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Eternal Bliss [OctopusPrince and gio-vanne]

"I'm not afraid of you." Helios said petulantly, even though that wasn't entirely true. She massaged her wrist, sure that it would bruise from the man's crushing hold on it. She had such fair skin that it was fairly easy, to bruise it up. She'd have to buy some cover up, or wear the long sleeved dress she'd bought that afternoon next week. " Thank you for intervening, but you're not all that different from those men, are you?" She asked rhetorically, her tone even and cold. " You tried to buy me too." She moved to place her cello in its case, closing the latches firmly.

She hated that as a woman, she needed that kind of protection-- it wasn't realistic to believe she could handle that man on her own, let alone the three that apparently had been waiting to ambush her. And a security guard was a relief, even though she had no intention of thanking Lucian for it-- she didn't intend to thank him for anything anymore.

" Bisto Co. Huh? So you work for them. The company that owns this restaurant." She gave a mirthless huff of a laugh, " You probably paid off the people who came to see my audition too... I'm not quitting this job, because of that, I'm going to keep working because I love to play more than anything else, but stop butting into my life. If you're not who I thought you were, I don't want anything to do with you." She had no idea what the truth was behind what he'd said to her the night she'd fled from his condo, but she had her assumptions. She stood, beautiful in the light of the restaurant, and smoothed her hands over her dress.

" Good night, Mr. Lucian." It was formal, employer to employee, and she turned from him to go into the back of the restaurant, to collect her bag, change and leave.

It stuck with her quite pointedly that he had chosen to say that she was with him as a defense to the other man's behavior. Not that it was inappropriate, not to leave her alone, just that she was with him, and that ought to be reason enough. Like she belonged to him. Before the last evening that they had been together, she might have been flattered-- she might have thanked him, might have teased him a little...

'Oh I'm with you huh? Is that so?'

She might have kissed him for that, for being needlessly possessive of her, for protecting her, for being there that night in the first place. But all of that just couldn't be so, and rather than the sentiment touching her, she found it vexing.
 
He would have defended that that's not the case, he didn't pay anyone at all; most especially the audience. True, his word was always final but that was the most of what he did for her. He would have wanted to explain all that and appease her but he knew none of it would work. Had they been in good terms, he would have taken pride in telling her that he wasn't just connected to Bistro -- he owned it.

But that wasn't the situation now. Instead, he merely gave her a slight bow of acknowledgement. "Good night and safe trips home, Ms. Helios. Well, then..." He kept his hands back in his pocket and as he exited the restaurant, Rosetta's security guard came and entered.

"She's right at the back. Please wait for her and escort the kind lady to her car. Make sure she's safe. Thank you."

----

Two weeks. Two weeks of such cold treatment went on and though he kept himself busied with work, he can't help but think about her and the night she looked like an angel. An ironic thought, he figured, considering how he was a creature of the dark while she shone bright wherever she went. Smiling to himself, Lucian took a break from work and browsed through his phone's gallery. One shot, he told himself. Just one photo of her wouldn't hurt. Even if she didn't look at the camera, even if the photo turned out bad, he'd keep it as a reminder of that mortal woman who got him head over heels.

And won him.

That was it, he thought. Enough of the foolishness. He brought this upon himself, upon them both, so it was up to him to fix things.

On exactly the 14th night of their cold treatment, Lucian figured he'd dress appropriately for the night. As he fixed his hair in front of the mirror, he kept on glancing at that one rose that rested on the table beside him. It was nothing special -- just one stem of red rose with a white ribbon on it. On the ribbon was a small note looped around a punched hole.

"Marius," he called out. Once again, like a loyal servant, Marius was right at his door the moment he called. "Would you be so kind to take this to Helios' station at the breakroom?"

"Will do, master." Marius took the rose carefully and without another word, disappeared from Lucian's home.

On the note was a simple message in elegant writing written in crimson ink.

Just one more chance. Please give me just one more chance. I ask of you fervently.

Lucian Giovanni

And with that, he took off to Rosetta and took his usual place at the far end of the room. This time, he seated accordingly so that he'd face the small platform where she performs every night.

