Fox 23

It was strange sitting on a train headed to Levi's home with Merula sitting across from us with Cano sitting beside her. Alistair sat on Levi's lap with his arm draped over my shoulders. His scent surrounded me and I was currently finding it hard to concentrate on what either of my parents were telling me.

"We're going to have to keep moving because I'm sure the Council is on our trail." Merula whispered as she turned in her seat and threw her legs over Cano's lap. She wasn't in her usual long trench coat, instead she was in a pair of skin tight black leggings with a tank top on and a pair of black boots.

Her long black hair was pulled back away from her face into a high ponytail revealing more than I knew about her. Long scars littered her porcelain skin from her neck trailing down her shoulder and disappearing behind the top she was wearing. Briefly she looked up at me and noticed me staring so I quickly spoke up.

"Won't they find us?" I questioned.

"Hmmm..." She hummed. "Probably not. I'm very good at what I do." She smiled.

"So we're just going to hide out and not discuss the fact that we're practically being hunted down?" Levi questioned.

"Well the rest of us just assumed that it was clearly obvious that we were being hunted because they think that Merula and Cano are with us. We didn't see a reason to discuss it." Alistair laughed as he rested his head back on Levi's chest.

"I just want to understand everything that's going on." He huffed.

"By now I assume that the Council of Mages assume that you are helping us move from one place to the other undetected. However, they can't prove anything and that is the reason they are so intent upon catching us alive or catching you with us." Merula explained with a sigh.

It was obvious to any being that this whole ordeal was wearing on her. Her coy and enigmatic personality seemed to fade as the train pressed on. All of this running was putting a strain on them and it made my chest tight.

After finding out that my parents weren't who they were supposed to be I've been watching Cano and Merula closer. They were honestly and truly in love and it warmed my heart. Cano took care of his love without question, anticipating every need and providing for her what she needed. Merula in turn lavished him with nothing but love and attention, constantly rubbing her hands along his back and through his hair.

"Wait!" I squeaked as sudden realization dawned on me. "Your family doesn't expect us to go nude too right?" I questioned Levi.

"Nah, you're good but I hope you don't mind if I do." He replied with a smirk and a wink in my direction and my cheeks warmed on their own accord at the attention. Merula giggled causing me to look over at her and Cano, who was glaring at Levi with narrowed eyes.

"How about you sleep for now before you say something that Cano will misinterpret something." Merula laughed as she waved her hand in front of her. The feeling of drowsiness passed over me and I soon found my eyes closing as the train continued to bounce along the tracks below us.

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"Darlings..." A sweet voice sung.

"You shouldn't have used a spell." Cano worried.

"No worries. It wasn't a strong one my dear." She reassured him. "We're here."

Waking up from a sleeping spell was different than waking up from a natural sleep. I felt oddly rested and relieved with life. It took me a minute to remember everything that was going on with me. But after a minute or two I sat up and everything seemed to slowly come back little by little.

Looking down I noticed that Alistair's head was lying across my lap with his feet in Levi's lap. The tall, redhead was leaning his head on my shoulder awkwardly but he was slowly waking up as well.

"Five more minutes..." Alistair yawned.

"No, the train is stopping right now. We have to get up." I groaned as I poked Alistair in the cheek.

He moaned and sat up onto Levi's lap. He lazily wiped at his eyes and he was just the cutest thing in the world. His blonde hair was a mess and hanging in his face and I gave in to the urge to push several strands out of his face.

"Th-Thanks." He stuttered with red tinted cheeks.

"No problem.." I practically whispered as I got sucked in by his beauty.

"Enough of that boys. We gotta get going. The train's already stopped and their are passengers already getting off. We have to keep moving and I have to leave a trail just in case we were followed." Merula

We were all pulled back to reality when we remembered what we were running from. We were trying to hide out as if nothing was wrong Levi's family. We quickly gathered everything we had taken with us from the Academy and exited the train blending into the crowd as best we could.

We bustled through the bust terminal, weaving in and out of passengers that were boarding or trying to get away from the crowd just like us. My mind picked up on the oblivious nature of everyone here at the train station.

