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5:15
Jupiter Jones tapped her foot impatiently and checked her phone again while she waited for her date to arrive. She was standing in her family’s modest kitchen where she had a good view of the clock so she glanced at it to check that her phone wasn’t lying.
5:15pm. He was fifteen minutes late. Of course time was tricky when your boyfriend was coming to pick you up from across the galaxy. He hadn’t told her where he was going, but he had assured her it wasn’t a mission and that it was perfectly safe. But what did safe mean for someone like Caine Wise? She was determined not to think about it.
5:25pm. Jupiter had given up her watch over the clock, and had taken up pacing instead. She heard her mother and her aunt coming up the stairs to start dinner which was something she really didn’t want to deal with right now. “Hi mom. No I can’t stay for dinner. My Space Wolfman Boyfriend is late and I’m worried he got himself killed.”
5:45pm. The doorbell rang. The faint shuffling of boots could be heard from just outside the door. Jupiter was holding a bowl of potatoes in one hand and a large serving spoon in the other. She let out a sigh of relief and kissed her mom on the cheek before hurrying to ready herself to leave. “I want to meet this boy Jupiter! He can help you finish with the potatoes. A good boy would help finish with the potatoes!” her mom called out to her as she was slipping on her boots.
She peeked back in the kitchen. “Next time mom. Promise.” and she was out the door.
5:46pm. Caine Wise looked at Jupiter like she was the most important thing in the galaxy when she opened the door to him. Her heart did a little tumble when she thought that maybe she was. A smile pulled at her lips at the thought and she reached out to take Caine’s hand. He was dressed to blend in on earth, his gloves and bulky boots replaced with bare hands and more comfortable sneakers. Caine gave a little wave over Jupiter’s shoulder, and she quickly closed the door behind her to calls of, “Jupiter! He’s so handsome!” and “When will we meet this boy?!”
“What kept you?” Jupiter asked, standing on tiptoe to plant a kiss on Caine’s cheek. Caine tilted his head into her kiss and made a happy noise in the back of his throat.
“Was Her Majesty worried?” he asked allowing one of his rare smiles to cross his face before turning to lead her down the street. Jupiter squeezed his hand once and picked up her pace a little. He was always careful to watch his steps so she had no trouble keeping up, but she was very eager to get to…where ever it was they were going. “I’m sorry I worried you. I wanted to…” he stuttered a little searching for words. “I was picking up a few things and missed the first transport out.” Caine looked positively nervous. He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. A new habit he had picked up while his wings were concealed.
“Caine… Caine Wise what did you do?” Jupiter’s voice was only slightly admonishing, but Caine rolled his shoulders again and looked at her with his head lowered as they rounded a corner heading towards the nicer parts of the city. Jupiter wrinkled her nose at this and nudged his shoulder with hers good-naturedly. “It’s okay, I’m not mad Caine.” She smiled again when she used his name. It sounded good on her lips. “You could tell me where we’re going though.”
He nodded and took her down another side street heading towards a friendly looking collection of hotels. “You will see your majesty.” He grinned at her again with all the love in the world pooling in his eyes.
6:15pm. The pair walked further into the more touristy part of Chicago finally stopping at an office building Jupiter had never been to before. It was eclipsed by the taller ones surrounding it, but not by much. “For Lease” signs were plastered on the front door and windows sporadically crawling up to the top like so many bugs. Caine pulled a keycard out of his pocket, and swiped it through the lock and opened the door for her. Bowing slightly he held it open until she had made her way inside.
When she entered the lights flicked on overhead, and instead of being empty and abandoned as she expected the lobby was filled with plush and comfortable looking seating that certainly didn’t belong to Earth. Caine who had followed her inside explained. “Visitors to Earth need places to stay away from prying human eyes. I ran some errands for Stinger and he paid me in a room here for a little while.” Jupiter nodded at this. She remembered Caine being gone for a few days while he brought Stinger some supplies for his daughter. “Come on, this wasn’t what I wanted to show you.”
6:20pm. Caine had led Jupiter to an elevator and eventually to what appeared to be a penthouse apartment. Huge sliding glass doors lead out onto a balcony, and it was modestly furnished with a couch and plush carpets. “What is this? This is beautiful.” Jupiter had let Caine’s hand go at the door and had hurriedly examined every inch of the place. Caine leaned against the door, and watched her explore. His eyes following her while he absentmindedly scratched at the short hairs at the nape of his neck.
“I’m glad you like it, but still not what I wanted to show you.” he said. Jupiter turned to him from the seat she had taken on the couch. Caine let his wings unfurl, and gave a big stretch. He walked towards where Jupiter was sitting, and she watched not bothering to disguise the fact that her eyes were pouring over every inch of him. He knelt in front of her letting his wings spread out behind him. “You’ve given me so much Jupiter. My pardon. My wings. I can live without them. You I can not live without.” He pulled a small golden box from one of his pockets and held it out for her. “There isn’t much I can give you that is not already yours. A life among the stars is your right by birth, but you deserve more than that.”
It was more words than she’d ever heard Caine speak at once. She reached out a hand for the box, and when her fingers touched it her blue tattoo that marked her as royal glowed stronger and the box began to open. It folded out like a flower blooming, and in the center sat a pendant and a gold chain curled around it. She took the pendant from the box, and it began to glow faintly as well. The tear dropped shape was revealed to be holding what looked like the galaxy. The milky way swirled and the stars glowed from within. It was beautiful, and impossible (by earth standards anyway).
“Just like you.” Jupiter hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud until Caine tilted his head, and furrowed his brow at her. She had a lot to learn about how to read his expressions, but this one she knew well. The unsure look he got when she did something “entirely too human” in his words. She slid to the floor to meet him while she unclasped the necklace and fastened it around her neck. She didn’t miss the slight flick of his tongue that came out to lick his lips while he eyed her throat hungrily. She raised an eyebrow at him and scratched him delicately behind one ear. It had become her new favorite pastime when she’d realized it made him let out a needy whine not unlike a dog asking for a belly rub. She obliged running a knuckle down his chest, and touched her forehead to his when he wiggled contentedly against her.
Soon she would see what it looked like when he moved and whined beneath her, but not yet. She could see how badly he wanted her, and her own body was more than willing to oblige, but there was no need to rush. They had all the time in the galaxy.