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Chapter Five: Taste
"I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone."
- from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
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Thirtieth Century: Crystal Tokyo
"Welcome to the thirtieth century, Darien."
While Small Lady padded into her adjoining bedroom to change into the frilly dress her mother had laid out for her the night before, Serenity explained everything to a baffled Darien in a somehow understandable rush of words. Her voice had lulled him into an attentive trance, the soft melody of it filling his mind and making him hyper-attentive to every detail she relayed to him. He learned that he had somehow, strangely, awoken in Endymion's body while Endymion had woken up in his twentieth century apartment. He learned that he would spend a day in his future, while the king of Earth spent a day in his past. His logic-seeking brain hardly computed the illogical truth of the matter, classifying the incident as just another strange, improbably reality that came along with being a revived ancient prince and an anonymous superhero.
He realized, in the midst of Serenity's explanation, that he was really in the future. That this was truly happening. How odd, how bizarre, how strange.
Serenity had halted her explanation to Darien when Rini had come in with a pink dress and sparkling red slippers on her fee. She let Darien absorb the oddity of time which had graced him with a day in his future while she went to her daughter and redid the buttons and ribbons Rini had missed on her dress.
"Darien, would you get dressed while I do Small Lady's hair? Endymion's clothes are located in there." Serenity recommended lightly, pausing in combing her daughter's hair out of her sleepy eyes as she pointed to a nearby silver door with a crystal handle, behind which lay her husband's closet. Darien promptly stumbled into the closet to go change into Endymion's clothes at Serenity's command, still mystified.
Serenity hummed some unknown melody as she heard the door softly close. Her skillful hands undid the child's buns, which were lopsided and frizzy from sleep, and quietly chastised her for not taking her hair down before bed. The toddler hardly listened and Serenity placed a small kiss on the child's forehead as she got up to pick up a golden brush and to pluck a blossom from a nearby flower vase. She returned to carefully brush out her daughters hair, which was not yet long enough to shape into the cone-shaped buns she would wear when she was older, and then redid it with the pins that had been in it. She then wove a red rose bud into Rini's strawberry hair, smiling softly down at her as the toddler locked her arms around her mother's legs, her eyes inquisitively searching hers.
"Why is Daddy actin' so funny today, Mama?" The pink-clad toddler questioned, her words jumbled and slurred from the thumb she slipped into her mouth. The little girl clung to the silken cloth of her mother's nightgown, her tiny hand balled up around the fabric as she hung close to her mother. Her ruby eyes landed on her Daddy as he staggered back out of the closet, the bewildered expression painted on her tiny features almost matching his. She had never seen her Daddy act so…odd. He didn't talk the same and he was walking silly and he was giving Mommy the weirdest looks.
Serenity looked down at her daughter, her fingertips caressing the top of her hair as she smoothed a pink curl. A delicate, twinkling laugh escaped her lips as she paused and leaned down to her daughter's eye level. Her blue irises briefly flickered to Darien – who was currently fidgeting with the buttons on the suit she had provided for him – as she softly replied, "Daddy is not really himself today, Small Lady."
Small Lady blinked in response, her naive understanding not computing the idea. She pulled her thumb from her mouth with a pop, unconsciously tilting her head at her mother, "Huh?"
The queen beamed at her little princess's adorable expression and, unable to resist herself, quickly gathered the toddler in her arms to give her a hug. Small Lady beamed back at her mother, silly giggles escaping her as she threw her arms around her mother. For a moment they stood like that, absorbing one another's comfort, before Serenity stood back up with a sigh, carrying her child up with her. She balanced Small Lady on one hip, pressing a kiss to her button nose as she carried her over to Darien.
He had been watching the encounter intently, his fingers freezing in place from their previous motion of thoughtlessly undoing and redoing a silver button on the lavender tuxedo. His eyes were trained solely on the two, an amazed stare and a sudden shortness of breath making his world stop for that moment. He was mesmerized by the picture of his two princesses, who were being so warmly affectionate. He could not help but note Serenity's elegance; she seemed to glow a soft white light and her presence made him a bit tongue-tied. And Rini, or Small Lady as Serenity had been calling her, made him want to grin and laugh, her sweet expressions melting his heart. Seeing the two of them together, so intimate and close, made his heart do funny things. The feeling was one he had only recently been accustomed to, some strange warmth that occupied itself in his chest every so often. He experienced this same warmth whenever he held Serena in his arms or when he and Serena tucked Rini into bed. It was some sort of unfamiliar, unnameable happiness that he hadn't felt until he met them. Something he imagined was what family felt like, something so pleasantly nice and inexplicably fulfilling.
