Little bit of fluff before plot moves forward.
Black Hat had fallen back into the habit of popping up everywhere Lita went, though instead of scaring her, he had completely different intentions. Lita would be going to the closet to get some supplies, only for a black claw to pull her in and she wouldn't emerge again for at least ten minutes. She'd be taking a shower and a minute later hear a knocking on the sliding door. She would just be getting into bed when he'd appear beside her. It had come to a point where she hadn't bothered putting on pajamas.
She didn't mind it, even if his private visits were becoming more and more frequent. He was never forceful when he took her and waited until she gave the okay before removing both their clothes. He'd even become gentler, not leaving as many scratches as the first time.
He was also inviting her to lunch again, though she would rarely get to finish it. He had put her desk back into his office, though they would hardly get any work done. He had restarted her physical training, though their one-on-one sessions would quickly escalate into another form of wrestling entirely.
It was strange to think that once upon a time, Black Hat would have recoiled at any sort of affectionate touch. Now he couldn't keep his claws off her. Lita knew it wasn't uncommon for couples to get passionately active after their first night together. It was all new and exciting and she was just as curious to see where this would lead as he was.
But there was also that tiny twinge of doubt that kept persisting in the back of her brain. While Lita was thrilled that Black Hat wasn't afraid to act on his feelings anymore, it still seemed like he was holding back, at least where talking was concerned. He hadn't said much about how he felt about her since their first time. Most of their private conversations would start with, "May I?" and end with, "Please do."
He hadn't even said he loved her. Then again, she hadn't exactly said it yet either. Or perhaps it was too early in the relationship for that? When she'd been with Paulo, she'd said it before their first time, he'd said it after their third. It had been at least the fifteenth for her and Black Hat, though she had lost count by now.
Lita felt like she shouldn't worry. After all, if he didn't care for her, why risk breaking his own rule? Of course, their relationship still remained a secret, even from the rest of the household. Which was fine, as she wasn't quite ready to face how her friends would react.
Unless…the whole Rule 10V3 thing was just a cover. For someone who banned sexual acts, Black Hat seemed pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Though Lita supposed he had been raised in a brothel. Or was the rule just some extreme form of playing hard to get? Had there been others like her before?
It wasn't that the sex was bad. Hell, it was fantastic. How many women could claim that they'd done it with a shapeshifting demon? Lita just missed the moments she and Black Hat would just talk or sit in silence enjoying each other's company. She wanted to know how deep his feelings ran, or if he still respected her. At the very least, she wanted to get some actual work done without him pouncing on her two or three times a day.
One day, she finally got up the courage to say, "Okay, clearly, we're gonna have to set some ground rules here."
"How's that?" Black Hat said as he absentmindedly left kisses along her throat.
"Well, for one thing, we just made love atop the blueprints for the museum you want me to rob."
He stopped and looked down at the now wrinkled, soiled blueprints that lay beneath her naked body. His cheeks darkened slightly.
"Yes, well," he said as he crawled off her. "We may have gotten a bit carried away."
"We?" Lita said as she climbed off the desk. "You were the one who kept sliding his claw under my shirt!"
Black Hat smirked as his eye raked over her. "Yes, but I recall that you were the one groping my arse."
Rolling her eyes, she gestured down to the shreds of clothing on the floor. "Do you mind?"
With a snap of his fingers, Lita's clothes were reassembled and folded into her hands. She groaned at the fact that he hadn't made them appear directly onto her body.
"I'm just saying," she said as she started putting her clothes back on, ignoring the fact that he was watching her, "don't you think the others are suspicious enough with us disappearing for hours on end?"
"If you're worried about getting caught," Black Hat said, pointing to the fried security camera in the corner of the office, "I've already taken care of that. And remember, I always teleport in and out of your room, so even if they happen to glance at the hallway camera, they won't know I was even in there."
"Not the point." Having finished with her underwear, she grabbed her shirt next. "At the very least, shouldn't we limit…this to outside of work hours?" She gestured to the littered floor. "Hard to fill out paperwork when it's scattered everywhere."
