BOOM it's back

Willow had always found the freckles on Cyrus's face to be charming. They were little spots that the sun had kissed Cyrus's skin enough times that they left a permanent mark. Their faces were close enough now that Willow could count them like stars if he wished. Instead, he focused on Cyrus's eyes. They were like little galaxies, swirling into an oblivion with the natural webbing of the eyes. The little galaxies seemed hurt, like they wanted to release salty stars into a world they could not experience otherwise.

As the longing became unbearable, Cyrus's lips met Willows. He closed his eyes and felt his heart tighten. Though they had kissed moments ago, this felt like the first time once more. Cyrus's lips were somewhat dry and crackly, and his hands felt as if they were trembling as they kept Willow's face in place. He extended his reach to wrap his arms around Cyrus's neck and pulled him in closer, returning the kiss. He couldn't put his finger on how Cyrus's lips tasted, but he sage and sandalwood just as before.

"ASS HOLE CALLING, ASS HOOOOOLE CALLING! THERE'S AN ASS HOLE ON THE OTHER LINE! ANSWER QUICK SO YOU CAN TALK TO THE BIG ASS HOLE!" Rang through the room. Willow tensed up and jumped.

The ringtone began to repeat itself.

Willow inadvertently pulled back from the kiss. "I'm sorry I--"

The phone stopped ringing, only to start again.

Willow covered his face which began to feel warm. "I'm really sorry, I'll be right back. That's Saul, and if I don't answer I'm going to be in deep shit."

For whatever reason, whether it be the fact that Cyrus had some doubts still leaking into his mind that someone like Willow could possibly have feelings for him, or the fact that he hadn't willingly kissed a man he had strong feelings for in such a long time; Cyrus couldn't help but feel a sense of shock run through his body when he felt Willow return the kiss. This time it felt different from the kiss moments ago. This time he felt as though he could get lost in the moment forever, while the previous seemed more rushed.

As Willow closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around him, he too closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. Never would he have thought, that tonight was the night that he'd be here kissing Willow.

However all good things came to an end. This one being the sudden ringing of Willow's cellphone, echoing in the quiet room. Cyrus felt the disconnect from Willow's lips and immideately opened his eyes.

Willow seemed embarrassed by it all, though there wasn't really anything to be embarrassed about."It's okay." He told him with a small smile.

Once Willow left the room, Cyrus just sat there for a moment, nibbling on his lower lip. Part of him wanted to eveesdrop, but another part knew that Willow was going to let him know what was going on anyways.

Soon he gave into gravity and lied down his back with his hands entertwined on his stomach. Staring up at the ceiling his mind began to wander. A single kiss from Willow had reminded him how much he really did crave the love and affection from someone. He had immersed himself so much into his work that he had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Which then made him think were they really official now?

"Willow, I need you to come in tonight." Saul's voice was thin.

That was not going to happen.

"I can't," Willow replied.

"And why is that? You better have a good reason."

"Does coming in early tomorrow work?"

"No."

Willow frowned. It was at times like these that he wished Saul didn't have so much leverage over him. To Saul, a no always meant yes. "Why do you want me to come in tonight?"

"I have some news."

"Why can't you tell me over the phone?"

"Willow," Saul cooed "Do you really want to get started on this? Be a good boy and come in tonight. I shouldn't have you long."

"I said no," Willow repeated. "I'm with a friend and I'm not going to just leave him to go to work with you."

"A friend, or another friend with benefits?"

"None of your business. I'll come by early tomorrow morning. But, as it is the weekend, I have other plans already made so I'd appreciate if you didn't keep me long." Willow began to nibble on his lower lip. Had Jin-soon mentioned Cyrus? Probably not, but all it took was a text message.

There was an elongated silence on the other end of the line.

"05:00"

"05:00" Willow nodded and hung up.

He reentered the room with and shuffled over to Cyrus, a small smile sprouting onto his face. "I have to leave for a few hours tomorrow morning. Saul wants me there for 5am." He kneeled down next to Cyrus and then over him, planting a small, soft kiss onto his lips.

Since Cyrus was laying down he repositioned such that he now straddled him and lightly sat on his stomach. "So... I feel like the answer is probably yes, it certainly is from my end... but are we official now? Another kiss would be a great yes if we are. If not just tell me to fuck off or whatever."

Cyrus remained motionless on the floor. With Willow's absence memories began to trickle into his empty mind. Memories of a past loved one. Though one memory in particular stood out amongst the rest. The final moment of when he and his lover were together. He remembered his lover wishing him that he would find someone who would treat him better than he ever could. At the time Cyrus didn't believe that he would ever find someone better.

