Do You Know Who You Are?

@ castle.

Charlotte looked up when Antonio pushed the door to her room open, a slow, sleepy smile spreading over her lips as she looked at him, stretching once more. "Good morning.. How did you sleep?" She asked as she leaned back against the pillows, not quite ready to get out of bed, no matter how tempting breakfast sounded. She was used to waking up at seven to be in the library or class by eight, so being to sleep in for a few hours and linger in bed was a luxury she wasn't quite ready to give up, especially if she could convince the handsome man standing in her doorway to get back into bed with her.

She hummed a little in thought as she looked at the ceiling before looking back at him. "Are we allowed to have breakfast in bed? Or should I get up and sit at the table?"

Antonio couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he shook his head, stepping into the room. He moved over to the bed, offering his hand out to Charlotte. "How about you join me at the table and then after that, you can settle down on the couch and relax there, hm?" He suggested softly, brushing a bit of hair out of Charlotte's face. He smiled brightly, brushing his thumb over her cheek before he relaxed.

"Don't want to risk getting syrup all over your sheets, do you?" Antonio teased. He glanced toward the bedroom door before he turned back toward her. "What if I promise a kiss or two to sweeten up the deal?" He asked, looking down to her with a smile that seemed permanent on his features. All because she was here, laying in front of him and for once, Antonio didn't have a single thought on his mind except what was in front of him.

@ castle.

Charlotte smiled as he came over, happily taking his hand, not needing too much convincing. "Alright alright, I'll get up.. but I still expect those kisses." She grinned up at him, sliding out of bed to stretch for a moment with a soft little groan before wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, gazing up at him adoringly.

"So.. What am I supposed to call you? Should I call you Cain, or would you prefer that I call you Antonio?" She asked softly, brushing her fingers through his hair slowly before her hand moved to rest against his cheek. "Whatever makes you most comfortable." She had about a million questions she wanted to ask him, but she didn't want to push her luck or make him upset, and it was easy to distract herself from her research questions when she could easily think about the handsome man in front of her holding her close and kissing her.

Antonio started littering her face with kisses, a little grin plastered on his features. "Do you still need more?" He teased, repeating the action until Charlotte started laughing and squirming in his grip. He let go of her, his hand settling on her lower back as he followed her out into the main area of the apartment. Looking over to her at her question, Antonio's face scrunched for a moment. He shrugged, turning to face her fully.

"You can call me whatever you'd like, darlin'. When we're here, anyway. But if we're out in public, ya can't go calling me Cain," Antonio answered softly. He reached out, squeezing her hand gently before he dropped his hand from her to finish bringing the plates over to the small dining table. Antonio settled down in his seat, a gentle smile playing at his features as he watched Charlotte. "I hope it's alright. Let me know if you want something else, hm?" Antonio would jump at the chance to make Charlotte happy, regardless of what that meant. He was sure that eventually, Charlotte would understand that but it was going to take time.

@ castle.

Charlotte giggled and laughed as he kissed all over her face, squirming as his beard tickled her cheeks. The action felt so familiar to her, yet she couldn't place the memory, still thinking her odd memories as she followed him to the table and took her seat, smiling as she looked over the meal he'd prepared. "It looks delicious, thank you." She nudged his leg under the table with hers with a little smile before digging in, humming in satisfaction as she tasted the meal.

"This is amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this?" She asked, figuring that was an easy question he could answer, and it might lead to him telling her more about his life.

Antonio was content for the first time in so long that he wasn't even sure he could remember. He had a few, brief moments of being able to be.. not happy, but okay with his place in life over the past few thousand years. But it was nothing compared to being in front of Charlotte for the first time in just as long. He exhaled slowly, reaching out to lace his fingers through Charlotte's after a moment. He used his free hand to eat, smirking up at her.

"I've been around for as long as humanity has been," he answered with a small shrug. "It's amazing the sort of food that has changed so much since.." he trailed off, realizing he'd been about to say 'the time we were together'. Antonio didn't think that she was ready for that. Or maybe it was that he wasn't ready for that. "Since humans first roamed the Earth. Bread hasn't changed so much... I didn't have strawberries at the beginning either. It was mostly grapes and apples, that sort of thing," he said, flicking a grape into his mouth. He grinned at her. "What's your favourite fruit, darlin'?"

@ castle.

Charlotte smiled as he laced their fingers together over the table, happily sitting and listening to him speak while they ate. She noticed his little hesitation, but decided it was probably best not to say anything about it, as he'd obviously made a choice not to say whatever it was. She smiled at him as she ate a few slices of apple, humming a little as she chewed, thinking over his question. "I like blueberries.. There were a few wild blueberry bushes that grew behind my house when I was a kid, and my brother and I would always sneak away to eat as many as we could before our mother caught on to what we were doing. Of course, we always made a mess of ourselves, so she found out eventually, but she never got too mad." She smiled a little at the memory, squeezing his hand a bit.

"What about you? What's been your favorite meal, or top five favorite meals?" She asked curiously, taking a sip of her glass of water as her curious eyes studied his face, waiting for his answer.