"Fair point." He approached her as she pulled her shirt on over her head. "I suppose I could settle for…nighttime and lunch?"
She stuck her head through, slightly startled to see him suddenly in front of her, but did not show it. "I need to eat at some point."
He grinned toothily. "After lunch then?"
She did her best not to turn into putty from that grin of his. "We'll see." As she was putting on her pants, her eyes fell upon the scratches on her legs. "Also…not like it hurts that much, but…Flug's been noticing the, uh, marks you've been leaving on me. I can't keep wearing turtlenecks forever, you know."
Black Hat shrugged. "Just say you were being punished."
"That's the thing." She hoisted her pants up. "You never punish me physically. And he knows that." She turned away from him as she buttoned and zipped. "And about you teleporting into my room, do you think you could give me a warning or something? I'm not as DTF around the clock as you are."
"Can I help it if I find your body intoxicating?"
She stiffened as she felt his claw on her shoulder. From the way his body was pressing against her back, she could tell he hadn't made any effort to get changed yet.
"Though I suppose you are right," Black Hat said, Lita masking her disappointment as he stepped back. "You have been shirking your responsibilities."
"And whose fault is that?" she said, facing him with her arms crossed.
He was still naked as he crossed his own arms. "I don't recall you objecting to our…activities."
"Only because you're so damn clingy."
As she poked him in his bare chest, she felt an electric shock in her finger and found herself staring at those dark muscles.
"Like what you see?" Black Hat said, gently pulling her into an embrace.
Somehow, her hands ended up on his chest once again. "Come on, boss, I just got dressed!"
"Just say the word," he said, raising his fingers in preparation for a snap, "and I'll remedy that."
She opened her mouth to speak, only for his mouth to stop her. Before she could melt into his kiss, she pulled as far back as she could, for it was impossible to escape his hold.
"B-Boss, uh…" Formalities suddenly seemed inappropriate. "B-Black Hat?"
"Yes?" he replied, his claw clasping the back of her neck.
It was obvious he planned to go in for another kiss, but Lita had to speak her mind before he could.
"This…this isn't all you want from me, is it?" She gestured between the two of them. "I mean…I don't mind it, but…well, I only ever do this sort of thing when I…I mean…do you…do you even lo—?"
Once again, she was cut off by his lips. She gave a displeased moan, indicating she wouldn't let this go any further without a proper answer. But Black Hat wasn't used to this type of emotion. He didn't know how to put it into words. He had thought he'd made it clear to her. After all, he was not the demon to lay with just any being.
But after centuries of distancing himself from romance, he couldn't bring himself to say the L-word just yet.
So, as he pulled away, he caressed her cheek and whispered, "I said you were the most remarkable being I'd ever known and I meant it. Does that answer your question?"
Lita sighed, knowing this was probably the best she was going to get out of him. "For now, I guess."
She gasped as she felt his claw on her thigh, slowly lifting it towards his.
"If this has become too…extraneous for you," he said in a growly yet seductive tone, "I could be gentler."
She tried not to squeak as his other claw played with a strand of her hair. "Won't that kill you?"
He chuckled. "Not when it's you."
With that, he pulled her in for another kiss. This time, Lita closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of his slithering tongue entwining with hers. She could feel his claws resisting the urge to dig into her skin, and how eager his body was to join with hers again.
Damn it.
She broke the kiss just long enough to say, "Snap those fingers, would you?"
When Lita woke up in her bed, she was alone again. He was never there when she awoke. Then again, Black Hat didn't sleep very often, so it was understandable if he got up before she did. He had kept his word. There were no new scratches on her this time, and she had felt him holding back throughout the night.
Still, she wondered if he had truly listened to their conversation yesterday.
Lita went into the kitchen with no expectations for the day, until she was met with a loud, "SURPRISE!"
