The spell is broken

[Shimizu Susumu]

Spells. Alva knew he was a witch upon noticing the books he checked out. Had Susumu been in the same position, he most certainly would have wanted to take the chance. He could only imagine a life without the use of his legs. Pity, however, was not what he felt when he looked at those legs. It was obvious to him that despite his disability, Alva had been doing his best to find a way to reverse it. And if he didn't find a way? Susumu wondered. Would it break Alva or make it stronger? Susumu wanted to think it would make him stronger. Alva looked delicate but something about him didn't look like a quitter.

...but?

There was more to it than the spells, then. Susumu slightly tilted his head and regarded Alva thoughtfully. An interesting person? Susumu didn't know how he appeared to a stranger that watched him silently from the shadows of the library's bookshelves. His enemies had no idea what he looked like, since he worked from a distance. His friends were held at a polite distance. Susumu wasn't in the habit of growing close to others.

In the library, he couldn't imagine how he might have come off as interesting. He went only to study and read. It was one of the few places in this horrid little town where he still felt safe, since the type of things he hunted didn't typically make it a habit to hang around libraries. Susumu really must have been off his game to not notice somebody observing him every time he went into the library. It must have been the books that made him appear interesting, he decided. His choice in books must have said a lot about him... but not enough, since he had only been identified as a witch and not for what he really was.

"Interesting, you say," he said, bemused. "Because of the books, I take it? Have you ever met a witch in person before?"

[Alva Ren]

"Er... yes! Because of the books!" Alva seized upon the ready-made explanation--since Susumu furnished it. He felt like a creeper or a stalker, admitting that he watched Susumu from the sidelines. Better not come off like even more of a creeper or stalker! Besides, his interest was innocent and he wasn't looking to make a big deal out of it.

"I've never met a witch before," he admitted softly, with a quick shake of the head. "I don't typically get out much. I work from home and people usually come to my house to see me." It was more convenient for Alva to have visitors than to be out visiting other people, although he wouldn't have said that his circle of friends was enormous. Mostly it was Ryland and Rae.

But speaking--or thinking--of Ryland reminded him that he really should be out there helping out with that whole... messy situation. Alva sighed and turned to Susumu. He wanted to get to know him but he also wanted to help his cousin and boy, did Ryland need the help!

"I'm sorry, I think I should go. I was supposed to be helping my cousin." Alva bit briefly on his lower lip in thought. "Would it be okay to... say hello if I see you at the library again?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

Something about the way Alva said it made Susumu believe it was something else, something beyond the books that interested him. Was it himself? Susumu was not an idiot; he knew he was tall and he was good-looking. It was just that he'd been off the market for so long that it almost didn't cross his mind. An attraction, perhaps, then? Susumu watched Alva for a moment, the way he shook his head, listening to the soft tone of his voice. It could be attraction. Susumu could be attracted to somebody like Alva. He was a far cry from Liam, that was for sure.

He didn't want to think about Liam right now, however. He wanted to get some tea and perhaps keep talking. It wasn't meant to be--Alva seemed to have something else to do. While he was out there, when they ran into one another and Susumu accidentally cursed the wrong person, Alva probably had plans to do something. Could Susumu blame him? He also had work to do, although it didn't assuage the guilt he felt for targeting an innocent bystander.

"Of course." He felt that Alva's presence would be a welcome one in the library, rather than a distraction. He didn't appear to be overly loud or outspoken. Surely he would even read alongside Susumu without making hard comments or alluding to other activities that they could be "wasting" their time on. Susumu smiled gently, almost reaching out but then thinking better of it. Instead, he reached for his phone.

"Would you like to exchange contact details?"

[Alva Ren]

"Yes!" Alva said eagerly, reaching for his phone--thankfully it hadn't gotten soaked. He fumbled with it just so that he wouldn't be tempted to look at Susumu. That smile was handsome and it made him feel extra guilty that he was particularly drawn to it. Well, Alva had always responded better to honey than to vinegar--part of the reason, he supposed, that he got along so well with Rae's unexpectedly softer, gentler side.

After the phone numbers had been exchanged, he carefully tucked his phone away. "Would you please drop me off near the animal shelter? My cousin should be there." And Alva could quietly stalk him, and make sure that he didn't do something stupid with Aldon--like get in his pants. There was going to be none of that on Alva's watch!

Even if he had to run Aldon over!

Before parting ways with Susumu, and driven by the same impulse that led him to save Rae and to shelter all of those other, smaller shifters on the full moon, Alva reached out to take Susumu's hand. He couldn't help remembering the way that Susumu looked some days, and the way that his heart would go out to him. Part of Alva always wanted to reach out to him but he never had an opportunity to approach him.

