Shin's room was a mess. Pieces of paper were scattered across the floors, across the bedding, on top of textbooks, inside them, in the trash bin, and anywhere else they could fit. Hurried equations hung in the blinds. In Thor's food dish, there was a rough sketch of a sword. On the mini-fridge by the television, a better sketch hung by magnets. Next to it, an outline of a costume was drawn. It was a white tuxedo on a faceless model. On the other side, taking up half the page, a gloved hand stretched open, grasping towards the sky. Underneath the college texts and scraps of clothing, lay Shin. He was pinned beneath his own trappings, hair a mess, snoring.

His room was worse than Kealey's. Any empath coming by would find it apparent there'd been a lot of studying and thinking and distractions going on in here.

Thor didn't seem to mind it, though the paper in his food dish was hardly edible. Some of the papers were cushy, crumpled up in his bedding. It was nice, really, sitting on a balled up bit of math.

Things had started out so innocently for his human, the night before. The boy had caught the study bug. He'd muttered something about possibly 'failing', about a 'big test'. He'd fed Thor apologetically, and promised him they'd go out running tomorrow, but for the night, he had to work... work had led to inspiration. Inspiration had led to play. Practice followed, but not before hurried equations and doodling (hence the mess). He'd stayed up far too late, and now... well, now, he was snoring.

Thor covered his head with his paws. That pretty much brought everyone up to date on the current mess he was in. Someone needed to wake his owner up so they could play.

A blond head peeked out from around a door in the adult’s corridor of the mansion, then retreated back into the room. A moment later, the door opened and the same blond head emerged, attached to a body with boxes in her hands. Two boxes, to be more precise, one large and one small.

The blond walked down the hall carefully casual and ignoring the fact that she was wrapped in a fleece bathrobe with a repeating pattern of huge stars and smiling crescent moons splattered across it. The robe was warm, and functional, and Kealey needed something to cover the clothing worn beneath. Nobody could see it yet…just in case.

This hadn’t been how she’d planned on this idea going down. Shin was supposed to have answered his phone and come down to her room instead of the other way around. Calls and texts to that phone had gone unanswered this morning, so after waiting what was surely an appropriate amount of time Kelaey had taken matters into her own hands.

It wasn’t a long walk, and when she was standing in front of Shin’s room, Kealey shifted the boxes to one arm so her other hand was free to reach up and knock. The sound reverberated down the hallway and Kealey winced, hoping that nobody would pop into the hall to see. ”Shin? Are you in there? It’s Kealey.” she called, hoping for an answer.

The answer she got was not one she was expecting. Thor barked. One, twice, three times a loud sound. Shin stirred. A math text book plopped over the side of the mattress, and fell face-down onto the floor, cover snapping neatly shut. Triangular pupils slowly unsheathed from eyelids. He stared sluggishly around.

Then, he heard her. More things fell off the bed as he scurried to escape the confines of comfortable sheets. Shin rushed to the door in his PJs (a pair of cargo shorts and a blue shirt with a green slime ghost on the chest). He opened it, and smiled sleepily at her. He was always happy to see Kealey.

Shin glanced over his shoulder at the now-not-barking dog. His mind was still waking up, and things that had been loud were still remembered in the goldfish memory state of less-than-a-minute-awake. "Thor, quiet down~" He chided. Then, to Kealey he said "Come on in." There wasn't any need to ask what she was doing at his door, waking him up dressed in charming stars and crescent moons. He didn't ask questions any more. She was his girlfriend, after all. She got the benefit of all fashion doubts.

A dog barked and Kealey jumped slightly. As far as dogs went, Thor was a fairly quiet one. Kealey peered at the door, wondering if this was going to be like the last time it had taken Shin a while to answer. Had he been kidnapped by a pirate in the middle of his study session and forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol again? Kealey concentrated…the emotions starting to drift her direction didn’t seem that way. They just seemed…tired and disoriented. Shin had still been sleeping.

The door opened and Kealey grinned despite any curiosity she’d had or any worry over being discovered in her ridiculous robe in the middle of the hall. How could she do anything else?

Shin invited her in, and Kealey made her way past him with the boxes, only to stop a startled three steps into the room. It was a mess. It looked like her room on a bad day. That was odd, Shin was usually very tidy with his room, everything being in order and in place. There were sketches, math problems, and more sketches scattered around and Shin was definitely in PJ’s.

Kealey waited for him to shut the door, taking the moment to set her boxes on the bed before turning around and grinning with a raised eyebrow.

”Late night? How went the studying?”

The door shut with a 'click', and for a minute, Shin just stood by the doorway, leaning against the door with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face. Kealey had two boxes. Did she have presents for him? Curiosity about the contents of the boxes mixed with curiosity about the robe.

Again, he wouldn't ask. It was a very nice robe.

Thor settled down, plopping his head back down on some sketches.