When his lover passed he tried to fulfill those wishes; but soon lost hope that anyone would give him a chance. For what felt like an eternity of being by himself, Willow was the first to really make an attempt.

He had finally broken the curse, but now he felt a surge of anxiety run through his chest. Cyrus wanted Willow, but he didn't want a repeat of the past.

Surely it wouldn't be the same, right?

Upon hearing the sound of Willow's reappearance, he fixated his eyes on him. Carefully watching him as he approached. Cyrus felt Willow's soft lips once again connect with his own for a small moment and he couldn't help but smile in return. "Sure. I could probably do some things back home anyways." He replied.

Part of him wanted to tell Willow his concerns due to his past relationship; but once Willow straddled over him, another part told him it could probably wait.

With Willow looking down on him he felt his heart wanting to jump out of his chest and the heat started to rise in his face once again. Cyrus readjusted himself so he sat up and Willow moved down onto his lap.

He decided communication was best, especially if they were to start a new relationship.

Cyrus wrapped his arms around his waste and leaned in closer "Just…promise me I'm yours and only yours." He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but he just needed to get that off his chest.

Without giving Willow much time to answer Cyrus placed a soft yet deep kiss onto Willow's lips, to seal the deal.

Willow clutched Cyrus's face when their lips touched. He closed his eyes and savored the kiss. All the sensations from before washed over him once more. Cyrus's taste and smell was enslaving.

He gently broke the kiss yet continued to grasp Cyrus's face, locking eyes. "Cyrus, I am one of the sluttiest pieces of shit you'll ever meet. But you know what? I haven't fucked or been fucked by someone in about a month now." He paused. "It just didn't feel right. Until I got a no from you, celibacy seemed like the safest bet. I'd think of you when I was with someone else. It was unsatisfying and not fair to the either."

Willow trailed his fingers down Cyrus's cheek such that his fingertips were barely touching Cyrus's flesh. He cocked his head to the side and flashed a simper.

"I promise. You're my one and only." He brushed back stray hairs on Cyrus's faced and sighed contently, the coy smile lingering. "You know, I could kiss you forever; it'd help make up for lost time."

Cyrus took Willow's hand into his own and held it against his cheek as he leaned into it. Once Willow confirmed the promise the memories he had been thinking of fizzled out for the time being. His words of putting his sexual activies aside just for him were oddly sweet. Never in a million years would he have guessed that Willow had done that.

Witnessing Willow's coy smile, his chest tightened
Parts of his hair falling over his eyes with his lips inches away from his own. One thought played in his mind "God he's beautiful."

Luckily for him his chest was the only thing tightening at the moment. Though with each passing second, starring into this beautiful man's face, the sensations of wanting him grew. At least his body did. Cyrus knew damn well that he just wasn't ready to take part in that emotionally.

Trying to play it cool, a small smile on his face grew along with what seemed to be hints of nervous laughter. "This certainly has been a day." He spoke out while shaking his head. "But never would I have thought it was going to end with us getting together." He quickly gave him another kiss with his smile growing even larger.

"But …uhh…it may be kind of early, but do you want to crawl under that blanket together?"

Waiting for a reply he let go of Willow's hand to reach behind him and release his hair from what was now a loose messy bun.

A jubilant smile spread across Willow's face. "I've never said this before... but I love when your hair is done. You're hot to begin with, but man. It adds an extra level of beautiful." He placed his hands on Cyrus's cheeks again and pulled him in for a kiss.
"But yes, I wouldn't mind a going to bed. Would you like to be the big spoon? Though I am up for any kind of cuddling."

He lowered his hands from Cyrus's face. "Honestly, though, I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up and this is a dream. I've had dreams with you in them. We'd kiss, hold hands, whatever-- but when I woke up, it ended in disappointment."

---

Meeting new people was terrifying. He never ended up hurt, but he still felt as if he was never sure what to expect. Add onto the fact that he wasn't out to most people, and he was left unsure what to do.

"Ren, what should I do? I am glad that Quinton and Kai are referring to me as Hideki, but I don't look like a Hideki. My face is too soft, my voice too high, I have a hime haircut... what if this new guy doesn't like transpeople?" This would be a problem for Ren too, but it wasn't as obvious for him. "Should I message one of them?" With each step he slowed his pace ever so slightly. He felt like worms were wriggling around in his stomach so he could wait to meet up, even if it meant that he was late.

Cyrus fluffed out his hair and laughed a bit at Willow. He shook his head in attempt to hide his embarrassment, flattery was his weakness; but regardless he loved it especially when it came from such a handsome man. "You're too kind." He said before kissing him back one more time.

