End all be all [cw]

Incoming message]
[To: Tessa]
[From: Gerard]
[Message sent 19:54] I don't blame you, I never would <3
[Message sent 19:54] Connor's doing fine, but I think we'll head home in a few
[Message sent 19:55] I'll text you when we're on our way

And with that he popped his phone in to his pocket. It was time to look for Connor, see if he had gotten himself completely lost in that beautiful vampyre. In a way it reminded him a bit of how him and Tessa had met, so perhaps this could end up well for the seraph. "There you are; A few people have been asking for Tessa's representative, but I've stepped in for you, so don't worry," he said, looking around as he couldn't see the vampyress anywhere. "Did you lose her already?" he teased slightly, but he could see the seraph blushing.

"Havent you?" he asked with a skeptical expression, though it wasnt that he thought she would be lying to him, it was just a weird thought. How could someone never have had coffee before? But then again, he hadnt realized yet that he was talking to a vampyre, because in the end, all knowledge that Connor had about vampyres, came from Maddie. "Well I know a great place we can go," he said with a bright smile as she shyly looked down. She was very cute, there was no doubt about it. She looked up and he looked back at her with soft eyes, only to move his eyes in the direction her name was called from. "Oh dont worry, that's okay," he said with a shake of his head. Of course it was okay. He grabbed her business card and turned it a little in his hand with a faint wow leaving his lips. One kiss and then she was gone, and he could just stand there with a dumb smile on his face. Gerard's words made him fall out of his little bubble of happiness, his eyes widening as he looked at him. "Oh, gods. I'm so sorry," he said in a sincere voice because he realized that he had been supposed to represent Tessa. The tease made him sigh. "Yes, but only for now. But she's waiting for my call, so I guess it's a tempoary loss," he chuckled, showing the card that he slipped into his back pocket, making sure he wouldnt lose it. "I'm sorry again," he said, scratching the side of his neck.

He smiled at the message before he went to find Connor. It was a little funny to see the seraph like this, almost a little out of it, but in a good way. It was how Gerard felt when he was with Tessa anyways. "Like I said, it's no big deal," he shrugged it off quite calmly. Perhaps it was better for him to speak about her photo anyways, seeing as Connor had been pretty nervous up until now. Now he seemed almost giddy, and soon enough he saw the business card, making him chuckle at the remark that the girl was actually waiting for a call. He hoped for the best as he helped Connor back to his sister's photograph, having to attend to some small talk with some of the patrons.
The night was still young when they left the event, and Gerard had called for a cap ahead of time, just so they didn't have to wait out in the cold. "I think you did well," he finally said as he got in to the back of the taxi, leaning his head back against the seat. Champagne always gave him a slight headache, and tonight he might've gotten a bit more than he should've. He gave the driver the address, and adjusted his jacket a bit. "Listen ... There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," he said, looking a little more serious, fiddling a bit with a loose string on his shirt.

Connor wouldnt say that he hadnt done what he could beside the one hiccup where he had left his sister's photograph. When they were heading home, Connor found himself smiling a little as he remembered the card in the back of his pocket. He felt a little unsure when he was supposed to call her, but thought that tomorrow would be a good idea. "I dunno, many asked me things that I couldnt really answer, but I dont know if it was just to make fun of the stand-in or because they genuinely wanted to know," he chuckled because many of them had chuckled and given him a pat on the shoulder, but some had also seemed a little serious. He frowned a little as Gerard got serious, looking at him with a worried expression. "What, no tell me. Were they actually serious in their questions tonight or what?" he asked like that was his immediate thought.

