he was both everything you could ever want
and nothing you could ever have

Next time. How those two words held such a distinct meaning to the two men. It was an anticipatory promise, one that swore that very thing would surely occur in time and yet, for once, Sebastian was willing to be the catalyst for that next time. In fact, it was those very words that had prompted him to peruse the real estate options within that quaint little city when he had been banned to remain in the cafe downstairs whilst his lover, unknown to him, so worked on hiding the entirety of those chocolate eggs among the furniture of their luxurious suite. That text message that had flashed across the screen of his cellphone to inform him the fae King was finally ready was quite near welcomed after the vampire had spent nearly half of an hour in the most productive way he could. Truly, by now, he was beginning to run out of any useful manner to spend that banishment from their bedroom. He could hardly return to that suite empty-handed, however. Some traditions were meant to be upheld, even if he had hardly gone out 'hunting' as he did those nights he returned with those treats. What he didn't expect, however, was the acquisition of those boxed gifts in addition to that creamy coffee he had purchased for Dorian

That elevator ride hardly lasted long before the Englishman found himself on their floor and yet, as he entered the suite, nothing seemed distinctly out of place, except for the absence of Dorian himself. Those packages were deposited on the table as he sought to follow the sound of his lover's voice and into the bedroom. That simper upon his lover's features was positively impish in every fashion and yet, any puzzlement the vampire had over Dorian's clear mischievousness or that short exile he had spent downstairs was quickly answered with an Easter basket, of all the things. It was, he was certain, a decidedly boyish thing to hunt for that chocolate he could easily buy and yet, Sebastian was hardly perturbed by that very fact. Quite on contrary, his own features seemed to brighten at the very prospect of that task. He could scarcely remember the last time he had been on such a hunt and yet, the realization of exactly what was hidden around the room only brought to mind that very curious object he had seen near the ceiling.

It was only after handing his lover that hot beverage that he reached up to pluck the very first of those chocolate eggs from its precarious position upon the fan blades. That disgruntled look upon Dorian's features only served to bring a chuckle to his own as he declared that larger chocolate egg to be 'out of place'. That laughter upon his lover's lips only served to prompt a sort of smugness within the vampire for that simple perceptiveness. It was, however that simple word of 'husband' that so saw his gaze soften. That new stage of their relationship still served to produce the same fluttering of his heart at every mention of that word. It had only been a month since they had spoken those nuptials before the altar and still, Sebastian found himself as smitten by that title of husband all the same. "Only when you are underneath them," Sebastian admitted. After all, Dorian was by far the most important thing in his life. Those vampiric instincts near demanded he protected the man, his more vivid imagination perhaps worked against him in this, imaging scenarios that were all but unlikely and yet, he refused to allow any harm to come to the King. After all, he had promised. Were it not for that waving of Dorian's hand, the vampire surely would have afforded the King a glimpse of that affection and yet â€" there was chocolate afoot.

The vampire hardly required any further coaxing to give into that hunt for those delectable sweets. His first glance of the room proved entirely fruitful now that Sebastian knew what he was looking for. Those colorful foiled eggs were snatched quickly from the shelves and the table, only to be added to that basket that he'd purposefully left in front of his lover. Those obvious chocolates were easily found in a matter of minutes and yet, Sebastian was hardly swayed by that difficulty that awaited him in tracking down the rest of the concealed sweets. It was, he knew well, time to employ those very senses his species was known for. His nose twitched readily in an effort to distinguish that sweet scent of chocolate among all those others that assaulted him and yet, it was but the smell he knew to be Dorian that his vampiric side kept unfailingly singling out among all the rest. A small huff left his lips as he informed the Monarch of his impediment in that effort to find that chocolate and yet, the fae Monarch seemed nothing short of amused of this very thing! That very pleasure he so drew, much less that threat to further hamper Sebastian's investigation prompted the vampire to pause. After all, even he could not ignore that notion of his lover with fewer clothes and so poised for the taking, much less with the consideration of why lie inside one of those boxes upon the dining room table.

