurama moved his face closer to Markus' as he let his eyes rest, enjoying the amazing surges and tingling going throughout his body. With his other hand, Markus reached up behind Kurama, moving all his hair over to his other side, exposing Kurama's neck and shoulder for himself. He leaned down again as he began slowly kissing Kurama's neck, finally moving his teasing hand onto Kurama's manhood.

Quietly gasping out, Kurama dropped his head to the same side of his hair. Giving Markus more skin and looking down to see Markus' hands stroking him, causing his heart to race even more as adrenaline shot through him. His breathing picked up quickly as Markus stroked his hardness up and down, still teasing some. He felt himself blush hot again, as he closed his eyes, barely stopping a moan from escaping as he closed his mouth and brought his head back some.

Markus hummed in pleasure as he continued to kiss Kurama's neck, now getting a little more into it as he felt Kurama's body moving in reaction to him. "God, you're beautiful." He mumbled as he slid his lips down Kurama's neck to his shoulder, using his teeth gently on his skin as well.

Now in a haze of lust Kurama remained still, fully aroused now. He moved his leg up, bending it some as he opened it to the side, making it easier for Markus to please him. Markus gasped out as he looked down, now able to see what his hand was doing, since Kurama's leg had moved the blankets up.

"Ahh.." Kurama couldn't help it anymore as he closed his eyes again, fully enjoying Markus touching him.

'Beep-boop'

Kurama's eyes opened, and Markus froze.

'Beep-boop'

Breathing deeply, Kurama stared at the ceiling, feeling frustration build—already assuming what that noise was. Markus dropped his head on Kurama's shoulder sighing out roughly. "Course…" He barely whispered.

'Beep-boop'

"Fuck." Markus shot out. Kurama swallowed, now trying to calm himself as he dropped his head down once more, this time seeing Markus' hand move away from him. He sighed as he looked to Markus, moving his leg back down and ignoring his body begging for more.

'Beep-boop'

"Shut up, I gooot it!" He snapped as he moved away from Kurama, almost diving off the bed to reach over to the floor. Kurama's eyebrows went up as he held his mouth, feeling a laugh jerk in his stomach. Markus dug through the clothes on the floor, finally pulling out a little flip phone.

'Beep-boop'

The noise was getting annoying now and Markus leaned back onto the bed's headboard, opening it roughly then placing it on his ear. "What?" He said blankly while he attempted to calm his breathing, automatically reaching up to push back his messy hair. Kurama watched him, finding that repetitive movement attractive.

"Haly…?" It was Amaro.

Markus raised his eyebrows and closed his eyes while he grabbed the bridge of his nose. "Who else?"

"Do you have any idea what time it is!?"

Kurama frowned. They hadn't really discussed a time, but knowing Markus he probably already knew. He smiled as he sighed out, now bringing the blanket back up over himself, finally feeling his body beginning to relax—though, still frustrated. Markus glanced at Kurama, making eye contact with him as he smirked, then pulled the phone away from his ear to check the time.

"Eight." He said as he put the phone back to his ear, focused on listening clearly not caring about the time.

"We've been waiting for almost two hours!" This was clearly something he'd done before.

Pulling the phone slightly from his ear, Markus made a face as he moved off the bed, fully back into work mode. "Coud ya chill out? I did some overview with Kurama last night. I needed sleep." He said with a sarcastic tone, but his face was a pathetic frown—obviously enjoying being this immature.

Kurama smiled as he enjoyed watching the usual Markus, but this time he was entirely naked. It was nice to be able to look all over his body, but the comedic aspect was hard to ignore. He laughed, and Markus looked over when he heard him. He smiled to Kurama, looking down at himself then back to him with a shrug, making Kurama chuckle again.

"Sleep? Liv and I have been here all morning."

"Well good for you!" He leaned over and picked up his underwear, placing the phone in between his shoulder and cheek as he pulled them on.

"We need you here, now."

"Yeah-yeah. No problem, I'm comin'." He grabbed the phone back in his hand.

"Are you able to pick Kurama up, or do you need me to?" His voice was dull, obviously remembering how far the drive was.

