I don't like where this is going

“I see.” He hummed, feeling the soft kiss. Her knowing about them was pretty obvious at this point since she had seen them kiss. “Well if she didnt, then you were rather brave to just kiss me like you did.” He scoffed before he leaned away to look at him. “I didnt see you in my dreams at all. So I do want to just… see you now.” He said, touching the lycan’s face tenderly as he looked at him. This felt quite nice, just getting to lie around and be together. His dreams were however nothing worth talking about. It had felt like an endless nightmare that eventually lost it’s power the more it repeated itself. He smiled faintly at the lycan, pinching his cheek gently. “Tell me what you’ve been up to.”

Eden had to scoff when Romeo mentioned his uncle. The old lycan didnt seem to be the smartest, or maybe Eden just couldnt shake the way Lucius had behaved that day he struck him down. Not because he really feared him or something like that, but it would take much for the old lycan to get that angry unless there was something underneath. He hummed as he heard about the rest, just looking at his face. “So she still has a crush on you?” He asked, though he didnt seem to mind that.
When he said he had cancelled his flight Eden frowned. “No, you should go home and see your friends.” He protested. He understood that the lycan cared for him and it was sweet, but wouldnt it be better if he also got to spend time with the people he had left back in his home country? He however sighed and lifted a hand to shush the lycan if he would say anything. “Only a brat like you could make me worry if I keep you from friends and family.” He chuckled.

“Well if you’re really going to stay here with me while I heal, then I better do my best to heal, right?” He hummed with a soft smile. The suggestion he liked. The confession made him sigh as he could say he knew exactly what that feeling was like. He had missed him as well. He placed a hand gently over his, feeling the warmth get absorbed into his skin. If he kept it there long enough, it would leave a warm handprint, which was funny to think about. The notion that he didnt sleep longer made him nod. “If I had slept for months, then I dont think I would have woken up feeling very sane.” He chuckled but there was also honesty to his words. “No dreams of you for months? Even if it would pass so quickly, I wouldnt know what to do.” He said, squeezing the lycan’s hand gently. He looked at him for a bit before he adjusted himself a little though not moving away from being close to Romeo. “I havent been fair to you.” He then said as he frowned a little.

It could have just been a statement and nothing more. But Eden shook his head. “I do want to apologize, but I cant just believe that me saying sorry will be enough.” He admitted. He couldnt just practice somwthing he didnt preach. He moved his hand to cup the lycan’s face. “But I am sorry. You didnt deserve to be hurt like that just because I was angry and hurt.” He said rather genuinely, leaning over to kiss his forehead. “I never hated you. I cant hate you. I hated everyone else and it just ended up being an evil circle.” He explained against his skin before he closed his eyes. “Had your uncle not struck me down, I had planned to take you with me, if you wanted it or not. I couldnt stand the thought of leaving you behind.” He said, tensing his jaw at the last words. No he had found out the hard way what happened when he decided to just leave. He couldnt bear if that repeated and with Romeo of all people.

He understood that what he did couldnt just be mended with words. He wasnt looking for forgiveness, at least he wouldnt let the lycan forgive him just like that. But he also knew that Romeo was smart and knew how to look out for himself. He felt the warm hands move his cold off the face of the man he loved. He looked at their hands, how the lycan kissed his hand so gently. He let him speak, moving his eyes up to look at him.
The notion that he wouldnt forgive him yet made Eden nod. He could understand that he needed time. And luckily it seemed that they had all the time on their hands as of late. Though as he mentioned coming out, Eden moved his hands to hold the lycan’s, just feel how he was warming his cold. “I might not be fully healed before Solstice. But we can make it work.” He said, not wanting to shoot down the idea. Romeo was free to make his own decisions and Eden would stand by his side, at least if the doctor and Romeo seemed to agree on letting him.
“You asked if love was supposed to be simple. And it’s not. Not in the slightest. But it is supposed to make you feel like you’re with someone who’s giving you their all.” He said before he sighed. Not that Eden was expert in love, but he knew what it wasnt supposed to be “I’m in no place to make demands. But when we’ve passed into the new year, I want to tell you something.” He then said before he sighed. “In all the time we’ve spent together, you have never had leverage over me. Sure if you were to tell the world about Laure, the gossiping would never end. But it wouldnt hurt me. And I’ve always had something to hold over your head, even if I wouldnt do anything to use it.” He said, smiling softly at Romeo as he carefully let go of his hands. “Honesty was the one thing you made me promise you. So I have to tell you.”

It was like a miracle that passed from one day to another. Eden sat on his bed, changing the patch as he seemed to realize that the wound had completely closed. All that was left was some darkened veins where the lasceration had been, and it was quite tender and hurt to touch. But surely it was good news? The doctor came by to see, touching the skin, though that made Eden grit his teeth. “It seems that your body is finally ready to fight off the internal infection. With the wound closed, we’re only looking at a week or two of healing.” She said before she got a more serious expression. “You may feel bursts of energy and the ability to go on with life without a hassle but if you overwork yourself, I promise you will feel sick. All the vampyres I’ve seen with lycan blood infections resuming life only to fall extremely ill. So dont be stupid, so to speak, Mr. Parish.”

