Thanks to the power nap during our walk I did feel a little better and my feet didn't hurt as much as before. All six pairs of eyes looked at me, even Malachi turned his head to give me a raised eyebrow.
"Woof!" Uru barked in defiance.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. "You guys are stubborn," I grumbled.
They all had some form of grin on their faces before they began walking again.
"Once we get back, I'll heal your feet for you, Crim," Haru softly volunteered.
"You don't have to. They'll heal in a few days."
I knew healing took a lot of energy from all the times James used his techniques on me. I didn't want to overexert Haru for no reason. It would hurt to run or paint for too long, though.
"I don't mind. I've been healing for years. It does nothing to me," Haru expressed.
"Haru can heal us all and still be able to run five miles. He's a pro," Aki pointed out.
"Yup. He can heal your feet in his sleep. Don't worry about it." Yoshi smiled reassuringly.
"Okay. If you don't mind." It still felt weird for all of them to be so kind to me.
"We're here," Aki announced.
We moved into the building and once we reached my floor, Malachi let me down in front of the door. Aki had my keys and gave them to me to open the door.
"I'm home," I announced, entering the room. The lights were still on which meant James was home.
"Crim you— what are these guys doing here?" James asked, walking into the living room with a towel draped over his wet hair. My eyes scanned him up and down, realizing he'd just finished showering and looked to be going to bed.
He wasn't looking for me. He just went home?
"WOOOF!" Uru rushed in and sat in front of me protectively. I turned to the door, where Aki was holding it open still.
"Come in, guys. You can sit on the couch for now. I should have a few futons in storage. We have a spare room that can fit at least three of you. The rest can fit in the living room once we move the couch," I explained.
The guys entered, taking off their shoes. Each gave me a half bow before thanking me for my generosity. James glared at them, then his eyes locked on mine with a questioning look. I gave him a sweet smile, walking back to the door to close it while Aki took his shoes off and bowed to me.
"Arigato, Crim. We're in your debt." His words were earnest.
"No, thank you guys for taking care of me like your own. I appreciate it," I replied and ushered him to go sit down.
James waited for Aki to join the others before he walked to stand in front of me.
Uru barked and began to growl, making James take a step back. She calmed and sat at my feet. Her eyes remained on James, eyeing him carefully.
"Firstly, we agreed, no pets." He pointed to Uru who began to growl again, taking offense to his words.
"She's not a pet. She's my familiar," I announced.
"She's STORM's familiar. Not yours. This isn't an adoption center," James countered.
"Watch it, Mr. Bipolar." I heard Aki snarl, looking pissed.
I had to glance over to see the others all watching us with unpleasant expressions. I knew they were only sitting there to be courteous, but I could tell they wanted in on this soon-to-be dispute.
"She's in my care for now. You don't get an opinion on that or have a choice in the matter. Let it go," I grumbled.
James groaned, pinching his nose. "Why are they here?" he demanded.
"They can't get a hotel. They're staying here until they can find somewhere to go."
"This is our place, Crim," he emphasized.
"I realize that. But they are in need of assistance and it's Japanese culture to attend to those in need. Chinese culture is no different in that regard," I reminded him.
"They don't count," James argued.
I took a deep breath to tame the anger inside me. I was already exhausted and seriously just wanted to lay down. Couldn't James realize that?
"James, I'm not in the mood to argue. It's late. I'm not even supposed to be up. Let's talk about this in the morning."
"They're not staying here, Crimson. I'm not letting six guys stay here for the night!" he complained.
"James. Where were you the last five days?" I needed to know. I’d had enough of his childish behaviour.
"Why does it matter where I was?" James grumbled.
"Well, your 'roommate' as you called her was unconscious for five straight days and your ass went to training and drinking with friends when she was fighting death. Kinda sounds rather inconsiderate in my opinion," Quillian drawled.
He was leaning against the back of the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. Aki leaned next to him while Yoshi, Haru and Itsuki were sitting on the couch and Malachi was seated on the arm of the sofa.
I turned my gaze over to James who was glaring at Quillian for clearly ratting him out.
"There's nothing I could have done," James defended.
"Nothing you could have done? James! There's something called moral support!" I shouted.
"You were unconscious! You wouldn't have known if I was there or not if that ass didn't rat me out," James countered.
I knew Quillian was going to say something just by instinct. I meet his gaze, noticing his eyes were now red like James' and he opened his mouth to fight back.
All I needed to do was give him a 'do not fight my battle right now' look and he closed his mouth, giving a little pout which was honestly really cute.
I turned my attention back to James. "Really? That's what you have to say?" I crossed my arms and tried to ignore my pounding headache.
"Crim, this has nothing to do with the fact you’re letting these strangers stay in OUR home!" James shouted.
"These STRANGERS sat next to me when I was on the verge of death! This group of men stayed by my side when my father urged me to leave his damn house! These strangers didn't go home after being cast away like they were nobodies, but spent all evening searching for me! But my own boyfriend couldn't even stay by my side for five minutes because I was unconscious. Listen to how that sounds, James. I guess since that doesn't count, the fact you never once defended me and you came home, showered, and were ready to sleep instead of being worried or looking for me, doesn't count either!" I yelled.
James stood there with a scowl on his face, but he didn't argue, looking away which only made me angrier.
"They are staying, James. I've done so many favors for you. You've let your friends come over multiple times and I allowed it without a second thought. The LEAST you can do to show some gratitude is let them stay here until they can find somewhere to sleep."
James ruffled his hair and glanced back at the men who all looked like they were on the verge of punching someone or something.
"WOOF!" Uru jolted, crashing into James' crotch.
He cursed, falling to his knees hissing in pain. The guys snickered and Malachi burst out laughing. I grinned but quickly masked my amusement. Good job, Urufu.
"Damn fucking wolf familiar! UGH! Crimson!" James groaned.
"I'm not budging on this, James. Harden your balls and suck it up for tonight. I'm tired and seriously need to sleep. We can make a better arrangement in the morning," I declared.
He groaned, rising to his feet and stomped to his room like a child.
I rolled my eyes and closed them for a moment as I ran my hand through my hair. I feel horrible. Maybe another nap will help.
"Crim? You okay?" Yoshi asked.
I opened my eyes to see their worried expressions. Uru came back over to me and began whimpering in worry.
"I'm fine, I think I'm just gonna go to bed," I confessed.
Quillian walked toward me, immediately pressing his hand on my forehead. He frowned. "You're burning up."
"I'm fine," I reassured him.
I noticed the others’ concerned expressions when James walked out of his room. He came out dressed in his usual drinking attire.
"James, where are you going?" I called out.
Quillian moved to the side to let me approach James, who paused to grab his keys.
"I'm gonna get a drink and head to my parents’ house for the night," he announced.
"What a loser," Quillian mumbled under his breath.