Gerard frowned at Connor's reaction, shaking his head no and holding out a hand. "No, don't worry, most of them are so stuck up their own rear-end that they have forgotten what you've said by now," he assured the seraph, but it didn't really help with his nerves. He took a deep breath, breathing out slow to just get his heart to stop being so loud. "I wanted to ask you ... What you think of me; And of me being with Tessa," he said. This was as good as any time to get Connor one on one, and Gerard had wondered if he had even managed to make an impression on the guy.
"I mean, I've been around a bit more and probably taken up her time away from you ... I don't really know what it's like to have a sibling like that, so I just wanted to ask if you at least tolerate me?" he chuckled. He wasn't sure if he would even like the answer, but it was clear he wanted Connor to be honest. He hadn't heard anything him and the vampyre had spoken about, but he wanted his question to lead somewhere. He wanted to see what Connor's thoughts were on him and if there was any chance that he could be fully accepted in to the family at some point.

The assurance made him sigh in relief, leaning back as he nodded a few times to himself. Then he could be sure that Tessa wouldnt be ready to scold him for not having seen through their attempts to belittle him. Though she probably would anyway because she wouldnt want him to just accept people stepping over him. Then the question came and Connor wasnt really that surprised that he was being asked. They hadnt exactly gotten a moment where they actually could talk, beside when everyone was there. "Uhhhh. Well, we used to spend a lot of time together when we were younger, but then Saoirse came and I'm pretty sure that I was the one who started not having time to give Tessa rather than the other way around," he chuckled, hoping it was alleviating some worries in the nephilim. He then sighed and shrugged. "I like you Gerard. I think you are a good fit to her, and I'm just just saying that to be nice." he said just as he frowned and clenched his jaw for a second like he was contemplating keeping his mouth shut. But how could he if he had just told him that he liked him? "But uhhh. In a realistic perspective of the future, I cant say what will happen. We come from a quite esteemed bloodline of the seraphim, which means that we do have certain roles to play at some point. Such as combining lines and further our blood," he said with a sigh, because to an extent that was also something that he had to bear in mind. "I'm not saying it's impossible for you to have something with my sister that will last, because my father managed to do it with my mother after all, so obviously there is a way around how things are supposed to be. I think you might have to ask him about it, because I only know small bits," he said with a shrug.

Gerard felt a bit relieved to hear Connor say that he did like him. It was like the band aid had been ripped off, and now he felt like he could finally say something, but then the seraph started speaking again. He fell silent, listening to the other guy speak as he felt a frown grow on his forehead. Combining lines. Furthering their blood. Just the notion made him sad, because did that mean that he wasn't good enough? Blinking a few times he felt nervous sweat in his palms, because he didn't know how to say the next that he had wanted to say. "I love her, Connor; That deep love that you feel in your heart, that pain when you are apart from them, that need to make them happy," he said, a little baffled at the news he had gotten. Of course, deep down he had always known that the name she bore had some sort of value, but he was just a nephilim, and having grown up outside of seraphim society it just felt stupid to him. "I know it sounds silly, I know it sounds irrational or crazy even, but I can't imagine myself with someone else than her," he spoke, and it was clear he was being honest. His eyes were watering a bit, but he wasn't going to cry.
"But do you think I would ever stand a chance of gaining the favor of your parents? Of your family?" he then asked.

He could tell that his words werent exactly what the nephilim had been hoping to hear, but it was also like it was something that needed to be said. He nodded in agreement to the nephilim's words because he knew what that felt like. He had felt that way for Saoirse for quite a while but deep down he knew that they couldnt ever do anything about it. Leona may be flexible in some regards, but this was a thing that she would never change her mind on. He cleared those thoughts out of his mind, because it would just make him sad.
"Well it doesnt," he assured him with a deep sigh and in some way he looked at the nephilim with eyes that said that he understood. He swallowed hard and looked down, trying not to turn this into a thing about himself. Because it was Gerard who needed words of encouragement and someone who believed it could work. Connor did think it could be possible. "Of my parents? A hundred percent. I have no doubt that they like you. But the rest of the family? I cant say. Some of them are very snobbish, others are like my mom. Most of them have the belief that if we just let each and everyone do what they please, eventually our blood will lose it's power and then that's the end of the Elior's." he said with a pondering tone and a frown on his brows. "But I dont really know what the family is expecting of Tessa, because there is the obvious fact that she cant.... well," he said, stopping himself before he sighed. "Some of the elders who are practically ancient at this point doesnt even believe in all that stuff.." he mumbled, scratching the side of his neck. "It's not my place to say all this stuff, because at the end of the day, she's my sister no matter what the ancient elders think," he quickly said without hesitation.

