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[kaden-kingsman]

"I don't think they'd need to," she replied, the phantom vibration of her phone drawing Kaden to look upon it before returning it back to her pocket, "They're mostly just lecture based, and the power points are always posted online." Of course, the power points didn't contain the actual explanations, or anecdotes, or what exactly had been discussed, but it was better than being left with absolutely nothing to go off of. "I sent in a doctor's note so nobody would be too concerned." A thought that immediately brought her brows to crease, "You weren't informed of that?" They were Kyle's doctors after all. She'd grown familiar with the conclusion that anything involving people who worked for him would also be told to Kyle.

Kyle knew that she'd only gone two days. The only thing that would stop her from attending school was if they had a function, or were out of the city. Usually, it had to do with him, because after all, it was him paying for the school. His donation that – unbeknownst to her had gotten her in – so in a way, he was feasibly the easiest excuse not to go. So when Isabel voiced her concerns, he, too, was concerned. "What a bad girl," his voice came out mockingly low. He lowered the sun visor now that they were facing the sun. "Did the professors send you the lessons?"

[kaden-kingsman]

PHOEBE TONKIN © Sophie Muzychenko (2023)

[kaden-kingsman]

Now she could no longer hide the smile on her lips, the vaguely sheepish way she looked over at him. "Stop," she scolded playfully. At least this guaranteed that Isabel kept her promise and hadn't reached out to him. She'd expressed so much concern that Kaden had truly been worried that she would. "Two days of classes," she admitted. Though she didn't yet reach back towards him, her body had once again entirely shifted in his direction as she leaned on one side of her ass instead of evenly seated, "So, no. I'd argue probably not a very good girl."

"It's not in my programming," he kept his attention on the road. Just because there were less people, it didn't mean that he was just going to drive recklessly now. After all, this was her car. Technically his, but he'd still be an ounce safer. "Did you miss any classes this week, or have you been a good girl?"

[kaden-kingsman]

Even though he inched forward, the tension of a short wince still crossed her brows as he pulled himself into the bike lane. Granted, he would forever be a far better driver than any of the humans around them, but technically this was her new car—she'd hate to have it scratched. Her head shook at his words, tension leaving her body as they took the right and the road cleared up, "You'd be a robot specifically programmed for sarcasm," she replied as the corners of her lips turned up just enough to perhaps be considered a smirk, "Don't lie to me."

Oh, if she wanted him to be sarcastic, it'd be dripping. It would be so thick that she would probably get out of the car and she'd have to walk home. But was it going to do that? No. Because he had a plan. And though the plan was intricate, it didn't involve him blatantly being a dick. "And you've been hanging out with Isabel, and, well," he finished the sentence with a slight shrug before inching forward enough that the distance made up his mind. He took to the right, confirming no bicyclist were nearby, and shot through the biker lane. Two cars decided to honk, yet he took the red light and the right, entering a less congested street. "But no. Remember, I'm a robot. I'm incapable of being sarcastic."

[kaden-kingsman]

Her body leaned back against the seat, hands pressing against the sunglass frames as if she could meld them to her very face—and then she felt like an idiot all over again. She could feel his gaze, its intimidating weight overpowering her like it always seemed to do. "I thought you were saying it like... sarcastically." Nope. Instead she was jumping to yet more conclusions that'd end their happy reunion before it even began, "It's my fuckin' head. I just think all my social cues are off."

There was a war waging in his head about taking the middle lane. Or the bike line. If he used the middle lane, he'd have to wait for the light to turn to take a left. If he used the bike lane, he could head east for a bit– Kyle looked at her. Maybe that headache wasn't strong enough. "Like what," he continued giving her his attention. After all, he was just matching what she gave him until he didn't have to.

[kaden-kingsman]

And, just like that, she retracted her hand from his grip, the first moment (minus when he'd walked around the front of the car) that she'd actively stopped touching him since she'd leapt into his arms. "It's been fine." And it had been, minus the two days she'd missed because her head pounded and her body felt like actual death. Did she push she shouldn't. She should let it go, and just be, and not risk any sort of continued snippy tone, but... Kaden was Kaden. "Why'd you ask it like that?"

