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The concept of not getting what he wanted was foreign to DIO.
He silently compared himself to a lovesick dog as he passed by her bedroom door for the countless time that day, and each time disappointment sunk in his stomach when she wasn’t there to greet him. He knew that it would be silly to expect that, but regardless he still felt it. If he didn’t know any better, DIO would say this is something Jonathan might have done.
He paused abruptly, his bare feet resting on the soft carpet of the dark hallway. His hand impulsively went to touch his neck to feel for the scar that cemented him to his past and to the previous owner of his new body. He figured she knew by now why he had the scar, but she still didn’t treat him any differently as she had when she found out that he was not human. Not that he tried to hide it, but it was amusing seeing her grapple with her superstition, and he enjoyed the thought that she was thinking about him. His free hand fiddled with a small velvet box, lost in his mind.
The knowledge that she accepted him meant nothing if she still wasn’t his. Well, she was indeed DIO’s and had been since they first met, but she hadn’t been made aware of that fact yet. He wasn’t sure even when he’d tell her. His courting had reached a frustrating stalemate, and he felt as though he couldn’t push any further without making his intentions clear that he actually wanted her, and the idea of expressing such a vulnerable thing was daunting, even more so when he wasn’t entirely sure how she would respond.
He was used to taking what he wanted from men and women without complaint, and he felt confused if not irritated that she seemed so far out of reach. While it was refreshing to have someone who cared naught for his power and rather his mind and presence, it felt strange that she confided no interest in anything more. However, it’d be foolish of him to ignore the way she blushed when his hand brushed against her. DIO wanted her in not only a physical sense; he wanted all of her. He figured the least he could do is make show of his claim in a subtle way. Though he could be upfront if needed, he found himself more interested in subtlety, and toying with her was an opportunity he could not bear to pass up.
The door behind him creaking open caught him by surprise, but he easily cooled his briefly flustered demeanor before he turned to look at where the noise came from. His dead heart leapt in his chest when he noted the familiar head of hair poking out from behind the door and looking at him.
“DIO?” She called out softly, as though she was unsure it was him. As if anyone looked like him.
“There you are,” he chuckled as he easily closed the distance between them and easily towered over her. He brushed her hair behind her ear, though with a gentleness as though he were trying to chide her out of running away.
“Were you looking for me?” She tilted her head at him as she gently touched the back of his hand, easily dwarfing her in size. He had been used to people being smaller than him; it was normal for someone of his height, but he found her size to be endearing to him. So vulnerable . He couldn’t suppress a smile as he felt her hand on his, and he could barely stop himself from baring his teeth when he felt the hot blood rush beneath her delicate, fine skin.
DIO had entertained the thought of making her a vampire should he ever come across another stone mask, but the thought of losing all those endearing little things that made her human was too much to bear for him; but one day he’d have to make that sacrifice if they were to stay together, and it was one he’d be willing to make. In the end, it was her mind that he cherished; the cunning ferocity and ambition blanketed beneath her kind demeanor.
She reminded him of himself at times, even though it was clear they were achingly different; she dwelled on silly things he could care less about, but he knew he couldn’t blame the humans for their shortsightedness, and it was a flaw of hers that he could fix.
“I had been wondering where you had been,” DIO half answered the question, mindful not to show his feelings. “Have you been holed up in your room all day?”
“Sorry DIO; I didn’t know you had time for me today, so I spent most of the day drawing,” she smiled up at him, a genuine smile that melted away the layers of ice encasing his heart. Hearing his name on her lips was a song that he could listen to over and over again on repeat; an obsession that he felt he could never fully satiate. He could barely make out her words as she spoke once more.
“Would you like to see?” she added shyly.
“Always,” he replied after a moment of silence between them; he couldn’t recall there ever being quiet between them that was awkward by any means. He found himself content just looking at her anyway, with a fixation he couldn’t yet find the bottom of.
The little things she did were always the ones that made his heart feel like it was being ripped apart and being forged anew, and as she beamed with excitement and opened the door to guide him into her small sanctuary in his mansion he watched with a fondness that would’ve said everything that needed to be said if only she had been looking. She reached for his hand, clasping it in his, and he once again felt the warmth of her body. He had to force the urge down to bury the tips of his fingers underneath her soft, sweet skin and drink—
He forced restraint upon himself, damning that his excitement quickly became visible, and was one of the most damning parts of his still human body. DIO desired control in everything, and when he found one, small inconvenient thing he had yet to fix it shredded him like a fine cheese. He silently damned the human pleasantries and formalities he was still restrained to.
“It’s not much, yet,” she admitted as she flipped through her sketchbook on a desk backed up against the wall, and beside it was a fountain pen he recalled gifting her a few weeks after they first met.
