Thank you blueeyedevil06 for being my beta
Chapter 35 - Moving
Darien looked at everyone as they sat in his living room. Never in his life did he think he would need more space because of everyone that he wanted to have over. He had gotten a relatively modest apartment when he got the one he currently had. The rent wasn't cheap, but he could afford to pay much more.
Before everyone had come over, Darien had gone off on his own to talk to the apartment manager of his building. He heard one of the Penthouses was vacant, and he was considering renting it. He wanted more room for everyone. He also wanted to give Serena a bigger space. She was a Princess, and he wanted her to start to feel like one. He would have rooms for some of the others to stay over from time to time too. He wanted Serena to start using his place more. That, he admitted, was partially because of his desire for her. Also, It would give them better access to the roof. They were superheroes after all.
He smirked. He would tell Sammy tonight that they were moving. He hoped that would be nicer for Sammy too. There would be more space in between their bedrooms.
Serena called the meeting to order and held up Molly's invitation to the ball. "Molly told me about this ball last night. It's on Friday for Princess D, and she is going to be showing off her legendary secret treasure. She pointed out that we all know I have the Legendary Silver Crystal, but Beryl does not. Molly thought the next attack would be there."
Molly's jaw almost dropped when the whole group started talking and making plans. Not one person voiced an objection to her idea.
Luna spoke up a while later, "I think I should take you to the command center soon. You would be able to help me search for ideas there. It would be nice to do that tomorrow when they are training again after school." Molly quickly agreed, and the time was set for her to meet up with Luna.
Serena then voiced her secret joy, "So, the training will have to be cut short. We will need to get the proper dresses for the party." She tried to look like she wasn't relieved by that.
Luna did a flip and sent Serena a pen, "Actually you can use that. It's a disguise pen. It will be good to hide all of your identities from Bazzite if she shows up."
Serena visibly deflated, "Yea, that will work. I guess that gives us more time to train too."
Darien smiled at her, "It sure does, Buns."
She fake cheered. No one was fooled by her enthusiasm.
That night after everyone left, Darien asked Sammy to join him in the living room. Sammy sat on the couch. Darien then pulled up the floor plan for the Penthouse on his computer. He handed Sammy the laptop and said, "That's our new place. It's empty now, and the building manager said we can move in whenever we are ready.
Sammy's eyebrows shot up and he said, "Wow, you really hate that Serena went to the apartment with Mina tonight don't you?"
Darien chuckled, "That's one of the reasons. We also need more space for our meetings. Half of us were sitting on the floor."
"True, but no one will believe that's why." Sammy countered.
Darien shrugged, "She is a Princess. She needs to start feeling like one."
Sammy smirked, "For my own peace of mind, I will just take you at your word. No one else will."
"Yes, I want to convince her to stay here more. Everything seems empty without her here." he admitted.
Sammy smiled, "That I believe, and I can handle that reason. So, when do we move?"
"I am thinking about Saturday. Is that okay for you?" Darien asked.
Sammy chuckled, "Yea, unlike Serena, I wasn't possessed by a clock. I still have boxes I haven't bothered to unpack. I will be ready."
Darien laughed at Sammy's way of putting things. He said, "You do realize I remember you being my brother too. I got all of my memories back. Not just ones of Serena. I can tell something is wrong. What's bothering you?"
"I didn't want to bring it up, because I know you are working on it. I really like it here with you. I don't want to go back to my parent's house." he admitted.
"I had an idea on that. I saw you made the top grade in your school on the latest standardized test. Do you mind if I take more credit on that than I deserve? I was thinking I would call your parents to give them an update. I am hoping they will want you to stay with me to keep your grades up so high."
"Go for it. It just helps me get what I want. I would prefer they don't make it harder for you to marry Serena. When are you going to propose, by the way?"
Darien hopped up and ran to his room and back quickly. He then opened a ring box and showed Sammy, "I already got her the ring. What do you think?"
Sammy let out a low whistle, "Wow, that thing is huge! Showing off?"
Darien smirked, "Just a bit. I want her to be able to have the biggest ring of anyone she knows."
Sammy said, "She can just punch someone in battle with that and knock them out!" He then paused and said, "She really will feel like a Princess with you. I'm glad."
Darien smiled, "I am really glad you approve. I wanted to tell you I would be proposing to her. It would be silly to ask you for permission, but I wanted you to know. It's your support we will want."
"Thanks. Hey, what was I like back then?" Sammy wanted to know.
Darien shrugged, "In a way, you are much the same. We did things together growing up though. We would go hunting together, and we had tutors that gave us lessons. That included swordplay. You were a fast learner then too. You were actually better than me at archery. You weren't jealous that I was the Crowned Prince. Our plan was for you to be on my counsel and to keep an eye on people. You were great at spying. Hence, how you found out about Beryl's plans, I guess."
"That's so cool. It's strange that you have memories of all of us that we don't have." Sammy pointed out.
"I get that, so I don't bring it up much. Really, it just helps me. I have trouble relying on people. Being an orphan really solidified to me that I could only rely on myself. Having those memories makes it easier to rely on everyone. It's a good way to get over my trust issues." he said.
Sammy went to stand and paused, "I shouldn't help you with this, but I am going to. Serena has been afraid of coming off too needy since she was a child. Our mother told her she was constantly. You are going to have to tell her you want her to stay over. She will resist the urge to ask every time."
"Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am that you moved in here. This is just one of the reasons. I will make sure she knows the truth." Darien sighed. How could he convey to her that he liked when she needed him? It made him feel secure and loved. He didn't remember what that felt like in this lifetime.
That night, after they headed off to bed, Sammy texted Serena to call him whenever she was finished talking to Darien. He didn't care how late it was.
She called and he answered on the first ring. She asked, "So what's up?"
"I know what you are doing. You are trying not to be needy around Darien." he said.
She nodded and realized he couldn't see her, "Yes, I don't want to be a burden."
"You aren't. We talked tonight about his past a bit. I think he would like it if you were needy. He mentioned that he was on his own as an orphan."
"So, you think that I need to make sure he feels needed? I see your point. Thank you so much for watching out for him. I am glad you have each other." she said.
Sammy paused. He knew he couldn't give away the two big secrets he learned tonight, but he wanted to encourage her. "Serena, he wants you in his life forever. Don't ever be afraid to let him know you want that too."
"I won't be anymore." Serena told him. They wished each other good night and headed off to sleep.
The next morning, when Darien picked Serena up for school, she had an extra bag with her.
"What's this for?" he asked.
She smiled at him and said, "I thought I would bring more of my things over to your place." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Darien captured her chin in his hands and looked her in the eye and said, "Don't ever be afraid to tell me you want to stay over. I would have you move in today if I thought you would."
She blushed and said, "Okay. If you really mean it, I'll move in with you."
He was shocked. Shocked, but incredibly pleased. He leaned forward and gave her a searing kiss. "How about you move in with me on Saturday? I have something I am working on. You are, of course, more than welcome to stay over before that."
Serena gave him a beautiful smile and said, "I love that idea!"
"Mina won't mind?" he asked. He couldn't help himself.
Serena rolled her eyes and laughed, "She is the Princess of Venus. She's pissed I haven't moved in with you already."
"I knew I really liked her." He then put the car in drive and headed off to school.
