â The Blood Love â
word count: 6739
"You're awfully pale, Sir Clarke," Juno commented. She sat cross legged on the stone ground, taking a bite out of a torn piece from a bread roll. The headband made from scrap rags tied around her head didn't keep some stray golden curls from her face, although she was too hungry to bother. Her glowing tanned skin contrasted with her light blue tunic; her ethereal beauty had caught those who met her for the first time off guard, and Cyrus Clarke was indeed one of them.
"Not everyone's skin can blessed by the sun like yours is my lady," he chuckled.
"You may refer to me by my given name, Sir Clarke."
"And you also."
"You're of nobility!" Juno cried, standing from the ground. "I couldn't-"
"Juno Taylor I insist you ignore noble titles and treat me as your friend."
She hummed. "You're unlike the others, Cyrus Clarke."
"As are you Juno. You know a woman with a mouth like yours ought to be burned?"
Juno let out a loud 'ha' at his comment. Juno Taylor was the loud mouthed young woman who never knew when to shut her mouth. She always would talk back and start arguments, but of course Cyrus' comments were correct, and she'd never demonstrate such behaviour in the public eye; that didn't mean she still wasn't a talkative girl.
She was the exact opposite to her older sister, Diana. Diana Taylor was what every woman was expected to be. She was quiet, patient and nurturing. Juno envied her sister greatly as she had men bowing at her feet, begging for her hand in marriage as they so desperately wanted an obedient wife with godly looks like hers, but none of them had the charm and charisma quite like Cyrus did.
It was a mystery how he managed to spark her interest. Diana was only delivering clothing that her family had made to one of the Lords. Along the way she had just bumped into Cyrus, and instantly he had fallen in love.
The scent of her blood was unlike any other. After his many years of being in his state he thought the blood love was only a myth until he found her. It was sweet, and made him feel weak for the first time in his life since he was human. He almost ripped her to shreds right there, but the sparkle in her eyes, her blonde hair and olive skin caught him in a different sort of trance.
He found her endearing. She rarely liked to talk, but she loved to listen. It took a lot for him to convince her to talk more, and with every syllable she uttered no matter how short he fell more and more in love with her. Cyrus couldn't imagine a world without her. Everyday he thought of how to ask her to live with him for eternity, but he couldn't bring himself to give her such a burdened life.
And when Diana asked him to meet her beloved sister, he knew that things would officially be more serious. It only complicated his decision on whether to turn her or not.
"I eat my own words. With that sentence you seem like those other men," Juno spat.
"I can assure you Juno I believe women should have the right to do as they wish, but unfortunately the majority frowns upon women having thoughts of their own," Cyrus sighed, causing Juno's posture to fall for attacking him too soon. "I only wish for you to be in good health, not for your life to be taken so soon for having a fire in your soul."
"What is my safety to you?" Juno questioned. "I am no woman made of gold, unworthy to live for my choice of thought."
Cyrus couldn't help but chuckle at her words. With her blonde curls being free from her headband and knot it was tied up in, it draped along her tanned shoulders. It was ironic that she didn't think of herself as golden when her very appearance said otherwise.
"You are anything but unworthy," he said. "You are Diana's sister, therefore I care about you and your safety."
Juno chuckled, "you really do love her don't you? I can see it in your dark eyes," she advanced closer to him, noticing no hint of lies or false pretences.
"More than anything," he answered sincerely.
"You don't need to win me over. Diana has a mind of her own, she doesn't need sister approval to be a man's lover."
"Juno I would hope for you to be my future sister in law, it's only natural for me to want you to be a friend of mine while I am with Diana."
Juno's eyes widened, and the corners of her mouth curved into a large, beaming grin. She jumped up and down slightly in her place at Cyrus' words, feeling over the moon that her beloved sister had a man as kind and noble as Cyrus truly care about her. The fact that he wanted to form a good relationship with her also showed much of his character; most noblemen took their desired woman and never let them see their family again. Cyrus was nothing like that.