Patiently, he waited.
 
Helios arrived that night dressed and ready to perform, but as she went to the back to deliver her bag of extra clothes, she found the single rose, and the note. She sighed as she looked at it, Lucian's curving, elegant hand writing, and considered the request. This had been the goal in the first place, wasn't it? When they'd first been interested in each other?... She had wanted him to want her, not to be baited by his wealth. And something about it being a single rose, not eighteen bouquets, not some rare tropical flower, but a single rose... there was something humble about it that made her feel a way she desperately wanted to ignore.

He had come to 52 Rosetta multiple times-- she had built a talent for looking up and around the restaurant just enough to recognize he was there without looking at him or looking like she was looking for him. So far, he hadn't disturbed her-- no annoying calls or texts, no change in her pay, no coming after her before or after the show... it was a relief to at least know that he wasn't a stalker. But this... this implied that he was still thinking of her, that he realized at least, that he had made huge mistake their last night together.

She pulled out her phone, and texted him, because she had to perform and she didn't want to leave it waiting.

'You have one chance. Dinner at Muschietta's, tomorrow, 7PM. You're not paying for anything I eat or drink, and if you try to, or try to bribe me, or even bring up money or giving me anything, I'm leaving. Don't bother responding, just meet me there, or don't.'

And with that, she went out on stage to play, dressed this time in a dark blue strapless gown, speckled with gems like the night sky, with her hair in a half-up do, blonde ringlets spilling over her bare shoulders. She had bought at least enough dresses to cycle through two weeks, so this one, like every other night, was a new look for her. It had long sleeves, given that the week before that man had grabbed her wrist, and the bruises still hadn't gone away, even after a week's time, her wrist marked purple and yellow from where he'd grabbed her. It was hidden under her sleeve, but she'd worn dresses with sleeves the whole week to hide the unsightly injury.

She had to stop buying dresses though, she had to stop buying much of anything, because she got a call from the company that was wringing her neck about her loans and was told, without negotiation, that because she was getting so much money at her current jobs, her loan payments would go up exponentially. They expected her to pay 9 thousand a month.

Originally it had been a struggle at 700 a month, but now, 9 thousand? How was she supposed to get an apartment in this city paying 9 thousand a month, 100 dollars a night and almost 10 thousand a month on clothing just to work this damn job? She made a lot of money now, but... it was just frustrating and ridiculous. And they'd informed her as well, that her estimate on how much she owed was actually wrong-- she had accrued interest over her time at school and actually owed them another 28 thousand on top of the 100 thousand she had spent. She wanted to throw her phone out a window when she'd heard that. 28 thousand was a new car, and that was just the interest.

She wasn't in a good mood that night, but... She hadn't been in a good mood the night Lucian had met her, and this time, when he made a gesture to interact with her, it was not to show off-- so... she'd give him some credit. Just a little.
 
He must have looked a fool watching her all night despite receiving a much-appreciated text message early that night. One chance, she said. She was giving her one chance on the condition that nothing he'd do absolutely nothing for her. Challenge accepted, he thought. Throughout her performance, he almost can't stop himself from grinning ear to ear but every time he felt himself doing so, he'd clear his throat and looked away. Still, he finished her set that night and instructed the same security personnel to watch over her and make sure she'd get out of the restaurant safe.

----

The following day came by too slowly. He kept on pacing back and forth sporadically all day hoping it'd give him some sort of clarity on how to meet her halfway in terms of not giving her anything and... well... giving her at least one little something -- anything -- yet at the same time he knew that doing so would just ruin the chance he desperately needed to have. Sighing, he looked at himself one last time on the mirror and made sure he didn't look too classy and standout that night yet keeping the same air of class and elegance. Tonight's fashion consisted of a round-neck white shirt paired up with a deep black velvet blazer. The white shirt was tucked inside his black slacks with his leather belt hugging his waist perfectly. His shoes, though one of the finest in the market, was just a simple pair of black pointed leather ones. He felt odd and naked but he knew this would have to do tonight. Not to mention, the phantom weight of a bouquet on his right arm also made him even more bare.

