23.10.2023

The ride, the flight, the march to Department Manager Jully's office, and the way back to their rooms were conducted in complete and total silence. No matter what Michael tried, he couldn't get Grace to share his performance review. Asking Department Manager Jully was also futile. The moment he opened his mouth, Grace sent her a message, even though all three of them were in the same room. After reading the message, Department Manager Jully frowned, as if reminiscing about the past, or so it seemed to Michael. He had a small suspicion the message read "28", but he had no way to confirm it other than asking, and he didn't believe either of them would confirm it.

"Good job," Department Manager Jully said dully, offering a lackluster congratulations for the completion of the mission before sending them off.

…

18:35

15th Floor

"Are you really angry at me out of jealousy?" Michael asked at the entrance to his room, stopping Grace as she was about to enter hers.

They stood together in silence for a full minute, neither saying another word.

Michael opened the door to his room and took a step forward.

"No," Grace replied, her voice carried by a long sigh.

He didn't retract his step and remained halfway past the threshold, listening.

"I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me."

"Oh really," he responded, failing to hold back the mockery.

"Really," she said, ignoring his tone and continuing. "I've been doing this for years and have done other things before that. Maybe it's your inexperience that rubbed off on me."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome. Anyway, do you want to banter or hear me out?"

"Why not both?"

"I don't know, I'm thinking of taking a shower. Can you keep it up in the nude?"

"I'm pretty confident with my Magick-fueled Physique."

Silence.

Grace closed the door to her room. Then, wordless footsteps tickled Michael ears, intensifying the beating drum on the left side of his chest. His senses were beyond hyperactive.

Her shoulder brushed his gently as she passed, and for the first time, her scent registered: a delicate blend of floral notes with a touch of warmth, tantalizing and subtle.

She removed her shirt, revealing a seductive frame that made him gulp, realizing how easily his larger mass could engulf her from behind. Closing the door to his room, he removed his shirt and followed her to the shower.

…

Panting on his back with one arm beneath his head and the other embracing his soundly sleeping, gorgeous, naked Partner, Michael carefully shifted his head to look at the time on his tablet. The display read "06:15", and the date was "24.10.2023."

'That's the third night in a row...' The lack of sleep coupled with the series of exhausting activities was finally starting to get to him, though, some activities were pleasurable. 'Especially the test run of my strength against the Corrupt Being,' he goofed. Despite the fatigue, he was more than content.

'Finally lost my V-Card. Suck it, Eric, Mac!' He smiled, but it felt hollow. The idea of bragging seemed ridiculous for many reasons. If he wanted an ego boost, the fact that he lasted nearly twelve hours was more than satisfactory, even if it remained a secret between him and Grace. 'Besides, isn't it expected for people with Magick? Maybe twelve hours is below average. Then again, I was already tired before we started. Imagine how long I'd last with Symbiosis ON! Wait… would that mean String is also having sex? Not sure how I feel about a threesome... Pretty sure Grace won't like the idea of doing it with a temperamental Worm... Don't doubt Mac knows some women who would… Will throw up, unless I drop the topic. Moreover, this might be a one-time thing.'

"Would you stop?"

"Mm?" Michael lowered his gaze to the unmoving Grace on his chest.

"You're thinking too loud. If you want to talk about it, we can do it after we get some sleep."

Michael lowered his head onto his pillow, said nothing, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

…

14:23

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The movement from Michael awakened him.

"You really are sensitive, probably because you're nearly a Build purist."

"You're just heavy," Michael snickered.

"Yeah, right," she replied, sticking her tongue out. Michael reached to catch it, but she pushed herself up, caught his arms, and dropped down, locking them against her chest. "Playtime's over. Present setting aside, we're going to have the talk."

"Go ahead," Michael said, letting her have his arms. Yes, he called her heavy, but he'd be a fool to complain about the position.

"About what I wanted to say before, this... it is me- was...? This was a huge release. Now, what I had to say earlier is partly invalid."

"Just say it all."

"Probably what I should do... Okay! No beating around the bush. What I meant by blaming myself was the comfort I'm feeling. You're not my first Partner, professionally or romantically, but you're the first with whom I've mixed those boundaries, not to mention a greenhorn. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. That depends on how we agree to move forward, and it's something to discuss at the end of what I have to say.

"Back to my sense of comfort around you... it made me feel like I could speak my mind more freely," she said with an awkward smile. "Act stupid just to get a rise out of you for the fun of it. Trust you more than you've proven yourself worthy of. Face it, man, two missions don't wean you from being a rookie.

"What I'm saying is, it messed up the way I should have looked at you, and it dawned on me when you pressed for the performance review. Don't get me wrong, it's bullshit that all you need is to sign a Demonic Contract and get a shower of Merit Points. Also, I'm happy for you!" She kissed him on the cheek and quickly continued, "On the flight, I told Department Manager about my bias. She agreed to forgo my evaluation and instead ask for Agent Jones's opinion about you. It took a load off my heart, but I was still absorbed in my emotions.

