It was… early… by the time Erich finally crawled into bed next to Alexis, the sky starting to lighten and songbirds already beginning to sing in the trees. He was exhausted but his mind was spinning, picking at Urahara’s observations and turning-turning-turning until he couldn’t tell where one thought began and another ended.

Urahara was brilliant, his mind sharp and his questions sharper, digging out truths that Erich had only subconsciously recognized and sorting out the why behind things far faster than Erich had ever suspected he would.

(Even if many of their abilities did not adhere to human logic, they still adhered to a logic.)

(That Urahara had so quickly ferreted that fact out…)

“You are radiating smugness, love,” Lexi muttered grumpily as she rolled over and pinned him to the bed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. “S’too early for that much smug.”

Erich laughed and wriggled a bit until he was comfortable. “Just pleased about the conversation I had with Urahara, that’s all.”

Alexis snorted and said, “Won’t be pleased when y’gotta get up in a couple hours.”

“I don’t have anything to do today,” he told her archly, then hissed when she nipped at his neck. “Hey!”

“S’what y’get,” she growled. “Too early for smug.”

“But he’s brilliant!”

Alexis sighed, all exasperation-exhaustion-love, and freed a hand to pat the top of his head. “Yes, and it’s now dawn. Save the cooing over our soon-to-be mate for when’m actually awake.”

“But—”

“Sleep!” she hissed as she settled more firmly on top of him. “I love you, but go to sleep.”

Erich laughed. Pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Closed his eyes and breathed out, doing his best to clear away the chattering vibration of thoughts-ideas-possibilities.

Relaxed as Alexis began to sing, her voice infused with power, and—

Slept.

---

The sun was well over the horizon by the time Erich woke, and he could feel the others moving about the house. Everyone was up and about, going about their day as usual—

All except for Urahara, whose spiritual power was the soft-even-calm of undisturbed sleep.

(Good.)

(The man deserved some restful sleep.)

Erich sighed and slowly pushed himself upright, rubbing at his gritty eyes and deeply, deeply regretting the long night no matter how fascinating it had been; he was no longer a cygnet able to bounce back with only a few hours of rest no matter how young he looked.

(Too many years hidden as a human.)

(Too many losses, too many sorrows, for him to feel anything but old no matter how long-lived his people could be.)

He yawned, stretched, and then groped about for his glasses, trying to remember where he’d set them when he’d crawled into bed. It was only when he leaned over a bit more and squinted at the low, bedside table that he found them, neatly folded next to the lamp; it was a sure sign that Alexis had found them somewhere they shouldn’t have been, and he mentally reached out to brush thanks-appreciation-love against her senses, getting a soft caress of warmth-care-love in return.

Glasses found, he rose and threw on a set of clothing, then shuffled out of his bedroom and towards the main room where Alexis and Mami were.

“Here’s sleeping beauty himself!” Alexis teased lightly as he wandered in. “Come on, sleepyhead, sit down and get some food in you.”

Erich huffed at her but sat without complaint, pressing into her side as he accepted the little plate of rice balls from her. “Was still worth it,” he muttered.

Alexis chuckled and brushed a kiss against his cheek. “I’m sure it was,” she said with a smile. “He’s certainly showing no sign of waking any time soon. I wonder if it’s only mental exercise that tires him out so, or if we can physically exhaust him—”

“Lexi!” he yelped, slapping a hand over her mouth and scowling at her when she had the audacity to smirk and then lick his palm. “You are like a teenager sometimes, I swear,” he hissed, ignoring Mami’s quiet giggles as best he could. “That’s not— no. He’s not our mate yet, that’s not something we speculate about.”

She reached up and pulled his hand down a bit, arching an eyebrow at him as she asked, “Speculate about what, love? I was just wondering if sparring with him will result in the same~”

“You were not,” Erich grumbled as he pulled his hand from her grip and wiped it dry on the sleeve of her shirt, ignoring the look she gave him; she was the one who’d licked him, so she’d earned her fate in his opinion. “I know where your mind was headed.”

“But I didn’t say it,” Alexis said with a smug little tilt of her head, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “So what does it say that your mind went there too?”

“That I know you far too well,” he replied haughtily, then bit into a rice ball and made a show of eating.

Alexis laughed and reached up, combing her fingers through his hair to neat it. “Dork,” she said fondly. “But… you’ve decided, then?”

Erich finished off the rice ball in his hand and took another one to eat as he considered her question; had he decided? He’d only ever meant to give Urahara a chance if he could make it through Concealment without assistance, but…

He’d had fun — true, honest fun — while both teaching and discussing his powers the night before; there weren’t many swankin who approached their powers with a human mindset of discovery, and to find someone else who could not only keep up with him but so quickly see beyond what he knew…

(He wanted that.)

(He wanted Urahara.)

He swallowed. Dusted his hands off. Gave his mate a look as he said, “He has to come to us. You know what happens when our kind charms humans out of their senses in order to claim them. We might have him for a year, or even a decade, but…”

(Eventually, even powerless humans could become immune to glamours applied to them constantly.)

(And he didn’t want the man charmed senseless, nothing but a pretty bit of decoration to show off among the Courts.)

(No, Urahara might be physically pretty, but his true beauty was his twisty, brilliant mind.)

She hummed a few bars of Concealment, then leaned in to bump her nose against his. “Then if he makes it through, we should make it clear that we want him. I suppose we should leave some hints about what we are around as well, if we don’t want to lead the poor soul… astray.”

“Not too many,” Erich cautioned with a smile. “He likes to work things out for himself.”

“A man after my own heart.” Alexis smirked at him, sharp-wicked-teasing, and said, “So, about him being your newest charity case…”

Erich hissed and gave her a light shove, sending her sprawling sideways onto the tatami mat with a bright laugh. “He’s not my charity case!”

Alexis only laughed harder, her spiritual presence practically glittering with her joy-contentment-happiness as she tucked her arms behind her head and stretched her legs out to drop her feet in his lap.

“Menace,” he said fondly, free hand resting on her ankles.

“Your menace,” Alexis said while poking him in the stomach with her toes. “And you love me for it.”

Erich snorted but didn’t try to deny her words; there was no reason to, after all. They’d chosen each other decades ago and he’d never once questioned if it was the right decision.

Which was why his sudden fascination with Urahara was… unusual.

Certainly not unheard of, but… unusual.

(Maybe he could use a bit of unusual in his life.)

(Maybe they all could.)

(He was looking forward to it.)