All that was ahead was traffic, and there wasn't anything he could do about them. He could always take the middle lane. It wasn't like he'd get a ticket for doing so. It took a moment to realise she hadn't answered. A quick glance shot sideways, but the cars ahead began to move. What he got, instead, was a declaration of her love and a not so clean subject change. One that had him scowling. "Of course it closed." No details given about the five percent higher equity, or the other deal that came in tandem with it. More money, more negotiations. "And how's school been?" he droned in the same tone she'd used.

[kaden-kingsman]

And Kaden didn't even know what to say to that. Things between them weren't usually awkward—she wouldn't even necessarily call them awkward now—but the elephant in the room wasn't getting pushed anywhere closer to the exit with the subject they continued to stick to. Wolves and magic and witches and the like just weren't things she necessarily felt like discussing at the moment. "And I love you." She'd leave it at that. She prayed he'd let her leave it at that. "Did that deal close? The one you had the big meeting for on Wednesday?"

Kyle used both hands to turn the car left, immediately having to brake at the traffic jam he'd pulled them into. A scowl crossed his features, followed by a heavy sigh that showed his frustration. "You'll always be delicate to me," he said in passing. He rose up in his seat to try and get a better vantage on if he wanted to be illegal and pass everyone, or test his patience and wait. "Whether you're immune to wolfsbane, or gain a hundred pounds in muscle. You're mine, and I'll protect that at all costs."

[kaden-kingsman]

"Not wild. The migraine is just giving me brain rot," she replied, though the smile on her lips faltered the smallest bit. Kaden pulled back, though her hand remained in his even as she retracted back to her seat. "No need to take bullets for me now. No more delicate witchiness." And she'd hate herself for the rest of her life because of it.

Kyle allowed her to soliloquise her life post mortem. Fabricating the lie that would be his downfall while telling him exactly how it'd go. For one, it was kind of cute to listen to how her mind constructed such a story. Yet to hear how easily it derailed the moment she allowed her emotions to get the better of her? "Sounds like your imagination has gone a little wild over the week," he informed her somberly. "And to think, I'd continue taking bullets for you despite everything."

[kaden-kingsman]

"I'll go like full on 1980s mourning like one of the outfits Princess Diana wore, I promise," she teased, the images of the wide brimmed hats and the darkened garments vividly displayed in her mind. "Though, I'd prefer it to be a bit more of a ruse instead," she countered, "That way, you can actually see my outfit and you can hold the rapt attention of the entire world in your palm when you seemingly come back from the dead." Plus, she'd miss him too much. She'd miss him too much. "Besides, it'd be almost too poetic," she decided, "All those bullets you've taken for me and then me using one to take you out." All those months ago, not years, months, when she'd been a witch, and he'd been a wolf, and he'd blocked her without a moment of hesitation from taking those lobelia bullets straight to the chest, "I'd get lonely."

A plane crash was a bit more eloquent than a car crash. Then again, she could always stage the death and say that a hunter took her out. "Or say 'get me shot' and during the press conference, you can cry and promise vengeance on whoever did it." It'd allow her to wear an outfit worthwhile. The fact they were joking about his supposed killing was quite masochistic, however, he loved it. He loved when she met his humour. Absolutely adored that she was acting like nothing ever happened. Throughout the day, he'd see if she actually meant this remorse she should have. In the little sighs here, the light apologies there. "I expect your most iconic outfit yet. A hat and everything."

[kaden-kingsman]

"No, no, absolutely not," he met her on a level of humor, she'd gladly do her best to keep him there, "I need to wait until at least after we're married. Grieving widow just sounds so much more dramatic than grieving fiancée." Sometimes, even with the sizable ring on her finger, it still took her mind a moment to remember that they were in fact engaged, that they were, in a way, already married as far as wolf customs were concerned. "Besides, I'd at least make it a plane crash."

It wasn't a usual occurrence for him to hear everything that he was. Albeit welcomed, Kyle specifically wasn't used to Kaden naming off such titles. Maybe one, at most two, but three? The boyish grin of someone who was actually twenty-five and not the normal fifty he always acted came out. "Don't make me think you spent seven days preparing for my abruptly dramatic departure now." His dark humour was on full display, along with the smile that remained intact.

