Chapter 79: Blind with Love

Leo barely got up the next morning to do his usual routine. His usually lax nature was a good disguise though for keeping his dad off his back about his extra fatigue.

He made sure he kept up with his hygiene though. But honestly, if things went poorly, this was probably the least of his concerns.

He double-checked, no, triple, checked his phone to make sure he put the right music to set the tone for today.

Other than that, he was essentially running blind into the bear's den on this one.

He could imagine Lyra's room decorated with music posters and dark paint. She struck him as the kind of person who didn't let her disability stop her from expressing her joys through her room.

After surviving the first few hours of the morning he checked his phone for the directions to her place and memorized them accordingly before heading out.

However, his dad stopped him at the door with one arm and stared him dead in the eyes.

Leo felt tense. His dad's gaze was that of a man who could see the end of infinity.

But with a smile, and a friendly pat on the back, all he said was, "Just remember to respect her dad's boundaries if he lays any down."

Leo took a couple steps forward in a daze and then glanced back at his dad with eyes wide open.

His dad tilted his head and snickered, "What, are you forgetting something?"

He then snapped his fingers and said with a gasp, "Ah, no, I get it. You've got butterflies in your stomach. Ok. Lemme give you another piece of advice…"

He then pointed at his lips, "If you do end up kissing, let her lead. I remember one time I did that to your mom and hoo boy…Heh heh."

He then crossed his arms and turned to the side, "I'll tell you that story another time. You run along now, and make sure to call if you're not going to make it back for dinner."

"T-Thanks, dad. Take care." Leo left the house wondering what the heck just happened.

Did…their argument even happen last night?

He was in such a daze he needed to take some of the water out of his carry-along bottle and splash his face before getting in the car.

He didn't get very far out of his neighborhood before having the realization that he had already forgotten the directions.

He wanted to confidently wing it on instinct but sadly, his powers of aura did not translate very well into being a GPS.

At best, he knew their house was on the outskirts of the big city.

So once he got closer he pulled over and checked his phone again, and was relieved to see that he was actually going the right way so far.

But a few blocks down the road later, he didn't take a right turn at the right spot and got stuck dealing with a string of one-way only signs until he found a detour that would get him back on track.

He decided, however, to pull over and catch his breath, maybe listen to a little music.

"She'll be fine if I'm a few minutes late…" He rationalized.

He recognized the sweat on his brow and the knot in his chest, and hung his body over his steering wheel wondering, "But…"

He squeezed his fist and reviewed his plans for confessing the truth and realized…he didn't make any.

Too much stress, not enough concentration.

All he could imagine was the end result of his desires backfiring him in the worst, most ugly way possible.

With Lyra recoiling in fear, screaming at him to get away because he's a freak of nature.

His eyes quivered and he bit his lower lip, but he pulled himself out of this funk and chose, with every bit of his heart, to trust that this last year they spent together meant ENOUGH to stop the worst from happening.

He could see the minutes slipping away on the dashboard and his phone.

He was being stupid. He knew it. But it still felt…like there was that possibility he was right to be anxious.

But he would be wrong to coward out now. There was just a couple miles left to drive, and then he would enjoy the day with her as planned.

Whatever comes during that…would be entirely in his hands. The consequences, the heartbreak. Yes…he would bear that burden.

Before he knew it, he had crossed the winding roads of a humble suburban area and pulled into 57th W Street, which had a bunch of houses lining both sides of the road and plenty of trees planted to form a small canopy.

Finding their exact house wasn't too much of an issue, but honestly, he was surprised by how it looked.

A small two-story abode with a large backyard complete with a miniature greenhouse and decent fencing, plus a brick exterior and sunlight blocking windows.

He couldn't really explain his reaction. Perhaps deep down he assumed that they were forced to live somewhere a little more run down.

But, Lyra's dad was a former firefighter. Guess he had good retirement benefits.

He cozied up his car against the sidewalk and took this opportunity to get his last thoughts in order before heading up to the door.

He might as well have been advancing upon the gate of a castle guarded by a dragon. The softest, fuzziest dragon, but still.

He arrived at the door and gave it a couple knocks. He heard a little shuffling going on inside and after nobody came to answer, he stared dully at the doorbell and remembered this is the modern day.

So one quick ring later and those shuffling noises turned to scurrying, with naturally, it being Lyra's dad who answered.

He had a bit of dirt in his beard and was wearing overalls over his usual garb.

Rocking a small scowl and a little disappointment in his eyes he remarked, "You're late."

But then invited him in with a welcoming gesture.

The entrance had a staircase leading up to the second floor, but didn't have anything installed to help Lyra get down. She seemed to be able to just traverse it like any other person.

