#polycule relationship

When Gavin and the Freelancer discuss at length how much attracted they are towards their friends, Gavin proposes that they sit down with Damien, Lasko and Huxley to discuss the possibilities of dating one another. 

So they invite them over to their apartment for dinner after a hectic exam week. 

When the Freelancer confesses their feelings for their friends in the middle of dessert, their reactions are entertaining, to put it mildly. Damien flustered so badly that spark appeared on his fingertips, Lasko gasped so loudly that a gust of wind knocked their coffee table and TV down, and the apartment shook a little when Huxley's heart skipped a beat. 

Gavin certainly enjoyed the lust enveloping the apartment when each of the boys returned the Freelancer's confession. 

Once they and Gavin opened their relationship with their friends, they all underwent a trial adjustment period. They all learned how to have a healthy polyamorous relationship through constant research, and having Gavin as their teacher certainly helped. Constant communication and many compromising moments lead them all into an official romantic relationship in just half a year. 

And by the time they all graduated, their relationship continued to grow even stronger. 

But living in an apartment with five freshly graduated students proved to be a challenge. They react to one another as roommates well enough once Damien produces the chart assigned chores that they all can get behind and that Huxley and Gavin enjoy cooking up a feast for their lovers. But in terms of space-wise? Yeah, the apartment quickly becomes like a tight can of sardines. 

So the Freelancer decided to broke the question on a Friday. Dinner was delicious; spicy stir-fry smoked duck meat with bowls of rice, a stack of lettuce and cabbage for wraps, as well as a few plates of cheese omelette accompanied by a pitcher of iced green tea. Huxley blushed but smiled proudly when the Freelancer couldn't stop moaning about how good the food was. The others were quick to throw compliments to the chef too.  

"Y-You want us to move out?" Lasko asks; his hands are busy filling the lettuce with rice, chives and some meat. He wraps them up into a tight ball before stuffing the food into his mouth. He nods in thanks when the Freelancer passes him a cold glass of green tea to wash it down.

"Mm-hmm!"

"With what money?" Damien interjects, bewildered at the Freelancer's sudden suggestion. When he catches Huxley's bowl of rice is nearly emptied, he scoops some more into it from the rice cooker. Huxley beams and thank him with a quick peck on the cheek. Damien rolls his eyes but lets out a tiny smile before he returns to the conversation. "We just started working, not to mention our savings aren't enough to cover for anything but emergencies."

"Well, not right now. Maybe in the future when we're all a bit more financially secure." The Freelancer amended. They lazily sip on their drink, stomach pleasantly full from three bowls of rice. The rest made quick work of finishing their meal. 

"With that in mind, I suppose it's prudent of us to start doing our research on what kind of house we want," Gavin adds in his two cents. He laced his fingers to rest his chin. "Here's my preference; as long as we invest in a bed that doesn't break when we pile in, you'll hear no complaint from me. Just the opposite." 

Beside him, Lasko coughs at the memory of what happened to their last bed. Gavin chuckles and high-fives the Freelancer as Lasko's cheeks steadily turn red. Damien sighs at their antics but goes over to help Lasko settles down while Huxley passes some napkins to them. 

The Freelancer and their boys (minus Gavin) tentatively step into the world of adulthood the moment each of them holds their first-ever career. 

Lasko is now officially a professor teaching Magical Taxonomy at D.A.M.N for first-year students; they're all very proud of how grown he has become as a person. Damien is gunning for the position of Dean of D.A.M.N to change their magical community for the better, and if anyone can do it, they all believe it's him. Huxley also took a teaching position, but instead of D.A.M.N, he teaches at the local Empowered elementary school to help young kids control their magic; every day, he returns home covered with stickers and a cheerful smile. 

Gavin also found something he enjoys doing; he plays as one of the liaisons between the Chorus in Aria and D.U.M.P. They're happy for him; he finally has a way to enjoy the best of both worlds. As for the Freelancer, they decided to become a Healer under a Vampire from the Solaire Clan as part of their career. 

For freshly graduated students, they're off to a good start! 

"I guess there's no harm in planning early," Damien agreed, once dinner was over; his voice easily carried throughout the apartment. The Freelancer and Lasko were washing up the dishes while Damien wiped the table. Gavin and Huxley are preparing the living room for their monthly movie date night. "There's a lot we need to do. Shall we take some time this weekend to research and going over what sort of house we're looking for?"

