"You didn't need me." Complaining to Damian the eyes of the Infinite almost seemed to be filled with tears. Her role had been simple but she treasured it greatly and yet she didn't even have a single part to play.
He had asked her to watch over the Gremory and Sitri peerages in case anything were to go wrong while he wasn't present but ultimately nothing happened. Plenty of the Gremory Gang were injured but the Sitri Squad grabbed them easily enough.
"I didn't and I'm sorry for it. Hopefully, this will make up for it." Casually tossing a necklace containing a ring rather than a jewel as its main piece she effortlessly caught it, her eyes trailing over it in bewilderment.
"Is this a proposal?" Ophis asked with a modicum of hope in her eyes. Despite his adamant refusal over the years and so much more, she had continued to hope. It was a level of determination he didn't expect from her.
"No, just look inside it." Smiling at her expectantly Damian was more excited than she was at the situation though that was hardly difficult. Holding it up to her eye the Ouroboros Dragon would have gasped if she knew what was happening.
The ring she had thought to be just a murky black actually seemed to be a ring of a myriad of colors that just so happened to take a black shade. It was a wide variety of colors that shimmered in and out of existence freely.
"It's a miniature dimensional gap. Well, even though I call it that, nothing about it is small. It's the same size as the real thing so you and Great Red don't have to share." The words coming out of Damian's mouth were music to Ophis' ears.
Holding the ring up to her modest chest she smiled. It was small and she most likely didn't even know it was happening but it was bright, brighter than any Damian had seen in years. It rivaled a young Rias in lumens and its rarity made it seem all the brighter in his eyes.
"Thank you." Her voice was soft, almost gentle in a way, as she clutched the ring close to her. A dragon always hoarded things but Ophis had never done that before now, she didn't feel the need to. But now she had her first treasure. Her treasure.
"Unfortunately, you can't take it into the realm with you so it'll just fall wherever you are. That's why I have an offer." Smiling like a sly fox Damian's words attracted her attention effortlessly. No dragon liked hearing that they couldn't protect what was theirs.
"What is it?" The voice of Ophis was laced with much more severity than anybody could imagine coming from her, a faint black tint spreading all around the room. Few had seen Ophis spread her power due to her observer mentality and now Damian had been added to the list.
"I'll protect your treasure so that you can use it whenever you want. And in return, you'll protect my treasures. This isn't a contract by the way. It's just a promise between friends." Tilting her head at Damian's words, Ophis looked at him oddly.
"Friends? We're friends?" Ophis inquired curiously, not quite sure what a friend even was. She had walked the myriad realms for longer than time had existed, she had seen more than any god or devil ever could so certain things were difficult to comprehend.
Throughout her long life, she didn't pay attention to any one person and instead focused on entire civilizations. For that reason, she knew plenty of war and revenge but nothing of the compassion that life could have. Of course, the one person she did watch over didn't help that.
"Yes, we're friends. That's why, we don't have to be mates for us to be close." Smiling gently at her, Damian extended his hand as he spoke. Looking back and forth between his hand and the necklace she carried she slowly placed it into his palm, entrusting her treasure to him.
"I don't know what a friend is but… I trust you?" Despite her confident sounding words, Ophis was more unsure of them than Damian was. Smiling gently he ran his hand through her hair as she leaned into his touch.
"Thank you. And to be honest with you, I don't know what a friend is either. There's no one definition and it's hard to know when somebody is your friend sometimes but it's nice to have friends to help you isn't it?" Speaking sincerely Damian couldn't help but smile as she nodded.
"It's… warm. Really warm." Holding a hand over her chest once more she felt the lingering warmth that clutched her heart tightly. Never before had she felt her Dragon Heart beat so quickly nor had the world seemed so vibrant before. It was new. All of it was.
"That's good. If you ever need help, come to me alright? Even if I can't help you with everything, I can help you solve most problems. We're friends so I'll help you." Raising his pinky to her she didn't know what to do until he lifted her own and wrapped their pinkies together.
"Ok." Nodding she had little to no tone in her voice but the small smile on her face made it clear that she was happy with what was happening. However, if she knew Damian's true plan she might just turn that smile upside down.
"Now that we're friends, there's no need to be mates anymore right?" Damian asked with a smile, hoping against hope that she'd agree with him. While nothing he had said was wrong and he truly wanted her to have more joy in her life it wasn't his only motivation.
If she could stop asking him to be mates he could finally relax freely. He could never predict when she was going to appear so at times he could be 'wrestling' with Rias and he'd feel her approach. It was stressful and he'd rather it not be in his life.
Although it might not change immediately upon officially becoming friends he could lay some privacy rules that could change that. All that was needed for that future was for her to say yes and he could tell that she would definitely—!
"No." Ophis' voice rang clear, her single word instantly shattering his hope alongside his confidence. "I want to be friends and mates." An unusual amount of determination lay in her voice though neither were in the state of mind to pay it any attention.
"Why? Our concepts aren't even that close." Damian spoke weakly, defeat marring his tone. The concepts that defined his power were Domination from Ddraig, Sin from his species, and Control based on him alone. None of those lined up well with Infinity and Nothingness.
"There is no future, thought, or freedom in control, and therefore, Control and Nothingness are intrinsically connected." Ophis replied swiftly, hardly even perturbed by the leaps in logic she had just taken. It made sense but only at a surface level at best.
"Even if that was true, why me? Great Red's Dream is as Infinite as you are." Damian asked with a sigh. Dreams were infinite and nothingness, an infinite realm of nothing but delusions and thoughts. The concepts between the two were much closer.
"I don't like Baka Red." Ophis replied swiftly, her tone completely devoid of affection. "But I like you. You make my heart race and my waist wet. I don't want your concept, I want you." It was the innocent smile that almost sent Damian over the edge and the middle that sent him back.
"If it weren't for that part in the middle you would have captured me in a second. Listen, let's start as friends like everyone else. If you can win me over, I'll be your mate." Conceding Damian couldn't help but sigh at his own weakness.
"Alright. I'll take you." Ophis spoke confidently, a small grin on her face. Immediately, Damian regretted his words.
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