Slaying the Immortal's Heart [Seren]

Dev’s apartment was shabby and small. The white wallpaper was old, dirty and peeling. The floorboards were creaky and were just starting to rot. It consisted of two rooms: a main room, and a bathroom. When one stepped into Dev’s apartment, the first thing they would notice is the lack of furniture. The apartment bared much less than the basics: a single bed, a desk, and a chair sat in the main room, accompanied by a fireplace providing a dim light. The bathroom had a shower, a toilet, and a sink. All three only ran cold water.
In short, it was the shittiest place to live.

It was dark outside when the door swung open and Dev walked in, Jupiter unconscious in his arms and a strange, silent woman with butterfly wings following behind. Dev did not know who she was, but she had been the first person to come when he called for help, so assumed she was a co-worker of his. Nonetheless, she proved very helpful, writing instructions down swiftly and silently, advising him on what to do.
“I suppose I ought to thank you,” Dev said after he had laid Jupiter on his own bed carefully, the bedsprings groaning under her weight.

Azmyth smiled. It was the only thing she could really do as her eyes swept through the rundown apartment with slight concern. Was it really safe to leave this girl – a student - in a room like this? Apparently the man had read her face, as he commented on his room.
“Yeah, I know it’s a fixer-upperer, but once I get myself in order and settle in at Foresta, I’ll be able to turn the place around,” Dev lied through his fake, friendly grin. He never settled into a place for very long, and the way he saw it, this apartment would be completely empty in a few months – maybe weeks - time.

Azmythera nodded, feeling somewhat reassured with this man’s friendly composure. She took a pen and piece of paper out of her pocket and wrote.
“Well, I’ll just be down the hall should you need me. She has a fever, so make sure you keep a wet cloth on her head, but make sure the environment is warm. Take her to the nurse in the morning, but if she wakes up before that, give her some water and food. Soup works well.”
And that was what Dev did.

It was just after midnight. The bed was now closer to the fireplace, and Jupiter had been lying under the blankets, a damp cloth – one of Dev’s old gym towels – on her forehead. Dev sat at his desk, reading a promising book he had found in the library: Slaying the Immortal. (I know, it’s a morbid book) His eyes followed the words along the pages, but his mind did not gather meaning from them, as his mind was elsewhere. His eyes slowly drifted over to Jupiter, and he instantly knew that bringing her here was a mistake.

He had an attraction – though he did not know it was just purely sexual - to Jupiter, and there was no mistaking it.
Or course it’s sexual, he told himself, shaking his head in frustration. You barely know her! You’re just a horny, sex-deprived bastard…
But whether this attraction was sexual or affectionate mattered not. No matter what happened, this girl, like all others, was untouchable and off limits.

You’re saving yourself pain. You’re saving her pain, Dev reminded himself over and over again. When was the last time he had a real relationship? The 1830’s? Yes, that seemed right. What was her name? Oh yes, Sarah Ann, died of Cholera. He reminded himself of the heartbreak he had gone through in those days, through all the suffering and loneliness until thoughts of Jupiter left his mind.
He flipped open “Slaying the Immortal” again and continued to read.

"Now, really Jupiter - what makes you think that you can control something that god created?"

The young girl frowned at her pastor, the stitches in her cheek aching from using her face muscles in general - she looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at the man in front of her. "I know what I saw," she said to him - her voice a very shaky yet smooth and soft tone. "The lights actually got brighter and darker, it wasn't just me - I showed mom and dad..."

"Well, Jupiter can you show me?"

The young girl frowned again, looking around for a source of light until her eyes connected on a lamp. "Yes, sir." She said to her pastor, the older gentleman giving her an expression like he was talking to some who just seemed a little bit out of their mind. He had a smug kind of look as she concentrated on the lamp for a few minutes, "Now... see... Jupi-"

All of sudden the light seemed to black out, flicker and then came on again. Looking unnerved the pastor became silent for a moment, "There must b-be... a problem with the electricity..."

