Life is strange indeed

Romeo looked at Eden, it was easy for him to tell him to relax. He hadn't laid next to him the last twelve hours praying he'd open his eyes. Yes praying. Hoping that whatever god or goddess that could help would help. He felt the cold lips against his own and his body slowly relaxed, feeling the delicate touches against his bruised neck. "I don't want you to risk it, alright ... It was my blood that sent you in to that coma and I'm not watching you die because you were trying to be cute with me," he muttered, burying his face in to the vampyre's shoulder.

Romeo nodded against his shoulder, "yeah, I'm going to have to borrow a few from you," he said with a sigh. He didn't really know where he had placed his cigarettes, but maybe they had been left back at the hotel. Who even knew at this point. "I'm also going to have to borrow some clothes," he said with a sigh, getting off of Eden and standing up. Then the vampyre could have a good look at him and how he had been bandaged up. His chest was pretty bad along with his arms, and then there was his bruised neck. A larger bandage over where Laure had cut his skin with the silver knife. "I'll be ready in a few, don't strain yourself," he said before heading over to another room where clothes had already been laid out for him. His own had been torn to pieces by the maniac of a vampyress and so he borrowed something that looked like it was from Eden's closet.
Getting dressed he soon enough joined Eden in the garden, looking up at the warm sun above. It was rare to have this bright and warm a sun this late in the year, so the lycan took it as a good sign. He took a cigarette if it was offered to him, lighting it with his hand that was still a little shaky.

Eden did look at him as he got out of bed, frowning a little as he saw the extent of bandages. It was clear that Laure had only had intention to harm, even kill. But it wasnt like he had really been doubting that at all. He got out and got dressed in something a little casual. Not too tight fitting pants and a long sleeved shirt that was supposed to be tucked down to appear a little more baggy but Eden let it hang, it sat nicely on him either way. He stood by some plants, looking at them with a thoughtful gaze. He let Romeo have the pack of cigarettes but his attention was a little drawn away from the lycan. A servant came with a little urn, it wouldnt be able to fit more than the tip of two fingers. Eden looked at it before he placed the cigarette in his mouth and bit down to keep it in place as he crouched down and placed the urn in a place where it seemed to belong. There were two flowers sprouting up next to it. He got back up and stepped back to look at it. "She would hate to know that I would place her next to our parents." he said in a monotone voice before he moved on to get his mind on other things.

Romeo was wearing an open shirt, basically because it was too straining to button it up, and a pair of loose pants that seemed rather soft. Lighting the cigarette he inhaled, sighing at the relief that the nicotine was giving him. He frowned a bit as the servant came, but seeing the small urn he quickly put two and two together, especially as Eden placed it down. The two flowers seemed rather pretty, and not very native to this region. But then again, Romeo's knowledge wasn't that good regarding flowers anyways. As Eden mentioned his parents he frowned, looking at the flowers for a bit he closed his eyes, paying his respects in silence. Though he wondered if Eden's parents would even want that. Hearing the vampyre move away he sighed, not really sure what to do with himself.
Catching up with him, he reached out to touch the vampyre's cold hand. Romeo had always seen family as something so very important to him, and now Eden was all alone and partially because of him. He took Eden's hand, entangling their finger's carefully as Romeo soon discovered that he had a broken finger. It would heal by itself, but it still hurt a bit. "I know you had to do this ... But I'm still here if you need anything, alright?" he said, looking rather sincerely at the vampyre by his side.

He was surprised to feel a hand grab his, but then also not. It was like somehow he could always expect the lycan to reach out and hold him when he needed it the most. He stopped in his tracks at the notion of Romeo being there always. Looking down he made a slight nod and sighed. "I appreciate it Romeo." he said sincerely, before he looked at the lycan. "But I can only get through this on my own, at my own pace. It hasnt hit me yet, but some day it will." he just said, shifting between his eyes shortly before he looked away again, giving the lycan's hand a soft squeeze. Then he seemed to think of something and he frowned a little at the thought. He spoke of it regardless of how he felt. "How do you feel, knowing the truth about me now? About my family? What I've done?"

