As Long As We’re Together
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am finished.
Author’s Notes- This is the next part of my “A Modern Romance” AU and this one has been in the works forever and I just couldn’t get it right. It takes place the day after “The One That I Want”. This is also a response to the request for the line “The problem is, is I kiss you, I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”
Pairing- Kenna/Diavolos
Rating- PG-13
Summary- Kenna and Diavolos decide on the next step of their relationship.
Words- 1834
“So how do we want to do this?” Kenna asked over breakfast, “go public I mean?”
“Why don’t we discuss that tonight?” Diavolos deflected, “over dinner?”
Kenna mentally reviewed her schedule. “I am supposed to go to a charity benefit, but Annelyse can go in my place,” she decided after a moment, wondering if he was having second thoughts about going public, even though he was the one who had been pushing for it. Maybe everything felt different in the light of morning and he realized that the risk was too great. Though he didn’t look regretful, just thoughtful.
“Sounds good,” Diavolos told her, leaning across the table to kiss her, “can you come here?”
“Ok,” Kenna agreed easily, they’d often ended up at his place, mostly because he was less likely to have surprise visitors. Though really that shouldn’t be a problem any longer, but his place was also bigger and more comfortable. She stood up, “I should get going. I need to get to the office.”
Diavolos stood up as well, “me too.” He moved to stand beside her, brushing his lips against hers. The gesture is so sweet and familiar and for the first time, it doesn’t make her heartache. Because she was going to get to keep this man.
The day crawled by and Kenna kept glancing at the clock, wondering if it was time to leave yet. Several people commented on her distraction, but she brushed them off.
The only one who pressed was Annelyse, who smiled as she agreed to take over Kenna’s social obligation, and then paused on her way out the door. “I’m glad you and Diavolos worked things out,” She said casually.
Kenna knew she should be surprised by Annelyse’s comment, but it had been obvious that her friend knew about her and Diavolos—even if she had been polite enough not to push.
Annelyse paused, suddenly concerned, “you have worked things out, right? I wouldn’t have commented, but you look happier than you have in months.”
“We have,” Kenna assured her, “or we will, we’re going to talk about it tonight.”
Annelyse smiled, “good.”
“You’re not going to tell me it’s a bad idea?” Kenna asked curiously.
Annelyse shrugged, “I like Diavolos, you know that, and most importantly, I want you to be happy and if Diavolos makes you happy, then he has my blessing.”
“Thank you,” Kenna told her and then made a face. “Do you think the others will be so accepting?”
Annelyse shrugged again. “Will might complain that you’re giving him a headache, but otherwise I assume so. We love you Kenna and we want you to be happy. Besides Diavolos isn’t his father.”
No, he wasn’t.
After leaving the office, Kenna went home, wanting to change out of her work clothes and into something nicer, even if they were planning on a quiet night. A short time later, she was being dropped off outside Diaovlos’s building.
To her surprise, the doorman had her wait while he called up to Diavolos, something that hadn’t happened in months. She questioned it and got a nervous, “Mr. Nevrakis insisted.”
Kenna didn’t press the poor doorman for more information but that weird feeling from that morning returned. Was Diavolos having second thoughts? Was he preparing to end things instead of going public with their relationship?
Before the panic could set in, the doorman opened the elevator and Kenna stepped inside, trying to calm her nerves and her over-active imagination. Diavolos was the one who had pressed her to go public, surely he wouldn’t change his mind now. After all, games weren’t his style.
The elevator pinged and Kenna took a deep breath to fortify herself before stepping down the hall to his apartment. She let herself in and then froze once she was inside, caught off guard by the sight awaiting her. There were candles and flowers and Diavolos was wearing a suit.
Her worries immediately evaporated, because he wasn’t going to go to all this trouble just to break up with her, so whatever was going on, it couldn’t be bad.
“What’s this?” She asked as she set down her bag.
“This is me romancing you,” Diavolos told her, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. “Do you have any objections?”
“None at all,” Kenna assured him, turning in his embrace. She moved to kiss him, but he stopped her, pulling away. “What’s wrong?” Kenna asked because Diavolos had never turned down an opportunity to kiss her before. He was normally quite enthusiastic about it.
Suddenly she was tense again, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Nothing,” he assured her, running a gentle hand over her face, “the problem is, if I kiss you, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop and I have plans for us tonight.” He stepped back, removing his hand from her face and grabbing her hand instead, leading her to the table.
“Did you cook for me?” She teased, trying to relax. After six months she knew that Diavolos wasn’t much of a cook, but then neither was she.