"When we returned to the Bureau, I forced myself to think of something else, and what to do with my new Merit Points came to mind. It got me thrilled to think of the possibilities. 13-13.2 Merit Points is a lot for a Rank 0 Agent, and with my savings, it pushed the total to 21. See? I'm not that far behind, overachiever!"

"Keep at it," Michael said, pinching her playfully.

Grace wrestled with his arms a bit, getting them still under her, with his palms and fingers facing his chest.

"When you talked to me at the entrance to our room and didn't let me speak without whining-"

"You said we were bantering-"

"Anyway, whining, it sort of hit me and got me in the mood to..."

"Twelve hours of this?"

"Twelve hours of this," Grace nodded.

"Hoped you'd say 'thirteen'."

"In your wildest dreams!"

"Already lived them."

"You were cuter when you first arrived at the Bureau. Look how badly you've grown," Grace shook her head.

"That's what she-"

"I swear to God, if you finish it!"

Michael shut his lips tight.

"You can still be obedient," Grace approved. "At any rate, now we're here. I'm finished, by the way. If you have something to add, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"How do we move on from this?" Michael candidly asked. "And do we need to say something to HR?"

"I'm not looking for a relationship. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be either. As for HR… are we good?"

"We're good."

"Awesome. I also want us to be good, and since that's the case, let's not involve HR."

"Fine," Michael said as he rose, lifting Grace in the process. The blanket slipped from her back. He caught it and covered her.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed. Get dressed, too," Michael said, opening his closet.

"You're not-"

"I'm fine. I'm just, since we're done in there," he gestured with his head at his bed, "and there," he gestured toward the shower, "and… well, it's not that big of a space-"

"Your point!"

He put on his MMB gym clothes. "I want you to help check out some stuff with the Grace Period."

"Oh… Had problems during the mission?"

"Not problems, other than It. But sometimes it works without a hitch, and other times a Corrupt Being that isn't even at the First Metamorphosis can hurt me. The Grace Period functions by logic I don't understand, and I don't want it to catch up to me in a dire situation again."

"You can ask Éliott," Grace suggested.

"He can explain the reasoning, but I need training to get the hang of it. Are you getting dressed?"

"I can't."

"I'll get you sweating again. No point in taking another shower now."

"It's not that… And there's a point in showering a second and third time…"

"So, what's the issue?"

"I don't have spare clothes here…"

"Oh! Need me to get them from your room?"

"Yes. And make it fast."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Michael saluted.

…

Floor 35th, Testing Laboratory.

"May I remind you again, the facilities on this Floor are not as sturdy as the Training Ground's!" Doctor Dupont insisted, chasing after Michael and Grace.

A few moments prior, the duo barged into Doctor Dupont's office, saying, "What's going on? We need a place to test the GP." Intrigued, he responded, "We can use the Measurement Room," which garnered an ecstatic reaction from them, making him feel he should've thought it through before speaking.

"It's a wide space, and we won't break anything. We mainly need a place with nobody but those in the know around," Grace reassured Doctor Dupont.

"And I very much trust that you'll be careful and consider the safety of the Sphere of Measurement and all other machinery, prior to your own!"

"Agent's honor," Michael promised.

"I'll hold you to it!" Doctor Dupont gritted his teeth. As concerned as he was for the Sphere of Measurement, he couldn't deny his curiosity about what they planned to do with the Grace Period.

In the Measurement Room, Doctor Dupont positioned Michael and Grace as far as possible from the Sphere of Measurement. "Tell me what you want to figure out about the Grace Period before doing anything," he demanded.

"It's like this..." Michael began to narrate his experience with the Grace Period and its functionality.

"Isn't it obvious? The Grace Period is supposed to protect you from threats. However, it can determine what qualifies as a 'threat' based on specific conditions. The Entities that designed it are capable of blinking the Bureau out of existence. From what little is published in empirical literature, my guess is that the Grace Period assesses whether something can overpower you as the first condition. If the answer is 'Yes', then it activates to protect you. If the answer is 'No', it moves to the second condition – whether you choose to handle the threat with your own power. If it's a 'Yes', the Grace Period won't activate. If it's a 'No', it will."

"That's something I've considered, including the possibility that the Entity behind the Kinta-Lath-Macbur Cult operates on a level equal to or close to that of the Divine and Demonic Dimensions. However, this is still a hypothesis, and I want to confirm it with Grace through a light, harmless sparring session."

"You can set the Arena to 'private'..." Hearing the word 'spar,' Doctor Dupont's regret deepened.

"Right," Michael agreed. "But the infirmary is on this Floor."