Polina couldn’t help the giddy laugh that escaped her as Alexei urged her on, feet practically floating as she hastily followed along. If Alexei hadn’t been holding her up, she surely would have tripped, but that was something she knew she’d never have to worry about so long as Alexei was around.
“I thought we were here to pick out a gift for your mama, we should worry about that first.” She said, laughter rounding her words. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“What?” Alexei paused, confused. He’d forgotten all about his initial fib and gave way to his true aspiration, to spoil Polina. “Oh, well, what if you both got coats? You could match.” He said, only because it’s a thing he’s heard other people say before. Fauna and Polina only met on the one occasion, regardless if she remembered the encounter, Fauna was not likely interested in matching with the human stranger. Not that it was something Alexei considered even a little bit, he just wanted to buy something for Polina.
"I don't know your mama, but I don't think she'd want to match with me." Polina said, recalling that Alexei's mother didn't seem to keen on her the first and only time they met. She and Alexei's papa had been fairly against Alexei helping Polina and her mama and though his mama eventually caved in, at least in the way of proclaiming how she didn't care what Alexei did like any other exasperated mother when a child won't stop insisting. Despite her telling Alexei to do as he pleased, Polina didn't think his mama was a fan. "Besides," Polina continued, not wanting to dwell, "if I were to match with anyone, I would want to match with you." She said, smiling up at him. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Alexei lit up at the notion of having matching anything with Polina, to be a pair in a matching set; he was elated.
"I would want to match with you also." He said, practically bubbling over with joy. "We should pick out coats for each other, and we'll match them off what we picked out." Alexei suggested with a wide and toothy grin, this was possibly the best and most earnest idea he ever had.
Polina threw her head back in laughter, Alexei's excitement contagious and making her a little giddy as well.
"Alright, but don't forget we are here for your mama too." She said, untangling her arm from Alexei's then. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Alexei was practically bouncing up and down, he released Polina's arm before taking off somewhere else in the store. He had a lot in mind without even really knowing what there was. He hoped to get her a few things, maybe she wouldn't suspect a well packaged gift bag to be for her and he could leave it at the apartment for her as a surprise. He looked over the seasonal ware carefully, running his fingertips over the different fabrics. He wanted to consider if the coat would feel nice, if it would be warm enough, too heavy, or too itchy. His arms were filling up though, even with such careful consideration.
Cashmere. Houndstooth. Suede. Wool.
Alexei really elitist about clothes the way the other members of his family were. But it was almost a primal instinct to avoid brushed polyester. Even if he thought fur would be too extravagant for Polina right now, he thought she deserved something nicer and of finer quality than brushed polyester.
He scanned over the selection of colors. Alexei mostly dressed in dark colors, black or almost black, sometimes red. It was kind of the family color so to speak. But he thought about Polina's pale complexion, the colors that would compliment her best. He pulled dark emeralds, sapphire blues and profound magentas. He paused at a periwinkle suede coat, he thought the color was soft enough it almost matched her eyes completely. Whether or not it matched anything Alexei had, she should have it.
Polina lingered for a moment, watching as Alexei rushed off and immediately began the task of perusing clothing racks and gathering what seemed to Polina nearly every item he touched. She laughed quietly to herself before turning around and heading for the men's clothing section.
The colors in the men's section were certainly more limited, but that was just fine in Polina's opinion. She had noted that Alexei favored darker colors, mostly black, and she thought it was with good reason. She often admired his dark eyes, nearly coal black and bottomless. They were a stark contrast to his fair complexion, but that just made them hard to miss and easy to admire.
Unlike Alexei, Polina took her time fingering through the rack, admiring the different textures against her fingertips. Since most of her "work" included clothes mending, she could appreciate the feel of the fabrics and she wanted to find one that Alexei would appreciate (though, certainly, he'd love whatever she picked out).
She was in the midst of going through the rack when a hand brushed up against hers, causing her to jolt in surprise, eyes flitting upwards to see a man standing nearby. He looked down at her, faux surprise on his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you." The man said, smiling down at Polina. "Though I didn't expect to find a pretty woman like yourself in the men's section."
Polina's throat bobbed nervously as she watched the man give her a "subtle" up and down. She forced a little laugh as she took a step back, reaching up to fuss at the strap of the little bag she kept her pocketbook in.
"It's okay, I was just...I'm looking for a coat for someone." She sputtered.
"Oh for a brother? Your father maybe?" The man asked, Polina's stomach twisting at the suggestion.
"Just...someone." She said, lowering her gaze. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Alexei was still browsing the different coats, several draped over his arm when his tapered ears perked up. He heard Polina's voice across the boutique. Not because she was being loud at all, but because his supernatural healing allowed for it. It didn't sound like she was speaking with a store clerk, and when he looked up and his dark eyes squinted to find her, he could see that it was in fact not a store clerk.