Cyrus froze. "I beg of you not to tell Diana," he pleaded.
Juno's lips curved to a smirk, and at that moment her older sister Diana entered the room. Her hair swept to a side braid, falling just below her breast on her emerald, long sleeved dress she had sewn herself.
"I see you and my devil sister are getting along," Diana laughed, her voice sounding smoother than any velvet Cyrus' fingertips had ever brushed along.
Juno shot a glare at her sister before ushering the two out of the Taylor home.
"Your noble partner is quite a catch Diana, I must admit."
"Don't even think about a harem!" Diana joked. Juno let out a roar of laughter, causing Cyrus to grin at her very animated nature.
"You do think I am the devil's spawn!" She cackled.
Diana shook her head, intertwining her hand with Cyrus' as they walked out of the door. "You are so easy to tease, dear sister," Diana giggled as she placed a peck on Cyrus' cheek before walking further from the Taylor home. "I'll be back before sundown!"
"If you have her deflowered, I'll have your head!" Juno called out, pointing at Cyrus who only kept his eyes on Diana.
"That's not the man I am, Juno Taylor."
Juno laughed even more, holding onto her stomach from the tightness that began to form.
"Au revoir, dear brother!"
-
"That's my sister for fuck's sake!" Cyrus boomed, his loud voice straining slightly and causing Scott and Deaton to both step away in fear. They had pushed Juno further onto the medical table so her whole body laid on it rather than half. She was breathing, but her wounds were still open. Cyrus could have sworn that her skin was a slightly darker shade than normal, but he knew it was impossible. He was overreacting which was normally something he didn't do, but in the case of Juno, he had no control over what words left his mouth.
"I can help accelerate the healing but not when she's passed out like this, since I've never seen this happen before. Don't you know what to do in this situation?" Deaton asked.
Cyrus winced, noticing the rosary that Scott pulled out of Juno was still in his grasp.
"Would you kindly get rid of that thing? Or at least turn it upside down," he said irritably. Scott wasted no time throwing the rosary away, being deadly afraid of Cyrus. He hadn't made a good impression on Scott, from charging into Derek's loft earlier in the year and now.
Cyrus sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark curls, staring down at Juno's unconscious body with worry evident in his eyes. "I would use whatever you've got stocked up to heal holy wounfs," he breathed out. "But like you said, I wouldn't attempt it when she's like this."
It wasn't unusual for a Vampire's healing to slow down after a torture from any religious object such as a rosary, but the Nogitsune had tested Juno's limits greatly. It had never been heard of to have a holy object be in the flesh of a Vampire, or even have holy water ingested, so the consequences of the Nogitsune using the blunt cross on the rosary to impale Juno were completely unknown. Normally loss of breathing could only happen to a Vampire if they drowned, but once out of the water they would be fine yet again, but the Nogitsune had Juno at ends meet, with the cross already torturing her and slowing her healing, asphyxiation was sure to nearly end her life.
But of course, Juno Clarke was nearly impossible to kill, just as the Nogitsune knew.
"We can't just wait, she's been like this for too long!" Scott chimed in, staring down at Juno who only breathed every few seconds. "There has to be something we can-"
He stopped his sentence when he saw Juno's bright gold eyes fluttering open. Immediately, before she could fully sit up, she was engulfed in Cyrus' arms. She cried out in pain as his contact made her present wounds begin to hurt more than they already did. Immediately he let go and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Was I out for that long?" Juno breathed out. "Where's Kira? Is she okay?"
"Kira recovered quickly but left to see her family." Deaton answered.
"You were out for a few hours. And you still haven't healed..." Scott spoke up.
Juno let out a pained chuckle. "Yeah, I can tell," she joked, looking down at her still wounded abdomen. She then gently rubbed her neck, feeling an odd pain. Cyrus hadn't noticed before, but Juno had bruise marks loosely shaped as Stiles' hands around her neck. "Where's Stiles?" She suddenly asked, remembering why she had passed out.
