She was growing up.
This fact wouldn't have ever come to her in the past. All her life, Chise had been so involved with her past to where she grew blind to her future. She wouldn't have ever imagined ending up where she was now. She was certain that, by this point, she would've been far long gone and merely left as a faint memory among those who remembered her. She thought she'd die young, not only because of her curse, but from the many people out there who wished nothing but harm for her.
She was 18 now.
Elias had done many good and bad things. She remembered them well, though she chose to keep the good ones close to her heart. He changed her life buying her from the auction that day. The position she put herself hadn't been taken advantage of, and it was only because of Elias' care for her had she been able to come this far. He treated her like she was everything to him, and Chise was thoroughly convinced that was true. She felt the same way about him.
But it was only now she started getting new thoughts. Ones that intruded the purity of her brain. Thoughts that kept her up at night and warm underneath her sheets. Images in her mind that seemed to be permanently glued into her skull; never to leave her eyes the moment she imagined them. She knew very well who was on her mind all the time. Ruth did as well.
It was Elias.
Chise always thought about him. Not out of an obsession or incessant love. She wouldn't doubt those past feelings. But the way she thought about him now was...different. She thought about certain parts of him - physically - that one didn't matter to her. She had the image of them stuck in her mind, and she now found her once peaceful mind now torn to pieces at these invading thoughts. They were all unconscious and completely out from her grasp. They'd come to her at times she didn't want them to. And that included her exhausted nights where she was kept up by these impure thoughts and scenarios she imagined.
She always wondered about Elias' form. Not the ones he'd taken to situate to the world or disguise himself among the humans...the one he was gifted with from birth. The tall, unsettling creature that towered over her many years ago...the incomprehensible body structure and overwhelming stature of what Elias was truly meant to be. She wondered if he'd have ever resulted to that form again...if he'd ever use it in proof of his raw self or when he succumbed to his desires. Her thoughts wandered around that the most.
She was tainted with these impurities. These questions that left her longing for Elias in ways she had never known before. An attraction that was entirely new to her...a feeling that made her have the most pressured dream of her life. A night filled with sweat, concentration, and hot air. The only time she ever had to escort Ruth out from her room in the midst of her ponders. A night that, ultimately, wouldn't leave her mind for the rest of her existence.
It was during tea time that Chise decided to bring the matter up. She and Elias had been drinking their usual share of Silky's brews that she made every day. Chise enjoyed the coldness of her own tea while Elias preferred his hot. She set down her cup easily on the plate while Elias carefully hovered his own over the same one. He set it down with caution, and continued to read from the book held in his hand. She had no idea if he was too preoccupied to notice, but during their whole session, the redhead had been a bit antsier than normal.
No, that was an understatement. She was anxious. She was feeling these emotions again that prodded her to squeeze her thighs together and close her eyes to take a moment and rid them. The thoughts that haunted her last night were back again, and left a warm redness on her face that refused to leave. She took a long time shuffling in her seat and constantly readjusting herself, using the cool air of the afternoon around them to try and cool her skin. To remove the blush she wore for an hour now before Elias could notice it.
There was a question that was threatening to leave her lips. It was about what she wanted to discuss with him earlier...but this question was a lot more specific. It became the basis of these thoughts - as if the restlessness caused by them wouldn't cease until she had the answer. She found it incredibly important to know, even though it was probably more trivial than anything.
She looked to the table and gulped quietly. "Elias..." She started.
His eyes passed over to hers, gently lifting up his cup and drinking its content while he responded. "Yes?"
Chise had meant to take a moment and pause. She wanted to pretend that the next question she'd ask was suddenly new to her; that it hadn't been bugging her for what felt like ages now. She had hoped to portray some sort of uncertainty so the question would have felt more real - but she tragically blurted it aloud, instead.
"Are you a virgin?"
Elias' initial reaction wasn't what she expected. He managed to spit whatever tea had entered his mouth in surprise. He jumped from his seat and knocked his cup over, which in result spilled in his lap and left a stain near his crotch. He made a pained noise and quickly removed the cup, setting it back on the table and reaching for some napkins in defeat. Chise got up from her chair to help him, but he quickly held his other hand to stop her.
"No, I've...I've got it." He insisted. She could hear him scrubbing it off with the napkin. The redhead slowly sat back in her seat and sat there quietly while she listened to him cleaning himself. When he was done, the two of them remained where they were in silence while Elias took the time to have the rest of the tea cool down on his pants.
He leaned forward and gazed at Chise intently. She could hear the apprehension in his voice when he asked, "What brought this up, Chise?"
"Well..." She hesitated. Would it be appropriate to tell him? She wasn't quite sure. "It's...just been on my mind for awhile now. A dream that kind of made me want to ask you."