"Well unless we're both having the same dream, I think this is real." Cyrus said with another light laugh at the end. He brushed a stray hair out of his Willow's eyes and smiled at him "I can be the big spoon though."

---

"Hideki." Ren spoke with a tone of sympathy in his voice. He slowed down his pace to match his friend 's. "I'm certain you have nothing to worry about. Kai and Quinton have had nothing but good words to say about him." He said with a small smile creeping onto his face. "Asides I met him once, he seemed rather nice. Quiet…but nice."

Ren linked his arm around Hideki's "C'mon we're almost there anyways. If things get too awkward we can always go back home. "

Hideki laced his fingers with Ren's. "I know. But at the same time I'm nervous. I think I've met Willow once? Twice?" He paused and dropped his gaze to his feet. "If he's quiet how will I know what he thinks? He might go back and tell Willow he thinks I'm a fake."
Willow was nice enough, but he was intimidating. Kai and Quinton told him that Cyrus was tall.
That sounded intimidating too.
He was glad he hadn't eaten. The worms were beginning to make their way up his esophagus and into his intestines, all the while filling up his stomach.

Willow wanted nothing more than too lace his fingers with Cyrus's. The last week had been a dream he kept expecting to wake up from.
Nothing much had changes, Saul was still an ass hole.
But, while before he would come home to an empty house, followed by Cyrus visiting sometime later, he now had someone to come home to.
Whenever Cyrus came through the door he'd greet him with a kiss, and if possible something to eat. He was home early enough there was no reason not to. Hell, he'd be eating anyway.
Since only a week had passed, he knew his brain was in the honeymoon phase of a new relationship, but he didn't care. He was going to enjoy it.
But it had to be hidden because God forbid if Saul knew Willow was with Cyrus.
Or Jin-soon. There was no doubt in his mind he'd crawl up to Saul and tell him immediately.
"I hope you have a good time," Willow said. "I know that social situations aren't your forte. But, I think this'll be good for you. Socializing at one of our humble abodes isn't bad, but public is a bit different, ya know?" He gently squeezed Cyrus's hand for a moment and smiled up at him. "I love you," he whispered loud enough for Cyrus to hear.

Ren entertwined his fingers with Hideki's in return. "You're not a fake though and if thinks that then that's his problem." Ren leaned into him as they continued to walk.
"I mean if Kai and Quinton like them, then surely he can't be too bad right?"
Empathy filled up inside Ren. He hated seeing Hideki doubt himself so much. He wanted to show him that it didn't matter where he was at, he was still valid enough to be a man. "It'll be okay. You'll be okay. "

---

"Yeah, I'll be fine though. " Cyrus said glancing over to Willow and smiled at him. The group was nice, though that wasn't really the problem. A lot of people he knew or had known were nice. The problem was the constant worry of people judging him. His selective mutism only fed into that part of his anxiety, which just created a giant snowball effect where trying to escape was usually futile.

"Asides…I have you." His smile brightened and elbowed Willow's shoulder in a playful manner.
And boy was he still in awe that he really did have someone to love and to be loved back.

Cyrus returned his gaze foward, noticing their destination was fastly approaching. Seeing Kai,Quinton and Ahriman standing outside the shop he swallowed hard.
"I love you too." He squeezed Willow's hand and whispered back, before the silence took over once again.

The three had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity though really maybe only 15 minutes had passed by. Kai checked his phone to make sure he hadn't missed any messages from.

Nope. No new messages. Well that was a good sign. No one had bailed on them.

Kai glanced up from his phone to see the two new love birds walking up to them.

"It's about time." Kai chuckled and skipped over to Willow and Cyrus "How are you two doing?" He said with a big grin on his face. "Still honeymooning huh?"

The energy of Kai running out to greet Willow and Cyrus had snapped Ahriman out of his bored state for just a moment.
"Fucking finally." He took his head off of Quinton's shoulder and stood up straight "Bet those two were doing a lot more than just walking here." Ahriman winked at Quinton while elbowing his side.

Hideki still wasn't so sure.
"What if he doesn't speak Japanese? I don't feel like my English is all that great. It's become better since I've begun to practice with Kai and Quinton but I still don't feel confident about it." He had a killer accent in his mind, and not the good kind of killer.
The worms somehow turned into butterflies as the pair approached the cafe. Based off of Kai skipping towards some tall white guy, and an asian guy who looked familiar, probably Willow, the white guy was likely Cyrus.
He stopped walking and decided to observe the three.