The three men's eyes averted to the table behind her, where an unconscious, poisoned Stiles laid. Coincidentally, he was due to wake up also. Juno stiffened at the sight of him. Before she could move, Cyrus had read her mind but kept her in her place.
"Do you not remember what he did to you?" Cyrus asked.
"It wasn't the real Stiles..." she mumbled. Cyrus let out a deep breath, pulling her close to him but gentler than earlier. His chin rested atop her head before leaning down closer so only she could hear him.
"You had me worried sick, June," he admitted. Cyrus hadn't ever shown any vulnerability since Juno was first turned, so she knew he really was fearful for her life. "You know that I thought of you as my sister since we first met right?"
Juno chuckled into Cyrus's shoulder as she continued to hold his embrace. "How could I forget?"
"I can't lose you," he admitted, pulling away from her to look into her dark eyes he had known for centuries. "I just can't-"
The sounds of fumbling and fallen veterinarian equipment caused the two to jump apart. Juno held her hand over her abdomen from her fright adding more pain to her, watching Stiles stand from the table. His hands trembled, and his eyes were wide with fear and confusion, unsure of why he was at the clinic and how he had gotten there.
Scott and Deaton stood back, wary to not assume too soon if it was the real Stiles or not, but both Cyrus and Juno instantly knew.
She could feel his panic, his guilt, and his confusion, while Cyrus could hear his frantic thoughts, questioning himself what he had done and why he was there. The two Vampires could also smell the cleanliness of his blood, only a slight hint of a pungent scent laced within that had to be the poison Deaton injected him with.
Stiles' eyes fell on Juno's hand over her wounds. He noticed the thick blood on her fingertips and on her palms. He was hesitant to even say anything seeing Cyrus' menacing expression.
"I- I did that?" He asked, his voice almost inaudible as he continued to stare at the open wounds that made him feel sick to his stomach. Scott was cautious when approaching him, not buying into his pleads that he was the real Stiles.
Juno slowly slid off the edge of the table to stand. "It's him Scott," she told him. "His blood scent is finally clear..."
"And I can read his thoughts," Cyrus spoke up, narrowing his eyes at Stiles which caused his cheeks to burn up. Scott couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly threw his arms around his best friend, happy he was okay.
However the poison wouldn't last long. Stiles had the Nogitsune in the back of his head, occasionally speaking up and convincing him to take over, but Stiles would ignore it. He had dark, lightning bolt like figures appearing that were running up from his back, but only being visible due to his clothes on his neck. It was determining whether he was himself or not, and they would disappear if the Nogitsune took over him again.
He was still shaken up, but the comfort of Scott made him feel slightly less panicked. He had expected Juno to calm him down significantly, but seeing what he had unknowingly done to her made him feel even worse.
"Do you have powdered moonstone?" Cyrus asked Deaton. Without answering, Deaton left the room to get what Juno would need to heal. He didn't need any other requests from Cyrus, as he too knew what it took to heal a Vampire's holy wounds. He came back with a number of old, glass bottles with tattered labelling, and placed them on the table Stiles was previously on. Him and Cyrus began setting up a similar alchemy station to the one in the Clarke's basement, which ensued some snarky comments from Stiles.
"You guys planning on cooking meth or something?" He joked. While Juno would normally correct him, followed by an eye roll and stifled laughter, she just giggled and watched as Cyrus correct him with a cool tone. Stiles warmly smiled at Juno, his heart racing when the two held eye contact.
"I'm surprised you weren't the one to tell me off," Stiles teased. She simply shrugged, unsure of how to verbalise how she felt. She was just glad he was himself again and could hear his silly remarks, even if they weren't going to last much longer.
Cyrus sighed, shaking a small vial of dark green liquid. "Alright, lie down," he told Juno. Without hesitation she laid back onto the metal table, moving away her torn apart shirt so her wounds weren't covered in tattered fabric. Cyrus gave Deaton the vial and held down Juno's arms, knowing that the process would be painful.
He couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed Scott and Stiles both staring at Cyrus like he were a mad man.
"If either of you are squeamish, or you appreciate your hearing being in tact, I suggest you wait outside..." With that, both Scott and Stiles darted out of the room, Stiles tripping over nothing along the way before surging himself out again.
"Not even a little reassurance," she sighed, her tone laced with heavy sarcasm.
"I read his mind," Cyrus said. "we'd be here for hours if he spoke his thoughts."
-
"You ever seen anything like this, doll?"
Shirley Clarke most certainly had seen this image before her in previous years. The scene of many rich, famous people gathered in a room, laughing over bland stories with champagne and whatever other drinks they have to help them numb to forget the lack of substance each of them had. She had seen many of these scenes before, but she couldn't admit that to the man with his arm tightly wrapped around her waist.
"Isn't this a bit much?" She asked. "I mean, what are we celebrating?"
"Who cares what we're celebrating," her long term boyfriend asked. His plump lips curving into his trademark seductive smirk as he scanned the tight fitted red dress his high school sweetheart wore. "Just enjoy the night."
Shirley sighed. "This is the fifth one this weekend Elvis-"
She was interrupted by a loud mouthed man much older than the two walking up to them. Elvis used his free hand to greet the large man with a handshake. The man's eyes fell on Shirley, where his mouth dropped and he let out a long whistle as he admired her appearance, making Shirley's smile fall slightly.
"Got yourself a stunner huh?" He cackled. "Who is this fine young woman?"
"Shirley Clarke," Elvis answered proudly, pulling her closer to his side. "We met in high school."
Shirley's attention was elsewhere as Elvis and the man continued to talk. She would want to wander off somewhere else but it was against the norm for her to be separated from Elvis in this time, so she stayed put, smiling through the pain her high heels gave her. Looking up at Elvis she was lost in thought. She was dating the world's handsomest man. The biggest male sex symbol of the generation. Somehow, the beautiful man she stood by saw something in her.
For centuries she was unsure of love, unsure of having connections with people like she did with Elvis, but the loneliness caused by her brother sparked something in her. For a few years she had been driving recklessly, following Elvis' heels into all sorts of trouble with the law. It was freeing to finally not hold back and to be intimate with someone.
The only problem was that she didn't love him.
Elvis was unconditionally in lust with Shirley Clarke, but he had mistaken it for true love. From her breathtaking beauty, all the way to her rebellious nature had pulled him in. A man like him was expected to be in bed with multiple women, but he only had eyes on Shirley. Shirley however only thought of him as no more than a boy toy. He was a distraction to her loneliness that would soon come again. His blood wasn't anything out of the ordinary, in fact the scent was rather dull. Elvis wasn't Shirley's blood love, but she pretended he was.
After an entire night of being treated as a trophy to Elvis' many celebrity friends, the two headed back to his lavish mansion, where instead of going to sleep they spent many more hours awake with lust. It had been six years since the two had met, and the more Shirley came to realise that Elvis was a distraction, the more she became anxious of how to let the one man she had ever gotten close to down.
She missed her dear brother that she had known for centuries. While he was what caused her strong feeling of loneliness due to being busy, she longed for their deep, intellectual conversations that she could never have with Elvis. She longed to not feel trapped in a relationship where she did not reciprocate many of the emotions. Shirley then realised she was alone again, even when she had someone with her.
Shirley watched Elvis sleep. She got up from his king sized bed and put on her clothes that were scattered around the room, grabbing crucial things that she had left around his mansion since it had practically become her second home. Shoving all of the small things into her large purse, she was ready to leave without a word, until she felt a tap on her shoulder before she could walk out of the door.
"Shirley? Everythin' alright?" Elvis asked.
That's when Shirley felt panic surge through her body. She had never been in any situation like this before, and only wanted to take the easy way out. Now with confrontation, she had no idea what to do.
