Familial Expectations [Nero/Lilith]

Lilith let go of Nero’s hands once the young man pulled away to sit down. She understood that he was worried about, but after personally talking with Johann, she knew Nero was wrong. She moved back over to her chair and sat back down.

"Hmmm... Are you sure?" Lilith crossed one leg over the other and raised an eyebrow at Nero. "Then tell me, how do you think I found out about you? If he wasn't interested, why were you the main subject of our conversation the other day?"

"...Huh?"

Nero gazed at Lilith, dumbfounded and befuddled. What had they talked about? He imagined, in his self-depreciative mind, that it couldn't be anything nice. After all, from where they left off years ago, he didn't exactly place any faith that his mind or stances had changed in his old age. But that was fine. He was grateful enough to be included in this family.

Asking for anything else was above his station. Exhaling softly, he sent a call in through the dining hall to have some food and refreshment sent in, for him and Lilith if she so desired. He hadn't eaten lunch yet, and already he could feel the stress of this conversation weighing on him... or perhaps it was fear?

"I can't imagine it was anything good."

Lilith sighed and let her head fall back. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment and closed her eyes. “I can’t say it was anything good either…” she said, intentionally making it seem bad. She even let that feeling hang in the air for a moment before turning it around. “All he kept talking about was regrets and being mad at himself… All this shame he feels over some stupid thing he did.”

Lilith sat back up again, her smile softening. “I’m not fully aware of what happened back then,” Lilith lied… like a liar. She knew enough. “But if you never give someone a second chance, that person will never have the opportunity to grow."

"A second chance, huh...?"

Nero observed the woman as he awaited for his lunch to arrive. Once it was properly delivered, a second offer to Lilith if she desired, he slowly consumed a few sips of fruit juice as he sighed, slowly but surely enjoying the salad with grilled fish as the topping and buttermilk ranch. He figured this would ease his mind, and it did to some degree, but that bitter emotion still wore on his mind.

As far as he was concerned, he had years to address this matter... and they simply never did. What would a conversation change now? Give him an outlet to tell him how he truly felt. That he was the black sheep? That he'd never be a true member of the Arant family? That he disgusted him?

"What could a man like him regret? He didn't do anything wrong. He saw me engaging in behavior unbecoming of a man and shared his honest views. And I'm still no different from that time than I was before. Who knows? Maybe, I've gotten worse. I've relegated myself to behind-the-scenes work, I'm not entirely proud of my body of work and I... probably won't ever be able to give him a grandchild to carry the Arant's lineage into the future."

Lilith took on any offer of food, ordering something along the lines of a double bacon cheeseburger with bbq sauce and some fries. If not that steak and baked potato. She’d just go down the list until they had something she actually wanted to eat. She had no desire to eat like a rabbit after a thousand years of being awesome. If anything was going to kill her, it wasn’t going to be a fucking heart attack. Once her food arrived, she thanked those who delivered and Nero and took her time enjoying whatever she found on the menu that she actually liked.

“Why not?” Lilith said after mentioning the grandchild. “You’re adopted. Adopt. Don’t want that? Surrogates are a thing. It’s not about whether you can, it’s about whether you want to. If he starts any of this “continue my line” shit, I’ll bop him one. Besides, a man like him has a lot to regret, but that ain’t my place to talk about. What is my place is coming here and recommending you open up the chances for reconciliation by meeting up with him. Very little to lose, a lot more to gain. Besides, I saw and heard enough to know that he wants to at least try.”

"Hm..."

Lilith certainly presented a compelling case during her honest assessment. He hadn't shared a conversation with his grandfather in years. As far as he was concerned, the man was every bit unbending as he was stringent. He rarely yielded when it came to his his ideals, and that was an admirable trait to an extent, but that was precisely why he felt so hesitant to speak with him again in the first place.

What if there was more to lose? What if he genuinely ended up disliking his presence more than he already did? Lilith assured him if he approached him harshly, she would reprimand him, but... could he bear the thought of falling short again? He hadn't even achieved half of what he'd set out to do when he got here, but then... it dawned on him. His siblings were proud of his accomplishments.