"I'm down for it!" The Freelancer replies as Lasko wipe their hands dry using the tea towel. 

"My Mums might have some realtor numbers they trust. I'll give them a call later."

"Thanks, Hux. The more help we can get, the better."

And with that, everyone has a goal for the future. 

-

They did it. They finally did it. After four long years of intense budgeting, moving around their shared savings and applying for the perfect mortgage, the Freelancer and their lovers finally bought their dream house! 

It took quite a long time for them to compromise on the location and house type: the Freelancer wants a big space for them to run around, Huxley wants a good backyard for BBQ parties and a garden of his own, Damien doesn't want to be too close to the neighbours, Lasko prefers to be within the Empowered community and Gavin... Gavin stuck to his condition throughout the whole adventure. 

So they ended up purchasing a comfortably large detached, two-storey house within the Empowered community suburbs that are quite popular for both large families and newly-wedded couples aiming to start their own families. 

The first floor focused on the living room and kitchen-dining room in the front. A hallway leads towards the back where the guest room (and the bathroom inside) and a laundry room are. The second floor is mainly for bedrooms and a study room. 

When the real estate agent guides them through the front door, they're immediately treated to the midpoint between the dining room and living room. On the right, the dining room is big enough to put a proper table that could fit their little family and any relatives coming over to visit. Then comes the spacious kitchen equipped with the necessities; countertops, a kitchen island in the middle, upper cabinets, a sink with an outside view, a ventilated stove, two ovens above one another and a space to put a fridge. 

There's also a pantry at the side where they can keep snacks and non-perishable foods. 

On the left is the living room. There's a cosy fireplace that would be great to put a couch, a settee and maybe some beanbags around. The space is also big enough to add some bookcases, tall lamps and maybe even a corner for yoga since Lasko has been getting into it lately. 

To Gavin's absolute delight and Lasko's never-ending embarrassment.  The Freelancer, Huxley and Damien always appreciate a free show too. 

Then they went up the wooden spiral staircase. Behind the stairs, however, is the storage room. Damien appreciates the sturdy black metal railing as their guide explains the amenities. The upper floor is pretty simple yet no less impressive. 

One the main concerned they all shared when they were house-hunting were the bedrooms. While none raised a peep about sleeping on the same bed and in the same room, everyone agreed that it would be nice if they could each have their own bedroom if one of them is sick or wants some alone time. 

"Oh my god, Gavin. I didn't mean it that way." Damien groaned exasperatedly when Gavin wiggled his eyebrows at him. 

"No, but there's no shame in desiring it." Gavin easily replied in a sing-song tone. 

So this house answered their issue. There are five bedrooms with one en suite room as the largest space available within the building and a study room. They all excitedly choose their bedrooms before they channel that energy to their plans for the master bedroom. 

For their first house, they chose well. It wasn't long before they moved in without any hiccups. 

Well, the HOA proved to be a pain in their asses. But judging by the verbal smackdown delivered by Damien similar to that of a furious and righteous angel, the Freelancer has a feeling that their lover would do everything in his power to disband the association by the end of the year. 

And apparently, Lasko shares the same sentiment when they, Gavin and Damien, return to their brand new home that evening. 

"Damien has a point, though... the fees are absolutely ridiculous," Lasko mutters as they finish unpacking the last few boxes from the move. It's been a long ride, but everyone is just ecstatic that their little family have a proper place to live comfortably now. "A-And I know you and Huxley are planning to do some yard works soon, and I can't imagine those board members allowing you guys to set up anything more but daisies."

The Freelancer made a grabby motion towards the empty boxes, to which Lasko dutifully passes them over. "Yeah, Hux mentioned something about a vegetable garden," They huff and stack all the empty boxes into a corner where Gavin would later bring it to the nearest recyclable centre. "Anyway, that's the last of the item. C'mon, let's see what the guys are up to in the kitchen!" 

And with that, peaceful days go by as everyone settled in their new home. 

However, peace doesn't last for long. Soon enough, the Freelancer notices something is... off with their new house. On a Tuesday afternoon, after they came home from Mr. Collin's, they decides to address the situation to the only person at home, which is Gavin. 

"Gavin?" The Freelancer calls out after they nudge the door close with their foot. 

"I'm in the dining room, Deviant." Comes the reply. 

When they round the corner, Gavin surprises them with a light meal on the table. He's in the middle of pouring a glass of water, so the Freelancer kisses his cheek in gratitude. "You're on kitchen duty today?" 