"Hey Banjo," Willow pulled Kai into a hug and kissed his forehead. "If you want to call it that, yeah. I sure as hell can't complain." He paused. "Still can't believe it, actually."
He waved over at Quinton and Ahriman. Ahirman looked like he needed a drink.
Or some coffee.
Quinton would probably support the latter over the former.
"How've you guys been?"

Quinton tried his best to wrap his arms around Kai and Willow, but only managed to get roughly half way around Willow. "Tired, admittedly, but I would be lying if I were to say unwell." He waved over at Cyrus with a smile. "I'm so happy for you two. Granted I haven't known Willow as long as Kai has, but he never struck me as one to settle down. But, to be fair, Ahriman didn't seem that way either and here we are."

Hideki gently shook himself back and forth trying to calm his nerves. Willow had kissed Kai's head so that mean he was at least okay with homoerotic stuff. But, there were plenty of American men who slapped other mens asses and yet were homophobic. But, Quinton was gay, so therefore, Willow was at least okay with it.
Being okay with gay didn't mean people would be okay with transgender.
What if they used the wrong pronouns?
"I think you should go first," Hideki said without taking his eyes off the group.

"Ya know, one day I'll learn a Banjo in spite of you." he giggled at Willow's greeting. "I've been so much better now that you two are together though. You don't realize how painful it was watching you guys whenever you were together. It was worst than Quinton drooling over Ahriman lemme tell you. "

Cyrus watched Kai skip his way over, with Willow showing a warm greeting towards his small friend. He grew a faint smile, witnessing the two interact with Willow kissing his forehead and Kai giggling like a little kid. He laughed at Kai though no sound came out. He was cute a kid. His two colored eyes, with black hair on the sides and a bright blue faux hawk down the middle of his head. Though looks aside his personality was pretty adorable. He seemed like a good kid who cared very much about his friends, who might as well be his family.
Quinton followed suit shortly after. Locking eyes with him his smile grew warmer and have him a small nod to greet him in return. Quinton was looking well these days. It pleased him to see that. It wasn't often he became friends with people he helped out, let alone two. He laughed silently at Quinton this time and gave a small shrug. Not even he knew why Willow decided to settle down with someone like him.

Ahriman followed a few steps behind Quinton, with his hands in his pockets. He waited for Quinton to finish before he answered the first question "Tired, hot and horny, but what else is new." He resetd his chin on Quinton's shoulder once again, keeping his eye contact on Willow and Cyrus.
He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Quinton "Only for you." he said and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek.

"If he doesn't speak Japanese we'll have plenty of translators" he said rubbing his thumb along the back of Hideki's hand.
"It'll be fine, come on." Ren smiled and pulled his nervous boyfriend along.
As they approached he gave a single wave at the group with his free hand.

Kai quickly turned to see the other two "Yo! Look at you guys. Looking good as ever " He threw his arms around both of their necks. "Let me introduce you two." He started to say as he turned around to face the others " I know you've probably met at least once before but the handsome, fancy Korean man there, that's Willow. And the tall, quiet and handsome man next to him is Cyrus."

"Heh, thank you Kai" Ren said looking back at the group. He gave Cyrus and Willow a small bow "Hello, I'm Ren and this is my boyfriend Hideki." He said directing it mostly towards Cyrus.

Cyrus kept the warm smile on his face and without thinking too much about it he bowed in return. Once he came back up he proceeded to pull out the small notepad and pen from his pocket, scribbled down "It's nice to meet you both." and showed it to them.

"Hi," Hideki squeezed out, raising a dithering hand, all the while forcing on a small, tight smile. He tightened the muscles in his arms and legs to attempt and reduce any possible trembling. How successful it was, he wasn't too sure. As such, he was too busy attempting to force himself to remain composed to absorb what Cyrus had to say. Instead, he nodded politely.
He wasn't going to lie, being around Ahriman always stressed him out. He had that took-cool-for-you goth, fuckboy sort of air around him. He really didn't understand how to two ended up together. But, knowing Quinton, Ahriman was likely less of a fuckboy when it was just them.
All the same, he always found himself beingg afraid Ahriman would do something. Could demons smell fear? To be fair they probably didn't have to. He was a stiff board.

When the embrace was broken, Quinton offered Cyrus an embrace. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. I'm also glad you two became an item. I think it'll be good for both of you." He glanced over at Kai, Ren, and Hideki. Hideki was a wreck. While the tremors in his upper body weren't extreme, they were certainly visible.
He wasn't sure if there was really anything he could do about it.

As Willow gave Ren and Hideki a small bow, Kai's phone rang.