Shin chuckled lightly at her question, then realized something. An emotion that could only be described as 'oh crap' hit him. He ducked forward to scoop up the textbooks on the floor by his bed, setting them on the table. There were too many crumpled bits of paper to handle right now, though. Shin just plopped down on the bed, and shook his head. "You could say that... Or you could say I started studying, and got distracted by something special..." Did he remember what he was supposed to have been studying? Unfortunately, no. It looked like he'd have another hard night. "I hope I can do better tonight..." He scratched the back of his neck embarrassedly, then smiled sheepishly at her. "Ah well. Worth it. So..." He paused, pointing a bent finger towards the boxes, then towards the robe. "You have something to show me?" He aimed a glance towards the open palm resting on the bed beside him, and closed it testingly into a fist. "Because after you're done showing me, I've got something to show you."

Shin smiled, and Kealey smiled back, watching him as he stood in the doorway. He was all kinds of curious, and that was exactly what Kealey had expected. After all, it wasn't every day a person showed up at your door to rouse you from sleep with two boxes and themselves wrapped in a somewhat ridiculous robe. Shin's feelings were awful groggy though...suddenly Kealey felt bad.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." she said apologetically, almost right as he seemed to realize the state that his room was in. Kealey couldn't help but laugh a little, the paper in the blinds was a nice touch. Shin sat on his bed, seemingly giving up and Kealey dropped down next to him, careful of the boxes and listened to him explain his night. Catching a glimpse of her booted foot, she pulled it back a bit into the folds of the robe. That revelation would come later.

Now, it was Kealey's turn to be curious. Apparently Shin had started studying, then gotten distracted. What had distracted him that was so special? She glanced around at the sketches, it looked like pieces of the tuxedo idea. Had that been what had distracted him? He didn't seem entirely pleased with himself though, and said he hoped he'd do better that night. Kealey nodded her head...whatever had been so distracting had apparently been worth it. Maybe he'd tell her later...she sure was curious though.

Shin was still curious too, and Kealey couldn't help but grin as he indicated the boxes and her robe then asked if she had something to show him...and apparently when that was done, he was going to show her something.

"Three things!" she offered with a grin, "You only get to keep two though. You're giving an opinion on the third."

Over the blond reached, grabbing the two boxes and pulling them forward. Stacking the small one on top, she held them out. "Open the little one first, otherwise it probably won't be as exciting."

See, Kealey knew what both boxes held, and even if Shin knew what was in the second, he'd probably be excited enough after seeing it that the simple game in the small one would be forgotten...at least for a moment.

The coat had taken her the better part of a month to perfect, a month in which she'd gone to great pains to ensure Shin had no idea she was working during. He probably thought it was still in the planning stages. Long, flowing...epic. Those were the only words for it. She'd done a fantastic job. It wasn't exactly like the coat from GARO...it was better modified a little here and there so that it would be perfect for Shin. Kealey couldn't wait to explain all the little details and features. She bounced a little where she sat, impatience and eagerness trying to get the better of her as she waited.

Shin hadn't caught the boot, or the apology. His eyes were on Kealey and the packages. If she felt guilty for waking him up, she shouldn't have. It would probably help his studying if he were awake for it... just a bit.

Besides, if he'd woken up on his own, he would've fetched her. The demonstration had to be done. He'd made some progress the night before. He had to show her. He'd have sought her out anyways. She'd saved him time. None of that went through his head, though. Shin was curious about the boxes and robe, and Shin wanted to show off. Those two emotions were first and foremost in his quickly-awakening mind.

He pointed the curiosity out, and Kealey seemed pleased. Shin tilted his head at her statement.

Three things... But only two were his to keep? Hmm... there'd obviously be more on that later. For now, he had boxes to open. Shin eyed them. They were simple boxes. One was smaller, and looked like it might have just been a plain old game box wrapped in Sunday funnies. The other was larger, rectangular, and flat. Marmaduke was on the couch, on the box. Beetle Bailey was napping on the job. Shin worked at the corner flap of the smaller box, wiggling it free.

He glanced to Kealey. She was bouncing. Heh. "What do we have here?" He asked, pulling the game free of the paper. It was the new Metroid game. Shin's gamer got the better of him. He may have done a childlike 'oooooooh' squeal, and snuck a hug from her. He may have walked the game right to the game case, crushing sketches along the way, and slipped it in right after his Metroid Prime trilogy. He may have plopped back down after that, back on the bed, and grinned at her.

"Thank you," He said, and picked the bigger box up. "And this...?"

If the Metroid game got a great reaction, the coat's reaction was ten times that. Shin held it up, standing, dancing, and turning it in his hands. Then, he rushed over to her and draped it over her shoulders, stealing a kiss. "It's totally awesome. What next?"

He sat back in his bed, waiting patiently, goofy grin plastered to his face.