Antonio nearly wanted to cry as he listened to Charlotte tell her story about blueberries. It was such a simple thing to others but simply hearing something, anything about her life made his heart flutter. He sighed in contentment, setting his chin in his palm for a moment so he could just study her features. "You're so adorable," he praised her quietly. He didn't long for very many things but he loved the idea of simply listening to Charlotte talk. On and on, for as long as possible. If he had any say in it, Antonio would happily sit in her kitchen for the next week and listen to her talk about anything and everything at all. He found himself wondering how Charlotte would react if he told her the truth, if he revealed to her that she was Charas. Charas was she.

"I like fresh food. Um.. like, fresh seafood is my absolute meal ever," Antonio explained. He grinned as he took a bite of his food, tilting his head to the side as he studied the woman in front of him. "Mediterranean meals are my downfall, though. I just love the flavours that Greek food has," he explained softly. He cleared his throat before taking another bit of his food. "Obviously things have evolved but still, they remind me of a past time. Where life was so much simpler."

@ castle.

Charlotte smiled as she watched his reactions to her stories, finding it interesting that he was so invested in hearing about her life. Surely there was something he wasn't telling her about their connection, but she didn't want to push anything he didn't want to speak about, so she was happy to wait and just let him give the information on his own.

"I think I have some salmon in the fridge that needs cooking.. It's a few days old, but I got it from the local fish market, so it should be fresh. I can make it for dinner, if you want? I don't know what else to have with it, though.." she offered, smiling a little as she ate the meal in front of her with a happy him.

Antonio felt a wave of contentment wash over him when Charlotte mentioned having fish for dinner. He had thought that she would want him to leave at some point during the day but he wasn't going to complain at all. If she wanted him to sta for dinner, Antonio would happily do so. "I'm sure I can whip something together," Antonio commented, nodding his head. He had all but finished him plate now, a few blueberries left on his plate. He ate them one by one.

"We should go out and do something. Maybe not today but tomorrow?" Antonio suggested, tilting his head to the side. "I don't really care what we do, so long as I get to spend time with you. S'all that matters to me, darlin'."

@ castle.

Charlotte smiled across the table at him as he perked up at her offer for him to stay for dinner, glad that he was excited and looked forward to cooking something for the pair. "I can't wait. I'm sure it'll be delicious." She beamed, finishing her meal before standing to put her plates in the sink, stopping to lean down and press a loving kiss to his lips as she passed. "Thank you for breakfast. It was wonderful." She smiled as she washed up the dishes and began to put what they hadn't eaten away, humming while she worked.

Once everything was away she moved back over to the table, but instead of sitting back down in her seat she plopped herself down in his lap, smiling as she hooked her arms around his neck. "Doing something would be fun.. What would you like to do? I know you said it doesn't matter, but I still want to know what you like to do for fun."

Antonio couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as Charlotte dropped into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him as he set his head on her shoulder. "Honestly, darlin', I don't care what we do. As long as I get to spend some time with you.." he trailed off, shrugging. "Then it's time well spent," he answered simply. He leaned back in his seat, studying her for a moment. "I can't tell you the last time that I had time to spend to do something I enjoyed," he answered lowly.

"Truth be told, I haven't had an actual day off in years. I don't even know if I remember what it's like to have a whole day off," Antonio grumbled, pressing lazy kisses against her neck. "Kolasi is all I know, darlin'," he offered softly. Not because he wanted her to feel sorry for him but because it was the truth. "What do you like to do on your time off, darlin'?"

@ castle.

Charlotte gently ran her fingers through his hair as his head rested against her shoulder, smiling down at him as she shifted a bit in his lap to get more comfortable as he spoke. She was about to respond to him and his questions when she felt his lips pressing lazy kisses along her neck, a faint moan escaping her lips as her fingers tangled in his hair gently. Her neck was incredibly sensitive, and he seemed to know right where to kiss to tease her.

She blushed brightly when she realized what had happened, clearing her throat a little to try to calm herself down, although as long as his lips were against her skin, she'd be flustered. "I-I dunno.. Cain... I-I don't do m-m-much.." she stammered between little moans, practically melting in his arms.

"I'm sorry, darlin'," Antonio drawled, continuing his assault with lazy kisses. He smirked to himself when he realized that he was getting the same reaction from her body as he always had; as different as they both were now, there were many things that remained the same. He breathed a small sigh, pulling his other hand up her side. His fingers dug in a bit harshly but he was careful to pay attention to the way she breathed; he didn't want to hurt her. Antonio didn't know if he could do it, even if he could have Charas in the next lifetime. The thought of causing her pain caused him far too much pain.

"What did you say?" He asked, his fingers dipping beneath the fabric of Charlotte's shorts. Antonio's brows pulled together as he wondered if this was too much, too soon. THough he had a sinking realization that they had already hit that point. There was no going back. "Don't think I heard you properly," he muttered, his fingertips teasing against the fabric of her panties.

@ castle.