His mother adored him. Even his deceased father spoke highly of him. He wasn't perfect, but perhaps he didn't need to be. For a moment, he pondered his thoughts, reflected on her words, ascertained his answer, and leaned against the chair. He supposed it truly was time to put that part of his life to rest, for better or worse.

"Alright, I'll find some time in my schedule to meet him. I know he's a busy man, so I'll try to be as respectful as possible during my visit. If you don't mind my asking... what did he say about me, Lilith?"

Another piece of the puzzle that Nero did not consider yet, which was okay, was that the woman in front of him also was family. She had no problem with him or his life style, and already pulled him into her heart as part of her family. Even if he did not gain Johann, which she very much doubted, he had gained Lilith and all he had to do to get her was exist. That was all she would ask from him.

As Nero spoke of meeting with Johann, Lilith smiled wide again. She clapped her hands together once and stood up. “That’s great!” she cheerfully exclaimed. “I-…” Nero caught her off guard a little. She sort of expected his curiosity, but it took her a moment to think back and grab the words. The fact was, she couldn’t remember exacts. “Something about dresses, him being an idiot when he reacted to it… Then about you either being gay or bisexual; he did not specify. He was all full of shame and guilt over not accepting you immediately… But, as I said, or think I said… Old people need time, sometimes too much of it. We suck that way.”

"He was...?"

Genuine surprise colored his expression at that revelation. He didn't have any initial suspicion, but her words confirmed that she had indeed talked with her grandfather. Whether or not he chose to believe them was entirely up to him, of course, but since it involved the subject of sexuality - that would've been quite foolish now. As he finished the remnants of his food, he continued to listen to her politely, soaking in her advice as he nodded along. Chucking softly, he offered his opinion as he carefully cleaned his desk, gazing back at his carefree guest.

"I didn't expect my new aunt to present such a compelling case, but... here we are. I can't promise I'll be seeing him immediately. Work in the Steingruft can be demanding like that. But... I'll do it. I'll talk to my grandfather again."

Even if he feared that thought, he needed to close the door to that aspect of his life for good - for better or worse.

"Ha! That’s great!” Lilith said, ending up next to Nero a moment later. She put an arm around his shoulder as she pulled out her cell phone and opened up the camera. Planting a quick kiss on Nero’s forehead, she rapidly snapped a photo of the both of them. She showed the picture to Nero and lightly ruffled his hair, making sure not to mess it up too much. “I’m sending this to all of my friends.”

“I. Met. My. Nephew. Finally. Hashtag, love the hair.” Lilith repeated the words she typed up on the phone, posted it to social media, and then slid the thing back in her pocket. Picking up a pen off his desk, she grabbed a sticky note and wrote her numbers down as well. “If you need anything, sweetheart, calling one of these numbers. I forget my phone sometimes, so if I don’t answer, the second one is of my assistant; she can get ahold of me in the middle of the Sahara. Alright?”

"N-nice hair? I-I... well, if you say so, then I can't disagree, can I? T-thank you, Aunt Lilith, I appreciate this visit."

A shade of red crossed his cheeks as he sheepishly smiled, caught off guard but far from offended. She was a pillar of radiant energy given physical form, and he found himself caught in that radiance enough to brave the upcoming storm. He hadn't talked to his grandfather in years. Even now, he was wondering whether or not it was a good idea to approach him after all this time, but he couldn't run from this anymore, even if he tried.

If his bombastic aunt was the catalyst to embolden his spirits enough to cross that bridge, then what other excuse did he have? Somewhere deep in his soul, he recognized that he too, wanted closure. To feel free again and close this chapter of his life.

He would grab the number from her hand as he smiled warmly, returning the hug as he pulled away, some part wondering when they might be able to hang out again. She was certainly a breath of fresh air in his work-oriented life. Part of him genuinely felt he could benefit from being around her more.

"Something tells me you'd find a way to make me reach you, but I like the sound of that. I'd like to hang out with you and see what your life is like but until then... I'm going to finish this paperwork and prepare myself for what's ahead. Ciao, Aunt Lilith."

With that, he would return to his work, preparing himself for what lay ahead...