[kaden-kingsman]

And he'd somehow returned a smile to pull across her lips. "As if..." she replied with a small shake of her head, attention still remaining entirely towards him even as the car started to move. "I mean, Kyle Davidson?" she pushed from her seat, readjusting to lean an elbow on the center console as she grew closer with each of her words, "King of New York? Ruler of Five Boroughs? Promised Prince?" she could continue on with his titles, but the last thing she needed was to sound as if she'd started to recite a script from Game of Thrones. "Definitely not going to die in a car crash because I mistook the brake for the accelerator." She'd lifted their hands once more, lips pressing another soft kiss to the back of his knuckles, "Plus, most importantly, I'd miss you too much."

Leaving her being the only one with an apology vocalised was... Satisfying. He didn't feel the need to further pry for a deeper, lengthier one. For one, Kyle knew he'd receive more when he had her legs splayed open and her heart fluttering into madness later. Even more so when he got alcohol in her system and the check was paid, that odd haze of post dinner that would leave her most vulnerable. It wasn't just a one and done thing with Kaden, Kyle was fairly certain of it. What he could do now was show her the things he was capable of giving her. Reminding her of what she'd left behind for those seven days and further instil the guilt in her. As awful as it was, Kyle just knew he had to do this for the sake of their relationship. There couldn't be another round of weeks without her. "That is true, but... What if you actually achieve what others have failed to do? And with a G-Wagon no less?" A playful smirk tugged before he accelerated the car forward. "I'd expect me to go out a little more dramatically, but at least it'll be unexpected."

[kaden-kingsman]

"Thank you." He'd breezed past her apology for the most part, and Kaden decided to continue on in the same way. Repeating the things she felt she'd done wrong would do nothing than recycle the same conversation until he finally snapped. No, breezing past it just as he'd offered was a blessing she'd gladly take. "Of course I'll keep the flowers and the car," she replied, fingers shifting against his hand as their touch remained clasped, "You still need to teach me how to drive though. I don't trust anyone else. Plus, I know you won't die if I crash."

Due to the fact that they would be out in public, there was a front that had to remain. He'd have to play the doting fiance, one entirely enraptured by her mere existence while upholding a sense of prestigious control that wouldn't make him seem approachable. The area they'd sit alone would make it difficult, and it wasn't like people in New York approached others regardless – albeit the few ballsy homeless – but there was a reason Kyle wanted to get her home. That is, until the weight of her gaze made her words sink even further. Just as he expected her to, Kaden asking to apologise for her actions was Plan A. It was Plan B or C that he'd mentally prepared himself for, so to get Plan A was... Relieving.

"Yes, you may. However, you have my word that I won't put you in such a position in our home again," he spoke his perfectly practiced form of an apology. If it'd been them before bonding, and before the light trickle of memories dripped back into their minds, he would have taken her apology at that: her fault. In his mind, Kyle still thought it was her fault for the extent this had gone to. Which was why he didn't apologise for his behaviour. Or apologise. Just that he wouldn't put her in a position for fail so miserably. "And as long as you actually keep the flowers I have for you at the house... And the car."

[kaden-kingsman]

Kaden couldn't help the tug of a smirk at the corner of her lips as he pulled back, "As if you're gonna give us any time to talk." As if she wouldn't be just as guilty of containing that preferable means of distraction after a week apart. His presence even now in the SUV neared almost overwhelming in the privacy of the interior, somehow more intoxicating than he'd even been when she'd first bounded down the stairs and physically leapt into his arms. Her temple leaned back against the headrest as she turned herself fully in his direction beneath the likely unnecessary addition of her seatbelt, eyes searching over his profile as the light remained red. How exactly had she survived seven long days without him. "Can I apologize for how I exploded and how awful I feel about it and then we both just don't talk about it for the rest of the night?"

"I do," he agreed wholeheartedly. Multiple times she'd fallen victim to coming apart by just the sheer force of his promises. Both in bed, and out. When they came to a stoplight, Kyle shifted in his seat to make his pants fit better. With the city holding them back from their destination, he used the time to look over at her. Ignoring the concealment of her eyes and leaving their hues to his imagination. "Whatever that little heart of your's desires." No middle compartment could hold him back from kissing her, and this specific one was no different. He kissed her in a way that was soft, yet full of the dominance he held over her. His thumb swiping over the expanse of her jaw for a moment before Kyle pulled away. "I expect a tiramisu to be ordered, too, or we got some talkin' to do."