“Anything you create will always be perfect,” he commented as he leaned over next to her to look down at her desk, and take in her sweet scent and warmth that radiated from her like a furnace.
“There’s no such thing as perfect,” she laughed.
“No?” He raised a hand to his chest, pretending to be wounded.
She looked at him, her expression apologetic before she recognized he had been joking. “Don’t sulk like that, you’re close enough.”
“Close enough?” He pressed, his expression twisting into a smirk. He laid the palm of his hand on her desk, partially caging her in.
She seemed mostly unfettered by their proximity, though she struggled to maintain her composure as her face turned red and he briefly thought of the blood rushing beneath her skin. His meals could never satisfy him the way he knew she would, and he found himself wanting, even as he pictured her whining and pleading for him as he punctured her delicate skin with his fangs—
“DIO?” She inquired, pressing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
He chuckled, pulling away as he regained his composure—not that he ever lost it, of course. “My apologies, I was lost in thought for a moment.” He paused before continuing. “I brought you a gift.”
“DIO, you didn’t have to—“
“I didn’t, yes,” he chuckled again. “But it’s what you deserve, isn’t it?” He smirked as he presented the small velvet box to her, and she looked up at him with a confused but excited expression as she accepted it. It hadn’t been the usual gift of art supplies or clothes that she was used to, but he imagined that she would appreciate it nonetheless.
“Thank you, DIO,” she said as she ran a thumb along the soft velvet of the case.
“You don’t even know what it is yet,” he laughed as he guided her to her bed with one arm before moving to sit against the nest of pillows, golden hair spilling onto the bed. She moved to sit on the bed as well, her knees brushing against his side as she adjusted herself into a sitting position. Her scent was everywhere now that he was in her quarters, and especially so now that he laid on her bed and he silently indulged in it. While her modesty could at times be irritating for him, he couldn’t deny that it was refreshing to know someone who couldn’t care less about material possessions.
“I know I’ll always love whatever you give me,” she glanced away from the box to smile shyly at him again, and he subconsciously placed a hand on her bare thigh, his thumb brushing against the hem of her dress. He almost worried that he may have gone too far with his affection, but he felt a small rush of relief when he felt her fingers brush against the back of his hand.
He was about to tell her to open it before her fingers finally pulled apart the clasp, and a soft gasp filled his ears as she saw what was inside. A satisfied smirk formed on his face as he watched her reaction, his hand gently squeezing her thigh. He was momentarily distracted by the thought he could snap her bones without a second thought.
Inside the ornate box were a pair of emerald stud earrings in the shape of a heart with gold backings, and though those colors and the shape were obviously part of his motif, he figured it would be subtle enough for him to get away with giving them to her as an innocuous gift.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” she smiled at him, her shyness drawn away by the gratitude shown on her features. She closed the box and leaned in to wrap her arms around him, and a soft gasp of surprise escaped him as she nestled her head into his neck. DIO paused to savor the situation he found himself in, with her so firmly wrapped around his finger, and he turned his head to bury his face in her hair, smelling the clean floral scent of her shampoo as he wrapped his muscular arms around her.
“I couldn’t ask for a better friend, DIO. Thank you, again.”
DIO almost recoiled.
Yes, he referred to her as a friend, but it was entirely different when she did it to him. He almost wondered if he was the one wrapped around her finger, but he dismissed that thought as preposterous.
“Yes,” he spoke to fill the silence as to not hint towards something being wrong. “Of course,” he adds after a moment, and she pulls away to look at him with a warm smile, seemingly ignorant of DIO’s inner thoughts.
“Would you like to put them on me?” She offered him the box with an excited tone in her voice, and his previous thoughts were long forgotten as he accepted it, holding it in one hand; hilariously minuscule as it sat in his palm.
“I suppose I can,” he drawls, faux disinterest sinking into his words. He wouldn’t want to concern her with being too eager. She looks down at the box one more time, the earrings glinting in the soft light, before she closes the box and hands it to him.
DIO doesn’t remember exactly how much it cost for him, considering it wasn’t one of the gifts he picked off one of his meals. The price didn’t matter to him regardless, he wanted it to be special for her. Something that could begin to show his affection towards her in a way that he could tolerate.
He finally sat up from his leisurely position to lean in close to her, and even though she already thoughtfully pinned her hair behind her ear he still brushed a hand along the soft skin of her neck, smirking in satisfaction as she shivered. Her neck was delightfully warm to the touch, and he could feel the blood pulsing through her veins underneath the thin veil of skin. His tongue traced his fangs hungrily as he retrieved one earring from the box, removing the backing before holding her neck with one hand to keep her still, and he was almost able to wrap around it fully.