He understood that, but just because he had to go through it mentally alone, he didn't have to do it physically. Romeo was there and he would continue to be there even if Eden felt the world was crashing down. He could feel the emotions in his skin change as the next lines of questions were spoken. Was he nervous? Scared even? The lycan looked at their hands, holding on to one another in such a tender but secure grip. "How I feel is confused and surprised," he said, thinking his words through before he spoke them. He wasn't trying to sound like he was judging or knew the situation that the young Eden had been in. "I guess I can relate," he admitted, closing his eyes as he took a few deep breaths, calming himself down, "ever since what happened to me, all I've wanted to do was kill my old man." It felt good to finally say it, but then again wanting to and actually going through with it was two different things. He stepped closer to Eden, lifting their hands up to his lips, kissing the back of the cold hand, pressing it against his lips as he breathed in his scent. "You accepted me for my past ... And I am not judging you on something that happened in your past either - The person I'm with right now is who I fell in love with," he said, being rational as always, opening his eyes to look at Eden. "I'm sad that you were used like that, I'm angry that she kept this abuse going for so long; But most of all I'm just relieved that you didn't give in to your abuser this time."

It was probably a lot to take in, also considering that Laure had stripped him and dressed him the way she had to humiliate him. Eden didnt really blame him if the situation had been too much. But a part of him was also scared that his sister had succeeded in making a dent in what he had with the lycan. But the secure grip somehow kept that crushing thought at bay. He could understand that Romeo was confused and surprised. Who really knew what people were like underneath the surface? The lycan said he could relate and Eden wasnt really happy at that notion. Though he understood it.
As Romeo stepped closer he looked at him, feeling the soft lips against the back of his hand. He took another drag off his cigarette and exhaled the smoke slowly, looking at Romeo for a bit in silence. "She was the reason I tried to push you away that night. I had to know... That this was really what you wanted." he explained, but then he seemed to think of something else that moved his gaze away and onto some random spot on the ground. "But that's not the whole truth." he then said looking at the cigarette in his hand. Lifting it to take one last deep drag of it, he went to extinguish it in an ashtray by a table. "The night I called you, I had found out that someone I had been obsessing over for the last ten years had gotten engaged. I guess you felt that I was sad that night. I just wanted to drown my sorrows in something else. And at the time I thought you would be a good distraction. But then you took me by surprise. When I touched your neck, it was like you saw through me, you took control of the situation and the confidence in your eyes as you knew I wouldnt hurt you..." he said. He could go on forever on how the lycan had somehow managed to sneak into his heart when he had thought it was closed off. But he felt like it was necessary to be completely transparent. "I didnt plan on falling in love with you. But I did, and I only got to see more of you, not only the confident brat but also someone vulnerable, someone caring. I'm sorry, am I speaking too much?"

So she was the thing at home that had bothered the vampyre. It made sense. But then Eden went on to elaborate. Hearing him recount everything from his point of view took the lycan on a rollercoaster of emotions. Sad at first, because maybe Eden had set out to just use him as a distraction, but the fact that it had all changed that night. With his hand around his neck, Romeo had fallen for the vampyre before even knowing it. He just watched him, hearing him trail off and Romeo knew exactly what he meant. There were so many times where they had made a connection and it would stick forever, wouldn't it? He stepped closer, cupping his face with his bandaged hands, just holding him like he was the most precious thing in the whole world. "Nobody plans to fall in love," he said, chuckling as he felt a few tears press on. "But I'm glad I fell for the most beautiful man in the whole world, and though he may not believe it, I find every part of him to be loveable," he whispered, his thumbs stroking his cheeks gently. "My future has always been set in stones, but with you it feels like I have more of a say; You make me feel strong and secure," he confessed, just looking at those blue green eyes and loving the sight. "With you I don't have to hide; It's honesty all the way through, and that's all I've ever asked of you."