"Nah, I can get 'em." He smirked to himself.

"Okay. What's your ETA?"

Markus glanced at Kurama, then looked up to think. "Give me an hour." He looked back to Kurama, jerking his head to the side to signal for him to get going.

"…What? You sure?"

Kurama moved, getting off the bed and to find his underwear. He pulled them on and could feel Markus' eyes on him while doing so but, pretended not to notice.

"Yeah, he's staying somewhere close since he agreed to come in toady."

"Okay... See you in an hour then."

Kurama walked to grab his folded up jeans he left on the bench, pulling them on as well.

"Yeah, bye." He snapped the phone shut as he looked to Kurama with a sigh, "He's stiff."

Kurama smiled to him. "Well, it seems we are awfully late."

"Yeah…" He trailed off as he scratched his head, clearly not giving two shits.

"Do you mind if I borrow another shirt of yours?"

He looked back to him, then smirked. "Not at all."

"Thank you."

Markus walked out to get himself ready and Kurama went to his bathroom to ready himself for the day as well. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair, then hesitated after spotting something on his neck. He leaned in toward the mirror to touch the small hickey that was on his lower neck, close to his collar bone.

"I got you a couple options." Markus walked back in, now in a rush. He was wearing worn out light colored jeans and had his pistol strapped to his belt on the backside of his right hip. Kurama walked out to him and stared, just a little irked that any evidence of last night was left on him.

Throwing a few shirts down on the bench he glanced to Kurama, then did a double take—noticing his stare. "What?" He frowned.

"You marked me." He raised an eyebrow, not sure how he felt about those words coming out of his mouth.

Not surprisingly, Markus looked too amused as he walked over to inspect. He smirked as soon as he saw the hickey, then gently pushed Kurama's chin up to get a better look. Glaring for real now, Kurama watched the man admire his own work, not fazed by it at all. He then looked into Kurama's eyes, smiling with amusement. "I'm not gonna apologize."

Still glaring, Kurama moved his head away from his hand. "I won't be protecting you from anyone, detective."

"That's fair." He chuckled. "It was worth it though, even if I get yelled at." He was always too confident.

That made Kurama blush for the umpteenth time this morning, as he snorted quietly, now walking to the bench to pick a shirt. Immediately he saw an olive green flannel he recognized and reached over to pick it up, it was a flannel he remembered Markus wearing at the club. He pulled it on and buttoned it all the way expect for the top two buttons. It was comfortable and the collar covered his hickey, so it worked well for several reasons. It was a bit baggy, so he rolled the sleeves up halfway, but other than that he was happy with his pick.

Markus walked over to grab a shirt, which was a dark, long-sleeved Carhart. He pulled it on, then adjusted himself to get comfortable. He looked pointedly to Kurama, and Kurama froze—looking back.

"We gonna acknowledge last night?"

Kurama wasn't sure why, but a bit of guilt hit him. He took in a small breath and sighed out as he looked down, "Acknowledge?"

"Yeah, like. We had sex." He raised his eyebrows to convey the complexity of that.

Nodding, Kurama looked down. "What's there to talk about?"

Markus frowned. "What's that mean?"

"I'm not sure." He looked back to him, frowning himself.

Markus just nodded. "You said you missed me too? It was weird hearing you say that."

Feeling that guilt kick again, Kurama kept his eyes down. "I may be cold… and, not the most opened about my feelings." He looked at him now, "But, please understand I care deeply for the people close to me." He smiled gently, trying to convey an emotion he wasn't entirely sure of. Markus listened intently, clearly taking in every word with appreciation.

"Especially now…" Kurama barely glanced to the unmade bed.

"You are incredibly hard to read."

He looked up to him again, acknowledging that with a nod. "I know."

"So, was last night… What was that?" He seemed to be trying to figure out an unknown as well.

He swallowed again, "I'm, not sure." He bit the inside of his lip and wrapped his hand around his arm to fidget. "But, I wanted it."

Markus smirked and tilted his head to the side. "That was clear." He made a face, "But, with me…?"

He glared, surprised by that question. "Specifically you, yes." His face warmed again.

