The man laughed as she swatted him, remembering her wedding night freak out with great humor. He still found her reaction hilarious. She had been so appalled. Her horror would have had him rolling if he hadn’t been horribly embarrassed himself. No one wanted to give their wife the talk. But it had ended well and they’d spent the night wrapped up in each other until they finally fell asleep. In the morning she’d woken him up with kisses and soft words. They had been absolutely enamored with each other and it had been more than wonderful.

But his wife had the audacity to throw joking criticism in his direction as if anyone else could have handled it better than he had. Nilo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, watching her shift around the massive bed they called theirs for the weekend. “Well, aren’t you just full of it tonight?” He commented with a half-smile despite the fact she had made fun, “Making fun of the man who planned an entire little vacation just to please you. I see how it is Gennadius, I see.” He teased, cocking a brow at her. She was a mischievous little thing, that was for sure. Always poking fun no matter the time.

“You tackled me into the sand and made me bathe in the living area while pelting me with washcloths and soap bars. Then you rubbed your cruel self all over me and it kept me up all night. I believe that was revenge enough, you little heathen. You are allowed no more.” She always had to go the extra mile, didn’t she? Honestly, it was rather surprising that he had claimed victory in their prank war, considering his wife could have her utterly savage, unforgiving moments when it came to competition. She was not one to be trifled with.

Though he easily welcomed her back over when she sprawled out on top of him, cocking his head at her unexpected mention of him gardening. “Yes I look forward to it too, I’ll be bringing you all kinds of flowers,” He purred, drawing his fingers over her cheek, “And I’ll be sweaty and covered in dirt, with mud on my boots and leaves in my hair. I’ll smell like flowers and earth until I shower and scrub off the brown scales that’ll cover my arms.” He ran with the story, knowing how disgusting he used to get out in the gardens. The man could easily spend days out there and not be bored.

But her expression soon became… irritated? Had he done something wrong? Nilo’s brow furrowed in confusion and concern. Then it turned out to be about the shirt. He had worn shirts to bed ever since the accident, never as comfortable with his body as much as he had been before. Though he just kept with the humor. “Y’know Gennadius, you in any kind of clothes is so anti-romantic. I want you completely bare all the time and that is that. Any clothes are absolute crap and an utter turn-off. Even the undergarments!” He joked, playfully tugging on the sash of her robe for a moment.

“You sleep with a shirt on all the time,” Nilo pointed out, clearly amused, “I just happen to like doing the same. There’s absolutely no difference.” He reached up to thump her on the nose before his hands came to rest at her hips like they always did, “I am merely exercising my right to wear a shirt to bed, as you do every night, whether it be in one of mine or your own shirts. They’re cozy and they keep me warm in these cold castles. I have sleeveless for summer and sleeved for winter. I am merely a man in his nightclothes, my darling. Nothing strange about it.”

The man grinned lazily up at her, contrasting her expression which demanded answers. “But if you really hate it, I suppose I can give in for a night and let you take it off, though you’re kind of sitting on it.” The man thought it wouldn’t hurt to give in to her for only a night, even though they both slept bare all the time. “Although, if you truly have a vendetta…” He purred, hands lifting so they could run down her arms, “You could go feral and tear it off me, sounds sexy, doesn’t it? I might be into that. Bonus points if you give me a kiss.” The husky tone turned back into a playful one, the man half-joking.

Her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at him, lip twitching as she held back a grin. Of course, she remembered the days when the man did not wear the shirt at night, back when they had been dating. Though before they were married, he had switched to wearing them again, and the woman did miss the days when he would forego the shirt. Not that she would give him any real crap about it, because if he wanted to wear a shirt, who was she to stop him? But it did deserve a little bit of teasing.

The small tug on her sash earned a playful swat before she scoffed, lifting her chin. “It is, in fact, very different.” Was it? No. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. Dark eyes darted to the tip of her nose that had been so unceremoniously thumped in his typical Nilo, earning a mock huff. She knew he would know better than to think she was actually upset, obvious by his solution for the night and the way he ran his hands down her arms, tone in that ever-beckoning purr.

“I will have you know, that I am now a lady of the court. We don’t take our shirts off at night. And ignoring your previous statements about me being crazy, I will hold to that.” Her own voice dipped into a playful purr as her grin broke through, the woman leaning down, hands on either side of him. Her hair slid over her shoulders so it hung down, curtaining their faces from the candlelight as she met his gaze. “And ladies don’t go feral.” It was obvious crap since the woman never did, nor ever would, care that much about decorum, especially when she was alone with Nilo.

