Chapter 433 — Just Admit It Already

Damian stood there with his eyes closed, feeling ridiculous.

"Now open them."

And he did.

Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh

The sky exploded with light.

Fireworks burst across the darkness in cascading colors, brilliant and overwhelming. But it wasn’t just random explosions.

The lights formed words.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAMIAN

The letters hung in the air, burning bright against the night sky, each one perfectly formed and impossibly beautiful.

’Oh... It’s my birthday.’

The realization settled slowly.

’I didn’t even remember.’

The fireworks continued blooming overhead, shifting from words to beautiful flowers that blossomed and faded.

He turned to look at Luna and found her watching him instead of the display, her silver eyes reflecting the colored light.

"It’s past midnight." She stepped closer. "Which means it’s your birthday."

Her hands twisted together in front of her.

"I know you’ve been isolating yourself." Her voice came out quieter. "Training nonstop, barely sleeping, not talking to anyone. After everything that happened..."

She paused, searching his face.

"I just wanted to give you one night where you could forget about all that. One moment where you could just... be."

Damian looked at her, really looked at her.

The way she’d planned this entire thing, the fireworks spelling out his birthday and getting him up here without letting him sense what was coming.

All of it just to give him one moment of peace.

’She’s been watching me this whole month... And noticed everything.’

Luna moved forward suddenly, her arms wrapping around him in an embrace.

Damian’s arms hovered for a moment before settling against her back, the gesture feeling more natural than it should.

"You know..." Her voice came out quiet, muffled against his shoulder. "I always used to think that it was only my skill that magnified a small crush into something like this."

Her grip tightened.

"But for the past few months, I’ve gained a lot of control over it. I learned how to regulate the emotional enhancement and how to separate what the skill amplifies from what I actually feel."

She pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at his face.

"And that’s when I realized..." Her silver eyes locked onto his. "Even if I didn’t have a skill like this, I would have still fallen in love with you."

Damian let out a slow breath, the sound carrying something between resignation and genuine confusion.

"Why?" His voice came out quiet. "Why do you even love me?"

It was the first time he’d actually asked the question out loud.

Luna went still for a moment, her eyes searching his face.

"I don’t know." Her voice came out steadier now, despite the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "I don’t have some perfect answer for why I love you... I can’t write you a list of reasons that would make sense."

Her hands moved to grip his shirt.

"But I know that when you’re not around, everything feels... off." The words came out faster, less controlled. "Like I’m going through motions but not really living them. A joke isn’t as funny if I can’t tell you about it later, food doesn’t taste as good if you’re not there to share it, happy moments don’t feel complete because you’re not there to see them... Bad days feel worse because I can’t tell you about them"

Her fingers clenched tighter, the tears still clinging to her lashes but refusing to fall.

"When you disappeared for three months..." Her voice wavered. "I kept waking up in the middle of the night wondering if you were okay. If you were hurt somewhere and I wasn’t there to help. If you were cold or hungry or bleeding and there was nobody–"

She stopped, taking a shaky breath.

"I’d go entire days barely eating... I couldn’t focus on training because my mind kept going back to you and imagining all the horrible things that could be happening."

Her voice dropped lower, becoming rawer.

"It felt like I was drowning and I couldn’t remember how to breathe properly. Like part of my chest was just... empty... Missing."

She looked away for a moment, frustration bleeding into her expression.

"And I hate that I can’t explain it better! Or give you some profound reason that would make sense!"

Her eyes found his again, wet but fierce.

"I just know that you matter more than anything else... And losing you would break me."

She swallowed hard.

"I just... I just love you, okay?!"

Thump... thump... thump...

Damian’s heart slammed against his ribs, the sound so loud in his ears it drowned out the fireworks overhead.

He looked away, trying to get his breathing under control.

’Calm down.’

The thought felt useless against the way his chest had tightened and the warmth spreading through him that he couldn’t quite suppress.

The fireworks continued overhead, filling the silence between them with color and sound.

"What about you?"

Luna’s voice came out quiet but unwavering, those unshed tears still clinging stubbornly to her lashes.

"Do you love me?"

The question hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning.

Damian’s hands dropped from her shoulders.

’Is what I feel for her... that kind of love?’

The thought cut through everything else, sharp and unavoidable.

He’d never ’loved’ anyone before in either life, and had no way to measure what was happening in his chest when she looked at him like this.

But then other thoughts crashed in, darker and more familiar.

The road stretched ahead in his mind, dark and complicated. His plans, his revenge, his path forward that involved so much danger and violence.

’My life will always be in danger.’

And worse than his own danger...

’Castor and the others were manipulated by that old beggar... they almost died just to save my life...’

"Luna, it’s complicated–"

"That’s not an answer."

She stepped closer, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"Do. You. Love. Me?"

Damian’s mouth opened and closed. His mind raced through a dozen responses, a dozen ways to deflect or redirect.

"You should head back." His voice came out controlled. "It’s late."

He turned toward the door, but Luna caught his arm, spinning him back around.

"You’re avoiding the question." A smile played at her lips. "Which means the answer is yes, you’re just too stubborn to admit it."

Damian’s expression remained carefully neutral.

"That’s not–"

"Your neck is turning red."

His hand moved reflexively toward his collar before he caught himself and stopped.

"It’s not."

"It definitely is." Luna’s smile widened, gaining a teasing edge. "Look at you, the infamous Damian Valcor who faced down a demon-contracted awakener without flinching, and you can’t even handle a simple question about your feelings."

She stepped forward and Damian stepped back.

’She isn’t drunk this time... So why is she acting like this?!’

Luna kept advancing, her smile turning mischievous.

And Damian’s back hit the terrace wall.

’Wait... did she become a drunkard while I was away?!’

"Nowhere to run now." Luna’s hands came up, trapping him on either side. "You know what I think? I think you’re absolutely terrible at hiding your emotions when it comes to me."

Damian’s jaw tightened, his composure cracking at the edges.

"Luna, I’m serious–"

"Your ears are turning red too."

Her hand shot up, fingers brushing against his ear.

Damian jerked his head away reflexively.

"They’re not–"

"They absolutely are." Luna laughed, the sound genuine and warm. "It’s actually kind of adorable... I’ve never seen you this flustered before."

"I’m not flustered."

"Liar."

Luna reached up with both hands, her fingers pinching his cheeks gently.

"So cute." Her voice dropped to something softer and more teasing. "The terrifying Mafia boss, all red-faced and tongue-tied."

Damian’s hands came up to grab her wrists, holding them firmly but not pulling them away.

"Luna–"

"Just say it." Her silver eyes locked onto his, playful but with something deeper underneath. "Three words... That’s all I need."

"It’s... not that simple–"

"It really is."

Her fingers squeezed his cheeks slightly, making his lips purse.

"Come on~ I. Love. You." She pronounced each word slowly. "See? Super easy."

Damian pulled her hands away from his face finally, his expression still controlled despite the ears starting to burn now.

"You’re being ridiculous."

"And you’re being stubborn." Luna’s smile softened. "Just admit it already... We both know how you feel."

Her hands found his again, fingers interlacing.

"Three words, Damian. Do you–"

Cough

The sound cut through the moment like a blade as both of them turned toward the terrace entrance.