And seeing Serenity coo at Rini, while Rini giggled and snuggled into her shoulder – Darien could not help but feel an effusive affection, nor could he swallow the ridiculous grin gaining ground on his lips. So this was his future? Waking up to Serena every morning, receiving Rini's fixed hugs?
He could live with that. Certainly.
He had never pictured the future quite like this. Whenever his mind had wandered to their future, he always saw the kind smiles of the King and Queen and a beautiful gleaming city. But there was never any emotion but hope that he attached to the that image, there were no more dreams linked to it other than the happiness he had seen so clearly on he and Serena's future selves. The image had given him confidence in his darkest hour, had been a beacon for him to fight for, and was a constant occupant in his mind. An eternity with Serena, protecting the world with her, with little Rini to look after. It had been something wonderful to think about, something that never ceased to bring a smile to his face.
But had he ever really imagined it? The answer was so clearly pronounced as no.
His imagination did not at all match up to the stunning reality he was seeing, because his dream was not quite as beautiful as this. He had only thought of the big picture, the summary of what was to be. It was really just a vague idea, an abstract concept of what was to come. He hadn't thought of the details, the small things about his future that would bring him so much pleasure. The dream had never been something vivid, but this was a tangible taste of everything he ever wanted.
He had never thought of the minuscule details, the trivial qualities of that future which would bring him what he so desperately longed for. He expected being with Serena for forever, raising Rini, and ruling over a peaceful world. Those were things that were easily seen from the small glimpse Rini had given them of her home, but they didn't scratch the surface of the true reality. He hadn't thought of how his future would not just be full of Serena, but also of those little things about her he loved. He would forever see her smile, hear her laughter, be captivated by her bright eyes. He would forever know the smell of her hair, would forever wake up with her in his arms, and would forever see Serena with her little daughter in her arms. He would have that love he wanted, the love he had been denied as an orphan.
For the first time, he was truly seeing just how much Serena had given him by letting him into her heart. She was the key to his happiness, the mother of that world he dreamed of. She was the beginning of everything, the bonfire of life. He had always known she was vital for his very survival, his own oxygen, but had he ever fully seen how much she had enlivened him? What was he without her? Where would he be without her? Without her he was just a man, with her he was a king.
She was absolutely everything. She was love, she was happiness, she was life.
Had he really never realized just how important she was?
"Darien?" Serenity questioned, a knowing smile gracing her lips as she noted the dazed, meditative look in his eyes. At the name Small Lady frowned, both peeved that her father had drawn her mother's attention away from her and confused at the foreign name her mother had called her Daddy. The little girl had not heard her mother's vivid explanation of the situation Darien was in, hadn't been clued into the details Serenity had spun for Darien after she had ushered Rini to go get dressed.
"Uh. Yes?" He stammered out, drawn out of his reverie by her inquiring tone. He felt his face heat up as he drew in a breath, trying to ignore the desire to admire the way her pale nightgown accentuated her curves and showed off the fair skin of her shoulders and the slope of her exposed back. Instead he focused on Rini's pout, his lips twitching into a smile.
He never got to hear her question. After all, they were destined to be forever interrupted.
"Serenity!" a woman's voice suddenly squealed from outside the room, accompanied by the sound of a foot colliding with the door and an upbeat exclamation of, "I have HOT COCOA!"
"With marshmallows?" Serenity called back immediately as she promptly deposited her giddy daughter steadily onto her feet. The two female royals fled to the door, racing each other with flooding laughter. Small Lady pressed her hand onto the door as if holding it shut, giggling wildly as Serenity paused with her hand on the handle, keeping the door closed as she waited for a response.
He felt a sense of déjà vu. He saw Serena and Rini in them, so much so.
"Nope!" the voice, who Darien then realized was that of Mina, cheerily replied without hesitation.
"You can't come in then, Auntie Vee!" Rini declared defiantly into the door, causing the outbreak of a fresh set of giggles.
"It has whipped cream, though!" Mina fake whined from behind the door, "Now let me in, Serenity! My hands are full."
"Should we let her in, Small Lady?"