"Mm-hmm. I hope you'll enjoy some thick... juicy meats for dinner tonight, my Deviant." Gavin teases with a sultry smirk. He gently cups the Freelancer chin to pull them closer so he can give them a proper 'welcome home' kiss. 

"Sounds tasty." The Freelancer is breathless once they pull away. Gavin loves their flustered expression, so he dives in to pepper kisses on their neck. They moan and giggle, but before Gavin can sweep them off to the guest bedroom, the Freelancer remembers what happened two days before. "W-Wait, Gavin, Hang on. I need to ask something!" 

"What is it?" Gavin immediately snaps to attention. Lust shove aside for concern. 

"Have you notice anything odd lately?"

"What do you mean... odd?" 

"Like, things aren't where they're supposed to be. Especially our cookie jars; Sometimes they're in the living room instead of the pantry!" 

Gavin gives his partner a long look. "Deviant, we live with three other people. Are you starting to micro-manage the placement of the cookie jars now? Is this a habit that I need to fuck out of you?" 

Usually, the Freelancer would jump at the offer, but this time, they ran a tired palm over the side of their face in exasperation. "No, no. I was the only one on the first floor when I put the jars away at the time. But when I went out to the backyard and came back later, the jars were on the coffee table!" 

"OK, look, maybe you didn't realise that there was another jar already sitting in the living room when you were in the kitchen. That's not odd." 

"I suppose..." The Freelancer slowly replies, lightly biting their lower lip in hesitation. They decide to keep an open eye on any strange occurrences around the house just in case. Perhaps their mind is playing tricks on them? 

The answer to that is a hard no, because soon after they brought up that misplacement of the cookie jars, Lasko comes forward with his own bafflement. 

"Um, I'd just like to say thank you to whoever put the blanket on me last night when I passed out on the couch," Lasko begins as they all cuddle in front of the fireplace during a particular cold Autumn night. Everyone has a blanket drape over their shoulders and a warm mug of chocolate or tea each. Lasko is snuggling close to Huxley because Huxley requested a hug earlier while Damien acts as a heater between the Freelancer and Gavin. "Work has been crazy lately at D.A.M.N. Helping the junior Humanborn students get used to their classes is a work and a half but their smiles whenever they understand a lesson makes it up so much a-and Damien's introductory courses are really hitting it off with them that some even came to me to ask - "

"Whoa, wait wait, Lasko. I love hearing how your day went but rewind a bit." The Freelancer suddenly interjects. Their previous sleepy state immediately transforms to shock. "You didn't come up to bed last night?" 

"N-No, I came home late last night and went to chill on the couch after dinner for a bit, but then I fell asleep," Lasko explains, taken aback at his partner sudden reaction before their words suddenly register in him. "Wait. You guys thought I was in bed?" 

"You told me that you'd be staying in the office for only a little while longer. I didn't know that you came back late last night." Damien pipes in, eyes narrowing at Lasko, who 'eep' and press himself closer to Huxley's side to shield himself from Damien's tsundere mother-hen concern. 

"Guys, we're getting off track here!" The Freelancer cuts in again. "No one knew when Lasko came home last night, but I thought he was with us on the bed. Not on the couch." 

Huxley joins in. "Uh, I thought so too. Lasko likes to smush his face into someone's chest when he's tired, so I thought it was him." 

Lasko stammers to defend himself while Gavin chuckles. "Sorry, Gaia, that was me. What can I say? I have a weakness for your pecs." 

"Aww, don't apologise, Gavin! I'm glad you like my chest so much." Huxley beams when Gavin blows him a kiss. 

“Alright, so, if Lasko was sleeping on the couch last night and we all thought he was with us on the bed, then who put the blanket on him?" The Freelancer demands. 

Huxley is confused, Lasko and the Freelancer start to freak out, Damien stares as if they've all lost their marbles, and Gavin just smile in content. 

"Uh, did you sleepwalk last night?" Huxley asks, genuinely curious. 

"And grab the blanket from the cupboard in the guest room!?" Lasko splutters, eyes wide. "And I've never ever sleepwalked in my entire life! Why would I start now!?" 

"THE HOUSE IS HAUNTED!" The Freelancer shrieks, flailing their arms around. Damien hurries to move their tray of hot drinks away before they can accidentally spill it. Gavin kindly helps him. 