"Pfft" He sighed out to that, seeming relieved. "Okay." He nodded.

"Markus." Markus looked to him at attention. "You said yesterday, that I've bothered you since we met?"

He cringed. "Heh. Yeah, I did."

"You've definitely stuck out to me as well." It was almost relieving, being able to tell him this after thinking he might not ever him again.

Markus smiled that full smile again, making Kurama realize how rare that expression of his was. Seems most people, like himself, were all miserable in their own way. It made him think of something Yusuke always said, 'Life sucks, then you die'. Life really did suck at times, but due to that fact, moments like these were much more special when they did occur.

"Can I hug you?"

Kurama perked up, staring at him in surprise. They just finished discussing the fact that they had sex, and then… this morning with being so intimate. It shocked him that he'd even ask. Maybe Markus was still acknowledging that there was a distance between them, and knew last night was a lot of emotions mixed around—they'd both learned some heavy information yesterday, all after seeing each other when Kurama assumed Markus must've thought the same. That he'd never see him again.

"Yes."

Markus stepped forward immediately, pulling Kurama toward him, holding his head against his chest with one hand and his other arm wrapping around his shoulders. He took in a deep breath as he lowered his face onto Kurama's forehead, sighing out as he held him tight. Kurama leaned his weight against Markus, bringing his arms up to wrap around Markus, holding him too. It was a nice few moments—and he realized he'd never hugged anyone like this before.

"You ready? We can grab food on the way." Markus mumbled reluctantly, not moving yet.

Kurama closed his eyes with a chuckle. "Sure."

Once they left, got breakfast, and were in the station it had only been about forty-five minutes. Markus had the bag of their food, and Kurama held their drinks. The doors opened at their floor, Markus nodded to officer Smith who sat out front, and she just waved—already bored with the start of her day. Kurama followed Markus' lead as they walked to the same table they'd eaten at the day before.

"I brought a peace offering!" Markus shouted as he set the bag down.

Olivia popped her head out of the office she was in the day before, clearly curious. But made sure to give Markus a harsh look once he noticed her. "Is it Pete's?"

"Of course." He crossed his arms in offense.

"You're late again." She kept her glare on him, then looked to Kurama and smiled. "Good morning, Kurama."

He glanced to Markus who was rolling his eyes, then smiled to Olivia. "Good morning. I'm sorry about being late—but in my defense, I was never told a time." He looked to Markus.

"Oh, I believe it." She laughed as she walked toward them, eyeing the food.

"Chestnut coffee, sugar and creme?" Makus quickly grabbed one and handed it to her.

She smiled with excitement and grabbed it quickly, "You're forgiven." she spoke more casually now as she sipped the coffee happily. Kurama smiled, thinking it was cute she allowed herself to be bought with coffee. Apparently they'd been working together long enough that Markus knew he could bribe his way out of trouble.

"Green tea with ginger." He handed it to Kurama.

"He still like his usual?" Markus looked to Olivia.

"Yes." She smirked as she swallowed her second sip.

"Awesome." He smirked too, clearly pleased with himself.

"And I got us egg sandwiches."

"You should come in late more often." She joked as she pulled out a chair to sit, then hesitated and pointed to him. "But, don't actually."

"Hah!" Markus smirked to Kurama as he handed him his sandwich, and Kurama felt his heart flutter—causing him to look away a bit quicker than usual. A slight blush warmed his face as he took his seat across from Olivia. Markus barely eyed him, and Olivia glanced between them both before distracting herself with unwrapping her sandwich.

"There you are." Amaro walked in carrying a handful a files, setting them down on a random desk. "You brought food?" He immediately looked less grumpy.

"Apologies for being late." He held up the coffee with a nod.

"Great." He smiled as he walked over, taking the drink and sandwich, sitting next to Olivia.

"It was his fault." He pointed with his thumb while he sat down next to Kurama with smirk.

Amaro stared at him, "Nobody believes you." Obviously bored with his antics.

