acontritemess | A Guy Could Get used to This

A Guy Could Get used to This

Maybe it was because they lived so long, but Luther had never celebrated his birthday. Well, not annually, anyway. His parents had thrown him a party when he turned 10, another on his 20th. He'd expected they would have on his 30th, as well, but that was blown to hell two years ago when one of Amadeus' bastards had killed his father. It made him sick to think about it. Charles Rieben had been Luther's idol. When he was gone, Luther was lost. He wasn't ready to be away from his father, he wasn't finished learning from him. For two years, he rebelled. He snuck out at night, he stayed out until his mother was worried he wouldn't make it back in time.

And then Airy came to them. She became a point of focus in a world that hadn't made sense since his father had passed away. She was a project, a goal, something to ward away the loneliness, and he'd be damned if he let that slip through his fingers. She would be his.

And she was. Valentine's Day. The day he made her his. They spent nearly every night together after that, whether it was training or talking, going out or staying in. He was for lifeline, and she was his. One day, he hoped to kill the memories of Nathan he knew still flitted around her head. Tonight, though, was his.

It was his birthday, he'd noted it last night when he'd mentioned it to her before he'd laid down for the day. He didn't expect anything. The most Gus had ever done for his birthdays was making him a strawberry milkshake on his birthday, but he was too old for that now.

He made his way to Airy's room after he woke up that evening, to see what she was up to.

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Airy felt a mixture of annoyance and glee when hearing that it was Luther's birthday the next day. She tried not to let him know but she wasn't sure how well that worked. Prior to everything that happened, she had always worn her heart on her sleeve. Now she's far more reserved even if she had been feeling more like herself lately; she didn't know what people saw when they looked at her.

Knowing that Luther would be around soon, she dressed. Her hair fell in loose waves down her back as she practiced putting it up and taking it down. She didn't consider herself very pretty though Luther certainly made her feel like she was. After another minute she let it fall down, she only put up her hair during practice which she also named, 'excuses for Luther to pin me to the ground'. Not that she minded, she didn't want him to go easy on her, she wanted to learn.

Which was something that they had in common.

Hearing the knock at the door made her pause and glance at the nicely wrapped gift that rested on her bed. The paper wasn't anything special and she wondered if Luther would like it. It was all she could find in such short notice, at least without Luther finding out. She had spent part of the day looking for it which cut into the time she usually spent sleeping.

With a smile she opened the door using her torso to hide the gift from sight. She was wearing a dress from home, one that she honestly hadn't had the chance to wear before now.

"Happy Birthday Luther." She hadn't gotten the hang of saying good morning or good afternoon because both sounded sort of awkward when you were addressing a vampire. she didn't know what to say and it bugged her. Tony, the only other vampire she saw with an regularity, didn't seem to care what she said.

Luther was one of those people who always tried to look their best, even if no plans existed. He seldom wore jeans, opting instead for casual slacks, though more often than not, he wore a nice pull-over shirt in various darker cool colors, blues and greens, under a matching casual blazer.

The only times he was found in something more casual was training or getting read for bed. He was always clean-shaven, his hair always meticulously groomed, because to Luther, appearance was everything. Today he'd arrived at her door wearing dark grey slacks, matching blazer, and a dark blue undershirt, and when she opened the door to greet him, he smiled at her greeting.

"Thank you. You look wonderful tonight." Though, in his experience, she looked wonderful regardless of the time of night. There were times he wished he could see her in the light of day. Her eyes were beautiful, and he imagined they would sparkle in the sun.

Airy smiled a little wider at his compliment. She felt strange standing at his side considering whenever they went they were stared at but she felt safe with him, so in the end she decided it didn't matter. He was far more handsome than she was pretty but she had given up arguing that point with him.

For a moment she loses her train of thought while looking up into his dark brown eyes. She always thought they were almond colored, not that she ever told Luther that.

"Oh." She shook her head and reached out to pull Luther into her room. "I have something for you." It would have been better if she'd been given a heads up but there was nothing to be done about that now.