“No, but I made sure to order all your favorites,” he told her as he pulled out the chair for her.
“Are we celebrating the next step in our relationship?” Kenna asked lightly.
He hesitated, “something like that.”
Once again, she had the feeling that something has changed with Diavolos and yet… The romantic dinner, the talk of plans, none of that added up to him wanting to be done with her. She expected him to sit down, but he didn’t.
Instead, he dropped to one knee in front of her. Kenna stared at him, he couldn’t… Surely… But as he watched, he pulled out a velvet box and reveals a stunning diamond and sapphire ring.
“I know this might be too soon, but I’ve had months to figure out that I never want to be with anyone else,” he told her, looking directly into her eyes. The love and devotion she sees there took her breath away. “There were a million reasons why this thing between us shouldn’t have worked,” he reminded her, “but it does. No one has ever understood me the way you do and you fit into my life as if you’ve always been there. I knew I had to fight tooth and nail to keep you and I never want to lose you. I want you forever, Kenna, so I’m taking a risk. Kenna Rys, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. Yes, it was fast and they have so much to figure out, but… She’s spent six months trying to fight her feelings for him, trying to tell herself she couldn’t keep him and it hadn’t worked. She was done fighting it. She wanted this man and she knew that there would never be a day where she doesn’t.
“I love you,” she told him softly, saying the words for the second time ever but under much happier circumstances than the first time she’d said them.
Diavolos got to his feet, pulling her into his arms. “I love you too, Kenna, more than I ever thought it would be possible to love someone.” He slipped the ring on her finger and then kissed her deeply.
Kenna wrapped her arms around his neck, happily surrendering to his kiss and her love for him. She’d spent so long pushing him away and it’s a relief to know that was over. Whatever happened next, they’re in it together, forever.
“So how do we do this?” Kenna asked when they finally break the kiss. “How do we go public?”
Especially since they wouldn’t be announcing their relationship, but their engagement. She actually preferred it that way, because they would be making it to clear to everyone that this wasn’t a fleeting thing. This was real and it was serious and they were in it together, no matter what obstacles people tried to put in their way and Kenna knew that there would be obstacles and objections but she had to believe that they were strong enough to overcome them.
“I’ve prepared a formal engagement notice for the papers,” Diavolos told her, “my assistant will release it as soon as we give the go ahead, but I’ve also arranged for a much more effective way of getting the news out there: my sister.”
“You’re bringing Zenobia into this?” Kenna asked in disbelief. “You really think she’ll co-operate? She and I aren’t exactly best friends, don’t you think she’ll object to our relationship?”
“She’s known about us for months,” Diavolos said calmly.
Kenna stared at him. “What?”
“She has a key,” he replied, his arms holding her in place when she might have stepped back, “she comes into this apartment whenever she feels like it. You’ve left clothes here, Kenna, belongings. Zenobia is spoiled and self-absorbed, she’s not stupid. She’s also seen us together and picked up on our body language. She figured it out and confronted me.”
“And she didn’t tell your father?” Kenna asked.
“As much as she frustrates me 90% of the time, Zenobia and I have each other’s backs,” Diavolos told her quietly.
Kenna nodded, though she was still a little stunned by this turn of events.
“So do I have your ok to get her to leak the news?” Diavolos asked after a moment.
“Yes,” Kenna agreed, knowing he was right about one thing: letting Zenobia broadcast it to the whole world is the most effective way to announce it. Part of her felt like she should warn a bunch of people because there would be fallout from the announcement, but she didn’t really want to. She didn’t want to deal with any of this tonight, she just wanted to savor being engaged.
“Turn off your phone,” Diavolos advised as he releases her and reached for his own. He sent a quick text and then powered off his phone, as Kenna did the same with hers.
“We’re going to have a lot to deal with in the morning,” Kenna pointed out as she stepped closer to him.
“And we’ll deal with it, but tonight isn’t about the rest of the world, it’s about us,” Diavolos told her in a low voice, pulling her tight against his body.
“That sounds nice,” Kenna agreed dreamily, tilting her face up towards his. He kissed her again, long and slow and Kenna melted into it, melted into him. He was right, they could deal with the real world in the morning, right then she just wanted to savor the moment because they’d earned it.
After all the pain and uncertainty of the last six months, when a happy ending had seemed impossible, they were together and they would be for the rest of our lives. That was pretty amazing and all Kenna wanted was to bask in it. She’d deal with reality later, right then all she cared about was the man she loved and the life they were going to have together.
– End
