Seraphine

forty six

Seraphine

Bounding--bounding, for fuck's sake--in front of the mirror in the large walk in closet, Seraphine grins at her reflection. 

She's pulled on another pair of sweatpants, probably Enzo's, and one of Nico's shirts that falls to her knees. She knows it's Nico's because of the smell: a certain woodsy musk she would recognize anywhere. 

Seraphine pauses in front of the mirror, glances around to make sure no one's watching, and brings the collar of the shirt up to her nose. She inhales greedily, and a smile makes its way onto her face once more. 

It smells so good...

She sighs into the shirt and finds her reflection in the mirror once more, seeing a small girl wearing clothes that are much too big for her size. Even though Enzo is the shortest out of the four Kings, he's still quite large. His clothes on Seraphine are comfortable, but...not right. 

Seraphine stares at herself swimming in the clothes gifted to her by her professors, and is once again reminded of Derek.

Not of her betrayal, that seems to be floating around her mind a lot, but of the apartment and all of her things.

I need my clothes, she thinks, picking at Nico's giant shirt. I can't live in theirs forever. 

She takes another big inhale and is greeted by Nico's scent once more. Even if I want to. 

Seraphine steps out of the closet and into the bedroom--her bedroom--welcoming the sun streaming in through the large window near her bed. 

She glances at the bed and remembers last night with Luca, her nightmares, Damien, and then this morning: waking up happier, calmer, safer than she had in a long time. 

Seraphine takes one more long look out the window before she heads towards the door, slowly opening it and stepping into the long hallway that leads to the stairs. She takes them gently, her body still a bit sore from Derek's abuse, and eventually reaches the ground floor. 

"Good morning, dove," Nico's voice sounds from behind her, and she whirls around to see him two steps above her. 

How did I not hear him come down? 

"Good morning, Nico," she smiles up at him, a bit confused but mostly comforted that she won't have to navigate the huge manor alone. 

"Sleep well?" He raises an eyebrow as he comes to stand next to her on the ground floor, and Seraphine's face flushes as she thinks of Damien.

Does he know? She searches his face for a second before she tears her gaze away from him, too embarrassed. Do all of them know? 

"I...yes, you?" Seraphine quickly recovers, and Nico's grin widens. Oh, he totally knows. 

"Like a baby." He holds his arm out for her to take, and with a smile, she does. He leads the two of them to the kitchen, walking slowly so Seraphine can take in the exquisite golden manor in the daytime, with all of its large windows and grand arches. The sun hits everything in its path, lighting up the rooms they pass and inspiring Seraphine like nothing ever has before. 

"This place is breathtaking," she breathes to Nico as they near the kitchen, turning to face him. She blinks when she realizes his gaze is already on her, and wonders how long he'd been staring at her. 

"You'll fit right in then, dove." Nico smirks at the blush blossoming on her cheeks and leans down, pressing a small kiss to her forehead. Seraphine closes her eyes and relishes in the feeling of his lips on her skin--they're warm, and soft, and she doesn't want them to ever leave. 

Too soon, however, they're gone, and she's wishing for them to return. 

"Seraphine, is that you?" Damien calls from the kitchen, and Seraphine's eyes flutter open at the mention of her name. She glances up at Nico, silently asking permission, and his eyes darken as he nods, raising his arm so she can untangle from him. 

Seraphine takes a step forward, meaning to call back to Damien, but Nico's hand is gripping her forearm and tugging her back into his chest. He leans down, his breath hot against her ear as he kisses the shell of it before speaking. 

"I like this vision you've given me of you wearing my clothes, Seraphine," he starts, kissing down her ear until he gets to her neck. "But I would love to see them on the floor." Nico punctuates his statement by biting into Seraphine's neck gently, drawing a sharp gasp from her. 

Her knees start to shake as he tongues her skin and starts to suck, and a whimper sounds in the back of her throat. At the sound of her arousal, a deep rumble erupts from Nico's chest. 

Before either of them can do anything, Damien's head pops into the doorway, his lips parted as if he were about to speak. Seraphine feels Nico's head lift ever so slightly, and Damien's eyes shift from her face to where Nico's head is, and she unwillingly lets out a small moan as Nico bites down once more.

Damien's eyes darken until they're almost black, and he crosses the distance between them within seconds. Seraphine blinks and his hand is caressing her face as he slowly lowers his head. 

When his lips don't press against hers like she thought they would, Seraphine writhes against Nico and tilts her face up, trying to connect them. Damien sucks in a breath as Nico chuckles against her skin, and Seraphine's core throbs with arousal and need. 

"Damien," she whispers desperately, desperate for him, and finally he kisses her. 

Seraphine feels like she's on fire, and absolutely nothing could put it out. Having one of her professors' lips on her skin was enough to make her knees buckle; having Damien's lips against hers stole her breath; two of them? 

She could be dying, dying a painful death, but she couldn't care less.

Nico sweeps Seraphine's hair from her neck with one hand and moves to the other side, his other hand coming to her waist and squeezing until she gasps against Damien's mouth. 

Sandwiched between them, she's on cloud nine. Feeling both of their lips on her, kissing and licking and sucking and biting, it's almost too much. 

And then, it is too much. 

Seraphine quickly becomes overwhelmed and raises her hands to push against Damien's chest, who instantly backs off, pulling her away from Nico in the process.

All three of them are panting, and Seraphine finds solace in their lost breaths. 

"S-Sorry," she finally says, and Damien's grip on her hands tightens ever so slightly. 

"Baby steps, Seraphine, remember?" She smiles and leans forward, resting her head against his chest and controlling her breathing. Nico steps up behind her, one heavy, ringed hand coming up to rub her back soothingly. He plays with her hair, parting it to one side so his hand can come up to massage her neck. 

"That was...a big step," she manages, and both of them chuckle, Damien's chest shaking beneath her touch and Nico's breath hitting her exposed neck. 

"You did very well, dove." Nico's praise is murmured against her skin as he kisses the nape of her neck gently, and Seraphine's cheeks warm as she buries her head into Damien's chest. 

Her "thank you" is muffled by Damien's dress shirt, but she feels Nico grin against her skin before he pulls away. He claps Damien on the shoulder on his way into the kitchen, and Damien squeezes Seraphine's hands. 

She squeezes back. 

"Ready for breakfast, darling?"

"If you've made it? Always."