Muschietta's was about half an hour's drive from Rosetta. He drove himself to the restaurant and arrived a full hour before 7PM so he ended up taking a table for two before ordering a cup of coffee while he waited. At the back of his mind, he started creating meaningless conversations and possible explanations of why he behaved the way he did the previous night. It was a pointless thing to do, that much he knew, knowing that his actions held no decent excuses -- except for one: the truth. He shook his head. No, that wasn't even part of the solution. Not at all. He was finally granted this one chance and he didn't want to blow it by telling her, "Oh. Hi. Yes, I'm a vampire. See? Told you. I'm a monster."

Sighing to himself, he took a sip of his black coffee and stared at his hazy reflection on the bitter liquid.
 
Helios walked into the restaurant at 6:58 PM, wearing a loose, almost off the shoulder shirt with cut off sleeves and a pair of jeans, a small, but tempting section of her stomach revealed between the cropped top and the high waisted jeans. Muschietta's wasn't a place where you had to dress up over the top just to get in-- it was a beautiful french bistreaux with excellent quiche and desserts and soups-- Helios loved this place, and when she was in college, she used to come here all the time, to steal a table before their dinner rush and study.

She spotted Lucian instantly, and made her way over to the table, sitting down across from him. She was relieved to see that he didn't have any flowers or gift boxes or anything like that, but he hadn't even opened his mouth so she wasn't going to trust him just yet.

" Hello, Lucian." She said simply, clasping her hands on the table despite the fact that he'd see the bruise-- she didn't care if he did, it would be a reminder of that evening, of what he was up against- she didn't think he was any different from the man who had bruised her trying to get his way with her. Lucian had pinned her down in his bed and implied just the same. That with the right amount of money, he could have her, that he wasn't a good person. She looked to the waitress as she approached and smiled kindly, reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear before ordering her own cup of coffee and a glass of water.
 
The greeting he had grown accustomed to almost made his heart sank to the point that almost brought him to blurt out so many words at once; but he managed to keep his composure and smiled at her instead. He pictured this night to be the ultimate reset button. He pictured it so that it looked like they were meeting for the first time and he was doing everything right the first time. He'd reintroduce himself, he'd buy her drinks (not as grand as before, as per her request), and he'd talk to her as if she was a stranger he just met. Despite all the scenarios he thought this night would be, here he was, taking a while to actually respond.

Clearing his throat, he put up a facade similar to how they once were. "Ah," he said as he extended out his hand. "I may not know how, but it seems like you already know my name. A pleasure it is to be approached by a beautiful woman like you, umm...?" He wanted to keep it up, this silly act of pretense, but he shook his head nonetheless and let out sigh while smiling a tired kind of smile.

"A pleasant evening to you, Helios."

A pause.

A long pause.

An eye contact lasting too long for comfort.

A pair of contact-lensed eyes searching the orbs of the one right across it.

"I missed you."
 
Helios blinked at him in confusion when he said it was a surprise that she knew his name... what was he talking about? But then, he seemed to drop whatever thought had made him say that, and looked at her like he didn't know what to do with himself. She knew he probably didn't know what to do with himself, and that was the point. Had this man ever been organic? Not everything had to be calculated and controlled and pre planned. Helios knew well enough from her parents that money made people feel like they were in control, because they could make anything happen and make anything go away for the right price. It seemed like without the money involved to control this environment, Lucian was floundering. Good.

She watched him for just as long a moment as it took for him to admit his feelings, and then, to reward that behavior because it's what's needed, if this is going to work at all, she responded back, calmly, " I missed you too." She watched him for a reaction.

It was true enough- she had thought about him. She was angry, but she had missed him in certain ways, had wished the night that had gone so wrong hadn't happened, that she could get him to just explain himself.
 
"God, I'm so foolish."

Those were the first words he uttered. "You, a woman who shines so bright; a woman beyond anyone has ever treated me, and--" he had to stop talking because he can already feel himself digging his own grave further. "One chance," he said. "I asked you for once chance, and you gave it to me." Cautiously, he then took her hand and met her eyes again with his own. Funny, how he only knew how to deal with everything - even emotions - in a very business-like manner.

