TAO'S POV

    I tumbled out of bed, yawning as I scrubbed my hands through my hair and my lips. There was a note on Kris' pillow and I picked it up, considering his careful script. 
Went for a run; back in twenty
—K
    I crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash, padding downstairs to look out the kitchen windows. It was a misty grey morning and the sun was barely poking through the trees, offering half-hearted light to the grass. I dug through the refrigerator, pulling out a package of strawberries and a can of whipped cream. 
    I pulled my sleeves up to my elbows and the faucet, rinsing the strawberries carefully and patting them dry with a paper towel. The towel was stained pink from the juice and I left it by the sink, pulling a knife from the drawer at my waist and beginning to cut the tops off the strawberries.
    The back door opened and closed and I smiled, ready to join Kris in the shower. I stayed looking out the window, trying to see if the pool needed a cleaning, and plucked up a strawberry. I shook the can of whipped cream and sprayed a thick line of white onto the chunk of fruit, popping it into my mouth. 
    As I chewed, there was a sudden body pressed against my back. I smiled and added whipped cream to another strawberry, feeling Kris' hands smoothing firmly over my . His fingers slid up under the back of my shirt and curled around the sides of my ribs, pulling me back into him. I closed my eyes and tilted my head to the side when he began to place soft kisses on my neck, using one hand to tug the collar of my shirt sideways. 
    Kris' fingers slipped down, toying with the hem of my sweatpants and giving my another firm squeeze. His tongue was a long stripe from under my ear and his breath tickled on my skin, his lips surprisingly smooth and cool. Kris' hands settled on the curves of my waist, lightly pressing in when he nibbled on the shell of my ear. 
    "Kris, that tickles!" I laughed and turned, raising the strawberry to offer it to him. 
    I was met with Aoi's smirk and his hands still on my waist, the hem of my shirt pooling on his slender wrists. I was too shocked to do anything but widen my eyes and Aoi smirked more, leaning in to slowly the whipped cream from the strawberry. He pulled back with a satisfied look and swiped his tongue over his bottom lip, closing his eyes appreciatively. 
    Aoi murmured something soft and low in Japanese, his eyes sliding back open again to give me a lusty smile. I finally stopped being shocked long enough to ram my knee directly between his legs, making him wince and curse darkly. 
    "Damn, what is it with you people and knees?!" Aoi hissed, backing up with his hands resting protectively over his crotch. 
    "What is it with you and inappropriate ual advances?!" I snapped back immediately, chucking the can of whipped cream at his head. He barely ducked in time and I lunged forward, seizing the half-full package of strawberries and grabbing his neck with my other hand. I used my firm hold on him to keep him in place while I began to repeatedly whack his head with the strawberries. 
    "Ow, ow, ow, take it easy!" Aoi exclaimed, pushing me away gently and holding his face in his hands. 
    "If you ever touch me again, I will not hesitate to cause trauma to some very sensitive parts of your body." I hissed, waving my knife threateningly. 
    Aoi raised his head and chuckled at me, patting me swiftly on the head and ducking under the outraged punch I threw his way. 
    "You're cute." Aoi smiled, collecting several ice cubes from the freezer and wrapping them in a paper towel. 
    "I am not!" I snapped, watching him gingerly press the make-shift ice pack to his cheek with a small hiss. I had reopened the large split in the corner of his mouth and he touched it softly with another paper towel, looking down curiously at the blood staining the white. 
    Aoi gave me one last grin and then walked towards the living room, parking himself on the couch. I sighed and rolled my eyes, deciding there wasn't much I could do about him now, and finished cutting the strawberries. 
    I walked into the living room with a plate of fruit and two glasses of water, setting them down on the table in front of Aoi carefully. He pulled the paper towel away from his eye and blinked at me, raising one eyebrow. 
    "Eat." I said, taking a strawberry for my own and chewing it slowly. Aoi moved cautiously towards the plate, snatching up a few blackberries and retreating before I could start hitting him again. 
    "You're being very nice all of a sudden." Aoi remarked, a suspicious glint in his eyes. I took a few moments of silence to inspect the ugly bruising around his right eye, his skin blooming purple and red. 
    "Did Kris really do all that to you?" I asked, gesturing to the dark bruises on his arms and ribs. 
    "Awww, how cute being worried about me." Aoi gave me a sickly-sweet sarcastic smile before popping another berry into his mouth, slowly on his fingers. "Nope."
    "Why don't you fix it?" I asked, looking at his knife on the coffee table. Kris had left it there when Calum left, knowing Aoi would eventually find it. 
    "First of all, hunters put up quite the fight, just so you know. Second, what's the point of healing myself if I means I'm too exhausted to do anything else for another day?" Aoi asked. 
    "But your face..." I trailed off. Aoi rubbed a contemplative hand along his jaw, feeling the stubble on his skin and shrugging. 
    "Not too pretty, I know. But don't worry; I'll heal faster and be back to my handsome self by late afternoon." Aoi grinned, gulping down his glass of water and then confidently seizing mine. I sighed, standing up and picking up the empty plate. 
    "I'm going to go check on Ryu and Snake. Don't do anything stupid while I'm upstairs." I said, walking to the kitchen. 
    "No promises!" Aoi called after me, grinning as he picked up the tv remote. I sighed again, dropping the plate in the sink and then walking upstairs. 
    I smiled at Snake when I walked into the loft, finding him propped up on the bed with his bass across his lap. He was plucking the strings absentmindedly, looking over Ryu while the other boy tuned his guitar. 
