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@thirtccnthson

Maximus cleared his throat and rubbed his palms on the thigh of his pants for the hundredth time, looking over his shoulder again to check and see if the potential client had arrived yet.

After weeks of cold emailing people around Evermore looking for work that didn't involve a bar or a nightclub, he'd finally gotten a response for someone looking for some personal security.

Now, for the first time in his life, Max had to sit for an interview. He tried to compose himself, taking a few steadying breaths to center himself and focus on the points he'd prepared. No one in their right mind would hire a bodyguard who looked so... Anxious.

When the client appeared in the doorway, Max stood and waved, reminding himself to be calm as the stranger approached and Max stuck out a hand for him to shake.

"Mister Westergarrd?"

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"You've just got a shifty look, Malarkey," Maximus replied without hesitation. Max considered himself someone who could read people. Those instincts had served and hurt him in many instances, and most recently had been subverted by his friendship with Flynn, however begrudging it had been at first.

"Well, I'm a little stressed if I'm being honest. Not much work for personal security around here unless I want to bounce at the shocking amount of clubs and bars in this town," he replied, pulling a disgusted face as he considered the possibility. It was a last resort, he decided, if the interview he'd acquired fell through.

He considered Swizz's offer though. Fun was a dusty word in Max's vocabulary. What would it be like to be just some guy, out and about? No expectations or kingdoms to represent?

"Depends on what you consider fun," he finally said, avoiding Swizz's eye.

"Are we not?" Swizz feigned an even sadder face, pressing his palm against his chest as if he was heartbroken by Maximus questioning their friendship.

He laughed at the words that followed his I miss you, taking a large bite of his free snack, chewing and swallowing before he spoke again.

"Why do you always think I'm up to something, Maxi? Maybe I'm just hanging out. Just having a chill day. Checking in with my bestie. Unless you want to join me out on the town... looks like you could use a little fun. You're so uptight these days."

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°•○ - KIM & SWIZZ

She melted into the kiss, throwing all of the building desire into it, moving them toward her room as she pulled on his belt loops, pushing him gently against the wall and pressing the whole length of her body against his.

Kim pushed the door with her foot, her bedside lamp glowing gently in the corner as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Swizz down on top of her, letting out a small moan into his mouth.

Kim leaned back on her hands, blushing, cocking her head to the side and smiling at Swizz, torso to torso.

"Like what you see?"

— 𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐙 & 𝐊𝐈𝐌.

"I can tell," he stated, a soft hum leaving his lips as he fought the urge to move against her hand. As much as he liked not being in control... it was still hard to not give in to desire.

Swizz wondered for a moment as she moved away from him if she'd changed her mind, but before he could really think it through she was asking him to her room. And she looked so damn cute standing there, staring down at him, hand outstretched, that he couldn't help but smile at her.

"Yes ma'am," he stated, taking her hand to pull himself up, though once his feet were on solid ground again he pulled her into him, leaning down to press his lips into hers.

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Nani yanked on her arm, heart pounding. Usually she'd haul off and punch someone who dared put their hands on her, but the gazes their interaction was drawing didn't instill much confidence that anyone would back her up.

Relief flooded her when Anna marched back. The man let her arm go, glaring, but not interested enough to run the risk of her threats being true.

Nani looped her arm through Anna's, hurrying her toward the door once again.

"Thanks for saving me again," she chuckled, about four octaves higher than usual. Her head was aching.

"I really owe you one now."

Anna was glad she didn't object, worried about the woman despite not knowing her at all. She was a bleeding heart, and she would want someone to look after her if she was alone here tonight... like she was, but that was besides the point.

She wasted no time hurrying out either, pulling her coat tighter, making a beeline towards the door until she realized Nani was not following. Turning to see the man speaking to her, she frowned, spontaneity outweighing her survival instinct. Didn't it always?

"Hey! Get your grubby hands off her!" She demanded, marching back to where the other woman stood. "I have a knife, and pepper spray, and I'm not afraid to use them... simultaneously!"

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Maximus chuckled at her comments, shoving his hands into his pocket to pull out his wallet. Extracting a group of bills, he held them out.

"You've got a deal. It's beautiful, I can't wait to put it up in my apartment," he thanked her. "It was such a pleasure to meet you today, Miss Rapunzel. Can't wait to see what you have next time!"

With another smile, tinged with wistfulness, Maximus took his painting, left his heart, and pushed out into the street, followed by the cheerful jangle of the bell.