"You told me not to give you anything tonight, but it feels... rather unfair." He let this thumb linger a little while longer but as soon as her temperature became unbearable against his own skin, he pulled his hand away. The realization hit him like a bullet.

"Of course," he uttered, almost just to himself. "An explanation. I owe you as much. But..." This time, he kept his head down and avoided her gaze. This time, he held no confidence. He nearly shook with the way the emotions coiled up inside him, almost unbearable, almost to the brink of madness.

He wasn't ready to confess. He wasn't ready to lose her again; this time, perhaps forever.

"I'm not ready. I'm not ready to tell you the truth."
 
Helios sighed at him and tipped back in her seat, crossing her arms and raising a brow at him.

" So you aren't ready to tell me this supposedly dark secret you have, and yet you were prepared to hint at it the first night we spent together in such a way that I thought you were going to rape me? That doesn't make any sense Lucian. It's bullshit." She said, coarsely, not having any of these dramatics.

" You do owe me an explanation. That's not a gift, you owe me that much. And it's not negotiable at this point-- you wanted one chance to make this right? That's where you start, because that scared the life out of me, for you to do that. I imagine a man with as much money and power as you can't really wrap your head around that, but I extended trust to you because quite frankly, I wanted to kiss you, and be held by you and get to know you better. And instead I went straight home thinking I had put myself in actual danger. I don't want to believe you would hurt me, but how can I not?" She cut herself off when the waitress arrived with her coffee and she sighed, staring down into the drink for a moment to try and gather herself.

" Just tell me what you think is so bad about yourself. Just say it. Let me decide if it's something I can't put up with. You already know I'll be honest with you." Her tone was almost pleading, and she looked up at him, hoping he'd understand how necessary this was, that he needed to just be honest with her or they couldn't go any further in this.
 
Her words came out fast and furious yet he took every single one because frankly, he was disappointed with himself, too. He wouldn't put her in danger in the kind of way she thought, that much was sure, but the truth... the actual truth went beyond the actual dangers of this world.

"Okay, okay. I get it. It's the truth you want and... the truth you'll get. Give me a minute, I will be right back." To prove his words, Lucian left his phone and his wallet at the table before proceeding to his car. A thousand debatable thoughts flooded his mind with every step he took but all of them boiled down to one thing; this was his fault, it was up to him to fix things, and the only way to do that is to tell her the truth.

When he came back to their seat, Lucian held his contact lens case with one hand. "The rest of my truth will have to wait," he began. "But for now, this..." he looked down and flawlessly took each contact lens off before he placed them inside their protective case. It took a couple of deep breaths and one sharp one before he turned his gaze back at her. Muschietta wasn't as dimly lit as Sky Bar and Rosetta (as he made them so). The place was full of life, light, and color yet it played to his advantage as everyone else seemed to be occupied with their own agenda. The lighting inside the restaurant won't reveal his eyes' full colors but it was enough to show crimson red ones with dark, sharp pupils in the middle. They were so dark that none of the lights in Muschietta's reflected on them.

Not a single word was said. He simply looked at her - feeling more naked than ever before - and waited for her reaction. Somehow, he already pictured her screaming at the top of her lungs.
 
Helios stared into his face for several long moments, taking in the unusual darkness, the potent crimson of his gaze. What was he trying to tell her? She frowned at him, brows furrowing. It certainly was... strange-- she'd never seen eyes like that before. It didn't look like some sort of disease, and Helios knew that Lucian could see perfectly well, in fact, given that they'd spent time in dark settings, almost too well, but... what did having red eyes mean? How did explain anything?

She leaned forward towards him, because contrary to his fears in this moment she wasn't intimidated by what he'd revealed. " You're going to need to be a little more explicit, Lucian. If having red eyes makes you a monster and not who I thought you were, than you're being really dramatic. There's obviously more to this, so just spit it out. Do we need to go somewhere where we're alone?"