Kealey loved doing things that made other people feel good. It wasn’t for the obvious reason. It wasn’t because by virtue of her power it made her feel good as well…that was the obvious reason. It was because she knew exactly how good the other people felt. That it was Shin…icing on the cake.

He opened the game, and Kealey grinned and laughed at Shin’s reaction. It was definitely best that he’d opened it first. Kealey returned the hug and watched as Shin put the game on the shelf she’d studied so studiously. He returned to sit next to her, and she beamed with pride, still almost bouncing as he grabbed the larger box and tore into the paper.

Perfect. The reaction was perfect. More than Kealey could have hoped for, actually. He liked the coat. Nope…he loved the coat. He kissed her and Kealey kissed him back, once again beaming with pride and laughing as he draped it over her shoulders.

He wanted to know what was next. First…there was a brief tutorial that came with the coat. Kealey grabbed it by the lapels and stood.

”Next…I tell you a couple of things.” she said, shaking the coat out and holding it up.

”I know you can make your own bullet proof shields…but, the whole thing is lined in Kevlar, and there’s pockets sewn in to hold body armor just in case the bad guys try to use the stuff that can go through Kevlar. It’s still light though, and it’s the sturdiest, lightest weight fire and water proof material I could find.”

Kealey paused, trying to decide if there was anything else to say, ”I didn’t make anything to go under it yet…but I figured you’d want the coat anyway.”

That was it…at least as far as the coat was concerned, and Kealey stepped forward draping the coat over Shin’s shoulders like he’d done to her a few moments before, ”Now you wear it.” she said, and grabbed his hands, pulling him up to stand. Then, she stepped a few steps back and gestured to the robe.

”Somehow, while making that epic jacket…I managed to find some time to make myself something. This way, the next time I’m out shopping I won’t have to fight in street clothes.”

She paused for a moment, suddenly feeling a little shy and silly. ”I was afraid for anyone to see it before you’d had a chance to tell me what you thought…I’ve never made anything like this for myself before…and I wanted to make sure it looked okay. I know it’s functional.”

Big reveal time.

Kealey undid the sash and shrugged out of the robe, revealing her uniform in all its glory.

The color scheme was darker than one might have expected from Kealey, with a majority of the fabric being black with only a few white accents to set off the darker color.

The white boots were long, stopping just above Kealey’s knees where they stopped in contrast to black leggings, which disappeared under the skirt of a dress which was just as dark.

The top half of the dress remained a secret because Kealey wore a jacket. It probably wasn’t quite as cool as Shin’s…but she was pretty fond of it all the same. White piping distinguished it from the rest of the outfit, as did white accents here and there. The front was short, stopping just above her waist, and the back swished around the skirt while the long sleeves stopped just above her hands.

”What do you think?” she said sheepishly, nervous butterflies of anticipation fluttering in her stomach as she waited for the verdict.

OOC: Sketch drawn by Andy…just imagine the colors like I said!

Yup, the coat looked good. Yup, Shin was definitely pleased with the coat, and yup, he was more than pleased. He was glad. When she'd nudged him to let her make him a costume, he'd pretty much foreseen this. He'd wanted it. He'd wanted the real coat to keep him warm; he'd wanted the real coat to keep Kealey warm. It was the same scenario as a star quarterback giving his girlfriend his Letter jacket, Shin figured. It was an indirect hug. He was seeing her in something of his. She got the hug, and he got a smile. It gave her something to think of when he wasn't around.

Not that he'd be giving her the coat, mind you. As Kealey rose, and motioned for him to rise, he got that. She'd already described what it could do. It was bulletproof, and fireproof, and fashionable, and warm. It was the best she could have made, and it was for him.

It... was for him. She gestured to the robe. Bad Shin thought... was this also for him?

The goofy grin had never vanished. It was still there. The emotions, happiness, love, plus a slight hint of playfulness and gratefulness that Kealey was his girlfriend... were all still there.

Somehow, while she'd made him the epic white coat from GARO he was wearing, she'd managed to make a lil something for herself. Shin's head rose and fell in the slightest of nods.

Makes sense. So, it wasn't for him? He withheld judgment until after the reveal. She was so cute about it, he could hardly feel disappointed, even if it WAS something not for him... like overalls, or a construction hat, or a poncho bigger than him. She was worried about what people would think of it, and more importantly, she wanted to know what he thought. The goofy grin turned into a subtle smirk.

Functional, right.

The robe fell, revealing a costume not entirely unlike Jabi's from the television show GARO. How cute. He was wearing Kouga's jacket, and she was wearing Jabi's costume?

She asked him what he thought.

Shin... Bad Shin... stepped in close, resting his hands on her hips. "I think," He said, smiling, "You look beautiful. And the costume looks good, too. But Kealey," he spoke softly in her ear. "I thought you said I didn't get to keep it."