"A dream?" He repeated. "Was it recent?"
"Yeah. It was. I had it...last night..." She mumbled the last part.
"Do you remember what happened in it?"
The redhead furrowed her eyebrows at the memory. She felt her body get hot again just thinking about it. Recollecting all the events that had happened...the emotions she believed to have experienced, and the ungodly things that happened in it...she remembered them all very well. In good detail, actually. But she grew extremely nervous at the thought of telling him about it. To admit that he was the one with her during the whole dream - taking her in ways she could only imagine and think about. Chise bit her lip and shook her head.
"No, never mind...It's just...never mind."
He noticed her change of tone and worriedly sat forward. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing." She looked away from him. "Can you call Silky? I want some more tea."
He stared at her for awhile before slowly nodding, and moving his skull to call for the brownie. She came and soon retrieved their cups, taking it back in the kitchen to pour another serving of tea. The two of them were quiet in the absence of their beverages, and as soon as they were back, the rest of the afternoon was completely silent and distant for both of them.
He didn't want this.
Whatever it was bothering Chise, it bothered Elias, too. Her whole demeanor changed whenever she was upset. The way she acted, the things she'd say, and even the responses the magus got from Ruth followed the same pattern. He felt like the outcast whenever something was troubling Chise. She refused to tell him about these things and would often leave Elias to try and figure it out for himself. He wasn't a very good guesser, he learned...he often resulted to the worst of possibilities. Which made him often overthink or overreact with these types of situations.
Least to say, he was conflicted that rest of that day. He tried his best not to talk to Chise too much or too little - interacting with her whenever it was necessary or when she engaged it. He was afraid to upset his wife again. The past experiences he had with a distant Chise never ended too well. And it ultimately came to them preparing for bed that they finally had the chance to talk about it. Elias realized trying to avoid the issue wasn't going to help anything - so he planned on asking her about it the moment they were underneath the covers together.
When Elias changed into his pajamas and slipped into the blankets to sit and wait for Chise, he remembered what happened the other night. How she had left him in the midst of his sleep to retreat back to her room. He didn't quite remember why...or if she ever told him the reason of doing so. But what he remembered was that things became extremely cold the moment she left. Both physically and mentally. He didn't sleep very well the rest of that night. He had no idea if he had done something to upset her or cause her to leave.
Elias hoped tonight wouldn't be the same.
She soon came into the room a bit later, dressed in a transparent nightgown that left her thin figure a tad visible underneath the pink layers. She said nothing to him as she slipped in the blankets and laid down. He listened as she situated herself and gently rested her head on the pillow, facing the opposite direction of him. He turned his skull and watched her intently, and only removed his eyes the moment she glanced back at him.
"...Yes." He said softly.
Chise looked back at him in confusion. "...Yes to what, Elias?" She asked.
"I am a virgin." He clarified. "I apologize that my answer was so late."
He noticed then the blush that grew on her cheeks. He knew right away that that was what bugged her - what had been on her mind this whole time. He hadn't meant to guess the topic so easily on the first try...but at least it was better than playing the "guessing game". He didn't quite favor that method.
The redhead slowly sat up and gently wrapped the blankets around her lap. She looked at him slowly before turning away and hiding her face with her hand. She really was acting bashful now, presumably nervous, maybe. But she wasn't wearing a smile like she usually was whenever she was flustered. She looked like the topic was truly problematic, as if it was bugging her the longer it was on her mind.
"I'm sorry," She apologized. "It's just...I wasn't expecting that answer."
"Did you think I wasn't?" He asked.
"Well, yes." She blinked once or twice. "You've been here longer than I have...centuries, even. I assumed that you'd have...in that time...you know..."
"Just because I've been here for long doesn't mean I've done everything," He explained. "There are plenty of things I haven't done. I mostly fended for myself before you came along. I found no need to try and reproduce - there was no one within my interest around. I was still isolated from humanity, Chise."
Her green eyes glowed softly, making Elias' chest twinge. "...Not even with a creature?" She asked. "Like fae?"
"No. Not even them. I was truly alone, I think." He rested his skull in his hand and started studying the walls. "There was no one willing to have relations with a monster - nevertheless love them."
She went quiet at this confession. Elias really didn't understand why. He assumed that she was still informed about how...empty his life had been. He hadn't realized it until his life got better with Chise by his side. He'd been extremely unhappy and alone before her. The assumption that he had sex with anyone really was without consideration - there wasn't anyone generous enough to give a creature like him the opportunity. And if they had, he would've declined it, anyway.
"...I'm a virgin, too..." Chise admitted.