Jupiter continued to focus on the light, and as she did the same thing happened about three times before she stopped and looked back at her pastor hopefully, only to find an expression mixed with fear and anger. "Get out, get out right now."

"But... Father Mark..."

The pastor stood up and pointed to the door, the man's whole body shaking "Get out, I said! Right now, get out of here you devil! You don't belong here! Get out!" his voice rumbled through the room and the young girl quickly stood up - her eyes starting to water furiously. "I said get out! You can't fool me with your trickery!"

Jupiter said no more and ran out of the room, her heart pounding wildly as she went to go find her parents...



Jupiter woke up with a sharp intake of air, relaxing for just a moment before realizing she was in a strange place - and of course felt quite unwell. Her eyes watered for a moment and she blinked rapidly, not exactly sitting up but looking to her left and right - she tried to take in the room she was in. It was a little dark and run down, which concerned the young woman.

Taking the wet wash cloth off her head, she sat up - but ended up laying back down about three seconds later when a wave of vertigo had hit her. "Oh, no..." she mumbled out - laying the wash cloth back on her head. What had she last been doing? She was talking to that man... what was his name? Darius? Devin? ... Dev! Letting out a small dry cough, Jupiter closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Was she in his apartment? He seemed like a nice guy... he was very attractive...

On those thoughts Jupiter felt herself get hotter and hotter, the young girl honestly not enjoying the heat that much. "Is anyone here?" she finally spoke out-loud, hoping that someone was around - not knowing that Dev was closer than she thought.

(A flashback for a flashback!)

Chapter IV: Death by Holy Exorcism.

Dev stared at the chapter’s title, reading it over and over again, studying it until the words almost became complete nonsense. Everything around him became still; the crickets ceased their chirping and the drunken men outside the tavern stopped brawling out on the streets. Hell, even the fireplace stopped cracking firewood.
“Holy Exorcism…” Dev muttered aloud.
His voice was low and his face was fearful. He knew very well that this chapter related very much to him, and the scars on his back were proof of that. This chapter could have all the answers, hold all the secrets to what he had searched for centuries on end…
So why the fuck was he not able to continue reading?

He was bound by the ankles, knees, arms, hands and wings by chains and shackles so tight they made him bleed from the chafing. He was in a cage placed in a horse drawn cart, which was moving towards a set of gallows past silent rows of townspeople, all backing away in fear as the cart approached, muttering prayers and singing hymns under their breaths in fear.

The cart came to a halt at the gallows. The crowds whispered as the cage swung open and the witch hunters slung their prisoner over their backs before throwing him down on the platform. The prayers and hymns grew louder.
“HERE LIES THE BOY, SPAWN OF THE DEVIL!” A voice above him yelled to the praying assembly.
He tried to open his eyes to look at the priest, but he hardly had the strength to move. He had been denied the basic human needs, including clothes.

“BEHOLD! HIS WINGS!” The priest roared.
He felt the restraints on his wings being released. Several onlookers gasped and others shielded their eyes and prayed. He used all his strength to move them, but after a few feeble flaps, the witch hunters had pinned them down.
“Be they the wings of the angels? NAY! He bears the wings of a demon!”
He closed his eyes shut. There were not even enough liquids in his body to even cry. This was the end, he knew it. What had he done to deserve this? He never, once in his life had hurt anyone…had he?
“He has lived alongside our elders in the form of a child; a farmer’s son, and yet, he farms a dead man’s land!”

He could hear more whispers, more prayers, and even a child crying. But suddenly, everything went silent.
“For the sake of our Lord and Saviour, you will lose Lucifer’s curse!”
He didn’t understand what they meant. Who was Lucifer? He felt the witch hunters pull his wings, holding them up. He opened his eyes for a second. The town’s executioner held a twin axe staff in his hand. And before he could even scream in protest, there was a whoosh that went past his ear, a flash of silver, and then…

He heard a cough. Startled, Dev shut his book and almost leaped off his chair before he came to his senses. Jupiter had woken up. Dev watched her for a while, feeling a little scared to approach right away. She closed her eyes, and it became apparent to Dev that she would go back to sleep. That was, until she started talking.
“Is anyone here?”
“Feeling better?”