"We have ghosts roomies!?" Huxley said in a mixture of surprise and excitement. Like the Freelancer just confirms that Santa is real. 

"I-I always wondered if ghosts were a thing in the magical community, but I was hoping they weren't real!" Lasko squeaks in fear. The poor man is seconds away from turning into a burrito from wrapping the blanket too tightly around himself. "I-I mean, those scary movies have to come from somewhere, right!? Oh god, do you think when they said 'based on a true story' they actually meant it!? Oh my god, oh my god - did The Exorcist actually happened!?" 

"There's no such thing as ghosts!" Damien snaps. He could already feel his headache rising at whatever shenanigans the Freelancer is trying to stir up. 

"Oh, you believe in magic, but you don't believe in ghosts!?" The Freelancer is quick to rebuttal. Judgement coloured their tone as if Damien greatly disappointed them. 

But Damien is having none of it. He knew how mischievous his partner could get. "Look, we all took History of Magic. There are no records of ghosts ever existed in any of our textbooks, so in summary, ghosts don't exist." 

"We have Incubi - " Here, Gavin takes his cue to surprise Damien with a kiss on his cheek, startling him. " - Wereracoons, Daemons, Seers, Vampires and Dream Walkers, and you draw the line at ghosts?" The Freelancer counters with a raised eyebrow. 

Damien bristle when Gavin tries to distract him with more kisses. It's so annoying when Gavin and the Freelancer team up like this. "Yeah, because again, there's no recorded proof of their existence! Same as Wereracoons! There's no such thing as Wereracoons, what the fuck!?" 

"Wait - Wereracoons exist too?" Huxley chimes in again, even more, hyped up this time. 

"Oh, for fuck's sake - you're not helping, Huxley!" 

"D-Damien, please calm down! You're getting upset." Lasko bravely points out. No longer is he afraid of Damien's temper, but his magic does react strongly when he's emotional. Same as most Elementals. 

At Lasko's urges, Damien holds himself back and exhales. "I'm sorry, Lasko. Look, all I'm trying to say is that our house is fine. It's not haunted. We don't have any ghostly roommates, and if some crazy chances that we do - " Damien pauses to make sure to keep direct eye contact with the Freelancer's. " - you best believe I'll be charging them rent; with interest. But in reality? We're fine. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation about Lasko's blanket." 

"OK, yeah, maybe." The Freelancer is not one to give up. Damien just groans in return. "But what about the cookie jars!?" 

Gavin hurries to cup his mouth before he can burst out laughing while Damien becomes incensed once more and shrieks out, "What cookies jars!?" 

So, long story short: Lasko's blanket mystery was not solved that night, but everyone had a good time laughing. But the lack of answers and strange occurrences drive the Freelancer to investigate the ghostly presence around the house, and they manage to rope Lasko, Huxley and even Damien into it successfully. 

"Why is no one taking me seriously here?" Damien cuts in the middle of the Freelancer rolling out the blueprints of the house. They all are sitting around the coffee table as the Freelancer questions the existence of any hidden underground bunker or rooms. Any secret place where you could hide a body, basically.

It's a new day, a new bright Sunday morning, but here they are, going over plans instead of having a picnic like Damien tries to persuade them. Gavin, the lucky bastard, manages to escape from this insanity when his Inchoate Daemon co-worker from the Department calls him in to discuss the latest paperwork they received from the Chorus. 

Before he left, he gave each of his partners a kiss, threw them a shit-eating grin and said, "Don't have too much fun without me now!" and Rifted away. 

"We are! You made your point, but in a world of magic, anything is possible." The Freelancer replies before thanking Lasko for handing them a pen. They began marking certain areas on the blueprint with all the seriousness of a War General. 

Damien glares at his partner. "I'm starting to think that you're trying to fulfil some strange ghost hunting fantasy here. I knew you were getting a bit too obsessed with Ryan and Shane!" 

When the Freelancer refuses to confirm or deny it, Damien grabs the nearest pillow and scream into it. Huxley absentmindedly pats his back in a comforting manner, too enraptured over the Freelancer's plan. 

The plan is simple: They will split into teams of two (Huxley with Damien and the Freelancer with Lasko). One group will thoroughly investigate their assigned floor with some ghost hunting equipment that the Freelancer purchased from Craiglist (Damien lets out another scream when the Freelancer nonchalantly mentions the website) for any Paranormal activities. 

They will comb the house from top to bottom, from morning until evening if they had to. 

