Juniper was curled up on the couch, Seraphina besides her as she braided her hair soothingly.

In the backyard, Raphael was pacing around as Phoenix tried to talk to him.

"First they want to kill my mate!" he barked as he clenched his fists. "Now I find out they want to kill my kid before he's even-even here. Before he's even thought of-" his voice cracked.

Phoenix gripped his shoulders, "Raph, take a second-please."

Raphael couldn't calm down, "And she's been dealing with this alone. And what have I been? A dickhead half of the time. Fuck!"

He sat down heavily as he rest his forehead against the thumbs of his clasped hands.

Phoenix crouched in front of him, his best friend of decades had never reacted to anything like this. Visibly distraught, a crack in his stoic facade.

"I'm going to have a kid," he rasped.

Phoenix's eyes widened at the emotion dripping from his voice.

"I never... thought that was possible," he rubbed his face.

"That's a blessing, brother," his friend insisted. "Hundreds of us would kill for this position, you can make your own family."

"Yeah and people would kill to end it."

"But we're not going to let that happen."

Raphael shook his head determinedly, gritting his teeth harshly.

"I want to hit something. I need to go to the gym or I'm going to break shit," Raphael abruptly stood up as he tugged at his hair.

Phoenix opened his mouth to argue but Raphael glared in response.

"Don't you think you should be with your mate?"

Raphael's face softened just a bit, "Fuck."

He swiftly turned to walk back inside, eyes searching for Juniper.

The berserker found her smiling as Bear sat his fat ass in her lap, her head resting on his back as the dog panted happily.

Seraphina saw him staring at the bluenette and spared him a smile.

"You can go to the gym if you have to," Juniper suddenly spoke up. His breath hitched as her stony eyes slid to his own, her full lashes framing them.

"No," Raphael shook his head. "Not right now."

"Why don't we head out sweetheart?" Phoenix asked his girlfriend gently.

Seraphina nodded and they both bid the mates goodbye, "Call me if you need anything okay Juni?"

Juniper nodded once with a neutral face, although it was obvious she was tired.

Raphael slid to sit next to her, tugging her hair over her shoulders.

She looked up at him, eyes scanning his face. "How are you?" she asked quietly.

He sighed to himself and cleared his throat, grunting when the dog climbed into his lap.

"I'm... processing," he admitted.

She licked her lips in thought, "It's a lot."

He nodded in agreement, tugging her into his lap. She smirked as he shooed the dog away to hold her close.

"I know it's new, but what do you think about it so far?" Juniper didn't back down from his stare, searching for the truth.

"I think that we need to focus on what we want to do. Not what someone else prophesied or what anyone else says. We need to figure out our shit."

"But we still need to eliminate the problem," Juniper rose her brow to clarify.

"It'll be taken care of," he insisted.

Juniper nodded, satisfied with his answer. She shifted so she straddled him, "I want to go to the beach. I want a break of all this."

He smirked a little, standing abruptly. Juniper gasped and dug her fingers into his shoulders while winding her legs around his waist.

"Let's get ready then," he grunted.

"Do you go to the beach a lot?" she asked into his neck.

"Fuck no," he scoffed.

Juniper pulled away quickly to narrow her eyes at him.

"But I'm going to the beach now," he added immediately.

She looked at him suspiciously but didn't say anything else.

~

Eventually she was dressed in her own room, smirking with glee as she tugged her mesh pants up.

The outfit was all black, a black bikini with see through black pants that complimented her voluptuous figure.

Raphael had just walked in on his phone and glanced up. He almost stumbled, quickly righting himself with wide eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something but no words arose, nothing coming out.

She smirked wider, swaying towards him.

"You alright, Saint?" she adjusting the band of his swim trunks nimbly.

"Yeah," he rasped. His eyes darting from her face, to her tits, to her hands at his pants, and repeat.

"You look a little pale?" she pouted a little, tilting her head with a raised brow. She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, pushing onto her toes to reach. Her bikini clad chest was abruptly flush to his shirt covered one.

"Juniper," Raphael growled lowly.

She hummed quietly and quickly drew back, sauntering around him with a teasing sway to her hips.

She could feel his eyes on her ass, staring hard at it.

Juniper snickered to herself, "You're staring at it like you know what to do with it, Raphael."

The berserker behind her, his eyes widened and he followed after his mate, slithering his arm around her small waist. He yanked her flush against his chest, his other hand slid up her throat. He gripped her jaw and tilted her chin up so she was forced to look up at him as he crowded behind her.

"I've got a few ideas on what to do with it," his eyes pierced her.

She nibbled on her lip, while glancing from his eyes to his mouth. Raphael grunted quietly before pressing his lips down to her own.

His arm around her hips hiked her higher and back into him. They both moaned, Juniper tugging him closer for a deeper kiss.

She gasped as he practically devoured her, sliding his hands down her waist. A high pitched moan escaped her throat as his large hands groped her ass.