They all took a few moments to eat some before staring any conversation. The sandwiches were delicious, and Kurama was pleased with how fresh his tea was. He smiled to Amaro, realizing he hadn't acknowledged him yet. "How are you this morning, Amaro?" He swallowed, "Forgive me, I must've been hungrier than I thought."

He looked up as he wiped his mouth, then glanced to Olivia. "I'm good, thanks." He barely smiled with a nod—still a bit uncomfortable with Kurama. "Heard you got stuck with Markus last night—how long did he keep you?" He smirked as he chewed, and Olivia raised her eyebrows.

"Heh, we caught up—and discussed some things that could potentially affect this case." He made a face, remembering that Sakyo was involved.

"Oh?" Olivia looked pointedly to Markus.

He shoved the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth and raised his hands up. "Not my shit to say." He spoke through a mouthful of food. Then both the detectives looked to Kurama, curious as to what that meant.

He glanced to the side, then looked down to his food. "Like I said, potentially."

"Meaning…?" Olivia pushed.

"Meaning, I'm not sure if it's relevant." He said with a cold tone, really not wanting to disclose anything about Sakyo until he had to.

They both looked a bit irked, and Amaro snapped a glare at Markus. "So, where'd Kurama stay? You mentioned he was close." After saying that Olivia froze again, now shooting a glare at Markus as well. Kurama glanced up to Markus—he'd let him handle this one. He wasn't going to deal with any attempt of discipline from them, even if Olivia was kind, he didn't have to adhere to their rules.

Markus frowned at him, "Jeez you're always tryin' to get me in trouble."

"You said you were going to take him home." Her eyes were angry, like yesterday.

He put his hands up, "It's a far drive, and we really did need to catch up."

"So where's he staying?"

Markus sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Why does that matter?" Kurama interrupted, annoyed that he was still being treated like a child. He understood they were trying to protect him, and that they were used to being the higher authority, but he wasn't their responsibility.

They both looked to him, Amaro seemed a bit surprised by his tone and Olivia sighed. "First off, detective Haly has a tendency to bend rules that sometimes compromises cases." Markus continued to roll his eyes as he sipped his coffee, leaning back in his chair. "Second…" She gave Kurama a pointed look, "We know nothing about you—and after what I saw yesterday, I'm not sure what to expect." She eyed Markus again.

"Tattle." Markus mumbled out toward Amaro, who laughed out in annoyance as he shook his head.

"Y'all should be lookin' out for him, I've been myself since you've met me. I'm predictable." He shrugged in annoyance. Kurama glared in offense at him, he was turning on him in this petty argument?

"That's for sure." Amaro mumbled under his breath.

Kurama continued to glare at Markus. "What do you mean by that?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she rubbed her face with a sigh.

"I'm just defending myself and pointing out the fact that at least you guys have solid evidence about who I am." He motioned his head in Kurama's direction. "He's a ghost, so why am I the bad guy?"

"Because you tend to take advantage of your authority—and others." Olivia said in annoyance.

Markus scoffed with a laugh. "Oh we all do!" He pointed aggressively toward her. "But, that's my damned point. At least it's documented." Amaro rolled his eyes, understanding his point but not wanting to accept it, and Olivia stared at him while she thought. Markus leaned back again, crossing his arms. "See? Ya don't wanna accept it! You keep gettin' mad at me, and directing your frustrations at the guy who bends the rules, but at least I have rules." He snorted as he roughly pulled up his long sleeves in frustration, then crossing his arms back again.

Kurama frowned. Markus was right—he didn't have rules that were anything close to what these people followed. And he understood his frustration, but again… this was such a petty argument.

"What's he mean, Kurama?" Amaro asked.

Kurama looked to him. "I'm not sure." He said without emotion—now allowing his coldness to take over. Maybe Markus had a reason behind trying to reveal a bit more… so, he'd play along a little. "But it sounds like the detective is implying I have no rules to adhere to." His cold eyes sharpened as he looked to Olivia now, trusting the stupid cop next to him.

Markus prickled as his eyes widened, tilting his head in discomfort. He could also potentially be trying to educate them in his own way, on how different Kurama's world was—just in case they ended up running into something that was too deep for them to handle. Clearly hearing all he had, his dealings with Sakyo and himself, shook Markus pretty good. Maybe he was trying his best to prep them before they knew anything…?