She had brought her pepperspray, as always, so she was going to burn those pretty red eyes out if he tried anything, but it seemed like the only way she was going to get an answer was if they were somewhere that wouldn't allow other people to find out whatever he needed to tell her.
 
Her reaction was galaaxies away from what he expected. He expected a scream of terror or at least a slap but instead, she took everything in calmly and even suggested a change of place. Right, this whole thing would have looked like theatrics for her. Yes, there was more to it -- so much more.

"Yes," he replied. He didn't sound confident but at that moment, he was left with no other choice. "Anywhere would be fine. Anywhere you're comfortable." Taking the case of his contacts, he kept his head down and rushed to the restroom where he placed his fake eye color back. As he exited, he tipped the waiter and billed their table out. "I know I should not be doing this, paying for our coffee tonight," he told her, "but I will not allow this to stop me from being a man who treats a woman right. If we make it past through this night, you owe me dinner, then." He tried to smile yet Lucian knew there were greater matters at hand.

"Lead the way and let me know where it's best to explain things to you."
 
Helios rolled her eyes at that, but she couldn't help but smile. She wasn't even surprised. " Yeah yeah, a man who takes care of a woman." She waved her hand at him and got up, moving to lead him out of the restaurant. There was a park near by, and thankfully it was relatively quiet that evening, plenty of benches and sections of the path empty and quiet. She lead on silently, until she found a bench next to the lake at the center of the park, sitting down on it and gesturing for Lucian to sit next to her.

" Alright. Go ahead and say it." She said, preparing herself because who knew what secret Lucian had that had to do with his natural eye color, as unnatural as that eye color was. There had to be a medical explanation, right? There were people with all kinds of different eye colors... the most strange thing about them, was how they didn't reflect light, but she wasn't sure what that could possibly mean. She braced herself for something ludicrous and absurd, hoping that if she prepared for that, whatever he had to admit would be under the bar of admitting he was an extraterrestrial or a vampire or something hilariously impossible like that.
 
the entire walk to the park was short yet quiet. He wondered how he'd break it to her properly because he knew she wouldn't believe him. But maybe that was for the best, he thought, and he'd end up just making her believe that he's a monster for being mentally unstable. Lucian accepted defeat and sat down right next to her. There was no turning back now.

He fidgeted with his gold ring on his right index finger for a quick moment before removing it and tucking it away safely inside his wallet. It only took about a minute or so for Lucian's natural color to drain away, leaving him sickly pale with blue veins faintly running along his arm up to his neck. The jacket covered most of this except for his face which held the same almost-white skin tone. This time, he kept his contact lenses on.

With one last sigh of defeat, Lucian took his jacket off leaving him only in his white round-neck shirt. He then used his jacket to wrap around her shoulder, shielding her from the cold night's air. It didn't help that when his hands brushed her arm, she'd feel how cold he truly was.

The fangs would have to wait. He wasn't hungry tonight and there was no way in hell he'd allow a repetition of that night two weeks ago when his lips brushed the skin of her neck, making his hunger almost uncontrollable.

Instead of being silent, Lucian only uttered a single sentence.

"You can run away from the monster now, Helios."
 
Helios watched all the color drain from his skin in awe, blinking and perfectly still as he draped his jacket around her shoulders. Red eyes, pale skin... she'd only ever seen him at night. Holy. Fucking. Shit.

" ... You're joking right?" She asked, even though he hadn't really said anything, he'd just revealed himself in two different ways, expecting her to fill in the blanks. And now he expected her to run from him. That was... reasonable-- if he was... Well... How was she even thinking this? If he was a vampire that meant he might... drink her blood right? Kill her? She looked away from him for a moment to try and process, but he didn't move from her spot on the bench.

" ... You're a vampire?" She asked, because he seemed like he couldn't say it himself, and maybe if she said, it, if she put it out there, he'd nod, or say yes, or laugh at her for guessing something so ridiculous based on what she'd seen. But she had a feeling she'd guessed right, as insane as it was. She looked to him and could tell, almost refreshingly, that he was afraid to have admitted this-- he fully expected her to run away from him, to see these things and never want to see him again. And while, there were certainly a thousand questions she had... she didn't feel inclined to leave. What he said, if she was right made some sense at least. If he thought he was a monster, if he had to hide what he was... She stared at him, waiting for an answer.
 