He let her blush; she'd earned it.

So many emotions. So many good emotions. It was almost, if not completely impossible for Kealey to be anything but happy and just a little bit giddy. The nerves were still there as she shed the robe, and she was still concerned about what Shin was going to think about the uniform she’d made herself…but somehow it was easier knowing that all of those emotions were still there.

The costume was revealed, and Kealey’s cheeks darkened before Shin even spoke. He stepped close and rested his hands on her hips and Kealey dropped her eyes for a moment, lifting them only when he did speak. All the same emotions were still there, but there were more, and Kealey knew the butterflies and warm tingles in her belly were all her own. Funny how words could do that…but maybe not when the feelings behind them were obvious.

Shin liked her uniform.

She smiled, reaching up between them to straighten the collar on his coat, letting her hands rest on his chest as he leaned forward to speak into her ear.

The blond blushed more, pulling back slightly to find Shin’s eyes again as her face re-warmed and colored to the roots of her hair.

”Good point.” she said softly, blue eyes still holding hazel, ”You said you had something to show me?” she pointed out, not wanting to end the current moment, but still curious as to what he had to show.

"Um..."

How was it that, even when he was trying to be charmer here, one sentence from her was still enough to make him blush a furious crimson? Shin bowed his head sheepishly.

Something to show you...?

Wait, that was right... he did have something to show her... Shin looked back up with an embarrassed grin. "Yeah... hold on a second. Got to do something first." He had to finish preparations, obviously, or...

Shin leaned forward, pulling her into a long kiss. That would work, too.

Shin blushed, and Kealey blushed even more, the heat in her already burning cheeks intensifying tenfold. Her heart was also trying to beat its way out of her chest, but she ignored that for the time being in favor of waiting to see exactly what it was Shin had meant to show her.

>>"Yeah... hold on a second. Got to do something first."

Kealey held on, but wasn’t expecting Shin to close the small gap between them and kiss her.

She held on some more, now to the jacket lapels she’d just finished straightening, her mind going strangely blank as it had a tendency to do when Shin kissed her. It was easy when that happened, to get completely lost in the feelings and Kealey definitely didn’t fight it.

What was it they’d been doing again? Kealey couldn’t remember…whoops.

It was a good kiss. No, it was a great kiss. When Shin came up for air, she was still there, looking amazing (the way she always did). For a moment, he lost himself in her eyes.

It was an emotional aggregation. Adoration had given way to adulation. Now agitation, and concentration and rumination. Mental calculations on the complications from the conversation that could lead to culmination. Escalation. Elevation. Declarations. Indignation? Jubilation, or resignation? He wanted to move forward, but he needed affirmation. All he had were estimations gained through excitation. Possible indications? Were they invitations? Was she getting an adumbration of feelings, inundating like a rising flood? No, they weren't vague, and she was his inspiration. How could he do that to her, standing here like he was, with all these words and overwhelming thoughts and feelings running through his head?

Trepidation. That was the word.

He was prolonging the inevitable. He loved her. He might as well come out and say it. He'd certainly left her hanging on his every feeling long enough.

Shin spoke softly. "Kealey, I..." He looked away, subconsciously towards the bed.

The kiss couldn’t last forever, no matter how much Kealey wanted it to, and when Shin pulled away Kealey met him look for look. Her heart was still pounding against her ribcage and it was almost hard to breathe. He stared at her, and she stared back, completely awash in the flash flood of emotions. There were so many things there, Kealey struggled to sort out one from the next.

They were so close, and that kiss had been so intense. Kealey didn’t want to think about emotions, analyze them, work through what was happening. Simply feeling was so much better, but there was so much to feel. Emotion after emotion flowed from Shin, and Kealey stayed where she was, eyes locked on his as she tried to figure out what it all meant and where it was going.

Kealey knew what she wanted. That in and of itself was almost a surprise to her, but it had always been Shin who was sure that her powers simply added things on top of her own wants and desires. She’d been sure about him for a long time now. She loved him completely, and she could feel the same thing from him. He was worried though…no, cautious, and it made her even more positive.

Shin spoke and broke eye contact. Kealey followed his gaze then nodded, making her fists unclench from the front of the jacket so they could move to the sides of his face. Gently, Kealey turned Shin’s head so he was looking at her again. ”Me too.” she said, and then it was her turn to lean in for a kiss.

>> ”Me too.”

Those two little words blew away all the uncertainty. Shin returned the kiss. The corners of his mouth pulled into a smile as he pulled away. "You didn't let me finish. What I meant to say, is..."

Papers crunched underfoot as Shin kissed Kealey, shuffling them both back towards the bed. He didn't need to clarify anything. She got him. He let his emotions do all the talking.

The white coat slid off his shoulders, and somehow found its way to the floor, on top of Kealey's jacket.

The rest of the scene faded to black.