The following cannot be posted in-full on FFN as it is mature content (rated MA/E). If you are interested in reading the oneshot in it's entirety, you can find me on Archive of Our Own (AO3) under the same username (LikelyRowdy).
AO3: /works/30671642
The following content is what has been deemed appropriate for FFN.
- Rowdy
/ / / / /
Vergil knocks on Liv's door at precisely 6:30 PM. She gave him a key months ago, but despite the open invitation to her residence, he always insisted on knocking and waiting for her to allow him in. Just like he always showed up exactly when she asked him to. Perhaps it was a habit borne from the value that he placed on his own privacy - something he, as a twin, was routinely robbed of as a child -, or from the comfort he knew was afforded by knowing that no one, no matter how welcome, would barge into his space. Whatever the case, he is there. At 6:30. Just as she'd asked him to be.
A greeting catches in Liv's throat and transforms into a light gasp as she is presented with a flower. Unlike the wilted posies in her window, it stands tall - fresh white blossoms and still-sleeping buds that appear dainty dragging the proud stem into a begrudging but graceful bow. It is beautiful. Strong. Luxurious. Liv's cheeks dimple as she accepts the gift and Vergil bends to brush his soft lips against the corner of her mouth in his own, silent greeting.
She steps aside as much to let him into your her home as to place his gift upon her kitchen mantle, a spot she knows the blooms will flourish in because every morning it is bathed in dappled sunlight. It's with a twinge of sadness, however, that Liv sweeps up the brittle blooms that had previously adorned her mantle. Those were the last vestiges of the flowers Vergil had brought her the last time he visited her home and she was loath to lay them to rest despite the sun having set on their beauty and their scent sweeping out the open window like dust in the wind. But a live plant, she knows, will last. With enough care Liv could marvel at this orchid's pristine beauty for days. Months, if she's lucky. Longer still if she nurtures it once the petals have fallen and only the stem and proud leaves remain. It might even bloom again.
Arms circle Liv's waist from behind and she leans into the tender embrace. "Happy birthday." She tips her head back at his words so softly spoken and gets a good look at him. Even upside down, Vergil is beautiful; curling over her, bowing like the orchid beneath its blooms.
"I love it. Thank you."
They stand there, embracing and being embraced. Basking in each other's company after a long day until another knock signals the arrival of food. "I hope you like Chinese food." It's rhetorical. She know that he does. The two of them have eaten it together enough for Liv to know that, but she says it anyway to fill the silence. To start conversation.
While Vergil hangs his coat in the hallway closet and retrieves the food, Liv pops open a bottle of wine and pours two generous glasses. Not enough to inebriate them, but enough to make tonight feel like a celebration. She hands him a glass when he returns and they delicately clink their glasses together. "To another trip around the sun."
Vergil is momentarily distracted by the straw-gold liquid swirling in his glass before the attention of those frosty blues turns back to Liv. "To sweet intoxication."
"Aww," she exhales, eyes crinkling with mirth. "Are you saying I age like a fine wine?"
Vergil hums. "You are just the right amount of sweetness, spice, exotic aroma, and flavor that leaves me thirsting for you." Liv swears that she sees hunger stirring in the depths of those blues. "And to love, which is nothing unless it is with you."
/ / / / /
Once the table has been cleared and the wine has been put away, Vergil rolls up his sleeves and helps Liv with the dishes. It's mundane, but there's no one in the world she'd rather share this simple task with.
He wraps her in his arms as she places the last of the dishes in their cabinets and lets out a heavy sigh, eyes drooping closed as the weight of the day dissipates with the completion of the day's last chore. Liv luxuriates in his embrace, the little bit of wine still in her system enough to amplify each of his soft caresses as he lays gentle kisses along the exposed skin of her neck before pressing one to the crown of her head.
Liv stands on her tiptoes to initiate a kiss and he ducks to accommodate their difference in height. His lips are soft and strong, pressing Liv's open and then pulling away, a clear invitation for her to follow and slot her mouth back against his. With a satisfied hum, she indulges. As Liv licks into his mouth he carries her to her room, breaking the kiss to lay her down. He cradles Liv's cheeks in his hands, always so gentle when they hold her, and runs a thumb across her bottom lip before leaning in for another kiss, slowly.
Liv opens her eyes when he pulls away, a small, sincere smile gracing his lips that makes her heart flutter in her throat. She is the reason he smiles like that. Liv promises herself that she will make him smile like that more often.
"What?" she giggle; giddy.
"You're beautiful." His lips brush hers with each syllable.
Before long, he's sweeping her fingers aside so he can unbutton her shirt. He leaves a tender kiss in the wake of each button. Between the valley of her breasts and down her stomach as more smooth skin is revealed. Only once the garment has been fully unbuttoned and removed does he return to kiss Liv's lips, tracing their outline with the tip of his tongue before delving in. He removes his own shirt with less grace, shrugging out of it and letting it crumple to the floor so that Liv can run your fingers over the hills and valleys of his torso. They continue to undress each other in similar fashion: one article at a time and Vergil leaves tender, slow kisses across all of it, wordlessly conveying his love for every part of Liv until he is bare and she's down to her underwear.
To be continued...