"I needed some air."
"With all this?" He pointed at her bag, shoved to the brim with potions and other things a Vampire would need disguised as beauty products.
"I figured I'd donate them?" Shirley was so unsure with her lie she even questioned her own words. This was why her brother always came up with the lies.
"You've never been a good liar Shirl, tell me what you're really up to..."
He advanced closer to her. The only thing he wore was loose pants, so he used his sex appeal to lure her back to him; tensing his chest, staring at her with smoldering eyes. It was all he ever knew to do with her, which was exactly one of the reasons why she wanted to leave him.
"Elvis-"
He tore the bag from her grasp and had Shirley's back pinned to the door, gripping onto her wrists. He towered over her, leaning down so he could look into her dark brown eyes he never wanted out of his life.
"You can't leave me," he said, more so as an order rather than a plea. "Shirley you've been with me for too long-"
"Which is why I need to go," she mumbled helplessly. "Elvis I don't feel anything."
His grip on her tightened. "Then what was that before? You yelling out my name was nothing? The last six years with me was nothing!?"
His raising voice caused fear to surge through Shirley. She fought the urge to break free as it would be suspicious of her true self. It wasn't until she felt his hand run down the curve of her hip to the end of her dress, then back up again, did she finally reach a breaking point. Shirley's eyes began to glow gold in anger, and feeling Elvis press onto her to keep her from leaving only told her that she had no other way out.
Shirley broke her wrists free from his grasp with ease then surged her hands into his chest with all of her might, sending him flying across the house. He slammed the wall with numerous tasteless paintings on it, letting out a loud cry in pain as the impact occurred.
He was on the ground, holding onto his head as he felt blood trickle down the back of his neck. He shouted obscenities at Shirley, before cutting off his words as he caught a glimpse of her glowing eyes.
"What the-"
But he couldn't finish his sentence. Shirley had grabbed a bottle from her bag and threw it onto the ground in front of him. As soon as the liquid made contact with the tile floor, it turned to smoke, and clouded Elvis' view. He tried to scream, but instantly, he passed out, and all memories of the past hour were erased from his mind.
-
"Wow..." Stiles mumbled. After Juno was healed at the vet clinic, her and Stiles made their way to the woods, where they just talked like they did after Stiles found out she was a Vampire, only instead of being on the hood of his Jeep with McDonalds separating them, they laid on the fallen Autumn leaves, with no space in between them.
"Elvis Presley was a real dick..." he admitted.
Juno chuckled. "Makes me feel less guilty for never loving him I suppose."
"But you were close."
"Of course," she admitted. "I spent six years by his side. I knew him- well, thought I did, better than the back of my hand, but being close doesn't mean you're in love."
"Right," Stiles mumbled. The two laid on their back's in the leaves. Juno stared up at the blue sky and small amount of trees covering them from the sun, while Stiles kept staring at Juno.
He wished the two could spend more time like this often. He loved to just stare at her sparkling, diamond like skin under the sunlight, and to just listen to her speak about nothing and everything. It made him feel at ease, but with so much going on, it was hard to have tender moments together.
"Anything else from the past you'd like me to talk about?" Juno laughed. "Some memories are a bit fuzzy, but I've got some good ones I remember quite clearly."
Stiles chuckled, watching her turn her head to look into his eyes. Staring at her, he knew exactly how one of the most famous men in history could have been head over heels for her. Stiles thought she was somewhat other-worldy, the way her porcelain skin appeared to be encrusted with shining diamonds. Her doe brown eyes sweet and innocent, but her pink lips full with passion. Her natural curls appearing as threads of pure gold, strands draping over her face like delicate brush strokes on a canvas. Juno was art that belonged in a museum, it was no wonder that everyone she met had to stop to look at her for a few moments.
Stiles felt like the luckiest person on Earth to even be laying with her in the sun, where she is most vulnerable. Seeing her in such a way felt like a gift he could never be able to repay.