“Besides keeping him healthy on blood, no. The downsides of not having a beating heart means that circulation is only induced by the process of ingesting blood. And over-eating is not an option either.” She explained, sending the young vampyress a soft smile. “Thank you Doctor.” Eden said, closing his eyes for a bit. “You dont have to be bedbound, but dont go off running around. Keep it calm and slow.” She said as an endnote, wishing him well before she packed her bag and left. Eden looked down at the former wound, looking at the darkened veins. He could see faint scars but he didnt think it would be noticable to anyone but him. “Do you like it? Taking care of the house and deal with family matters?” He asked Josette before he looked up at her.

He hummed at her answer. She had been so helpful with the patch and taking care of everything, so he felt like he at least could show that he took an interest in her being there. “I understand. It took me a while as well, but you learn to remember them the more you speak to them.” He said, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. “You shouldnt worry about being wrong. It’s not something that cannot be fixed.” He assured her with a faint smile. He got out of bed and went to sit on the windowsill, opening the window as he took out a cigarette from a nearby pack, lighting it. “How was your life growing up?” He then asked. It felt a little odd to be asking, but maybe it was because he knew something she didnt and it made him feel weird about taking an active interest into her life.

He hummed at her answer, though he rather just wanted to know about her and not just have her check off some list of expectations, because he didnt really have any. He smoked his cigarette and leaned a little against the frame as he looked at her. “I dont know much about vampyre adoptions.” He admitted. He wasnt versed in the area very well, mostly because his family was bonded in blood as pure as it got. Though he could imagine mortals not wanting an immortal child.
The mention of Kareema’s family however made him frown a little. So she had been in Kareema’s care for a long time? “Somehow, I do believe you found a better mom in Kareema than you ever would have in my sister. Of course, I wouldnt know for sure. But she must have known when she gave you up.” He said, blowing the smoke out the window. She asked about him and he sighed. “I didnt grow up with my sister. For as long as I know, Loralei had been sent across the globe to attend an all girls boarding school.” He explained before he looked out the window for a bit in a thoughtful manner. “I grew up being an only child for the most part. But I was sent to an all boys vampyre school. So I wasnt alone.” He said with a shrug. “I do wonder how things would have been, had she been around. But I dont stick around in speculations.” He sighed.

“No, it’s definitely good to think of something to make up for what was missing.” He fully agreed. But he couldnt have done it his whole life. And the parts of the story he wasnt telling would’ve filled the gaps either way. “Had you imagined something better?” He asked, not thinking it was bad if she did. It wasnt much she had gotten coming here. “I wish I could have offered you more than written down memories. It feels so cold on paper.” He said with a shrug.
Her thanking him made his wave his hand at her in a gesture to not thank him. “It’s the least I can do for you. And besides, we’re the only two left in direct bloodline. So it’s the only bond I can offer you with a bloodrelative closest to your mother.” He said, leaning his head back. “Though the rest of the family isnt so bad. Greedy, yes. Angry, also. But it makes sense with the way my parents and their parents have treated those who didnt abide the rules.”

“Well you did come rather out of nowhere after Loralei had just died. I have to admit, at first glance it was like seeing her rise from the dead. And I didnt know how to feel about that.” He admitted truthfully. Though he wouldnt say why. That it had mostly been because he and Romeo had been the ones to end her to begin with. “But you are right. I should have been there more for you.” He said with a sigh. There was no way to reccount for the people he had let down in his own jealousy and anger. But as a rich boy that got everything, it made sense that he was blinded by him being so self absorbed. Didnt excuse it none the less. “I do feel less alone knowing that at least one of the Parish siblings could produce something.” A lie that he had to sell so well that he maybe believed it himself. That it wasnt the disgusting truth that laid in the DNA test that had come back.

“You’ve done a lot for me already.” He assured her. Maybe one day could he sit down with her and tell her the whole truth about her mother and how she had come to die and everything that had happened between that. Though it wouldnt be easy to explain, it was also a worry that was quite far away right now.
She came closer and touched his hand and he nodded at her promise. Though her speaking of Romeo made him look down just a slight bit. “At some point, when it makes sense. I’d rather want to make him happy as the first thing. And make up for how horrible I have been to him.” He said, sighing as he snuffed out the last bit of the cigarette. “I dont think I deserve him and his love but I am just so lucky to have him.” He said, scoffing as he probably sounded like a lovestruck fool. “I worry that him coming out about us to his family will ruin his future because of me.” He sighed.

She was right but he just wanted the lycan to be able to do whatever he wanted. But then again, he had promised to help in whatever way that was needed. “I’m sorry that you have to go through that. It must feel weird for you.” He said. It was rather lucky for them that she could do that, pretend for their sake, but it was something that probably didnt feel good. The notion of Kareema having set up a meeting just made him hum. He thanked her for having told Romeo before she left. He got up and got dressed into something that didnt feel like bed clothes. He went and entered his study, seeing how things had been changed around a bit. Still organized, so he didnt mind. He looked at some papers on the desk, but eventually he sat down. He just couldnt help himself, work came to easy to him and it wasnt like he had to strain much else than his mind.