One day

Dedicated to @Diego

| Date | 22nd september 2021
| Time | Around 10 pm
| Weather | Drizzle and its getting colder
| Place | Danica’s trailer

| Attire |
A dress and high heels and a thick raincoat

______________________________________

Danica hadn’t celebrated her birthdays in so many years and hadn’t really thought about doing it this year either. Even with her brother coming into her life, making her believe that there was a family out there that still cared. Which was a lie because she had children that tried to check in with her. But after her and Clay had decided to go separate ways, the family life she had, crumbled. Then being in a relationship with a man that didn’t truly love her and reminded her daily that she was lucky that he even wanted her. Had made her believe that she was unlovable, making it still hard for her to believe that anyone could love her with all her scares. At least it had seemed that things were going in better directions with her and Diego.

Sitting in the taxi home, a small smile formed on her lips. Her phone had died under dinner, and right now she had asked the driver if he couldn’t charge it while he drove her home. He had joked about it would cost her extra and given that she was in a good mood she had just laughed and shook it off. Nothing could ruin the cloud she was walking on these days. The driver drove into the trailer park, and she paid her fare.

She took her phone and unlocked it as the car drove away. Missed calls? She knitted her brows and felt how her stomach fell as she saw that Diego had tried to get ahold of her. She quickly pressed on his name, and it started ringing. However, his smell caught her nose before she heard his phone rang. She took the phone down from her ear and walked towards her trailer watching him sitting there on her ‘front’ porch. “Hey” she said with a small voice giving him a small smile. “This is a surprise, I’m sorry I didn’t call you back” she put her phone away “It died, and got it charged in the taxi home” she walked closer “did something happen? Everyone okay?”

Diego had no clue how long he had been waiting by Danica’s trailer in Southside, but he sure had waited long enough to be completely drenched from the simple drizzle. He wasn’t even wearing anything special to keep him warm, which was alright since he always tended to be quite warm himself, making him almost look steamy. A simple grey t-shirt and a zipped hoodie.

A car pulled up nearby, which made him move his attention from his interlocked fingers in the direction of it, and as soon as the car door opened, the smell of Danica appeared. He supposed she might’ve been out or something alike since the smell of food and alcohol hang round her. He rubbed his forehead a little, waiting for her to get closer. Until he felt his phone start to call, and he picked it up from his pocket and looked at it, only to have his attention thrown directly to Danica as she greeted him. “Hi,” he greeted back with his voice quite soft. He pulled on a little smile as she apologized for not calling him back. He nodded a bit as she explained that her phone died and she charged it in the taxi on the way home. He shook his head a bit leaning a bit forward, “Everyone is okay now,” he exhaled before he got up. He had been quite worried that something might’ve happened to her now that she hadn’t picked up her phone. He checked her out for a moment, thinking she looked like a million dollars. “So, you’ve been out?” he wondered with a slight frown and approached her reaching his hands out for hers to pull her a little closer and feel how cold or warm she was.

She breathed out as he didn’t sound angry nor that something was wrong. She did notice how he commented on everyone being okay now, meaning he hadn’t been. “Sorry” she said with an apologetic smile pulled up in the one side. “I didn’t mean to worry you” they had come such a long way since they first meeting at the wolf’s den. As he reached out his hands, she placed hers in them and stepped a little closer. Her eyes gliding up towards his face, she always forgot just how much taller he was, especially when it had been a while since she had last seen him. “Yes –“ she licked her lips as she needed time to figure out what she should present Clay as. Because he wasn’t really a friend, but saying you were out eating with your ex-husband and the man of your children might not be something that Diego would care for. “A relation from Paris works at the hospital, and we reconnected in august, and he insisted on taking me out today, so” she gave him a somewhat bigger smile and stepped closer to him “You want to come in? you are absolutely drenched?” she would much rather focus on the fact that he was here, than what she had done tonight.

Diego had been worried about her, and mostly meant his comment about everyone being okay now about the fact that he now knew that she was safe – and alive. “Well, if you phone was dead it wasn’t that easy to reply,” he exhaled trying not to blame her for not charging her phone before she went out. For a moment, he though about if he could do anything for her so it wouldn’t happen again. Maybe buy her a quicker charger or a transportable power bank?
Her hands didn’t really seem cold, but of course, if she had spent a while in the cab, it made sense. He hummed a little as she replied, wishing for her to elaborate. He caressed the back of her hands gently. A relation from Paris. he raised his brows a little and was able to smell the man she talked about. He nodded slowly trying to process what she was sharing. He was trying. “He insisted… Huh,” he licked his teeth a bit and looked down between them. He took a little breath in and tried to figure out the details. He insisted. Taking her out. She was dressed nicely. He looked up at her again, “Maybe we should go inside?” he suggested, not really wishing for people to snoop in their conversation, and wanting to get out of the rain.