Squeezing hard, he groaned in satisfaction while hiking her up closer.

They parted just inches away, panting quietly while staring at one another.

Juniper licked her lips, patting his chest. "Maybe... Maybe you have a few ideas."

He chuckled lowly, smacking her ass as she turned away.

"Let's go."

Juniper was pleased as he drove them and Bear to the private beach near his house.

The dog panted as his head poked between the two in the car.

"Why'd you even get this mutt?" he grunted as he swatted Bear away from licking him.

"I thought I was leaving my mate and that I'd be lonely," she answered as she rest her cheek on her fist.

Raphael side glanced her, sliding his hand onto her thigh.

"Well you're not leaving so we can ditch the dog."

Juniper frowned and hit him in the groin.

"Fuck!" Raphael hissed.

"Shut the fuck up," she grumbled.

"You make out with me and then you punch me in the dick, make up your mind woman."

"My dog has done nothing to bother you, leave him out of your jealousy," she pursed her lips.

"I'm not jealous of a dog," he scoffed.

Juniper pointed her index finger, holding it next to her nose to create the illusion her nose is stretching.

He glanced at her and crooked his jaw as she made fun of him.

She chuckled to herself at her joke, "Do you get it?... Cause of pinocchio? And how you're lying."

"Yeah I got it," he scoffed as he squeezed her thigh.

She sat up a little when the beach came into view, Raphael driving haphazardly as usual while he pulled into an abrupt stop.

The shadow demon grinned, while she did not like the heat she always thought the beach was beautiful.

Without another thought, she hopped out immediately and let Bear out.

She whistled quietly and the dog trotted out into the sand, Juniper swung a bag at her side as she heard Raphael shut his own door.

"You wanna go for a swim?" Juniper cooed and when she reached the water she crouched.

Bear was hesitant to step in but Juniper cupped her hands, showing it to the dog before wetting his paws gently.

"See?" she hummed as she splashed the water a little before he really got into it. Soon he was running and pouncing the smaller waves.

Juniper turned and saw Raphael laying out a large beach blanket.

She walked towards him, reluctant to turn her eyes away from their dog.

"He'll be fine, can't get far from here," Raphael eased her worries. She nodded a little as she watched him shrug off his shirt.

Juniper smirked a little, kneeling and making her way towards him. He wore sunglasses, raising a brow at her as she crawled over to his end.

Pushing him to lie down, she climbed on top of him. Juniper grabbed sunscreen.

Raphael rest his hands behind his head while watching her.

Juniper glanced over her shoulder, pushing her own sunglasses down as she massages the cream into his chest.

Bear barked at a crab as Juniper felt his hard muscles underneath her fingertips. He was truly built like a god, his physique was insane.

Juniper had muscle as well, don't get her wrong. But her muscle was hidden underneath a layer of fat. She was plump and he obviously didn't mind meanwhile he was chiseled yet lean enough to stay mobile.

"You always keep me guessing," he husked.

Juniper was sat upon him, as if she was always meant to be there. Her thick thighs encasing his large torso. All of her weight was sat comfortably on top of him.

Her nimble fingers were thorough while rubbing sunscreen into each one of his abs, humming as she responded.

"Gotta keep it interesting," she rubbed his shoulders. She met his gaze while bringing his hands to rest on her thighs while moving to his arms.

"I want to be able to know what your next move is," he dug his fingers into her.

She rose a brow at him, "Why?"

He shrugged, "Isn't that what mates do? Know each other so well they can do shit like that?"

She grinned a little in thought, "Yeah. Keep putting work in maybe you'll be able to guess what I had for breakfast."

He grunted, frowning a little. "I'm serious."

Juniper tilted her head, "Raphael you are the first person I've trusted in the last... four years. Not to mention these last months. I don't have anyone- besides Sera and Warren. And it took me years to tell them jackshit."

"I know," Raphael rubbed his brow. "I understand that. I've been the same way, I just don't want us fucking anything up more than we already have."

She scoffed a little," We're not fucking anything up. We're here aren't we? Progress is progress, just because we don't have the average natural progression other mates have doesn't mean we fucked up."

She crossed her arms tightly while crooking her jaw.

He grumbled a little in mild agreement, "You're probably right."

"I haven't been wrong yet."

"Not yet hm?" he sat up while pressing his large hands to the small of her back. He tugged her forward so their chests were flush to one another.

"Never once in my 24 years."

He ran a hand through his hair, "Seems unlikely."

She scoffed and held his face in her hands, tugging it up to kiss him briefly.

She gripped a spray on sunscreen, covering herself after standing before turning towards the water.

"You want to swim?" Raphael frowned a little as his mate grew farther away.

She hummed with a nod, not looking back at him as Bear sprinted over from farther down the beach.

"He literally just shit in the water," the berserker groaned in annoyance before standing to follow his mate.

~

they cute or whatevs

two updates in a day surprise just because i always get excited to post hehe