Seraphine

forty one

Luca 

My Seraphine. 

My Seraphine. 

My Seraphine. 

Luca was so filled with rage when he heard her speak through the phone, and then confusion, and then a loss so vast it left him with nothing. He was sure his partners had seen it, sure they had sensed his weakness, and he was grateful neither of them had asked about it. 

All he could think about was ripping Derek to shreds with his bare hands, and then carrying his Seraphine back home.

Where she belongs. 

He lingers against her skin, his lips almost quivering as he kisses her forehead, and for a moment Luca is engulfed in pure silence. No anxiety, no lust for violence, no need nor want for anything. 

For everything he could ever want or need was right here, leaning against him, her knees buckling as he pulls away and a sigh escaping her parted lips.

Luca stares down at his Seraphine, eyes half lidded as he takes in her figure, damp hair leaving wet spots on Enzo's shirt that falls off of one shoulder, teasing him with her creamy skin. Her arms are still by her side, and Luca gazes down at them, noting each finger-shaped bruise he can find on them, before his eyes jump to the ones around her neck.

As he stares at her, he comes to a realization that doesn't shock him at all: 

Even broken, Seraphine is beautiful.

He pulls away from her, his body screaming for him to take her into his arms and never let go, but his mind reasons that it's too soon, and she needs space, not a cage. 

Luca risks a glance over his shoulder as he opens the door and sees Seraphine's eyes closed, her chest heaving, and almost smirks. 

Seraphine wouldn't think my arms are a cage.

"This is your room, Seraphine." He steps through, lifts a hand, and flicks on the light, watching as her eyes finally open and then widen comically. She gasps, one hand flying to her lips, and Luca swears he collapses when he hears a whispered, "oh." 

He still feels the ground beneath his feet, however, so he mustn't have fallen. 

Fallen for her, maybe. 

Luca turns sharply on his heel and steps further into Seraphine's room, trying to calm his racing heart. 

Earlier, before Seraphine had gone up for her bath, Luca had almost confessed his love for her. He'd been so torn, so confused, so lost when he'd seen her, that he feared he might lose her for good if she stepped out of his sight, so he felt he had to make how much he cared for her known. 

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but something kept him from blurting them out. 

Now, though, as Seraphine follows him into her room, he softly murmurs them. 

"Hm?" Seraphine turns, having heard a noise, and Luca raises an eyebrow, gesturing to the room.

"Do you like it?" He quickly saves, and his shoulders relax when she grins up at him and nods as fast as her surely pounding head will allow. 

"I love it, Luca. It's so..." she shakes her head after a moment, and Luca steps up to her, watching her reaction as he lifts a hand and dances his fingertips along her hairline, down her cheek, and to her jaw. He cups her cheek gently, and Seraphine just stares up at him. 

"Perfect," he offers, clearly not speaking about the room, and adoration blooms in his chest just as a blush blooms on her cheeks. She steps away from him, her arms coming up to circle her waist, and shakes her head. 

"It is. Thank you, Luca." Seraphine says softly, and Luca sighs through his nose, letting his hand fall. 

"Seraphine," he commands, and heat rises in his chest when she immediately turns around to face him. He subtly shakes his head as his hand goes to his back pocket where he grabs the new phone Enzo had gotten for Seraphine. 

He pulls it in front of him and hands it to Seraphine, who takes it with a questioning expression. She admires the case, which is a simple clear one showcasing the powder blue device, and turns it on to reveal a photo of the back garden Luca had took himself. 

"What--" 

"It's yours." At this, Seraphine's eyes widen, and she almost drops the phone, making Luca huff in amusement. She fumbles with it for a few seconds before turning her gaze back on Luca, shaking her head. 

He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, and they stare at each other for about two seconds before Seraphine backs down, a rosy heat dusting her cheeks and nose. 

Cute, Luca thinks, his lips quirking up. 

"All of our contacts have been saved. Enzo put them in, so I can only imagine what kind of names--" 

"I will be changing them anyway, so don't worry about it...Lucacris." Seraphine snickers as Luca sighs, making a note to chastise Enzo for comparing him to a rapper. 

He rethinks that note as Seraphine's snicker grows into a giggle, and Luca smiles for the first time that day. 

She's healing already. 

"This window unlatches, leads to a balcony that overlooks the backyard," he moves around her, pointing towards the huge picture window on the back wall. Seraphine follows him, the phone still grasped in her small hand, her eyes wide. 

Luca gets to the window and unlatches it, pushing it open to let in a soothing breeze from outside. The sounds of nightlife reach his ears, and Luca closes his eyes, trying to drown himself in this peaceful feeling. 

Then, Seraphine sniffles, and he spins around on his heel. 

Her eyes are red and rimmed with tears, her knuckles around the phone are growing white, and Luca's heart breaks. 

"Seraphine," he starts gently, stepping up to her so her eyes focus on him instead of the picture window. The breeze flows through, harder now, and Luca can't help but admire the way the smaller, dry hairs framing her face move with the wind. 

He sees her lips part, but he speaks before she does. "I'm so sorry, princess."

With his apology, Seraphine breaks down, her knees crumpling so fast Luca has to lunge forward in order to catch her before she hits the ground. Sob after sob escapes her shaking lips, and her hands drop the phone and latch onto his arms as Luca slowly lowers them both to the floor. 

He doesn't bother to shush her, or tell her that everything will be alright. He simply holds her close to his chest and lets her bury her face in his neck as he lifts a hand and starts to stroke her hair. 

"H-He...h-how, how, how c-could he d-do this to me?" She begs him for an answer, one Luca doesn't know. At his silence, she cries harder, and Luca feels his own eyes prick with tears. 

He holds them back, however, and focuses on comforting his one and only love. 

"Seraphine, I--" before he can finish, she's shaking her head and pulling away from him, kicking the phone back towards him as she fights against him.

"I-I don't d-deserve that, I-I-I don't deserve--deserve anything, d-don't, why are you...w-why would you h-help me?" Seraphine wails, and Luca's heart shatters. He quickly grips her wrists as her fists hit his chest, restraining her as he moves his face into her line of sight. 

"Seraphine, listen to me. You deserve everything, so much more than he could've ever given you, you deserve the world, Seraphine, listen," he tries again as she continues to shake her head and tears stream down her cheeks. Luca shifts both of Seraphine's wrists into one of his hands as he leans forward and picks up the discarded phone. "You deserve this phone, you deserve to be heard, to be seen, to be loved, Seraphine," Luca would never admit it to his partners, but his voice thickens when he speaks to her. Seraphine must've noticed it too, because she sniffles and finally looks at him.

She looks so vulnerable, so weak and broken, that all he can do is sweep her into his arms and hold her to his chest. 

"I'm so sorry, Seraphine."