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It had been a couple days since he had gotten the approval on the application for his own apartment. No more staying in his dad’s guesthouse. It had grown even more weirder when his dad chose duty and abandoned ship.  Not to mention being home made him feel weird when it came to Winter. He always felt like his father and family of hunters judged him while he stayed there.

The apartment was bare because he hadn’t had time to move most furniture items in. He had busied himself putting some homemade Enchiladas in the oven before he texted Winter the address and to come over. Lukas had a surprise for her too, because he had made her a set of keys to the apartment too. In case she ever felt the need to escape and he was out hunting.

The time felt like it dragged on for hours until he heard the knock on his door. He peeked through the peephole and tossed open the door. Sending the scent of freshly made enchiladas out the door towards her. He beamed down to her and stepped backwards into the apartment so she had room to enter in. 

“Hey Win, what do you think? Not a bad place, right?” 

“Here you go.. Billy doesn’t win today.”

“You’re lucky I’m here with a friend.” Lukas replied to Cyrus curtly as his hand traced over the blade under his sleeve. He had started to hunt the Merman under different circumstances before after the information was slid to the Leon’s. He straightened and pursed his lips taking on the others appearance. He almost felt like stabbing the man, so he could go back to finding Winter who was his date-not-date. It’s a thin line between wanting to hunt the thing Cyrus was but to behave in certain ways that wouldn’t upset Winter since she had to be near. 

Things between himself and Winter were as good as they could be. They were trying to figure one another out in a different light, but one they couldn’t do in public. Not with the rules set in place. They would be in public ‘just friends’ no matter how serious they ventured privately. Lukas’s eyes flickered to the familiar blue hair as he came up to her side and eyed the booth in front of them. “There’s so much to do. I don’t even know where to start.” He murmured chewing on his bottom lip to keep from steering his face closer to hers. 

“Are you wearing your swimsuit for the water park part?” He inquired and was pretty sure the shorts he had on would work for that part. Idly he pops his knuckles to keep from placing his arms around her waist and parading around with her. Because that would be..too obvious, right?

       “ Ya got that right. “   Caden took another swig of his drink, eyebrows raised at the mention of Lukas’ father.    “ Really ?   He left and didn’t say anything ?   Sounds like I should be the one buying YOU the next drink. “    Caden and his parents weren’t very close, and didn’t always clue him in when they decided to take month-long trips to Europe. But it seemed out of character from Lukas’ family, he knew that much.   “ How’s the rest of your family holding up ? “

“That being said, it’s surprisingly a good hunter tool. I mean Tinder is.” Lukas had used it a couple of times to hunt a supernatural, but his methods were more old school following the lead of his dad. “Have you had any success with Tinder before this?” He asked curiously, not like he was looking to date anyone using the tool. “Yeah, no not really. We had a disagreement at the gala, and he had left word that he went to Spain to handle the family business there.” He smiled at Caden’s thoughtfulness. “I won’t turn down a drink if you buy it.” Lukas thought about the royal fuckery the gala did to his family and he sighed. “I think we’re all trying to figure things out.” No need to go into the gritty details about Judith and his dead-not-dead father being supernatural.

             “  thank  you  .  i  know  it’s  not  …  ideal  ,  but  it  means  a  lot  to  me  ,  “  hunter  says   quietly  ,  shrugging  her  shoulders  .  “  you  can  think  of  it  as  …  like  ,  an  IOU  if  that’s  …  more  your  speed  !  “  she  offers  a  small  smile  .  she  knows  it’s  not  inherently  amazing  for  the  hunters  to  show   weakness  ,  but  she’s  not  afraid  to  ask  for  help  .  usually  .

“Don’t mention it. You’re welcome. Hopefully we don’t get mauled, but if we do I have enough bullets.” He mused which was probably the wrong way to be amused as he walked with her. “IOU? Oh no, I only take fifty and one-hundred dollar bills.” He grinned and quietly laughed, before he deadpanned trying to remain serious. “Still feeling a bit worried after the gala?”

