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It got cold at night, even in Egypt - especially in Egypt, it seemed. While normally blisteringly hot during the day, nights were icy cold. Usually the mansion, being as cool and dark inside as it was, was perfect for such a climate. However when darkness fell that cold became unbearable.
You hadn't been in the mansion long, having been taken in as a pet? Prisoner? By a strange man with admittedly questionable fashion sense. You weren't treated much like a pet or prisoner though, as he let you come and go as you pleased, though he preferred that you stay, despite knowing that you were harmless compared to him and the other residents of the mansion, who were equally strange, if not stranger.
The mansions cool halls and expansive rooms were the perfect temperature during the day, and you were glad to be able to get away from the heat of Cairo. However that blessing became a curse when night after night you found yourself cocooned tightly in the rather thin covers you had been provided with. You supposed Dio didn't feel the changes in temperature, being a vampire after all.
One night you were sat at one of the towering windows, staring out at the city. Cars glinted in the distance, the lights of the streets casting a warm orange light across your goosebump riddled skin. You pull the sheet tighter around your arms, snuggling deeper to try and keep warm, and failing as you feel the frigid air gently ghost your face. You know you should go back to your room - at least your bed slowly warmed up as you dozed off - but the city was just so beautiful to look at, especially at night.
You yawn, tears pricking your eyes which you wipe away, the liquid mixed with the haze of sleep. You hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while: while the mattress you had was perfectly soft and inviting, it didn't do much to keep you warm. The perfect, plush mattress juxtaposing the thin sheet which did nothing to stop you freezing your ass off was a frustrating combo.
You suddenly bristle at the feeling of a presence behind you. You whirl around and are confronted with a large shadow looming over you, crimson eyes glinting. You would have fallen out the window if it weren't for his large hand on your shoulder.
"It's beautiful isn't it, pet?" Dio's deep, smooth voice calms you. You nod in response, shivering as a sudden gust of wind rustles your hair. He feels you shudder and you feel his eyes on you. "Is that all you've been given?" He asks, his voice suddenly clipped and snippy.
You stiffen - have you done something wrong? You look up at him, eyes wide, only to have him grab the fabric round your shoulders and tears it away angrily, his claws ripping the thin sheet with ease.
"You poor thing," he cooes, anger behind his eyes as he suddenly pulls you off the wide windowsill "you must be so cold - Terence shall be getting a talking to," he snaps, more to himself than you.
You look up at him - he's wearing the cloak he only wore to go out into the city, a heavy, deep red number which brought out the unnatural colour of his eyes. The collar flares up around his neck, before the body of it falls down to his calves, where it swirls around as he walks. He must have just come back from an outing... From a feed.
"Come here, you must be frozen," he suddenly picks you up and you wrap your legs around his slim waist on instinct. He only needs one arm to carry you, his muscular build combined with his vampiric strength means you weigh nothing to him. You slip your arms around his neck, nuzzling into his chest - ignoring the whole murderous vampire thing, he was a great pillow.
"My fireplace will do wonders for you, little one," he purrs, the vibrations from his deep voice resonating against your head. As you leave the room the warm orange light from the window vanishes, replaced by small flittering flames of candelabras intermittently lit on the walls.
A fireplace? After nights of being chilled to the bone you're ecstatic. Dio's long legs make short work of the dark winding corridors and it's not long until the two of you make it to his room (admittedly your favourite room in the building, for a multitude of reasons). He pushes the heavy doors open with one hand as if they weigh nothing.
The warmth of the room hits you like a wave, and you shiver away the previous cold you felt, the warm orange of the crackling fire making your eyes grow heavy. He tosses the now ragged sheet onto the floor disdainfully and walks over to the fireplace where a plush chair is situated.
It's heaven next to the fire and you tuck your feet up onto the seat gratefully as he sets you down. You look at the flames for a moment before sighing deeply and shutting your eyes. "Thankyou," you say, smiling up at him - only to have his cloak dumped on your face.
You struggle for a moment, the heavy mass of fabric seeming endless, but eventually manage to poke your head out. He laughs at you, though not cruelly. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't being looked after by the servants?"
You look away and shrug. In reality you were kinda scared of him, even though he had said numerous times that you were his favourite and he didn't want to hurt you.
"Nevermind - I shall talk to Terence in the morning. For now, I've some reading to do, love, but you're free to sleep as much as you like," and suddenly he's sat in the chair, with you on his lap.
He's wrapped you loosely in the heavy cloak, the collar around your neck rising up to almost the top of your head. You shift around for a moment, his arms draped on you comfortingly. You end up with your butt between his legs, resting your head against his soft chest as you watch the fire. The cloak feels more like a weighted blanket than like an item of clothing.
"Comfortable?" He murmers, petting your head with one gigantic hand. His nails scratch your scalp gently, sending a shiver down your spine not unlike the ones you'd felt earlier - only this time it felt good. You nod, your eyes already feeling heavy as you nuzzle a bit deeper into him.
He begins to silently read his book. You look at it lazily, the print too fine to decipher, especially in this light, though with his heightened senses it was probably like reading a child's book in broad daylight.
You sigh contentedly, already on the cusp of sleep, although part of you wanted to bask in Dio's affection. The I-havent-had-a-decent-nights-sleep-in-god-knows-how-long part of your brain wasn't having any of the sappy part, and gave it a good talking to. You feel yourself drift off, safe and oddly happy in his embrace.
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Dio was confused. Why on earth did he feel such affection for them? For a human, no less? His eyes scanned the page, not taking in any of the words. He paused, only to realise he hadn't understood what he was actually reading for the last five minutes.
Sighing, he dog-eared the page and placing it on the small table next to him. He rested his hand on their head, gently massaging their scalp as his other arm wound - protectively - around their sleeping form. They stirred slightly at the touch and Dio stilled, lest he wake them; they were so cute like this, swamped in his cloak and completely relaxed in his embrace.
He found a slight smile playing on his lips, before furrowing his brow and asking -why-? He shook his head gently, not wanting to sully the moment with irritating, confusing questions that even he didn't have the answer for.
Dio sighed again and shifted to get comfortable. He couldn't bear to wake them, not when they were enjoying the fire so much. That Terence - Dio knew his servant didn't like his new house-mate as much as he did, and he supposed that reflected in his treatment of them. Disciplinary action was in order for giving them such a measly excuse for a blanket.
But that could wait until morning. For now, Dio closed his eyes, feeling strange, sure that the emotion had a name.... Hap...py? Genuinely? No, that couldn't be it. He told his thoughts to buzz off as he decided to indulge himself in sleep, even though it was night out - he'd mess up his sleep schedule for them, just this once.
END