It was rather obvious that Hideki was a complete nervous wreck at this point. This was a situation where he wished he could talk to him and try to tell him it was alright. Cyrus bit down on the top of his pen. With everything happening all at once he turned his attention back to Quinton and found himself accepting the embrace.
"Thank you. I'm more than happy to see you doing well yourself." he wrote down in his notepad after coming out of the hug and showed it to Quinton.

Kai watched Hideki tremble before, during and after the whole introduction. His mood dropped from ecstatic that everyone was here to concerned for him. "Hey you alright?" He questioned in Japanese." Cyrus won't say much, he's only spoken to Willow at this point I believe. " He rubbed Hideki's shoulder "There's no judgement here in this group." As he said that he started to hear his phone ring. "Hold on guys." He said, holding up a finger and taking a few steps away from the group.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hello," The voice paused.

"Is this Kai?" The voice paused again, but not long enough to reply. "You know what, I don't care if you're Kai or not. At least I tried. Anyway, if you're home, you should tell your dad to check on Ian and Aulis later today, probably around five. If you're not home, enjoy whatever you're doing and let him know when you get home."

Before Kai could ask any questions the voice hung up.

While Kai was on the phone, Willow debated what to do. Like everyone else, he was able to figure out that Hideki was nervous.

"I don't know if this'll help you feel any better," Willow began, in Japanese. "But if you're nervous about us being prejudiced, Cyrus and I are together." He gestured towards Cyrus.

"I suppose internalized homophobia could be a possible problem but I can promise there is none of that. However you present and identify is totally legit." He did a small bow again. "And in the event someone is cruel there is more than one person here who could put them in their place."

Hideki eyed Willow. Any attempt to relax the tension in his arms and legs resulted in his muscles immediately becoming tense again.

He had to admit he wasn't expecting those two to be an item. But that was good? That didn't mean they wouldn't misgender him or treat him otherwise. He knew that there were plenty of gross people in the lgbt community. But, at the same time, he was very obviously female presenting and they hadn't commented on that at all. That had to be a good thing, right?

"Okay," was all that he managed to get out.

The voice on the other end didn't sound familiar as it spoke. A puzzled look ran across Kai's face. How did they know him? More importantly how did they know his father and Quinton's parents.
He was given instructions to make sure his dad knew to check up on Ian and Aulis at a specific time. Like that wasnt a red flag in itself.
"Who is this?" He asked but the phone on the other end had hung up.
Kai stared at his phone, trying to piece together what happened. "Weird." He said under his breath.
Without further hesitation he quickly texted his dad "Hey, just got a weird phone call saying that you should check up on Ian and Aulis around 5 today…maybe you should go sooner than that. "
That helped though the feeling was still unsettling. He opened up another thread of messages and texted Ian and Aulis "Got a strange call asking my dad to check up on you later. Not sure what that's supposed to mean but be careful. "
He hit send and walked back to the group.

Ren patted Hideki's shoulder "See. Nothing to worry about. Everyone here is chill. " he smiled and turned to Willow "Thank you. Meeting new people is nerve wracking sometimes,but he'll be okay. "

Ahriman glanced over at Hideki since that's where everyone's attention seemed to be. He wanted to put his two cents in, like no one here cared what was between his legs; but he held his tongue knowing Quinton might slap him upside the head. As Kai approached he noticed he had a puzzled look on his face,mixed with concern "What's up with Two tone?" He asked Quinton.

Jin-soon hung up the phone and let out a sigh. He had told Tatiana and Antoni he look out to see where Ian and Aulis were, which he did, but he had another errand to run as well. The last time he was with Saul, he asked if he could see Willow's phone for any important information regarding the targets. Of course, Saul obliged. Likewise, Willow hadn't kept any messages, but he got the numbers and names he needed.

Ian and Aulis were seated in the living room, Aulis laying on Ian as he read something, though holding a conversation with Aulis at the same time.
Ian put the book down, and with a small, content sigh, he ran his fingers through Aulis's hair and planted a kiss on his head. "Since Quinton is supposedly out for the day, would you like the go out later? I don't have any particular ideas for what, but if it's something you'd like to do we could figure it out."

Antoni walked up to the door and gently knocked on it. "Hello?" They said and waited for an answer at the door.

---

"That is a good question," Quinton replied to Ahriman. "I am going to assume something with the phone call."

He waited for Kai to get closer to wait to ask. "Is everything alright?"

Hideki was glad when the attention was diverted from him, over to Kai. He needed some time where no one was talking to him. He was going to be fine. Well, maybe.

Nope. There was no "maybe", he was going to get over this. Everyone seemed fine, so he was going to be fine. Well, Kai didn't seem all that fine anymore, but hopefully it wasn't anything huge.