"Do you?" She gave him a look, smirking humorously.

"Not particularly." He barely shrugged.

"What's your jurisdiction?" Amaro glared.

"I operate outside the rule of law." He spoke confidently, now looking directly at Amaro. He sat straighter as he laced his fingers together, placing his hands in his lap—he wanted to make it clear. And he wanted them to know he was serious, he didn't have to abide by their laws, so he let what he just said sink in. He wasn't under any authority they'd know—so if you really thought about it, it was like he was someone who didn't exist. He could do as he pleased.

Amaro looked stressed for just a split second, then looked down and shook his head in annoyance. "You two are bullshitting us."

Olivia stared at Kurama, processing what she just heard. Then glanced to Markus again, "Did you know this?" He was suspicious.

He just shrugged, opening his mouth to speak then closing it as he sighed out. "I told you." He looked to her, "He's a ghost—so, I'm not surprised. Especially with all the stuff you two refuse to accept, I've told you, but here we are. Still surprise."

Kurama lowered his gaze, feeling the tension in the room rise. He wasn't intending to scare them, but if this was going to be a thing—he might as well warn them in advance before they saw him do something illegal.

"So, you really did kill Matthias?"

He looked up to her as he blinked. "Of course."

Amaro leaned in with, clearly shocked. "No due process after? No hearing?"

He stared at the man.

"And you expect us to believe you aren't a trained killer."

Kurama felt some irritation with that question and grit his teeth, snapping his eyes back to her. "I was recruited by SRS, not trained."

Markus fidgeted, "I've told you both. He isn't like us." Now those words were real, and Kurama's chest ached as he again felt guilt for what Markus must have had to deal with after all the unanswered.

Then Olivia looked to Markus, and Kurama felt alert when she did a double take. He frowned and followed her gaze as she leaned in with worry. "What in the hell happened to you?" She sounded upset as she moved in to get a better look.

Amaro looked alert and averted his attention too—apparently this little argument was highly distracting. After Markus had pulled his sleeves up he unintentionally exposed his obviously bruised wrist. It looked bad, the darkest part was right at the joint, it was swollen and splotchy with color. Purple, blue and some red throughout, with some of the bruise fading off down his hand and then some speckling going up close to his forearm.

He recoiled some as he pulled up his wrist to examine it, clearly not realizing it was bruised at all. He stared at it—then quickly snapped an offended look at Kurama. He made eye contact with Markus, resisting a smile as he turned back to sip his tea. It was even more tense now, but he didn't care. And, since they were questioning his validity, it seemed to be good timing for them to see Markus' wrist.

Olivia held her hands up as she gaped at the both of them. "What is going on?"

Markus shrugged as he held his wrist, still taking in the damage done by Kurama. He swallowed, but looked to Kurama for help this time, not wanting to say more than he should. Since it did look bad, and he was still clearly taken off guard along with the others.

Kurama sighed as he set his tea down, "He asked for it." He said as he looked at her.

She stared back at him, clearly stunned as he leaned back with one hand now up. "Woah, what?"

Amaro looked stunned as he looked at Markus, now unable to hold back a smile. "He did that to you?" He taunted.

Markus frowned, "Watch it, jamonero." He snapped.

"Excuse me?" Amaro recoiled in offense, challenging Markus with a glare. Apparently Kurama and Olivia were the only ones without a temper.

"You heard me." He mumbled back, keeping his eyes stuck on Amaro as he pouted.

Maybe he should've admitted it more gently… "Quit." Kurama snapped out, annoyed with this petty bickering. Olivia kept her eyes locked on him, surprised a second time by his harshness—both hotheads now looking quickly to him too. "You need to ice it." He demanded calmly, but his irritation was apparent. Markus stared at him, still worked up, but decided to obey as he stood, now walking off.

Kurama shot his eyes to Amaro then looked back to Olivia, "Let's skip the passive aggressive and get to the point."