You're a vampire?

The question was uttered out too casually that Lucian could only blink for a few seconds and process what was happening. He seemed to be more shocked than she was. She was speechless, definitely, but it was him who was in a total state of disbelief.

Smiling to himself, Lucian looked away from her and tilted his head to glance at the night sky while his hands moved swiftly to wear his ring back. In an instant, he looked like the Lucian she had always known. "Two weeks ago, you asked me why the women left," he began. His eyes were distant this time. Sad, even. "Let me answer that question properly now."

It was a clear night that night. The clouds gave way for the stars to shine.

"They left because they died and I wasn't selfish enough to make them stay. Because staying would mean spending their lives with me for all eternity." He shook his head. "No, please correct that. It meant living for all eternity. It is not a fate I'd wish upon anyone who mattered to me."

From the night sky, Lucian then turned his attention back to her. "Does that answer your question somehow, Helios?"

There was something not quite right about directly admitting he was a vampire. In this world, contrary to his time, vampires were just mythical creatures existing in stories. He knew he wasn't alone and they were others, perhaps even thousands of them, but Lucian never attempted to contact any single one. He lived a life of solitude and acceptance of the changing time and with the people of this era, vampires don't exist. They never did, they never will.

"I meant it, Helios, when I told you your friend is a monster. I... am a monster."
 
Helios was still staring at him when he spoke, watching his pallor change back, watching his stare up at the sky. So he was a vampire. Or something like it, even though he wouldn't say it. A monster, he preferred-- self depreciating, or perhaps recognizing reality.

" Do you kill people?" She asked, because that was the only thing she could think of, in him calling himself a monster. He'd probably killed lots of people, she realized... and yet, he talked of love, of the women that had come into his life, of letting them die natural deaths. It seemed so... contradictory from what she knew about vampires-- the last vampire movie she'd watched, dracula had a harem of women, all crazed and blood thirsty, all obsessed with him. She almost wanted to laugh, considering his tactics before.

He was like a spider, trying to lure her into his web. "Did you intend to kill me, when you took interest in me?" She asked further, even though by the time the question made it past her lips, she was afraid to hear the answer.
 
Asking him if he was a vampire was acceptable. Asking him how his life had been, how long has he lived would have been acceptable; yet the question she threw at him was something he did not expect -- not from Helios, at least. He would've loved it more if she screamed in terror. He would've preferred if she'd run away and tell everyone about it because it was easier to live with himself that way. Marius could easily fix the commotion. He could easily move somewhere else and manage the business somewhere else.

Did you intend to kill me, when you took interest in me?

His jews clenched tight.

"Did you honestly think that I planned to kill you from the very start?" Having lived for centuries and witnessed his friends, lovers, and family die one by one, he thought nothing could hurt him anymore. He thought he had lived through life's worst pains yet here he was, sitting down with a woman who he easily confided the truth to, and one of the first things she had to ask was if he wanted to kill her right from the very start. "Yes, I have ended up killing someone long, long ago. In this lifetime, three lives I've already stolen all within the years of an acceptable human age. At the time, the hunger was unbearable. I did not yet know how to deal with it." He explained rather robotically, all interest and sincerity gone. A slight hint of regret brewed up inside him -- regret that he told her the actual truth.

Sighing, he kept his gaze fixed at the night sky. "I could have easily killed you. You were in my room, drunk and helpless. Right now, we are alone in the park. How many times have you given me the chance to do so, and how many of those have I taken to do so?"

A pause.

"None."

The frustration started coiling up inside him. He felt stupid to have believed she'd understand immediately. No one will, and maybe he would have accepted that -- accepted anything, other than having her ask such a ludicrous question.