Aulis resting on Ian's lap as he read was one of his favorite pass times. "Yeah I'd like that. We could go anywhere, I'm not picky. " he smiled up at him. Though the blissful moment was disturbed by a subtle knock on the floor followed by a voice over the other side. The voice wasn't a familiar one.
Aulis sat up and looked at Ian.

---
Kurai sat down at his tabel with a cup of a tea. His phone lit up from across the tabel. Reaching across the tabel he grabbed his phone and opened the message while sipping his tea. The cup slowly dropped from his face as he re-read the message.
It was strange to say the least. Though Kai wasn't the type to panic over nothing. "I'll head over now." he texted his son back.

He sighed while placing the cup down. " I'll be back. Kai wants me too check up on Ian and Aulis" he texted Saika before standing up. He grabbed his jacket, threw it on and walked out of his apartment. Heading in the direction of Ian's place.

---

"Uhhh weird phone call. " Kai started, shaking his head a bit. "I have no idea who that was, but they knew my name and your parents." He pointed to Quinton "And they knew that my father knew your parents. And told me to tell my dad to check up on your parents at 5?" He tilted his head "Maybe it was a prank call. But it's still kind of unsettling."

His text notification went off. A small sense of relief hit him knowing his dad got the message. He nodded and placed his phone in his pocket. "I don't know what else there's to do, I texted my dad and Ian and Aulis. My dad just got back to me though, he's on his way to see them. "

Listening close to what Kai had to say, Cyrus got a weird feeling by it. He looked over at Willow, then at Quinton and back to Willow. His protection insticts started to kick. Though what he'd do or who at the moment he was trying to protect he wasn't exactly sure. "Should we check on them?" he wrote down and handed the note to Willow.

Since there was no reason not to, Ian went to answer the door.

Upon hearing one of the two approaching the door, Antoi ran a hand through their hair and put on a smile. "Thank you for answering," he said as Ian opened the door. He took a step forward so that he was now no more than a foot away from Ian.

"Hi," Ian responded and waited to see what this person had to say.

Antoni laced their fingers together and stretched them forward, cracking their knuckles. "Recently, my boss paid you a visit and he's not too happy with how that meeting went." Before Ian could try to close to door he propped his arm against it.

Ian looked between Antoni and the door. "I think you should go," he said.

"Oh no no no, I don't think so," Antoni pointed at Ian and their arm, along with pieces of their back, came together to form a buzzsaw. "I'm not in the mood for any of your Kung-fu bullshit today. So, if you are your boy toy there would come nicely, I'd appreciate it."

Ian kicked Antoni's stomach, knocking him off of the front step, and slammed the door shut. He turned to Aulis. "We gotta go."

---

Willow nodded at Cyrus. "Cyrus and I think we should go check on them as well. Can I see who called you?" Hopefully the number wasn't restricted.

Willow was aware of the fact that Saul had payed Ian a visit a few weeks ago. It hadn't gone as planned, and Saul had a habit of throwing a fit when things didn't go his way. If that was the case, then they really needed to haul ass.

Quinton bit his lower lip. "Yeah, I agree. I rather be safe than sorry. I know that Ian can handle a lot, in the event that this is an actual problem, but at the same time I'm not so sure. If nothing is the matter we can always come back. Ippodo doesn't close for a while."

Aulis got up and followed behind Ian as he went to go answer the door. Hopefully it wasn't that Saul person again asking for Ian to work for him.

He lurked a few feet behind Ian and watched as the conversation went down. Dread slowly began to hit the pit of his stomach. Well it certainly wasn't Saul but this guy just filled the air with a bad vibe. A dangerous vibe at that.

Moments later the person outside the door had turned his arm into what looked like a buzzsaw. Aulis' eyes widened as panic and fear began take over all motor functions. He couldn't believe his own eyes
Oh god. Oh god. What do they do now? Where do they go? Who do they contact? What about Quinton? Was he safe?
His mind was racing, as he began to think that this was most certainly the end.

The slamming of the door made him jump a bit as he looked up at Ian and nodded. Though he was frozen stiff.

---

"Uh yeah sure." Kai responded to Willow and handed his phone over. "Surely it's nothing...right? Probably just someone trying to scare all of us?" Kai started to think out loud, trying to ease his mind.

Was it one of Saul's people? Cyrus thought to himself. Who though and was it a warning? He bit his lower lip. Well at least most of the people here could defend themselves somehow. However, Ren, Hideki and Quinton were certainly just human. Ahriman would protect Quinton at all costs that he was sure of. Hideki and Ren would then be his priority if they chose to join then.
He could be over thinking this but it didn't hurt to have a plan in the event that something was going down. However he waited for Willow before he made any other moves.