Her dad shut the door and gestured at the stairs with a whisper of, "Well, go on. She's waiting in the living room."

As curious as Leo was to explore the first floor, that would have to wait. He took his shoes off and made his way up the stairs.

There he found Lyra sitting on the couch with her legs outstretched on the table and a tabby cat in her lap, purring as she scratched it behind the ear.

She was wearing regular shorts and a sleeveless shirt, but still had her usual vest.

"Sorry for being late, Lyra." He started off with, before noticing that a cooking show was on the TV.

"Ah no worries, Leo! C'mon, have a seat. I'll introduce you to Pyrex."

She patted the cushion next to her and Leo joined her despite his anxiety. Cause what better cure was there than to pet a cat?

Once he was down on the seat the cat's back fur stuck up and it stretched a claw out with a hiss.

Lyra doused his aggression by gently pinching his cheek and telling him, "No Pyrex, he's the friend I've been telling you about."

"Mrrrrrooooww…" The cat purred aggressively, but settled back down into Lyra's lap.

Lyra turned to Leo with a smile, "Ok! Pet her!"

Leo raised his hand but then tilted his head in confusion, "...Are you sure?"

"She may look violent, but she folds quickly to attention."

"...Now who does that remind me of?" Leo chuckled and then went for Pyrex's head. A few scratches later, and the cat closes its eyes, seemingly with pride in its relaxed posture.

"Pyrex…isn't that the name of a storage container brand?" Leo murmured.

"I think?" Lyra probably thought that was an old-fashioned comparison for him to make, but chuckled fondly, "But no, it means 'Pyro' plus 'Rex'."

"Hmmm…" Leo felt at ease, and took the opportunity to look around the living room while he was chatting it up with her, "You never told me you had a cat."

He saw a fireplace next to the TV with family pictures mounted. The most stand-out being the one with Lyra's whole family. He saw that she got her hair color from her mom.

There was a movie poster next to the fireplace from the early 2000s. Dusty, a little worn-down, but displayed proudly for all to see.

Which was kind of the general vibe of this house. Not in tip-top shape, but it was clearly cared for as best as could be managed.

Leo almost forgot he was in the middle of a conversation when Lyra told him, "Yeah, sorry about that. You could've been allergic to her."

She then retracted her legs and let Pyrex hop down to the floor and wander off under her dad's legs.

Leo then remarked, "We used to have a cat that wandered around our neighborhood. It was very friendly, but also rather…promiscuous. A lot of kittens wound up being born and adopted around that time. But I heard the perpetrator was eventually taken in to get fixed and found a lovely home."

"Awww, that's good. A happy ending for all." Lyra then laid her hands down on the couch, sneaking one closer to Leo's own.

"Sooo, how does it feel to be here?" She said with simple, tender curiosity.

She had a light blush in her cheeks, as though if he looked around enough he'd find something he'd dislike.

Sure, there were a couple things that put him on edge, like how her dad seemed to have old beer bottles on display in a cabinet. And perhaps the decor was a little…bold in spots.

But ever since he stepped through the front door his nervously has slowly been peeling off to the point he can look her in the eyes and say, "You have a very cozy home, Lyra."

She turned slightly to the left and puffed out her breath, then sprung right back, "Great! Glad we got that out of the way."

"Ahem."

Neither of them remembered that her dad was hanging back beside the couch.

But despite his stern look he gestured his hand around and murmured, "Do ya need anything? Snacks? A movie?"

Lyra rolled her eyes and smiled at him, "I can navigate Leo through the kitchen. We're fine."

She then brushed her fingers out until he flinched, let out a couple coughs, and then made a slow, steady retreat, "W-Well, if you need me, just holler. I'll be tending to the tomatoes."

Once he was out of the room, Leo turned to Lyra and said, "Ah yes, I was going to ask about the greenhouse."

"He initially built it to grow produce for his deli, but once he picked up enough to buy stock from other people he kept it as a hobby."

Lyra then started to stand up with a smile, "Want a cucumber?"

Leo waved his hand out and shook his head, "I'm more of a pickle person, but thanks."

"Ok! Juuuuust thought I'd ask." She then leaned over and turned off the TV via remote.

She then prepared to walk away from the couch, causing Leo to notice that she didn't have her cane around.

"Um…" He raised a hand to comment but she giggled at him.

"Relax. Whose house is this anyways?"

Leo sucked in his lips and sighed at that display of incompetence on his part. He moved his legs out of the way and she walked by, maybe needing a little bit of hand gesturing to tell where she was going.

She stopped at the arm of the couch and grabbed hold of it, whispering to him, "Well, are you coming?"