The lycan approached him and he looked at him as he cupped his face. It was true, no one really planned out love like the one they shared. But then he whispered and Eden's eyes softened up as he looked at him, just listening to the sweet words that he spoke. He slowly wrapped his arms around the lycan's lower back, sighing as it was so sweet he swore he could feel some sort of nauseating feeling inside. "You will always be safe with me." he promised him, leaning down to connect their lips, just feeling his warmth. It had really come to this, Eden craving a lycan's warmth like he couldnt function properly without it.

-- Middle of the night while Eden was still in a coma. --

Zaira had been returned to Kurtis but seeing the bandaged bites had not made him happy at all. He had just changed them but he had felt like it was too much to handle on his own, so he had called Jeremy and Abel. Luckily Abel had shown him how to wrap her in without constricting the blood flow, since Kurtis wouldnt really let the doctors near Zaira other than to quickly check up on her, nothing extensive and nothing the lycan couldnt understand, he just wouldnt have it. Kurtis was not in a good mood and his patience even worse, mostly because he couldnt see why this had had to happen to her. More so was he furious with Romeo because obviously this had something to do with him and that vampyre family. And Zaira's bitemarks only confirmed it. He had half a mind to not just go to his father, if it wasnt because he hated his father even more than he hated Romeo. It was pure luck, really. "Kurt you should sleep. I'll watch her." Jeremy told the lycan, who just grunted in return. The nephilim sighed before he headed outside walking up to Damiano who had gone out for a smoke. "He's unbearable to be near right now." the nephilim said, reaching out for the cigarette, plucking it from the hybrid's lips. If he got a look from him, he'd give him a look back. "What? I want to try. This is stressful." he said before he drew in a deep drag, that only made him cough like his life was depending on it.

Damiano was just sucking lightly on his cigarette. The main reason he had gone out was just to escape all those pressed up emotions that Kurtis had. It didn't really help his mood. He felt the nephilim take the cigarette, sending him a surprised look, but he didn't stop him. He did however chuckle softly, taking back the cigarette as Jeremy coughed, slapping him lightly on the back. "It's always going to be stressful like this, huh?" he muttered chewing on the inside of his cheek as he considered it all. It just didn't make sense. Damiano knew what vampyric bitemarks looked like, and Zaira's neck had plenty of those. It just didn't make sense, and Kurtis wasn't really talkative about all of this. Inhaling from his cigarette he offered it to Jeremy if he wanted to give it another shot, looking back in to the apartment. "I'm worried about them," he confessed.
"I mean, they are on their own and Zaira clearly isn't safe when Kurtis isn't around," he sighed. The human was the weakest of them physically, mentally however she was perhaps the strongest. "I don't know, I'm just talking out my ass," he muttered, running a hand through his long hair before he looked at Abel who was checking his phone. He seemed to miss his girlfriend back in America too, or that was the vibe that Damiano got from him anyways. He looked at Jeremy, sending him a warm smile before moving a little closer. He took back his cigarette, inhaling from it before leaning down to the nephilim's lips. Grabbing his chin softly, he blew the smoke in to his mouth ever so slowly, just taking his time. "You look cute," he muttered.

"It would be easier if we knew what had happened." Jeremy mumbled, just finding the whole situation weird. Kurtis' anger seemed so concentrated that it couldnt just have been some random attack. From the way the marks looked, it didnt seem like the vampyre had just been looking for a quick meal either. He took the cigarette and looked at it for a bit but ended up just holding it and not daring to do another drag. It really wasnt nice to feel like he was coughing out his lungs. "Yeah me too." he agreed, following Damiano's gaze. It was weird to know that Zaira had been fine when they left and now it was like this.
"No it makes sense." Jeremy told him as he seemed to go back on his words about Zaira's safety. Abel just hummed in agreement but didnt want to partake in their conversation. Jeremy noticed Damiano moving closer letting him take the cigarette. The hybrid looked at him as he leaned down, opening his mouth for him to feel the smoke enter his mouth. He sucked it down and it felt a little easier to deal with than having to deal with the cigarette himself. The mutter however made him draw in a wrong breath and he moved away to cough again. "Dont just say things like that when I'm inhaling your smoke!" he remarked a little serious, but that was because he didnt want to be swooned right now. And the hybrid could do that so easily.