Airy smiled up at him, kicking the door closed with her heel. She continued to use her torso to hide the gift, looking up at Luther with a smile that suggested that she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"Close your eyes."

A curiously confused smile teased his lips as he obeyed her direction. She was clearly trying to surprise him with something, and she seemed to be enjoying the game so he'd play along for the moment, closing his eyes as she'd directed.

"I'm trusting you a lot right now." Obviously a vampire didn't need their eyes to determine the locations of things or how close they were to them. Their hearing was so acute, they could hear the sounds reverberating off of things and determine their locations. Right now, he was hearing her heart hammering nervously in her chest and he wondered what this particular surprise might be that she was so nervous about it.

Airy knew that he was joking, she has fought against him enough times to know that he had many ways to tell where she was.

When she was sure that his eyes were closed she moved over to the bed where the wrap gift lay hidden in plan sight. With the somewhat heavy package in hand she moved to stand in front of him, her heart fluttering nervously. Her free hand reached out towards Luther's hand as she blindly handed him the present.

"You can open your eyes now."

The moment he touches the package he'll know that it's two books. She had found a small used book store and picked up the two most interesting books she could find.

Even before Luther opened his eyes, he recognized the weight and shape of the package and a small smile, genuine rather than teasing, played at the corners of his mouth. Most people, when they gave him gifts if they did at all, gave him something consumable, or something he could wear.

He opens his eyes, looking down at the wrapping. It was simple, and not well wrapped, but it suited Airy and he couldn't argue with that.

"You got me a birthday present." That genuine smile never left as he deftly split the end open, revealing two books that immediately caught his attention: Salt: A History, and Brand Luther. He chuckled at the title of the second one before looking up and leaning in to kiss her briefly.

"Thank you. They both sound interesting."

Airy's lips curled into a smile when she saw the happy grin spreading over Luther's lips. A feeling of happiness and pride swelled in her chest as he read the tilts of the books. They were random but they looked interesting and Airy found that these sorts of gifts were the ones that you could treasure forever.

Warmth lingered against her lips as he moved away and it took her a moment to realize what he had said.

"I'm honestly really glad." She was worried they were stupid. "What did you want to do tonight? I thought... since it was your birthday... we could do something." She paused. "Special." She added quickly.

Luther tossed the books onto her bed casually. He could always get them later, and turned to face her more fully, pressing his lips to hers more insistently, moving her backward so her back was against the wall. He prolonged the kiss until they needed to come up for air, smiling again.

"We could go out...or stay in. Your choice."

Airy stepped backwards feeling heat tingle from her lips and then the cold pressure of the wall behind her. Her fingers lightly rest at Luther's hips as he stole the breath from her lungs with his kiss. When he stopped kissing her she gasps for air before smiling up at him.

"But it's your birthday." Her voice was light, her emerald green eyes shining curiously. "Why not go out for a bit and then come back?"

It's like doing both.

Luther smiled, inches from her lips, before pulling away and straightening his coat.

"Like I said. Your choice."

Airy's lips form a slight pout as she looked up at Luther. "That isn't very fair." She stated defiantly resting against the wall as he moved away.

"I want to know what you want to do on your birthday." She paused before continuing. "I think we should go out first and then come back and... I don't know... watch a movie or something."

'or something' is usually interrupted as one specific thing however Airy's still not used to it.

Luther would play along for now. He was free tonight to do whatever he wished, and he'd fed only yesterday, so he didn't have any pressing plans. His mother never game him tasks on his birthday, which he supposed was, in itself, a gift.

He smiled at Airy, nodding. "But what should we do?"

Airy had to think for a moment. "I guess we can't go to a bar." She wasn't twenty one yet and had no form of ID. "I don't want to make you eat." She's already learned how awkward that is.

"We can go see a movie."

Movies were good and safe.

"Whatever you want to do, Airy." He continued to smile, watching the light of her lamp dance in her eyes. "I just enjoy spending time with you."

"A movie then."