Dev stood up and slid his chair under the desk in a respectable fashion. One would have thought his formal manners were out of place in a setting like the poorly maintained apartment, but to Dev, these manners were the norm. He approached Jupiter, calm as a lion stalking their prey, though on the inside he was a row boat in a thunderstorm facing a tsunami.
Saving yourself. Saving yourself from pain. You’re saving yourself from pain…

He repeated these words with every step he took closer. It felt like another decade had passed, but he had finally made it to Jupiter’s bed – No, his bed, Jupiter was just in it – without fail or faults.
“You fainted,” Dev explained rather bluntly. “You’ve been out for a couple of hours. The nurse was closed, and a co-worker said it was best to bring you here until morning. Hmm. Let’s see…”

He crouched so he met bed’s height. Carefully, in the most professional manner he could keep, he took the towel off Jupiter’s head and checked her temperature with his hand pressed gently against her forehead. She still felt hot. Was that because his hand was cold? He had no clue, so he simply put the towel back on her head.
“You have a fever, by the way,” he had switched to a friendly, conversational tone without noticing the change himself. “Do you feel well enough to stand up?”

At the sound of someone's voice - Jupiter relaxed when she had found out it was Dev's. As he came into her view, she gave him a weak smile. "Thank you for taking care of me," she said to him quietly - her voice sounding a little bit hoarse from just waking up.

As he continued to talk to her, Jupiter frowned and closed her eyes as he removed the towel from her head - "A fever? That's terrible," her eyes watered for a moment and she blinked a few times - opening them back up to look at Dev. The connection between their skin made her heart skip around, and she felt a little uneasy. The young girl had no idea how to handle her new emotions, much less being in this man's bed right now. "Do I need to go somewhere?" she felt weak and weary, and his presence for some reason just made her feel very hot and jittery. Having a sudden chill, she pulled the blankets she had closer to her body - the young girl realizing that she was probably having the chills. She was sick and here she was in a strange mans bed. What would her parent's think? She frowned and shook her head, she was on her now and that meant that she only had to worry about what she thought - not anyone else.

He felt the blood rush to his face as Jupiter smiled weakly at him. He cursed himself with every word Jupiter spoke as she thanked him in a quiet voice. Why was she doing this to him? She was a being of torture to him. Dev smiled back at her, careful to not seem hostile. The warm expression looked slightly out of place with his pale, cold, features. The smile faded. No! Dev told himself, You should be more hostile. Fortunately, Jupiter had closed her eyes when Dev has removed the towel, glaring at her in the process. Somehow Dev had found a way to have a great liking to Jupiter and her innocent nature, and at the same time hate her for the amount of trouble she was going to be. Dev cursed himself. Bringing Jupiter here was a-

“A fever? That’s terrible,” her voice cut through his thoughts like a razor blade.
“Hmm? Oh yes, it is…” Dev mumbled his reply, but when he lapsed into silence it became unbearably awkward, so he found himself using his small talk.
“How are you feeling at the moment?” He asked rather casually.
Hostile, went the warning signs in his head. But those thoughts were instantly chucked out of the window of his mind the moment Jupiter looked up at him again.
“Do I need to go somewhere?”
“No,” Dev said, in a petty attempt to be more hostile. “When you’re feeling better, I’ll take you out for some food. For now, can I offer you some water?”

"How are you feeling at the moment?"