She narrowed one of her eyes looking at him, trying to figure out how he was feeling about the information he had just gotten. Not great, she breathed out knowing already where this was going. Licking her lips, she tried to keep herself calm, the last thing she wanted was getting into an argument about her having dinner with Clay.

“Well, yea” she said with a soft smile, but could also feel how her heart started picking up speed, because her trying to explain why would only unravel other things she hadn’t told. Like it was actually her birthday today. Going inside, that sounded like a good idea. Danica quickly nodded and took her hands as she walked around him to her trailer. She moved her hand around in the small purse until the fingertips found something metallic that made a sound as the keys chimed together. Proceeding to unlock the door she walked inside, towards the small stool in her kitchen and started working on her shoes. “I can take care of the wet clothes... If you want?” she asked quietly, knowing how he felt about her being a witch and doing magic. But even he would be able to see the reason behind not walking around with drenched clothes, right?

The man had directly insisted on taking her out. It sounded almost too ‘good’ to be true. He could understand if someone had been creepy and insisted, and she had said no, but why would he insist? Why hadn’t Danica notified him? He had many questions which burned in his mind, but he had to take one at the time and make sure things didn’t go too much off the tracks. He had been so good at accusing too early, and he really wished to try and understand.
Her heart picked up speed, but she agreed to go inside. He let her have her hands back and turned around as she headed for the trailer. He couldn’t really help himself from noticing what she was wearing and how it complimented her body. Yes, he got more and more jealous by the second. He couldn’t recall that she had ever dressed up so nicely to be with Diego. Was she trying to impress? He could feel how his body still was warm and only got warmer as they got closer and closer to inside of her trailer.
They got inside, and he lazily put the heel to his toes and pulled the shoes he was wearing off. He straightened back up and looked around for a moment. Everything was so neat. He followed her voice to the kitchen as she asked him if she should take care of his clothing. It almost choked him as he had a feeling that taking care of it meant a spell and not just a dryer she had somewhere. He looked down at himself trying to determine whether or not he would be comfortable with his clothing being dried on his body or off it. Now that they stood inside, he could feel how cold the rain had made his shirt and how everything was being pulled closer to his body. “I think I’ll just-” he held his breath for a moment as his hands sought to the lining of the hoodie and unzipped it to take it off. Even the shirt underneath was wet. He hung his hoodie on the nearest doorhandle before he would pull of his shirt and with his eyes search for something he could throw it onto so it could dry. The old burn scars on his lower body could just be seen as he pulled the shirt off. The scars just reached his hips. It wasn’t really that he didn’t trust her, but he certainly didn’t trust magic and he was so sure that her magic would heat the clothing or something alike. “Feel free,” he said and pointed to the clothing. His clothing didn’t mean that much for him if it would catch on fire. He allowed himself to look around while she took of her shoes or dried his clothing.

A soft chuckle left her, and she shook her head as he started pulling of his clothes. She didn’t mind it, and definitely didn’t take it personal that he didn’t trust her to dry him off while he had the clothes on. So, while he pulled of his shirts, she pulled off her heavy raincoat revealing the beautiful dress that she was wearing underneath. Then she placed it on a hanger inside the small bathroom.

Danica grabbed one of the many folded towels and walked towards him handing him it so he could dry off the residue still on his skin. He had to have been sitting out there for a while to get this soaked. After that she picked up the t-shirt and let her magic flow through it, letting the hot air spell grab all the small droplets and drew them out of the fibres. When she was done with the t-shirt she walked over to the bed and placed it on that. She then turned to the hoodie and did the same to that.

“Now that I didn’t put any of that on fire, might want to lose the pants as well” she closed one of her eyes giving him a cheeky smile, making it very obvious she didn’t only want him to take them off for drying purposes.

Piece after piece, she dried his clothing, and it didn’t catch on fire. Luckily, because as much as he offered her to borrow his clothing, he was quite sure he wouldn’t fit her clothes. She threw the clothing on her bed and asked for him to take off his pants. A cheeky smile appeared on his lips, clearly glad that she said that, but he looked to the ground and licked his lips, approaching her slowly, letting his hands find their way around her waist and looked slowly up at her. “As much as I like your way of thinking,” his eyes met hers and he leaned in to kiss her forehead shortly, “As much I would love to know why you dressed up this nicely, if it’s just a simple relation you were going out with?” he asked and pulled her a little closer. She did know how to put his thoughts somewhat to something else, but did that just mean that she didn’t want to talk about it? “Call me jealous if you want, but I have just not seen you dress up this nicely before,” he said and let his hands seek daringly down her lower back and leaned down to kiss her jaw and neck a little.