“Yeah, grad school isn’t for everyone…” Aiden scratched the back of his neck. He had a faint memory of lukas having a sister, but it had been so long that the details became muddy. Even though Aiden said he had so much to tell lukas, it was difficult to find the correct words. What on earth would Aiden talk about without coming off too personal? Do they even have anything in common anymore? 

“Well, I haven’t had any luck.” The Godfrey shrugged. “I think she’s just waiting for the day I bring someone home… I feel like I disappointed her when I first ran into her here…” truthfully, Aiden didn’t even bother looking for a date because he had the impression that a date was not required. It felt kind of weird looking for a date for a specific event. “Mom thought it was weird I didn’t bother finding an date for the gala. Do people look for dates specifically for events? It seems kind of weird, in my opinion…” he added, “Ingenuine, maybe.” He cleared his throat. “You’ve dated, right?” It was rather an odd question to ask, but Aiden figured that given lukas’ age, he would have gone on quite a few dates by now.

“Yeah, I would probably just end up acting out and getting thrown out.” Lukas admitted via his inebriated state, but his grin grew wider when he thought about his antics in grade school. Telling his dads that the teacher was a supernatural was one of the favorite things he did, and at the time he didn’t really think much of it. He tried not to as he grew older feeling a slight ping of guilt occasionally. All except for Mrs. Hubbel in fifth grade that teacher was the worst ever. 

“I’m sure you’ll have luck down the road.” Lukas offered and extended his arm to give Aiden a friendly clamp on the shoulder. Perhaps it lingered there a bit longer than it should have, but he didn’t see it that way. “Oh nonsense, probably just surprised you didn’t bring a date. Winter and I decided to come last minute together.” He replied with a slow shrug of his shoulders. “I’m sure the older people do?? but I don’t think it’s a requirement. I don’t really know.” He chuckled lightly in thought about it. “Unless you’ve been dating the person or are married to them maybe. A date doesn’t have to be romantic, y’know?” Lukas arched a brow at the next question, it caught him off guard. Mouth slightly ajar as he tried to think of the answer - even though he knew it. “Oh yeah, yeah. Almost got engaged once. What about you?”

“And you’re sure you’re okay?” She didn’t want to press too much, not wanting him to pull away again. Still she didn’t like the idea of him being hurt at all. “If you need me to help I can… if you’re in pain.” Fae magic wasn’t the same as witches magic but it was still magic and he was a hunter. It was something she had to remind herself, no matter how much she trusted him, knew he’d never hurt her, she still had to accept that. Things weren’t as easy as she wished they were, it was easier when they were younger. 

She’d never spent much time around witches, the most time had been when she was young and at the hospital. Winter had met Constance a few times before, never said much to her but she did know her. Most of what she’d heard about the woman was from Lukas himself, she really only hoped she didn’t actually mind Winter being there. No matter what her name was she was still from the Island. “So she was the one who bandaged it?” His own patch jobs were something she’d seem and this was better than those usually were. “I’d hate to have to try to sneak into the Godfrey house, I don’t think i’d get that far.” Teasing she wanted to make him smile a little. “I’m happy to go with you.” she added. Lukas didn’t usually talk about his mom, it was hard for him and she never forced it. Looking down at the ring in his hand she had to ignore the way her heart jumped at the motion, “I’ll be there whenever you need me.” It was a promise. She squeezed his hand before he pulled it away. 

“Blue hair would be a look for you.” Blue was her natural hair but whenever she got bored she changed it, she was also a fan of the red. “I think a darker blue than this. Maybe I can play with your hair some time.” Turning away from him she cleared her throat. There was no reason for her face to be reddinging like it was. “Hey.” Winter stopped him, “It’s okay. I had fun and you got to see your sister. So it’s okay, I know what we are so that’s what matters.”  Friends. The word echoed in her head. 

He wasn’t sure if it was all alcohol or partial, but as he watched her. There wasn’t much fault he could see in her. He knew he was supposed to find fault in her being what his father would call a ‘pixie’, but it didn’t exist. Lukas had tried hard the past three years his dad had vanished to forget about her. He had ghosted her, but he had never within that time period forgotten about her. How could he? She was his best friend, but did best friends make hearts squeeze with slight panic? Lukas glanced to his hand again. It still throbbed with some pain, but it was his own fault the glass had pierced it. Partly drunk or not he was still stubborn to the S.  “It’s okay, Win.” He murmured again softly knowing she just wanted to help him. There’s a slim part of him that almost agrees, so that way she wouldn’t worry about it anymore. Alas his overall pride hadn’t been negated from the alcohol – at least not yet.