Cuddling up to the blankets as he asked about her health, Jupiter hesitated for a moment before responding. "I'm okay right now I guess," she said to him meekly as her eyes tilted up toward him in a very puppy like stare. Jupiter was beginning to actually somewhat enjoy being taken care of, the man she had just met actually seeming like a very kind person. She enjoyed watching him, as she could see all the thoughts going on behind his eyes. She didn't know exactly what he was thinking about, but she could see the thinking going on - and naturally it made the young girl curious.

Looking around the room for a moment, as he replied to her question she looked up at him quickly again - his response seeming to have a taste of sharpness in it. This automatically made her withdraw into herself for a moment - as he finished his sentence though she perked up again - like a small animal ready to trust any stranger with some food and water. "May I? I think I can sit up now." As if to prove this fact, slowly Jupiter pushed herself up - reaching behind her to put a pillow up on the bed post behind her - this way having some cushion as she sat up.

As she did this though, the blankets on her went down to her waist and she shivered - quickly pulling them up to her shoulders before returning her attention back to Dev. Watching him for a moment before speaking, she had a slight urge to reach out and touch the hair on his head - stroke it almost - but of course resisted in the thought of not wanting to be rude. Instead the young girl blushed for a moment as her eyes connected with his, the blush helping rid her fear of getting cold for the moment. "You have really pretty eyes," she said said quite simply - her tone just sounding like she was making a simply comment more than anything else. "Have they always been that color?" she then asked him, her head tilted toward him in a thoughtful manner.

“I’m okay right now I guess,” she had replied to him.
Dev watched her pull the blankets up, sensing that she still felt cold. Worry covered his face, but it his face was wiped clean of the expression when Jupiter gave him the puppy eyes. Heat rose to his head, and Dev began to feel uncomfortable.
“You look cold, actually,” Dev pointed out quietly, dropping his eyes down to his lap.
He looked at the fireplace, then at his desk, then at the blankets on his bed. He wanted to look anywhere: anywhere but her face.
"May I? I think I can sit up now.”

“No, it’s-“
He was going to stop her from doing so, but she had begun to push herself up before Dev could finish his sentence. The blankets slacked down, and it was brought to his attention that she was only wearing a summer dress. He watched her shiver and pull the covers up with an intense, protective stare. He became worried again, but once again his mind went blank when Jupiter looked at him again, this time her eyes were fixed on him. Dev returned her look with his own, deep gaze, and as their eyes met, the both blushed. He wasn’t aware that his hands were going for the bottom button of his shirt…
"You have really pretty eyes, have they always been that color?"

Dev watched as she moved her head toward him. As far as he knew, his eyes had always been maroon, but he was never really sure of it – he had never seen his reflection until he was 400-ish – old enough to be able to at least crawl and look at his own reflection. He didn’t know whether or not to lie to Jupiter. Lie, of course, he told himself, sensing the danger if she were to ask more questions. But he did not want to lie to her. In fact, if she were more aware of his age, maybe she would avoid him. And that would be better for her…
“…I don’t know…” Dev said, still looking into Jupiter’s eyes. He was about to speak again, but then something came to his attention.
He had taken his shirt off.

Dev had acted without much thought. Before, he had seen she was cold, and he was thinking of giving her his shirt, but didn’t get the time to do so because she had interrupted him. He must’ve removed his shirt while they were talking…
...And before he knew it, he was half-naked; his black, long sleeved shirt in thrust out toward Jupiter in his hand. His chest was bony and thin and covered with scars here and there, but the two scars on back were the most noticeable. It was only then did Dev realize what he had just done. What was he thinking, taking his shirt off in front of her? He wasn’t thinking, that’s what happened…Dev cleared his throat, and at the same time cleared his head as he spoke.

“Here, you need to wear more layers,” Dev tried to make it sound like his motives were absolutely innocent. His motives were innocent, but he wasn’t sure if it sounded like it. He dropped his shirt in her lap awkwardly. And as the silence crept up on them, Dev looked for something to talk about, anything at all…
“The water,” Dev muttered, relieved to have a reason to leave the room. “I’ll have that for you…”
He got up and went into the bathroom.