Juno noticed Stiles' staring. Although she was slightly annoyed he wasn't listening, she loved the way he looked when he stared. His lips would be slightly parted, and his eyes were filled with adoration, which was a look she hadn't seen on anyone until she met him.
"You're staring again," she chuckled. Stiles blinked a few times, mentally cursing himself out for the fact that she had noticed his frequency of it. "Do I bore you?" She joked.
"God no," he defended. "You really don't. Sorry I was just..." Stiles trailed off, not knowing how to verbally express 'I was distracted by how insanely beautiful you are.'
"You were just?" Juno simply laughed as she watched Stiles fumble over his words to come up with an excuse. She didn't need an explanation, but watching him try did provide entertainment. "It's fine. Why don't you tell me a story?"
"I'm not the best, but alright." Stiles cleared his throat before taking a deep breath. "Once upon a time there was a princess who-"
"No!" Juno whined, playfully hitting Stiles' shoulder, making him laugh. "I mean something about you. You always have me talk non stop but you rarely say anything yourself."
"That's because I like hearing you talk," Stiles replied. "You have far more interesting things to talk about. And like I said on your first day here: I'm extremely attracted to your accent."
Juno turned so she laid on her side. Resting her head in her hand, she smiled down at Stiles who still kept his look of adoration on his face.
"It gets boring talking about myself."
"Not for me," Stiles said. "What about something that happened when you were human? When you weren't all broody and stuff," he teased, poking the tip of her nose which caused her to groan.
"Well there's the time where I was almost accused of being a witch," Juno recalled. As she laid back down on her back, Stiles quickly outstretched his arm so he held onto her. Pulling her close to his side, he ran his fingers through her curls while she rested her head on his chest. While it was sudden of him to do, Juno truly had no protests. In fact, she had been waiting for him to pull her closer to him this whole time.
"Alright, let's hear it."
-
Juno Taylor was always the one to make this journey. Her family's surname came from their very own profession: tailoring. Often they would run out of the things they needed such as silk or cotton, and Juno was always the one to retrieve the crops from those who grew the resources. It was very unwise of her family to choose her however, as she had a sharp wit and fiery tongue that would talk back to most she encountered. It was a miracle she hadn't been executed yet.
"Is Mathilda anywhere?" Juno asked the dark skinned man who was planting more resources. The man pointed to the triangular hut made of sticks and straw; the most common home for the poorer people in this age. Juno strolled over to the home where she peeked through the entry and noticed the woman she always traded with, Mathilda, finishing up the two sacks of cotton and silk for her.
Without a word, Juno handed over the loaf of bread she was holding along with three small silver coins . She took the cotton and silk, thanking Mathilda, before quickly taking the same path back to her own home.
Along the way she noticed a nobleman up ahead who frequently strolled around the agriculture areas with the only goal to spit on those of lower class than him. He was Lord Arthur, and Juno always liked to get her resources whenever he wasn't out, but this time she was unlucky.
"Golden hair with dark eyes. Do I spot a Taylor in the flesh?" Lord Arthur spoke, his voice alone enriched with wealth.
"That you do my Lord," Juno answered through gritted teeth, bowing slightly, although she wished not to as she despised the Lord in front of her. "I must get going though-"
"And what has you in a hurry?"
Juno held up her crops a little higher to emphasise their presence. "I've got your noble clothing to make, my Lord."
"Do you sew all on your own?"
"Most of the time, yes," Juno answered. "I make the garments for nobles on my own. Only occasionally does my father assist, other than that, he tailors for the plains."
Lord Arthur stepped back in horror. "You are of year seventeen?"
"Indeed."
"And already, you have independence? I already thought of danger noticing you not being accompanied by a man, but a woman who works solely alone with no help-"
"Lord Arthur I am capable. Your wife does love my gowns, so you ought to bite your tongue about my independence. Without it you'd expose your horrendous bare body!"
