Chapter Text
There was nothing.
In the void where his consciousness floated aimlessly, there were no noises, no sensations, no feelings, only the all-encompassing inky blackness that enveloped his body and soul. It wasn’t unpleasant, but remaining this way for more than a millennia does unsavory things to one’s sanity.
His only tether to the world were the memories that had long since passed. They were fleeting things usually, but in the surrounding numbness, anything that stirred a sensation from within was welcome, whether it be good or bad.
As his slumber stretched on, his memories began to fade. The ones that remained posed a sort of significance to him, and they almost always had to do something with her .
---
They were children, sitting in the lush green grass as tall, sturdy trees stretched towards the sun, surrounding them both in what felt like an endless maze of green and brown. He remembered the tickle of the grass as it brushed against his legs, the smell of the soil from it raining the night before, and the way the sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, dappling her messy blonde hair in vibrant patches of light.
He was crouched down on his knees, careful not to make any loud noises in an effort to not alert his prey. He moved slowly, picking up sizable rocks and looking underneath them for the biggest, strongest beetles he could find.
She, on the other hand, had gotten bored soon after he began his hunt, instead opting to run around the clearing, chasing dragonflies.
He ignored her for the moment and focused on his task. As long as she didn’t scare the beetles away with her shrill giggles and stomping footsteps, he didn’t mind her presence.
He had just lifted up a particularly heavy rock. He dropped it on the ground, careful not to let it fall onto his feet. When he looked back over to the muddy spot where it had been resting until just a moment ago, he spotted it, the biggest beetle he’d ever laid eyes on. A smile lit up his face and he carefully reached a hand out to grab it.
But before he could, the sound of footsteps echoed through the clearing, getting louder and faster as they rushed towards him. The beetle sensed it too and revealed its ebony black wings. They fluttered, carrying its body to safety underneath another rock, one so big he couldn’t dream of picking it up.
He looked back towards the source of the noise. She stood behind him, a gleeful expression painting her features. Her hands were clasped together and she was practically bouncing with excitement.
“Look! I caught two this time!” She announced excitedly.
She slowly unclasped her hands, revealing two dragonflies sitting in her palm. Their iridescent carapaces sparkled in the patches of sunlight. After a moment, they flew away, zipping past their ears, leaving only the buzz of their wings and a gleam of blue-green in their wake.
She stared up in pure amazement as they flew away. Her joy was contagious, causing any irritation from his failed attempt at catching the beetle to melt.
The dragonflies were neat, sure, but for some reason he remembers the way her eyes sparkled more fondly.
---
They were teens now. They walked side by side. He doesn’t remember where they were going or why. It wasn’t important anyway.
His feet dragged along the ground and his hands were firmly tucked away in his pockets. She walked beside him, swinging her arms jauntily as she planted one foot in front of the other, nearly skipping in a line.
They stayed like this, not saying a word, they didn’t need to. Each other’s presence was all they needed to feel comfortable, so the silence didn’t bother either of them.
However, it only emphasized the jeering laughter coming from a group of girls as they passed them. They giggled amongst themselves, their backs turned. He was able to make out a few of their rude remarks.
“Did you see his face?”
“Right? So weird…”
“I’m glad I don’t look like that.”
The voices faded away with each step forward, but their words remained with him. Before he even realized it, his hands were bunched into fists and his eyebrows were furrowed, that was, until a hand tugged at his sleeve, causing him to stop in his tracks.
When he looked to his side, she stood there, staring at him with her bright blue eyes and a gentle smile. She held his sleeve between her thumb and pointer finger which she then released, outstretching a palm towards him.
He gazed at her with a confused look. She pointed at the hand currently bunched up in his pocket. He pulled it out unconfidently, and with a swift motion, she clasped it in hers as she began dragging him along, filling his ears with meaningless chatter about this and that.
He listened to her ramble on about nothing, trying not to think about how her warm hand squeezed his so tenderly.
---
They were older now. Old enough for these feelings to cause them to act so brazenly when it was just the two of them.
He loomed over her, holding her wrists down with his hands, his black velvet gloves had been long discarded at her request. He leaned down to kiss her neck, a sickeningly sweet giggle escaped her lips. He couldn't tell if that was her teasing him or if it meant she enjoyed it. It was probably both now that he thought about it.
With a swift motion, she managed to grasp his arms and flip him so that she was on top of him, now straddling his waist. She gazed down at him, a wicked grin splitting her face in two.
A bead of sweat dripped down his temple. He couldn’t hide the excitement being at her mercy like this brought him.
She ran a finger down his exposed chest, his dress shirt was unbuttoned messily but remained on him. She wasted no time tearing it off of him after that. And with another swift motion, she removed her own shirt as well, revealing her chest to him fully.
They’d done this before, several times now, but each time felt new and as exhilarating as the first. He brought his hands up and grasped her waist, letting them slide over her skin.
She let out a pleasant “hmmm…” and leaned down to kiss him, this time on his mouth.
He obediently kissed her back, the feeling of her body brushing against him caused him to moan into the kiss. It was so warm, it felt like they could melt into each other.
He broke the kiss, panting as he tried to catch his breath, uttering her name like a prayer.
“Venus… Venus …”
And with that, the world was suddenly shattered.
He was pulled from the moment, a swirl of black and white flashing violently in his vision. It felt like he was going a million miles per hour while standing perfectly still. He covered his eyes to protect them from the intense brightness approaching him at speed, and with a crash, he was sent towards the waking world.