Till death do us part [cw]

Eden had no pity for any of the men that they had hurt in the room because every single one had aided in assaulting Romeo. But it would not be good for them to be caught up in this if the secretary had gone through with calling security. Eden was quiet for the most of the ride as well, just trying to collect his thoughts. Having the feeling of knowing something bad was going to happen wasnt a something he wanted to feel. It sat like a heavy weight in his chest.
They got home and Josette was dismissed by Romeo, Eden went to clean the blood off his chin and change shirt. He pulled into a black turtleneck and brought a shirt for Romeo as well. He went to him in the garden, looking at his hair where Lucius had held on. He felt so angry, at Lucius and himself.
But instead of saying anything, he went to sit in front of the lycan, putting the shirt down next to them. He carefully reached out to open the shirt, looking at the bullet wound. It definitely didnt look good right now, but Eden felt that he had to be more careful now and not just do a bunch of things for the lycan without checking with him first. “Do you want me to stay or give you a moment?”

Romeo knew that he needed to get cleaned up, but deep down the seed of never being clean enough had started to sprout. He was sure that if he went to go shower now, he would try and scrub away his skin. But instead he just sat here in the garden on the soft grass. The day was nice and tempered, spring almost in the air. And yet he felt so cold inside. He barely registered that Eden joined him before he tried to open the shirt. Shivers running down his body, panic in his eyes, before his body recognised the hands as part of the vampyre. It wasn't the lawyer. It wasn't his uncle. No, it was the man he loved. And he felt more tears fall down his cheek, reaching out for him as an answer before burying his face in Eden's chest. He was probably ruining the new clean shirt as he sobbed in to his chest. It wasn't just sadness. It was the miserable fear that took a hold of him, clinging to the vampyre as he cried for what seemed forever.
He didn't just cry for his trauma resurfacing, no that would've been easy. He cried for his actions, cried for hurting his uncle and - as far as he was aware - having killed him in a pure rage fit. He cried for Eden, though those were mostly happy tears as he had felt so relieved that he had brought him with him.

He did notice the panic in Romeo as he had reached out. He didnt want to scare him. He wanted to be the last person in this world who could scare him. If he couldnt be that, then he wasnt sure he was right for the lycan. So he would just have to better himself until the shoe fit, so to speak.
Romeo reached out and he followed the pull, wrapping his arms around him as the lycan began crying in his chest. He stroked his back in soft soothing motions, just letting him take his time to cry it out. “You’re safe now.” He muttered, leaning down to kiss the lycan’s hair, just letting him cry for as long he needed. It didnt matter if he was ruining his shirt, that was not even Eden’s concern in the slightest. He wanted to be there and help in the best way that he could. Remind him of the good that they would share.
“We’ll figure out what to do from here.” He assured him. “One step at a time.” He added, kissing his hair again. It made him sad that Romeo had had to go through that and possibly remember what had happened in the past all over again.

Eden's words actually helped quite a lot. Feeling himself calm down after a good cry, he was only sniffling now, pulling his face away from his chest, but still clinging on to him. As if he was terrified more than ever that the vampyre would leave him. "Di-did I ki-k..k?" he couldn't even ask if he had truly killed his own uncle. The thought alone made his stomach churn, his head became dizzy as he then started to think about what would happen now. They would be separated, wouldn't they? Arrested and locked up for what they had done, perhaps being locked away forever. He started to tear up again, almost inconsolable as he sobbed, his hands bruised from what he had done, the blood having dried at this point. "Th-th..ey'll k-k-know who-o di-d..id i-it," he cried, pulling himself almost desperately towards Eden. Laure had been easy enough to cover up, even the women they had used in their courting days, but this? No, there was no way they could slither themselves out of this. The secretary would know, the rest of his family would know.

“I dont know.” Eden answered truthfully rather than lying. “.. I wont judge you if you did. I’ll always be by your side.” He assured him softly, because that was mostly all he could offer. Comfort and reassurance. He hugged him a little tighter, wishing he could know what he thought about so they could talk it out, especially as the lycan began sobbing again. “It will be alright. I wont let anyone take you from me.” He said, kissing the lycan’s forehead. “We can hope that the secretary was too shocked to say anything. Then I’ll deal with her. Make sure she wont say your name?” He softly suggested. It was definitely not as easy as some random person off the street or Eden’s sister. But Eden didnt think it was completely doomed either. He wanted to have hope, for his own sake and Romeo’s.