"Or we could have a picnic," Damien tries again after the Freelancer finish laying out their plan. "We still have some leftover desserts that Gavin baked last night. C'mon, Freelancer, you love food!" 

The Freelancer readily nods. "I do, but I love a house free of ghosts more. So let's go, boys! Operation: Fatal Framing is live!" The Freelancer declares. 

Huxley cheers, Lasko inspect the ghost camera in his hands with a frown while Damien mentally reminds himself that he loves these idiots on loop. And with that, they split up into two groups and began the investigation. The Freelancer and Lasko search every corner on the ground floor with the ghost radio and camera while Damien and Huxley went through every upper floor room. Huxley even occasionally taps on the wall to hear echoes that would lead them into a secret passage. 

For the entire morning and afternoon, they couldn't detect any ghostly presence. No items misplace, no weird noises, no hidden rooms (much to the Freelancer's and Huxley's disappointment) - absolutely nothing. Damien didn't waste any time in rubbing it in their faces during their short lunch break. 

"I told you our house is not haunted and that ghosts don't exist," The Fire Elemental repeats. Lasko made them hand roll sushi for a quick and easy lunch. Plates of julienned cucumbers, green onions and pea sprouts are on one corner of the table, while at the centre are dried seaweed, tuna with mayonnaise, shrimp tempuras, salmon sashimi, yellow noodles and a large bowl of rice. It's simple but very filling, and most importantly, it's Damien's favourite meal. So his mood is considerably better than this morning. "So can we please do something else today? How about a movie date?" 

The Freelancer knocks their head back and down a glass of water with gusto as if it was a beer. They then gasp dramatically and study Damien with narrowed eyes. "It's too early to give up now, Dami! Paranormal activities usually occur at night, so the investigation will continue once night fall. I want a 100% assurance that the real estate agent didn't lie when he claims that this house is brand new, built on a land with no dark history!" 

"Fuck me, you've been playing too much Silent Hill..." Damien rubs his temple in resignation. "I blame Gavin for enabling you." 

Lunch goes by without fanfare, and sooner than Damien like, the sun soon settles below the horizon, and night descends upon the world. Gavin is still at the Department, but he called beforehand to inform him that it's alright for his partners not to wait for him. 

But before he hung up their phone call, he remembered to asked Damien, "So, how's the, ah, investigation going, Firecracker? Is everyone having fun?" His smooth voice reverberates through the line. 

Damien's eyes trail to the storage underneath the staircase where the Freelancer is knocking lightly on the wall with a hammer. Huxley is spinning around with the ghost radio while Lasko is furiously googling some weird incantation to make a ghost appear. "Fun isn't a word I would personally use, but - " He pauses to sigh. " - everyone is having a good time. I still think this is all a waste of time, though." 

Gavin tuts at Damien's grumpiness. "Don't say that, Firecracker. Live a little! It's been a while since you all played together. Well, outside of the bedroom anyway. What's a little ghost hunting could do?" 

Damien supposes Gavin has a point. It really doesn't matter if there is a ghost or not in this house; as long as the Freelancer, Lasko and Huxley are alright and having harmless shenanigans, it's a day well spent. 

Speaking of shenanigans...

"Ow! That hurts!" 

"Oh shit! You alright there, Freelancer?" 

"I'm fine, Hux. Just hit my head 'cause of the low ceiling. Urgh... anyway, did you find anything, Lasko?" 

"I-I had to go to the Deep Web for the more obscure incantations, but I made a list of some spells that might be legit." 

"Sweet! Let's test them out."

Damien sprints towards his partners before they can accidentally summon a Daemon from Aria or something and check out the Freelancer's head for more signs of craziness. And maybe a light injury. 

"Hey, Dami!" The Freelancer greets him with a wide smile. It's getting a bit cramp here in the storage, but at least everyone's here now! "Good timing. Do you know how to pronounce this? I think it's Latin." 

"I thought you're a horror junkie? Did The Evil Dead thought you nothing?" Damien scolds the Freelancer. He hands Lasko back his phone and adds, "Actually, never mind; don't answer that. Come here, I need to take a look at your head. Where did you bump it?" 

The Freelancer allows Damien to fuss over them. Once the Fire Elemental uses his magic to heal the faint throbbing on their right side of the head, the Freelancer glance around the storage, dejected. "I guess there's no ghost at all..." 

