Fox 20

I sat in between Levi and Alistair at the table in the dining hall. My fork noisily dragged across my plate as I pushed food around, pouting. Once we woke up Levi was insistent that we come eat something instead of finishing where we left off. Alistair seemed used to it but I was still feeling a bit flustered every time I looked at them.

"Stop sulking Tae." Levi smirked. "Eat your food."

"I don't wanna..." I mumbled.

"Tae, please eat. You starving yourself won't change anything. He's always like this." Alistair smiled. "You'll get used to it."

"He's mean." I frowned.

"I can hear you." He laughed.

"Well it's good to see you three getting along once more." Someone called out from behind us. The three of us turned around to face the newcomer only to be greeted by Mr. Corin, Jason and Tommy.

"We talked things through and we're working on our communication." Alistair replied.

"Good. I'm glad the spell worked. I wasn't sure if Jason would be able to handle it by himself." Mr. Corin replied.

"It worked a little too well." Jason sighed. "I'm sorry about that again."

"It's fine. It got us to where we needed to be." I smiled.

"So did you discuss...um...everything?" Jason questioned in a whisper as his eyes darted around the dining hall to see if anyone was paying attention to us. Which they were but only because the three of them had yet to sit down and were literally hovering over us having a full conversation with us.

"Yeah we did." I answered as my cheeks reddened.

"Hmm. What's that look for?" Mr. Corin questioned. "Are you embarrassed about something?" He teased.

"Oh...Um...Nothing." I stammered as I tried to hide my face from them.

"Clearly something interesting happened." Tommy laughed as he dragged an empty chair from a neighboring table over and sat in between Alistair and I. Jason sighed loudly and Mr. Corin simply laughed at his familiar before mirroring his actions, grabbing a chair for him and Jason and joining us.

"Nothing happened!" I shouted, a little too loudly.

"It's fine. Don't tell us all the juicy bits." Tommy shrugged. "We'll just assume the worse."

"Tommy stop teasing him." Jason begged.

"We're glad that you three are back to normal and whatever you discussed does not concern us so ignore Tommy, the rest of us do." Mr. Corin laughed. "What needs to be discussed, however, is what you plan on doing once you leave this academy. Tae, seeing as you are new to this lifestyle we wanted to discuss what you're going to do once you're home.

Your parents can not know about the true nature of this academy. Which I'm sure you already knew. However, we do send home charmed Academic tokens that help to explain your situation better. We simply need to know what it is that you told your parents."

The second he mentioned my parents my chest tightened. They probably wouldn't even be home once I get back home. It didn't matter if I brought back charmed items or not they would barely even hear what I was saying about my school life anyways. As long as I told them that I was doing well and that I was at the top of my class they would be happy.

"Um...Well I just told them that I was accepted into a prestigious Academy. They didn't ask for any details or anything." I explained.

"Well we'll still provide one or two things in case they do ask questions." Mr. Corin replied, not missing a beat. I'm glad that he didn't force me to talk about my parents. "As for Alistair and Levi I'm sure you two know what to do. You two have been partners for a while now, am I correct?"

"Oh yes we already know how to handle each other's family. No worries there." Levi replied.

"Aww! How cute..." Tommy teased causing Levi to glare at him.

"If I didn't know any better I would assume you had a crush on Levi Tommy. You tease him a whole lot..." Mr. Corin hummed.

"Wh-What? A crush? On that brat?" Tommy shouted.

"Really Tommy?" Jason hissed.

"Looks like someone's in trouble." Levi teased.

"Well I think it's time for us to take our leave. Clearly we have some things to discuss." Mr. Corin laughed. "You'll all be leaving in a couple of weeks, make sure that you see us before then."

With that they got up from their seats and walked away from our table. I had to admit that they definitely made an amazing triad. They worked well together and I hoped that fate worked in our favor and that we would end up like them.

"So what are we going to tell your parents about us?" Levi questioned.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well we're kind of in a relationship aren't we? So what do you want to tell them?" He questioned.

"I don't know. I'm not sure that they'll take it very well. They're not exactly the most open-minded sort." I tried to explain.