"Thank you," Alva said quietly, "for taking care of me." Even though Susumu cursed him in the first place, it had been purely accidental. But the way that Susumu nursed him back to health afterwards was no accident; it meant a lot to Alva, who was used to taking care of others. He gave the hand in his a gentle squeeze, and then dropped it so that he could find Ryland and stop him from making another terrible mistake.

[Shimizu Susumu]

This was it. Contact information had been exchanged and it was likely that he and Alva would meet again at the library. Part of Susumu wished that they could have spent more time together. A lot of that time had been spent worrying that he'd doomed Alva forever, that his curse would forever follow an innocent person to his grave. Luckily, he had countered it before it was too late. If he hadn't worked so fast... Well, that didn't matter. It hadn't been too late. Alva was fine. He looked much better now. There was color back in his face and he seemed determined to do whatever it was that had him meeting his cousin at the animal shelter.

While reluctant to let him go, Susumu still helped Alva out of the car. He glanced only once at the animal shelter, mostly to make sure he was dropping Alva off at the right location. He wanted to wait for this so-called cousin... It didn't feel right to leave Alva alone. But he also didn't want to fret like an overbearing mother hen, either. So he smiled at Alva's quiet gratitude and even gave Alva's hand a light answering squeeze before their hands parted.

"I couldn't leave you that way." Only a monster would have. His gaze remained on Alva for a moment longer before he reached out and lightly sifted Alva's dark hair aside. It was his way of checking to make sure he wasn't too warm, although it didn't mean that his hand had to linger for a few seconds... It still did before he dropped it and moved back.

"Good luck with whatever you're doing," he said, mostly assuming they were at the shelter to find a nice pet. "And don't hesitate to call me if you need anything!" Or if the curse took some unexpected turn. His stomach churned at the thought. He smiled one last time, waving before he finally left, not feeling one hundred percent happy about leaving Alva behind on his own.

[Ryland Ren]

So.

He was a terrible flirt.

And he was a total liar.

He told Alva that nothing was going to happen but he still did it--he flirted shamelessly with Aldon... but how could he not? Aldon was freer with his words than he had been in a while and even if it was just to get in his pants... Nah, it wasn't just to get in his pants. Aldon worked pretty hard for it this time. Unless he just liked the game, he really just missed Ryland. (Or he could like the game and miss him... Could Ryland really fault him for that when he liked playing around too?) If he didn't, then he wouldn't be there, standing behind the animal shelter waiting around for Aldon like a teenager waiting to sneak out with a boyfriend in the middle of the night.

Like he could be caught any second by Alva but here he still was.

He checked his phone again, just to make sure that Alva wasn't on to him. So far, nothing. That didn't mean much though. Alva could just be lying in wait somewhere. He was still a fox, after all. Losing the use of his legs didn't change his sharp mind. Ryland peered around the edge of the building--just in case. No cars that he could see. No taxis. Nothing that meant Alva was nearby.

He checked his phone again, this time to see if Aldon was any closer. Nothing from him, either. Ryland frowned slightly, although it was really more of a slight lip jut than anything else. Jerk. He was toying with him, he just knew it. Ryland glanced around, wondering if it was safe to try taking a selca and sending it to Aldon for... ahem... motivation.

[Aldon Huang]

Soooo... technically Aldon was supposed to break up with Gregg before he met up with Ryland--and he wasn't fooling himself, there was one thing he was meeting Ryland for.

Reconcillation.

...in the form of make-up sex.

Well! It wasn't a crime! It was a scumbag move, sure, but there was no denying that what he and Ry had transcended any other relationship. Even Gregg--and Aldon adored Gregg... while they were together--couldn't completely steal his heart away. That was because all of it laid in Ry's hands. Aldon wasn't fooling himself on that point either, he knew he was hopelessly, possibly criminally in love with only one person.

The fact that it took him forever and a day to acknowledge it meant nothing because he was heading to the animal shelter, after making some half-cocked excuse about an emergency to Gregg.

Poor Gregg.

Aldon tried not to think of him too much as he hopped a cab and he really tried not to think about how awkward the break-up would be later. It helped to think of Ry, waiting for him at the shelter. Cheating on him with some random small dog. Aldon half-smiled to himself as he recalled snippets of their conversation earlier. It seemed that they couldn't stop bickering--and everybody said that was the sign of a good couple, the ones who bickered and still somehow managed to love one another!

Almost before the cab came to a complete stop, Aldon was leaping out. He shoved some bills into the driver's hand and skittered around back to where he knew the back exit would be. Then--there he was. And like a wolf scenting fresh meat, Aldon's senses instantly tuned in to Ryland. His gaze zeroed in on his figure, half in light and half in shadow. He scented him--legit scented him, with such heightened werewolf senses. And he heard--or thought he heard--a low sigh but that was drowned out by the scrape of Aldon's footsteps as he bounded towards Ryland and flung both arms around him.