Leo turned and felt a little mesmerized by how naturally she moved about, "Where are we going?"

Lyra grinned, "I'm gonna take you on a tour, silly!"

"Uhhh, I suppose that makes sense." He got up and trailed closely behind her, just in case.

She faced his general direction and continued to grin, with a hint of teasing through her demeanor, "I'm…guessing this is your first time going to another girl's house?"

Leo gave it a little thought before replying, "More or less."

This caused her to blush and her smile to wobble a little. She turned the other way and started to make her way down the stairs, guiding Leo along through the first floor commodities.

Obviously there was the boring stuff to get out of the way like the bathroom and laundry room, albeit the former had another old school movie poster hung up over the towel rack.

But Lyra was really excited to show him the "Media room".

It was even bigger than the living room, with shelves upon shelves of movies and music albums covering all formats. It was organized in a way that would make aunt Lunis happy.

Lyra waltzed over to one of the shelves and immediately picked out one CD, stowing it into her shorts, albeit barely.

Leo decided to take a look around himself. There were a lot of action movies, but a surprising number of stuff he'd assume were romantic comedies.

And on the music end, naturally, it consisted of 80% heavy metal and rock. Her dad even had a vinyl player in the back of the room.

"...I'm starting to realize our dads would get along quite well."

Lyra turned around in the middle of walking out of the room to comment, "Oh? You think so?"

Leo caught up with her and though he wanted to continue praising this comparison, he wondered if his dad's carefree nature might not jell well with Anthony.

"Never mind…" He said with a humored anecdote.

He then gestured at her shorts, "So what did you grab?"

She quickly slapped her hand against her hip and pivoted it out of sight, "Nuh uh. You can wait, Leo Whiter."

She was having fun playing with his expectations. He rather enjoyed being strung along.

With a light shrug he remarked, "Ok. Then where to next?"

Lyra sucked in her lips and with a hearty pop said, "Well, do you WANT to see the garage?"

The few seconds of silence that followed ended with them snickering, and Lyra leading the way out of here, "Alright, back upstairs."

Along the way Leo continued to hold interest in the media room, "So where did your dad get all this stuff?"

"Mostly thrift and pawn stores. Did you know you can get blu-rays for a dollar? It's crazy!"

Leo let out an inquisitive hum, "I…did not. But I am not that into movies."

Lyra took a chance to tease him, "I kinda figured that when you hadn't taken me out to one by now."

"In fairness, that would be…a date." It was as the last words slipped out that he realized how stupid that sounded.

Lyra paused a couple steps from the top and started blushing.

"S-So, want a snack before we continue? We got cheese, and crackers, a-and nuts…!"

"I'm fine, I had a big breakfast." Leo wanted her to feel at ease, because if anyone should've been nervous, it had to be him.

But her tension persisted as she walked him down the hallway to the right of the stairs, her movement halting before a door marked with a blatantly telling poster of the "Scarlet Succubus" framed and laminated.

"...No comment." He thought with eyes shut.

"You're totally thinking about this." She noted in haste.

Leo smirked and said gently, "No comment."

Lyra scoffed, "H-Hey, the rest of my room is NOT like this, I swear!"

She clamped her hand down on the doorknob and then puffed her cheeks for a particularly powerful sigh.

"I don't NEED to see your room." Leo pointed out.

Lyra pouted and then twisted that knob so hard it could've been pulled off. She then pushed the door open and scurried inside, trying to calmly remark, "Well…here it is."

Leo walked inside and was rather surprised by how…bright the paint was, leaning towards a bluish purple.

There was some memorabilia of Scarlet Succubus concerts past on her shelves and drawers, but for the most part her adoration of the singer didn't shine through as strongly as he expected.

Instead, he was stunned to find a few stuffed animals on the bed, including a lion.

Her cane was sitting next to the bed as well.

Her windows were positioned to let her look into the backyard, and were covered by lacy black curtains.

He took a couple steps forward and heard the doorknob click, then turned back to see Lyra timidly holding the lock switch.

"Uhhh, feel free to look around. Just don't look in my drawers!"

He…WAS curious to know what other things she liked to wear. But it was a passing curiosity, and he was satisfied simply exploring around.

He felt the air was tense, and now that he thought about it…why DID she lock the door?

He put his guard up and looked over his shoulder to check on her.

She was content hanging back with her hands deep in her pockets and her body leaning to the left.

"What am I thinking?"

What WAS he thinking? Perhaps…slightly aroused by the privacy she pushed upon them?

He hated that he thought that way, but it made sense.

This was as personal as it got for her short of…things he didn't want to think about her. Because he knew better. She wasn't like that.

