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Baby was playing with his phone, sitting on the soft blue-gray couch they purchased from IKEA about a month or two ago. Abby was watching TV next to him and trying not to doze, but Jinu had some history stuff on with Rumi tucked under his arm. She had been asleep for the past twenty-three minutes. Mystery was sitting on the recliner and must have been sleeping or watching the show because he hadn’t moved and his head was facing the TV. Zoey and Mira were across the hall in their own penthouse working on some dance or other for an upcoming show and Romance was… well, Baby neither knew nor cared where Romance was, especially after Romi spent the past week or two cock blocking Baby with Abby.
Prick.
“Hey,” Zoey greeted when she and Mira came into the penthouse. She walked over to Mystery and kissed his cheek. “Mira and I are going to the mall, we’ll be back in a few hours.”
Rumi woke up immediately. “See ya, babe,” she said and kissed Jinu’s lips before diving off the couch and joining Mira by the door. “What?”
“Nothing at all,” Mira chuckled. “I told Zoey that we wouldn’t need to invite you. Just mention where we wanted to go and you’d pry yourself away from Jinu to join us.”
Zoey tilted her head. “Huh. I just figured you guys were still in the can’t be separated from each other phase of dating. We’ve only just gotten out of that phase ourselves.”
“Does anyone need anything while we’re out?” Rumi asked, pointedly ignoring Zoey.
Jinu glanced away from the television and pinned his girlfriend with a smirking glare. “If you’re keeping my hoodie, I’d like a replacement please. Preferably one you won’t steal from me.”
Mira and Zoey laughed as Rumi blushed and tried her best to appear innocent. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. However… I will get us a new hoodie.”
Abby snorted and shook his head. “Thank you for asking, but Baby and I will buy whatever we need when we need it.”
Baby nodded his confirmation as all eyes moved to Mystery.
He seemed to realize he was being stared at.
“What?” he asked in confusion.
“Do you need anything while we’re at the mall?” Zoey giggled.
“Oh,” Mystery said and thought for a moment before he answered. “Sea foam green nail polish, please.”
“You got it, babe!” Zoey agreed and before anything else could be said the Huntrix girls were on their way out the door.
“Did she call me babe?” Mystery asked curiously.
Baby side-eyed the oldest of the Saja Boys and then nodded.
“Why?” Mystery asked.
Jinu and Abby turned to look at their friend as they stared at him in wonder. When Mystery only stared back, Baby grinned and looked at his boyfriend.
“I told you that he didn’t know they were dating.” Baby said triumphantly.
“Who is dating?” Mystery asked with even more confusion.
“You and Zoey,” Jinu stated and then raised a brow. “You didn’t know?”
Abby rolled his eyes. “No way, you’re just messing with us. No one is that oblivious, E.”
While Abby usually gave Mystery the benefit of the doubt, Baby did not. He didn’t know why Jinu, Romi, and Abby were so convinced that Mystery was some profound wise man among the demons just because he didn’t talk much and was a few centuries older than the rest of them. As far as Baby could tell, Mystery was an airhead and if properly interrogated would wind up admitting that he hadn’t noticed it had been over a thousand years since he was human or that wow, things really had changed!
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Mystery insisted. “I am not dating anyone.”
“That’s gotta be news to Zoey,” Abby smirked. “Because you guys have been dating since we moved into the penthouse across the hall from them.”
“But we did that almost three months ago, right?” Mystery asked.
“Yep,” Baby nodded.
“You haven’t noticed that she is constantly texting you?” Jinu asked.
“What’s a text?” Mystery frowned.
Abby, Jinu, and even Baby all three pulled out their phones. Mystery pulled his own out and it was upside down as he tried to make it work and ended up tapping the back of the phone. Baby cringed at how painfully stupid he felt “E” was.
“Okay, okay, you don’t know tech,” Abby sighed. “But you have to have noticed that she kisses and hugs you all the time, right?”
Mystery shrugged. “She hugs and kisses everyone.”
Fair point, Baby silently acknowledged. He could understand how one could completely miss that they were in a relationship with someone like Zoey. Or Abby.