She felt the electricity float through her body the second his hands found her hips, even though she could feel the slight damp from his wet hands after taking of his clothes. Not that she minded. It had been taken some time, but she could finally feel the benefits of having a mate, how she always felt the energy pull in a positive way around her body. She took a breath in, as his tone of voice told her that she hadn’t succeeded in trying to chance the topic. Not that she minded the soft kiss on her forehead, or how close he was.

Her eyes found his as he commented on her way she had dressed. Well, he hadn’t really invited her out on a fancy restaurant, now, had he? So why would she dress up, when it was just as his place, or when Derek was around. So, he was jealous, making it very hard for her not to let a smile creep up on her lips. Call me jealous. She licked her lips, and was about to explain who Clay was, as he started kissing her jaw and neck. “Diego, you’re not making it easy for me to concentrate when you’re kissing me like that” she hummed, not really stopping him as her own arms folded behind his neck and pulled him a little closer.

“There is nothing to worry about, Clay and I just have a lot of history, but it’s that, history – but we are still very good friends”

She told him that he wasn’t making it very easy for her, which made him hum slightly unsatisfied. Did she have to concentrate to reply the simple question? She pulled him a little closer, almost as if she was inviting him to continue, so, he did. Slow and very tender kisses as he listened to her. He kissed her down her left collarbone, right where his name was written. He pulled a little back before he straightened up to look into her pretty eyes. He hummed a little suspicious, “Okay. If you say it’s nothing to worry about, then I hope it won’t be trouble,” he said and kissed the apple of her left cheek. “Did you have fun?” he wondered, trying to be upright interested of her night out with an old pal. Even though he was curious, he let his hands find their way to the side of her thighs and let his fingers slowly pickup her skirt, so he hopefully could get it off of her.

A soft smile was formed on her lips as he pulled back looking into her eyes. Now she wasn’t blind for the jealous look that was still playing in his deep brown eyes. But that didn’t mean, that she wasn’t very preoccupied with how he was gently letting his lips and fingers brush over her skin. And just how amazing it felt, wishing out small, pleasured hums from her nose. Again, making it very hard for her to concentrate.

Did you have fun?

Now every alarmclock should have gone off in Danica’s head. She should even have told him off by such a remark, in the context it came in. Because it wasn’t fair, he still saw Julianne. And she didn’t go around asking him questions about how it had been. He even had the free will to be with her if he pleased, she had no choice. Because she no longer could. But she didn’t, as his fingers slid up her naked thighs, starting to push the fabric of her skirt up. “It actually was” she mumbled “the food was fantastic, it was nice, it was a nice to be reminded to what it had been like back in France” she mumbled, meaning that even though these years had been overshadowed with all the bad stuff that she brought back from France. Then it was nice, finally being reminded off that not all had been bad. Her lips found his jaw and let her teeth grace over the skin, before she started kissing up the jawbone to his ear.

Diego hummed a little as she agreed that it had been fun. Well, he was glad she had had a good time. But as soon as the story went on, it was like the innocent picture cracked and he slowed down, trying to process it. She started to kiss his jawbone, and it was approximately here he had thought long enough to agree with himself that it seemed off.
“Danica, wait,” he said and pulled away from her kisses to look at her, “What does that mean?” he frowned and let his hands let go of her skirt to find her hands.
Diego’s trust was so difficult to get. For species he liked, Danica had gotten in way faster than most others. And Danica was a hybrid of a species he originally hated, and it had only made things more difficult for her. Danica had gotten all the way to his heart so much faster than if it had been anyone else.

She was, pretty much in heaven. For not having celebrated her birthdays in so many years. This was, one of the best ones she had. But the fingers started to slow down, and her lips stopped as he asked her to wait. He pulled back, had she done something wrong? She looked at her not really understanding what was going on? What did what mean? Licking her lips, she tried to understand why he was even acting like this. “Just, it was nice to be reminded that not everything in France had been bad, and for a time I had a nice life – reminding me that things seem to be turning around for me” she took a step back herself. “Why are this bothering you so much?” she asked putting har arms around her.

Not everything in France had been bad. Well, he remembered that she had explained that she had had a husband which had left her at the altar. Alright, fair enough, her friend had been friendly, and probably been there fore her. Diego was about to put the topic on the shelf and apologize when she stepped back. Apparently, he had asked too much and he regretted stepping on it. “Sorry,” he said and let his gaze seek to the floor and let his feet make him pass her to sit down in the kitchen. He didn’t want to come off as the big bad wolf which he usually resembled in discussions and fights. He tried to make things work. He reached a hand forward to invite her closer. “It’s just… I love you, and-” he licked his lips a little, “I don’t want to lose you,” he said caringly and looked at her with a soft, loving gaze.