Later that evening, contemplating the painting across from his couch, Maximus found his determination renewed.

rapunzel was blind to the fact maximus had disappeared into his mind for a moment , a blip , and turned her head just in time to miss it as she brushed her palms against the front of her lilac dress . " it wasn't feeble at all . you are quite the charmer , max , " the words carried a playful lilt , fingers tampering with a few loose threads on her apron , before ceruleans lifted to find his gaze - or , more importantly - the painting it was fixated on .

" well , luckily for you , it is discount for a new friend day , , , " rapunzel sing-songed , floating over to his side like a petal on the spring wind . " — nevermind that i entirely made that up but , , , how about you pay whatever you'd like for it and it's yours ?? "

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"You haven't met my alter ego Tyler yet," he teased. "I do. I really do want to do this again."

Terence smiled at her, trying to imprint this moment in his mind. The perfect bubble of joy. He fought back his thoughts that were hell bent on sabotaging the moment, whispering that he had been too much, too loud, too eager. Terence had to just let himself be himself. He hoped, deep down, that Molly was comfortable enough with him to do the same.

"Well. This is you, right?" He finally said, gesturing to the building they'd approached. He shuffled his feet, looking down at them as he cleared his throat. Would she pulled away if he tried to kiss her? Should he kiss her? Was that actually too eager?

Only one way to find out. Terence took her hand and leaned in, bringing his face to hers.

Molly didn't have the overwhelming feeling she'd blown it, but she as still in her head as they walked, despite his jacket weighing down her shoulders. She had been on dates before, but she'd never really liked the other person that much, and she'd never really been herself, either.

Was she too talkative? Did she say anything stupid? Did she laugh too much?

His words cut through her thoughts, almost stopping her in her tracks. "Me? And you?" She squeaked out, reminding herself to put one foot in front of the other. "I mean... yes. Yes? I would love to, if you want to, yes."

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It was such a relief to hear his desire to shoulder the search for Jumba and Pleakly. Nani had her hands full with Lilo and Stitch and her job, much less trying to find their erstwhile friends.

She melted slightly into the rubs, finally feeling at ease for the first time in months. She'd missed the casual intimacy they'd shared, just two young adults against the world.

"That'd be perfect," Nani breathed, digging around for her phone. "Here, put your number in my phone. Then I can text you my address."

He nodded, relieved that at least Stitch was with them. That was better than nothing. Plus now he was back with them. No longer on his own. "That's good! About Stitch I mean- not Jumba and Pleakley. I'll keep looking into them." David told her, trying his best to sound reliable. Though how reliable could he really be when it had taken him this long just to find her.

It took David a second to realize he'd started lightly rubbing her back after she'd wrapped her arms back around him. He hoped that she didn't mind. The motion had been so natural for him, as if he'd done it a thousand times before. He hadn't of course, though he did hope to have more chances.

"Maybe I could see you when you're done? As long as you don't have any other plans! I could come over and see your place." He suggested, a small smile of his face as he attempted to get a glimpse at hers.

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"This isn't home," Max spat, fists balling as he found himself practically looming over the woman before him.

He took a deep, shaky breath and backed away, shaking his head. He felt totally unlike himself, his throat closing with rage. Was she doing something to him? He needed to calm down.

Maximus turned on his heel and hurried away, leaving her behind as his heart pounded, frightened of this surging anger in his chest.

Her eyebrows lifted, feigned concern on her face and her tongue. "What ever do you mean?" She questioned, wondering just how far she could push him before he showed his true colors.

Red gloves came to a cross against Maude's chest, eyebrows still quirked. "I am her family. She is already home."

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Terence had to take a moment to decide if Dani was messing with him or not. Witches that ate children? That had tried to eat her when she was a kid? It sounded so bizarre.

Then again, Terence's life had been nothing but bizarre ever since coming to Evermore. Just another thing to add to the list. He tucked away the information for another time, seeing the panic steal across his friend's face. He wouldn't push the topic on her, but they definitely were talking about this another time.

"Well, then I'm stumped," he sighed, running a hand through his hair again.

"I have to get heading out anyway. Same time next week?"

Dani shook her head, thinking for a moment. None of the witches in Harry Potter were quite like the Sanderson Sisters. Maybe Umbridge came close, but not quite.

"More like Hansel and Gretel- you know how they meet a witch who tries to eat them? Yeah- they looooove eating children. I'm surprised we don't have a bunch of missing children in this town. But I guess they know I would rat them out as soon as the first one goes missing. They tried to eat me when I was a child." She quickly explained.

