Caution ⇢ K de la Renta (Patreon)

“I like you.”

It’s been months since the two of you cracked the murder mystery that was hanging over your heads, even longer since you and K actually met for the first time. When you spend that much time with someone, platonic feelings can develop into something more.

The statement you’ve just thrown into the air shouldn’t surprise K, yet it sort of does. Even worse, gets their heart racing, their mouth ajar as you sit across one another on the LIS rooftop.

K avoids your gaze, keeps their fixated on the sky that’s changing from a light blue to a darker one. “I’m sure you’ll get over it.”

You hum as you lace your fingers together. What is it that you expected? For this to be easy, to take a leap into something with K and it be plain sailing?

“Don’t do that,” you whisper.

It’s a whisper that isn’t quiet enough to mask the disappointment in your words, even worse when K managed to hear everything loud and clear.

“Do what?”

“Discount my feelings,” you answer, in a tone that shouldn’t have sounded as harsh as it did, but here you are having an emotional conversation with a vampire.

K throws you a sympathetic look this time. If you’re to think back to the development of your friendship with them, it involved a whole load of twists and turns, both relating to the supernatural world and mere clashes in personality.

But maybe it’s the latter that worries the two of you. A vampire so confident and charismatic and flirtatious could have fallen into this hole of… something being romantic.

“You’re lucky I’m discounting them,” they blurt out. “I’m not partner material.”

Your lips tighten into a thin line. “Putting yourself down already,” you say with a scoff. “Not the way I thought this conversation would go.”

K moves from their seat, stands, and takes a spot near to the railings. Time up here usually gives them peace and tranquillity, right now they’re feeling far from that.

“What are you expecting me to say?” they ask.

Maybe it isn’t the best decision, K is absolutely sure it isn’t the best decision, but you join their side. Lean against the cool metal, and look from the sky to the skyline of the city.

“Something along the lines of, ‘hey, I like you too, let’s see where this goes’,” you murmur back.

There is truth to your tone, maybe a bit of determination too. But, for K, taking one leap will lead to several more.

Admitting they like you is one demon conquered. The two of you going on a date is the next leap, a heart to heart conversation as difficult as this one is next.

… and then comes the hugs, and the kisses, because K has definitely imagined what it’s like to experience those moments with you. At this point, they wouldn’t want to experience them with anyone else.

But they’re all leaps K’s too afraid to take, especially when developing romantic feelings means breaking a promise to themselves.

Call it cowardly, or cautious, but there are some things vampires aren’t made out for.

K and relationships is one of them.

“You can keep trying to push me away.”

That hurts K a bit because that’s exactly what they’re doing, isn’t it? Pushing away the one person that gives them the ability to completely fall… but also worry whether there’s some kind of safety net to catch them at the bottom.

“Because you’re going to keep persisting?” they ask.

You blink rapidly and take a step back. “No, that sounds a little like harassment,” you half-joke as you turn to them. It manages to draw a chuckle out of K, so small victories.

“I mean that I wouldn’t have said that I like you just on a whim.”

The leaps: the hugs, the kisses, feeling completely free and open with one of their most favourite people in the world.

Surely demons and nightmares can stay at bay just so K can indulge in this and feel completely, 100%, happy.

Maybe some day that will happen.

That day won’t be today.

But K will let themselves dream. Let caution turn into pleasure and if you’re there, waiting on the other side, they’ll know you’re the one.

But they’re sure of that already, aren’t they?