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Ellis couldn't help the bright smile plastered on his pale face as he watched Noah's eyes on Poe. The other boy was so completely enamored that it made his heart ache in a way he didn't completely understand; he loved Poe, and he expected other people to, but it was important to him that Noah understood how important the little fluffball was to him. He seemed to get it and that was so uplifting.

"Really, never?" Ellis raised both eyebrows in surprise. Immediately, he felt sorry for his boyfriend. Owning a pet was a unique joy - he knew Poe's moods and gestures as well as any person's. They were two peas in a pod and he planned his days and nights around making sure he was well taken care of. "Well," he offered, squeezing the hand that was laced through his own, "you can come play with Poe any time. Especially if it means you'll be here more."

Poe's eyes half closed as fingers gently began to rub beneath his jaw and little by little, he started tipping forward, unaware of himself. Then, he slipped, tumbling in a heap of fur and ears right between the space where the boys lounged together on the bed. Ellis, for a wonder, didn't start at the adorable accident - he just laughed softly and reached out to help Poe right himself. He settled him, this time, on Noah's stomach and watched as the bunny hunkered down and began to rub little paws over his nose.

"He's kind of a dork, to be honest, but he's my dork."

To see my boys.

Those simple words echoed in Ellis' thoughts and he found himself blushing again, regardless of how silly it seemed. It was such an endearing, possessive sentence that he couldn't help feeling flustered and emotional for it. He adored this impulsive, too kind boy and it was so crazy to him that Noah was trying so hard to make a perfect, boyfriend sized space in his life for himself.

How had this even happened?

The kiss to his forehead made him smile and he rolled onto his side as he snuggled down. The hand holding his pulled up and settled their twined fingers against the hollow of his hip and the other hand drifted up and over Noah's bicep to settle gently on the underside of his arm. It pulled the other man's arm flush against his chest, a possessive, clingy cuddle that Ellis was no longer afraid would make Noah shy away. His cheek rested against his upper arm and his eyes settled on Poe, who seemed to be content to do a bit of grooming where he sat.

"Was it better than yesterday?" a mischievous smile pulled his lips tight, though his blush deepened. Bright eyes fluttered away from his beloved Poe and up to meet the green ones above him. "I mean, I understand. He is pretty adorable."

The kiss was as perfect as their day had been and Ellis was content to lay like that with Noah for hours, passing time chatting and cuddling with Poe. Time slipped through their fingers like sand and eventually, Ellis had needed to get up and get ready for work; it left Noah and Poe to themselves for a while but eventually even the flop-eared bunny had needed to be put back in his hutch.

It seemed like all too soon that he was standing at a street corner and kissing Noah gently on the cheek in a goodbye; the brunette couldn't come into the bar with him during set up and he didn't really want him to see how grungy and stressed he felt when he was pouring drinks and running food anyway. It had been with a bittersweet promise of 'see you later' that he finally turned his back and put Noah in his rear view (even if he was technically walking). The promise was enough to get him through his shift, though, and there was barely a half hour left when he finally had a moment to look at his phone.

The text had come through forever ago but he had been so busy; it was Noah, though, asking him how the night was going. He smiled as he leaned back into a wall in the alley.

[To Noah: It's going okay, I'm glad I'm not closing. There was some drunk guy in here harassing everyone tonight but, what's new?]

Then he shoved it back in his pocket and began busing the booths out, sweeping, and keeping his head low; the last thirty minutes ticket by and it was with a deep, satisfied breath that he was pulling his apron off and pushing open the front door to freedom. Now, to figure out where Noah was waiting...

He pulled out his phone, eyes down, and paused under the street lamp.

Just as his fingers hovered over the button to type out a text to his boyfriend, the phone in his hands buzzed and he smiled instead, staring down at the screen that cast a white wash of light over his face.

[To Noah: Okay, I'm waiting right here for you.]

The smile was still lingering on his face when he shoved the phone into his pocket and leaned a shoulder into the lamp post next to him. He never saw the creep that wandered up, drunk and a little wild eyed, at least not until there was a hand on his shoulder and a leering smile focused down at him. For a moment, hoping for the best, baby blues flashed up to meet the face - but it wasn't Noah. It was just some hobbling weirdo.

"Hey, let go, dude," he started, trying to snake out of his grasp. It tightened though and Ellis frowned, feeling his first moment of panic. There was a henshin pen in his bag but it wouldn't matter this close; he couldn't risk his identity. That had been one of the rules, she had said.

"Naaaah," a lazy, drunken drawl sounded. The man's opposite hand reached out and gripped him roughly by the chin, forcing him to look up at him, "you're almost pretty enough to be a girl, y'know. All those pretty curls."

Ellis grit his teeth, trying to wrench his chin free. Why did drunks have such ridiculous strength?

It all happened so quickly.

In one breath, the stranger was threatening him and Ellis was so sure that there was something terrible about to happen - then, in the next, he was on hands and knees panicking about something that Ellis didn't even see. For a breath, he wondered how drunk this guy really was. He took a few steps back, slowly, as if he were still afraid the other man might stand up suddenly and lunge for him but he was so lost in whatever he saw that it was a ridiculous fear.

He swung his eyes up to the newcomer, a Senshi by the look of him (which made him feel safer, even if he didn't know him) but the words on his lips were.. confusing. Ellis could hear his own heartbeat in his ears and the panicked, anxious energy settling into his bones. It was fight or flight that was beckoning for a reaction but why was, why was this man calling him baby?

"I'm, no, I'm fine, but..."