Darien held his breath, watching the scene with delighted amusement. No longer was this brilliant entity some untouchable, future goddess. This giggling woman, teasing with her friend, was someone he was quite familiar with. And the tiny toddler was the child he had befriended.
This was the Serena he knew. This was the Rini he knew.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Serenity quickly pulled open the door and stepped aside as a blonde woman, clad in an orange dress with a scarlet bow around her waist and in her hair, entered. Darien noted that she looked much the same, save for sharper facial features and slightly taller frame that very well could have been attributed to heals. Mina swept in without a glance in his direction, instead handing Queen Serenity an odd blue, crystal mug and setting a tray of fruit down. At first Darien found it odd that Mina was serving Serenity, even if she was queen. However, he quickly realized that the food was more-or-less to be shared as Mina took a handful of some indistinguishable purple fruit and popped what looked like a white strawberry into her mouth.
"Good morning Princess!" Mina greeted in a coo as she leaned down to pat Rini on the head and give her a strawberry, "Did you have sweet dreams last night?"
Rini nodded enthusiastically in the affirmative.
Mina's gaze turned to the frozen Darien, who stood watching them with large eyes. She sent him a quizzical look, one eyebrow rising at his odd expression, then turned to Serenity, "What's wrong with Endymion, Sere?"
Rini had the urge to answer, throwing her arms out for emphasis, "Daddy's sick, Auntie Vee!"
Serenity snorted in laughter, her sparkling eyes landing on the frozen man. Darien only stood, unable to make a move or take a breath. His thoughts were racing too fast and her very presence was a sensory overload; she was just as overwhelming as Serena. He had nothing to say in her wake, could not form a coherent sentence or string together a pathetic stutter. Rini's statement didn't even sink into his head, though his eyes moved from the pink-haired toddler to her mother.
The queen watched his slow reactions in amusement, smirking slightly as Mina turned swiftly to Darien and questioned disbelievingly, "Huh? That's weird. You're never sick!"
Seeing as Darien was incapable of speech or movement, Serenity calmly took a sip of her hot chocolate, licking a bit of the crème from her lips as she stated simply, "He is not sick, Venus."
"Yah-huh he is!" declared Rini stubbornly, jabbing a short digit in Darien's direction, "Daddy is too sick, Mommy! That's why he acts funny."
Mina blinked, obviously confused. This was an odd interruption in their daily routine and Endymion certainly was behaving oddly. Normally, he would have sat in a nearby chair, reading a book and joining in on their conversations and teasing without even looking up from what he was reading. Today, he looked like he had seen a ghost, and Mina noted that he looked rather dumb standing there with his mouth open. Maybe he was sick.
Serenity snorted, sweeping over to Darien. She made no move to reply to Rini's assured exclamation, not yet, instead delighting in Mina's look of confusion and the way Darien had snapped out of his daze to look at her for help. The queen was highly amused by the predicament, more so then she had imagined she would be, and her mind gleefully thought out several different entertaining scenarios in which she could place them all in.
However, she decided that the fun would have to wait. She could feel the stress and bewilderment radiating from Darien, could sense the utter disarray of his mind trying to catch up with what he was seeing – which, granted, amused her greatly – and felt that she should probably cut him some slack. For now. She resolved to stop teasing him, but the moment she resolved it she got the thought to tease him further. She grinned at him, laying a hand on his arm and biting her lip to suppress a giggle at the jump he gave at her touch.
Oh, really, it was too much fun playing with Darien. And she really loved that adorable look of uncertainty on his face. Endymion never looked like that. It wouldn't hurt to be a teenager for a little longer, would it? She didn't feel like playing gracious, wise queen today anyway. She wanted to be Serenity, or maybe Serena, and she wanted to make Darien stammer and blush in a way Endymion never again would.
"What?"
Oh, yes, Mina was in the room. And unaware of the situation. Right.
Serenity dropped her hand from Darien's arm, feeling a bit of triumph at the disappointed look his face fell into. She turned to Mina, then crinkled her nose as she carefully thought of a way to word an explanation that would not tip Rini off. The little toddler was too young to understand the paradoxes of time, even with Pluto as a godmother, and although she loved her daughter dearly she did not have the time to answer all of the questions that would surely come. And then there was the whole time line thing. She looked at her friend pointedly, cautiously replying in a slow tone, "Mina, darling, Endymion is really Darien today."
A look of confusion swept over the Scout of Love's face, then a flash of comprehension dawned. Mina's eyes went wide, her hands flying to her cheeks as she looked at Darien and exclaimed, "Oh god! Like, from the past?"