None of them knew that there were other worlds out there with creatures that could destroy them in a matter of seconds or that we were traveling with a pair that could do just that as well. They had no idea that there were magical fugitives in their midst as they hustled and went about their regular lives.

"Is someone going to pick us up or do we have to find our own means of transport?" Alistair questioned Levi.

"No, my dad said that he would send someone for us. He would have came to get us but he told me he had an important meeting this morning. Since we bumped up the date we were coming I couldn't be too mad at him." He laughed.

"That's fine." I replied with a smile. "Did he tell you who he was sending though? Do you know them?"

"Yeah, it's just one of my old neighbors." He replied with a shrug as we maneuvered our way out of the crowded section and into the front of the station. Levi scanned the line of cars and waiting family members until he spotted a face that he must have recognized. He took off like lightening causing each of us to turn in that direction.

"Mason!" He shouted as he tackled a tall blonde boy to the ground. The boy grunted and took the brunt of the fall before wrapping his arms around Levi tightly.

"Hey Levi!"

"Dad never told me it was you!" Levi shouted.

"We thought it should be a surprise." The guy laughed and my eyes narrowed just a bit as I watched their exchange. Who was this guy? And more importantly who was this person to Levi? When will this boy get off of my man?

"Ahem!" Cano interrupted their reunion.

"Oh!" Levi jumped back up off the ground and off of the green eyed blonde boy. He held out a hand helping up the boy. "This is Mason. He used to live next to me for years until he moved away for college. I haven't seen him in years."

"Uh huh...." I hummed still with narrowed eyes. "Go on..." I urged.

"Oh...Um...I guess he's home to visit. Oh! This is Merula and Cano and this is Alistair and Tae..." He trailed off not really knowing how to explain us beside our names.

"His boyfriends. Nice to meet you Mason." I practically growled as I walked quickly over to Levi, snatching his hand.

"Boyfriends?" Mason questioned with wide eyes before his lips spread wide in a smirk. "Nice. Well don't worry Tae, Levi's not exactly my type. I like 'em a little prettier." He winked at me causing me to blush.

"Yeah, that's great how about you take us home." Levi grunted.

"Chill bruh, I was just kidding. I'm not about home wrecking. I'm sure I'll find a nice girl, or boy, to settle down with in time." He laughed.

"Well now that that's settled and all worked out can we get going? We're kinda in a hurry." Merula smiled brightly but I could tell that it was forced. She really wanted to get to Levi's home so that she could cast a more permanent barrier around us.

"Oh right. Yeah, let's go. I only brought the truck so someone's gonna have sit on someone else's lap."

"I call Cano's lap!" Merula cheered as she raced away no doubt tracking his scent to the appropriate vehicle. She stood in front of a large black truck with a passenger seat in the front and a connected row of seats behind them.

The double beep signaled the doors opening and Merula quickly snatched open the doors and ushered Cano in before climbing in after him and planting herself on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

"Who are they by the way?" Mason questioned.

"They're Tae's parents." Alistair explained as the rest of us walked to the truck. With no further talking we loaded the back of the truck with our bags and we all climbed in with Levi sitting in the front. It was quiet for the first ten minutes until Mason got onto the main highway.

"So...What have you been up to all this time Levi?" He questioned.

"Well I've enrolled in a prestigious Academy overseas and that's essentially where I met Alistair and Tae. I've been doing really well lately." He smiled.

"That's good to hear. So this Academy have I heard of it before?" He questioned as he turned off the main highway.

"Nah, I doubt it. It's nothing well known. I just got lucky." Levi laughed it off.

The rest of the car ride was filled with mundane questions asked to Alistair and I punctuated every so often with stories from Mason and Levi's youth. Even I had to forego my jealousy at their closeness when listening to the mischief a young Levi got into.

"Then he shaved the cat and started painting it blue!" Mason shouted as he began laughing so hard that tears could be seen streaming down his cheek even from the back seat.

"What? Why!" I shouted over the seat, completely engrossed in the story.