Jinu ran a hand through his black hair and tried to think of something else. “Okay, yeah, she does, but she’s always taking pictures with you and giggling and blushing.”
“Girls do that, especially Zoey,” Mystery shrugged. “That does not mean we are dating. If that was all that was required to indicate such things, then she is dating all of us, Bobby, Derpy, Sussie, and Mira and Rumi.”
Baby grinned as Abby and Jinu looked flummoxed. The more Mystery spoke, the more his perspective made sense. Baby still knew better, but it was hard to argue the older reaper’s logic. With a smile Baby leaned into Abby as he tried to figure out what the ancient demon reaper knew.
“You know Abby and I are together, right?”
Mystery nodded. “I even knew before some among us did.”
“You know Jinu and Rumi are dating?” Baby asked, hoping Abby hadn’t caught that last bit.
Once again Mystery nodded.
“You know we basically live with the girls in their tower, right?”
Mystery tilted his head and then nodded.
“You know that Mira, Romance, and Bobby are all single?” Baby continued.
“And Zoey and I,” Mystery added with a nod.
“No,” Abby shook his head. “You and Zoey are dating and have been for months!”
“I would have noticed,” Mystery insisted. “Unlike some demons.”
“Talking to you is literally painful,” Abby grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Baby chuckled and fell silent as soon as Romance walked into the penthouse from whatever the hell he’d been doing. The tall but lithe reaper walked over to the couch and sat between Abby and himself! He bared his teeth and started to growl, but Romi, as usual, was completely unfazed.
“What are we discussing?” Romi asked as he leaned against his brother.
“Mystery doesn’t seem to know that he and Zoey are dating,” Jinu said in surprise.
Romi’s eyes widened in shock. “Really? Zoey’s all over you all of the time, “E”,” he said incredulously. “How can you not know?”
Baby scowled at Romance and got up and moved to Abby’s other side before he looked back to Mystery. Instead of giving a verbal answer, Mystery simply shook his head and shrugged, as if to say he didn’t know.
“Do you like her?” Jinu asked and Baby realized their leader was likely starting to worry about Zoey’s feelings if she ever discovered her boyfriend was entirely oblivious to her and her existence.
Mystery gave a shrug and something close to a nod before saying; “As much as the others, I suppose.”
Romance cringed while Abby shook his head and Jinu facepalmed. Baby couldn’t help it. He laughed. Not because the idea of Zoey being crushed was amusing; It was more that he believed Mystery was either in denial or they weren’t asking “E” the right questions. Sadly, he knew all about that.
“So you don’t have any special regard or admiration for her?” Baby tried, hoping that he could figure out the right questions.
Mystery shook his head. “Zoey is a girl who is loving, affectionate, hopeful, and kind. She takes pictures with all of you as much as she does myself. She buys gifts for everyone, she kisses everyone’s cheeks that are single when she leaves or when they leave. She only doesn’t kiss on Jinu, Baby, and Abby because she fears it could cause problems.”
Jinu nodded. “Okay, yeah, but you sure know a lot about her for claiming to be indifferent to her.”
“I am observant and could provide a similar analysis on the other girls or yourselves.”
Romance shrugged. “This isn’t the first time we’ve known someone was being a complete moron. Leave it be.”
Baby glared daggers at Romance, but thankfully, Abby either didn’t catch on or was distracted by the still running TV. Poor guy did that a lot; he tried to be present and active in conversations but no matter how boring the show was, he’d still try to follow it until he fell asleep from his brain overloading.
“I am not a moron and my situation is far different. Zoey does not sit in my lap, Zoey does not buy me food or gifts any differently than she does everyone else, Zoey doesn’t snuggle up to me and fall asleep. If anything, she usually crashes on Baby and Abby when watching TV with us,” Mystery frowned.
Jinu looked to Romance, Baby, and Abby. “Do we maybe have this one wrong?”
“You do,” Mystery said.
“But she called you babe,” Abby said. “You even asked about it!”
“Yes, because her choice of nicknames seems to change quite often,” E clarified.
“But she texts you!” Jinu pointed out again. “She always tells you where she is, when she will be home, when she is leaving. If she isn’t dating you now, she’s certainly training you to be ready to date her.”