She jumped back and looked up to see 5.0.5., Flug and Dementia holding their arms to their sides, grinning excitedly. On the table in front of them was a huge stack of what looked like pancakes covered in cake frosting and sprinkles. The three wrapped boxes and the giant card propped up beside it caused her eyes to widen. She quickly got out her phone to check the date.
It was. The eighteenth of January.
"Happy Birthday, Lita!" Flug exclaimed.
"Did we surprise ya?" Dementia asked, jumping up and down. "Huh, huh, huh?!"
"Sure did," Lita said with a laugh. "With everything going on, I didn't even remember my own birthday! How did you guys even know?"
"I took your wallet when you first came here, remember?" Flug said. "We don't normally celebrate birthdays here, but 5.0.5. insisted we at least make you breakfast and then Dementia got a gift so then 5.0.5. and I agreed that we should also—"
"Not that anyone gets me anything on my birthday!" Dementia said with a huff.
"That's because your birthday is on April Fool's Day." He narrowed his eyes. "The only thing we want to get you on that day is a taste of your own medicine! And it's hard to celebrate anything when you booby-trap the house!"
The mutant shrugged. "Some girls like pony rides on their birthday, I like booby traps."
"You guys didn't have to," Lita said as she sat down, though truly touched by the gesture.
"Yeah, well," Flug said, rubbing the back of his neck, "it was the least we could do after…well, you've really brought…that is, we—"
"What the nerd's trying to say is," Dementia said, coming around to give Lita a suffocating hug, "you're pretty swell, kid! You've become like the glue that holds us all together!"
"Broo!" 5.0.5. said.
"He said that we, uh," Flug said, his neck turning red, "l-like you…too."
Lita felt like she was about to cry. All her past birthdays had been spent with her parents and then later just with her father. She'd never had a birthday party, let alone any friends to celebrate with. Although this wasn't technically a party, it was more than she could've ever asked for.
After eating the cake-like pancakes, Lita opened her presents. 5.0.5. had given her a big pink teddy bear. Dementia had given her a pair of clip-on spider earrings—though she had insisted real earrings would be cooler if Lita would just let her pierce her ears. Flug's gift was a little more intricate. At first, it just looked like a regular, silver, digital watch, until he explained its many functions.
"This orange button records audio, this red one activates a laser—be very careful with that—this black one sends out an alert to us, should you ever find yourself in a sticky situation."
"What's this button do?" Lita asked, pointing to a green one on the side.
"Oh. That one makes it glow in the dark."
She couldn't stop the tears from falling. "I…I really don't know what to say."
Flug shrugged. "Well, I figured after what happened last time, you could use some extra equipment, just in case we're not there to—oomph!"
She nearly knocked the air out of him with a hug. "Thank you so much! This is the best birthday I've ever had!"
5.0.5. took this as his cue to scoop them all up into his arms. Even Dementia was happy to get into the group hug.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
At Black Hat's booming voice, the gang broke apart and faced the demon in the doorway. While the others saluted, Lita couldn't help the sheepish smile as she locked gaze with him. He resisted the urge to smile back, but in his gaze, reminded her of the secret the two of them shared.
"S-Sir!" Flug said as he shook anxiously. "W-We were just…it's Lita's birthday and—"
"I don't care what day it is!" the boss barked. "You're all late for work! And as for you, Miss Ladrona…"
Lita's face turned red as he marched up and grabbed her arm tightly, though not enough to harm her. Once again, his claws were gloveless and warm. By now, she had learned that this was an indication that he was in the mood to touch her.
"Come with me," he said gruffly as he dragged her out of the kitchen. "I have a special assignment for you."
She knew he was only acting forceful because the others were watching. Glancing back, she saw that they were worried, even Dementia. At least the lizard-girl wasn't obsessively jealous of Lita anymore, though she had every reason to be now. Lita almost felt bad to be sneaking around like this, after she had promised Dementia she wouldn't go after her beloved. Almost.
Neither Lita nor Black Hat said anything until they were in the office and he shut the doors telepathically.