His starless eyes darkened and he abandoned his coats over the rack he was looking at, before almost materializing from behind Polina, allowing her to step into him when she stepped backward. He was tall and fast, the sound of his footsteps didn't reach Polina's ears before his physical form appeared. He leaned down possessively, looming over Polina like a well trained sheepdog, protecting the flock.
"For me." Alexei breathed out in answer to the mans question. Whether he was referring to Polina or the coat, it was unimportant and the answer was the same for both.
Polina did not have Alexei's supernatural hearing, her ears were as human as the rest of her. However, despite not hearing his approach, when he spoke and tucked her to him, she did not startle. She was immediately comforted by his closeness, a small smile of relief curling her lips as her chest became lighter. She tilted her head back to look up at Alexei, staring for a moment with that smile before looking back to the man.
"Yes, it's for him." She said.
The man looked between Polina and Alexei before letting out a sound of understanding and holding his hands up in surrender.
"I'm sorry, I know you had a, uh...husband? Boyfriend?" He said.
Polina had of course thought plenty about what she wanted to be to Alexei and what she wanted him to be to her. She was, of course, grateful to him, she had been from the night they met, but that gratitude had shifted into something else along the way. She wasn't beholden to him, but she still found herself wanting to do things for him because she simply knew even the littlest of things would make him smile and she loved to see him smile, even if he kept it in check because he didn't want to show off his sharp little fangs. Part of her had expected that at some point his interest in helping her and her mama would wane, but when she realized and accepted that wasn't going to happen, she found herself eagerly awaiting the next time she'd see him. He was good and kind and handsome...and she liked him.
She really liked him.
"Yes. That." She said, nodding as she reached for Alexei's hand. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Alexei was about to snap something nasty at the man, that it wasn't his business, that he wasn't owed a title or explanation. But Polina answering the way she did granted this man some kind of mercy. He felt his heart give a little giddy jump, and he bit back an eager smile as he put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him still.
"Yes, that." He agreed with her, pleased as punch.
Alexei of course wondered to himself, what are we? But he didn't have intentions on pressuring Polina into making a distinction on his position in her life. He was happy enough just being around her, grateful even. The fact that she answered back that way of her own volition made him simply rapturous. It hadn't even occurred to him yet that she could just be saying that to make the man leave them alone without Alexei making him leave them alone.
The man's mouth opened, perhaps to further question Polina or maybe even to apologize, however, before he could even get a word out, Polina grabbed the closest cluster of coats on the rack with little regard for style, color, or size and draped them over her arm.
"We have to go try these on now. Goodbye." She said as she quickly turned on her heel, still holding Alexei's hand and tugging him towards the dressing room with her. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Alexei was surprised and impressed. It was the most polite, bare minimum, rejection that Polina could issue. But Alexei was so proud of her for doing it at all, and it was thrilling the way Polina whisked them away.
“Polina!” Alexei exclaimed with a toothy smile, he couldn’t help but laugh. “You sure told him.”
Polina led Alexei to the fitting rooms and found it completely unattended and one of the three stall doors left just barely ajar. She let herself and Alexei in and once the door clicked shut behind them and she was sure they were alone, she dropped the jackets to the floor and reached up to cup at her flushed face. Between being caught off guard by the man, her impulsive proclamation, and Alexei's giddy praise, she was flustered on all fronts. She turned to look up at Alexei.
"Alexei...I'm sorry, I just blurted that out without thinking. I shouldn't have said it like that. We-we-we haven't even talked about what we were and-" Polina spluttered over her words. Yes, she was apologizing, but it was very clear that she wasn't apologizing because she didn't like Alexei. rather, she was apologizing because she didn't consult him and maybe he didn't like her like that. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Alexei couldn’t help his smile, or laugh. Not because he was embarrassed of Polina or her actions, but because she was impossibly cute. The flush of her cheeks and the way she cupped them, all this fret over, who? Alexei? He was delighted. The fitting room had a little bench in it and he sat down so be more level with her. Then he reached out to cup his hands over hers, still smiling at her, somewhat proudly but also in giddy adoration.
“Why are you apologizing?” He asked, teeth showing in that primal grin. His brows were furrowed slightly as he looked at her, like the notion she should be sorry for anything, a foreign concept in his mind. His expression sharpened a bit then, less adoring and more playful. “I like you. More than I like anyone.” He said then, answering the unasked question aloud. He was proud to proclaim it to her, though to say Alexei liked Polina, was a gross understatement.
Polina was stunned into silence, though perhaps she shouldn't have been. She perhaps knew on some level that Alexei liked her, they had been on several dates now after all, but it was still surprising to her that anyone could ever like her, could ever want her in any other capacity than to be used, to be taken carnally and against her will. There were times that she did in fact see that hungry look in Alexei's gaze, but there were far more times that she saw a soft adoration for her that almost felt reverent. He looked at her like she was something to be treasured and held, and that was new for her.
"You do?" She squeaked out after a beat, her face beet red and her gaze locked on his as he held her face. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
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