Truly Ours ✔️

Chapter Nine

a//n: This is a bit of a hectic chapter, sorry! It's more of a fast-paced filler so I can move on to the next... 'part' of the story. Another quick note, but just in case to clear up any potential confusion, whenever I use italics and mention nothing about Taz handwriting or writing in hellfire, those are his thoughts. I'll do my best to make a distinct difference between the two.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓝𝓲𝓷𝓮 / 9 / 𝓗𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓷 𝓣𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓼

Aspen and Taz caught up with each other while a literal dance battle was going on before them, shrieks and laughter rising in volume and pitch. Koda and Kiba had joined, making it a group of six, and there were flailing limbs everywhere.

A few others filtered into the room, and Taz recognized the female from the kitchen earlier that day. Khione, and her mate, Gabriel. Lixue entered, along with a younger boy, Pyro and another girl around the same age as Raven and Xena.

"The younger boy is Seiko. Lixue is the youngest looking female besides Nanook, and the third one is Kygo." Aspen explained. "We always have a couple of days where we play Just Dance. It's usually the ones who are twenty and below, since the others are working all day." Taz nodded, watching as Lixue and Seiko joined the other four to dance.

"Hey, Taz." Taz waved at Gabe, sat next to Khione. He was a little scary. Almost as tall as Mikael, but he was large and muscular, and took up a lot of space. "How's it been in this chaotic house?"

I like it. Taz wrote in hellfire. Khione patted the seat next to her, and he glanced at Aspen, who urged him on, and Taz hurried over, plopping down next to the couple. Khione offered him a notebook, and Taz grinned, grateful.

He enjoyed talking with them, and he only looked up when a familiar sandalwood scent filled his nose and Mikael set his head in Taz's lap. The shifter's tail flicked happily, playing with Mikael's clean and still wet hair. Khione and Gabe soon stood to take their turn, and Taz watched the huge male awkwardly try to follow the moves on the screen.

Taz's attentioned turned back to the sleepy Mikael, and he pressed his thumbs gently into the other's cheeks. Mikael gave him a sleepy smile, and reached up, fingers sliding slightly into Taz's hair, tugging him down so he could press their foreheads together. Taz mimed a sleeping motion, and Mikael shook his head, yawning.  Cadence plopped down on Taz's other side, and Taz tilted his head curiously.

"I didn't threaten him or anything." Cadence rolled his eyes. "I just apologized to him." Taz stuck his tongue out, and Cadence grinned, crooking his thumb towards the television. "I think they want you to try it."

Taz held his hands up by his chest, shaking his head as Nanook tugged his arm. He pointed to Mikael sleeping, and Nanook scowled.

"Come dance! He could've just stayed in his room. Mikael! Let me steal Taz again." Mikael let out a groan, but eventually let the six year old drag Taz towards the television. Taz was handed a small device, which he held and strapped around his wrist, tail flicking behind him. He was with Koda, Nanook, and Cadence who had also been dragged from his seat by his girlfriend.

Koda the tallest of the four of them by nearly 60 centimeters, so he stood a little bit behind the other three to ensure he wouldn't accidentally knock someone out with his gangly limbs. Nanook picked the song, and a few groaned and Nanook scowled.

"I don't like Korean pop music either, but this is one the only ones I can tolerate." Nanook pouted. "Also, one of my favorite YouTubers dances to it. So there's that too."

"I can't dance." Cadence's heterochromatic eyes were wide and panicked as they chose which character to follow. "I can barely do the macarena. I trip when I do that Cupid Shuffle, or whatever it's called. Please have someone else take my spot."