He froze there, in the middle of the room, and felt alone in darkness.

He was this far in their relationship.

And he was still hesitating.

But…he had a much greater reason now than being lazy.

He was scared.

And yet so very, very much in love.

Even now she was showing different sides of her that he loved to be around.

So surely, surely. There was a side of her that would accept what he was.

"...L-Lyra." With a tight gulp he steeled his nerves and turned around, watching as her brows rose with anticipation.

"Y-Yes?!" She squeaked.

"...I'm going to need you to sit down for this."

He sat on the edge of her bed after she did. She was smiling from cheek to cheek and breathing heavily through her nose.

Whatever she was expecting, he didn't know.

But it was finally time for him to dive into the brave unknown…

"Lyra there is…something I've wanted to do for a while."

"Ok…ok…!" She smiled wide and faced him directly.

Leo hung his head and took a deep breath, "I…respect you a lot. You've opened my eyes to what I've been missing from life. But…I can't go forward with her unless I do this…"

Lyra giggled in excitement, "L-Leo its OK, you have my permission."

He raised his brow and then murmured, "Ok…"

He then started to raise his hands towards her face, "...Please close your eyes."

"Huh…?" She was confused, then humored, smiling as she obeyed his wishes.

He then laid his hands upon her cheeks, which were smooth, yet a little damp with nervous sweat.

If only she knew…

She started to suck in and pucker her lips in spurts, unaware of the gentle aura flowing from his hands to her eyelids.

He was swallowing his anxiety to the back of his throat and hoping for the best. He had no way of knowing for sure if this would even work.

He gave just enough to satisfy the conditions and then slowly drew his hands back.

He watched her expression shift from puckering with anticipation to a flat smile. She dug her fingers into the bed sheet and murmured, "H-Huh…?"

Leo dared to ask, "...What do you see?"

Lyra murmured, "L-Leo that's not…funny…?"

She settled down and turned her head around, "What are…all these colors? They're…waving around. Some are…motionless."

She brushed her hand out, trying to grasp what wasn't there.

She recoiled with a shiver across her entire body, taking deep and unsteady breaths.

"Lyra…" He reached out and held her hand and she stopped moving, frozen stiff with her gaze pointed at him like a puppy being restrained.

"...I'm…what's known as an Aurian."

Once that was out in the open, everything else just flowed naturally from his brain to his mouth, "Everything about me is as human as you or anyone else…but I have the power to perceive and manipulate the power of life, called aura."

"Aura…has the capacity to heal, and build, and do so many other things I want to tell you about. But what I wanted to do today…was fully let you into my world. No more secrets. I PROMISE."

"And my first step to confessing this was to try and heal your eyesight…because you DESERVE to see the world and all its beauty."

"But…it's a delicate process, and I was scared…"

"So this…is what I settled for. Giving you the ability to see aura like I do. And-"

"L-Leo…!" Lyra shook his grip off and his heart immediately sank.

She then curled her bottom lip and put one hand against her chest, "...I…need a few minutes. P-Please leave my room."

Leo took a deep breath and then left without another word.

He assumed the worst. No, beyond that, leaving her alone with this information felt dangerous. For all he knew she could be on her phone telling her dad, or Violet, or the world…

Three minutes…three minutes was all it took for her to shout, "Okay! You can come back in!"

So fast. Why?

He didn't feel tension in the air immediately upon returning to her room.

She was still on the bed, hands resting on her legs.

He sat down beside her and had no idea what her expression was portraying. He had to let the conversation flow naturally…

He caught her smiling. She tapped her fingers along her legs in a cute way.

She took a deep breath and tilted her head his way, "So you're…what…an alien?"

"To make it…simple, let's just say I have powers."

"Powers. Right…" Lyra squeezed her eyes and gasped, "So that means you're…stronger than any human?"

Leo shook his head, puzzled all the while, "I've…not really tested my limits, but probably?"

"...You…could've had any girl you wanted, but you chose…me?"

Leo hung on that statement with a lot of confusion fogging up his brain.

"Leo…I-I…" She swerved forcefully in his direction and grabbed his hands, declaring as passionately forward as she could, "I am SO attracted to you right now!"

Leo's brain went on the fritz so he finally went and said, "W-What…what are you saying?"

"I'm confused. I'm kinda upset. BUT…I can't even imagine how hard this was on you."

"And like…you have POWERS…that's SO cool! You're a superhero!"

Leo got a heavy blush and itched the side of his head wondering how the heck he was supposed to answer this.

Lyra gasped and then pulled her hands away, "Wait so that means your sister…?!"

"Is an Aurian too. We got it from my mom's side." Leo answered quietly.