“She is not that conniving.” Mystery insisted. “As for her texts, I am not even certain what you are referring to.”
Jinu closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. “Okay, you know what, I’m not even gonna worry about it. I’m gonna finish my documentary before the girls get back home and then I’m gonna make dinner.”
“Hey, when are you moving out of the master?” Baby asked Romance.
“The real question is when is Abby moving into your room,” Romi rolled his eyes. “Why should I give up the master?”
“Come on, Romi, half the time you fall asleep out here or at the girl’s place.” Abby whined.
Romance scowled. “Maybe I’d sleep in my own bed if you and Baby weren’t making out all night long!”
Baby huffed in annoyance and went back to watching the boring history thing. It went on for about forty-five minutes before the girls turned up with their arms full of bags. Well, Mira and Rumi turned up. Mira looked annoyed to be in their space, which was somewhat typical of the hunter, while Rumi was busy pulling out half a dozen different hoodies she bought Jinu.
“Where’s Zoey?” Jinu asked.
“Oh, she’ll be up in a second, the doorman is helping her bring up the rest of her purchases.” Rumi said and then continued to show off Jinu’s hoodies that she would definitely be stealing within a few weeks of him wearing once or twice.
“I’m taking my stuff back to my room. Don’t anyone bother to help!” Mira growled at the Saja Boys.
Romance raised a brow and snickered. “Maybe you should have let the doorman help if you needed it.”
“Ugh! You’re such a jerk,” Mira rolled her eyes and gathered her things.
“Go help her, Abby,” Romance insisted as he pulled out his phone and started playing a game.
“Why?” Abby pouted.
“Muscles,” Mystery reminded him.
“Fine, whatever,” Abby sighed and got up to help Mira take hers and the rest of Rumi’s purchases to the other penthouse.
Baby rolled his eyes and was about to do a little bitching and moaning about his boyfriend helping Mira, when the doorman and Zoey arrived. Zoey was giggling and being nice, but there was a difference that Baby clearly recognized in his fellow rapper. When Zoey was really into it, like she was with Mystery, she blushed and smiled a little too wide because she was nervous and the feelings were genuine. With Mr. Doorman, she was bubbly and flirty, but there was no warmth and no authenticity to it.
It was a performance.
Too bad Mr. Doorman didn’t know that about her because as he smiled and bent down and kissed her cheek, Mystery was in his face, dark purple patterns blazing, teeth sharp and eyes glowing and golden as he grabbed the human and shoved him out of the penthouse with one arm; his other encircled Zoey’s waist, his claws carefully avoiding her flesh.
“Sorry man! I thought she was single!” the doorman said in alarm.
E still didn’t speak but continued to growl and bare his fangs at the man.
“No! Bad Saja boy,” Zoey hissed as she pulled him back inside. “He’s just grumpy when men flirt with me, you get it! Thanks for your help, bye!”
“Never again,” E snarled at her. “No more flirting with other men. Even the other Saja Boys.”
Zoey was grinning ear to ear and Baby side eyed her suspiciously for the second time that day. She feigned looking sheepish and properly chided for her behavior, but he could see she was delighted. “You’re right, I’m sorry, babe, it won’t happen again, I promise. Oh!” She said as she pulled out a few different shades of a similar blue-green colors that all claimed to be sea-foam green. “Are these the right colors?”
E nodded and kissed her cheek as if to say he had forgiven her as well as to thank her, but also probably to mask the other man’s kiss. She giggled, grabbed Rumi and headed for the door whispering softly, but Baby caught it all the same.
”I knew he’d admit to liking me eventually.”
“That didn’t seem much like an admission,” Rumi whispered back. “It was more like a declaration of war on any man who comes near you!”
Jinu waited until the door closed and the girls were in their own place before he looked at Mystery and grinned. “Well?”
Baby and Romance each took in Mystery’s sheepish posture as he walked back to the recliner and plopped down in it. He rubbed the back of his neck, pretty lips set in a full pout.
"Fine. I like her,” E admitted.
“And?” Baby demanded.
Looking like he was being forced to swallow worms, Mystery huffed. “And we’re dating.”