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It was standard procedure - for the sake of statistical significance, for the sake of removing erratic incidents, for the sake of determining the true value. It assured that, whatever the results might turn out to be, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to consider them acceptable, and relevant, and irrefutable.
The first trial had been early in the morning, before everyone could gather for breakfast. He knew she helped whenever she could, and that included lending a hand in the kitchen. By a stroke of luck, he caught her leaving her room on his way to find her, just barely having shut her bedroom door behind her. He loathed to call it that - luck - given that he needed everything to be reproducible and consistent, but there was merit to serendipity, and he simply left it at that.
She greeted him as she usually would, her eyes bright and her smile warm, her words weaved together into a song that could easily best Mozart’s pieces. He wouldn’t admit that though, both to her- and to Mozart.
“Good morning, Isaac,” she chimed, a skip in her step as she met him halfway. “You look a bit weary. Are you already working this early?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Isaac murmured, his hands finding their way into the pockets of his pants - a habit of his he couldn’t quite shake off. “Good morning, and I…” He paused, bracing himself for the next words, words he had no doubt said to her before but still felt foreign on his tongue. “…I-I love you.”
A sound not too different from a squeak escaped her lips, and despite the heat spreading across his face, Isaac was determined to keep his gaze fixed on her, to see every little detail of how she would react. He watched and marveled at how her cheeks bloomed an adorable shade of pink, how her eyes darted every which way in her embarrassment, until she finally allowed herself to meet his gaze and let a smile grace her lips.
“I love you too,” she giggled. “I’ll see you at breakfast?” Isaac replied with a smile of his own and nod. “Great! I have to go and help Sebastian.” She then took a step forward and balanced herself on her toes to place a quick kiss on his cheek, and Isaac considered himself lucky - this time, it had definitely been luck - that he didn’t sputter at the unexpected, but not unwelcome, gesture. “See you later,” she hummed before finally making her way to the kitchen, and leaving Isaac with his thoughts.
Satisfied with the results, Isaac nodded to himself. He hadn’t expected her to kiss him, and as pleasant as it was, he needed to do something about that. He couldn’t have himself losing his nerve for the next ones.
Trial two had been in the afternoon, once classes had ended. He had planned to go about it later in the day, when they were back in the mansion, in a space he had some semblance of control over variables, but he had found her already waiting for him outside the university, sitting on a bench near the fountain. She hadn’t noticed him approaching, what with her back turned to him, and he had startled her when he leaned in close to her ear and spoke up.
“What are you doing here?”
She nearly jumped out of her seat as she turned to face him, but once her initial surprise had subsided, a familiar bright expression settled on her features, made only more brilliant by the shimmering water in the afternoon light. “I was out running errands and I was on my way back to the mansion… But then I noticed classes were about to end, and I thought we could go back to the mansion together.” Isaac could feel his face grow warmer, but he wrote that off as the sun finally getting to shine down on him after a whole day of being in the classrooms.
A moment later, however, her brows pulled together ever so slightly in worry. “Or maybe you had something to do after?” she then asked. Isaac couldn’t help but notice how she tightened her grip on the paper bag sitting on her lap, and it was only then he realized that something sweet hung in the air.
“No, I’m free,” he assured her, rounding the bench and settling down beside her.
“Great!” she chirped, clapping her hands together. “Then that means this pie isn’t going to go cold.” Before Isaac could ask, she was already pulling out a small pie from the paper bag, and produced two forks. “It’s apple,” she told him, looking rather proud of herself, and were it any other person, he would’ve pointed out that it was the obvious flavor to pick. But he had had a tiring day, and along with the pie, the cute, triumphant expression she wore was just what he needed. He wasn’t going to ruin a good thing.
Isaac then found himself reaching out a hand and drew her face close to his, until their lips met. Hers were silken and soft and warm against his own, and though the temptation to just sink his fangs into her inviting flesh right then and there was strong, he let himself be content with simply raking his teeth over her lower lip as he pulled away.
“Thanks,” he breathed. “For the pie, and for coming to see me. I love you.” The words rolled off his tongue naturally this time, unlike the clumsy way they had come out earlier. Nonetheless, her response was still the same.
Cheeks practically glowing and lips curved into a blissful grin, she told him, “I love you too.” She then handed him one of the forks she had with her. “Now how about we dig in while the pie’s still warm?”
“Sounds good,” he hummed, and the two of them made quick work of the pastry.
The third and last trial had taken place in the dead of the night, behind closed doors and between sheets, amidst hushed words and heady sighs. Isaac hadn’t planned for it to go the way it had. None of today’s trials had, he realized, and that would have irritated him greatly if it hadn’t been for the positive results he had gotten. He swore he had only asked her into his room to return something she had asked him to repair, but one thing had led to another, and clothes were soon peeled off, layer by layer, and left forgotten on his bedroom floor.
Once the both of them were well and spent, and the bites he had given her had stopped bleeding, she settled close beside him, an arm slung over him as if she was afraid he’d slip away. It was a ridiculous notion. There was no place he’d rather be than in her arms, but he couldn’t deny that the sentiment warmed his chest, enough that he couldn’t resist the urge to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, only for her to stir awake.
“Mmm… Isaac?” she murmured, lifting her gaze, still bleary with sleep, to meet his. “What time is it?”
“Go back to sleep,” he quietly said as he pushed back the locks that had fallen into her face. “It’s still too early to be up.”
He heard her hum, considering the idea for a few seconds before conceding. “Okay, but you need to get some rest too…” she told him, and he couldn’t help but smile at the small pout she wore. “Good night.”
“Good night,” he whispered, helping himself to another kiss on her forehead, and then one more on her nose, and then lastly on her lips. “I love you.”
Despite the darkness, he could still see her lips curve into that familiar, contented smile he so adored on her. “I love you too,” she replied before burying her face into his chest and drifting back to sleep.
Once he was certain she was soundly sleeping, Isaac considered the results of his trials and found himself very pleased with them. In the three instances he had told her he loved her, she had always said the words back with the sweetest smile he had ever seen on her. Therefore, it was within reason to believe that, in the conditions they were in, she was happy, with him, with their love, with their life.