[kaden-kingsman]

So I lеap from the gallows and I levitate down your street Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream "Who's afraid of little old me?" I was tame, I was gentle 'til the circus life made me mean "Don't you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth" Who's afraid of little old me? Well, you should be

[kaden-kingsman]

Kaden giggled, a genuine, radiant sound that filled the spacious interior of the car. Her head may have ached for days and her heart might have endured agony even more painful, but somehow just the mere return of his physical presence had eased away the roughest edges of the suffering. "I mean, I'm always fascinated by your descriptions," she teased, smile reaching a level that nearly matched the same sheen as the bright spring sun reflecting off the concrete jungle, "You just have such a way with words." And with his hands, and with his tongue, and with his... "You know, I might even get a dessert at Carmine's," she decided, "Make it an extra celebratory night." She'd cling to it, this reunion between them. Otherwise, the guilt would begin to leak in, remorse for how their fight went down, regret regarding the anger with which she'd eviscerated him and the words she'd used.

For all Kyle knew, Syracuse had happened many, many years ago. They'd lived an entire life. Created new memories and endured old ones. There were times where his mind felt ready to explode with understanding when these memories took place and if they were even his to begin with. Kaden choosing not to pry further into the subject was welcomed, as was her change in subject. After all, he had to remember they'd just gone a week not talking – her fault, since he'd given her a multitude of occasions to reach out. "Ever the curious baby wolf," he smiled genuinely at her. Once again, he brought her hand to his lips, delicately kissing her index finger before setting the intwined hands to the center console. "Well, first is get home. Get you drugged. Fuck you an amount of times I haven't decided, then take you to dinner at Carmine's at nine. Fuck you some more..." He looked over at her, "Need me to go more into depth?"

[kaden-kingsman]

"Yeah, it was worse this time around with just a few miles between us than it was when I was all the way up in Syracuse." The mere thought of Syracuse struck a pang of sadness through her chest. It felt like another lifetime at this point. The hopes and dreams she'd held so strongly then had been dashed and here she remained still trying to pick up the pieces in the present day. "Let's not talk about it." Granted, he'd just vaguely brought it up and she'd been the one to expand on the topic, but thoughts of Syracuse, and her pounding headache, and the fight that'd driven her to leave put her firmly in a headspace she had no interest in occupying. "I'd rather talk about the rest of this day with you that made you cancel all your plans."

Kyle took note of how she retracted herself, but much to his pleasure, she remained holding his hand. It wasn't like he needed to use both hands to maneuver the seven-thousand pound vehicle. "Distance does worse damage on the body with our bond than a witch bond." Maybe she hadn't realised it over the past few days, but there was a reason his parents had never been able to live independently. Another maybe was that maybe enduring the pain she'd had, Kaden wouldn't throw a tantrum for this long again.

[kaden-kingsman]

"Shh..." she scolded as they pulled out into the street, "Don't jinx it." Because otherwise, knowing the bad luck she swore she'd been experiencing as of late, Kyle would be pulled away for exactly that. Some sort of uprising, or magically derived explosion, or some other unmitigated disaster that he'd be a fool to not personally tend to. She pulled back from his hand to return to a normal sitting position though a hand still remained clasped against his, "I'll be taking it." No question about it, there was no honor in the sort of pain it'd had her in for days. If he had a cure, she'd happily jump back to a normal existence as opposed to waiting for it to subside naturally.

"Unless the world ends, yes," he confirmed. It was also why he had Mark and Aaron be the deciding factors. Auggie would always want to run it by him, but the two that shared one brain cell? They wouldn't dare unless completely necessary. The multiple layers of tint made it easy to see the rode despite the dulling headache. It wasn't completely necessary to have his sunglasses, and from the facial expressions she was making, Kyle knew she needed them more than him. "The headache should subside within the hour." From what Isabel said, it'd been a near constant migraine for her. "But I've got a brew at home you can take for it."