She frowned and Amaro raised his eyebrows. "What do y—"

"I'm tired of this constant questioning of who or what I am. You were the ones who asked for me, I had no interest in this case—yet everything I do, you question."

"Well, you just dropped quite a claim on us… and now you're admitting to doing that to detective Haly? You can understand why we'd be a little uneasy." Her quicky response was profession, but she was on edge.

"Again, you asked."

Glancing at Amaro, they both looked nervous. She frowned as she thought and Amaro watched Kurama nervously, fidgeting with the coffee straw he'd been holding. She then nodded, as she lowered her head. "I hear you. But I'm sure you can understand our side." She forced an uncomfortable smile, "You're definitely far from what we expecting."

"What were you expecting then?"

She sighed as she thought, making a face to the multiple answers filtering through her head. Amaro sighed out and rubbed his neck, trying to relieve his stress. She gave Kurama a guilty smile, "I don't want to offend."

Kurama put his hand up. "I've heard it all. Let's start being a little more direct with each other, shall we?" He spoke calmer now, realizing they were still on the defense, and confused, which was fair.

Glancing to her partner now, she looked a bit embarrassed. "We just, didn't expect someone so young. Especially who looks and talks like you." She smiled awkwardly, "You're… stunningly beautiful." She widened her eyes to convey her awe and shook her head to process. "And, honestly not that intimidating." She cringed an apologetic look.

Kurama listened, completely unfazed, then looked to Amaro. "What about you?"

Unlike Olivia, he did seemed intimidated, and that made Kurama curious. "I don't trust you." He said flatly, keeping strong eye contact with him. "Either you're a great liar and dangerous, or you're a joke. You don't carry a weapon, and you always seem at ease. So, what I see is someone who is acting, or the actual fantasy person that Haly described to us." Kurama could see his jaw muscles clench as he continued. "I didn't want to bring you in, or work with you—I still don't." He was confident as he kept eye contact with Kurama. "And that jack ass pisses me off…" He said that part much quieter as he looked away.

"Nick…" She looked at him with disappointment, clearly frustrated with him being unprofessional—but, obviously aware that he didn't like Markus. He waved his hand up in an apology to her but kept his gaze down.

Taking in a breath, Kurama sighed out quietly. Finally some transparency from these two! He assumed about that from both of them, and that was okay, but he was tired of the petty politeness going back fourth and honestly wasn't in the mood for it anymore. Especially after everything Markus had told him last night. "Alright." He smiled to the both of them, back to his normal calm self. "I understand where both of you are coming from." He glanced at Olivia, "Like I said, I've heard it all." He raised an eyebrow, looking down at his tea. "Is there anything else?"

She looked to Amaro, and he looked a little lost now. "Not for me and thank you, we should've been able to do that ourselves…" She sighed, "We'll make sure to be more direct from now on." She nodded. "You're quite different, and I can see you understand our caution."

"Of course." He nodded back.

Markus walked back into the main room, now with an icepack on his wrist. Amaro glanced at him, then leaned in quickly to Kurama. "Did you really do that to him?" He was obviously dying to know, wanting to believe it due to Kurama's appearance—but not able to.

Kurama laughed quietly and nodded. "I did." He looked in his eyes this time, keeping his serious as he tried to stay lighthearted.

He stared back, obviously still suspicious. "You'll have to show me how." He said nonchalantly, calling Kurama's potential bluff.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked to check on Markus. Kurama smirked, liking this guy a little bit more now as he looked down. "If that's what you'd like."

"Detective!" Officer Smith walked into the room.

"…"

The tension in the air took a moment to clear—and Markus turned to look at her. "What's up?"

"Someone's here… asking for him" she said cautiously, as her eyes barely moved to Kurama.

The room stayed silent, and Kurama frowned. Who could it possibly be? And what impeccable timing, just adding more mystery to him. He'd normally find this funny—but he was still a bit irritated. "Who?" He stood up.

"Hello!" Right then, Botan popped up behind Smith as she waved at everyone.

Kurama felt his heart jerk—more excited than he thought he'd be to see her, but also due to nerves, knowing she was sent by Koenma.