"NO! We absolutely cannot interview them! They'd probably lie to us anyway. Plus I need to stay far away from them- I shouldn't have even mentioned them." Dani shook her head, hoping this would be enough to get Terence to drop the idea. She'll just have to up her surveillance on them. She had been getting a little lax recently.

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Steeling himself, Terence took the lead and dove down through the branches, leaves whipping at his face until he broke through the lower branches and had to pull up sharply to keep him from colliding with the forest floor.

Letting his feet touch down, he hurried over to the lump he had noticed and reached out a shaking hand to brush the leaves off... uncovering a knotted log, tiny white mushrooms dotting the damp surface.

Relief and frustration surged through him at once. Relief that this was just a rotting log under the leaves, frustration that they still didn't have any answers, turning into a swirling mix that presented itself in tears.

Knees sinking into the dirt, Terence pressed the heels of his hands to his face and tried to swallow down the sob.

What was he doing? How selfish could he be? People were missing and he was throwing a pity party for himself?

"Sorry, Dess," he finally choked. "I dragged you out here for nothing."

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"Got it," he replied, almost jumping back as she passed him in a rustle of papers. Terence eyed the pile of notebooks, wondering if he should start writing things down like that. Disheveled as the pile was, it seemed so... official.

He showed her to the kitchen, where his lone bag of dust sat on the table, glowing softly in the dim light. He didn't turn on the overhead light, instead letting the natural sunlight filter in through the windows. It was Terence's favorite feature about the apartment - the beautiful bay window in the kitchen to overlook the street below, just one block from Main Street.

He hurried over to the table, motioning for Zarina to drop her stuff on the table, scooping up his bag in one motion and idly tossing it in the air. Dust was a funny thing, both weighty and light at the same time. The faintest tinkle sounded when it poured, like grains of sand brushing against glass. It felt like a thousand shivers rushing over your skin, and just like when he'd taken to the sky with Dessa, the muscles around his shoulder blades twitched with anticipation, as though readying wings for flight.

"Do you have any?" he asked, holding up the bag for her inspection.

Zarina felt like a walking time bomb. Ever since… whatever it was that took half of Evermore hostage, the fairy felt weighed down by darkness both inside and out. Only twice before in her life has she felt this low. Both of them betrayals. One of them more life-threatening than the other. 

Lately there were floating whispers around town of what some residents that disappeared had to endure. For Zarina, she was forced through two months of captivity. Two long months caged behind bars all while being taunted and pointed at like some poor animal or sideshow attraction. The brunette learned quickly enough that she could still hear them when things were too quiet; still smell the iron and feel the ache in her limbs. The situation wasn’t ideal for someone who usually only had her own thoughts for company.

Terence’s invitation, as out of the blue as it was, was a desperately needed distraction. In fact, ‘desperate’ was a vast understatement. 

Zarina knocked on his door a tad too harshly. Dark circles marred her under eyes and she couldn’t help but flinch at the sudden bark of a large dog passing by. She adjusted the messy pile of notebooks in her arms and the overflowing tote bag on her shoulder. The fairy bit the inside of her cheek when Terence opened the door. “You don’t breathe a word of my research to anyone but your shadow, got it?”

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°•○ - KIM & SWIZZ

"Oh, most definitely, Malarkey," she whispered back, applying pressure, before tracing the waistband of his boxers.

Kim reveled in the feeling of being totally in charge. Throughout her teen years, she'd been beholden to the communicator, to agents on the other end of the phone who called for her help, to her parents, coaches, teachers.

Evermore had been the first taste of true freedom, making her own choices and forging her own path. She didn't know if she could go back to Middleton any more.

"Come to my room?" she asked, moving off Swizz's waist and standing, holding out a hand. Butterflies danced in her stomach.

— 𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐙 & 𝐊𝐈𝐌.

He couldn't say he didn't like to be the one not in control; his whole life had revolved around that, at least lately. Fast cars, substances, anything he could get himself into that brought a rush of adrenaline. Even coming to Evermore hadn't been his choice, and part of him thought that made it all the more interesting... especially with people disappearing. The not knowing what was going to happen.

He was too caught up in watching her smirk to notice her hand moving until he felt her palm against him, sending a buzz of electricity through his body, a soft mm vocalized this time.

"You having fun teasing me?" He murmured, his lips tugging into a grin of their own. He would let her do it all night if she wanted to.

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"Oh, so we're 'dear friends' now?"

Max shook his head again, trying to hide a smile as he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. Sharp eyes roamed over Swizz's face, trying to cut to the center of the other's motivations.

"I've missed you," he finally replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. "The peace and quiet was starting to grate."

