Despite staying up late, Guiltia woke up at his usual time. However, instead of getting up from his bed, he opted to bathe in the afterglow of the previous night.
He had woken up, completely rejuvenated and blissfully. When he turned to his side, he found his sweet angel sleeping soundly beside him. She was out like a feather.
Angelique was asleep while facing him and clutching the blanket over her chest. Smiling weakly, he removed the strands of her raven hair from in front of her face. Without making a noise, the male continued admiring the serene display in front of him.
There were still traces of their passionate night on her skin. The first hickey he had left on her was still evident on the crook of her neck. While he had marked her as his several times, some of the marks had disappeared from her glowing skin.
There were still red love bites present on her nape, her shoulder blades, below her collarbone and he was sure some of the marks he had left on her skin, currently being hidden by the blanket, were still evident. Guiltia wondered to himself if all those love bites were too much for her.
But she hadn't reacted negatively to any of his touches or his kisses. Her expressions and sensitive reactions had kept seducing him further in the night.
While staring at her angelic face, Guiltia recalled the events of last night. The moment they became one, the way her body reacted to his every subtle touch, how his name had been slipping from her lips so easily, how her knuckles had gone white while she gripped the bedsheet with every strength and how their bodies and hearts had mingled together.
Guiltia brought her left hand to his mouth and planted a feathery kiss on the back of it. Angelique was making him feel so many unknown emotions he never thought he would feel. This happiness he was feeling just by being beside her. . . he will be sure to protect it.
For a moment, he tenderly brushed his knuckles against her cheek.
"Mm..." She let out in her sleep.
While his fingers brushed through her long hair, he watched her sleep contently under his touch. As he continued to do that, Angelique sleepily opened her eyes.
". . . Guil?" She whispered.
"Are you awake?" His husky voice made her heart tremble.
"Mm." She had to stifle her yawn while nodding. Her heart thumped seeing his gorgeous smile. How does he manage to look so handsome after waking up?
...! Suddenly, Angelique's eyes caught a glimpse of his bare chest. The bedsheet was only covering from his stomach, thus leaving his chest and arms exposed.
Now that she realised, she was naked under the blanket as well. Eek! The sudden realisation compelled her to bring the blanket over her shoulder while gripping it tightly.
I-I-I remember now... W-We slept together last night... Flashes of memories from the previous night flooded her mind.
Guiltia's hands travelling all over her body, his lips nibbling at her skin, how he kept kissing her gently to get her mind off of the pain, the way he kissed her tears away, the never before felt ecstasy clouding her mind- the thought of all these memories caused her skin to flush into a rosy colour.
She immediately covered her face with her hands. Stop thinking about it!! Her thoughts were evident to Guiltia, thanks to her readable expression.
Finding her bashfulness cute, the man moved closer to her and put his right arm around her waist. He felt her twitch when he touched her sensitive skin.
"It's my pleasure to have taken your first, Angelique," he claimed, honestly.
"Guil...." She peeked at his face before hesitantly removing her hands. She tried to move closer to him but winced.
"Oww....." Her left hand went to her stomach.
Her short whimper of pain made concern flash across his lavender eyes. He reached out to her swiftly. "Are you hurt?"
" . .My stomach hurts when I try to move." I think I also feel weakness in my legs. It hurts if I try to move much.
"I apologise. I must have been carried away." She didn't want to hear him apologise when he didn't do anything wrong.
"No. It's not your fault, Guil." She shook her head. "I got carried away as well..."
At first when they were making love, it hurt a lot. So much that tears kept falling from her eyes. Guiltia patiently tried to ease her pain and after the pain had subsided, waves of indescribable pleasure had hit them, making them lose themselves in it.
Guiltia lightly pressed a kiss on her forehead. "You must be tired even now. Rest longer."
It was true that she felt worn out from their night activities. Now that her head was resting on his shoulder and his arm was holding her close, she felt the fatigue hit her again. Maybe she should sleep for a tiny bit longer.
The young woman rested one hand around him and the other over her chest, hiding her body with the blanket. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to a deep slumber.
. . . . . . .
"I think it's nice to perform without using the Scarlet moon's powers once in a while," Guiltia commented.
"Hm?" Angelique shifted her attention from the screen, where Eve and Robin were being shown, to the man fixing his gloves.
"Why do you say so?" She inquired.
"Lives like this makes us feel closer to our fans." Guiltia had a satisfied smile while he watched the audience laugh at something Robin said.