"So," she said, "is there really a special assignment, or—?"
She immediately got her answer as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. Moaning in agreement, Lita threw her arms around his neck and opened her mouth willingly. It was technically work hours, but she was in too good of a mood this morning to care. It was her birthday, after all.
Before the kiss could get any more intense, Black Hat reluctantly pulled away. "I have something for you."
"Oh?" Lita said.
This was certainly different to their routine.
"If I'm not mistaken," Black Hat said, unwinding his arms from her as he took a step back, "twenty-six years ago this very day," he paused a moment to cup her chin, "my most prized possession came into this world."
She frowned at his choice of words. "Possession?"
He twirled his other claw. "Treasure? Jewel? Dearest pearl?"
"I get the sentiment," she said, lowering his claw from her chin.
Not wanting to unintentionally upset her any further, Black Hat placed his claws behind his back. "Normally, I don't mark such a mundane occasion, but in this case…"
Grinning, he produced a black, rectangular, velvet box from behind his back. Lita watched in awe as he opened it, revealing the most beautiful jeweled necklace she had ever seen. It had a thick diamond chain, connecting eight oval-cut sapphires. The largest hung at the bottom, serving as a pendant. There were so many tiny diamonds holding it all together, it looked like it might weigh a ton. She was too shocked to estimate the total amount of carats.
"Híjole, querido," Lita murmured.
"Thought you'd like it," Black Hat said as he lifted the large necklace into his talons. "Empress Josephine certainly did when Napoleon first presented it to her."
She looked at him slyly. "Bought, traded or stolen?"
He smirked. "What do you think?"
Lita couldn't believe that she was being given such an exquisite piece of jewelry. One that had been worn by an empress, no less! With all the jewels she had stolen, she had never once considered wearing one of them.
"I…I can't accept this."
Black Hat frowned. "Why not? Her majesty has no need for it anymore."
"I mean…I've never worn something so…so…this!"
After making the box disappear, he gently touched her neck. "These jewels were made to adorn a strong, beautiful neck such as yours." His eye met hers. "Although…they do pale in comparison to the sapphires I see before me."
Lita blushed at the compliment. "Well, when you put it like that…"
He smiled as she turned around so that he could put it on. The gems were cool against her skin, but not as cool as his claws sometimes could be. He took care not to get her hair caught up in the clasp, using one claw to hold her ponytail up. It lingered there, threading through those lovely black strands even after the necklace was in place.
It certainly was heavy. The largest sapphire hung between her breasts. She touched it curiously, wondering how the Empress Josephine had felt when she'd gotten this from her husband. Lita remembered vaguely from History class that Napoleon had adored his wife, showing how even ruthless conquerors had hearts.
This thought also ran through Black Hat's head as he continued to stroke her hair with one claw, the other caressing her shoulder. He had always rolled his eye at the phrase, "Behind every great man, there is a woman." Until now, that is.
These past couple of weeks had been heavenly for Black Hat, as ironic as that was. He'd never thought he could feel this way about anyone, or that anyone could return such feelings. Lita truly was a jewel in his eye, a jewel to be treasured. He'd listened to her concerns yesterday about their relationship. While he wasn't quite ready to make all his feelings known, he figured it was time he show her just how much she meant to him.
"The others are gonna ask questions," Lita said, "seeing me wear something like this."
"Say you stole it in your spare time." Settling his head onto her shoulder, he embraced her from behind. "After stealing all those other jewels for me, you deserve something that's yours."
She giggled as she closed her hands over his. "I already have something that's mine."
Black Hat stiffened, realizing what she meant by that. Did she really see him as hers? He'd never belonged to anyone before, not since he'd escaped from that pimp. Everyone always belonged to him, including Lita. But the notion of being hers as well brought unexpected warmth to his chest.
"Kind of clashes with the outfit though," she said, glancing down at her black long-sleeve and pants.
Releasing her, he took a step back. "That can be easily remedied."