It didn’t happen often that Diego apologized. So, when it did, Danica didn’t take it lightly. But that didn’t mean she didn’t feel hurt. She watched how he walked past her and over to the kitchen where he could sit down. A soft sigh left her, as this hadn’t been the ending of her night she had hoped for, after seeing him sitting here in the first place.  


She forgot to breathe. For a second, everything around her died down as her eyes just watched him. He had told her it before, but somehow, this hit her different than last time.


A soft breath finally left her, as she stepped towards him. Her fingers found his jaw, of course they had been having rough patches. And he had done things to her, normal people would never forget. When she had met Clay for coffee the first time. When she had told some of the things because she needed to get them off her chest. To confide in someone. It had sounded so horrible. But he had also been the guy, watching over her, to make her fall asleep. He had hold her while she had yelled and screamed. The person that had put a blanket in the dryer, to make it extra nice and warm for her when she came out of the shower. Danica sat down on his lap her hands glide around her neck and the other found a place on his neck. “I love you” she whispered “sometimes I think I shouldn’t, but I do, and I’m so scared every day that you’ll leave me” she admitted “I’m not planning on going anywhere”

Diego knew that apologies didn’t heal wounds or make things not hurt, which was often one of the reasons why he so rarely apologized for anything, but this seemed like a good thing to apologize for. Danica moved closer and let her fingers find his jaw, and his hand found it’s way to the edge of her hipbone. It stayed there as she sat down on his lap, and he didn’t let his eyes leave hers. He smiled a little brighter as she told him that she loved him, the smile lessened a bit as she spoke truthfully about how she probably shouldn’t love him but also how she was worried that he’d leave her. She explained that she wasn’t planning on going anywhere and he therefore let both of his hands wrap around her instead of only one of them. “I won’t leave you,” he breathed out and pulled on a slight smile. He leaned a little closer to her, “And I really hope that you know that I regret all the awful things that I’ve done to you,” he said, mostly to inform her if she wasn’t aware. He imagined she knew, because how would one be able to love him if he had done all of those things to them? Well of course, she had a mark on her collarbone with his name on it and it made it more difficult for her. “If I could, I would undo the things and love you right. That is what you deserve,” he mumbled and kept the conversation on an emotional level, and tried not to pull too much on the sexual tension that he knew he was so good at creating between them.

It was like her wolf almost took a hold of her feelings, something she had always found so contradicting. Feeling more wolf than she had ever felt like a witch. Her nose found the side of his face, letting it rest against his cheek, letting her lip’s part so she could breathe against his skin. She felt how the warmth pressed back towards her and nuzzled her nose further towards his face. Still listening to every word that he was saying. She understood that he meant that he wasn’t going to leave her. But she also knew that it would take a long time before she was sure he wouldn’t. Still mending the wounds of what her last fiancé had left behind on her heart. “Thank you for saying that” she whispered, pulling her legs up so she could place them over both his legs. Moving her arms around her neck so she could get even closer to him. “But then it’s good that you always can redeem yourself” she joked warmly placing a soft kiss against his cheek.

She thanked him. She didn’t forgive him, nor forgot what he had done. It was both good and bad, because he did understand why no one would ever neither forgive or forget someone who had done such awful things to one self, like he had done to her. He liked how she pulled herself closer, even though he was telling her how he was sad that he hadn’t treated her right from the start. She comforted him like if it was the only thing she cared about; him feeling alright. He helped her to get even closer and let his hands by her hips pull her slightly closer, even though he knew that he was automatically pulling on the strings for the sexual tension. She kissed his cheek, and he pulled a glad smile, quickly lowered again, “I don’t think anything can redeem the things I’ve done,” he spoke softly but a little hoarse. “But I would love to prove to you that I wish to love you right,” he mumbled – sadly knowing very well that his voice carried the deep guttural tone which made things sound like it carried so much sexual tension.

She took in a deep breath as he told her that he didn’t think he could redeem the things he had done. But that he would love to prove, that he wished to love her right. She knew that he would, he had showed her that when he had finally gotten to her in the hospital. How he had cared after he had found out what had happened. Right now, saying the things that he was saying. Her fingers glided softly over his skin. “Given how old you are, I’m guessing that you know that wolves always find a mate, the one that they want to stay with for the rest of their lives” she whispered, not stopping her gentle caress of his face, letting fingertips glide over towards his ear and down his jaw. Her eyes following her fingers trail. “Even without the mage mark, Je t’appartiens (I belong to you)” she whispered in her mother tongue and leaned in to softly kiss him against the side of his lip. Closing her eyes as she leaned her forehead against the side of his head.