The female nodded thoughtfully. "That's true..."
"Well, it's difficult to activate the powers of the prison when we're away from the Scarlet Moon. But it's a welcoming change of pace."
"Mhmm." She smiled. "I'm sure the fans also think so."
The two continued to watch Eve and Robin's interactions during the talk show part of their live. Since Ange was on standby to appear on the stage for his solo, they were left alone in the green room.
"Isn't it time for you to go on standby? Their segment is about to end," she reminded.
"I should." By the time Guiltia had just stood up and grabbed his jacket, Angelique was in front of him, softly clutching his hands before he could move. Guiltia huffed in fond exasperation. "I can do that myself, you know."
Angelique had her reply ready. "All of you are doing your very best out on stage. This is the very least I can do to assist you."
She grinned brightly. "Besides, I'm better at doing the buttons. It's a woman's thing."
At that, the vampire couldn't disagree and silently watched her skilfully button up his jacket. When she lifted her face to look into his eyes, he found himself becoming a captive of her loving smile.
"Good luck on your solo! I'll be watching you very intensely!" She tried not to let her fangirl self surface.
Despite her efforts, her composure broke when his gloved hand rested on her cheek. Guiltia leaned down until his face was right in front of her.
"Thank you, Angelique."
"...!" She shook her head profusely and squeaked. "W-Wait, we can't kiss right now. Your make-up might be ruined! We can do that later!"
"Oh dear." Her sudden claim ignited a playful smirk to form on his lips. He kept his face near her. "A kiss, you say? In all honesty, I approached you with the sole intention of thanking you. However it seems, you were hoping for a kiss from me."
When she witnessed the look in his eyes, she felt like a prey captured in the traps of its predator. She gulped, realising the small blunder she made. I can't believe I mistook it for his everyday actions! His eyes say he's going to exploit this opportunity.
She nearly flinched in surprise when his other hand went to her waist. Like a deer caught in the limelight, she seemed unable to break his gaze.
"O-Oh um... it seems I was mistaken... haha...."
"Hmm?" The view of her ears flushing when he breathed on the tip of her ear amused him further. "I believe you're not mistaken about your promise to do so later."
"S-Shouldn't you go now?" She whispered.
"I don't need to leave until a staff member calls me."
"Nonetheless..." Slowly, he descended his face over the nape of her neck till she could feel his breath on her skin. He slowly slid his fingers over her sides till they reached her thighs. "...We can do much more than a kiss without ruining my make-up."
"I-!! G-Guil.....!"
Guiltia loved the way she unknowingly trembled at his touch and words. His initial objective was to tease her lightly but when she was being this tempting, he might feel like marking her as his then.
Thankfully, a knock on the door helped Angelique put some distance between them.
"Just as you wished, we shall do the rest later."
The way Guiltia smirked in such a devilishly handsome way was too bad for her fragile heart.
. . . . . . .
"We're here!" Robin stretched his arms above his head since they had gone sore after sitting in the train for three hours.
"The train ride here was unexpectedly comfortable." Eve looked joyful expressing how his first train ride went. "I was pensive of such dangerous looking vehicles but the ride was really enjoyable."
"The inn we're staying at is near. Shall we start walking?" Angelique looked up from the gps on her phone to see everyone following her.
"Still, you're incredibly lucky, Angelique. I never thought it was possible to win first prize in a lottery in the shopping district." Robin had heard about the rolling box kind of lottery, the one where one had to spin a box and get a ball out of it. It was a sight to behold when his friend was the one to pull the golden ball.
The raven haired female giggled. "I am lucky, really. Just when I was thinking that you guys should take a break from your relentless practices for the Visual Prison finals, I won five tickets to the hot springs!"
"Too bad we can't bring Pannya though," Ange sulked, feeling bad for leaving the cat alone.
"Yeah, I hope Pannya will be alright."
"Don't worry." Guiltia was the one to assure the twins. "We have left enough food for the day. Besides, Pannya is smart enough to take care of itself."
"Guil's right. Let's take this chance to unwind. That goes for you too, Angelique. You've been pretty busy with your work and the cafe lately." Eve had an excited expression since it was his first time staying at a Japanese inn.
The group of five had reached their destination within five minutes. All of them were staying in a family sized room, which was large enough to accommodate five people. One by one, everyone changed into the yukata provided by the inn.