Serenity nodded with a slight smile.
"Oh my god! Serenity, that's too funny!" Mina broke into laughter, "For real?"
"Indeed."
Mina scurried over to him, inspecting him carefully and then placing her hands on her hips, "No way! So you're really Darien, huh?"
Darien swallowed, surprised that he was suddenly involved in the events at play. He placed his hand – or, to be more precise, Endymion's hand – on the back of his – Endymion's, that is – head. He forced his eyes from drifting to Serenity as he regarded the other blonde studying him.
"Yes?" he answered, tone lost between hesitation and weariness.
"That's great, hahaha!" she giggled then turned to Serenity, leaning onto the Queen and lightly tapping her hip to Serenity's, "Oh my god, wait till he finds out what Endymion is up to in the past! You gonna tell him about what you and Endymion did back when you were sixteen, Sere?"
Darien snapped into attention. What?
Serenity's eyes went wide at Mina's intentionally suggestive remark, then blue orbs narrowed at her winking companion. She had just spoiled the game, a little bit, by bringing that up. Now she would have to be a bit serious. Drats.
"Venus." She growled out threateningly, "Could you kindly come with me to help put on my gown. In the other room. Now." She hastily gestured to her state of undress, tugging at the waist of her white nightgown, thought she obviously only provided the command for a private audience with the woman.
"Can't Darien help you with that?" Mina asked innocently, though she wiggled her eyebrows evocatively.
The Queen of Hearts looked dangerous.
Rini, long pouting over the lack of attention on her and oblivious to her kind mother's irritation, raised a hand up into the air and bounced on her toes as she sprung towards Serenity, "I'll help you Mommy!"
Serenity's hard gaze softened as she looked down at Rini. She sighed, feeling the frustration at Mina die at the sight of the toddler's bright, helpful face. "Of course you can help, Small Lady."
And then she turned to the suddenly emotive Darien, who was wearing a decided frown.
Seeing the look on his face, Serenity realized that Mina's behavior might actually have made the game more interesting. She suddenly grinned. Oh yes, the game had just took an interesting turn. She smiled sweetly at him to mask her grin, giving nothing away in explanation as she took Small Lady's hand. With that Serenity, Small Lady, and Mina were gone in almost an instant, Serenity practically dragging her scout and daughter into her walk in closet. The distinct sound of her laughter came out muffled from behind the door, accompanied by the unabashed giggles of Mina and Rini's demands for them to explain what was so funny.
Darien had gone pale, an unnamable, foreign anger boiling up in him. What were they talking about? Endymion was in the past, he knew that. But what the hell was Mina insinuating? What had caused the queen to react so?
What, exactly, was Endymion doing with Serena right now?
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Twentieth Century: Tokyo
"I wonder what Darien is doing!" Serena exclaimed cheerfully as she munched on the cone of her ice cream, attempting to nibble it down to the bottom, where the very last bit of chocolate awaited her. She poked her tongue inside the leftover cone, her tongue barely glancing across the melting chocolate soaking into the waffer. Despite her actions, she paid it little mind, eyes searching his face for some hint. She was incredibly curious as to what Darien was up to. Ever since they had sat down on the park bench with their already half-eaten treats she had been musing about Darien's experience in the future.
Endymion shrugged, teasing smile on his lips as he watched her in amusement. He had long since finished his own ice cream, vanilla, and her cheery improvement made him feel more at ease. He watched her determination in eating the thing in entertainment, finding her both incredibly cute and silly. He was not bothered by her question, in fact it hardly touched his conscience, and he made no move to respond.
The effect on her mood was obvious and while the ice cream was still being eaten her mind did not drift to things more unpleasant then sunshine and roses, but as she swallowed the last bit of the cone and clapped her hands together to sweep away any lingering crumbs, a thought struck her. She frowned, causing a domino effect. His smile subtly fell to a modest turning of the lips, a sigh building up in his chest. He hoped, dearly, that her mood was not going to swing back into negativity. He waited patiently for her to say something, resigning himself to regarding her aura and straining to hear her stray thoughts.