The first thought that ran through Ahriman's mind was it being Kamal. What a stupid thought though. It couldn't be him and if it were why the hell would he be after Quinton's parents.
Still, stupid or not the thought managed to put Ahriman on gaurd a bit. He wouldn't allow anything to happen to Quinton again.
Ahriman took one of Quinton's hands into his own"I could get you there relatively fast if you want. " He said to him.

Ian pushed Aulis through the house and to the back door.

About midway through the house he heard the front door come down.

Ian pushed Aulis through the back door. "Go," he whispered. "I'll follow you in a second." He nudged Aulis out the door.

The moment that Ian turned around, Jin-soon dropped down, covered Aulis's mouth, grabbed his waist, and broke himself apart, still holding Aulis, and reforming the next yard over, behind a structure.

"Listen," he whispered. "Don't move until you know we're gone. Saul doesn't plan on killing Ian. But, if he doesn't cooperate he will kill you. You hear me?" He paused and let Aulis go.

He handed Aulis a piece of paper. "Willow has my number, and so does Kai because I called him earlier. Tell Willow to call me around seven tonight. In the meantime, stay put. Well, unless you want to die."

With that he returned to the Ian's yard.

Ian turned around and paled. "Aulis?" Aulis wasn't the fast.

The saw came down next to him. He dodged out of the way and outside.

This was bad. Really, really bad.

"Antoni you idiot," Jin-soon said as he landed behind Ian. "He did not tell us to kill him."

Antoni shrugged, followed by a grin. "Hey, means he has to agree if Saul fixes him."

Ian didn't wait for Jin-soon to respond before throwing a punch.

Before he made contact, Tatiana tazed him. He fell and convulsed until she turned it off.

"Don't you think that was a bit much?" Jin-soon asked. "That high of a voltage could have killed him."

"Willow survived losing his eyes, arms, and jaw. I'm sure this guy could survive a whole lot more." She handcuffed him before throwing him over her back. "I wasn't in the mood for whatever martial arts he knows."

Jin-soon decided not to argue.

"Where'd the bitch go?" Antoni asked.

Jin-soon and Tatiana shrugged. Both agreed they hadn't seen him in the back yard.

"Oh well," Antoni said. "Ian doesn't know that. So, we're all set. Let's go."

---

Quinton took in a deep breath, squeezed Ahriman's hand, and exhaled. "Before, we, or I, panic, I'll call them. If neither of them pick up, then yeah. You should teleport us there."

He pulled out his phone with his free hand.

"Don't bother," Willow said. "I know the number. His name is Jin-soon. We should go. Now." He handed Kai back his phone. "I won't punch him when I see him next because he obviously has something up his sleeve, but he isn't the one who made this decision. We should go."

He turned the Ren and Hideki. "Would you like to come with? I mean, an emergency situation isn't exactly a lot of fun, and if anything, it may stress you out more." That was the last thing Hideki needed right now.

"I think I'll wait here," he admitted. "And see how it goes. I don't want to get in the way."

If it hadn't been for Ian pushing him out of the house he would have remained frozen stiff. He felt pressure begin to build up in his eyes, as he held back tears.

"Go." Ian's voice wrang through his head. He tried, his legs felt like lead but he made the best effort he possible could to get across the yard. Before he got too far he felt something wrap around his waist and mouth. He wanted to scream but all sounds were muffled out as he was dragged into one of his neighbor's yard.

Aulis stared at Jin-soon with fearful eyes as he spoke to him. Who was he? How did he know Willow? What was going on? Why Ian?
All things he wanted to ask but he was too frightened to mutter a word. Trembling as he took the piece of paper from the stranger's hands, he gave him a small nod. Thinking he understood anything the guy was telling him to do. Aulis's attention immideately turned back to their backyard when he heard Ian calling for him, which was quickly followed by unpleasant sounds. All this happening in a matter of second caused him to cover his mouth and sink in the corner of their neighbors yard. With the tears he held back early earlier flowing down his cheeks.

However he did as he was told. He waited and waited some more even sometime after knew the voices had left his yard. This was all just too surreal.

---

"You know him???" Kai was truly confused at this point. And with the ergency in Willow's voice he began to worry even more. Oh how he hoped his dad got there in time.

"I'll stay here with Hideki. Probably best for us to not get in the way if anything is going down." Ren said.  "Just let us know what's happening okay?"