"He simply said that he wanted to see what the cat would look like if it was blue. That's it!"

"Why Levi..." Alistair giggled as Levi groaned from the front seat.

"I don't know I was eleven!" Levi tried to explain. "I thought the blue would look good on it!"

The tears were streaming as I laughed for another ten minutes from the stories that Mason told me. Now that I had gotten to know him and I was sure that he wasn't trying to still Levi from us he was actually a really good guy.

After twenty more minutes of Levi groaning and the rest of us laughing, except for Cano and Merula who were quietly napping beside us, we finally reached the nudist compound. It was hidden away but it was gorgeous from what I could see. The homes were beautiful one and two story homes with manicured lawns and expensive cars in the front.

The gate that stood before us was a tall iron gate with intricate filigree and a delicate design. A code box was beside the road waiting for the code that only the residents knew to be punched in. Mason leaned over and punched the numbers in and with a buzz the gate opened up and allowed us in.

"Your mom will be so happy to see you." Mason sighed. "She says she hasn't seen you in a whole year. That fancy academy of yours don't allow you to come visit?"

"Not during the academic year which is pretty year round." Levi sighed. It was obvious that he hated lying about having to come home and visit his family. He wasn't like me, he loved his family like crazy. It was evident by the way he always talked about them.

Mason kept driving until he reached a beautiful two story blue house with white trim. There was the stereotypical white picket fence in front and I had to laugh because I thought that Alistair would live here more than Levi would. It looked so normal...which Levi definitely wasn't.

"Levi!" A woman called just as the front door was thrown open. Red hair as bright as fire and long enough to drag on the ground flowed freely behind her as she ran down the pathway leading to the house. Levi jumped out of the truck as quickly as he could and ran to her, wrapping her in a hug and twirling her around.

"Mama!" He cheered. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too!" She sniffled before hitting him in the chest just as he set her down on her own two feet. "You forgot my number boy? You don't know how to call anyone?"

The look on Levi's face was almost comical. There he stood as practically a grown man with his mother reprimanding him about not visiting or calling. His head hung low as he mumbled a 'yes ma'am' and 'no ma'am' every so often.

"And you even kept poor, sweet Alistair from me." She chided.

"Hi Betty." Alistair greeted her from a far, simply waving at her with a blush tainting his cheeks.

"Who's everyone else?" She questioned.

"Well this here is Tae and he's my...um..." Levi tried to explain but I knew it would be hard. I wasn't going to push him or even be mad if he didn't tell her.

"His boyfriend!" Mason called. "You know Levi wasn't going to say anything Mama Betty."

Levi turned around to glare at his friend who merely shrugged his shoulders in his defense. The giggle that slipped past my lips drew Betty's attention to me and I ended up swallowing the next round of laughter.

"Another boyfriend huh?" She hummed as she stepped past her son and to me. The low growl behind me was obviously Merula and the hushed whisper must have been Cano trying to calm her. Reminding her that the woman walking towards us was simply a human.

"Yes ma'am." I replied dutifully.

"And how does Alistair feel about this?" She questioned.

"Well I think that he rather likes it." I winked at Alistair with a cheeky smirk, loving as his blush reddened even more. Betty turned around and her hardened facade broken as she burst into laughter.

"You two...I mean three, are so cute!" She gushed before turning back around to Levi. "You know I don't care son. I'm sure your father won't either but don't let Mason be the one to tell him."

After we shared a nice laugh about that we introduced my parents and were invited into her home. That's when I noticed that Betty was fully clothed in a beautiful light blue sundress. Had she dressed up because we were coming? I was a bit apprehensive about seeing a bunch of naked people I didn't know running around but I didn't want her to be uncomfortable because of us.

"Your father should be home in about ten minutes. There was a gentleman inquiring about the plot of land down the road that's been vacant for quite some time. He wants to build some home on it from scratch but he would also like to be a part of our community. You know how your father is about expanding our community." She chuckled.

"A new family? We haven't had one of those in quite a few years." Mason commented from behind us.

"Well I'm not too sure that they're a family as much as roommates." She hummed as she sat down in the living room.