Serena felt unease and jealousy rise up in her stomach. At Serenity. She pictured the queen, her beautiful radiance and wisdom, and felt nothing but fear. Darien surely would see her and scorn Serena, would think she was just a weak imitation of the queen. He would see things as she did, would forever be disappointed that Serena was not the spectacle that Serenity was. Maybe he would push her away, be disgusted with her blatant imperfections. He had seen the queen in all her glory and surely after a day with Serenity he would fall madly in love with that perfect version of her. He would come back and find his princess was nothing compared to Endymion's queen.
She feared this greatly. She already missed him, already felt the distance that lay between them like the thousands of miles he had tried to place between them when he went to study abroad. He was never as open to her, never as vulnerable or affectionate as she was to him. And now it would be worse, wouldn't it?
It didn't escape her notice that being around Endymion made her want Darien to change, to be like him. Certainly he would feel the same way, but with her. She would have to try harder for him, would have to be better for him so she didn't disappoint him. So that he could be Endymion and she could pretend to be Serenity.
Endymion thought it was time to bring her down from her panicked reverie, taking the opportunity to respond to her previous exclamation, "Darien? He is touring Crystal Tokyo. Serenity is giving him a grand tour, I am sure. And the Sailor Scouts, of course, will be pestering him endlessly. Small Lady will be eyeing him suspiciously."
Serena's curiosity got the best of her, distracting her momentarily from her edging fears. Her eyes tore away from the direction she had aimlessly been staring towards, where a group of middle schoolers were throwing a Frisbee out on a patch of grass. Her eyes looked at him, focusing. Endymion bit back a grin at his newest successful distraction as she asked slowly, "Why would Rini do that? She loves Darien."
"Yes, but Darien is not her Daddy." He said, a bit of pride hinted in his voice, which softened as they spoke of his pink-haired daughter, "She notices that he is acting bizarrely and will not understand why everyone is acting strange around him."
"They won't tell her he's not you?"
"She would not understand. He looks like me, he will feel like me, and any explanation would not appease her questions. She is too inquisitive for her own good." He smiled softly, then added, "Besides that, Pluto thinks it is best if Small Lady knows nothing of our counterparts yet."
"Oh." Serena considered it, then nodded, another question falling off her tongue, "And what is it that Darien is learning?" That she is better than me, probably.
He grinned, knowing he now could hook her in. He waved a hand flippantly, then rested his arm on the back of the bench, "Oh, I do not think I should tell. Time line and all that." He nodded sagely, eyes mischievous as he saw her own blue orbs spark, "Pluto would not approve."
"So you mean to tell me that Darien gets to gallivant around in Crystal Tokyo while you refuse to reveal to me one minute detail about our future." She threw back, smile biting at her lips.
"Pretty much." He returned casually, with a shrug and a cheeky grin for good measure.
She laughed and the sound made him breathe out a sigh of relief. She quickly stifled her laugh as she nudged him with her elbow and huffed jokingly, "You're sort of an ass, Endymion."
He clasped a hand over his chest suddenly, features falling into a look she had never seen him wear before. A dramatic look of mock horror, so unlike Darien. "Oh, do not be that way Princess!" he nudged her back mockingly, raising his eyebrows as he pointed out with cheerfulness equally foreign to his voice, "I bought you ice cream, did I not?"
"With your past self's money."
He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding once as he resolved, "It is not stealing if it is your own money."
"I simply stated that you used Darien's money, not your own." Serena stated with a growing grin, "Therefore, Darien bought me ice cream, didn't he? Not you."
"It is all the same." He insisted, nodding again and peaking at her from the corner of his eye. He almost groaned as he could see she had once again taken to thinking, which was proving to be a dangerous mood killer, but he noticed she looked calm enough as she observed a nearby fountain. Almost, possibly, stealthily she glanced at him.
Serena, expectedly, changed the direction of their conversation. She turned fully toward him, drawing her legs up onto the bench and tucking them underneath her. She calmly stared at him, pleasant look still on her face, "So, I'm going to ask you questions now."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"First one." She paused, as if for theatrics, then continued with one raised finger as if counting off, "Does Darien kiss Serenity? Answer honestly. I'll know if you are lying."
He was caught off guard by her demeanor, as well as the question he had not thought she would ask so abruptly. Endymion ran a hand through his hair, not answering immediately. Grudgingly, he answered, knowing already what her next question would be, "I can assure you, Darien does not kiss Serenity."
Serena seemed to be satisfied with this for a moment, but he knew better.
"So does Serenity kiss Darien?"