"We could just tell them that Levi and I are in a relationship and leave it at that until you're ready to say something." Alistair suggested.

"Do we really have to go home? I don't ever want to go back to that town." I sighed.

"But wouldn't your parents be worried?" Levi questioned.

"Probably not. But how about this? We go to my home for a few days and then we leave. My parents work through the holidays anyways."

"So you want to go to one of our homes for Christmas?" Alistair questioned.

"I don't want to impose...but yes. Christmas at my house are..um..different. We wake up, exchange gifts, separate and then come back together for a huge Christmas dinner that is hosted by my parent's boss. I dress nice and we put on the happy family routine for others. Then we come home and maybe sit around together for a little while before my parents take off with some kind of work excuse." I explained.

"That kind of sucks..." Levi answered after a minute or two of silence.

"Don't get me wrong now, I could have it worse at least I know that I'll have my parents if I really need them." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well don't even worry about it. Our families will love you!" Levi cheered.

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Two weeks and four exams later and we were finally packing to leave tonight. I was anxious to go home and visit my parents but I was kind of relieved that I didn't have to stay that long. I was able to call them and let them know that I wouldn't be able to stay for Christmas but that I would spend the beginning of the week with them.

"Alistair where's my shirt?" I questioned.

"What? How would I know?" He questioned me as he folded a pair of pants and slipped it into the suitcase he was using.

"Because...I don't know! You're Alistair!" I shouted back at him as I ran to the other room, that we now used for storage.

"What? That doesn't even make sense." Levi laughed as he walked into the room behind me.

"It does to me." I sassed.

"What shirt are you looking for?" He questioned.

"The black one with 'Hi' on the front." I answered as I dug through the closet.

"Oh. I already packed that one."

I spun around to glare at him. He smirked at me with his arms across his chest. He waited as stalked towards him, holding his gaze the entire time. he didn't flinch even once as I stood in front of him.

"I've been looking for this shirt for about thirty minutes now."

"Well you never specified which one you were talking about." He smirked down at me.

"Th-That's not the point!" I spluttered.

"Then what is the point?" He questioned leaning in closer.

"Wh-What are you-"

Before I could finish he pressed his lips to my own firmly. My hands came up immediately and I took hold of his shirt with both hands just to steady myself. He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me flush against him as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past my lips.

"What's taking yo-Oh come on!" Alistair shouted as he walked into the room. I tried, and failed, to jump away from Levi, feeling like we were caught doing something we shouldn't have done. It was still all new to me that we were technically all together and that there was no need to act like we were having an affair.

"He was challenging me." Levi chuckled.

"I was not!" I squealed still trying to pull away from him. "I was simply trying to find my shirt."

"That didn't look like you trying to find your shirt." Alistair pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the two of us. Levi finally let me go to walk towards our mage. Once in front of him he wrapped his arms around the smaller male and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Is someone jealous?" Levi whispered as he placed a kiss to the top of his head.

"No! But I want some love too." He whined.

"Well why didn't you say so?" Levi questioned him. "I'm sure Tae doesn't mind giving you a few kisses."

"Whaaaa?" I made an almost squawking like noise.

"What? You don't want to kiss Alistair? Have all those thoughts that you've been projecting from the first day we've met you been a lie?" He teased.

I don't think that my cheeks could have grown any hotter than they were at that exact moment. My first instinct was to just run from the uncomfortable situation but since we were trying to work through everything together I was going to stand here and face my fears.

"Hey..." Levi began to speak again sounding more concerned than teasing. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I was just kidd-"

Before he could finish what he was saying I jolted forward and practically smashed Alistair against the nearest wall as I kissed him. His lips were soft and plump as I moved mine against his slowly at first but then faster and more aggressive as he began to respond.

"Well alright now! Wasn't that just the hottest thing I've ever seen but unfortunately we've got to finish packing." Levi says as he pulls me away from Alistair who's simply staring up at me with those wide blue eyes as his chest heaved dramatically.

"You're a party pooper." I laughed as I took a step back to catch my breath. Levi simply chuckled in response before pulling Alistair away from the wall and pushing him out the door.