She bent her head down further until their noses brushed, her face tilting to the side some. “Do think that’s convincing enough?” Gennadius purred out her words as her lips floated across his for a moment. “Maybe if I keep practicing, my dream to fit into the courts will come true. But then I would be missing out on all the fun.” She pressed into another kiss, more drawn-out and deeper than before, one hand staying next to him for support while the other shifted to run beneath his shirt and over the warm skin of his torso. “Besides, there seems to be a trend of if I take off my shirt, yours tends to follow.”

Leaning back up, she rather childishly tipped to the side, her full weight hitting the spot beside Nilo, causing a lovely rain of petals to pop into the air and come back down. Dark eyes glowed with a mixture of playfulness and flirtatious sparks as she rolled onto her side, hand reaching out to run over his cheek before she sat up again, reaching for the rather pesky shirt. “However, after all is said and done, and all my lady-ness taken into consideration, I think I will tear your shirt off, though I will avoid the tear part since one day, it will most likely be mine.”

Gennadius tugged at the fabric playfully once more before actually messing around with it to get it off the man. Once she had managed that, shirt in her hands, she inspected it with a mischievous look. “It is a nice shirt... maybe I should put it on for the night. Or...” She tossed it off to the side, not really caring where it went as she flopped back onto her side, clearly proud that she had accomplished getting the man to let her take his shirt off. They had plenty of times where it was, but she absolutely just loved getting to lay beside him and run her hands over the warm skin.

“Sexy enough?” she teased, knowing she had done absolutely nothing that was overly sexy, especially considering she had only pulled his shirt off and not gone savage on the man. Her fingers skittered across his scars as she leaned into him, gazing at the raised skin that was a mark of a failed assassination. “Though I suppose you deserve something after everything you’ve put up with from me. Questioning your manhood... demeaning your rather fine skills... making you work for every last ounce of affection...”

Gennadius trailed, glancing towards his face as her hand moved to trace across his jaw, her soft robe pressing into his bare side. “I do have one more dream. And it involves you in every way.” She tipped her head to press kisses along his clavicle, her hair brushing against his chest and shoulder. “I dream of making you the happiest man in the world. Of being there for you when you need it, comforting you when you’re sad, making things better in ways only I can do. And not ALWAYS being a pain in your ass.” A soft huff of amusement escaped her, though it was drowned out by her lips pressing along his skin in affection.

Nilo couldn’t hide his laugh as she called herself a lady of the court and therefore she could not take her shirt off. Technically, she was a lady of the court by title, but in practice and personality? She was closer to a dragon than she was nobility. She did a good job of blending in for sure, but the claim that she was a “lady” and therefore had to have the class was asinine in every way, shape, and form. But whatever, he let her have her moment. Though he did give her a suspicious, disbelieving look, as well as a raised brow. It was evident he wasn’t buying her story.

He hummed as their lips met for a moment, pleased by the gesture. “Ah, you already fit in pretty well. You win the battle of status now, princess. Just play their games and they’ll be eating out of your palm in no time. They like to kiss ass if you haven’t noticed.” Perhaps the comment was egotistical of him, but it was true. That, and he would say anything to give her a little more confidence. There was a deeper rumble in his chest at the second kiss. “And you’re right, when one shirt is discarded, the other follows. I hear it’s bad etiquette to stay overdressed in the bedroom and y’know Gennadius, we just can’t have that.”

Nilo brushed petals off of him from the rosy rain she created. “Ah you’re no fun, I was looking forward to you ripping it to shreds.” He joked, helping her take off his shirt once she tugged on it, taking advantage of his offer to go without it. The prince did have to admit that her hands did feel heavenly on his skin, which was another one of the many things he had missed about sharing a bed. She was constantly touching him when they laid together, just running her hands wherever they could reach. “Sexy enough? You’re always sexy enough, whether it be in a robe or in a woven sack. You best not forget that.”

He laughed as she mentioned all the things she had done to him that night, the woman having been a thorn in his side. She was a lovely, funny little thorn nonetheless, which was why he hadn’t minded her games. “You have given me some crap, but I don’t mind. Tonight’s been plenty of fun.” He replied, tilting his head to look at her, “Never a dull moment with you, after all, darling.” Nilo truly did seem to have endless patience. “But I’m glad you think my skills are fine… I worked very hard to get where I’m at.” He gave her a mischievous look and smile.