Diego closed his eyes as her fingers ran over his skin. He hummed a little about how she mentioned wolves always found a mate who they wanted to stay with for the rest of their life. His eyes opened slowly as her fingers traveled, looking towards her eyes as she explained how even without the mark, she… What?
He kissed her back gently and closed his eyes, just like she did as she rested her forehead against the side of his head. “That’s French, right?” he mumbled. He knew it wasn’t Spanish. He made sure his embrace around her body kept her safe in his lap. “I don’t speak French,” he mumbled and kissed her cheekbone lovingly.

She couldn’t help the smile form on her lips. “Yes” she whispered and had a feeling that it was because he couldn’t quite figure out what she had been saying. “It means” she dragged out her words, feeling her hot breath glide over his skin and was thrown back towards her. “That I belong to you” she finally explained what she had tried to tell him “I’ve always been more wolf than I’ve been a witch” she pressed her nose a little closer, drawing in his scent before she pulled back. Letting her eyes take in every small detail of his face. “And even my wolf wants you” she whispered, even though she still loved Clay and there would always be a special place for him in her heart. She had never chosen him like she had chosen Diego. Even though their story was messy, unfair and in some eyes horrible.

Usually French and Spanish were quite alike, but the words she had spoken did seem easy to translate into Spanish. He waited patiently but exited about what it meant. Her breath gave him pleasurable chills down his spine. A guttural pleasured growl left him as she revealed what she had said to him. He leaned a little closer to her. He hummed a little as she explained she had been more wolf than witch. His eyes looked at her almost bewitched by her words. “And I want you,” he mumbled and let a hand glide along her hair. He let his nose stroke hers, closing his eyes. He leaned closer to place his lips gently against hers, sensual and not too pushing.

A soft hum of joy left her, as he told her that he wanted her. She could feel the butterflies stir in her stomach, as he leaned in closer. It was a wild thought that even after everything that had happened, she could still be this drawn to him, and as excited for kissing him. Just like she had been the first time she had lied eyes on him and knew that he was the one. Danica leaned in a little closer, pressing her lips a little more demanding against his lips before she pulled away again. Folding her lips, letting her tongue glide over them. A small sigh left her, knowing she couldn’t sit here telling him that she wanted him. And then not really explaining what today was about. “It’s my birthday today” she finally explained giving him a sideways smile. “I never really celebrate it, because, well because it’s also the same day that my mother and father died” hoping that would give an insight to why that she had been so distant today. Forgotten to call back, and not texting.

It’s by birthday today. A soft smile appeared on Diego’s lips and he was just about to congratulate her and tell her that he didn’t know, when she elaborated just why he hadn’t known. “I’m sorry about your parents,” he almost whispered, but he let his nose stroke hers gently. “If you want to, we can send them a thankful thought… Thank them for having brought you into our life… And thank them for all the love they intended to give you,” he suggested and let his lips almost hover over hers. “We can tell them, that we wished they had been alive and to be able to see how you’re doing, to let them know that we’ve found each other and… Wish they had been able to be here for you, like I am,” he took a smaller breath in, closing his eyes fully, “I would love to celebrate what they’ve created, even though they couldn’t be there for it all.” He made sure to hold his arms closely around her so she would feel how close he was, and how he wasn’t going to give up on her.

Her eyes locked with his, as he first said he was sorry for what had happened to her parents. She wanted to tell him, that it was okay. But even after so many years it was an open wound, and she wasn’t sure that it was a scar that would ever fully heal. That day human hunters had gathered together to take down her pack. Destroy families. Kill innocents. How could anyone really justify that? People weren’t born monsters; they were created as such’s. Through hardship, misunderstanding and constantly getting told that they were worth nothing. A soft breath left her nose, as he kept talking about how they could send them a thankful thought.

She couldn’t quite help the smile that formed on her lips, as he told her that he would love to celebrate what they had created. Maybe one day she could do that, just look at the positive side of all of this. But having her brother back into her life, it had brought up old scars that she needed time to heal once more. Mostly because she felt so guilty, knowing very well that she shouldn’t. Her arms folded around his neck, and she crawled even closer to him on his lap. Kissing his cheek lovingly. “Thank you” she whispered, not really knowing what else to say. “I love you” she added, maybe it was also a way to tell him that she didn’t want to talk more about it. Which she sealed with placing her lips towards his.