"You were beautiful, the first time I met you. You are still now, and I am positive you will be, throughout this lifetime. You accepted me as a person and didn't think highly of me which was, for odd reasons, one of the best things I have ever felt in a long time. You saw me as a normal human being, but now that I've spoken about the truth -- the truth which I have never spoken about to anyone who did not deserve to know it, you only see me as... someone who planned to kill you."

He supposed it was natural to think that way but he can't seem to mask out his frustration.

"It's getting late," he said as he snapped out of his reverie. "We must continue this some other time... if there is still another time." He stood up and started walking away, figuring that after asking such a question, she wouldn't even want him to take her home.
 
Helios stood up immediately to stop, him grabbing his arm, angry at him. " What is it with you and assuming what I think?" She barked at him, keeping a firm hold on the crook of his arm. He wasn't about to walk away from her again, this interaction wasn't to his benefit, it was to hers. " I didn't think you were going to kill me until you told me you could have anyone you wanted while pinning me to your bed, telling me you were a monster. You really think it's an unreasonable question to ask, when you tried to throw money at me every chance you got, when you waited for me to leave the Sky Bar the first time we met? Look at this from my perspective, for someone who claims to be so old, you're so childish." She let go of his arm, taking his jacket off and throwing it onto the bench.

" You don't get to be outraged about this-- it's not fair. I asked, because it's a reasonable thing to ask. I asked because if we're going to continue this relationship, which I want to, you idiot, I need to know what I'm getting myself into. You think I'm so beautiful and so special, but you can't even sit down and have a difficult conversation with me and wait to hear what I have to say? I don't know anything about this, and you're barely even willing to say anything about it, revealing your eye color and your skin being super pale like I should just fill in the blanks about all of that. People aren't that simple, I'm not, you're not, and there's nothing wrong with me wanting to know more about you. That's the point, that's how relationships work. I have a lot of other questions, but the bottom line is I needed to know if this started because you actually liked me, or you wanted to eat me, and I also needed to know, if by dating you I'd have to help you hide bodies or something, which, you could've just answered no, of course not, like a fucking sensible, grown ass man being asked a difficult question. But instead you want to run away?" She scoffed, throwing her hands up and shaking her head at him, disappointed.

" It's easier to run away when you can't throw money at it, isn't it?" She said, and once more, her cold tone was back, the one she had regarded him with last week. She reached for her own bag, and hoisted it over her shoulder, shaking her head again. " Look, let's not meet again. I've got so much shit on my plate right now, with my debt, if you remember anything about me other than that I'm pretty, and I don't need this too. Lick your wounds and find another, more simple minded woman to cry your sad monster tears on. I don't care that you're a damn vampire, I just wanted to know who you were, and be close to you. You're so..." She sighed and turned away to go, not caring that she would have to walk a lap around the park to be away from him.
 
She threw her words firmly at him and this time, he didn't budge. He had given her more than enough time to make sure she felt she was way above him but this time, it was too much. "You really think you can stomp into someone's life and be and all high and mighty over him, huh?" He stood his ground as he spoke. She was moving away from him now but it didn't matter. For the first time since they met, having her slip from his grasp didn't matter.

"You hate it when I impose what you think but you can freely do that to me, telling me that all that matters to me is money? You tell me you want to be close to me but all you do but all you do is show me so much pride, like, I understand it, okay? I understand you are a strong woman and believe me you are, but--"

He couldn't help it. He couldn't stop himself any further. So many emotions came in all at once but he only acted out on one.

Three strides. It took him only three strides to get to her and lock her in a firm yet sincere embrace with one arm as he held the side of her face with his free hand -- his long, cold fingers touching her warm skin. Their lips met in a light kiss but it was a kiss that poured out what he failed to say, what he failed to show. It didn't last long. In fact, it was a mere peck, but the way his cold lips hit hers sent bolts of unknown emotions coursing through every vein.

"Just let me help you, will you? Let your guards down a little bit, Helios, and shine for me."
 
Helios had just been about to turn back and argue some more, because he was right, she was prideful, but he wasn't any better than she was- and yet, just as she'd turned around, he was there, arm around her, hand on her cheek. And then he kissed her. So gently-- it wasn't some crushing act of force, it wasn't an attempt to over power her... It was just a kiss... a plea that matched his next words so perfectly that she was struck with how stupid they'd both been.