Lord Arthur scowled, provoking her by towering over her. "You dare interrupt me and insult me as such!?"
"May I sew your own mouth shut also?" Juno spat.
Her head whipped to the side as the back of Lord Arthur's hand made a stinging impact against her cheek. "You insult me and try to assert dominance over superior? How far have you strayed from the God's light? You must be a wi-"
"Oh shut it you crooked-nosed knave!"
Juno shoved past Lord Arthur and ran down the path that lead back to her home. She heard Lord Arthur cry 'witch' over and over behind her, but fortunately many of the farming peasants cared not for anything the dirty Lord ever said. Also luckily for Juno, Lord Arthur was a very large, poorly athletic man who would rather have his fingers bent back than run for even a few seconds. He also had such a poor memory as his blood line was purely insectuous, he completely forgot the situation occurred.
Luck was something she always depended on. Never realising her wrongdoing after talking back to those of higher power.
Juno Taylor never learned her lesson.
-
"What the hell is a crooked-nosed knave?" Stiles asked through giggles. He still had Juno pressed to his side on the forest ground. Despite his arm wrapped tightly around her cold body, he found comfort with her there.
"It basically means someone of low class," Juno answered. "A man was once on trial for using the term in public. It was very offensive back then."
Stiles chuckled, "clearly. Man, medieval guys suck. So do guys from the fifties. I sincerely apologise on the behalf of all of us."
"Don't apologise for those poor excuses for people," Juno laughed, "they don't deserve it from you."
Stiles cheeks began to burn up as Juno clutched onto him while adjusting her head slightly on her chest. The feeling of her own butterflies with Stiles' added onto it made it almost uncomfortable for her to sit through, but she knew it came from good and soldiered on. The feeling of Stiles' hand running through her curls again made her close her eyes. While she couldn't sleep, it didn't stop her from feeling at peace, savouring the moment.
"You're probably wondering why I wanted you to come with me here," Stiles mumbled, only just loud enough for Juno to hear.
"I just assumed you needed a break from everything that's happened..."
"Yeah," Stiles breathed out. "But I wanted to tell you something."
Juno felt her body tighten. She was unsure what he was going to say. She had some ideas, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Instead she stayed in her place, letting Stiles continue to run his hand through her hair, waiting for him to elaborate.
"I know that the Nogitsune is still in my head, it just doesn't have control..." he began. "I know it'll take over eventually, so to make sure I don't hurt anyone else, I'm going to put myself in Eichenhouse."
Juno sat up and looked at Stiles as if he had grown another three heads. "Eichenhouse? What is-"
"A mental health facility," Stiles answered, sitting up also, making his face only inches away from Juno's. "I'll be locked up in there, and I won't be able to-"
"Stiles you don't need to go there," Juno pleaded. "Scott, Cyrus and I, we're all figuring out ways to help and get you back to how you were before all of this!"
Stiles gently cupped Juno's cheek. He felt his chest tighten as he stared into her big brown eyes, showing all sorts of different emotions, making him want to change his mind.
"Last night, I tortured you, June," he said, his voice slightly broken. "Scott told me that what I did to you was so beyond torture he wasn't even sure you were going to live!"
Juno cupped his face also, wiping a tear rolling down his cheek away gently with her thumb.
"I could hear you in even more pain when you were being healed and I wasn't even in the building-"
"Stiles I know that wasn't you," Juno interrupted. "And I'm fine now. I'll always be fine."
Stiles sighed. He held her face in both of her hands, staring straight into her eyes, determined to get through her stubbornness.
"Juno I don't want to hurt you, or anyone else again. It's the only way."
Juno knew she was being selfish. She understood that Stiles wanted to be locked away for a while so he wouldn't hurt anyone, but she herself had thought of many other solutions. She wasn't sure what would happen to him, as mental health facilities never had a good reputation. She felt Stiles' feeling of sadness radiate onto her which only made her feel more desperate to keep him out of Eichenhouse. She only wanted him to be safe with her.