"Why do you ask?" he knew, of course, that the evasive return question would not work. Truth was, Serenity did kiss Darien. Of course, it was only a small kiss, barely a kiss at all. Innocent. Serena, of course, wouldn't see it that way. He was expecting her to freak out at any moment.
Serena knew the answer to her question. Her eyes grew wide and she suddenly sat up straight, mouth falling open as she loudly squealed in displeasure, "No way! Serenity kisses my man?"
"Possibly." He replied cheekily, squinting his eyes as a ray of sunshine broke through the trees and landed in his eyes.
She was suddenly on top of him, her hands gripping his shoulders and giving him a shake as she growled ferociously, "WHAT? My Darien! How could she? Darien is mine!"
He was utterly amused by the burning intensity of her eyes and by how suggestively she was sitting. She was practically straddling his lap, and in a skirt no less. Her face was dangerously close to his, but the position wasn't particularly distracting to him. He was more interested in teasing her into a fit. He gave her a Cheshire grin, which noticeably fueled her further, "Oh, but she is you, Serena. So is he not hers as well?"
She let out a frustrated noise, tightly gripping both his shoulders as she leaned back and stated with high-pitched emphasis, "This is not the time for jokes, Endymion! Not at all!" Her eyes turned accusingly to him and she leaned in close again to poke him in the chest, "YOU. You know! You know what my Darien is doing right now! YOU know, DON'T you? Tell me now, Endymion. I'm…SHE'S…not seducing him, is she?"
He laughed profusely, tilting his head back and laughing full, deep laughs. This unsettled the furious teen, who sprung from his lap and positioned herself at the other side of the bench, crossing her arms and turning her dangerous gaze to a nearby trashcan. He bellowed laughter as he watched, finally getting out a solid return of a sarcastic, "My Serenity wouldn't!"
Serenity, as it was, was a terrible temptress. She was an angel in the public light, but the public would be shocked to see how skillful the goddess was at getting her way. She knew how to look at his under her eyelashes to evoke his sympathy, how to swing her hips to get him to follow her, how to engage him in a verbal spar that would undoubtedly end with her lips on his. Serenity knew how to win the hearts of men without trying; she knew perfectly how to look at him to make him forget his resolve and agree to her every word. Queen Serenity was completely capable of seducing the timid Darien, it would only take a tilt of her head and a touch of his hand.
But that knowledge did not bother him in the least.
He had no fear now, not like he had then. He told himself that he understood their relationship, had faith in his queen and trust in her. But her voice, his queen's, in the back of his mind told him that he just remembered his experience in Crystal Tokyo. That he simply remembered there was nothing scandalous that happened with Queen Serenity and Darien for him to be angry about. They had, indeed, kissed – but it was nothing more than a simple touching of the lips. And, his conscience reminded him, he had been just as afraid of losing his Serena to his future self as Serena was now.
His conscience also reminded him that he, as Darien, had been furious when he learned of the not-so-innocent kisses King Endymion and Serena had shared. But those hadn't happened yet! Well, not really. He had kissed her neck in a moment of weakness. Which was quite inappropriate. And he had almost kissed her several times. But he had less self-control then Darien and was accustomed to touching her whenever, and however, he liked. He had been married to her for a thousand years, it was hardly fair that he was now not supposed to kiss his little goddess.
He could tease her, though, he knew.
He noticed that she refused to look at him. To frustrate her, he slid down the bench and placed an arm around her stiff shoulders. She glared at the laughing man in response.
Unfortunately, her glare did not have the effect she wanted. He paused in his laughter, grin frozen in place as he admired her eyes. They seemed bluer and the passionate, albeit dangerous, look in them was adorable rather than scary. His grin softened, his eyes mimicking the action as he stared back at her.
Once again, he felt the strong desire to kiss her, and he found it very hard to come up with reasons why he shouldn't. Noticing the change in his features, Serena's eyes softened and she tilted her head at him in confusion. She didn't understand him, couldn't quite place the look on his face. She was caught up then in his eyes, in the way he stared at her as if he saw into her very soul – maybe he did. She held her breath, Serenity and Darien forgotten.
They were quiet for a long time. An easy, poignant silence.
"You are so beautiful, Serena." He suddenly breathed out, captivated by the way the sunlight hit her hair and face. He brushed a blonde bang from her eyes, the tiniest touch of his fingertips kissing her peach skin. She blushed then, she always blushed when Darien paid her attention, and lightly bit down on her bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth.