Frankly he wasn't sure what he wanted to hear, but Eden's calm manner and her hopeful spirits did help. He didn't want to be without him. So what if he would be a Parish whore, as his uncle had coined it? He would be happy with the vampyre, make a life for them and a home that would embrace their lifestyle. "You," he said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Eden couldn't be there either, not if they wanted this fixed. But who would have a motive besides them? Only one person that could match the horrors that had been left in the office; Josette. Kurtis could be a suspect too, but he would have a hard time explaining away the signs of vampyric activity - unless the fool would involve his girlfriend, but he doubted that.
Romeo was at a loss, completely unsure of how to go about this situation, especially when it had all happened so fast. He had been so blinded by rage that he felt like he had blacked out. He looked to Eden, lifting a hand to cup his face, "I can't lose you," he just said. Had he not proven how far he was willing to go for love? Eden's sister. His uncle. When would this stop? When would they have a normal life?

After calming down further, he let Eden help him out of his blood soaked shirt. He wasn't even sure if it was his own or his uncle's. The staff took the clothes away, burning in as if they had been here before. He went to go have a shower, trying to wash away the lawyer's hands, but every time he closed his eyes, he was right there! Reaching out for him, touching him, and he felt himself gasp for air as he leaned against the shower wall. "E-e-Eden?" he called. He needed to know he was there. Needed to know that he wasn't alone and that this wasn't just his mind trying to fool him into being in safety.

Him? “I wont let them take me from you either.” He said, looking into the pleading eyes on the man who was clinging to him. He didnt want him to worry too much about everything; well unless it was helping. He kept stroking his back, keeping him in a tight embrace. He felt the warm hand on his face, placing his cold over it. “You wont.” He told him, shifting between the beautifil hazel eyes. “We’ll take it one day at a time.” He muttered.

He gladly helped the lycan out of the bloody shirt that his servants would take care of. The lycan went for a shower and Eden followed him inside. He grabbed his phone, not staying far from where Romeo was, standing in the hall as he spoke with someone on the phone. He heard Romeo calling and hung up before he went to check on him. “I’m right here Romeo.” He said, reaching out to touch his face, making the lycan look at him. “I’m right here with you.” He reassured him again. “I need to talk to some people. Some of them will know how to clear our names” He told him. They just had to take one step at a time. Eden would stay if he needed him still, even doing the phonecalls there if the lycan wanted to hear it.

The cold hands against his face made him feel safe. Normal people would've shied away from the cold, but to him it would always be associated with Eden and the safety only he could provide. The things he told him was reassuring, but people who could clear their names? Well that was just what he needed to hear. He had finished his shower anyways, opting to dry himself off. He wanted to be in the room when Eden made the call, wanting to hear what was going to happen and who these mysterious people were.
He got dressed in something more casual, sitting down on the couch with the vampyre, curling up to him and resting his head against his chest. He liked listening to his breath, hear his voice ring in a different way. Nodding to signal he was ready for Eden to make the phone call, he just sat still, though his hand was clutching on to his own shirt once in a while, either to soothe or to ground himself. Either way it helped a little.

Once they were settled on the couch, Eden held his phone so Romeo could watch along, or dont if he’d rather hide away. At least the vampyre wanted to give him a choice to do either. He kissed his hair and made the first call, which was picked up by some raspy voiced female. “Hey Eden. Wassup?” She asked. Eden thought about what to say for a moment before he spoke. “Something really odd happened today. There were some plans for my fiancé to show up to a meeting today with a certain business man, Lucius Trevino, but he never made it there and sadly there was a really tragic thing that followed in his absence. Could you look into that for me?” He asked, to which the person on the other side seemingly scribbled a few things down. “How many could have seen you there?” She asked, to which Eden hummed. “The secretary, who I’ll handle myself. Maybe a worker or two. But there was vampyre bites involved.” He explained. She scribbled down again and then she sighed. “Biting makes it a tedious matter. But I’ll handle it from here. The Parish name will be cleared from the matter. And your fiancé most likely. Congratulations, as well.” She said, but then she clicked the pen a few times. “High profiles are harder to deal with. They were definitely not like the low lives you had me find for you back in..-“ - “Thank you very much for your help, Mia.” He promptly cut her off, which just made her chuckle, realizing she might have overstepped. “Anything else?” she asked to which Eden looked at Romeo, wanting to know if he had something on his mind?