Then it clicked. She wanted him to be with her, officially. After a long time knowing she had feelings for him, but being confused about whether or not to do anything about it, she knew. She didn't want Stiles in a bad environment, or to feel any pain, loneliness, and guilt.
She didn't want him there because she was madly in love with him.
While she felt it was strange to fall for him so quickly, she knew that it was meant to be. The sweetness of his blood that makes her infatuated with him to the point where she is unsure whether or not she should kiss him or rip his throat to shreds. The stupid, unprovoked comments he makes in situations that leave her in stitches, but everyone else groaning. Every other little thing about him from his freckles, to the way he taps on his Jeep's steering wheel when he drives.
Stiles Stilinski wasn't just a boy Juno Clarke had fallen for, he was Juno's blood love. The one person she had been waiting centuries for was right in front of her, holding onto her with such care and sweetness, unlike anything she had felt before.
Without another syllable uttered from either of them, the two knew exactly what the other was thinking, and they acted on it immediately.
They leaned in to connect their lips. What would have been the perfect moment was ruined by Juno's eagerness, and she instead slammed her nose against Stiles'.
"Shit, sorry!" Juno cursed, her own feeling of embarrassment completely washing over her. Stiles stifled laughter, although a few stray giggles left his lips as he couldn't help but find her eagerness adorable. Not to mention the way her bottom lip stuck out slightly as she pouted at him for laughing made him only fall for her more.
"Don't be sorry, Junebug," he purred. He then leaned in again, this time, their lips finally connected together.
Juno fluttered her eyes shut as their lips moved in perfect sync together. Her hands moved from his face to the back of his neck and up to his hair, where the softness of his brown locks made her feel warm for the first time in a long while. The warm caress of his lips on her own made her feel a new type of high. The sweet scent of his blood on top of it all only making her press forward and deepen their first kiss.
Stiles felt chills run through his body. Her ice cold lips was a new sensation that he was unfamiliar with, but had grown to love all at once. The feeling of Juno running her fingers through his hair made him groan, which caused Juno to smile into the kiss.
Pulling away, he rested his forehead on hers, and grinned down at her.
"What's so funny?" He muttered.
"You," Juno replied, leaning forward to kiss him again. Stiles could hardly kiss her back as he couldn't fight the grin on his face, but he held onto her waist and pulled her closer to him. He laid backwards, Juno being on top of him as their once perfect first kiss now turned into many broken ones, caused by one erupting into giggles before resuming again.
The two gave up and instead Juno just slumped by Stiles' side on the forest floor. Her cheeks began to ache from how hard she grinned, as did Stiles'. Both of their lips swollen from how long they had been kissing and how deep they had gone, but neither of them cared.
"You're really making it harder for me to leave," Stiles laughed breathlessly.
Juno hummed, feeling Stiles nudge her hand before she intertwined her fingers with his. "It'll only be three days," Stiles reassured.
She sighed, standing up from the ground completely, pulling Stiles up and keeping his hand in hers.
"I think I can deal with three days," Juno sighed in defeat, using her free hand to play with the buttons on Stiles' flannel.
He chuckled, planting a quick peck on her forehead, then placing his hand on the small of her back to pull her body against his. His arms wrapped around her gently, yet tightly. It was far different to any embrace he had given her before. This one was far more secure and comfortable; they didn't really have much to hide anymore as they had shown each other how they felt without the need for words.
"Three days. I'll be better, and I'll come straight back to you."
~
Wow only took 17 loooong chapters for them to finally lock lips. I hope you enjoyed some of the past stories to do with Juno. I wanted to include the theme of blood love in two of them just to hint at what it was, and the third was kind of just for fun. We still don't know what it fully means just yet, but I'll get to that later.
And no, things aren't all sunshine and rainbows, but I figured I'd pause the torture for now :)
Thanks for all of your support!!! Love you all xo