"And…your dad?"

Leo sighed, "He…is something else entirely."

Lyra was processing all this rapidly and tapped her forehead with her knuckles, "Ummm. And the rest of your family…"

Leo held his hands up and murmured, "L-Lyra, hold your horses…"

She zipped her lips shut, after which Leo whispered, "...You're really ok with this?"

"Ummm…Like I said, I AM upset. And confused…but like…" Lyra sucked in her lips and looked a little demure, "If you wanted to hurt me by now, you would've. I think."

The two had to stop and be silent.

She closed her eyes and smiled, "Sooo this is how you see the world."

"It's…really vibrant!"

Leo smiled back, "Isn't it?"

After enjoying herself for a bit, she turned to face him and said, "Leo, I know you meant well. But I don't want you to fix my eyes."

Leo stuttered, "R-Really…?"

"Like it or not, my blindness makes me…me. My heightened hearing lets me enjoy music more. I can enjoy the sounds of nature during walks! And…can you IMAGINE what a cat purring sounds like for me? It's like a massage in my ears!"

"..." Lyra looked at his face and curled her bottom lip, "...Ok, it's not like I HAVEN'T thought about it. Cause…there's a lot of downsides, and…It SUCKS so much ass to feel like you're a burden to others."

"But…!" Lyra puffed her chest in pride, "I made my peace with that years ago. I'm not going to sit around and mope about my circumstances. I want to be a normal girl…who goes to school, hangs out with her friends, has hobbies, and…"

She turned her head and whispered, "...M-Manipulates the boy she really really likes…?"

"...?" Leo turned his head.

Lyra faced him head-on and hastily pulled the CD from her shorts, "Here…! I had picked out a romantic soundtrack and was going to plug it into my mom's old CD player."

"Then once we were alone…I dunno, I thought you'd finally…work up the courage to kiss me."

She took a deep breath and gasped out her thoughts, "I'll confess! You really pissed me off when you didn't kiss me at prom!"

"B-But…" She puckered her lips and hung her head in shame, "You were fighting your own battle the whole time."

"So now I feel like…the BIGGEST idiot in the world for trying to trick you, because-"

Leo gently grabbed her shoulders and pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes widened and she slipped into total silence, letting him control the flow of passion between them.

His pressure slowly pushed her body down on top of her bed, and they enjoyed this kiss for a couple minutes.

At which point he lifted himself off with a powerful gasp and both of their faces were sweaty and blushing.

"I love you." He whispered.

Lyra's pupils were shrunken to the size of dots and she lifted her legs onto the bed, her arms sprawled out sloppily.

"W-Wow…!" She gasped with a fluttery cadence.

He helped her sit up and then they rested their hands on top of each other on the bed.

She looked him in the eyes, both of them nibbling at their bottom lips.

"...Again?" Lyra murmured, and Leo nodded, his face in a romance induced trance.

This time he let her jump him and press her lips against his. His head quickly fell against her pillows and she took her time enjoying this.

Now, he could feel not just their heartbeats, but their auras beating together as one.

He could cry tears of joy, thankful that he got all of this off his chest.

There was a lot to deal with still, but for now…he was happy to indulge her.

After fifteen minutes of kissing, taking a break, and kissing some more, both of them laid on their backs atop the bed with the sheet messed up and their bodies exhausted.

They both laid a hand on their chests and stared up at the ceiling.

Following a tight swallow, Lyra turned her head his way and murmured, "...I-Is this a benefit of being an Aurian?"

Leo slowly shook his head.

Lyra then blushed really hard and covered her hands with her face, letting out a small, shrill scream.

Leo sat up and murmured, "H-Hey, are you ok?"

Lyra sat up and groaned, "Uuuuugh, no…! I didn't think I was going to give in that easily!"

"A-Ah…" Leo rubbed the back of his head and smiled, "Honestly, I-I don't know what came over me."

"Y-Yeah…" Lyra exhaled and felt a whole wave of relief wash over her.

"Hey Leo…" She turned and poked his right arm, "We're…going to tell Violet and Bang about this someday, yeah?"

"...Someday. But…you have to understand. This is a BIG secret."

"R-Right…"

Both of them heard their stomachs growl and that was a good mood shifter.

"Ha ha ha!" They giggled.

"How about we get something to nibble on?" Leo murmured.

"N-Nibble, yeah. Sure. Nuts!" Lyra excitedly got out of bed but nearly stumbled over.

Leo was there to steady her, and then walked hand-in-hand towards the kitchen, still feeling a little…romantic.

What a wonderful first day of summer~

Next Time: The First Temptation of Erin Dark