Damiano chuckled softly at the nephilim's remark, not taking it too harshly as he just wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. "Alright, I'll behave," he promised. At least they didn't have to worry about who saw them or judged them when they were here with their friends. It felt good just to know that they could be themselves. Finishing up his cigarette he put it out against the railing, dumping the bud in a small pot that was just standing in the corner. He was still a little sore about the fact that Jeremy hadn't marked him, but he guessed it was because the nephilim couldn't understand the real context. "How's miss Americano?" he asked, looking at Abel as he just held Jeremy close.

"Yeah you better." he agreed with a bit of attitude in his tone but ended up chuckling as the hybrid held him close. The attention shifted to Abel who looked up from his phone, folding his lips like he was considering whether that was a remark he liked. But ultimately he shrugged. "S-s-she broke up w-with me a c-couple of weeks ago. And now I'm c-c-checking her instagram t-to see w-w-who it is that s-she rather w-wanted." he said, lifting his phone to kind of bust himself in the act, though there was nothing worth seeing... for now.

Damiano frowned at Abel saying that the girl he had been had broken up with him. What the fuck? This guy was the perfect person to be in a relationship with, he was kind and understanding, and hell he was always there when you called. That was at least how Jeremy had explained the clergy. "Don't bother checking in on her ... No-one's better than you," he smiled. He was being rather honest. The guy was really a good person, and Damiano envied that a lot, wanting to be better just by proxy. "But hey, then you're free on the market here, right? I might have a few friends that would like to go on a date with a cute guy like you," he pondered, smiling friendly before looking down at Jeremy that he held close to him. "I'm not flirting, I'm stating facts," he chuckled, leaning down to kiss his forehead, "I heard that you and Zaira had a thing before ... Well all of this?" he asked, because he just had to know and needing to hear it from Abel's mouth.

"Now you're just b-b-being kind." Abel brushed it off with a kind smile. Jeremy however fully agreed. The girl had obviously lost a good one there. The hybrid's ponder made Jeremy look up at him with his eyes narrowed a bit. Was he flirting with the clergy? The chuckle was reassuring but he still sent him a short glare like he was keeping tabs on him. Not that Jeremy was the jealous kind but maybe he was a little more protective around them now that it seemed that his friends were getting hurt left and right. Damiano's question made Abel chuckle as he looked out on the city before them. Or rather, the small view that wasnt blocked by the building in front, that otherwise promised a peak into some mundane apartments with nothing interesting. Maybe a bald butt passing by that made Abel wrinkle his nose in disapproval. "It w-w-was a short f-fling. B-but I s-sort of knew t-that Kurtis already liked her t-then. H-he's shit at h-hiding anything." he chuckled but then he looked down at the street below them. "S-she was so kind and s-sweet." was all he had to say. He couldnt really say anything bad about Zaira. "B-besides, i-if I had s-still been around, y-you two wouldnt have met. Z-Zaira wouldnt have gone to that party and h-had to call me. J-Jeremy wouldnt have f-fallen trying to c-catch up to her. It was j-just bricks f-falling into their r-rightful places."

