Eiel got to the top of the stairs, looking around the boxes in his arms to see Larei taking stock of the flat they were now renting. It was evening, the sun set and the moon hanging lazily in the sky; the owner of the apartment had stared at the two of them as if they were nutjobs, probably wondering why two young people were moving into their new apartment in the middle of the night.
The fact that Larei sometimes slipped in old '20s slang and that Eiel swore in Norwegian when he hit something or dropped something probably helped their assumptions on their sanity.
"It's not as grand as your place, I'll admit," Eiel said, setting down the boxes and stretching his back. He walked over to Larei, then, pressing a hand on the small of her back and pressing a kiss to her cool cheek. The redhead smiled and tipped her head to rest against his. "But I'unno - I think it's nice."
"Well, so long as Diamond has room to stretch her legs, I'll be happy with it." She pulled away from the demigod, then, turning to look at the boxes. "Should we get unpacking?"
"The curtains are in the top box. I made sure to grad 'em first."
"There's a good boy," Larei patted his cheek, moving over to the boxes. Eiel followed after her with a grin, and together the two of them began the moving-in process.
By the time the sun rose, they were both sound asleep.
"So what're you going to do, seeing as you can't go out in the day?"
"I was thinking of doing some work from home - and besides, I could go out. I would just need to... cover up." Larei made a face when Eiel grinned, sipping from her glass as she watched him eat Chinese take-out. "What? I would just need a hat, and probably a jacket and some gloves..."
"You'd look like a movie star. '40s and fabulous."
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm already fabulous." She grinned, biting her lip before waving to him. "And what are you going to do, oh 'husband' of mine?"
Eiel blinked, looking momentarily lost before returning to the current when Larei jostled his foot with her own. "...gonna have to get used to you dropping that word around."
"Don't forget we're supposed to be married, Eiel, or I'm going to have to fake divorce you."
"Please don't, I want to keep the farm."
Larei laughed, grinning and scrunching her nose at his silliness. She took another swallow of A+, watching him expectantly. "So?"
"What are you going to do for work!"
"Oh, right - I've got a job. Construction. It's something I know I can do."
Eiel winced, rubbing his healed wrist; scars faint in the middle of his hands shining in the little light from the kitchen. He only stopped fidgeting when Larei reached out and took both his hands in hers, giving them a squeeze. The demigod smiled weakly at the vampiress, before shaking his head.
"Wanted to try something where I'd be home earlier."
"No more late-night walks for Bambi," Larei sing-songed, kissing his hands and letting go. "Just as well, now I have an excuse to come out and watch you build things without a shirt on."
"Do you want me to buy you a parasol?"
"Oh, that'll work," Larei grinned, finishing her drink and getting up to put that and Eiel's glass into the dishwasher. "However, I decree that we are in the honeymoon phase."
"Where everything is blissful and full of love and happiness and you can find out whether I'm wearing silk or lace."
She was already out of the room and halfway to the bedroom when she heard the clatter of Eiel attempting to follow her gracefully. Grinning, she pulled out her hair clip and left the door open behind her.
Eiel came home to the annoying beeping of the fire alarm and the sinking feeling that Larei had tried to make dinner.
Slipping out of his shoes, hanging his jacket in the closet and pressing an icepack against a growing black eye (he could explain), the demigod walked in to see Larei waving smoke out of her face and cursing in whatever was she knew, including the couple of Norwegian curse words she'd picked up from Eiel.
"I think I smell burnt apples."
"I tried to make an apple pie."
Eiel winced, walking over to the oven, slipping on gloves, and pulling out the charred thing they were calling a pie. It was a very sad-looking pie.
"Idunn is crying right about now."
"Well if she comes down to complain, you can talk to her - you're probably cousins or whatever." Larei set her hands on her hips, glaring at the pie as if it had personally affronted her. "Damn it."
"Hey, it isn't a complete disaster," Eiel assured, grinning and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Nothing's on fire."