Gerard didn't know what to think about it all. He had thought that Tessa's family might be a bit more open minded, seeing as Tessa herself was so wonderfully diverse. But it seemed that it wasn't how it was. "That she can't birth children? Does that even matter?" he asked a little baffled at how the elders perceived her value. Shaking his head he now understood why he had had to assure her so many times. Why she felt like she doubted herself, why she had called herself a fraud. He felt the need to call her, even though he would see her in a second, just to tell her how wonderful she was. Connor's addition made a small smile creep up on his lips, before he pulled out a small box.
"Could you at least tell me if she would like this?" he asked, clearly nervous to even show this to anyone. Not even Xalvador had seen this, but he had been saving. The ring was only temporary, at least in his mind, but he at least wanted to get her something nice. "I've already kind of asked her, please don't make a big deal of it," he mumbled, handing the box to the seraph. Inside the ring sat nicely in a dark blue velvet cushion, the ring just simple silver, but it was not a simple stone. It was blue, the same piecing blue as her eyes, and he felt his nerves creep in. Had he been staring at it so much that he had calculated her eyecolor wrong?

"Uhhh. Yeah...." he mumbled, frowning as he looked down. "They have this belief that Verity couldnt ever be wrong in anything she does," he explained but clearly didnt believed himself. But he didnt really have a say in the matter, because he was as young as he was and anything he would say would be disregarded. Maybe he would be able to say something that could carry weight in a couple of thousand years, but it was a long while till then. It was something that annoyed him quite obviously because he knew how it had affected Tessa over the years.
He looked at the box as the nephilim presented it, frowning a little before his eyes widened. "Wait you've...?" he asked, looking at Gerard with confused eyes. The mumble made him blink because it was quite a big deal, especially after what he just had told him. He grabbed the box and looked inside, looking at the pretty ring with a puzzled look. He then looked at Gerard and scoffed with a smile on his lips. "I'm very happy for you. But also worried. And happy, definitely happy," he spoke quite fast, handing back the ring. "So you're really going to go head to head with the family for her?" he asked in a more serious tone.

He took the box off of the seraph's hands, putting it in his pocket once the lid was closed, breathing out in a sigh. "I guess I really have no choice; The heart wants what the heart wants," he said in a voice of defeat, sinking in to his seat as his hand ran through his hair. He was really going to do it, there was no doubt about it, but he had hoped that something would at least turn out to be easy. "And she deserves someone who's willing to fight for her, right?" he chuckled, shaking his head slightly before looking at Connor once more.
"Please don't tell your parents - I'm not really good with traditions, but I want it to come from her and me when we decide to make it official," he pleaded softly. Gerard was clearly very much affected by the words that they had exchanged tonight, and he was really looking forward to seeing Tessa now more than ever. The car ride wasn't too bad, and Gerard had decided to change topic back to the event they had just been to.
Arriving at the house, he paid for the taxi before getting out and heading up to the front door. He felt weird ringing the bell, so he waited for Connor to open before popping in, letting the younger seraph lead the conversation.

"Yeah she does deserve that," he agreed with a smile. He felt like Gerard could be that person that could maybe change the family's view, but he feared if it would hurt them in the long run. He knew how they had treated Tessa and he didnt know if he would like for them to tear into the one thing that seemed to make her very happy. "I promise I wont tell. But I do worry if she suddenly decide to take it up with the family because of some idea that she's invincible now, if you get what I mean? I dont want to see her hurt when she's supposed to be so happy," he said as the worried older brother he was. He didnt mind changing the topic though, because it was something that Gerard was supposed to talk to Tessa about, not her brother. He told a little about the girl he had talked to and how he was a little worried if she would find him boring.