"I don't mean to interrupt but is it at all possible that we could be shown where we are to sleep. It's been a long trip and I don't have as much energy as those boys." Merula laughed, sounding so normal.

"Oh! Of course! Let me show you where to go. Mason can you grab the bags and bring them up?" Betty questioned. As soon as they left the room and headed up the stairs I let out the breath that I had be unintentionally holding since we met Mason. I collapsed on the nearest seat, which happened to be a couch, with Levi and Alistair following suit.

"I really want to shift right now." I whined but it was true. My body ached from not being able to shift for the last few days. I should have expelled all that excess energy before we left but I was so nervous about everything that might have happened that I didn't even think about it.

"Later when everyone's asleep I know somewhere we can go." Levi whispered, careful not to be heard by anyone not within speaking distance. A few seconds later the sound of footsteps descending the stair halted our conversation.

"Well since you three just got here you're off the hook for today. You three get some rest in Levi's old room while Mason here takes me out to get some more groceries. Had I known that so many people were coming I would have been more prepared." She narrowed her eyes at her son playfully.

"Sorry mom." Levi apologized.

"No need! We'll be back. When your father gets home just let him know where I'm at." She called out as the two of them left the home, shutting the door firmly behind them. For a few minutes all we did was sit there on that couch, finally relaxing since the words Winter Vacation were even spoken.

After a while Levi rose from the couch and instructed us to follow him up to his old room. Climbing the stairs I wondered if Levi would be going naked now that he was home and I'm not ashamed to admit that the thought alone caused the blood to flow someplace it didn't need to be at this moment.

"We can all fit on the bed and if either of us wants to shift we can and I'll just lock the door." Levi explained and I was thankful for that. At least at night we'd be able to shift and relax in our alternate forms.

"Your mom is pretty nice." I beamed.

"Thanks! I love her and I should probably try to keep in better contact with her once we get back. I know she worries about me and if she knew what was really happening at that Academy she would have a heart attack." He sighed.

"Don't worry. She'll never find out. The only people that know what's happening at school are us and we won't say anything." Alistair informed him.

"Thanks guys. You've been so gre-"

"Betty?" A  deep, masculine voice called out as what I assumed to be the front door opened. "Betty?" He called again.

"Follow me." Levi instructed us as he once again took off in a sprint. When he was excited there was no stopping him. Alistair and I tried to keep up the best we could as he jumped down three stairs at once before tackling the large man in front of the door.

"Levi!" The man cheered excitedly as he wrapped his arms around his son.

"Daddy!" Levi cried as he hugged the man just as tight as he did his mother, if not tighter.

Once both men pulled away it was clear that Levi's father had just realized we were standing there. He stared at us, more importantly me, from over his son's shoulder.

"Who's that?" He questioned, quite bluntly I might add.

"That's Tae. My...um...boyfriend." Levi tried to explain.

"What about Alistair? He's literally standing right there."

"We'll he's both of our boyfriends technically." Levi explained.

"Interesting..." His father mused as he stared at us before it seemed like something clicked in his mind. His eyes went wide as he turned to the side table and began rifling through paperwork. He finally found whatever it was that he was looking for before he turned around telling Levi that he would be back.

As soon as he opened the door just a bit more we were assaulted with three familiar faces that had all three of us groaning as they simply smiled in response.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take so long. My son made it home today and I was just excited to see him. I must have taken a lot longer than I expected."

"Not a problem at all." Mr. Corin's smooth voice soothed the man just as Tommy came up by his side.

"Ha! Look...It's the pup!" He laughed as he caught sight of our faces.

"Tommy! Hush!" Jason chided him for using such terminology. Is it that much of a coincidence that those three would be here right after we had a run in with the Mages Council? How did they know to find us out here? I had plenty of questions but I knew I wouldn't be getting any answers any time soon. It was just a matter of waiting for the perfect opportunity and I was nothing, if not patient.

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This may have quite a bit of errors but I'm posting it anyways and I'm also falling asleep at the moment. Anywho!!!!!!

I hope you read and enjoy everything that I've written this evening!

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