"Aww, sorry, buddy. I know how much you're looking forward to meeting some ghost roomies." Huxley consoles the Freelancer and brings them into a one-arm hug. His partner squeezes him back just as tight. 

Lasko gives the Freelancer a sympathetic smile. 

"Alright, if you all are done with playtime, I suggest we get ready to turn in for the night," Damien begins. He's the first one to step out of the storage and head back to the living room. "I've set aside some dinner for Gavin that he can heat up if he's hungry. Lasko, do you want to use your bath bomb - "

Words stuck in Damien's throat. His eyes widen with shock when he sees what is on the coffee table. His heart began to race. 

"Dami? What's up?" The Freelancer asks, startle that Damien suddenly stops walking. They nearly collide with his back! 

"There are... flowers." Damien manages to squeak out, which is unlike him. The sudden shift in his voice instantly freaks the Freelancer, Huxley and Lasko out. So the three of them tentatively peek out from Damien's back. 

On the coffee table - where there was nothing before - is a beautiful light pink glass bottle filled with water and colourful, fresh flowers.

"Did..." Lasko decides to pierce the uneasy silence. He takes a deep breath to calm the anxiety that threatens to overwhelm him. "Did anyone put that thing there?"  

"No," Damien answers, voice as flat as cardboard. "There was nothing on that table while I was on a call with Gavin." 

Silence returns once more. 

"Grab your phones and wallets. We need to get out. NOW." Damien instructs, and they all scatter. Fortunately, their stuff is on the dining table, so they hurry to swipe them and run out. Huxley, the last one behind, slams the front door shut and takes his side beside Damien. 

Everyone is crowding at the front yard. The second floor is absolutely pitch black because they only switch on the lights on the first floor. The Freelancer could've sworn they see a silhouette peering at them from one of the bedrooms. 

"What do we do now!?" The Freelancer asks frantically. They glance around at the pale faces of their partners. "Do we need to fight?" 

"F-Fight what!? How do we even fight something that we can't see!?" Lasko stammers out, so much for not letting his anxiety win. "Should we call the Department instead? O-Or the Covert Cops?" 

Huxley's magic tingle his fingertips; he's ready to unleash them to shield his lovers from harm. "I don't think it's safe to stay around the house for long, dudes. Who knows how powerful this ghost is." 

"I'll give Gavin another call," Damien informs them. His instincts are screaming at him to protect his partners by burning the threats looming over them, but as much as the bloodlust is roaring in his ears, he's not keen to burn down their house. Yet. "We'll stay at a hotel tonight. I'll give him the address after we check-in." 

"But what about our clothes?" The Freelancer interjects. "Do we have to buy some new ones for tonight and tomorrow or... or should we try our luck and grab them in our bedroom?" 

"Umm, I can use my magic to bring your clothes here if you want. Do you want them in a bag?" 

"You can?" The Freelancer sighs in relief. Their heart is calming down slightly. "Oh, thank you so much, Caelum. I - " 

They let a yelp when they turn around, and there's Caelum, standing behind the four in confusion. 

"Caelum!? How did - when did you - "

"Wait, Caelum's here?" Damien wonder. His eyes are scanning the front yard, which in hindsight, a silly thing to do since the Freelancer is the only one that can see him. 

"Caelum? Hi little buddy!" Huxley offers a sweet smile and a wave at where he hopes Caelum is despite the tension lining his broad shoulders. 

"O-Oh, Caelum's here?" Lasko adds in. "This is kind of... not a good time, Caelum. We have a huge problem in our hands, and we don't want you to get hurt." 

"Problem?" Caelum repeats, tilting his head adorably. "Is that why everyone is standing outside? But the outside is super cold right now. I thought everyone wanted to roast marshmallows." 

"We can't exactly go inside, Caelum," The Freelancer explains with a slight grimace. No way do they want Caelum anywhere near the ghosts! "The house is haunted. Some weird ghost either want to kill us or court us right now, I don't know. I never thought a bottle of flowers could be so ominous..." 

"You don't like the flowers? B-But I thought they were the perfect housewarming gift among humans!" Caelum said, surprise and sadness tint his voice. His lips wobble, and his eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "Ollie even helped me pick them." 

The Freelancer freezes. Something begins to dawn on all of them. "Those flowers are from you?" 

Caelum nods and begins to explain himself. "Yeah! Aren't they pretty? The house has so many plants but no flowers, so I-I thought some flowers would add even more colours to your home! Oh, also, can you please tell Lasko that he really shouldn't be sleeping on the couch; it can't be good for his back. I read that in a human science book, by the way! There were so many strange but interesting pictures! I don't understand most of the big words, though." 