Charlotte sucked in a breath when she felt his fingers teasing her through her panties, biting her lip to hide a moan as her fingers tangled in his hair to keep him close. She had never felt the way that she felt for Cain before, amazed at how close she felt to him when they'd only known each other for less than twenty four hours. But here he was, sitting in her kitchen and giving her more pleasure than the one guy she'd slept with in high school had.

"M-More.." She begged softly, voice strained as she tried to hold back another moan as his hand moved up her side and his lips moved across her neck, already quite aroused by his actions despite him barely touching her. She reluctantly tilted his head up away from her neck so that she could press a passionate kiss to his lips, wanting him to know just how desperate he was making her feel, and how much she wanted him. "I want more..." She breathed against his lips, kissing him again to hide a moan as his fingers continued to tease her through her panties.

Antonio made a silent promise to Charlotte that he wouldn't let any harm come to her after this. He didn't know how he was going to do it but he wasn't going to let anyone harm her for the rest of her time on this Earth. He would take it all and he would burn it down if he had to. If it meant keeping Charlotte safe, that was all that really mattered to him. He would prove that to her with time but at the moment, he thought they could both indulge themselves just a bit.

Grinning into the kiss, Antonio tugged her body closer to his. He moaned softly, nipping at her bottom lip as he did. "You want more?" He teased, his thumb dipping beneath the fabric of her panties. He pushed it to the side before dropping to his knees in front of Charlotte. Antonio leaned forward, running his tongue against her folds. "More of what, darlin'?"

@ castle.

Charlotte moaned against his lips as he tugged her closer, her arms wrapping around his neck so that she could deepen the kiss. She wanted him to know how much she cared for him, and because she couldn't put her feelings into words, she poured everything into her kiss. She could tell that he cared for her the same way as she cared for him, and it made her heart flutter happily in her chest knowing that someone could love her so much.

She squeaked in surprise when he suddenly dropped to his knees, gasping as he pushed her panties aside to run his tongue against her folds. She let out a soft moan, spreading her legs for him as her fingers tangled in his hair. "M-More of you.." She breathed desperately. She didn't care what he did, as long as it was him doing it. She wanted to be as close to him as she could be physically, knowing that their souls were already united.

Every part of Antonio wanted to give into the desire that he felt and what he was sure Charlotte felt. She was all but falling apart from his touch and that sent a surge of pride through him, to know that he still had that sort of affect on her. He would have gloated, if it wasn't for the guilt that was threatening to spill over. He held back a groan as Charlotte answered, pulling away from her slick so that he could look up to her.

"Ya sure, darlin'?" Antonio questioned, swallowing around the lump that formed in his throat. "You know who I am," Antonio exhaled, trying to tell her about all the danger it would entail without spelling it out word for word to her. He wanted to tell her who she was to him but he was almost sure she would think he was crazy. Even to him, it sounded completely and utterly outrageous. It would if roles were reversed, anyway. "S'okay if you want to stop," he muttered, kissing up her torso slowly.

@ castle.

Charlotte whined a little as he pulled away from her, looking down at him to see why he'd stopped giving her the pleasure that she so desperately craved. She frowned a little as she looked at him though, noticing how worried he seemed about continuing. She moved into his arms, cupping his cheeks in her hands as she pressed a loving kiss to his lips. She could tell how much he cared for her, and even though she couldn't explain why or how, she knew she felt the same way about him, and that her feelings would never change.

"Cain," she began after pulling back a bit, her fingers gently brushing over his cheeks as she looked up at him. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, and I'm sure you could probably explain it to me, but I don't care about knowing the how and the why, because all I care about is you. I love you, Cain, and God, I know it sounds crazy saying it out loud, but that's the only way I know how to describe it. I love you." She murmured soflty, pressing another kiss to his lips. "I'd never regret doing anything with you."

Antonio was nearly overcome with emotion as Charlotte kissed him. It wasn't a deep, overbearing sort of kiss. It was more gentle and it spoke volumes about what she felt for him. Without even truly knowing who he was or who she was. Swallowing thickly as she pulled away, his eyes found hers. He gave her a gentle smile, one full of love as she started to speak. His heart swelled and his need to protect her was renewed; he had a desperate need to keep her safe from the world. So she never had to be afraid or suffer like she had in the past before.

For the briefest of moments, Antonio wondered about spilling everything to her. It would be a shock but it had a chance of squaring her away... and that would keep her safe. Or would it? Antonio's thoughts were racing a mile a minute as he tried to sort through what the best option was. She had already been hunted without him - the least he could do was keep her safe now.

"Shh, darlin'. I love you, too," Antonio purred, wanting to calm her before she stressed out too much. "'m not going anywhere. Ever again. Promise," Antonio murmured, nosing at her chin until she lifted it, allowing him more access to her neck. Latching onto the skin, Antonio guided his cock to her entrance. He groaned as he pressed into her, his lips parting as a shudder ran down his spine. "Darlin," he groaned, his fingers digging into her hips.

"Need you... to tell me when you want more," Antonio breathed against her skin, pressing lazy kisses against her skin.