Hello, my precious readers. How are you this Tuesday? Doing well, I hope <3 Sweden won today's soccer game against Switzerland and I am so proud, woohoo <3 Anyhow, you guys probably don't care about soccer, you care about Aleri and what's going to happen to their fragile relationship!

Just kidding actually lol, but please read on and let us see what happens next...

Enjoy!

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I open the back door and make my way back, stopping in my tracks when I spot Yuri still sitting on the stone wall. He's watching the stars while holding something small in his hands. He must have sensed me because he looks back, and our eyes meet across the yard.

He says nothing but his eyes are drawing me in.

I hesitantly make my way over and sit beside him. We sit there for God knows how long without uttering a single word. Silently, Yuri hands over the small bag he is holding and I take it from him reluctantly; ashamed of my previous actions. I look inside the bag and find a small, velvet box awaiting me. I look up and find Yuri with his head turned away, but the tips of his ears are red and I giggle at the flush spreading across his cheeks.

"What's this?" Yuri exhales and turns toward me. He reaches inside the bag, picks up the box and opens it – revealing two silver rings. I must have spaced out staring at them because Yuri is quick to close the box and put it next to him.

"It's stupid," he mutters. I reach over and take the box despite Yuri's protests.

"It's not," I assure him and open the box again to stare at the beautiful rings. "Are these for us?" I give him a smile and await his answer. Yuri's staring at the rings and gives me a slight shrug.

"I just thought...they fit us, you know?"

"How so?" I bite my lip and want him to tell me exactly what he's feeling.

"Data told me they're called 'Promise Rings' and that basically means it's a promise we're going to be together...forever," Yuri scratches the back of his neck and the flush is definitely covering his entire face.

And I have never felt more in love with him than I have at this very moment.

"Better put it on my finger then," I say, extending my right hand and give him back the box – ignoring his shocked expression. "Hurry!" I giggle, wiggling my fingers. Yuri is quick to pluck out the smaller of the two rings and shakily slides it onto my ring finger. There's an odd, thread-like pattern decorating the rings. Yuri must have noticed me watching it intently and explains.

"That's a design of how a DNA chain looks like. I figured since we spent most of our childhood locked inside an asylum because of our mutated DNA, it would be fitting that we wear something that reminds us of our past." I look at him with what must be heart-eyes because the next second, his lips are pressed to mine.

This time I'm the one clutching at his hair and slipping my tongue inside his hot mouth. We keep kissing heavily until we run out of breath, and even then we reluctantly move away from our overflowing passion.

"Wow," Yuri whispers, and all I can do is blush and hide my face in his chest.

"Give me the other ring," I order and pluck it out carefully and slide it onto his ring finger, liking how it looks against his pale skin. "It looks beautiful."

"Not nearly as beautiful as you, love," he tells me and I can't help but giggle happily, despite being reminded of what I did in the bathroom not half-an-hour ago by the stinging sensations on my inner arm. I scratch it carefully, hoping the blood won't seep through the many paper towels and the sleeves.

No wonder all the clothes I own are black – much easier to hide the blood that way.

"So does this mean that it's you and me forever?" I ask, wiggling my finger and liking the way the silver glints against the street lights.

"It was already meant to be, but I wanted a symbol to prove it whenever times are hard and we need a reminder," says Yuri, looking at his own ring.

"How did you even get this pattern on the rings?"

"I heated up a thin piece of metal and drew the pattern myself. Data was kind enough to show me a medical book featuring how DNA looks and I did my best to draw it as correctly as possible. He was actually quite impressed," Yuri laughs and gives me a big grin, and how can I resist returning it. I intertwine our fingers and watch happily how the rings look next to each other.

"Perfection," I mumble to myself. I'm leaning toward Yuri, intending to kiss this lips raw when, who else but Ivan comes barging through the door, beer bottle in his hand.

"We're playing spin the bottle, get your asses in here!" he bellows and stumbles the same way he came. I exhale deeply and raise my eyebrow at Yuri who just laughs, shaking his head at Ivan's drunken walk.

"Shall we?" he says.

"I don't want to kiss anyone but you," I whine and let Yuri pull me inside the house.

"Me neither, but let's just play and see what happens,"

We make our way inside the house to find it completely wrecked. Most of the balloons and strings are now on the floor being trampled on by the many kids. Whenever they pop a balloon, I jump in surprise.

I fucking hate balloons!

I spot Nikolai and Boris jumping to the music and shaking their heads almost comically to the beat.

Spice Girls always does that to them, I think in amusement.

"Having fun, guys?" I laugh at their atrocious dance moves. Nikolai quickly grasps my hands and draws me closer to dance with him. I groan inwardly and decide to give him the benefit of a doubt and awkwardly move my legs to the music. Nikolai laughs and seems filled with too much energy. "Nikolai, did you have anything to drink tonight?"

"Just that red stuff in that big bowl," he giggles and sways his arms wildly. I look back and find said bowl almost empty of its contents. I let go of his hands and make my way over to where several kids are standing and drinking from that red liquid. I take a plastic glass and fill it with a few drops and bring it to my mouth. I cringe and shake my head at the strong alcoholic taste immediately hitting my taste buds.

Those idiots are serving alcohol to young children!

Without a single sliver of doubt, I lift the bowl with my powers and throw it across the room where Ivan and Data are 'dancing' though it looks more like a sacrifice is being made to some unknown entity. The bowl crashes against the wall right next to where they're dancing and to say they were shocked is putting it lightly. They stare at the red-colored liquid sliding down steadily against the wall and looks back at me, shocked.

"What the fuck, man?!" Ivan shrieks, pushing through the crowd to get to me.

"Are you insane?!" I scream at him, trying desperately to hold my powers back. "You're serving strong alcohol to children!"

"Calm down, Aleksandr, we thought it was your birthday so-" Data tried to explain but it all sounds stupid in my head.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Data," I tell him, not missing the way he averts his gaze. "You out of everybody knows how dangerous it is."

"Who the fuck are you to make the rules?" Ivan hisses, suddenly very close to me. "Last time I checked, I was the leader of the Street Rats."

"No offense Ivan but you suck at being a leader if you let ten- and eleven-year-old kids drink strong alcoholic drinks," I say bemusedly. Ivan growls and takes a tight hold on my sweatshirt.

"Oh, really?" he hisses, his breath stinking of the same alcohol I just threw away.

"Mhm," I smirk, not the least afraid of this overgrown rat. Data is quick to come between us and untangles Ivan's fingers from my shirt and pushes him back.

"He's right," he murmurs, his voice laced with regret. "They're fucking kids, Ivan."

"I just thought-" Ivan says lowly, his lower lip jutting out in a pathetic pout.

"We were wrong," Data presses on and I can see something passing through them; their eyes speak thousands of words we don't hear.

"Okay," Ivan says quietly and Data gives him a single nod before pulling away and making his way into the bathroom. He comes back with plenty of paper towels and wipes away the mess on the walls. I sigh and take a couple of towels from his hands and help him wipe it all off.

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