"Hah… hah… hah… You are relentless, Glimmer…"
"Hehehe… I have… to be… Dames… hah… hah… I did promise… to make you mine alone… after all…"
In a luxurious, dimly lit hotel room filled with neon lights and red colours, two people were entangled on a large, heart-shaped bed. One was a handsome, well-trained young man with shoulder-length raven-black hair and crimson eyes, and the other was a beautiful, toned young woman with long silver hair and grey eyes.
Her head was resting on his stomach, both panting heavily after a few hours of rigorous exercise. In the end, they only got through half the romantic evening he'd planned before they ended up here, making love the entire night. Only now, when the morning was already upon them, did they finally stop.
"You'll be in for… an uphill battle, Glimmer…" the young man, Damian, heaved, even while a soft chuckle left his throat. "Monogamy isn't really… a thing in my… family. Or among… bloodkin in general…"
As soon as he mentioned his family, the girl, Luna, groaned and rubbed her face with both hands. "Ugh… don't mention your family please, I was just having fun by ignoring their existence. And mine, for that matter."
Having already recovered most of her breath, Luna moved suddenly and with agile speed before Damian could answer. Within moments, she was sitting on top of him, her hands on his chest and looking down mischievously. "Now you'll have to take responsibility by fucking me some more! I need to forget again, and you clearly haven't given up your philandering lifestyle yet!"
Damian, who'd also stopped panting, grinned up at her. His hungry eyes were fixated on her modest but perfectly shaped breasts. He felt his loins stir once again.
A playful grin flitted across his lips. "I'm not sure if excessive sex is a good way to get me to give up my other women, Luna. But if you're willing to try, I suppose I can make myself available."
Her sharp glare told him she wasn't amused, and Damian felt the faint sting of guilt. Deflection was easier—it always had been—but there was simply one issue where he and Luna had irreconcilable differences.
"Grrrr," Luna growled, her teeth showing, her eyes narrowing. She didn't appreciate his obvious deflection. "Are you truly so incapable of love!? I refuse to believe I'm still just a conquest for you. Certainly not after last night!"
They had sex a few times before, but whenever they started talking about a true relationship, or even just when Damian's lifestyle was brought up, they'd end up in an argument.
Damian sighed and sat up, pushing passed her arms, pressing his chest against hers, and grabbing her chin.
"If you think I don't love you, beautiful, then you haven't been paying attention" he smiled charmingly, staring into her eyes with what he hoped was disarming sincerity. "I'm just not built for monogamy. Sex is far too much fun, and most importantly, it's an important toolset in my arsenal. But why does one have to exclude the other?"
Luna was still snarling at him while Damian lewdly licked her lips in an effort to weaken her resolve. Unfortunately, she wasn't so easy.
They stared at each other for a moment longer, but then Luna's expression slowly crumbled. Eventually, she scoffed, turned her head away from him, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Her expression wasn't angry, however. It was frustrated and depressed. "I hate how I can't even tell if you're sincere or not…"
When she said that, Damian sighed and let himself fall back onto the soft bed. "You're letting your perceptions of my kin and family influence your judgement of me again. Haven't I already shown you can trust me plenty of times?"
Frowning and deflated, Luna shook her head. "I trust you care for me… I trust you'll stand by my side in any crisis… I trust you to have my back when I need it, and I trust you know this goes both ways. But… I don't know if I can trust you when you say you love me."
She turned back to look at him with sad determination, pressing her hand against his chest. "To me, love means ignoring everyone else because the person you love is your other half, the piece that completes you!"
Damian looked up at her wryly. "We've been here before, Luna. I believe my next lines involve trying to convince you that sex is just for fun or as a means to control, and then you try to convince me otherwise for a while. Eventually, we bog down on: 'If you truly love me, you'd accept me the way I am', but that goes both ways, so we get stuck there."
With every word he spoke, Luna's depression appeared to become more profound. When he was done, she sighed miserably. "So, what you're saying is, we both love each other, but not enough to change who we are…"
Helplessly, Damian shrugged, and Luna scowled. They stared into each other's eyes for a while, both love and unwillingness shining brightly, neither of them willing to budge on their beliefs or desires.
Finally, a heartbroken Luna smiled sadly. "Well, I believe my next step is usually the walkout, so I suppose I'll have to stick to the script." She bent down and softly kissed her lover's lips. "I had fun, like always… Happy birthday once more," she whispered emotionally before jumping off the bed.
Damian sighed softly and turned on his side. Wryly, he watched her alluring body sway as it disappeared under a layer of clothes. He didn't think there was anything to say, afraid it would only make things more awkward.
It took her only a few seconds to become presentable again before she walked over to the door. Just as she was about to open it, Damian called out after her. "I do love you, you know."
Luna nodded helplessly without turning around. "Yeah, me too…"
She lingered for just a moment at the door, her fingers trembling on the doorpost, but then she was gone. Damian stared at the empty space she left behind, his usual smirk slipping just slightly before he turned away with a groan. "Ugh, it always ends the same way…"
For a moment, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering if he was truly unable to give up his philandering ways… When his many past conquests passed through his mind, he shook his head, a lustful grin on his lips. "No, I'd be miserable, not to mention handicapped in my dealings."
In the end, he sighed reluctantly. "Oh well, perhaps Blood- and Moonkin really weren't made to be together. I hope she'll still consider a partnership."
Staying silent for a moment, he looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Eventually, he smirked wryly and chuckled. "Well, at least that means we won't have our families to contend with… unless one of us suddenly changes their mind. What do you think, Nova? Will she change her mind?"
An emotionless voice resounded in his head. "The data I've gathered suggests you are both stubborn, Damian. Change is unlikely for either of you."
"Right… It's part of the reason I like her," he nodded wistfully, only able to agree with the Nurturing Optimized Virtual Assistant.
Nova was seamlessly embedded on a chip in his brain. She managed everything, from organizing his schedule to hacking to keeping track of information and even serving as a sounding board for his ideas. Most people who could afford it possessed a Nova.
Occasionally, he thought of it as a her, but technically, it didn't have a gender or even a personality.
Damian stayed there for a moment, thinking about Luna when Nova echoed in his mind again. "Damian, it is almost time for your awakening. Your mother will expect you back at the house."
"Right again!" Damian exclaimed, suddenly becoming excited. His eyes started shining. "It's finally time!"
Jumping out of bed, he quickly started getting ready to leave. It was time to become who he was always meant to be…
Or, so he thought. In the end, life rarely cares for expectations.