Jupiter's head tilted some more as Dev replied to her question, she frowned slightly but nonetheless left it at that - feeling that if she asked more he might kick her out or something even worse. As he took his shirt off, her eyes widened in shock and almost a little bit of fear. What on earth was he doing? Then the motive seemed clearer as he spoke, dropping the shirt in her lap to put on. She nodded, staying silent as she took the shirt - slipping it onto her body - automatically already feeling a little bit better. After that was taken care of though, Jupiter's attention was brought back to Dev and the scars on his body.

At first, she noticed the few on the front of his body - but as he spoke and turned around to leave - her attention was immediately brought to the two on his back. She swallowed loudly, and automatically brought her hand up to her face - where her own scar had healed up and had left her without anything permanent. Her motherly instincts automatically clicked into drive, the young girl getting into that mindset that no one matter except for the person that was in her care.

Taking a deep breath, Jupiter carefully hung her feet over the edge of the bed and then stood up - giving herself a minute to get adjusted to everything. The lighting around her adjusted to her mood - dimming down some so as to not effect her headache.

Following after Dev, her footing actually quite light - she made barely any noise as she came up behind him. She spoke though, before anything else "Did it hurt?" she asked him quietly, concern crawling all over her face. She reached forward then, and lightly traced two of her fingers down the scar on the left side of his back. Her touch was gentle and patient, the only thing worrying her at the moment was that if Dev was still in pain from the two scars.

The bathroom in Dev’s apartment was just as bad as the main room; it was a cramped, small room. Rocky concrete made the floors and cracked, moldy white tiles covered the walls. A single, white bulb provided a soft light. A toilet was squished up against the right corner, dirty with seat up. Despite its unclean look, it looked like it had been previously filthy and only half the grime had been scrubbed off recently. The shower in the opposite corner and the sink on the opposing wall mirrored the toilet’s look. A small open suitcase lay on the floor, its contents of Dev few spare clothes neatly folded away. A broken, cracked mirror hung over the sink, reflecting the bathroom. For a long time, nothing had disturbed the image the mirror projected, until Dev walked in, half naked, a black sphere the size of a baseball in his hand.

Dev focused his mind on the ball of dark matter in his hand, mouthing incarnations at it silently. He closed his eyes and threw the ball in the air, and as he opened his eyes, Dev reached out in front of him, catching a black goblet in his left hand in a rehearsed method. No, too old, he told himself, shaking his head at the medieval drinking cup. His hands worked smoothly, like they had performed magic like this many times before as he tossed the cup from hand to hand, watching the matter shift and move into shape, until finally, the goblet morphed into a tall, black, drinking glass.

Dev sighed. He knew he had been lucky this time as he thought over the actions he left in the room behind him. Dev brought his right hand to his face in frustration. Why was it so hard to think around her? Well, it was late and he had hardly any sleep, but didn’t really think about that, because when one is thinking about nothing except a girl, they don’t make reasonable conclusions…
“Did it hurt?” a soft, quiet voice came from behind him. It wasn’t any voice either; it was Jupiter’s.
He was going to ask “which one?” but he knew the scars she meant even before she had touched him. Her fingers trailed down the rough scar that was his left wing, over his shoulder blade and all the way down to his mid-back.

Her touch was gentle and soothing, sending shivers down his spine. Perhaps he should have, but Dev did not stop Jupiter’s stroke. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and arched his back slightly with pleasure. It had been years – centuries – since he had been last touched like that, and Dev struggled for control as he finally stopped Jupiter’s hand, reaching out behind him to gently take her hand away from his back. He turned to face her, speechless and almost breathless at the same time.
“…You…You’re…” Dev said, still not entirely arranging his thoughts straight. He had a confused, almost scared face. Dev cleared his throat and swallowed hard, and eventually he was able to choke a few words out.

