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Chapter 20: Sun, Feb 6

You can't believe you're planning on going jogging. Like, isn't this why you learned how to apparate so you didn't have to run like a muggle? Nevertheless you find yourself jogging into Taylor's neighborhood, water bottle in your hands. You're cheating like fuck with all the health monitoring you're doing to yourself, as well as almost regenerating muscle tears as they form. The extra stamina won't hurt you, and it's practice for what you're about to do to Taylor as soon as you meet up with her.

Her tracker has her starting out near her house, so you finagle your path to cross a street a bit in front of her and lead her down the next block. Stopping to wait for a light she catches up and you glance her way and give her a nod while pulling out your headphones. "Hey, you feeling better today?"

Taylor awkwardly raises a bottle in her offhand and shakes it a bit. "Yeah, uh, thanks for the water by the way."

Tossing your exercise-assist spells on her you establish another mental connection and just try to probe lightly to find the nexus of the Taylor-QA link. While you do that you manage some small talk with the skinny would-be warlord. When she mentions not having seen you around before you decide that a bit of honesty is probably a decent alibi.

"Yeah, I live in a apartment a couple miles thataway," you huff, hooking a thumb over your shoulder, "I don't run during the week because my schedule's all weird, so when I can force myself to do it I just kinda pick a direction and go."

"Oh, I thought maybe you were a new transfer to Winslow…"

You laugh. "I'm a freshman at BBU actually."

Even without the legilimency you could tell that Taylor was mortified at her comment and probably just wanted to turn around and never leave her house again but you take a chance and prod her gently with your mind. Using a combination of minor probes and leading questions you get the conversation going again. She doesn't admit to being bullied—that would take more mind control than you're willing to use—but she does mention homework 'getting wet' or 'going missing'. You can't say your suggestions are super useful, and certainly don't fix the underlying issue, but you offer some vague suggestions in the vein of using a lock on the backpack and where to find waterproofing wax. What you do in her mind is hopefully more helpful as you nudge her reluctance to speak with her father down a bit. It's a small thing in a grand design, but perhaps it will finally get her to tell Danny about Emma and company.

Once you return back to your apartment it's a more-normal hour and you decide to actually call your girlfriend rather than text. It sounds like she was sleeping in a bit, because her voice is muzzy when she answers. "H'lo?"

"So I've been reading your thread on PHO and there's speculation you've got a boyfriend."

A long stretch of silence is broken by a jaw-cracking yawn. "I really hope you have a point."

You do your best to project a smile through the phone. "Well, I am the leading suspect, but they're not sure. I've decided I don't like that."

"James, you said—"

"So I'm coming over there and knocking on your door so your whole hall can hear it, then taking you out to lunch, and then we're going to the Forsberg Gallery. And I'm gonna hold your hand the entire time."

The clattering noises through the phone probably herald Crystal making a mess as she starts getting ready. "I just bet you are. Give me a half-hour?"

"You have five minutes, and I'm knocking super hard and calling you 'baby'." You hang up before she can respond and find yourself bombarded by text messages before you can even grab your coat.

When you actually show up fifteen minutes later Crystal manages to scowl with her lips while smiling with her eyes, an amazing combination. Looking up and down the hall she yanks you into her room and mutters something about almost being ready. Her dorm is messy as hell, you see papers scattered around and clothes heaped on dressers amongst other things.

After your girlfriend finishes with whatever she was doing she stands in front of you with hands on hips as you sit on her bed. "You said five minutes and I ended up scrambling. What do you have to say for yourself?"

You cross your arms and nod your head. "Sort!"

Watching Crystal gape as all of her clothes slot themselves into drawers and her floor appears from under the junk is amazing. Smiling up and then down at her you stand and head towards the door, opening it and bowing her out.

In the hallway you take her hand and lace your fingers together and your girlfriend actually looks startled like she didn't think you'd actually do it. She does manage to keep quiet until you're walking towards the parking lot, past some crime scene tape and bored cops. "Are you seriously going to hold my hand all day?"

"Of course not! I'm pretty sure you're supposed to have two hands on the wheel when driving. I'll just keep my hand on your thigh."

On the drive to the cafe you found at the Boardwalk Amy is mentioned, so you use that as a chance to bring something up.

"Speaking of Amy—or Panacea, I guess—I've been trying to expand my abilities into healing. I'd like to see if she can check over some of what I do and make sure it's not going to cause problems. I know she fixes everything—"

"Not everything," Crystal grumbles, "some things she doesn't heal to 'keep things fair'."

That takes a second to figure out. "Ah, that time of the month?" At her sputtering you continue, "Look, my mom sent me off to pick up tampons for her as soon as I could drive. If I didn't spontaneously combust dealing with it then, I'm not gonna be bothered now. So, can I try and diagnose you?"

She gets control of herself after a second and sighs. "Sure."

You verbalize a diagnostic and see pretty much what you expected—some cramps and aches, nothing super serious. "I can't exactly make it all go away, but I can ease the pain and cramping. Want me to do it?"