Ellis cast a glance behind him, trying to see if Noah was close, if he was anywhere nearby enough to save him from whoever this other man was. Why was this happening tonight, of all night? He could feel how overwhelmed he was getting but he tried to keep himself together as he took a careful step backward; he couldn't know if this Senshi meant any harm but he was on edge.

"I don't know you, uh," fingers curled tighter around the bag that sat diagonally across his shoulders, "and my, my boyfriend will be here any second, so..."

So leave, please, he wanted to say.

The first, blurted admission didn't seem to register. Ellis curled his fingers tighter around his bag as the words kept coming, tumbling out in half registered sentences that seemed to confuse Ellis more than they helped.

Noah?

Ellis wasn't the best senshi, it was true, but he knew enough to know that they were usually good people - or so he had been told, at least. Had this been some negaverse agent telling him his name was Noah, perhaps he would have expected it to be a lie and worried for his safety, but he had called him baby, he knew his name, and those gentle, emerald eyes that stared back at him were full of all the worry that he had ever seen in Noah's eyes for him. Even if it weren't for that blush, that submissive gesture, Ellis would have trusted his words enough to know.

"Noah," he spoke his name and stepped forward in a panicked, relieved rush, throwing his arms around a familiar neck and dragging himself close to a body that was all solid comfort. There was a mix of panic and worry, relief and adoration, and it was all so overwhelming. His face buried against his neck and he held him like that, for a long moment, letting himself drink in the familiarity of him under that uniform.

But then his head was clearing and, suddenly, he felt a small flash of anger. Not enough to show it, but enough that he pulled back and focused his baby blues on his beautiful, stupid boyfriend.

"What if I were a Negaverse agent, Noah? What if I wasn't something good? You shouldn't just-" he trailed off. It sounded like he was mad but, in truth, there was worry and pain in his eyes. He could lose Noah, or whatever name he used like this, if he was this careless. The thought was painful and sudden, a pang that pulsed through his chest. He couldn't finish his words and instead, he shook his head, dragging himself so close that he felt like he might sink into him.

It felt good to have Noah's arms so tightly around him in the wake of everything. He could still feel the weight of the man's hand on his shoulder and the place where his fingers had dug so sharply into his skin. He would have found a way to get away from him, he thought, he hoped but it had been Noah to the rescue instead.

He was incredibly, undeniably grateful for him even if he was panicked suddenly at the thought of losing him. It was just his nature, to worry over all the things that could happen, especially when it was a matter of his own happiness. Life had proved to him, time and time again, that he could not take anything for granted - he had lost his father, sort of lost his mother, even K was some distant, lost thing to him now. He knew this was different, that there was no real threat, but it was only because he was lucky. Because Noah was lucky. What if, what if, what if just rang through his head.

Fingers curled into the dark hair at the nape of his boyfriend's neck as he tried to draw his consciousness up from that pit of despair to instead listen to his words. The apology made him smile weakly against Noah's neck where his face was still buried and it grew a little brighter, pressed to his skin, as he heard all the possessive worry in his words. He did feel safe, here, with him. Even if-

Wait a second.

Suddenly, he was pulled back from the grip he had around Noah's shoulders so that his hand trailed down and settled against the pale white of his uniform. It reminded him that this wasn't just Noah, it was someone else, someone powerful and strong. Someone that was putting two and two together.

"I, well," he started, but faltered. Ellis was bad at lying so he rarely bothered. His eyes widened a little at the corners and he chewed at the inside of his cheek while he stood there, uncertain suddenly. He had never told anyone about who he was, it had been a strict rule that he kept close to his heart out of fear of losing everything he had for good, but this was... different, wasn't it? Noah was this Senshi; he was on his team. This was a secret he could share with him.

Hesitant eyes cast sidelong at the street they were standing on; it was late and most of the patrons that had been milling around were farther down the street, wandering away, which left just him and the brunette where they stood in the faint wash of a street light. It seemed quiet enough, safe enough. Pale hands zipped open the bag he had been clinging to so tightly, then unzipped a second, inside pouch. It took a moment because he was heady with adrenaline and anxiety, but after a moment he pulled free a henshin pen, all dark, desaturated mauve and iron.

"Surprise?"

Ellis couldn't help the way he smiled at Noah as he stammered, for once, and found himself nearly speechless. It was unlike him to seem so dumbfounded and the surprise in his face, the wideness in his eyes, comforted Ellis in a way that warmed his heart and made him want to cover his face in a dozen little kisses. He was adorable when he was confused.

"Yes, the two of us," he echoed, breaking into a bubble of laughter as Noah still seemed incapable of wrapping his head around it. Maybe it was just easier for him because here he was, his handsome boyfriend done up in a white and green fuku that stared him in the face, when Ellis was simply standing here with his henshin pen held outstretched.

"Come on," he mumbled, leaning up to kiss Noah's cheek gently before his free hand grabbed his and pulled him towards the back alley of the bar. Everyone would be gone by now and the shops next door had closed hours ago; it would be private, he could power up here so that Noah didn't have to feel whatever strange disbelief was overwhelming him anymore. Their hands only parted once they were safely in the shade of the alleyway and with a deep breath, he murmured the phrase he had been taught and felt the first pull of magic sliding over his skin. It was always too flashy, too long, too ridiculous - light drenched him and sank into his skin, then settled into a uniform that was all pale greens and mauves.

When his bright eyes settled and the imprint of light faded way, he was Sadr, staring back at his boyfriend.

"See?" his pen was shoved in his pocket, and he smiled, weak and shy suddenly. It always felt weird to be in this uniform, to feel the magic on his skin and the blips of energy that lingered nearby and in the distance. He did not take it on very often but he had, just to show Noah he wasn't crazy.

Playfully, he held out a hand,

"Sadr, Senshi of Crossroads."