Kai nodded "Okay. "

Jin-soon…why did he warn Kai about all this? Cyrus thought to himself. Willow had always told him that to avoid Jin-soon at all costs, but if he were really that bad would he have tried to help in this case?

Ahriman held on to Quinton's hand and manipulated the shadow underneath him to banch off into a web like configuration. Connecting itself to the shadows of those within the group. Once everyone was connected the shadows formed one large black hole underneath them. "Might want to brace yourselves. " he said before dropping everyone down into his realm.

For the moment they were down there Cyrus was in awe. He had never been in such a place before. It was a desert like terrian but the world was greyed out and whatever foliage he could see was dried up and frail.
However it was fascinating. He soaked in whatever he could, before he felt his body begin to lift back up to the surface. Where they found themselves to be at the front of Quinton's house, with the door wide open.

Upon getting to the house, Quinton didn't waste any time. He released Ahriman's hand and ran inside.

For the most part the house was untouched. Splinters of the door spread across the living room and into the kitchen. The lights were still on, their keys, phone, and wallet lay in their usual position.

"Dad?" Quinton whispered. As he made his way through the house, and eventually into the back yard, his calls became increasingly frantic. What if his parents were now dead? What if Jin-soon's boss did something terrible to his parents that changed them? What if Kamal actually took him? There were far too many what-if's and none of them were favorable.

Willow didn't bother going into the house. Since there was no sound from within or out back, the two were already gone. "Well, it looks like Kurai wasn't on time," Willow said to no one in particular. He turned to Kai. "He said that Kurai should check on them around five, right? I'll call him back around then."

Ahriman followed shortly after Quinton. Examining the splinters on the floor that led into the kitchen. All he could think of was "The fuuuck…."
This certainly wasn't the doing of Kamal. That just wasn't his brother's style. But no average person could break a door like that with such force.

Kai nodded at Willow "Yeah that's what he said." He couldn't believe it. Both of them just gone...just like that. He could only imagine what Quinton might be thinking.

Aulis continued to quietly sob in their neighbor's yard. First Quinton, now Ian. He didn't know how much more his heart could take of his loved ones being captured.

He had to contact Quinton, there was nothing else he could do. How would explain this to him though. Especially over the phone. He didn't even know if he could speak properly without becoming a mess.

Not long after he heard his son's voice. It was faint at first but became clearer as Quinton came into their backyard.

For a moment Aulis had stopped his sobbing. He wiped the tears from his face using the sleeve of his shirt. He wanted to go to him, but the thought of it being a ploy to get him to come out ran through his head. Pausing for a moment, he peered through the cracks of the fence line.  

It really was Quinton, and no one else seemed to be around. Surely it was safe for the moment right. Aulis did his best to not get choked up again. "Quinton." He said, not sure if it was loud enough for him to hear. As he forced his trembling legs to pick up his weight. With what strength he had he ran around the the fence line, exiting his neighbor's yard and back to the front of his house.
Once he came around from the side of the house he noticed everyone standing there. But how did they know. Tears formed up once again. Regardless of how they knew, he was glad they had showed up.

Kai was the first to notice Aulis come around the corner. "Oh my god." He was thrilled to see at least one of them still here. As he ran over to Aulis he yelled for Quinton.

Quinton felt as if he should be crying. Both of his parents were missing. The door was shattered. Some mysterious person informed Kai, not Quinton, of this event. Willow apparently knew the person. What did that make Willow?

He didn't hear Kai call for him. Instead of returning to the group, he took a seat on the steps leading to the pool. He was sure that he had paled. His stomach converted into a mortar and pestle; he thanked anyone who would listen that his stomach was empty.

But why? His parents hasn't done anything wrong.

There didn't need to be a legitimate reason, he supposed. He had done nothing to hurt Kamal. Ahriman had been out of the picture for eons. None of the mattered. Kamal had come after him anyway. Unlike Ian, there was nothing Quinton could do to retrieve his parents.

Willow pulled out his phone and dialed Kurai's number. While waiting for an answer Aulis appeared. While that was a good sign, he had ill faith that Ian was around as well.

He turned to Cyrus as the phone rung. "I'm calling Kurai. Depending on what Jin-soon has to tell us, I may need your help." He paused and pursed his lips." Well, that is assuming he tells where Ian is. Saul could have him anywhere. The building I work is in large it its own right, forget about any of the satellites. I don't know where most of them are."

The ringing on the other side was unnerving. Though it was unlikely, what is Saul went after Kurai too? As far as Operation Save Ian could go, Kurai was an indispensable asset. Ahriman could work too, but if he had to choose, Willow would prefer to work with Kurai. At least he cared about Ian.