"Wait 'til I park. If it works out I'll talk to Amy. Mom's mentioned Warlock—" she gives you a moue as you say it with her—"to the rest of us, but I can't exactly tell Ames to call in my super creepy independent buddy just because he's mentioned he could heal. You're like a scythe away from being the grim reaper, and that doesn't go over well in hospitals."

"I'll grab my pastel summer-weight robes out of storage."

Despite not looking like she was in pain the dramatic sigh when you hit her with a painkiller and something to ease the cramps makes you happy. Your stroll over to the Boardwalk and eating in the little cafe gives you plenty of chances to get more practice at dipping into people's heads for just a second. You use it to determine who's going to be taking pictures of you and posting them online, but the exercise could be extended a number of other ways in the future.

While you're finishing up your tour of the Forsberg you pull Crystal into you and kiss the top of her head after she makes a joke about some of the more interesting modern art. Looking down at her you wink. "How many people do you think we've given diabetes?"

"I hope all of the ones who were really obvious about taking our pictures get it and their toes rot off. Let's head back to your place?" She sounds hopeful towards the end of the sentence and smiles when you nod back. "To the car!"

Later you're both cuddling on the couch while reading the crazy shit her PHO thread is coming up with. Apparently it's not enough that you might be dating, there are at least three other rumors, one of which is that you've been cheating on Crystal with Vicky. Someone cited her reaction on Wednesday as proof, but you've become partial to the theory that the two of you are secretly married and Crystal is carrying your lovechild. "How in the hell would that even work? We'd have no way of knowing if you're pregnant yet"

Crystal laughs in your ear. "It's not nearly as bad as they used to be, at one point there was some kind of love septa-hexa-octagon thing where Dean was blackmailing Amy and me into sex while Vicky was cheating on Dean with this guy that we had all helped rescue from a car crash and was seen hugging us after Amy healed him, then it was Amy and the guy, me and Dean, etc, etc. They finally kicked the dude off of PHO and now he has a long running fanfiction story where most of the Bay is either fucking or 'fighting with only 1% of my power'."

"Which you totally don't read, I'm sure."

"Which I totally don't read and laugh about. I think Clockblocker has gotten three girls pregnant so far, and has beaten up Lung? No idea why the guy thinks he's a stud, but whatever."

You run your hands underneath her shirt and trail fingers over her skin. "No talking about other studs when you're in my arms."

That doesn't even rate a chuckle as Crystal sinks back against you and turns her head so she can kiss you. "Hey, that magic hands thing that the girls talked about… was that you using your powers?"

"Yeah, in an untrained way. I've figured out how to change it up now."

Pulling her blonde hair up in a messy bun at the top of her head she hums. "Oh really? You gonna show me?"

Your left hand heats up and heads down to lay over her lower belly while your right sparks with pleasure and starts working its way up. You don't even make it up to the underside of her breasts before Crystal's hands come up over her head to run through your hair and her head lolls to the side and bares her neck to you.

By the time you've circled your hand up and down her stomach twice more—each time getting just a little closer to her breasts—she's popped the clasp of her bra and is almost shivering in anticipation.

You indulge her by stopping the flow of magic and cupping one full breast in your hand. Slowly you ramp the power up until her hips begin to roll against you before drawing your palm out and bringing your fingers in to tweak her nipple. The sighs and whimpers you pull from her rosy lips are beautiful music.

You don't keep track of how long you tease her, but Crystal's left hand has joined yours as she alternately pushes it down and back up, her desire for more warring with her embarrassment of her period. You ruffle the waistband of her jeans with a finger and taper the heat off, taking just a moment before you replace that with pleasure as well. Her sighs are replaced by sweet cries and she pushes your hand farther so you can feel the soft, silky hair on her mound. She's so close, all she needs is the slightest spark to—

"Cum for me, baby," you murmur and nibble her ear.

"Jaaaaaaaames!" she moans, her hands scrabbling at nothing. You kiss down her neck while you softly ease her though a second peak and a third before letting her lay, languid and liquid in your arms. Crystal nuzzles her face into the side of your neck and goes so slack you think she's fallen asleep before she finally moves, flying up enough to roll over and bring you face to face. You kiss hungrily as she opens your fly and maneuvers your cock out. Both hands start to stroke as you cup her face and breathe a little deeper.

Breaking off the kiss by catching your lower lip between her teeth for a second, Crystal hovers lower and adjusts her grip on your shaft and just stares for almost a minute. Finally she moves forward and takes the head into her mouth. She's enthusiastic, if not super experienced, but the need in her eyes and her mind draw you in and increase your own pleasure until you find yourself moaning her name and cumming.

Crystal manages to swallow the first blast, but pulls back and takes the next half-dozen all over her face and chest. She keeps wavering between looking exasperated and amused until you wave a hand and a cleaning charm at her. After that she tucks you back in to your pants and pats your crotch before flopping on top of you and declaring it nap time. You mentally pencil in some further Legilimency study for the late evening but decide that your girlfriend has an excellent idea and summon a blanket to cover you both.

AN: You do actually study Legilimency, but I liked ending the chapter there. I'll write up what you've learned in the Mind Arts after using it so much separately, because you may end up finding it useful later.