Everyone looked up at the train as it rolled to a stop, their mouths agape. Even Havik, who didn’t always express too much excitement, couldn’t help but smile wide. The only one of them who had ever ridden a train was Natsu, and that was when he was a little kid visiting Tokyo with his parents. While the rest of the passengers milled about, making sure they all had their luggage and their kids were being restrained, Toji’s group stayed together, admiring the massive vehicle they had only ever really seen in films or from far away.

“This is fancy,” Peter said. “Like, rich people fancy.”

“We are rich people,” Ynda and Toji said together. 

“We don’t do this sort of thing very often, though,” Havik said. “Toji says it’s ‘too flashy.’”

“Because it is too flashy,” Toji said, wrinkling his nose. “But Pater insisted, so here we are.”

“Admit it, you just didn’t want to be on an airplane,” Natsu teased.

“Completely beside the point,” Toji replied, waving his hand in front of him. “And I won’t lie, I still think this will be a lot of fun, I just don’t know why they had to insist on the flashy one, that’s all.”

“As long as the windows roll down,” Lukas said quietly, glancing at him sidelong.

“Even if they don’t, there are still ways to get off if we need to,” Ava said. 

As they talked, all of them were examining the train more strategically; Finn and Lukas were looking at any potential weak areas, Toji, Natsu, Ava, and Ynda were glancing over the windows and doors, and the rest were taking in how many train attendants were popping out from which car door.

Thirty-seven cars, more than fifty staff, two conductors, two engineers, and, excluding themselves, seventy-five passengers. Every last person was human. This made Toji wonder if this wouldn’t help keep them all safe from whoever was going after the exile settlements, including the ones that were along the train route. So far, the attackers hadn’t gone after any humans that they were aware of. Ynda had to hope it stayed that way.

The twins almost made a break for it when the porter greeted them, taking their tickets as they made their way onto the train. A few helped guide them where they needed to go, showing Toji on the train’s layout brochure where their suites were. For the entire group, they had six cars, two suits each, two people per suite. Toji made sure that the girls shared their own suites, while the men had theirs. The only exception was, of course, Arla and Noah. Natsu and Finn would be in one suite, Toji and Lukas were together, Peter with Havik, Chloe with Ynda, and Ava with Kayla. Everyone agreed with the arrangements and they were anxious to get in and check them out as soon as possible.

The girls ducked into their suites, ooing and ahing over every thing, from the twin beds to the attached bathroom and shower. The men went to their suites with a more reserved level of excitement, but they were still really impressed. Natsu was relieved that his and Finn’s room was right next to Toji and Lukas’s. Even if they did have to keep up appearances, neither of them wanted to be farther apart than they needed to be.

Once they were all settled, they made their way to the lounge car near the front of the train. There were two lounge cars for their train, the other one nearer the rear where there was also a separate dining car. There was a bar along one side of the car and Havik and the twins dashed over for some customized soda drinks, greeting the bartender politely. He smiled at them, happy to see them. Toji had joked that Natsu would be their official beer runner if they all asked nicely; Natsu gave him the most unamused look Toji had ever received. He would not be contributing to the delinquency of any minor, regardless of race. Finn seconded that motion as he, too, was over twenty-one.

When the entire group was fully settled into the car, chatting loudly and excited to get on their way, Peter looked around, noticing how they were the only ones there. He caught Natsu’s attention and pointed around their surroundings.

“Where are the rest of the first-class passengers?”

“There aren’t any.”

Peter’s eyebrow rose directly into his hairline. “Wait, but there were a bunch of people on the platform! They can’t all be second-class.”

Natsu’s mouth twitched. “They’re not,” he said.

Peter blinked, his head twisting back and forth, obviously confused. Natsu laughed as a waiter came by with a tray of wine glasses. Natsu and Peter took one, the waiter smiling at the befuddled human before he moved on to where Toji and Lukas were standing. Peter watched as he bowed, Toji grinning respectfully as he took two glasses, handing one to Lukas.

Even in jeans and a teeshirt, there was still no denying Toji’s rank. Especially when the waiter greeted him as, “Your Highness.”

“Their family is super rich,” Natsu said, a gleam in his eye as he took a sip of his wine.

“Disgustingly so,” Finn said, taking a seat in a low-back armchair nearby, slouched so low, no one would believe that even he was royalty. “They bought out half the damn train just so their baby boy could be comfortable.”

“For reference, he’s talking about him, not me,” Toji said, thumbing back to Havik who gave them a grin and a thumbs up from the bar. He dropped into the chair next to Natsu, Lukas preferring to stand near the window. Ynda and Chloe took their seats at a table nearby while Kayla joined Havik and the twins and the bar.

Finn, catching Ava’s gaze as she made her way next to him, sat up, smiling. Toji and Lukas shared a look, Toji doing his best to hide a grin.

When the train finally started moving, everyone’s eyes were turned to the windows to watch the departure. Toji’s arm was slung over the arms of both his and Natsu’s chair, his fingers brushing against Natsu’s arm. Natsu crossed his other arm over his lap, taking two of Toji’s fingertips into his own.

They had agreed beforehand that while they were going to try and keep things low key the entire trip, they would allow a few flirtatious gestures, glances, and words to slip. They were going to play to their friends’ teasing, let their minds go where they wanted them to, until the moment the couple finally dropped the bomb.

Since everyone already believed what they had was no more than a harmless crush, then it was just going to be even more fun for Toji and Natsu to play with them, to let the giggling and whispering begin, to let the sidelong glances drift, all the while pretending not to notice.

It would be Toji’s greatest mind-game to date.

The first to notice was Ava.

Her gaze fell on their fingers, watching how they danced softly together, her face expressionless as she met Natsu’s eyes. He stared at her, his grin almost mocking, as he slid his fingers all the way into Toji’s hand, and leaned over to get just a little closer to him. He tore his gaze away and turned it to the window to watch with everyone else as the world they knew slipped away.

He didn’t see her shake her head or lean just a little to the side in her chair closer to Finn who did the same. Still, she couldn’t deny the small pang of irritation that flared within her at the way he had looked at her. He was letting her know, in no uncertain terms, Toji was his.

-*-