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PROLOGUE. Have a nice trip!

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS...

Birdseye view into one of the bustling streets of Chicago; the streets jammed with traffic, the sidewalks busy with people trying to get from A to B. It's early in the morning, but the city is already loud, horns and sirens, people bustling. One of the doors on the street opens to reveal someone carrying two holdalls. They set them down on the doorstep so that they hold the heavy door open for them, then look back into the hallway of the apartment, impatiently tapping their foot. They take a look at their watch, bright against the black skin of their wrist, then lean over as far as possible into the street until they can make out the outlines of a bus stuck somewhere in traffic down the road.

Now, Drea Newton obviously knows there's more than one bus in Chicago. Of course they know it. But it might just as well be their bus. Judging by the traffic, Andrew had no more than five minutes to get his ass downstairs, and knowing him, that might be a tight affair.

Seven storeys above Drea: A one-bedroom apartment, more spacious than those around them, curtesy of Drea's father being comparatively well off -- he decided to pitch in for rent, because Drea's job at Target doesn't pay rent in central Chicago -- cozy, and littered with cat toys. In the  living room, well-lit with natural light, kneels a tall man, a cat curled up in his lap, another cat sitting across from him, meowing as if trying to get the conversation going.

"Taylor's going to take care of you two," Andrew Horowitz mumbles, tickling the cat in his lap, Frederick, who purrs in return. "We won't be away long," he squints, trying to remember if the pamphlet they received said anything about it. Two weeks, he remembers. Then, of course, they'd be travel time and all. "Three weeks? Maybe?" Andrew shrugs his shoulders, scratching Frederick behind his ear. "And then we'll be back. And then you'll get all the headpats and backscratches you can wish for, Sir Frederick Newton-Horowitz."

There's a grin on Andrew's lips now as he pushes Frederick off his lap. The cat hisses, then runs over to their luxurious tower, a combination of scratchpost and pet bed, a Christmas present he prepared for their two cats last year. Andrew gets up, then takes a glance at the oversized kitchen clock hung above the door. Shit. They should've been at the doorstep five minutes ago. He hastily walks to the door, puts on his shoes, then frantically looks around for his bag until he realises that Drea took the bags downstairs already. He relaxes, then takes the keys from the hook, a Ghostbusters poster staring back at him from above the hooks.

He locks the door twice, just to make sure he didn't forget the first time, pays close attention to himself doing it. Normally, it was Drea's responsibility. Locking doors, making sure the stove is turned off, checking if they didn't forget anything, but Andrew insisted he needed just five more minutes to say goodbye to their children — meaning their cats, Frederick and Louis — and so it was now him who had to ensure the apartment was secure for their absence.

Andrew hurries down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, even though he already fell down parts of the staircase twice since moving in; there was simply no time to lose. He eventually makes it, almost body-slamming into his partner, who's still standing in the doorway, but he can stop himself just in time, his arms paddling around for stability.

Drea turns around to look at him, the outlines of incoming laughter evident on their round face. "You're an idiot, Horowitz," they roll their eyes, playfully hitting Andrew against his hip, then leans in waiting to receive a kiss. Andrew bends forward to meet their demands and their lips meet for a moment.

"Is the bus here already?" Andrew says as he leans back, lifting his eyebrows. His eyes then start to scan the crowded street. "I tried to hurry. I really did, you know?"

Drea shrugs. "Yeah, I know," they follow Andrew's eyes, then shake their head. "It's not here yet, don't worry. Traffic, you know." they roll their eyes. Living in the city had its merits, but it also come with entirely too many other people, also living in the city.