The sensation of her warm skin beneath his grip was intoxicating, and he silently fantasized about puncturing her delicate skin and draining her of blood. He could feel the muscles and blood pulsing beneath. He was aware but disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to have much considering how she was a small thing. He doubted she would deny him if he desired that in a few more months.
“DIO,” she looked at him hesitantly, and he wasn’t able to place the tone of her voice, surprisingly.
“I have to keep you still,” he chided as he put in the earring. She leaned her neck further away to give him more space, and in his mind the obvious sign of submission was enough to give context to the flush that decorated her cheek. He slid the gold backing on, tilting his head to the side to view the back of her ear as he did so.
“Ah, DIO, you’re uh...” she began, and he looked at her face in concern. Her lips were in a sweet pout, and if he wasn’t restrained he would have kissed her then; but it was only until he noticed that her face had a pretty blue tinge that contradicted the hot blush of her face did he realize something was wrong.
He quickly eased his grip from around her neck that had subconsciously tightened before removing it from her neck entirely a few moments later, instead smoothing her shoulder and resting it there.
“Are you okay?” She frowned, tentatively placing a hand over his.
“You’re adorable,” he shook his head, amusement written on his face. “I accidentally choke you and you’re the one asking me if I’m fine,” he continued, though his thoughts were concentrated on the fact that he could have killed her just now—completely by accident.
“I know!” She retorted, her face somehow turning hotter. “But you seem distracted,” she said, then adding on hesitantly, “I know you wouldn’t hurt me anyway.”
“Unless you wanted me to, of course,” he grinned, briefly exposing his fangs as he encouraged her to turn so he could put on the other earring. She complied, and he smiled at the thought of her being his little doll to play with. Her face flashed bright red as she stared down at her hands in her lap.
“Oh, no—I’m sensitive,” she admitted innocently, seemingly ignorant of his true intentions. He felt both frustrated and fascinated by her innocence; most of the people DIO surrounded himself with were power hungry or depraved, and more often than not both. While he was appreciative and amused that she lacked both of those traits, he almost wished that he would take a page out of their book. However, he couldn’t ignore the way her face flared up hotly as she glanced briefly down to her hands, then back to DIO.
A satisfied chuckle escaped him as he retrieved the other earring, opting to keep his hands off her neck; for now, at least. He found himself less distracted this time as he pushed the earring into her piercing, then put on the backing. He cupped her cheek briefly to turn her head to his, pulling away as he looked at her with a satisfied expression; they complimented her eyes and hair beautifully, and he quietly pondered getting her a green dress to match.
“You look lovely,” he spoke after he got an adequate eyeful of her. “Though that’s nothing new,” he smirked, anticipating her to blush and turn away from his compliment, and she did. Her cheeks must have been red the entire time, but he smiled as he noticed her trying to grapple with his words.
“Really?” She inquired, eyes lit up. “Can you get me a mirror?”
“Certainly,” he purred as he confidently rose from his position on the bed, a hand briefly touching her hip as he moved past her, feet hitting the cool carpet as he retrieved a standing mirror from the corner of her desk and sitting back down on the bed next to her, raising it in front of her face.
He watched as she smiled, turning her head to look at the earrings, her index finger behind her ear to gently push the lobe outward. He leaned in closer to her as he watched her, quietly fantasizing about a lovely little collar to match. She looked back at him, a grateful smile on her face as she set the mirror down and wrapped both arms around him, nuzzling her head into his chest.
“Thank you again, DIO, really,” she spoke after a moment. “Nobody really does things like that for me; besides you.” He hummed softly in acknowledgement, his arms easily wrapping around her and dwarfing her small body even more against his frame. She tilted her head up to look into his eyes, and DIO had been briefly stunned by the intensity in her eyes. He smiled back at her, the hard lines and contours of his face softening as he looked at her.
Moments like these were where he could truly catch a glimpse of peace of mind—of heaven. Looking at her and into her eyes had driven away the thoughts of paranoia and cynicism and resentment towards the outside world, and he felt for a moment that the only thing that mattered was the two of them.
He couldn’t imagine heaven without her.
“I… would do anything for you, you know,” the words slipped out.
She looked surprised for a moment, before her smile returned, and she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. He could tell it took her a lot of courage for her to do so; with the tentative look on her face as she leaned forward, and for a moment he almost thought she was going to kiss him on the lips, but he felt the soft, plush press of her lips on his cold cheek, warming his skin in more ways than one. Of course, he was too distracted and surprised to fully analyze the moment, and as quickly as it happened it was over.
“I’d do anything for you, too.”