"Ry!"

Aldon tackled him with so much force that they collided into the wall.

[Ryland Ren]

"YAAA!"

In surprise, he ended up flinging his phone somewhere on the concrete below. Part of him was annoyed--it sounded like it hit the ground pretty hard and he just bought that phone! But it was sorta kinda hard to focus on the phone when Aldon's arms were around him and he tackled him with all the enthusiasm of the overgrown puppy that he was. Instantly, reflexively, Ryland's arms were around the back of Aldon's neck, even as his back collided none too gently against the brick wall of the shelter.

"You sure took your time!" His voice came out breathless but he was smiling. The words might have sounded like an admonishment but the tone was anything but. Ryland was just glad to see Aldon. Even more than that, he was glad to feel him. Everything about this was familiar but in that fond way it always was when it had been too long.

He wasted little time pulling Aldon closer for a kiss.

[Aldon Huang]

This was it.

This was home.

Aldon needed no urging to step right up against Ryland, aligning their bodies just so--knowing, all the while, that it would be a perfect fit. He grinned into the kiss, feeling giddy and surreal in the moment, and unable to believe for a few moments that this was really happening. All of the euphoria of being with Ryland poured into the kiss and when he came out of it, he was still grinning, breathless, floating on cloud nine.

"Traffic was bad," he whispered as their foreheads touched, as their noses brushed. "But I still made it!"

Somewhere behind him, as he shuffled back a step, he heard a distinct crack. It felt like he'd stepped on something flat and thin. Aldon didn't really care, though. He tipped his head forward again to kiss Ryland, as the air heated up around him. Not even Alva on a flying wheelchair aimed at his head could stop him now, as one of his hands slid low, low, low.

[Ryland Ren]

While they had been texting, Ryland had practically been hopping up and down like an over-excited young fox hunting voles. Now that Aldon was here, there were no second thoughts and there was no time to think. All he could do was feel--and feel he did. When things were good like this, he could imagine what it was that kept them so far apart or what made him so miserable or so hurt. All he knew was that their bodies slotted perfectly against one another and that Aldon's kiss left him feeling even more breathless. His smile made his heart flip.

"Barely." Ryland briefly wrinkled his nose. Traffic! A little thing like traffic couldn't stop this thing from moving once it started! Even as Aldon stepped back, Ryland came with him, his smile melting into Aldon's next kiss. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware that the crunching sound he'd heard was alarming and that he should be indignant but it was difficult to care about anything else when Aldon kissed him like that. Then he felt the hand slipping lower and lower and he moved his body into the touch, despite knowing he really shouldn't encourage such behavior. He didn't even ask if Aldon managed to end things with his current boyfriend! Look at the pair of them--cheaters, both of them.

Yet it didn't feel so much like cheating... not when Aldon had his heart first... and all along.

"Out here?" he murmured against the slope of Aldon's lip, briefly pausing to give his lower lip a nip. He smiled when his dark gaze met Aldon's. It was easy to see the wolf in him during moments like this. His heart rammed faster in his chest and he slid his own hands over Aldon's chest, delving beneath his shirt to run his fingers over Aldon's firm stomach. If they had a bed or a couch, he'd definitely be tossing him onto it in order to rake his fingers over him, knowing the way Aldon liked it. His lips roved over Aldon's temple, stopping to brush against his ear. He was about to whisper sweet nothings when he heard the familiar crunch of tires against loose gravel.

He groaned. "You didn't get here fast enough," he said, grasping Aldon's waistband with a tinge of possessiveness. He didn't want it to end yet, damn it!

[Aldon Huang]

Aldon whined softly--more of a dog-like whine than a purely human one--in lieu of a response to Ryland objecting to the length of time that it took him to get here. He got here didn't he?! Wasn't that all that mattered? (Though he would've liked to arrive earlier too, except there just had to be some kind of accident on the road that held his cab up!)

Even this, though, was so... so... them.

Honestly, since the day they became a couple, Aldon couldn't remember not bickering with Ryland. Sometimes they bickered over pointless things; sometimes they weren't so pointless things. He didn't know what that said about them, but by now it was a staple of their relationship and he wouldn't have changed it for the world.

A purely wolfish grin curved his lips, and he forgot his indignation at Ryland's whispered question. "Yes, here," Aldon replied, leaving no doubt about his intentions when he ground his hips against Ryland. If Ryland thought that he was going to wait until they got to someplace more private, he was mistaken. Then again, when did Aldon ever wait before rushing into things? Judging by the path of Ryland's hands, however, he wasn't exactly dissuading Aldon...