"Oh, I hate you," Larei muttered, fighting a smile and hitting his shoulder. Eiel grinned, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Are we past the honeymoon phase?"
"Larei, why is there a cop car out front - well, okay."
Eiel stood awkwardly in the front door, staring at the police officer sitting on the couch with Larei. The vampiress was wrapped up as always, and the officer was looking at her long sleeves and the scarf around her hair with a frown.
"Uh," Larei stood up, looking a little panicked as she walked over to Eiel and kissed his cheek. While leaning to him to do that, she hissed, "apparently the neighbours think you beat me and that's why I wear sleeves in the summer."
"Oh, lovely," Eiel muttered back, before smiling politely to the officer. "Can I help you, officer?"
"I was just asking your wife a few questions," the officer stated, standing up and turning to face Eiel. He was a little shorter than him, and a bit pudgy as well, but Eiel really didn't like authority figures. They tended to try to kill and/or arrest him. "If you would care to leave us for a few minutes, I'll get to you soon."
"...Right," Eiel nodded, turning to Larei. She shrugged, giving him a tight smile, before kissing her forehead. "I'll be in the kitchen."
"Okay, sweetheart." She patted his chest, stepping away from him. "We'll just be a moment."
Eiel nodded, moved to the kitchen, and had just finished up putting together an impromptu dinner when Larei appeared in the kitchen with a tight smile.
"Would you help the poor, confused officer back to his car?"
"What did I not do?" Larei's expression was wide and much too innocent. Eiel groaned. She smiled prettily.
"You used that... vampire hypnotism or whatever, didn't you?"
"No," Larei shook her head, giving him an expression that said, 'would I ever do that?'. Eiel continued to stare at her until she rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Just get him out, okay?"
"Are you going to go around the neighbourhood now and leave them all generally confused?"
"If you drive the nice police officer home you don't even have to know."
Eiel paused, looking at Larei (who was inspecting his sandwich as if it had personally offended her - she liked to try to make him dinner; she was 'the wife' as she so often said) before smiling a little. Walking over to her, he pressed a kiss to her temple, feeling the coldness of her skin and not even shuddering once from bad memories.
Eiel was on the road by the time Larei was walking out of the house in her sunhat, going up to the first neighbour.
Eiel looked up from his place laying down on the couch, head resting on Larei's lap. The redheaded vampiress was looking out the window, watching the sunset; dressed in brown trousers and a short-sleeved blouse with a high neck, hair tied and pinned back in a fancy French braid. She then looked down at him, pale eyes piercing him.
"...what do you want to do?"
"...let's go see a film," she said after a moment, grinning. "The Great Gatsby is out."
"I read that once," Eiel stated, closing his eyes when Larei started to rake her fingers through his hair, "terrible love story."
Eiel looked back up at Larei, before smiling and nodding. "Alright."
They didn't leave until Larei got Eiel to change out of his raggedy T-shirt he wore to work and his dirty jeans, the two of them patting Diamond's head as they left before walking to the theatre not too far from there.
Larei was focused mostly on the film, Eiel focused mostly on Larei, and when the film finally ended the two stepped out of the theatre with the rest of the crowd.
Larei pulled them to a stop, then, looking up at the starry sky; fingers linked with Eiel's to make sure he didn't walk off without her.
"I like it here," she said after a while.
Eiel looked at her curiously, looking around the theatre (and wondering what was so fancy about a parking lot). "It's a nice place."
"I'm not talking about the place." Larei looked to Eiel then, smiling widely. "I like it here. With you. I like knowing where you are and knowing you'll be back every day. I even like it when you tease me about my failed cooking attempts."
Eiel stepped closer to her, smiling vaguely.
"...I like it here, too. Despite the death threats to my teasing."
"Me? Death threats? I'd never."
"Oh, of course you wouldn't."
Larei grinned, leaning up and pressing a kiss to the demigod's lips. Cupping her jaw carefully, Eiel pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers.
"...what?" Larei asked after a while. Eiel smiled, shaking his head.
"Nothin'. Let's go home."