Romeo just listened in, not wanting to be in frame if he opted to do a video chat. Instead he just hid his face away in to Eden's chest, shivering from time to time, his grip on his shirt tightening every now and then when he felt like he was slipping. It was relieving to hear that this Mia, whoever she was, could help, though one sentence stood out to him. What low lives? He shook his head as Eden gestured for him. He couldn't think of anything, in fact he didn't even want to speak to anyone unless it was the vampyre he was currently snuggling up to.
The call ended, and Romeo seemed to press himself closer as if that was even possible. He was still scared, but was that really so surprising after what had went down? He also knew it wasn't healthy to think of what could've happened if Eden hadn't shown up; That was where most of the shivers came from to be honest. "I-I'm s..sor..ry," he muttered against his shirt, feeling like he had to apologize. If he had just ignored the messages and not gone there, then none of this would've happened.
Being silent for a while, he decided that now was a good time as ever to ask, and so he did. "Wh..o we-were th-the l-low li..lives?" he asked, he just needed to know, not that he was angry at Eden. He knew he had a delicate palate when it came to blood, and he didn't mind hearing about what he did.

It was just a regular phone call but Eden wouldnt mind if the lycan felt like hiding away anyway. Whatever that made him most comfortable, the vampyre wanted. He kept an arm around him to hold him close, pressing him a little tighter if he felt the lycan shiver. When Romeo had nothing to add, Eden hummed softly. “No, that was all.” He assured her. The call ended shortly after and Eden drew in a short breath. The lycan tried to press closer but Eden just grabbed him softly and moved him to sit on his lap instead while he could still remain pressed up against him. This way could Eden use both his arms to comfort and hold him. He shook his head at the apology. “Dont.” He said softly, kissing his temple.
The question about the lowlives after sitting in silence, made Eden move his eyes down to look at the lycan. He lifted a hand to touch his face. “The low lives…” he repeated like he had to remember but he was only considering whether Romeo would get mad at him or not. He moved the hand up his face to touch his eyebrow where Romeo had gotten hurt when the two guys were fighting him in their little getaway-town.. “.. They were the kind of worthless who thought they could get away with anything they wanted; I just wanted to show them that they are nothing more than livestock.” He explained, still touching the lycan’s eyebrow, gentle and soft before his hand moved down to cup his face.

Sitting on Eden's lap he just felt safe. It was hard to imagine that anyplace in the world could feel this way after all he had been through, but the vampyre would always be a safe haven for him. The one person he could always turn to when he felt nothing could make sense anymore. Instead of being swallowed further by his own thoughts, he listened to Eden speak, but it wasn't until the cold fingers touched his brow that he realized who he was talking about. The guys that had attacked him at the fair. He reached up, taking the vampyre's hand off of his cheek, lifting it to his lips, kissing it wherever he thought it was earned. He felt himself tear up again, but this time it was more happy tears. He felt blessed, lucky even, that he had someone like him to protect him. What he had done more than proved his love and devotion, even back then.
"I love you," he finally said, his voice broken, but his heart was filled with the love he had for him, "thank you." He was a brat by nature, but he also knew when to say his thanks. Eden deserved so much more than words to describe how grateful he felt right now, but he just continued to place small kisses against his hand. His lips tracing the inside of his palm up to his fingers, kissing each fingertip. He hadn't just taken care of those low lives, he had protected him back at the office, made sure that they stood their ground. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He could’ve kept it hidden by not touching the lycan but a part of him also wanted Romeo to know. To know that he would go the extra mile for him, to keep him safe at any cost and avenge him if he was wronged. He watched him kiss his hand and it made him smile faintly. When Romeo spoke, it felt so heartfelt. Like in a way Eden hadnt heard before. “I’d do anything for you.” He said point blank, because it was true. The love he felt for Romeo made him obsessed with him in every way he could, willing to hurt anyone that would’ve wronged him. The question made him sigh as he shrugged. “I wasnt sure what you would think.” He admitted. He wasnt like Romeo. There was really no reason to the cruelty Eden could do beside the fact that it was something he found interesting. “And you cant ever see them again, so I thought it would be better to just have you forget them.” He added.