Once they arrived at home, Connor let them in with a bright smile. "We're home!" he said, right before Leona came out to greet them. "So how was it?" she asked them both. Connor shrugged and smiled before he explained how hard he found it to converse with all the artists that were there, which made Leona chuckle. She then looked at Gerard. "I think I heard Tessa listen to music which is why she's not storming down her right in this second, but she should be in her room," she said before she nodded for them to go about their night.

"I understand what you mean, I think we're both in agreement that she deserves happiness," he just said, finishing up that conversation rather neatly. Once again the nephilim found himself reassuring Connor about the evening that had happened. He also agreed that calling the girl next day was a good idea - mostly because he didn't believe in playing it cool. Especially from how the seraph described the young woman, it was clear she was a socialite, and if she lost hope in the call ever coming, she might find something else.
Entering the house he smiled and greeted Leona, taking off his shoes and praising what Connor had done tonight. He couldn't help but chuckle at her words about the valkyrie, nodding as he went up the stairs. Knocking on her room he opened it carefully. "Fallen asleep yet?" he asked in a slight teasing voice before stepping in to her room. He closed the door after him, but it was only because Leona had allowed that for when he slept over. He knew she wasn't blind for them wanting to show each other affection, and the last thing either of them wanted was to get caught in the act of making out. He opened his arms, embracing the valkyrie and holding her close.

Compared to how her room had been at the moment she wrote to him, she had almost just finished up cleaning up the last bits of mess before she had laid down on her bed with a speaker on her nightstand playing some chill playlist for her to listen to. She pressed herself up on her elbows as she heard a knock on her door, to then smile brightly as she saw who was peaking through. She quickly got on her feet and almost ran to him to wrap her arms around him and feel his embrace. "I was close, that was just how bored I was!" she joked but not really. She had been far too excited to even think about sleeping. She looked up at him and pressed her chin to his chest, sighing deeply. "How did you convince her?" she chuckled, because it seemed a little like some sort of deal had been struck. She wouldnt think that her mother was the kind to be that way, so the possibility was that she had a really good day or maybe her father had said something. She pulled away after a bit and grabbed his hand to pull him over to the bed so they could sit. "Okay, tell me everything," she said with a curious look in her eyes.

Gerard chuckled, rather heartfelt as he hugged her closer, just squeezing her a bit to make her feel that he was really there. It was something he had started to do, just to make both of them feel a bit grounded. He looked down at her at her question, a smile on his lips as he moved his hand up to palm her cheek, feeling her soft features. "I reminded her that you might have a lot of questions and that Connor might not get any sleep if you were to interrogate him," he said with a slight shrug. He leaned down, placing a light kiss against her lips, smiling against her lips as he felt so happy to be here once again. She started pulling him and he chuckled, letting go of her hand. "Let me at least get my jacket off first," he protested, taking it off and hanging it over her office chair before joining her on the bed.
He told her everything of course, telling how Connor had been really awkward, but gotten a mysterious confidence boost and actually ending up handling it all rather well. He also spoke briefly about that girl stranger, but he didn't have a lot of things to talk about, so he would let her be the one to question out Connor. He placed a hand over hers, caressing the back of her small hand as he breathed out in a sigh before leaning back on to the bed, pinching his nose right between his eyes. He still had that headache, which was a bit annoying, but he was not going to let that get to him. Instead of complaining he pulled her down next to him, holding her close as he felt so contempt with having her by his side.
"I've told Connor," he just said, but he knew that she would knew what he meant.

"Oh you're right. You definitely saved him from a sleepless night and now doomed yourself to that predicament in his stead," she chuckled with a soft laughter, returning his kiss gently before she wanted him to join her in sitting down on the bed. His protest made her shake her head but obviously she would let him go. When he joined her, she leaned a little onto his arm as he went on to explain the night. She could already imagine how her brother initially wouldnt have known how to behave and most probably seem quite out of place, but he was like that wherever he went. The mention of a girl made her frown a little in surprise but it was more a pleasant one. "Was she just a guest or one of the artists?" she asked, because it would be sort of weird if he started dated someone that she might know. She noticed how he was pinching his nose bridge and she frowned a little. "Do you want some painkillers or something? A glass of water?" she asked, placing a hand gently on his chest. She didnt object to lying down in his arms, pressing herself a little closer as she sighed. As he said he had told Connor, she first wondered what he meant until realization hit her and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Have you?" she asked, lifting a hand up to cup his face. "Well.... What did he say?" she asked a little nervously, fiddling a bit with the nephilim's shirt out of habit.