"Uh, Freelancer? Honey? W-What is happening?" Lasko carefully grabs the Freelancer's shoulder as his concern begins to grow the redder his partner's face becomes. 

"I... I'm beginning to get the big picture." Damien said instead. He can't see or hear Caelum, but he has a good idea of the truth behind the strange occurrences around the house. He doesn't know whether to feel embarrassed or angry, so he settles for fatigue. 

"It's Caelum," The Freelancer explains in a shrill. "Our ghost is Caelum!" 

It's a wild night. The four of them have to sit Caelum down and explain the weird things that the Freelancer has been experiencing. It turns out that Caelum has been popping in and out of their house for quite some time now, ever since they moved in. 

"But how did you know our address, Caelum?" After they pile a warm pink blanket around him, the Freelancer inquiries, and Huxley gently hands him a mug of hot chocolate. Caelum smiles happily as his friends sit around him. They've all settle in the living room after Damien hauls them back inside the house. 

Damien doesn't even want to imagine what their neighbours think of them now. They weren't exactly quiet at the front yard with magic weave in the air like a ticking time bomb. 

"You're my charge, silly. I always know where you are!" Caelum giggles and snuggles into the couch. 

"Oh." The Freelancer could only reply dumbly while Damien pinch the bridge of his nose at their reaction. Lasko exhales; relieve their home is safe and secure despite the wild goose chase. Huxley just wonders if one blanket is enough for Caelum. 

But Caelum wasn't done: "Besides, Gavin said it's alright for me to visit sometimes! Usually, I come around because he bakes lots of tasty treats lately - like cookies! I love cookies so so much! Gavin makes the best cookies ever, and when I brought some to Delphinus a-and for my older brothers and sisters as well, they really love it too!" 

"That's great, Caelum." The Freelancer reply with a weak grin. They decide to hide from the world forever by hugging Caelum, to which the Empathy Daemon happily welcomes it. 

Damien isn't deterred, however. "Wait. Gavin - "

A Rift cracks open in the middle of the living room. The Daemon of the hours returns home, appearing as handsome and put together as ever. "Good evening, Deviant, Firecracker, Gaia and of course, Breathless. Oh? Caelum? You're here too? Will you be sticking around for dinner?" 

"You knew, Gavin!?" Damien and the Freelancer point at him accusingly. Lasko and Huxley are observing the live soap opera from the sideline.

"If you mean Caelum's random visit, then yes. I knew." Gavin graciously explains with a sly smile. 

"Then why did you made me believe that the house is haunted!?" The Freelancer whines. Caelum coos and hugs them tighter to help them relax. 

"Well, it's been a while since you had any adventures, so I figure I let you have your little ghostly investigation. Did you all had fun, though?" 

A cacophony of noises erupts in the living room. Huxley enthusiastically explains that despite the jumpscare from the vase of flowers, he had fun running around the house. Lasko is just glad that ghosts don't actually exist. Damien just wants to go to bed already and forget today ever existed while the Freelancer is secretly bummed out that ghosts don't actually exist. 

The water is warm and there are scented candles on the counter. Damien throws you a small smile once he sees you. But then he scowls with the tip of his ears red when you stare at the clothes he's wearing. Or the lack thereof.

"Yeah, yeah - you can stop gawking. Gavin insisted that I wear these pants and nothing else. Wanted to give you something to look at while I wash your hair. Now get in here."

You decided to tease Damien by whistling lowly - definitely appreciating the eye candy - before the Fire Elemental gets impatient and helps you strip.

The water is soothing against tight muscles. Damien's soft voice engages you in inane conversation as he rinses your hair. Knowing better than to ask about your day, he instead asks about the fun things you saw. It really helps distract you from the gloom.

Just before Damien lets you settle in, he throws in your favourite bath bomb. Lasko, Gavin and Huxley high-fived one another when they heard you shriek in delight.

Once you're done with your bath, Lasko greets you next with a fluffy towel. It's your favourite colour too. He can't help but blush when you rise out of the bathtub; your body will always leave him in awe.

"W-Wow... you look so, so sexy. Your body is - is just - oh geez, I was going to ramble! And y-you must be cold! Let me wipe you down, p-please?"

He helps dry your body despite your relentless teasing and together, the two of you went to the bedroom. He chooses the comfiest pyjamas for you to wear.