"I wouldn't have expected differently," He looked at her. "You were young before I met you. And even afterwards, I wouldn't deem it possible. Unless you were...disloyal, or something of the sort."
She waved her hands and shook her head. "-Of course not! I've always been promised to you, Elias. I wouldn't have let anyone taken that advantage of me."
"Neither would I," He agreed.
"I...I just ask b-because..." The blush grew back on her face. She nervously looked away in hopes that he hadn't seen it - even though he had. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately. But differently than I used to...this time, I've been thinking about...well, those things. If you know what I mean."
He did understand this. The notion both flattered and confused him. He reached to motion her head back in his direction and laid his hand gently underneath her chin. Chise was looking at him in awe. It was new to him to see her face so red...he understood why, however.
"I do," He insisted. "But how do you think of me? Like that? I'm very deceiving, Chise. The way you may have portrayed me in that dream, or those thoughts of yours, really wouldn't have been me."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I am only partially how I appear to you now," He clarified. "And I am only an ounce of what is within my human facade. What I really am, Chise - I am that monster you witnessed long ago. I am that creature every fae and human fear. I'm incapable of doing things similar to how you humans do it."
She flushed. "I had...other thoughts that...weren't really human-oriented, either..."
This bit intrigued him. A bit more than he would've liked. He leaned close to her and asked, "Have you, now?"
His hand traveled along her jawline, and rested at the side of her face. He cupped it within his palm and started to gently graze the side of her cheek with his thumb repeatedly, rubbing the surface as she continued to look in his orbs. He was busy studying the details of her eyes - now realizing that the purity they once held were faint. They were still existent, yes, but...not as they were before. Chise gulped heavily and nodded.
"Yeah...and it's only with you. I never think about these things with anyone else. Not even humans. It's really only you, Elias. I love you so much. I can't imagine myself ever...well-"
"I understand what you're saying." He interrupted. "And I love you, too, Chise. I'm happy that I'm inclusive in these thoughts of yours. Even though it'd be much more practical for you to have them with anyone else."
She held onto the side of his arm and slightly whined. "I don't love anyone besides you. It wouldn't be right."
"You humans have quite the connection of love and reproduction." He tilted his skull. "I find it very meaningful. It only proves the loyalty among you with your mates. The ones you love. It is much more fair than in the other species I have seen."
She frowned and looked at the floor. Her eyes slowly traveled back to him as she asked, "Elias...does your species reproduce with love? O-Or do you just do it to...have your own?"
He cupped both sides of her face, and brought the end of his skull to graze her lips gently. Chise closed her eyes while he did this and gently kissed the surface of his teeth. She was a ball of absolute heat. He could tell she was physically feeling what was on her mind now - and he was only encouraging it with this talk. Her cheeks grew warmer the longer his hands prolonged their stay, and he soon withdrew his head so he could look at her.
"I've told you before that we stick with one mate," He answered. "Therefore, we only reproduce with them. I'm unsure if it's out of love or lust...I've never experienced it. But what I know is that...when the time comes, Chise...it'll be out of nothing but intimacy."
She squeaked gently. "Only between us?"
"Only you and me." He affirmed.
She came forward and rested herself against his chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of his scent. Her arms came to rest on his chest as her head came to his neck. She laid many kisses on the surface of his purple skin, and finally wrapped her arms around his neck. Elias rested a hand on her back as he tilted his skull and grazed the back of hers. She got goosebumps feeling his teeth trail along her neck. She shivered in delight.
"Elias..." She started.
"Yes?"
"When we...do do that," She looked up at him intently. "I don't want you to use your human form. Not even so you can kiss me, or... try and do it the 'right way'."
His tone went curious. "Why?" He asked.
"Because when we make love, I want it to be special." She closed her eyes and smiled. "I don't want to give myself to only apart of you. I want to give it to the real Elias. The man I love...the only one I love. And I don't want there to be any exceptions."
He went breathless. "Chise..."
"I've been yours for awhile, but...when you take me that night, Elias, please know that you'll also be taking the one thing I can never get back." She continued. "It's very special for us humans - the first time. I want to make sure mine goes to you and only you. You're the man I love, and I know that'll never change. You can keep that with you forever, and you can let everyone know I'm yours once you take it."
He brought her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her figure tightly. She had never felt him embrace her so endearingly. It felt like he was truly protecting her. From no real threat, but...an assurance that he'd be the one for her. That no one else could take her so long as she was within his arms. And she had no issues with that.
"I will," Elias promised. "Believe me, Chise. The moment you give yourself to me - the rest of the world will know. I won't ever take advantage of you...you won't regret it."
She squeezed the side of his arms tightly. "I know I won't."