Haa.... it's certainly calming to be surrounded by nature. Angelique stared outside. Robin and Eve were constantly taking pictures while the three waited for Guiltia and Ange to arrive from their room.
Since he had never worn one, Guiltia was completely unaware as to how to wear one. Unlike him, Eve and Robin had watched instructional videos before coming so they were able to wear their yukata perfectly. Noticing his vampire parent's distress, Ange offered to help him put on the yukata.
"It's actually simpler than it seems."
"Right?"
Hearing Guiltia and Ange's voices approaching, the three turned around only to have their breaths get caught. They were wearing yukatas of the same design and yet.... Guiltia seemed ethereal in it. The traditional wear seemed to have increased his eloquence and regality.
"Guil-san....is rocking that look." Robin mumbled. The rest wholeheartedly agreed.
The man in question sighed. "Enough about me. Have you decided where to go first?"
"Yup!" Ange and Robin looked the most excited to play pingpong. Following their lead, they also enjoyed the natural beauty surrounding the place and also the main attraction- the hot springs.
After soaking in the hot springs and having their fatigue washed away, they enjoyed the dinner that was served in their room.
"Japanese sake has a unique taste. It's easier to drink and also goes well with the food." Guiltia emptied his small cup of drink, all the while appreciating the quality of the alcohol.
"Let me pour you more." Angelique offered. Since everyone prohibited her from alcohol consumption because of her low tolerance, she had to settle for watching him enjoy it.
"This karaage is delicious!" Ange had stars in his eyes when talking about his favourite food; which soon changed to a pouting face. "Robin! I was saving that karaage for the end."
"Hehe... sorry, Ange." Knowing that his friend wasn't the least bit remorseful, the brunette boy swiftly took his favourite treat, making Robin whine.
"That was my wagashi!"
"That's what you get for taking my favourite food." Ange stuck out his tongue playfully.
"Come on boys. Don't play with your food like that. You two still have the other's favourite on your plates. Why don't you share it?" Eve acted as the mediator, himself being amused at their adorable and boyish banter.
When everyone was ready to lie on their own futon, Robin had a sudden idea to make their sleeping arrangement interesting.
"Just going to sleep like that is boring and lonely. Let's play a game and see who gets to sleep next to who!"
"I refuse." Of course, Robin's enthusiastic proposal to play board games was rejected by Guiltia, who was content with getting the place between Ange and Angelique. "I don't see the necessity of it."
Thanks to being perceptive, Robin caught on the reason why he didn't want to participate in the game. If he wanted to persuade Guiltia, then he needed to come up with a reward.
With a teasing smile, Robin proposed, "The winner gets to sleep next to Angelique, our lucky charm. The lesser the point, the further he'll sleep from her. How's that?"
Angelique was caught off guard when she got classified as the reward. But when she saw the shrouded determination in Guiltia's eyes, she found the game to be quite entertaining.
"So?" A playful smile tugged at her lips amidst her excitement. "Will you all battle for me? I look forward to seeing how it ends."
The game was on. . . . . . . or so Guiltia thought.
"When I'm sleeping between all of you, it feels reassuring and safe." Robin proclaimed as he glanced at his right and left. "The hot spring made my body feel much lighter too!"
"I have to agree. My mind feels at ease to be with everyone like this. It's almost like a sleepover." Eve covered himself with his blanket, enjoying its warmth.
Meanwhile, Guiltia blankly stared at the ceiling. Twist of fate had resulted in him with the least number of points, thus becoming the loser. Unexpectedly, Ange won with a huge margin and happily pulled his futon next to his sister's. On Ange's left were Robin and Eve. Guiltia was on the left to Eve. They formed a horizontal line by placing their futons next to one another.
At first he definitely felt bitter. He had intended to admire his beautiful lover in her yukata. The yukata fit her perfectly and it only made her more graceful than ever. Devastatingly, he ended up being furthest from her. However, when he heard the quiet, happy giggles of the siblings, his heart melted and he came to terms with the results.
"Sleeping like this.... isn't bad once in a while," he added to Eve's words.
Wondering why he wasn't hearing the twins' voices, he propped himself up on his elbows shortly after. His features softened when he found them asleep already, while holding the other's hand. His heart felt full at that.
Before he laid down completely, Guiltia shared small smiles with Robin and Eve. The two felt the same warmth when they saw the bond between the twins.
"Good night."
"Good night..."
"Good night, Guil-san, Eve-san."
To be continued...