Wearily those bright blue eyes watched the fae King as he so cautiously commented upon just how low his husband was willing to go to thwart him. That assurance that Dorian was fully capable of doing just that, however, caused a brief glimpse of indecision upon his features as Dorian's finger reached up to undo that top button. God, if only he knew how infuriatingly intoxicating he was! But....but chocolate! For a singular moment, Sebastian's determination tarried, at least until his lover brought that coffee cup to his lips. That motion, somehow, had a fashion of breaking that spell that Dorian's body was so effortlessly able to cast upon him, his attention quickly resettling upon that task at hand. Although Sebastian heard that inquiry of those boxes on the table, he hardly bothered to immediately offer a response. Quite on the contrary, the man was wholly absorbed in rifling through the fabric of those curtains to find more of those little sweets - a task he certainly succeeded in. It was only once the man paused upon the threshold of that kitchen that he bothered to offer a response, abrupt as it was.

That sudden inquiry of whom those presents were for, however, prompted little more than a distracted "Uh huh," from the Englishman. He was far too busy opening each and every cabinet and drawer to bother with responding, not that he had any intention of ruining the surprise before they were even open to begin with. After all, he had managed to keep it a secret this long. It would be a shame to ruin that secretiveness now. That distraction of the chocolate was quite the welcomed excuse. Speaking of chocolate...his nose wrinkled again at the subtle scent of that candy, it was nearby. He turned his attention to the decorative items upon the countertop, pulling out fruit from the fruit bowl, sorting through the jars only to discover exactly what he was looking for. Sebastian was wholly inattentive to Dorian's eyes upon him as he tried to fit his hand in that jar, flailing about with it feebly only to upend the whole thing entirely to retrieve those chocolates. Those sweets, it seemed, were entirely capable of undoing that usually composed demeanor.

It was with those eggs in hand that Sebastian returned to that basket, only to deposit them upon the ever growing mound that now heaped around the edges. He entirely trusted Dorian to count those eggs for him as he continued to search the suite, only to pause quite abruptly before the bookshelf. "Only five..." The vampire muttered softly to himself as he slowly reached towards that small gap between the top of those books and the shelf itself. His fingers, however, came up with nothing. A small frown crossed the man's lips as he eyed that piece of furniture with some hint of confusion. He could smell them here...and yet he could scarcely see them! He plucked a book from the shelf, only to glance behind it as if he entirely expected to see....well, something. Frankly, he was almost disappointed to find nothing but the wooden back of that shelf, only for an object to fall from that book and onto his foot. His blue eyes turned downwards towards the little egg, only to glance at that book in his hand and back down at chocolate, as if he could scarcely understand where it had fallen from.

It was the sound of the Monarch's laughter that prompted the vampire into action. That little egg was easily scooped up from the ground, only for the man to turn back to that bookshelf in an effort to grab more of those books. Each one was held by their hardback covers, shaken out to check for anymore falling eggs. He had, by the end of it, half of that bookshelf on the floor before there four eggs resting in the palm of his and. The vampire would have pulled out all of the books from that shelf if it wasn't for his lover's teasing words, prompting the vampire to pause. The idea that he would never find the last one seemed to suggest it did not share the same hiding place as those little eggs in the bookshelf...unless it was a bluff. Still....Dorian had never been terribly good at bluffing either, except for those moments when that crown was upon his head and those expectations were on his shoulders. "Oh?" He inquired, turning from that bookshelf only to approach the plush comforters of the bed the Monarch sat on. "And what is this deal you want to strike?" He inquired, simply watching as Dorian's leg stretched out before him in that sort of mock placidity that Sebastian so often liked to ruin with playful tickles or mischievous pounces.

That small nod of Dorian's head drew his bright blue eyes away from the fae King and towards the kitchen table where those packages still awaited them. The Prince could hardly help that grin that slowly spread across his features at the realization of exactly what Dorian desired. The fae had never been good at being on the receiving end of those surprises. "Hmmm...." He murmured, as if truly contemplating that offer the Monarch had provided him. "Just a hint?" Sebastian inquired, slowly climbing onto the foot of that bed. He was more than capable of providing a hint. In fact, he was capable of providing a perfectly obscure sort of hint, the kind that would only worsen his lover's overwhelming curiosity. "All right, I agree," Sebastian responded, his head tilted to the side as he glanced back at those presents. "Let's see....the large one is an idea I got from you....it combines both of our favorite activities." Well, he had asked only for one hint, and with two boxes it was easy to pick one of the two that he was assured Dorian would guess less. "If you give me the last Egg, I'll give you your first birthday present." Those words were purely teasing in response and yet, Sebastian was entirely assured Dorian would not say no.

Sebastian Ellington-Aragona