"Well we kind of have to hurry up because Mr. Corin, Tommy and Jason will be here soon and we don't want to get caught in the middle of something."

With a huff I could do nothing but agree with him. The last thing I wanted was for any of them to know what we were doing behind closed doors. It wasn't that I was ashamed of our relationship but I just didn't like being the center of attention.

"So we're going to my house first?" I questioned as I followed the two of them from the room.

"Your home, then mine, and then we'll spend the rest of the time with Alistair's family. They're fairly reserved and very nice, completely different from mine." He laughed.

"I can't wait." I replied genuinely. I was excited to meet their families. Nervous but completely excited.

We continued to pack for another hour, making sure that we had everything we needed including the magical items that we planned on taking with us. It seemed that we had managed to pack pretty much everything into the charmed suitcases that we were given.

Just as we were getting ready to relax several loud knocks echoed through our dorm. Levi jumped right back up to answer the door for us, letting in our guests. I had to admit that I wasn't opposed to the extra attention that our teacher and his familiars were paying to us.

"Good evening!" Jason greeted as he walked into our living room. He was in more laid back clothes tonight, a simple black shirt with a pair of jeans. Tommy strolled in behind him with Mr. Corin following right behind his two familiars.

"Are you three packed up?" Mr. Corin questioned.

"Yes we are Sir. We've got pretty much everything in our dorm inside those suitcases." I laughed.

"Well that's no problem." Jason smiled.

"So we brought you a few charmed items that you guys can take home and show your families so they're not worried." Tommy spoke up, earning a glare from Jason who was about to say something else.

"Have you decided which home you're going to first?" Jason questioned.

"We're going to my home first." I responded for the group.

"Alright, we'll just need an exact address and then I'll be able to send you along as soon as you're ready." Mr. Corin announced.

"Oh..." I blanched. "So soon."

I thought that there would be some whole extensive process to this whole thing. I certainly wasn't expecting to be sent back home within minutes. I thought I would have more time to mentally prepare myself for being back home.

"Yes, it's a quick process that should land you right outside your home." Tommy explained. "If you need anything you'll be able to contact us. Whenever you need us."

"Aww...Are you worried about us?" Levi teased.

"No." Tommy deadpanned as he glared at Levi.

"Don't tease your favorite kit. He'll be back soon and I promise you can talk to him everyday if it'll keep you happy." Mr. Corin teased.

"Wha-I don't want to talk to him." Tommy snarled.

"Whatever you say." Jason joined in.

"So are you three ready to go?" Mr. Corin questioned and I'm not ashamed to admit my heartbeat stopped for a minute or two as I tried to catch my breath. It wasn't just my parents that I was worried about but also the town and all the people that lived there.

"Yeah, I'm guessing we're as ready as we're going to be." Levi sighed, no doubt hearing my thoughts.

"Alright well go get whatever you need to bring with you and bunch everything up here so that we can transport everything at once." Jason explained.

All three of us left the living room heading back to our shared bedroom to get all of our things. Once we got everything we dragged it all back into the living room, ready to leave.

"You'll arrive back at your home at about nine thirty and we'll make sure you arrive under the veil of darkness. Meaning no one who is nearby at the time will see you simply appear so no worries there."

"Thanks." Alistair smiled. "For everything. You three have been so helpful to us from the beginning and with everything that's been happening to us."

"It's our pleasure. If anything should happen that is out of the normal please do not hesitate to contact us. We will still be on campus dealing with our trespassers." Tommy explained.

For a moment my thoughts went to Merula and Cano. They didn't deserve to be found. Although I knew that Mr. Corin, Tommy and Jason were kind people I didn't know if they would allow our new friends to continue to live on campus.

I almost wished that I had the chance to take them with us but clearly it would be impossible to bring them with us especially with Mr. Corin transporting us. Silently I said a prayer to anyone who was listening to keep the two of them safe until we got back.

"No problem." I responded. With a nod Mr. Corin waved his hand, trying to make sure we were in the right spot so that he could send us back to my home. With a deep breath Mr. Corin closed his eyes and began to chant a few words, that I didn't understand, over and over again. A soft green light emanated from the ground and began to glow around us.