"You thought I'd be upset?" he asked, slowly but surely finding his voice as he spoke more. It just felt calming to sit here and talk. He leaned closer to the vampyre, cupping his face between his palms, looking in to his eyes as he told him never having to deal with them again. He sighed, "Why would I be angry about you protecting me?" he asked, leaning in to kiss his nose, his cheek and down to his chin. "I'm proud that you are willing to go this far for me," he told him, feeling like he was slowly being able to shiver less. It was perhaps hearing and knowing that he was being kept safe that made his body relax more. It was strange how the mind found its safe spots.
His thumbs caressed the vampyre's cheekbones, looking at his features, loving everything he saw. And knowing what he knew now, he felt his love only grew from it. "I wish I could give you something in return," he admitted, feeling his own shortcomings a little too painful today.

He didnt think that the lycan would be upset but maybe feel like the vampyre was doing too much. Romeo leaned closer and he felt the warm habds cup his face so nicely, as they always did. The question made him scoff. “I dont know.” He confessed as he was being kissed all over his face. It was probably his mind being unreasonable. “You’re proud of me?” He chuckled. It somehow made him really happy to hear.
His hands were still nicely around the lycan, enjoying the moment they shared. The confession made him frown slightly, shaking his head at him. “You have given me so much already. You helped me break free from my sister’s terror and you’ve shown me love unlike any other I’ve ever felt before.” He remarked.

"Why wouldn't I be proud of you?" he returned the question. Eden wasn't perfect, but Romeo didn't want perfection, he just wanted him. Wanted his arms around him, feel his cold skin against his fingers and know that this was love. That he was cared for and protected, even more than he had been in his own family. Eden argued that the lycan had already done a lot, which made him look down, shrugging. To him that wasn't that big, perhaps because it had all happened so fast.
He heard a small knock on the door, one of the servants coming in with a vial for Eden and a plate of food for Romeo. They silently placed it along with a glass of water for the lycan before leaving the room, unless they wanted something more. Romeo looked at the time, realizing how late it had gotten. Scoffing under his breath he looked at the plate with a small smile, "your staff really know us, huh?" he chuckled, looking back at the vampyre with a soft look to his eyes. He leaned in, placing his lips against his cold ones, savoring a small gentle kiss between them before he carefully got off of Eden's lap. Lifting the plate he looked at it, not really feeling hungry, but he also knew he had to eat. He ate for a bit in silence, just focusing on one task at a time to not overwhelm his already messed up mind. Eating slowly and with the lack of appetite, it was surprising him that he finished the plate, after which he snuggled up to Eden once more. The last thing he wanted to do was feel alone, and having the reminder of the vampyre so close helped a lot.
His hair was a bit of a mess, a few spots where the guard had managed to rip off hair, but the bleeding had stopped rather quickly. It wasn't so weird that he felt used and abused when he thought about it. The shivers were still coming here and there, almost like small aftershocks of trembles that made him whimper a little. His body was going to have to restart healing from the trauma, he felt like he had been taken down a few notches, and he hated it, because that was what his family had wanted with this stupid meeting. They had been trying to revert him to the scared kid who couldn't protect himself. The little boy who cried for his mother and uncle for help. But that boy had been dead for a long time now, and he was an adult who had to deal with all of this. Luckily he had Eden by his side. "I think I wanna head to bed early," he finally said, his body trembling a bit.