The man let her spread her affections across her skin, though he couldn’t help the soft flushing of his cheeks at her soft, genuine words that warmed him to his core and made her kisses send sparks across his skin. “Then I suppose we do have something in common when it comes to our dreams.” Nilo breathed, gentle hands reaching out to guide her mouth from his skin to his lips, the man’s kiss slow as he took time to taste and love. His thumbs stroked subconsciously over her cheeks, feeling the soft skin and the gentle curve of bone. “Because you…” He purred between kisses, “fill my dreams in every which way.”

“Mmm yes,” Nilo started when he finally broke away, “I dream of bringing your gifts… making you laugh and smile,” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him, “Giving you life that you were once denied but deserved. Making you sandwiches for dinner until you’re sick of them and drawing you baths after a long day.” Perhaps he did have dreams, they were just smaller. A thousand little things he wanted to do during the life they spent together. They were all things Nilo had never thought he would be allowed to want or enjoy in his life. They were luxuries he could now afford.

There was no fighting his hands when they found her face to guide it to his, though she left a trail of kisses as she shifted. But the moment her lips met his, her face pressed gently to his, tasting the warmth and familiarity she called Nilo. It was slow and drawn out, the moment savored between both as she was simultaneously leaning her mouth into his and her cheeks into his hands. Her own fingers found their way up his face, fingers skittering into his hair before resting there, tugging at the red strands.

Their kisses continued, words sifting through with each moment they pulled apart for a breath, her body pulled flush to his as he held her tightly. “So you do have dreams,” Gennadius breathed out with a smile, lips playing at the corner of his mouth. “They are all so wonderful, though maybe I am too biased.” Her head lifted, pulling away as she pushed some hair from his forehead that she had managed to displace there. Hands moved to rub across his shoulders, feeling the broad width of them beneath her fingertips.

They had just enjoyed an intimate time together not long before, but in this moment, it wasn’t about being captured or a game. In this moment she was enjoying Nilo, taking him in second by second until she was intoxicated. “You’ve made my life amazing, Nilo. It’s more than I ever could have hoped for… more than I ever allowed into my dreams,” the woman admitted, leaning down to meld herself to him once more, moving her lips over his again, slow, almost demanding in nature. And she stayed that way until she tipped away, enough to suck in a breath of air as her cheek slipped past his.

“I love you. With everything I have…” Her voice was husky, the feminine lilt creeping in that only made its way into her speech when she was so close to him. Drunk on him. Her lips moved near his ear as she spoke, warm breath coming with her words as she shifted to her side, partially in top of him, partially off. Her foot stretched out over his leg, toes moving over his calf and by his knee, more subconscious than anything as she continued to toy with his hair. It was pushed back and pulled forward, twirled between her fingers as she trailed kisses around his ear.

“At one time… I was linked to you by duty. I was willing to give my life up because it was my job. But now? I will and would give up everything for you, because you’re worth it. You are so worth it.” There was a pause as she formed a path over his jaw, leg hooking around the bend in his knee. “You are my everything. My reason to live. My reason to dream. You make it okay to close my eyes at night and open them in the morning…” A breath. “You give me purpose. Drive. I look forward to every stolen moment with you…”

Her mouth met his with passion this time, one that resembled that of a starved lover, though it was simply a wife relishing her honeymoon phase. She could have him any and every night she wanted, and yet she treated this like it was the first and last. Perhaps it was the mood set by the room, orange soft flickering light illuminating them just enough… the rich yet soft scent of roses and decorations that screamed romance. Or perhaps it was the fact that she had missed his presence for two weeks, though they did have a shared moment only hours before.

But the truth of it came down to her love for him. Because she was desperately in love. Nilo had set out to steal her heart and he had, and tonight was just one of the nights she decided not to play any more games and let him know that she did truly adore him and it wasn’t all about him proving himself.

Gods the man couldn’t get enough of her. The way she was kissing him and tugging at his hair, matching his want with her own. Nilo’s lips and fingers painted her a rainbow of affections, a masterpiece with no stone left unturned. They loved each other, there was no doubt about it. With the delicate touches and the sweet nothings whispered during the milliseconds they broke away to breathe. They were connected in a way that was special and unique to only them, with a bond that no war nor disaster could ever take. They would always be Nilo and Gennadius.

