Picture Perfect 2 - The Stalking Stand.

It'd been about a week since Tyki had moved in with me. Nothing had gone... wrong, per say, but not much went right, either. It wasn't his, or my, fault, it just seemed that there was a problem with the people around us. When he first moved in, it was a problem with Cross. Cross wasn't too fond of Tyki. I'm not quite sure why, but I don't think that it was something that he did. I think Cross just hated him for the way he acted? But he didn't see much of Cross; Cross only came home about once a month, and that was fine with me. Extremely fine.

It was the day after Tyki started living with me that Cross decided that he wanted to come home. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to calm myself down, and looked over at the clock. Three more hours, I thought, and frowned. I had three hours to clean the house, make him food, and go out to get his favourite wine. That was harder than it sounded, really. As I got up, Tyki frowned at me.

"Where are you going?" He asked, and moved forward to wrap his arms around my waist. I smiled, and looked back at him.

"I have to go clean, and make food... And go to the store. My, erm... Master is coming home." I shifted, uncomfortably, and he sat up. "He's like... my would-be guardian, except he rarely comes home." I explained with a soft nod.

"I'll give you a ride to the store. I need to get a few things, anyway. I'm going to shower quickly." He eyed me up, and smirked. "Would you care to come with?" I ignored the annoying heating up of my cheek, and shook my head, laughing something.

"I took a shower last night, remember?" There was a moment where he thought, then a nod, and another smirk.

"Doesn't mean you can't come with me."

Laughing, he stood up, and got a change of clothes, then went to the shower, while I got dressed and started cleaning. There wasn't much to be done; I wasn't a messy person – and neither was Tyki, as I'd found out – but there was still a few things that had to be done. The dishes that were already in the sink needed to be washed, the counter had to be cleaned, and then wiped. Cross' bed still had to be made from the last time he came; I never really went into his room. I had to straighten up the living room, and then that was it. Like I said, neither I, nor Tyki, was a messy person.

After I went to the store and got the wine Cross preferred – a few bottles, because he drank fast – Tyki and I went home and made breakfast. I left the door unlocked so that he could get in, and sat down to start eating just as he arrived. It was after we finished eating that the real problems started.

"So, I heard that you have a new model, boy. Is this him?" I nodded, and smiled softly at Tyki, not noticing the threatening tone that it was said in.

Tyki looked over at the redhead, and smirked yet again. He seemed to like doing that. "Yes, I am his model. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh, no. No. Of course not." And then there was a mumbled, 'I just liked Kanda better.' I glared at him upon the mention of that name, and got up.

"Right. Well, I have work to do, unlike some people," I said harshly, pointed at Cross, "I have work to do. So I'm going to go do that. Right." I got up, not bothering to finish my large amounts of food, got my stuff, and started for the studio, with Tyki following. Not much was said that day, because Tyki had never seen me mad before. And I didn't want to snap at him – or anyone – so I just kept my mouth shut. It was something that proved to be helpful.

When I got home that night, something was wrong. Cross had this devious smirk on his face, and I knew something was wrong. Plus, I just had this odd feeling... like something was wrong. I shook it off, telling myself it was probably just my imagination. When I went out for a walk that night – I tried avoiding the house as much as possible for the time that Cross was home – I felt something was wrong. I couldn't place my finger on it, but something was wrong.

"Do you think he noticed us?" I heard, barely, in a hushed tone, and looked around. That sounded like Lavi... I pushed the thought out of my head; if Lavi was around, he would've came up and talked to me. That was just... what Lavi does. He doesn't just.. avoid people. But he wasn't avoiding me – not that I knew what he was going at all at the time.

Oh no, he was doing far from that...

Author's Note: It's been a looonnng tiimee. But I had to update; it's that magical time of year that I started this fic, on Mary-J's birthday.

So basically, this chapter is short because I fail. And the title DOES have something to do with the chapter, and possibly one – two of the chapters after this.

I'M SORRY. I plan on updating a lot faster, though.

Sorry if there were any inconsistencies from the last chapter to this one; I just scanned the last chapter. But, I might re-write the last chapter, anyway.

Also, my writing style has changed, for any of you that have noticed. I've gotten a lot better, if you ask me.

Anyway, I'm going to cut this off before my Author's Note is as long as the chapter itself.

LOVE YOU MARY-J,

-The Shiny, Rainbow Midget.