Prideful, stubborn, determined to have their own ways. Unwilling to give an inch to each other-- it had been a fun game at first, but now... now it needed to stop. She rested her hands against his chest, and then slid them up around his shoulders, pulling him down to her for a longer, proper kiss. She had wanted this-- she hadn't even realized how badly she'd wanted it, to kiss him. She let her weight fall into his arms, holding onto him and allowing herself to melt into the sensation, his lips chilled and soft, and perfect.

When she pulled away she pressed their foreheads together and sighed. " Okay... Okay, Lucian." She said quietly, bringing one hand to cup the back of his head, massaging his scalp slowly beneath his silky hair. " Please help me. I'm... sorry." It was so difficult, but she had to follow her own words- if she couldn't accept difficult truths, she couldn't expect him to. " Just... let me in, let me know you, alright?... I won't... I trust you not to be just thinking about money. I won't bring that into this again... just... trust me too."
 
When he pulled him down to meet her, he can't help but smile and as he allowed her to play with his hair like that. "Yes, yes that's it. That's all I want." He uttered against her lips, this time with a sincere smile on his face. Nodding to her, he told her he'd be more trusting and slowly but surely, she'll know every single thing about him. For now, this was enough.

"Anything, my precious sun. Ask of me anything and I will give it you. What is you need?" He cupped her face with his hands and gave her the most sincere and brightest smile he had ever given in a long time. He searched her eyes without exactly knowing what he was searching for, but simply looking at her like that made him feel warm and delighted inside.
 
Helios sighed, and let him cup her face in his palms-- this was so hard, it was harder than anything she had done as an adult, to admit what she needed. And yet, he looked so happy, so incandescent at the chance to help her, that she knew that this wasn't some carefully laid trap. He truly wanted to make her life easier. So she swallowed her pride, and closed his eyes, her lips still brushing his.

" I need help with my debt... The collection company called me and their raising my payments because of all of the money I make at 52 Rosetta. With how much it's going to cost me, I'm going to be stuck in that motel for the rest of my life. I just... What do you want in exchange? I know you want to give me something, it's so much money though... just... tell me what I can give you back." She insisted, squeezing him closer and kissing him again, because it felt so pleasant, to be in his arms, to be kissed by him, that now she wanted it over and over.
 
Given their previous circumstances, he would have scoffed at the amount and would tease her that it was something he can easily give. She'd tease him back, that was for sure, but as she let her guard down now, all he did was stroke her face and allowed her to kiss him over and over again. He would have kissed back but Lucian feared, this time, he might not be able to sort his emotions out properly anymore. Her lips were so soft, he found it quite nice to nibble slightly with his own but he was afraid their playful kisses would lead to one thing and another.

"Stop kissing me like that," he uttered with a chuckle. "Don't make me kiss you back. Stop it!" He laughed this time and it felt so good. He kissed her back one last time before clearing his throat to take matters seriously this time.

"Okay, before we get to that, tell me first how much you'd need. It is up to me to determine if it is a lot of money or not." He smirked at her with all pride and glory but it looked almost comedic. He wanted to change the mood a little bit.
 
Helios laughed a little into their kisses at his protests, but when he asked how much it was, and was smirking at her so proudly, she groaned, rested her head against his shoulder.

" It's 96 thousand dollars." She muttered, barely able to even admit it that she was in that deep, even though that much was obvious with the school she'd gone to. She had told herself she'd get into an orchestra or become a teacher and the debt would be manageable, but it hadn't worked out that way in the slightest. " It is a lot of money," She complained, even as she was wrapping her arms instead around his waist, holding him close and hiding her shame in his shoulder, her forehead pressed there as she sighed.

She couldn't believe she was doing this, asking this much of this man after how much she had protested to this being about money-- but there was no denying that that was her only real shackle in life. And he had an abundance of it. She would pay him back for it, some how, she knew that much, whatever he asked for in exchange, she told herself already that she'd agree to it.
 
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