“...I used to have wings…” was all he said, his daze still remaining. When he realized what he said, he straightened up.
“…Y-You’re quite selfless, aren’t you?” he asked, his words and confidence returning to him.
“You’re sick, Jupiter, you won’t get better being out of bed,” Dev spoke, sounding like an old man giving a lecture.
“Please…get back into bed.”
His voice was pleading, weak and insecure as he felt.

Jupiter wasn't aware of the effect she was having on Dev, but she was well aware of the effect it was having on her when just their skin was connected. Even if it was scar tissue, the young girl felt like she wanted to touch him more - but as she was about to pick up her hand and touch the scar on the other side of his back - he grabbed her hand and turned to her.

Blushing at him furiously, Jupiter wasn't sure how to react to his stuttering. Everything just seemed to be so awkward for the both of them, she couldn't relax - and normally she was a very peaceful person. It was just his presence causing havoc in her mind, and of course an abnormal heartbeat. Slowly she pulled her hand back, and as he spoke again - Jupiter's eyes widened in surprise.

"You had wings? What were they like?" her tone was of course surprised, but soft - seeing as how she still wasn't feeling well and the lighting in the bathroom mirrored that. The lights were dim, and would occasionally flicker as she thought more and more about the man standing in front of her. At his question, she hesitated "I don't think so... I mean..." she furrowed her brows and looked at Dev for a moment - thinking out her response. She cared for people, it was a natural thing for her - she wasn't sure if it was selflessness or just kindness. "I just think I'm being nice, I guess." She looked at Dev, her eyes suggesting that she was unsure of this response.

As he chastised her for getting out of bed, Jupiter sighed and frowned - and as he pleaded with her - heat rushed through her body and she looked back up at Dev - the light pausing it's flickering for a moment and just dimming slowly. She stared at him, and couldn't help but think that as the darker it got, the more ... older he looked. Light had a way of affecting everyone's appearance, Jupiter knew that for a fact - and as she briefly thought about that the light changed around them and eventually stopped at a very low lighting - for Jupiter's sake at the most.

Dev's tone with her seemed so helpless, that Jupiter couldn't help but abide by it - just so that she could see him feel a little bit better. "Okay, I'm sorry," she said to him quietly "I was just curious," she frowned and pouted slightly, looking like a kid who had just been caught sticking their hand in the cookie jar.

Turning around, Jupiter got to the door of the bathroom when the girl had a sudden head rush - stumbling for a second she grabbed a hold of the door frame so as to catch herself. "Oh jeez," she mumbled closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Dev couldn’t help but notice the light bulb in the bathroom change as Jupiter talked. Occasionally, his mind would be distracted by all the flickering and he would take his eyes off Jupiter for a split second to watch the bulb change. Was it just him, or was it getting darker? Maybe it was him, Dev thought, but the air made no indication of getting colder. Finally, the light bulb died to a very dim light – even dimmer than before. He could just make out Jupiter’s face as she pouted at him and apologized. Curse upon the Queen! He thought as Jupiter turned. Dev was still in slight shock, and really he hadn’t taken in what Jupiter had said at all…

He was somehow brought miraculously back into attention as Jupiter stumbled. There was a clatter as Dev dropped the glass cup in his hands and placed his left hand on Jupiter’s back to support her.
“Here,” Dev mumbled softly in Jupiter’s ear. “I warned you about this…”
Carefully, Dev bent down to move his right arm behind Jupiter’s knees and scooped her up. It was a bit of a strain for Dev – after all, he was very tired and his bony chest indicated that he was not a man of muscle. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jupiter was heavier than him. He really didn’t feel the need to explain the action of picking Jupiter up; he just sort of…did it. Yes, I’m implying that there’s character development here, but at the same time I’m being lazy because it’s 2 in the morning…