    "How are you feeling?" I asked, walking over to help Snake sit up and pull off his shirt. 
    "A little better." Snake said, looking back to smile at me softly. I carefully pried up the tape on his back and then pulled the bandages away, inspecting the stitches. 
    "It's looking good." I said, pushing down ever so slightly on the skin next to the stitches. The very top and bottom of the wound were already scarred over, leaving just the middle section to heal. 
    "Do you think I can play tonight?" Snake asked hopefully. I frowned as I thought, rewrapping his back tenderly and finally nodding. 
    "If you're up to it. No passing out on stage, though. And I want you home by ten." I said sternly, looking at both of them. 
    "Thank you." Snake smiled, setting his guitar down to relax against the bed. Ryu settled next to him, pulling out Kris' laptop and opening it. 
    "How about a movie?"  Ryu asked, looking over at Snake. Snake smiled and Ryu looked up at me with a small laugh. "Kris said we could."
    "It's fine with me." I smiled, watching Ryu rest his head on Snake's chest and stretch one arm across Snake's waist. 
    I padded back downstairs, leaving them to it. The rest of the day consisted of me trying out new dessert recipes—half of which were amazing and half of which belonged in the lower pits of hell—and using Kris as my taste-tester. Aoi occasionally wandered in to snag more ice or drag his finger through the frosting I was making, which earned him a wooden spoon to the shoulder. 
    By the time it was time for Snake and Ryu to leave, I had started pan frying steaks for dinner and shredding lettuce for a salad. I was in the middle of mixing a vinaigrette when they came downstairs, Ryu carrying both amps with a guitar gig bag slung over each shoulder. 
    "Are you sure you don't want me to carry something?" Snake asked, limping after the younger boy with a guilty expression on his face. 
    "If you ask me that one more time, I will punch you in the throat." Ryu said exasperatedly, glaring half-heatedly at Snake and trying to nudge the front door open. 
    I opened it for them, catching Ryu by the shoulders and making him wait. 
    "Snake, be careful. No crowd-surfing tonight, okay?" I asked, smiling. 
    "I promise." Snake grinned, smiling back at me. I nodded contently, holding the door open further for Ryu. 
    "Remember, call me if there's any trouble." I said, kissing both of their foreheads and sending them out the door. 
    I finished cooking the steaks and tossed a green salad, laying everything out on the kitchen table with two wineglasses and a chilled bottle of red. Kris watched me work, helping by scrubbing out the dishes I used immediately after I was done with them, drying them quickly so I wouldn't have to worry about them. 
    Aoi wandered into the kitchen briefly to steal a package of brownies, Kris (which obviously went over beautifully), and then return to the living room couch. True to his word, the bruising on his body and face had faded to almost invisible yellow marks. 
    "Okay, either he learns to keep his hands to himself or he sleeps in his own house." Kris grumbled. I could hear Aoi chuckling from the living room, rolling my eyes and planting a kiss on Kris' cheek. 
    We both settled down at the table and Kris talked about the work he had done in the yard earlier, taking big bites of steak and salad. I was just finishing off my salad when Aoi interrupted us to steal my salad bowl and fork, disappearing silently back into the living room. 
    "He's like a sullen teenager." I remarked, getting up to get a new fork and sighing. 
    "Why do you think I actively avoid warlocks?" Kris asked. 
    "That's offensive!" Aoi called from the living room, turning up the tv in revenge. I was  about to retort when the doorbell rang and I looked up from my dinner, frowning at Kris across the table. He gave me a questioning shrug and I sighed, setting down my knife and fork and standing. 
    "I'll just be a minute." I said, walking through the living room. Aoi sat up when he saw me, seeing my frown and immediately standing to follow. 
    I expected to feel a hand sliding down my , but Aoi kept his hands to himself as he hovered protectively close to me. I slid back the deadbolt and opened the door, finding myself face to face with perhaps the oddest and simultaneously most handsome man I had ever seen.  
    Aoi grasped my elbow and pulled me back a few steps, but I pulled away from him and focused on the man in front of me. Aoi sighed and crossed his arms, leaning into my shoulder to let me known he was still there. 
    The man in front of us was wearing a thin white button-down shirt that had the first two buttons undone to expose his pale throat and collarbones, a heavy black peacoat resting on his shoulders. His legs were clad in black skinny jeans and he had elaborate black boots on, covered with black buckles and silver laces. He was about as tall as me and his shoulders were broad, his chest thick with muscle as it tapered to his slender waist. 
    "Can I help you?" I asked, looking him up and down. He had graceful Asian eyes, highlighted by the dramatic black eyeshadow and liner he was wearing, making his pale skin even more shocking. 
    "Sure thing, pet." He murmured, his full lips lifting in a sensuous smile. His voice was deep and smooth, melting my knees to nothing while I wobbled and clutched the door. 
    "Who are you?" I asked, raising one eyebrow. He grinned, black eyes dancing briefly as he thumbed at his straight, thin nose. 
    "My name is Yoichi." He purred, extending his hand. His palm was smooth and oddly cold as I shook his hand, watching with wide eyes when he gracefully pulled my hand up to brush his lips softly against my knuckles. 
    "Yeah, and how do I know you?" I asked, snapping myself out of it and pulling my hand back. Yoichi smiled again, that same lazy provocative lift of his lips as before. 
    "You don't, silly. I'm here to see your charming mate." Yoichi said simply, making me realize he was the true charming one here. 
    "Come right in—" I started, stepping back only to be stopped by Aoi. 
    "You're not welcome