You're seated in front of the vanity mirror. Lasko rubs his hands with a generous amount of hair serum before running his talented fingers through your hair. Then he dries your hair with the hairdryer.

When you and Lasko step out of the bedroom, Gavin is there to gently pull you into his embrace.

"There's my Deviant. I know that you didn't eat much today so I cook all your favourites. Huxley even got your desserts. And if you're up to it, I'll be giving you my own... brand of dessert later."

And with that, Gavin presents you with the dining table that's laden with food and drinks. Huxley, Lasko and Damien are already seated and waiting for you and Gavin to join in.

Dinner was fun. Hearing everyone talk about their latest interests lifted your spirits. You enjoy the atmosphere with a grateful smile as Lasko refills your glass.

The bois make sure that you couldn't take another bite before they start cleaning up. You help out with the dishes despite their frowns. You want to pay them for the wonderful dinner.

Table cleaned and dishes on the rack, you're then ushered to the living room where Huxley had laid out blankets and pillows while you were in the bathroom with Damien.

The lights are dimmed and the curtains are drawn to allow moonlight to filter through the windows. It casts an ethereal ambience around you.

You frown when the bois purposely let your left side empty. Occupying your right, Gavin winks and the sound of a Rift cracks the silence.

You coo as Caelum immediately cuddles you. Being around him never fails to set your heart at ease.

"I miss you so much! So, so much, hehe! Gavin said that we're gonna have a sleepover tonight! He promised lots of snuggles, pillows, blankets - and look, look! We have them! Can we please have the pink blanket?"

Gavin wraps the thick pink blanket around you and Caelum. The two of you continue to cuddle as Caelum tells various fairytales from Aria. Gavin acts as his mouthpiece for Damien, Huxley and Lasko.

From the stories of E’Laetum and Min’Ara, to Delphinus' past and even Gavin shares his fond memories in Aria.

Your day might not go the way you wanted and the world might overwhelm you, but the bois will make sure that your night will end perfectly.

Sam is the first one to run into Darling. He's settled nicely within the Solaire Clan and loving his Massmaker tittle, loving the freedom that it grants him.

Now, from his video, we see that Massmaker!Sam is callous and does whatever it takes to be a free Vampire. His cruel suggestion of giving Ivan to his friend to Turn can't be forgotten too!

So I see him and Darling intercepting one another when Darling returns to Dahlia.

I also kinda see that the Shaw Pack and Solaire Clan has a tense agreement to stay out of each other way so Sam and Darling would be wary about each other at first. 

Darling is out doing their own thing or an order from David about something related to the Pack when they accidentally meet Sam.

The two did their best to steer clear from the other at first, but the more their paths crossed, Sam couldn’t help but be intrigue over Darling. To him, Darling is a walking contradictory. 

They’re painfully reserved yet fiercely protective over what little friends they have. They’re strong - enough to be a threat on their own - but content to follow David. 

While feelings begin to rouse in Sam, Quinn enters the picture. 

Like in Canon, he and Darling broke off because Darling doesn’t want to live with a heavy conscious. 

Quinn didn’t handle the rejection well. To put it very, very mildly. 

Once he gain the Massmaker title, Quinn uses the freedom to stalk Darling and whenever Darling confronts him, they fight. 

Sam quickly catch on about Quinn when he smell antiseptic and a stranger’s blood on Darling more than once. 

Using resources lend to him by Will, Sam dug around and found the nature of their relationship. 

So before they could fight again, Sam intercept Quinn to get him to back off from Darling. 

Quinn was not happy that another Vampire is trying to get with his ex. 

Oh, Quinn had a lot of fun ribbing and mocking Sam about encroaching on another’s man territory and that if Darling hates Quinn, who to say that they now hate Vampires as a whole? 

So they fight. But over time, Quinn’s manipulation and their fights constantly ends in a statement gives him the opportunity to offer a deal to a Sam. 

They both can have Darling and together, there’s nowhere for the Wolf Shifter to run. 

Sam agrees after Darling starts to stay in Washington longer and longer. 

Having two Vampiress obsess over them makes Darling one angry Werewolf. 

Sam helps balance the temper between Quinn and Darling. 

Quinn drives off any ill-meaning Vampires who wants to tear the trio apart. 

Darling can somewhat reign Sam and Quinn. Because of that, Davey lives on to be the Alpha of their Pack.