Zandre gripped the thick, red rubber band in his hand while his arms made the motions of throwing the ball to one side and slightly behind his body. The band stretched along with his arm, resisting increasingly as it thinned, while his arm muscles somewhat echoed the sentiment. However, the movement remained steady and seemingly with ease, while the man performing this action counted to a number in his head. Once he was satisfied, he let go of the relaxed band, only to regain hold of it in his other hand and begin the same exercise in mirror image. "Looking good!" an assistant coach patted the thick muscles in Zee's upper arm once he'd completed the steps. "Thanks," Zee replied, wiping the sweat within his palms on an offered towel before following the assistant to a piece of weighted apparatus in order to work certain muscles in his legs. He'd just sat down upon the bench of the machine, when he overheard two of his team mates muttering to each other as they passed by him. "The manager looked pissed," one was saying, while the other nodded and both glanced back towards the hallway of the gym or more likely, towards the office that their coach used when not leading their training. Zandre sighed, waiting as the assistant altered the weights to conform for his needs, his mind wandering for a moment. The game that they had just had this weekend had not really gone as well as it should have done. Not that Zee and most of his team mates were conceited, but the other side were at the lower end of the rugby league tables, having had two unfortunate years, while they were closer to the top. Statistically, his team were stronger, smarter and more able. However, those statistics, at the end of the day, were just on paper. There were many things that they lacked in performance during the game, however what likely stood out in the manager's mind was that his 'star' flanker was benched, while the blindside flanker who had been on the field fumbled twice allowing the other side to steal possession of the ball both times and even score off of that once! That guy was not a bad player, though was better known for his hefty tackles, using his ridiculous bulk as an obstruction. The coach had often used him as a Prop in the past, although he now favoured talents signed from other teams in more recent months. He'd clearly just not been on his game that day and as his position used to be the one Zandre was known for, he simply stood out more. That said, if it wasn't for that tackle of that man's in the last few minutes of the game, they would not be able to claim victory with their close score. Instead, they would have left the field with their tails tucked between their legs after congratulating their opponents. A loud slam broke Zee from his revere and the gym fell to silence. "Outside, now!" The coach yelled from the entrance. Zee inwardly sighed once more. It seemed the coach was going to take his mood out on them during field training. Not that he'd ever go too far, their bodies were valuable after all and overworking them could be detrimental and screw up future games and his future as a coach. Instead, he'd yell and scream red faced, while they threw the ball in sets, practiced tackles or short sprints. Still, he ached by the end of training, both physically and mentally and couldn't wait to get home and sink into his leather sofa. He didn't linger overly long upon it though. His kitchen fridge was stuffed with fruit and vegetables, but he was no cook. Instead, he relied on a series of nutritional meals packed away in his freezer; usually base soup stocks containing cooked meat or fish or sauces for pasta. All he had to do was heat them up and add some vegetables, which was exactly what he did. And while he waited for the beef stew, in this case, to simmer, he reached for his phone and quickly typed a text. Hey, just got home. Heating beef stew. His phone pinged a few minutes later with a response. Saburo cooked spaghetti. Ah, his food is so good! I ate it too quickly and now I'm hungry again! Zee chuckled, his fingers slipping over the touch-screen keypad as he formed his next words. I'll come pick you up, you can share mine? I have to work now, a class of little ones! Very cute, just not as cute as my brothers were at their age! Shaking his head with a slight smile of indulgence, he began to tap once more. They'd both been busy with work and commitments, Zee hadn't had the time to see him since last week. This perhaps was not a bad thing though, for Zandre knew that if he was able, he'd stick to Ichiro like glue and he suspected that the Omega's resistance to him would increase. Instead, the communication between them had increased, though mostly by text and Ichiro was usually quick to respond to his messages. It was a little satisfaction to be grasped in the midst of this frustrating situation. As he was about to send the text, his phone began to ring, switching from texts to calls and revealing who was trying to catch his attention. It was his little sister, Braelin. The girl was the spoiled baby of the family and knew it, however, she was not by nature an unkind person and understood there were limits. She was curvy and a little round of waist, but had a pretty face and attracted a fair bit of attention. Alas, envy and lust cannot easily overcome four fair sized obstacles that were Male, had complimenting strengths and were very protective of their two sisters. "Hey, Zee," she chirped, brightly upon the other end of the call, "what'cha doing?" "Cooking," he replied, shortly, stirring the simmering stew, before replacing the lid and leaving the kitchen. "And how are things with your new beau?" Braelin asked. Zandre rolled his eyes, before falling back onto his sofa. "Didn't you ask that just yesterday?" "That was then," her voice held a small pout, "This is now. Come on, Zee, spill the beans!" The lines of this conversation were now nothing new to Zandre. His whole family were curious about the situation between him, 'Lani and the individual who'd remained nameless and mysterious. 'Lani, that girl had been harder to pin down than wet mud on a dartboard. After his last message, she'd left one of her own the following day, saying that she couldn't come and meet him after all. That there had been some family emergency and she was jet-setting off to the Caribbean island where her grandparents had retired to. "I can't tell you anything more that I told you yesterday," Zandre admitted. "Come on, Zee!" Braelin was unconvinced. "You can't hide her away forever! The whole family wants to meet her!" Zee rubbed at his eyes. He really should clear up the fact that he was not pursuing a woman this time around, although, he couldn't blame his family for their assumption. Ichiro would be the first ever Male that he'd ever looked at in that way, that he'd ever considered pursuing at all. Sure, his secondary gender had a little to do with that, the sweet and spicy scent of his pheromones caused a stirring within the Alpha unlike any woman he'd ever seen or touched. But as he came to know Ichiro, to know the mind within that creamy, delicious looking body, he knew that there was definitely more to his feelings for the Omega than just attraction. "Braelin, I..." "Hmm, oh hold on, mum wants to talk to you!" Braelin was still a student, although she was in her last year of college. She and Zee's younger brother, Romaine, who was studying pharmaceuticals at university, still lived at home. "Hey, Zandre," a smoother, mature feminine voice replaced Braelin's youthful one. "Hi, Mum," Zee smiled. His mother had not been the most hands on mum, nor was she naturally maternal, but she'd still been a good parent and Zandre had as much affection for her as he did his father, who'd been more of an influence in his children's everyday lives. "I just wanted to clarify," the woman began, "that there is definitely nothing between you and young Elani now." "That's right, mum," Zee replied. "I know what that interview hinted, but it really is over between us." "Right, right," his mother said and Zee could imagine that she was nodding absently as she spoke. "A few months ago, Elani borrowed the key to your house, do you recall?" Zandre thought back and a vague memory appeared in his mind. "Oh, when I was away and she needed to grab a specific pair of shoes that she'd left at mine." "Yes, that's what she said," his mother agreed. "It's just that she never returned the key; she was in a rush that day and I had told her not to worry about it. However, it just came to me that she likely still has it." "Thanks mum," Zee said, before adding; "I'll get them back when I give her back the things she'd left here." "You should," his mother said. "It's not good to let Elani keep hold of the key. She might still retain some hope for your relationship if you do." "Got it," Zee yawned suddenly, indicating to his mother to let him go. He was genuinely tired, otherwise he'd be happy to continue their conversation. After the call ended, he dragged himself to the kitchen to test the softness of the potatoes before dishing up his meal. Afterwards, he tossed the dishes into the sink to soak for a bit and headed upstairs for a warm shower. The text he'd typed to Ichiro last did not get sent.