With a snap of his fingers, her outfit transformed into a black party dress. The shoulders were bare to show off the spectacular necklace, half-length sleeves being the only things holding the dress up. Lita fingered the tulle of the skirt, which went down to her knees. Her boots had been replaced with black high heels. Thankfully, the heels were only an inch high, so she was less likely to fall, though it put her more at level with her lover.
"Are we going somewhere?" she asked, receiving a nod in reply. "Where?"
"Anywhere you like," he said, swinging an arm around her shoulder.
She stared up at him in astonishment. "Anywhere?"
"You said you wanted to see the world, didn't you?" He pressed her into his side. "Where would you like to start?"
First the necklace and now this? All the doubts Lita had been having before melted away within seconds.
"Won't the others notice if we're—?"
"I told them you were assisting me with a special mission," he reminded her. "They won't question our absence."
They were really doing this then. Lita had to think a moment on where she wanted to go.
"Sweden," she finally said. "That's where my mom's ancestors came from."
"Stockholm it is, then," Black Hat said, using his claws to tear a portal into the fabric of reality.
Lita couldn't help but giggle at the irony of visiting Stockholm of all places with her captor turned lover as they stepped through the portal.
Their trip to Paris was small change compared to the day that followed. First they strolled through the streets of Stockholm, then they took a gondola through Venice, then lunched at a seaside restaurant in Athens—although in that time zone it was dinner—walked along the beach in Honolulu, attended a street fair in Mexico City, tangoed at a club in Madrid—where Lita quickly learned that European Spanish was not quite the same as Latin Spanish—and crashed an orchestra performance at the Vienna State Opera House. Black Hat had been in his human disguise all the while, of course.
"Why don't we travel this way more often?" Lita asked as he opened the next portal.
"When time passes endlessly for someone who lives forever," he explained as he led her through, "he fills it with whatever he can."
"Wherever we're going, can we get some dinner? That tango really works up an appetite."
"I thought of that. I know just the place."
The place they came to was dark and a bit windy. Lita clutched the black fur coat he had given her as she looked around. They were up high on a grassy mountain. In fact, there were grassy mountains all around. Having lived in the city all her life, she had never seen so many trees. Another thing to add to the list of all the new things she'd experienced today. Touching the sea, feeling sand between her toes, sitting in a boat.
"Where are we?" she finally asked.
"The Carpathian Mountains," Black Hat said as he transformed back into his usual form. "In the Transylvanian region of Romania, to be exact."
Now she was looking about nervously. "There aren't any…vampires or werewolves around here, are there?"
He scoffed. "Werewolves only come out on a full moon, which is not out tonight."
She narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't answer my question."
"You needn't worry, my dear," he said, stroking her cheek. "You honestly think I'd let anyone other than myself sink their teeth into you?"
Lita rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. "So, why here?"
"After spending so much time in the public eye, I thought we could do with a little peace and quiet while we dine." He summoned a picnic blanket and basket with a snap of his fingers. "And I thought you might appreciate the view."
Placing his claws on her shoulders, he spun her around so that she could take in the ever-winding forested mountain range that stretched on for miles. It was a dark landscape, but also serenely beautiful, natural and virtually untouched by civilization. It reminded Lita of the dark yet charming individual holding her steady. She lay her hand over his claw.
"I get it now," she whispered. "You know? Everyone talks about going to Paris or Hawaii or Rome. They're nice and all, but why does no one ever talk about coming to a place like this?"
"There are many true wonders in this world that are left unappreciated," Black Hat said, eyeing her.
In looking up, she saw an infinite number of stars. Without the city lights polluting it, the night sky was clearer than it had ever been in her lifetime.
"I've never seen so many stars," Lita murmured.
"They're much more impressive up close. Would you like to see?"
"Maybe some other time." She turned back to slide her arms around his neck. "A girl can only see so much of the world in one day. I'm a bit overwhelmed."
"Shall we then?" Black Hat said, gesturing to the picnic.