Eden didnt know whether the lycan should be proud of him or not. Yeah? It would feel good? No. It would feel more than good. He however didnt like how the lycan was shrugging off his own efforts. They were too extraordinary for that.
But the servants brought them food and Eden thanked them softly, with nothing more to add. The comment made him shrug. “It’s because they like you.” He remarked before their lips met. He liked how gentle Romeo was with him, but the circumstances were also ruining it. The lycan got off and Eden grabbed the vial to drink.
He looked to him, seeing the spots which could make his cold blood boil from just remembering that someone had done this to him. He was just letting Romeo eat in peace, touching his shoulder lightly but not more than that.
He was all ready for the lycan to snuggle back up to him, keeping him close. The shicers and whimper made him turn his head to kiss his forehead or head, just whispering sweet calming nothings to him. “We can go to bed now if you’d like?” He suggested. He wouldnt really mind, at least if it could help Romeo relax more.

The suggestion to go to bed now made him hum, nodding a bit as he thought it through before he seemingly decided that it would be for the best. He got up from the couch, grabbing the dishes that he brought out to the kitchen, thanking for the food, before he returned to Eden. Reaching his hand out, it was clear he was a bit clingy, but who wouldn't cling to their comfort person when they had just relived what Romeo had? Moving up the stairs they eventually got to the bedroom. Romeo let go of Eden's hand, however he hesitated to remove himself fully, his hand instead moving to touch one of the buttons on the vampyre's shirt. "I still feel dirty," he muttered, frowning as he was trying to come to terms with everything that had happened today. Of course the vampyre might disagree, but it didn't change how he felt. "I ... I want you to help me undress," it wasn't out of the ordinary, but Romeo felt like he needed this as some sort of cleansing, "and I want you ... To touch me where he did ... So..So I, I don't ... I don't feel ... His ha..hands." This was going to take time, but at least he could still state what he wanted. He wanted Eden's hands to replace the lawyer's, wanted him to feel him all over, remind him of what good touch was. Remind his body that he was with Eden and not someone else who didn't deserve him.

Eden did think that being in bed now was better than having to sit here. Not because Eden didnt want that, but if Romeo just needed to be close to him, then it was better to be in bed. Romeo got up and Eden as well, waiting for the lycan to return. When he did, Eden smiled softly at him, not minding the need for contact.
They went up to the bedroom and he looked as Romeo let go, yet seemingly not completely ready to break contact. The mutter made him frown in worry. He wanted to disagree but it was how the lycan felt. He just wondered what there was to be done about it? He hummed softly at the request, “Okay.” He agreed.
But then Romeo added something that made Eden look at him a bit more serious. “Are you sure?” He asked, cupping the lycan’s face with his cold hand. It was quite a leap, and Eden didnt doubt that Romeo trusted him enough. But was it wise? He sighed. “I love you. I want you to know that you can always seek comfort in me.” He said, moving his hand down, touching the lycan’s shirt before he grabbed a soft hold of it. “I’m gonna undress you completely. Is that okay?” He asked, looking into the hazel eyes with a loving gaze.

Romeo had a lot of faith in Eden, not just trust, but a hope that he would catch him if he fell. He nodded as the vampyre wanted to be sure, and of this he was. He didn't want to shiver any more, he didn't want to remember the last hands that had touched his bare skin was his abuser. No, from now on his body felt like it belonged to Eden. He breathed out in a small shudder as he felt his shirt get grabbed. Even if it was lightly, it was still something he had to overcome. Besides he didn't want to hide away from Eden. He wanted him to be there every step of the way.
The question made him gulp, nodding though as Eden started to pull at his shirt he grabbed on to his hands, looking almost desperately at him. "What if I can't make it?" He asked, because he was genuinely scared that he would get stuck at some point. That his body might react in a way it normally wouldn't when it was Eden's hands. "I-I mean ... We take it slow, right?" He just wanted to be sure. Even if it felt strange that he acted this way, he also felt like it gave him some autonomy back. That he could stop this at any time. That he had the power to withdraw and wait a second before continuing.

His hands pulled lightly at the shirt only to be stopped. The question made him smile softly at him. “We are doing this for you. So whatever you want or feel like, and dont, will be enough.” He assured him. This wasnt about pushing the limits. Just mend the hurt that had happened to Romeo and remind him of the good they shared.
“We’ll only do what you want. You’ll tell me where you want my touch and I’ll give it.” He said just to make it completely clear. He didnt want to traumatize him further. It was already enough that someone else had touched him. “Do you want me to undress first?” He then asked. Would it make it easier for him that way?

