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Quite a few years ago, long after the Sol brothers had picked up a spare, but before they were invited to Reed's, Adney had a girlfriend.

She was a pretty girl, with long blonde hair and hazel eyes that edged towards green filled with flecks of gold. This girl was about average height, maybe 5'5", and had an average build; she couldn't be described as terribly skinny, but nor was she fat. Adney had never liked his girls dangerously thin, nor so heavy he didn't think he'd be able to handle carrying them. She was both beautiful and smart, if not a little clumsy. And, for quite some time, she appeared to be very kind. It was not for two years that the oldest brother came to find that she was not at all what she seemed, and it was this realization that had changed his view on women forever. Her name was Josephine, and she was the one who crushed Adney's heart.

The two met after running into each other at the grocery store; Josephine had tripped over a box, and Adney had been unpacking the box. He was working to help support his brothers, the youngest of which also worked in the store as a cashier. Camrion was the social type, one who was very skilled with dealing with people of all varieties; if there was a grumpy customer, they were first sent Cam's way. The youngest Sol, were he unable to fix the customer's foul mood, would then send him to his brother. At this point in time, Adney was still in street mode; he did not address other people unless necessary, and set of an aura of intensity. Few approached him, with the exception of the occasional girl with a bad boy fetish. He worked as a restocker, and knew the layout of the store and backroom better than the back of his hand. He directed things behind the scenes, and it was only on occasion that he actually entered the main part of the store.

On this fateful day, both his restocker's had been given permission to leave early; they were getting together with a few old buddies, and since it was near closing time, the main store would be very nearly empty. Only people of the night went in that late, and it was these people that the oldest redhead dealt with best. The one who did not fit in, however, was the blonde in the jeans and old sweatshirt; if she was a prostitute, she certainly wasn't dressed properly, and she certainly didn't seem to have any sort of balance.

Adney was restocking the shelves that usually held a certain brand of canned vegetables. They had had a huge sale that day, and the section of shelves was completely bare. The only cashier on duty was Cam, and he was far out of sight at the other end of the row and by the entrance. The oldest Sol crouched on the floor, filling the bottom shelves first with the canned peas that went there. Filling that section, he stacked the empty boxes and put them back on the trolley of boxes he had dragged out. He moved two boxes at a time, they were too heavy otherwise while full. Setting the first pair down carefully, he turned as he stacked two more boxes to prepare to move. As he turned, he noticed a girl moving slowly down the aisle. She was obviously looking for something, but Adney had already dealt with three people he had simply had to throw out of the store that day. He was not in the mood to entertain some girl, and he placed the boxes carefully beside the other. One corner stuck out, and as he turned again, he heard the sound of a sneaker connecting with something solid. The girl swore quietly, her leg automatically retracting up to her body as she tried to rub comfort back into it. She was not the balanced sort, however, and began to fall.

"Oh my Go-" her eyes had squeezed shut, and she simply froze in place. She was resigned to fall, but completely stopped in her makeshift prayer when she didn't hit the linoleum floor like a sack of bricks. She opened one eye hesitantly, trying to figure out what had happened. When she noticed the redhead's face very close to her own, she blinked in confusion. "Can I help you?" she asked, obviously confused by his proximity.

Adney raised an eyebrow at the girl's question, smirking faintly. He almost laughed, but she looked so very confused. Placing the girl on her feet, he takes a step back. "By being a bit more careful, yes." he jested, turning back to his work. He had enough boxes for his second lowest shelf, and he took out a pocket knife to cut open the packaging on the top box the girl had tripped over. Closing the knife, he drops it carefully in his pocket. Unfolding the top, he pulls out as many cans as he can hold to place towards the back of the shelf. If he stocked the shelves well, he wouldn't have to do it again for a while. He had emptied the first box when he noticed the girl was still standing there, watching him work. He raised an eyebrow at her, pulling out his knife to open the box that she had kicked. When the knife returned to his pocket, he glanced up at her from his crouched position. "I'm sorry, did you need help?" he asked, raising a brow. The girl, caught in her staring, shook her head violently; her hair flew around her as she did, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Oh no! I was just curious." when the man she spoke to rose another brow in surprise, she shook her head again. "I mean, uh...I just needed a can of those." she explained out of the blue, pointing at the can of corn in the stocker's hands. Confused, the redhead gives her the can she pointed to before returning to his work. When he went to cut open the third box, the girl was gone.



Work went on as if nothing happened, and Adney simply forgot about her. He continued to do his job well, occasionally manning the front desk instead of his own personal desk in the back. His brother had come down with the flu, and had been given the day off. So long, of course, that Adney moved to the register to fill in. He agreed, not quite happy about it, but it was the only way they would both be paid; Cam had paid sick days as head cashier, but his older brother often had to fill in for him. He managed the day, pulling on his reserves of smiles to work on it. He was eventually let off duty for lunch break, and when he returned, he was allowed to return to his comfort zone in the back. As it turned out, the flu was going around, and the stock boys on duty in the back had been sent home sick after throwing up. As it neared closing time, the redhead wheeled out his trolley of boxes to set about stacking the shelves once more. He stopped in the candy aisle, where their weekly sale had just ended that day. Cutting open the boxes straight off the trolley, he didn't want to risk tripping another customer, he moved the contents of the box into place with the box never moving from it's spot. Dropping the first empty box into position with the other empty boxes, he cuts open the next; he turned with hands full of chocolate candies to find a petite blonde girl staring at him. She had greenish eyes, filled with flecks of gold; her hair was long, and held away from her face with sparkling pins. She was dressed today in a skirt and a low cut shirt, and it took him a moment to recognize her as the girl from the week before. He looked at her in confusion a moment, moving to place the candy he was carrying in place. Wiping his hands on the apron he wore over his uniform, he turned to look at her. "Did you need help?" he asked again, feeling a sense of deja vu.