It had been about three or four weeks, Maximus thought, wondering what Swizz got up to in his free time. He'd been so consumed with figuring out a long-term job, puzzling over what he should do about Rapunzel, and looking for Rider.

"What mad-cap adventures do you have planned for us after your feast?"

"You assume I only came here for snacks? I'm wounded, Maxie, wounded."

Swizz was only giving him a hard time, but he kept the pout on his face as he reached out to claim one of the options before him, speaking louder to be heard clearly over over the wrapper crinkling. "What if I only wanted to see my dear friend? It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

He wasn't sure, honestly; it was hard to keep track of time anymore, but it felt like he'd failed at reaching out. He had with nearly everyone else.

"Don't tell me you haven't missed me. I'll cry."

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Nani swallowed hard, nodding once. She took Lilo's hand and squeezed it, leaning a bit closer to the tank.

These creatures did look pathetic. Poor things.

Homesickness hit her in a wave as she stared at the creatures floating sadly in the fluorescent washed water, thinking of the way light slashed through the beautiful blue waters as she paddled Lilo out onto the ocean, catching wave after wave until the sun went down, shivering on the sand as they snuggled together under their towels, letting the evening breeze dry their hair, so similar, so like their mother's.

She pressed a kiss to the curls on the young woman, missing the little girl, grateful she was growing up so well, and wished for home.

END

The words stung, but didn't particularly catch Lilo by surprise; normally, she might frown, insist that she was not a little girl anymore... but at the moment, she wasn't sure she had ever felt any smaller. The thought of wandering place to place, not knowing where her big sister was, was still at the forefront of Lilo's mind.

She might be an adult, but how would she even begin to take care of herself?

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment instead, eyes peeled away from the lobsters. She almost wished she could be defensive, but she understood more than ever before where Nani was coming from. "I won't do it again."

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Relief flooded Terence, a small smile breaking out across his face once again. He kissed her knuckles again and then returned to his seat.

Was that too much? Probably. It was probably too much and now she was never going to go out with him again.

XXX

After the meal, excellent as reviewed, Terence shrugged off his jacket, offering it to Molly as he walked her home.

"Thanks for taking a shot on me," he said as they strolled amicably along the sidewalk, bumping her shoulder gently with his.

"We should do this again!"

Terence's eyes went wide at her words and he was instantly on the floor on one knee beside her, taking her hand in his.

"No, no! You're absolutely beautiful! If anyone looks like a thumb that's me," he said, biting his lip in anxiety as he searched her face.

"I'm not asking anyone to hear me out about you, Molly."

He smiled at her, then raised her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her knuckles.

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Haku's head whipped around to look at her, hardly of their own accord. She had... come by? To ask?

"I can't imagine my mistress was very forthcoming," he replied after a moment, bitterness lacing the words. His hand moved across the countertop, landing on top of Lottie's and squeezing.

"Thank you," they murmured, hardly daring to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

She refrained from asking questions, not wanting them to relive their worst moments; despite what they'd said, she had an inkling it hadn't been easy for them, that they had gone through something awful.

"They put up lots of posters... all over town." There were so many faces, she could hardly bear to look at them, to wonder where they had all gone, if they were... okay. If they'd ever come back. "I went by your workplace," she admitted softly, feeling like she should have done more as she said it. "I had hoped it wasn't true, or just some silly nightmare..."

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Nani gave Duchess a trembling smile, leaning just slightly into the hand on her shoulder.

Duchess reminded Nani of her mother. Soft but fiercely protective, comforting in only the ways a mother knew how to be.

"Thank you. She's a fighter, that's for sure," Nani chuckled, hearing the sob building in her throat crack up her vocal chords. She looked down, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I keep the lights on and the door unlocked, you know? Just in case... in case she comes home in the middle of the night. I don't want it to be dark at our place."

Nani smiled, throat tight.

"We'll make it better, no matter what," she agreed, heart shying away from getting to the new year without Lilo. She prayed, hoped, begged, that whatever force had snatched away her sister would bring her back in time for Christmas, to ring in another year in this strange place, to hold her tight as she continued to get older.

"Thanks for checking in on me," Nani said, crossing her arms over her stomach at the moment of vulnerability she was about to display.

"I've never missed my mom more than now. She always knew what to say and what to do in times like these. I always try to think about what she would be doing to take control of the situation."

Speaking about her parents had been hard enough with Lilo, but to bare her soul to Duchess like this was a whole new level. Nani was trying to allow their memory into her life in increments, to come to terms with their absence and make it part of her story, to allow their lives to be honored by living on through her and her sister.