Fenix froze in that hunched-over position, still shocked by what had just happened. Then he sighed and straightened his posture.
He held out his hand and pressed a button on his cufflink; a gift-wrapped box mysteriously materialized in his palm.
"How did you do that?" Aura muttered in astonishment. He ignored her question and rang the doorbell.
Sera answered quickly.
"Sorry about that," she said with laughter in her voice. Fenix smiled softly and said,
"No apology necessary."
He then lifted the lid of the box and delicately shifted it forward, showing the contents to Sera.
She reached inside and pulled out a packaged cellphone.
"This is so you won't be worried the next time I take Aura on an unplanned adventure," he explained. She stared at his gift silently, so he continued, "Would you like me to set it up for you?"
That's when Sera smiled and nodded.
"There's one in here for Dad too," he added, reaching in and handing her a second, similar package.
He was allowed back into the house to help them set up accounts with their new phones. Nicolai was still too flustered to speak, but it was clear that he was grateful.
"We'll have to do something for you soon, to repay all this generosity," Sera remarked.
"You don't owe me anything," he replied, turning his gaze toward Aura, who was waiting in the doorway.
She quickly averted her eyes, trying to appear unfazed but failing completely.
They said their goodbyes once again, this time heading to Aura's place without any more delays.
"I have some things for you, too," Fenix said after stepping inside. Aura raised her eyebrows, and Fenix locked the door before materializing a large gift bag.
"How?!" Aura asked again. This time, he laughed and said,
"It's called a Porta Pocket. Our resident engineer likes to give her inventions silly names. I can store multiple objects in a pocket dimension until I need them," he said lightly. Aura gasped, and Fenix reached into the bag to hand her a phone, similar to the one he'd given her parents.
"... Thanks," she muttered softly.
"That's not all," he said, reaching into the bag once more. Aura's eyes lit up, but he paused, holding her in suspense.
"What is it?!" Aura asked, placing the phone on a shelf and growing impatient.
Fenix pulled out a mat designed like a series of clouds with the word Poof in the middle, instead of Welcome.
"Oh—is that a welcome mat?" she asked.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed tiny fairies flying through the clouds, and the outline of the mat shimmered faintly.
"Not exactly," Fenix replied. He walked to Aura's bedroom and placed it inside her closet.
She followed, watching him curiously.
"This is called a Howdy Do Mat," he continued. "To explain it simply, if you step onto this mat, you'll be instantly teleported to the matching one."
Aura stared at it in silence for a moment, amazed.
"Where is the other one?" she asked.
"It's in my bedroom."
His response made her heart quiver.
A second later, he placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss.
She closed her eyes, clumsily returning his passion as he gradually guided them toward the bed.
Aura fell back onto it, and he began undoing his tie, tossing it aside along with his jacket and vest before leaning over her and resuming the kiss.
"Aren't you proud of me? I resisted telling your family so many embarrassing stories," he whispered while sliding his hands under her dress.
Aura stiffened and covered her face,
"Was that so difficult that it requires praise?!" she countered shyly. He began dragging down her underwear, and she gasped loudly, peeking out at him.
His gaze was focused downward.
"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done," he muttered. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words failed to come out when she felt his hands gently parting her legs. "Plus... you've been distracting me all day; it was hard to focus and took all I had just to keep my hands to myself," he added, now meeting her eyes.
Aura's face heated up, and she stammered out a string of incoherent sounds before squeezing her eyes shut,
"What did I do?!" she asked, her voice cracked.
Fenix chuckled, settling at the edge of the bed and rubbing her foot.
"First... you showed up looking so cute... then you professed your love for me, out loud, in front of your parents," he lifted her leg, kissing her ankle, his lips gradually moving upwards as he muttered, "It's been difficult keeping my composure."
Elsewhere on the other side of the island...
Vision sat on the roof of his complex, eyes fixed on the stars, his long silver hair drifting in the wind.
He could hear faint music in the distance, so he scanned the area for it. He spotted a large building in the middle of the city, emitting bright, flashing lights. He rested his chin on his knee, debating whether to investigate.
It didn't take him long to jump down from the rooftop and check it out.
A bar stretched along one side, while the center floor churned with dancers under flashing lights. A live band played on stage, and he watched the movement of the crowd as he drifted toward the bar.
"Would you like to order something?" the bartender called. He glanced in her direction to see the same girl he had met near the fountain.
"You?!" they said in unison.
She was fuming, but he only sighed and said,
"Yeah... you have any recommendations?"
She huffed, turning away from him.
"I don't serve assholes," she muttered. Vision laughed and replied,
"Luckily for me, I'm a whole person. I have arms and legs and everything."
The girl growled and pouted.
"I won't be using my asshole to drink either," he added sassily, and she shot him a dirty look.
"Fine, fine! I get it! I'll choose what to give you myself, smartass," she grumbled, moving away from the counter to prepare a mixed drink.
In only a couple of minutes, she placed a glass in front of him. It was a gradient drink, orange at the top, red near the bottom. Vision tasted it and immediately wrinkled his nose,
"It's sweet," he muttered.
"If you don't like it, give it back," the girl remarked, offended. Vision smiled softly, then took another sip.
"No, it's good." His tone was gentle, and he continued drinking silently.
She observed him while polishing glasses. After finishing three, she blurted,
"My name is Clair, by the way. What's yours?"
"I don't remember asking," he said flatly, pushing away his empty cup.
She groaned loudly.
"If you weren't so good-looking, I wouldn't even be wasting my time talking to you."
Vision's eyes widened as he looked up at her,
"You think I'm good-looking?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't be putting up with all this crap. Not like it matters."
His gaze drifted to the performing band, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter.
"My name is Vision."
His voice was barely above a whisper. He had been silent for a while, so when he spoke again, Clair jolted, staring at him in shock.
"So... Vision," she cleared her throat before continuing, "My shift ends soon, would you like to dance?"
He glanced at her, and she flinched.
"Ask me again when your shift is over," he replied snarkily.
Clair's pout returned, then she walked away to attend to other guests.
A little later, she made him a new drink without saying anything.
This one was stronger and nowhere near as sweet. He gulped it down with no complaints.
Once his glass was empty, he saw that she was gone, replaced by a young man. In that same moment, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
It was Clair. Her cheeks were slightly pink, and she shifted her eyes to the side,
"... Would you like to dance?" she asked.
He kept his eyes on her, expressionless. The silence stretched until she scowled and started to leave. He reached out, gently holding her wrist, and said,
"Wait." She paused, and he carried on, "Let's dance."
Her face softened as he slowly tugged her onto the dance floor.
They stopped in the middle of the crowd. Clair placed her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him.
"Don't expect too much, I've never danced before," he admitted, while placing his hands on her waist. She giggled,
"It's not a test, don't worry about it too much. Just feel the music," Clair replied sweetly.
Vision gave a slight smile, then he exhaled and cleared his mind.
They danced together until sunrise.
She rested her forehead against his.
"I need to go home," she whispered while stifling a yawn. He stared down at her lips as she spoke, then released her, taking several steps back.
"Goodbye," Vision replied. It was only then that he noticed they were the only people left who didn't work there.
She yawned again and covered her mouth, wobbling toward the exit.
When she almost toppled over, he rushed in to support her.
Warmth spread through her as his arms caught her.
"I'll walk you home."
Clair's pulse quickened at his offer, and she nodded quietly.
As they left, she leaned against him, giving directions.
He assisted her up the porch steps, and as he motioned to leave, she grabbed the back of his shirt.
"If you're free tomorrow, meet me near the fountain at noon," her voice shaking with nerves. She didn't give him time to reply before rushing into the house.