This time, however, the girl smiled at him. "Hi. I just wanted to thank you for catching me last week." she tells him, stepping closer. Her eyes briefly swept the candy stocks before turning her attention back to the stocker she was definitely trying to flirt with. "I'm Josephine. What's your name?" she asked, stopping only a couple feet away. She smiled, a little nervous, but she had obviously made up her mind already. When the stocker didn't answer her at first, she frowned a bit, and peer over his shoulder. "The cashiers can't see us, and I promise I won't tell them you're slacking." he didn't know what made him want to answer, but he didn't see any harm in it. She was just a girl trying to show her appreciation, that was all; if she wanted anything more, he could easily brush her off. It wasn't for a long time that he regretted this moment, more so than he regretted catching her in the first place. He could have walked away here. He never could have let her fall and hurt herself, especially if she was smart enough to know she could sue the store.

"Adney." he answered, sealing a fate he never saw coming.


To Be Continued....

It was a long time before Josephine returned to the apartment, and even then the younger Sols avoided her at all costs; they made excuses about meeting friends, or simply hiding away in the second bedroom. The girl noticed, but never brought it up. It bothered Adney, that the others were so blatantly rude to her, but he never needed to ask; he knew they didn't trust her. He didn't agree with it, but he only hoped they would come to accept her in time.

And they were coming to accept her. Slowly, they were beginning to the trust the always smiling and cheery face.

Right up until Adney returned home, blind drunk.

There was a knock on the door, and after a short squabble, the blue-haired man finally stood. Moving across the room, he opened the door politely, wondering just who would come knocking at two in the morning. His eyes widened at the sight of the redhead being lugged so unceremoniously by his girlfriend. He opened his mouth to speak, but when nothing came out, he simply moved aside and waved her in. Josephine didn't speak as she dragged the very drunk redhead across the room before dropping him on the couch.

"What happened?" demanded the spirit, standing over his friend with worry. Thankfully, Cam was asleep and couldn't see the brother he idolized in such a state. "He is not even old enough to drink."

"Oh, it's no big deal!" the blonde tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking very amused. "We went to a party, that's all. He sure can't handle his alcohol." she turned to wink at Pyry, still smiling. "Anyway, I better go. Bye" she blew a kiss, spinning on her heel to leave. It was only after the door slammed closed that the spirit came up with an appropriate response. With it being too late, he growled in a low voice before moving to kneel at his friends side.

"Hey. Wake up." he shook the man violently, receiving a low groan for his efforts. Satisfied that the other man wasn't dead, he turned to move to their small kitchen, retrieving a glass and filling it with water. Returning, he forces the semiconscious man to drink it before setting is aside. "Sleep." he commanded, jerking back in surprise when the redhead's eyes flew open.

"G'morning, sweetheart." his voice was groggy and slurred, and while he was clumsy and uncoordinated, he reached out to wrap his arms around Pyry's neck. "C'mere~" he didn't seem to notice as the spirit flushed so severely, even his neck turned red.

"A-Adney... p-please l-let go..." he pleaded, reaching back to try and disentangle himself. While normally he was stronger than the other man, it seemed that the redhead was adamant about his clinging.

"No way." the drunk retorted, hooking one leg around the spirit's waist to pull him up on the couch beside him. From there, it was rather easy to root himself in; they were a tangle of limbs soon enough, and the spirit wasn't quite sure which limbs were his anymore. When he didn't fight back, the redhead sighed in happiness. "Good! You know you like it anyway." the spirit froze in place, allowing his friend to do as he pleased for now.


It was a very awkward morning; as usual, Cam rose with the sun and walked in on his adopted brother hopelessly ensnared by the other redhead. He stopped, watching them in surprise a moment before eventually moving about his normal morning routine. Sitting in the old armchair across from the couch, he laced his fingers together to wait. He wanted an explanation, but more importantly, he wanted to watch them try and explain.
He wasn't surprised when Pyry woke first, looking around as if confused. He jumped when he realized where he was, flailing about before forcing himself free and landing heavily on the ground. The motion awoke the final sibling, who was far more groggy and slow moving. Adney looked over the edge of the couch, coming face to face with Pyry. He looked confused, his brow furrowed.

"Rye, what are you doing on the floor?" his expression of confusion only deepened at the blush that appeared on the other man's face.

"Last night... you were drunk. You attacked me and held me captive all night." the spirit explained, not moving from his position flat on his back. "When I woke up, I was surprised."

"I... attacked you?"

"And held me captive."

"It looked to me like you two were cuddling." broke in the youngest, just turned 16. Adney turned to stare at him in shock, about to object when he turned to notice the fierce blush on his best friend's face. "I'd ask if I missed something, but apparently you were drunk. How disappointing." he stood, moving towards the door to slip on his sneakers. "Anyway, I have to get to work. Bye~" he called behind him, grinning broadly. He closed the door to the apartment, leaving Adney and Pyry to bask in the embarrassment.

To Be Continued....