There’s a lump in his throat that the gulps down, sure that she could see right through him.   That’s part of what made them best friends, they didn’t have to speak aloud some things. He isn’t aware that his own gaze had started to betray him, softening as he looked down to her. “Si, she bandaged it.” Lukas answered but then started to grin as she spoke about sneaking into the Godfrey house. “could still both fail miserably. At least we’ll be stuck as lawn furniture together.” He tried to joke back, but he wasn’t very good at it. The grin remained beaming brightly across his features and pinching his dimples into place. “I’ll be here for you too. I won’t go anywhere. I won’t vanish like last time.” He didn’t think he had it in him to completely cut Winter out completely. She squeezed his hand and he felt the uncanny flutter in the pit of his stomach.

“You think? What if I wore it as a mullet or a mohawk?”  Lukas still teased her as they walked their way to the exit. To their means to get out of this gala that threatened to asphyxiate them. His brows lifted curiously as he lifted a hand to tousle over what hair on the top of his head that he had. Play with his hair sometime? He’d like that, but why did he feel like he wanted more than that? The night had started off with him being absolutely sure about most things, and how it was ending… He started to realize he knew absolutely nothing. Briefly he caught sight of the reddish tint to her face, which made his own feel warm in comparison. She didn’t have to do much to stop him, as he leaned against the exit door and glanced into her face. They both knew each other as friends, but he started to feel more brazen with the liquid courage pumping through his system.

‘I know what we are’ Her voice echoed in his mind and pulled him forward. The bandaged hand moved to stop her movement as well, and with his other arm he tried to steer her closer. The uninjured hand caressed her chin and tilted it upwards as he lowered himself down.

‘I know what we are.’

The chill of the night air felt like it could chap his cheeks as he finally pressed his lips against hers. Lukas’s eyes slowly close as his heart hammered rhythmically in his chest. The pit in his stomach somersaulted violently, but all the problems surrounding this night seemed to have vanished. Lukas had crossed over another threshold this evening at the gala.  What if this wasn’t something Winter had wanted? The thought had him pull away briefly, sluggishly as if he didn’t want to.

 “I..” have no clue what we are. The one syllable caught the path of her lips, and he made no immediate movement to correct it.

         Caden’s eyes lit up in recognition of the man, nodding at him thanks with a smile.      “ Thanks, man. Some Tinder girl, nothing too heartbreaking, “    he assured Lukas, taking a swig of his drink.   “ How about you ? “

Lukas turned to his friend and smiled slightly, “Ah Tinder, yeah it’s pretty hit or miss.” He replied as if he honestly knew, but his life had been completely devoted to hunting there for awhile he didn’t even use the app. Copying the motion he takes a swig of his own drink, squishing the liquid in his mouth. “Oh you know, family. Seems my dad left.” 

The morning had been a rough one, but he knew she would want to talk. Almost every disagreement he got into with his father was followed by a sit down with his tia Marisol. It was almost inevitable. Lukas sat down in the dining room chair and sniffed the air. The warm welcome scent of cooking pozole made his stomach do a spin. He also zoned out thinking about his night. An epic one he wasn’t sure he would count as a total loss.

“Tia, do you need any help?” He called out to her and decided to walk into the kitchen to help himself to a warm cup of coffee. Lukas wasn’t a coffee person persay, but he did need the extra dose of caffeine. Especially after he told her the news he had texted his pops. He was getting his own place, finally. “Did you make it out okay last night at the gala? No one was hurt right?” Lukas repeated softly as he felt a small little flutter of guilt twist at his stomach.

Then he remembered last night with Winter and that made his stomach twist even worse. He didn’t have to say that though. Quietly he was trying to think of a convincing lie to speak to his aunt about the night. They didn’t go the full way, but he knew that they were dangerously close to breaking that rule. At least, he felt like he would break it with her.