They ate in silence for several minutes, Lita taking in the sights surrounding her, Black Hat taking in the sight of the woman before him. When she started shivering, he snapped up a campfire a safe distance away from the blanket, but close enough to bring warmth.
"Thank you," she said, her smiling face illuminated by the firelight.
It was remarkable how something so mundane as sitting on a mountaintop and dining with another could bring Black Hat such joy. It reminded him of why he'd chosen her out all the beings in the world to be his lover. After centuries alone, he had found someone with whom he could enjoy the simplest pleasures in life. Even in the darkness of the Carpathian Mountains, which he had visited several times, the world seemed brighter than it ever had before.
"I'm…glad you did this," Lita said, putting down what remained of her chicken leg.
"Well, I should hope so," Black Hat said with a snort. "I would hate for you to be disappointed with an exclusive tour of the world."
"Not just that. I was starting to doubt…starting to wonder…" Afraid to meet his gaze, she focused on the dancing flames. "Wonder what…what I was to you." There was a long pause. "It's just that…I have no way of knowing if you really care about me or…if it's just for the sex or…"
She felt his claw on her hand and she looked up to find his face just inches away from hers. The look he gave her was soft, his touch reassuring.
"I don't…do this sort of thing for just anyone," he whispered. "You know that, don't you?"
Lita hung her head. "I should hope not. I mean…am I the first you've ever done this with or have there been…others or…?"
She trailed off as he gently lifted her chin.
"You see those stars and planets up there?" He pointed upwards. "All those tiny balls of burning gas and rock forming an infinite number of galaxies?" He waited for her to nod. "That's what you are to me."
She blinked up at the sky. "Your star?"
Taking her cheek, he redirected her gaze back to him. "My universe."
A deep blush spread across her face as Lita was struck completely speechless. Black Hat figured he would have to elaborate.
"I've lived for a long time, Lita," he said, bringing his other claw up so that he was holding her face. "I've been everywhere, I've seen everything, I've watched empires rise and fall, I've watched the seasons change year after year, and I…I've grown weary. My company and my exploits are the only things that have kept me from going completely mad, but only just so. I fill my days and nights with whatever entertainment I can, but it's all so very fleeting.
"Since I met you, I…I feel less…" He paused, struggling to find the words. "You bring new purpose to my long days, peace to my long nights. The way you look at the world with such fresh eyes, Lita, so full of wonder and understanding, it's…I've never…" He sighed. "It's never looked more beautiful to me."
Seeing a tear fall from down her cheek, he gently wiped it away. "You are beautiful to me."
The confession took a lot out of him. He was breathing heavily from exhaustion. Satisfied and touched by his words, Lita closed the distance between them.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I'll…I'll never forget this birthday. Ever."
"Neither will I," Black Hat said, lacing his talons into her hair.
"Hey." She pulled back slightly. "When's your birthday, by the way?"
He smirked. "I've seen little point in celebrating my birth after two millennia. And with the calendars changing over the centuries, I could not tell you the exact date."
"Then how am I supposed to get you something on your birthday?"
He rolled his eye. "Would telling you I was a Taurus satisfy you for the moment?"
"Taurus, huh?" Lita had read enough horoscopes for fun to know that that fit his personality to a tee. "You do know a Taurus is supposed to be most compatible with a Capricorn, right?"
"Is that so?" Black Hat said with a chuckle. "Then I suppose this was written in the stars after all."
They kissed again and spent the next hour curled up by the campfire until they were ready to return home.
After Alan Ituriel confirmed everyone's birthdays, I realized just how much the characters fit their zodiacs (Dementia an Aries, Flug a Virgo), which makes me think the creator is really into astrology. Seriously, look up Aries and Virgo and they sound SO much like Dementia and Flug. Black Hat's birthday is not given, but his personality suits Taurus most in my opinion, and Lita felt like a Capricorn which fits given their compatibility.
Warning, next chapter might get a bit angsty.