"See you in two weeks." Tommy called out just as everything began to disappear from sight.

The room shrank away and in seconds we were simply floating around in the darkness. There was no end and no beginning we were just existing in a temporal plane. It was a strange occurrence and I didn't want to travel like this back home.

After what seemed like forever the ground reappeared beneath our feet followed by the rest of the scenery that seemed to just come alive around us. The ground was completely covered in snow and I remembered why this was my favorite time of year. I loved the way the town looked covered in the striking white powder.

"It's gorgeous here." Levi commented as he picked up his bag, one of Alistair's and draped mine over his shoulder.

"I know. I love it once it's winter time. It's like a Winter Wonderland here that makes the world seem just a bit more magical."

"It sure does." Alistair whispered as he looked around. Leaning down I picked up the remaining two bags and turned towards my home which was only a few feet in front of us. Like usual there was no car in the driveway and I wasn't surprised that my parents weren't home even though I specifically told them that I would be coming home tonight.

With a sigh I unlocked the door with the key I never got rid of and walked inside. Right at the table by the door I found a not handwritten by my mother. It simply said that they went out to eat and figured I would be too tired to want to eat as well. They finished off by telling me that they were staying in the city tonight; which I was suspecting.

"Well I guess you guys can go get comfortable in my room. My parents won't be home tonight so we can pretty much do anything we please. If you want we can actually go out on the town and maybe go to a few places I actually enjoy."

"That sounds like a good idea." Alistair smiled and I could tell that he was simply trying to keep me happy.

"Thank you guys for doing this for me. Thanks for coming back with me and keeping me company and allowing me to go with you back to your homes for Christmas."

"It's our pleasure Tae. You mean a lot to us and we would do anything to keep you happy." Levi replied as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. Alistair stepped up and wiggled himself in between Levi and I to join in on the hug.

We pulled away and were getting ready to head upstairs when a few knocks at the door completely startled us. I looked at Levi who looked at me and I simply shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know who would be at my door at this time of night without a key.

Looking over at Alistair he nodded his head, encouraging me to go open it. Had it been before I learned what I was I might have been worried, paranoid even, running through the house and snatching up any weapon I could find. But now I was so confident that I could take on any human threat that I cockily strolled up to the door, earning a bark of laughter from Levi.

"Really." Alistair hissed, clearly the only one taking this serious.

"What?" I questioned.

"Just hurry up and open the door so we can go on with our life." Levi rushed me. My tongue darted past my lips as I made a weird face at him before turning back to the door. With my hand on the knob I quickly turned and pulled the door open revealing a tall shadowed stranger standing on the other side.

"Hello, can I help you?" I questioned peering into the darkness with my heightened sight.

He stepped forward, more into the light allowing me to take in his appearance more. What I saw shocked me to the core. He was tall, about half a foot taller than me, with midnight black hair that fell into his face partially covering his completely black eyes. He was older than me by about twenty years at least and he looked quite familiar.

He was wearing a thick coat that was perfect for the chilly weather with a hood that could cover his entire face if need be. His head was tilted to the side, slightly as he studied me before the corner of his lips tugged up in a small smirk.

"Hello Tae." The man's voice was calm and deep.

"How...Um...How do you know my name?" I questioned just as Alistair and Levi began to move up behind me.

'Just let us know if you need us to jump in.' Levi spoke up in my mind.

'I'm fine for now. He doesn't seem dangerous.'

"We've met before. Several times actually." He chuckled.

"We have? Where?" I questioned.

"What's your name?" Levi questioned as he peeked around me to look at the stranger.

"Hello Levi, it's good to see you and Alistair again."

"How do you know our names?" Alistair questioned. He didn't seem alarmed, simply confused.

"Let me introduce myself." He smirked, his teeth white and gleaming. "My name is Cano and it's nice to finally meet you face to face."

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It's rough and I'll probably have to look at it and re-do parts of it sometime this week but I really wanted to publish this chapter tonight. I hope you enjoy it and enjoy where this story is going so far.

Make sure to VOTE & COMMENT!!