"Well then this is just another brick falling in to it's right place," Damiano said with a crooked smile on his lips, "who knows, maybe you'll bump in to a sweet girl any day and have a real meet-cute moment like in some movie." It was fun to think about how everything had to align for them all to be here right now. Not that he enjoyed the fact that Zaira was hurt, but this group of friends was one that Damiano was starting to cherish more and more. He sighed, feeling Jeremy was getting cold, even if he was standing close to him. "C'mon, let's move inside," he said, pulling the nephilim with him back in to the small living room. Scratching his head he looked at how everything was still out from when they had watched a movie. "We might as well stay here for the night - I don't think leaving them alone now is a good idea," he said.

"M-maybe." Abel said with a shrug and a slight smile. It didnt make it hurt less, that much he knew. However he liked how positive Damiano was about it. Abel remained outside for a bit as the couple moved inside. Jeremy looked around, it was clear that Zaira had cleaned up the worst. He imagined that she had been saving the rest for when she woke up. "Yeah, I agree." he said, standing for a bit before he picked up a pillow and a blanket from the floor. Then he frowned as his eyes just seemed to sting, but it was the realization of it all, how they had had a good night and now it was like this. Zaira was like his best friend and she had gotten hurt in such a serious manner out of nowhere. It was hard to contain his emotions about it.

"It's alright to cry, you know," Damiano said, moving some stuff around to make the floor a little less floor board and more pillows and blankets. Abel could take the couch if he wanted to. He sighed, stopping what he was doing before he walked over to Jeremy, wrapping his arms around him, holding the back of his head gently. "Just let it out already or you won't get any sleep," he whispered. He knew the nephilim so well by now, and he didn't have to use his powers to figure out how Jeremy was feeling right now.
"She's strong, you know that; She's Zaira fucking Rojas and she'll wake up tomorrow and kick our asses for even crying about it all," he chuckled, feeling choked a bit on emotions as well. He loved Jeremy and Jeremy cared so deeply for Zaira. It was just so clear what kind of bond the two had. Sure they could fight like vicious siblings but in the end they truly were each other's best friend.

"I know... I know." Jeremy said but it didnt stop him from trying not to. It wasnt until Damiano wrapped his arms around him that the nephilim began sobbing like it was finally safe to cry. How many times had his parents not scolded him and then scolded him further for crying. Damiano's words were just so comforting and Jeremy sniffled as he nodded. "That will be the first ass whooping I'll look forward to." he sobbed, just holding onto the hybrid. Abel entered and looked at them shortly before he went to check on Kurtis and Zaira. Of course the lycan was sleeping in the chair he had refused to move out of for hours, unless it was toilet breaks or to smoke. But he ended up trying to smoke the whole cigarette in one drag which was pretty hard on his lungs. The clergy went over to check on Zaira's bandages, grabbing some salve that he would apply once he had changed the wrapping. It would help with the poison in a vampyre's bite and generally just be good for her as a human. A little trick he had learned from his parents.

Zaira was waking up slightly, looking at Kurtis in the dark as she heard someone enter. She could hear by the footsteps it was Abel. Keeping still she sighed as the salve was applied, she knew it gave away that she was awake. "Shh, don't wake him now, he's just fallen asleep," she whispered to Abel, sending him a faint smile in the darkness before looking back at Kurtis. He didn't look like he was sleeping peacefully, but at least he was sleeping. Turning around she looked at Abel, smiling at him. Gods she was so happy he was back in Churchill and back in school. She still cared a great deal about him even if she had chosen Kurtis. "You should get some sleep, doc," touching his hand in the darkness, giving it a soft squeeze. She was still having fever like symptoms, but they were fewer and further between meaning it wasn't intensifying. She felt like she was going to have a hard time falling asleep again, feeling like Kurtis was so far away and over in that chair. That idiot didn't even think that she actually wanted him in the bed, huh?

As Kurtis was placed in the bed next to her, it didn't take long for the two of them to get entangled. It was just bound to happen. Kurtis always wanted to keep her safe and she always wanted to be closer to him than ever. "Thank you," she whispered to the clergy, burying her face in the lycan's warm chest, just holding him close as she slowly started to drift off once again.