Tenderly placing Jupiter on his bed for the second time in that evening, Dev simply turned and went back into the bathroom to fill the cup with water. He was absolutely silent while doing so, like something was bothering him. Thoughts of what he had told Jupiter floated around his mind like marshmallows in hot chocolate. She’s completely innocent, Dev told himself as he switched the taps on. You’re the one who made a big deal out of it! These thoughts still circulated in his brain as he made another trip to his bed. Guilt appeared on his face as he offered the water to Jupiter and spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Dev said, lowering his voice as he crouched to meet the bed’s height. It was all he wanted to say, but he could feel an awkward silence coming up so once again, he found himself talking more.
“I shouldn’t have gone off at you like that, Jupiter, and I’m sorry. You caught me off guard, that’s all…”
He trailed off. Dev could still remember that question she had asked. What were they like? Did he want to share it with her? He had not shared this with anyone in his entire lifetime, and the very thought that no one had known about his wings until this very night made him feel weak and overwhelmed.
“They were black, like bat wings. I loved them,” Dev finally told her wistfully.

(I know, it's not as detailed in terms of his thought process, but my own thought process is a bit down at the moment...Anyway, bed time for me!)

Dev quickly caught Jupiter and with one hand on her back his voice drifted closely to her ear, as well as his breath. The sensation sent shivers up her spine, and ripples upon ripples of heat through her body. As he picked her up - the young woman couldn't stop blushing - it wasn't like Dev was very muscular - Jupiter knew that much. But that wasn't the point, she had never been so close to a male's... naked.... chest. More heat ran through out her body and into her face as she thought about it - getting dizzy from blushing so much her head spun around for a moment.

He then set her down and went off to the bathroom again, and during this time as he was out of the room - Jupiter put both of her hands on her cheeks - in some silly attempt to get rid of the major blushing fit she was having. As he came back though, she quickly put her hands down.

"I'm sorry."

Jupiter furrowed her brows at his apology, as far as she was aware - the man had nothing to apologize for. But then again, she felt the need to let him say whatever he needed to say. She could feel that it felt like a necessity to him, so she simply stayed quiet and stared at him - nodding for only a moment. He apologized again and she frowned, "It's okay, I didn't mean to come in like that..." her lips scrunched up for a moment - but then he spoke again and Jupiter smiled. She could sense the happiness in his tone, and it made her feel happy as well.

"How far were you able to fly?" she asked him curiously - as she was laying down she turned her whole body toward him so it would be easier for her to face him and listen as well as to speak. "Were you able to go really, really high up in the sky?" her tone was almost child-like in a way - his response making her able to just imagine them.

Ah, so I’m going to start blabbing now about Dev’s thinking, because I epically failed last night with his mind. So, Dev finally realized Jupiter is so innocent that she would be oblivious to any sexual thinking Dev could possibly concoct in that wicked mind of his. And despite the uncomforting sentiment he felt when he shared his past and his spooky, life-long secrets with Jupiter, he was quite confident that when Jupiter found out how old he was, she would at the very least avoid him. And thus, he felt perfectly okay when he spoke to her.

"How far were you able to fly? Were you able to go really, really high up in the sky?”
“Oh yes, very high,” Dev told Jupiter as if he were telling a child a bedtime story.
He took a seat on the floor, stretching his legs out. Dev stared pensively at the crackling flames in the fireplace only a few feet away from the two of them.

“I was swifter than the huntsmen’s arrows and could soar higher than the falconer’s birds.”
He cocked his head to look Jupiter intensely in the eyes, smiling at her. Dev edged away from the flames and closer to the bed before going on.
“I remember,” he began, “on a foggy morning, I was flying over the lord’s fief, where he was hunting wild birds and bears. I suppose they took me as a bird that day…The falcon they sent to attack retreated the second it saw me, it most likely was expecting a sparrow, not a poor village boy…”
Dev laughed. For once, he felt quite at peace.

He yawned softly to himself. What time was it now? 1am? Maybe 2? Dev pondered this as he picked up the cup of water made from dark matter he had set down next to the bed previously.
“Here,” he said, handing the water over to Jupiter in a very tender fashion. “You need to drink.”