Endymion reminded himself that she had no idea how tantalizing the action was. She was no practiced vixen, no mischievous queen prone to seducing him into seeing her way. But he was utterly distracted by the action, despite its innocence. He didn't even have the will to chastise himself, the line between Serenity and Serena was becoming increasingly hazy in his mind.
She leaned against him then, her hands sliding to hug his arm, nuzzling him. The action was so familiar, so natural to him. She was always on his arm. Attached to his hip, as the Scouts said. For a thousand years. He didn't mind though. In fact, he revered the action. He too had the desire to always touch her, to always be touched by her. He felt more complete, more alive when she was near. Like her healing touch soothed him, like her lips on his breathed the very life into him.
He loved her affections.
And then she was suddenly dropping his arm, blushing profusely, stammering out an apology in a manner that starkly contrasted with the furious exclamations she had made not long before, "Oh, I'm sorry Endymion." Her blue eyes darted to the pedestrians in the park, none who paid them any mind. She looked down at her lap, nervously twirling the pink diamond around her finger as she explained in a rush, "I forgot you don't like PDA." She gave a little laugh, a joyless laugh, and looked up at him through her eyelashes as she placed a hand on the back of her head, "Silly me!"
He frowned solidly and she took this immediately as a sign of disapproval at her actions. Overcome with embarrassment at making a fool of herself yet again, Serena stumbled, "I really did forget, I seem to always forget, huh? I just…can't help it. I just like being close to you and it feels really nice when you're close to me." Her eyes glazed over, her hands clasping as she brought them to her heart, "And when you hold me. And when you smile. And when you kiss-"
The king cut her off with a kiss, his lips meeting hers in a rush of emotion. His hands went to her face, cradling her head with one hand as the other caressed her jaw with his thumb. Serena was too stunned to respond, but as she melted into the kiss her hands found their way across his shoulders, her warm hands pressing into the nape of his neck as she pulled him instinctively closer. All her thoughts rushed away from her, swept up in the torrent of thrilling happiness that washed over her. All she felt were his lips catching hers and the warmth of his body; her senses only detected the sound of her rapid heartbeat and – faintly – the taste of vanilla ice cream.
The kiss was a bit more than the innocent pressing of lips Darien and Serenity would share.
They broke away for air, their minds vaguely processing that they were in a public park, but they neglected to reach the realization that they were hopelessly swept up with the love that wasn't quite their own. They weren't quite in sync, not quite on the same level. Serena's memories, her knowledge of him, her vision of their love – it was not the same as his. But it didn't really matter to them anymore if they were in sync, they had never in any lifetime been able to resist each other, had they? Princess Serenity could never turn the forbidden Earth prince away, fourteen-year-old Serena could not bring herself to ignore the black-haired college student's taunts, Sailor Moon instinctively clung to Tuxedo Mask, and Serenity would never dare turn away from her husband. And Enymion could never resist the magnetic pull that drew him to her; not as a prince, or as a boy, or a super hero, or a king, or a husband.
They threw all their trepidation out, ditched the constant plague of a thought telling them they were doing something wrong. It didn't matter, not at all, who was Serena or Serenity or Darien or Endymion.
They could never resist each other. Never.
He rested his forehead against hers, fingertips going to her neck as her twirled a strand of loose flaxen hair around his finger. A grin was worn on his lips and once again he found himself to be a hopelessly in love young man. But this time he knew to accept it, to accept the love she so willingly thrust upon him. He knew to never turn away from her kisses, he knew what Darien didn't. He knew to savor every moment he had with her, because fate knew that they were always destined to be pulled apart suddenly and then just as quickly thrown back together. He had forgotten her too many times, had unwillingly escaped, however temporarily, from the memories of her he so cherished so many, many times. He would not forget again, nor would he forget to appreciate her. He would never forget to love her.
"Endymion." She breathed out, blue eyes fluttering open it stare right into his. She was drowning, quickly losing herself. For once, her mind was still, as if content for the moment to accept reality without endless questions and doubts. Her voice had nothing to say, though her lips clearly spelled out his name. The thing she wanted most.
He grinned, broadly, catching her lips once more in a rather chaste peck compared to their previous lip lock. He laughed quietly, easily, and stated in amusement, "Contrary to popular belief, I am actually quite fond of receiving your affections."
"Then kiss me again."
But she didn't give him time to respond, she had already closed the distance between their lips. And then they were lost.