The crunch of tires sure did though. Aldon whipped his head around like Alva might materialize behind them, looking disappointed. "Shit!" He really wanted to continue... but he wanted to continue with both legs unbroken. "Maybe it's not him!" Aldon whispered fiercely, pushing Ryland back against the wall and attempting to silence any objections with an even fiercer kiss. He heard it, though--Alva's voice.

Aldon swore under his breath but clung to Ryland like a lifeline. "Let's try to sneak out of here! Maybe he won't see us if we go the other way!"

[Ryland Ren]

Here. Here, here, here.

Ryland didn't really care, despite being the one to put it to question. He was still a shifter and being outside didn't exactly deter him. The idea that Alva might catch him, though? That definitely gave him pause. He turned his head toward the sound and he let out a small huff of annoyance, hoping that Aldon didn't hear it. After all that playing around on the phone, Ryland was riled up. Being interrupted before he got a chance to release all that energy left him wanting.

A small part of him wondered how much time they had. The more realistic part of him knew, however, that they didn't want to be caught in the midst of the act. Especially not by Alva and especially after the talk Ryland just had with Alva. Literally. Like one minute he was assuring him there would be none of this... hanky-panky and then he was readying himself to pull those damn pants off Aldon...

It wasn't like Ryland wanted to disappoint his best friend and cousin, either.

"It's him," Ryland whispered back, knowing that Aldon knew. He turned his head from the kiss, trying his best to ignore the spike of heat it shot down the length of his body. "He knows I'm here. I told him I was."

Didn't he try and warn Aldon about this? Maybe he didn't. It was hard to remember when he was half panicking and half considering ignoring that panic. Slowly, he edged toward the corner of the building and peered over at the parking lot. A car he didn't recognize--some sleek, black thing that looked expensive--was parked outside the shelter, just in front of the parking lot. Not a taxi. Not anybody familiar. Ryland's mouth slowly opened to speak and then closed again when he realized that it was Alva... it was just that he was with some handsome stranger. Knitting his brows together, Ryland looked over at Aldon.

"He's with somebody."

[Aldon Huang]

"You what?!" Aldon hissed--quietly, because Alva also had keen hearing, just like they did. He let go of Ryland momentarily to throw up his hands, using his body to display the sense of disbelief he felt at the fact that Ryland, of all people, sold them out to Alva!

But then, almost faster than he let go, his hands were back on Ryland, arms circling his waist. Aldon dropped his cheek to Ryland's shoulder and frowned. Then Ryland started moving and he was forced to let go, trailing after him--still frowning.

"Uhh..." That there was not Rae's car. And that there was not Rae whose hand Alva was holding, nor was it Rae reaching out to sweep away Alva's hair.

"He's just letting that guy--!!"

Alva sat there and let that guy touch him like that?! Like a lover would have? Aldon's blood boiled momentarily, on behalf of his best friend. Then he hastily ducked out of sight as Alva began to move his chair, turning and heading into the animal shelter with a distinctly pink tinge on his cheeks.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" he whisper-screamed into Ryland's ear as Alva entered the building.

[Ryland Ren]

Even Ryland blinked, somewhat taken aback by the tender way the stranger touched Alva... No, that wasn't the surprising part. It was the part where Alva let him. And he looked all... blushy when he turned away from the man. Like... he liked him. Like... he was attracted to him. Which wasn't a bad thing, per se... But. There was Rae. And five years. With Rae.

It surely wasn't what it looked like. Ryland was certain of that. The blushing was probably just embarrassment because a strange man was touching him all weirdly. Ryland could understand that. But... who was he? Ryland sniffed at the air as if it would give him answers but the man was not a shifter, at the least. Ryland cocked his head to the side, then turned slowly toward Aldon, who sounded more than a little indignant about what they just witnessed.

"It was nothing!" Ryland whispered back, turning fully toward Aldon so he could get a better look at him. His hands went to Aldon's shoulders. "Probably just an Uber or Lyft or something."

Highly unlikely out here but... it could happen!

[Aldon Huang]

"That is not nothing! That was... something!" Aldon flapped his hands agitatedly to map out the extent of this 'something' that had just happened right in front of their eyes. "Pretty sure it's not in the contract for Uber or Lyft drivers to touch their customers like that!"

Besides, who drove a car like that, who was an Uber driver? Aldon frowned darkly after where he last saw the car. He, of course, had no issues jumping to wild conclusions--half the reason that he and Ryland bickered all the time, he was sure.

"C'mon! We gotta get out of here before he comes out of the shelter!"

But first--they needed to make their getaway. Then he could freak out at the top of his lungs, because all of this quiet whispering was killing him.