Jupiter listened intently at Dev spoke, his story making the young girl's eyes light up in delight. Than the huntsmen's arrows and higher than the falconer's birds? She smiled, actually - she grinned - the expression full of teeth and happiness. And as the man in front of her laughed, Jupiter let out a small sigh - his laughter for some reason feeling her with an emotion she was not used too. Was this admiration? adoration? ... or could it possibly even be a small strange sense of love? She mentally shook her head, that was impossible - even if she did pick up on every move he made, it wasn't like she knew him well enough yet.

As his attention moved, so did her's. He picked up the cup of water he had gotten for her and held it out for. His tone made her heart ache, and gently she took the water - scooting over to the very edge of the bed so that she could drink it easily without worrying about dripping water onto the bed sheets.

As she managed to drink at least half of the cup, Jupiter looked to the stand next to the bed and reached out to set the cup on it. As she did though, gravity had another plan for her - simply deciding that she was too close to the edge of the bed. All within a few seconds she ended up slipping off the bed - the cup in her hand flying to the floor as she brought a blanket along with her. The end result was her falling face up, horizontal in Dev's lap. As she realized this - Jupiter quickly sat up - not able to catch herself before her forehead ended up colliding with Dev's. "Oh my god, are you okay?" she said to him quickly - her own pain being once again of no consequence unless the other person was alright. "I didn't mean to," she said to him quickly and nervously once again - reaching up she lightly laid her palms over the area of Dev's forehead that she had hit - her fingers only wandering a little bit into his hair. "I just... I was trying to put the cup back and I guess I was to close to edge of the bed... and you see..." Jupiter trailed off and looked at Dev - their faces only about a few inches away from each other's but her eyes were still wide with horror at herself and concern for him.

Another second passed though, and in that moment Jupiter's eyes connected with Dev's - she was silent - unsure as to what to do next and feeling just a little bit mad at herself for interrupting Dev's story.

Dev returned his look over to the bright red flames burning in the fireplace as Jupiter drank the water. He wasn’t sure if she had fully understood what he was trying to tell her. Could it really be that she thought lords, poor village boys and hunting with arrows still existed in England, or existed at all? He looked back over to her, expecting to see her put the water on the nightstand, but instead just catching a glimpse of Jupiter falling out of the bed, sending the cup and water airborne and taking the blankets down with her…
The fireplace extinguished, as the cup and water had landed in the fire, and thus, the room was dark except for the soft light coming from the bathroom. The cup itself had melted into water and then evaporated under the heat of the flames, bringing wisps of smoke and dark gas over to the two. Dev caught the scent of eucalyptus and something minty.

All of a sudden, he felt an amount of weight in his lap, and he look down to see Jupiter sitting horizontally on his lap. As he looked down at her, however, it seemed that their movements were parallel, because Jupiter sat up and managed to have her head collide with the right side of his forehead. He felt a sharp pain, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
“Oh my god, are you okay? I didn’t mean to,” she asked and apologized to him, and Dev, still slightly confused, felt her hands go to his forehead.
“Yes, I’m okay,” Dev managed to reply. “What about you? Does anything hurt?”
He gently brushed any hair from her face that had strayed in her fall.

Dev inhaled the dark gas again, still catching the mysterious aroma he got before. What did he smell? Usually, Dev smelt the worst things when he smelt dark gas – gasoline, cigarette smoke, sea water…He continued to inhale the air around him as Jupiter continued to speak.
“I just... I was trying to put the cup back and I guess I was too close to edge of the bed... and you see..."
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it…”
Dev looked straight down at Jupiter, and she trailed off and fell silent at their eye contact grew more and more intense. He could just make out her facial features in the dark – her blue, misty eyes, her fair, clear skin, her long, golden-brown hair, and her light, rosy lips…
Before he could even think, Dev moved closer to Jupiter and placed his own lips against her’s.