Ficlet: Innocence

“He knows this gentle courtship might be all they’ll ever have”

The writer’s block persists so I will share an older ficlet, never before posted here.
Nikolai is a vampire (or close enough) and Cecilia the mortal he has his eye on, though he wonders if he should or will make her a vampire too.

Pre-canon for a longer work I’ve put aside for some years now, in which Nikolai and his bride have spent years together and face new challenges in the modern world.

Originally for the writerverse prompt “write a fic that ends with the line In that moment, it’s enough”

 

Innocence

She is so very young – perhaps not so much by mortal standards, but certainly by his. Innocent, definitely. Not a beauty to most eyes, but he finds her attractive. Besides it’s not just the physical that Nikolai is drawn to and it never has been.

She no longer thinks of him as a demon, though he’s not yet told her exactly what he is. He has told her stories though, folklore and mythology, priming her in case he should want to reveal more of his nature.

He’s had mortal companions, most long gone by now, and friendships with others like him. He’s never made another like himself, never Changed anyone. He’s thought about it, thought that if he did, he wouldn’t be alone.

If he chose to, he could make this Cecilia like him. Yet deep down he knows that wouldn’t guarantee she’d stay with him. Nor would he do it without her consent, and she’s not ready to give him permission. She couldn’t yet understand what she’d be consenting to.

If he’s honest, he’s not ready to explain. Part of him fears she’ll turn on him if he tells her the whole truth of what he is. Part of him savours her innocence- he wants to enjoy those moments with her, to see the world through her eyes for a little longer.

He kneels at her feet, the same as he does almost every day now, while she embroiders, and begins another tale. She listens, a smile on her face, and it warms his heart to see her enjoyment.

He knows this gentle courtship might be all they’ll ever have. In that moment, it’s enough.