One day they can go to a bar, she's pretty sure that's what Tony did when he went out. She smiled softly before moving to grab her jacket. "We can take the long way and go through the park."

She loved going to the park, though it usually made her think of her first full day in New York.

The park at night was soothing, and there were always interesting people to find there. In fact, most of the time, he fed there. There were a surprising number of night joggers in New York City. He'd been doing it since his mother allowed him to go out alone to feed and he hadn't gotten in trouble yet, at least.

He nodded. "The long way it is."

Airy slipped her arms into her jacket and then moved the mass of brown curls out from beneath the tight fabric. She smiled at Luther before grabbing her purse and draping it over her shoulder.

"Ready?"

She assumed they'd leave his gift here and he could take the books to his room later. She had a feeling that she'd hear about what they were about later and sort of looked forward to it.

Luther nods, opening her door for her and holding it as she stepped through. His father had taught him to be a gentleman, and that wasn't going to change no matter what else did.

"Always. After you."

Airy smiled at him and stepped through. She waited for him to close the door behind them before slowly making her way down the hall. Her room was probably in the center of the building considering it was a ten minute walk to the street. Spending all her time with Luther gave them very little to talk about, as far as day to day small talk goes.

That didn't mean that she couldn't talk about the weather.

"Oh, is it suppose to rain? It's suppose to be warming up." She might be a little excited for summer just because she wants to go to the beach and bath in the sun. She'd have to take Gus for that trip though nighttime at the beach can be fun; just not tan inducing.

Airy's insistence on discussing the weather never ceased to amuse him and a small smile touched his lips as she inquired about the weather.

"I knew I forgot to check something." He knew she'd be disappointed in his lack of attentiveness, but he found the weather channel boring. If it rained, it rained. If it didn't, all the better.

Airy laughed, not really expecting Luther to keep up with the weather. She pulled out her phone trying to get a decent enough signal to check to see if it's raining. The top of her dress is white and while rain would normally not bother her, she doesn't exactly want to show off her bra to the world.

"... my phone won't work." She sighed softly before looking over at Luther. They were walking side by side and for a brief moment she's at a loss of what to say. She just stares at him before realizing they've almost made it outside of HQ.

"Oh, which movie theater did you want to go to?" She only knew where one was and it was a little out of walking distance.

He smiled at her frustration, wrapping an around around her waist as they walked toward the exit. Relatively new as it was, something about this closeness with Airy felt right, somehow, as though he'd found something he didn't know he'd been missing. After his father died, he'd felt so...empty. Lonely, and she filled that void in a way he didn't think was possible.

"It doesn't smell like rain. I think we're fine." He shrugged at her question. "We could always find a small theater. Maybe they're showing some sort of older movie."

Airy turned to look at Luther, her apparent annoyance melting away. She was happy to hear that it wasn't raining. Rain was common weather as you ventured north: rain and cold. So while she was used to it, she still didn't like it. Her head lightly rested on Luther's shoulders for a few steps, his arm feeling comforting as if reminding her that she wasn't alone.

"I'd like that." Her voice was a little softer. "You know, sometimes I feel like someone is out there making older movies so that I can't possibly catch up."

She paused moving to look up at him. "Then I realize that doesn't make any sense." As they spoke they reached the exit. It was just after dusk and so there were still a lot of people milling about outside. Some gettinging dinner while others were finally able to relax after work. It was strange to think that this is Airy's morning. It wasn't an easy thing to get used to.

Luther laughed, holding the door open for her so she could step out onto the street unhindered, then closed and locked it with his special key behind him. They all had one, warded. They were the only things that could open or close that door.

"Yeah, Airy. I'm sure that's exactly what they're doing." He shook his head. "I just meant something we might have missed."

A light red hue colored Airy's cheeks as they step into the bitty air, it's going into spring now but it still feels like winter. One thing Airy's noticed in the city is that it's a few degrees warmer than it might be out in the suburbs.

"Okay, then where too?"

She paused and then turned around.

"The park is that way, right?"

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