Yeah, he was in control, but he just wanted to be sure. He took a few deep breaths, still rather tense about it all. However as the vampyre suggested to be the first one toe strip naked it made him hum as he thought about it. Ultimately he decided that yes, yes he would like that, and he signalled it with a small and careful nod.
Watching Eden undress was always something he enjoyed a lot. Even though they were often in a hurry to rid themselves of each other's clothing, he did like looking at him. Taking in the way his body seemed carved out of marble, how his features only enhanced the beauty he knew was in the vampyre's soul.
Letting the vampyre grip his shirt, it was pulled over his head rather slowly. His chest wasn't as big of an issue. Eden had already caressed his back a lot, so that area was pretty safe as it was. Once his shirt was off, he guided the vampyre's cold hand to his stomach, feeling the freezing limbs against his own warm. Safe to say he looked relieved as he realised it felt just as good as before. "Tell me something ... Anything," he almost pleaded, not sure if he liked the silence or not.

He let Romeo think about it, just gently touching his arms and feeling him on the outside of his clothes. He did worry that the lycan would shy away the moment their skin touched, it would break his heart. And none the less spark his jealousy. But he kept calm, convincing himself that it would be fine. Romeo’s nod made him hum in return and he moved his hands off of him to slowly get out of his own clothes. Not be in a rush. This didnt quite feel like they normally behaved. Once he was completely naked, he stepped closer, touching the lycan’s shirt again. It had to come off, or Eden would believe it never would. But it slipped right off of him and Eden threw it aside. His cold hands were guided to the warm stomach, feeling the muscles on his fingertips.
The look of relief was all Eden needed to see before he looked down at his own hands. The pleading, he would answer. “I will always take care of you. If someone thinks he can touch you, I’ll end him and erase his touch. You’re mine.” He said, rather soft despite how strong his words were. He moved one hand from the lycan’s stomach around to his back, pushing him towards himself so their chests touched. He knew Romeo liked that. “No matter what, you’ll be mine. It will always be.” He muttered, leaning his head down to slowly brush their lips together.
“Please remember my touch.” He began whispering, looking at the lycan with vulnerable eyes, connecting their foreheads. “Do you think we still echo in the cave? Would wanderers who go in there know that it was where we sealed our fate? When you let me have you?” He whispered so softly, closing his eyes to exhale a trembling breath. His own words were getting to him, but probably not in the same sense they would Romeo. Eden loved control, he loved submission. Most of all, did he love both with the person he had deemed to be his obsession. And that was Romeo. It could never be anyone else than Romeo.

Eden was so gentle that if it hadn't been for what Romeo had been through today, it might've been too much for the lycan to handle. However it was just the right amount for him at this stage. He gasped in soft breaths as he felt the hand move around, not as if he was going to panic, but more as to take in the feeling. The cold wasn't scaring him, but the touch was almost foreign, but as Eden began speaking to him, his body became more at ease. And the more the vampyre spoke, revoking those memories they shared, the more he seemed to lean in to his touch. "I'll always be yours," he repeated, almost to remind himself of that promise. Their lips brushing together made a small smile creep up on the lycan's lips, separating them slightly as if he wanted to breathe in his scent forever.
The whispers slowly started making him feel more pleasant shivers run down through his body, his skin feeling a bit more warm as he stood here close to Eden. He hoped their voices still echoed, he hoped that people would leave their place knowing that something beautiful had happened in there. His hands reached for Eden, his fingertips digging slightly in to his hips as his breath hiccupped with the emotions in his chest. "We'll go back to the cave soon, right?" he whispered in a small plea. He felt like he needed to relive that moment. The moment when they had become one, and nothing could change that happy memory. He needed Eden in all of this, needed his touch and his sweet words, even if they were dominant, he liked it. It made him feel safe. Like he was being protected. "I think ... I'm ready for the pants," he muttered, looking at Eden with a slight tremble in his breath, but he was feeling a lot better already. But then again, if they moved too fast it might make him worse.