"I honestly couldn't tell, but she wore nicer clothes, so maybe a new patron?" he said in a pondering tone. However the woman looked way too young to have that kind of money - unless it was her family's wealth she was spending on upcoming artists. He shook his head lightly at her question, smiling softly at her. "It'll pass soon enough, it's just the champagne," he said softly, but he did find it cute that she worried. He just needed to lay down for a bit, and with her pressed close it was more than enough of a painkiller.
Breathing out he looked at her, a little sadness in his eyes as he thought about what Connor had said about the older generation of seraphim in her family. "He told me of your elder relatives, how I might need to gain their favor ... But honestly from what he has told me I don't know if I even want their favor," he said, quite frankly, but there was no way around it. He wanted her to know it was serious between them, but also that whatever her elders said didn't matter in his eyes. As long as her parents gave their consent, he would be more than ecstatic. "But he was happy for us," he said, thinking about the box with the ring in his coat. He leaned down, kissing her forehead a few times, breathing in her scent as he had really missed her. "Go check my coat pocket," he pleaded in a soft whisper.

Whoever the mystery girl might be, only the future would tell, only none of them knew it was for certain. It wasnt odd that new patrons came and went, but if Connor had taken a liking to her then it would probably be someone they would see more often. The mention that he had had champagne made her smile broaden as she gasped softly at him. "Did you have too much?" she teased him with a soft chuckle.
She looked at him and noticed how sad he was looking, frowning a little till he explained what Connor had said. She just looked away with a dreaded expression on her face, laying her face on her chest. She already sort of had an idea what they would say if they knew and she hated it. "Well it's far more complicated than just that," she mumbled, because frankly she didnt want their favour either. She thought the could take their judgement and shove it up where the sun wont shine. The notion that Connor was happy for them made her nod a little but the elders had stirred some thoughts she didnt really like. She drew in a deep breath and then sighed. His plea made her look up at him with a small frown on her brow but she got up and mumbled a small okay. She went and looked into his pocket before she felt the small box. She pulled it out and looked at it, at first a little confused as she went back to sit next to him. "Did you actually...?" she mumbled as she opened it, falling quiet as she looked at the ring. She felt her eyes water and then looked at him. "Really?" she asked as she began to sniffle, seemingly sad but she was actually feeling so happy.

"Yeah," he sighed softly, but it wasn't like he was drunk, nor was he smelling of alcohol. He just had a bad time whenever champagne was involved. But what he liked less than a champagne-headache was seeing her sad. He squeezed her a little tighter, just to let her know that he was there.
It was only normal for her to act this way, frankly he had no idea how he would've been if he had had a family like that. It was weird, because Leona and Conrad seemed like the most genuine parents who just cared for their kid. To think that there were generations before them having a much more narrow view of the world was just sad in his eyes. She found the box, and he didn't say anything. He did however sit up next to her, letting her open it and have a reaction of her own. Her eyes started to water and he panicked slightly. "If you don't like it, I can take it back ... We-we can go look for one you like," he blurted out a little hushed, taking her hand to let her know it was alright. She didn't have to like his tacky taste in jewelry, hell she didn't even have to wear it if she didn't want to.
He looked down, frowning slightly. "I know it's not all that fancy - I couldn't afford a diamond, so the small stones around are just pretty stones ... And the one in the middle is a crystal," he explained. He didn't really know what to say. Maybe apologize for dumping this on her. "S'il vous plaît ma chérie, don't cry," he said, lifting her head to look at her.

She looked down at the ring just choked up on her emotions, it was such a sudden change that she needed a moment to just take it in. The fact that they hadnt talked much about it since that night had made her think that it had just been a sort of in the moment thing but now it felt so real. His words made her shake her head, looking back at the ring as she carefully touched it. Maybe she seemed far too much like someone who wasnt that excited when she really was. And his explanation made her inspect the ring further, feeling a few tears run down her cheeks. She looked up at him as he lifted her head, feeling like she was choked up to the point where she didnt even know what to say. "Can you put it on my finger? Please?" she asked in a soft almost faint voice, looking down at the ring again before she lifted her hand for him. "I really want to wear it," she whispered, looking up at him with pleading eyes while her tears just seemed to run freely.

He was flabbergasted, looking at her with his own eyes tearing up as he heard her soft and gentle words. He swallowed, nodding as he carefully took the ring out of the box, taking her hand and sliding it slowly on to her finger. Please, dear Verity, let it fit, he prayed in his mind. He held her hand in his, just looking at how the ring sat on her finger before looking up at her. "You like it?" he asked, trying to sound like he was in control of his voice, but he probably sounded a little weird with his accent poking through. If she did, he would lean down, kiss the back of her hand before letting go, instead using his hand to remove her tears. He hated seeing her cry, even if it was happy tears, he wanted her to smile.
"I want you to know that this ring is only a placeholder," he said softly. It was clear that he wanted to buy her something more traditional, but for now this was what he could afford. "But I have to ask ... Were you afraid I didn't mean what I said?" he asked, mostly because her reaction seemed so overwhelming. He loved her, he cherished her, and he wanted her to have a physical reminder of it. "Oh, uhm, it's engraved as well: Our initials with a heart," he said, suddenly remembering everything, even though he felt like he was forgetting more.

She watched him slide on the ring and just looked at it with awe in her eyes among all the tears. It felt like a perfect fit but she wasnt really noticing that as she was just surprised that he had even went out of his way to buy it. She nodded at his question and looked at him with a soft vulnerability to her eyes. She really didnt want to cry either but it was like her emotions were just going wild on her. "It's perfect...?" she whispered as he mentioned it was a placeholder. She just couldnt imagine that something would fit better than this because it was something he had found for her. His question made her swallow as she blinked a few tears away and sighed in a trembling manner. "I... didnt know if it was just something you said because the moment was right for it or if it was because you really felt that way," she said in a low tone, trying to make sure her voice wasnt shaky or too emotional. "We didnt talk about it afterwards, so I just thought... that that was it," she said with a small shrug, but clearly she was happy she was wrong. She looked at the initials as he pointed them out, a smile spreading on her lips. "It's really perfect. I love it... And you," she said as she looked up at him and leaned up to kiss his lips quite tenderly. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down with her on the bed. She chuckled softly before she started kissing his lips and then all over his face.

"Well then a placeholder until you get your wedding ring," he said softly, but it was also a crazy thought. She was young, hell he was still very young, but for some reason the implications of marriage were very much romantic in his mind. He wanted to honor her, wanted to love her and what better way to show it than with a physical sign that she was taken. Well, of course it didn't look like a traditional engagement ring, so perhaps they could get away with it for a bit.
She explained her reasoning behind her emotional reaction, and he could understand. However had he ever said something during their intimate endeavors that didn't really prove to be true? He hadn't spoken about it, honestly because he was a bit scared that she had answered in the moment as well. So perhaps they were both just idiots worrying for no reason. "I know ... I really wanted to surprise you, so maybe I just hyper focused on that instead of actually discussing this with you," he sighed. He hoped she could forgive him, but the kiss showed him that she already had. He returned her kiss, a little gently before she pulled away, making him pout at the separation. Chuckling softly he shook his head at her gratitude, but gladly followed her down on the bed, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled her closer. His lips stretched out in a big smile as she kissed his face.
"Would you look at that; My headache is gone," he chuckled. He felt rather relieved by the fact that she had actually seemed to like the ring. He pulled her up on top of him, holding his arms around her as if he had caught her. "What other miracles do you perform?" he whispered, slightly teasing, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that he knew she could recognize.