Fingers pressed into the soft fabric of her robe, keeping their bodies flush while his mouth molded against hers in their familiar dance. Nilo devoured everything she gave him like he was a man left to starve, but he was just in love. In love and wanting to have every inch of his wife to himself. He was going to memorize her in every language, every alphabet, and then he was going to relive it all until those memories were multiplied and his mind was forever left with her mark. Everything the man had to give was hers with nothing left to spare. She would never be allowed to forget his adoration.

“I love you too,” Nilo purred, voice rough and low, “All the good and bad… I want it all. Every bit of you I want.” His hands were everywhere at once, up her sides and over her shoulders, caressing her neck and running over her back. Anywhere the man could reach to map out with his touch. “For the rest of our lives…” The man grinned at the thought, giving a small shudder as her mouth trailed. It excited him, knowing that they could have as many of these nights as they wanted. They had a lifetime of vacations to go on and love to share. He didn’t want it any other way.

Fingers threaded again through her hair as she talked to him, whispering more confirmations of love into their little perfect bubble while lips made love to his skin. The man knew he should’ve said something profound in response, something just as beautiful, but all he could do was pull her on top of him and return her passion with equal fervor. His fingertips ghosted over her face, tracing every outline, dusting over her eyelids, and running over her lips. He even traced the scar that ran up onto her cheek. Nilo was obsessed. “You drive me insane, Gennadius. Insane.” He laughed and paused to nuzzle her cheek, “I love it.”

“I love you.” Nilo felt the need to repeat it, arms wrapping around her waist so that there was no space left between them, “So much. You make me happy.” His voice softened and he smiled into her lips, his declarations hers to keep. “You made me realize that I can dream. That I can want… I never thought I could.” His hands ran over her thighs, giving a light, affectionate squeeze at the warm skin under his fingertips. He loved her skin… It was so soft, warm, and of course, all a part of her. Every single thing about her excited him to the very core, no matter how simple.

“Darling Darling Darling,” He spoke the name that only belonged to her, breaking away so that his lips could flirt with her jaw, “You can’t run away now, it’s too late.” Both his content and want were in his voice, which managed to be rough with lust but tender with his adoration. “I’m keeping you.” He declared softly, pressing kisses to his skin wherever his mouth could possibly reach. He wanted to taste every inch. “In my heart, my life, and my bed.”

“Forever.”

The smallest of yawns escaped the woman as her eyes blinked open. Gennadius was still tangled between the blankets and her husband, carefully rolling away and freeing her legs and carefully unwrapped her arms from around his torso. Back arching, she stretched her muscles and extended her arms over her head, hands brushing against the headboard, face scrunching slightly at the slightest of pops, though she wasn’t sure whether it came from her back, shoulders, or somewhere in-between.

Relaxing again, her head turned in the pillow, sinking into the soft fluff as she gazed at Nilo, dark eyes lighter with affection. For a little while, she stayed that way, simply watching the sleeping man. Hellfire could rain loose on his kingdom and it wouldn’t wake him, nor was she interested in waking him up at the moment. There was something she just enjoyed about seeing his face when it was so relaxed, a finger absently running over the soft, familiar skin.

At least, it was all quiet and romantic until she saw a rose petal nearby, attention shifting to pick it up. Sitting up, Gennadius realized that quite a few of the petals had survived the night, a testament to just how many Theodore had managed to get on the bed. So naturally, she began to collect them all, for no other reason than she could and she had no current interest in leaving the warmth and safety of the bed. It wasn’t every day that she had the chance to have her husband for so long, so she decided to savor it. It just turned out that she could only last so long doing nothing, especially considering it was well into the morning, if not past noon.

The woman was a morning person, used to being up and active by now, forcing her to occupy herself in another way. Which brought her to leaning her side back against the bed as she sorted through her collection of rose petals. Most had not survived the night in the greatest of conditions, the petals torn and bruised, but fascinating to a bored mind, nonetheless. A tower was built, a pile remade, they were sorted, and then sorted again with a different criteria. Sometimes it was by damage, other times by size. Every possible way to sort the petals was exhausted, and by the time she got tired of doing that, she had probably invented categories that didn’t exist yet.

She was ready to go. Gennadius wanted to get up and go explore the castle, have some food, just... be up. But she didn’t want to go alone and she wasn’t sure how much sleep Nilo had been able to get since they had returned from their honeymoon.

Dark blue eyes gazed at him once more, taking in his features as she continued to mess with the petals. Her head tilted slightly as she gazed at his mouth, or rather, the fact that it was open. Whatever possessed her to do what she did is beyond understanding, but Gennadius picked up one of the petals and poked it into his mouth. She glanced at his eyes for a moment before adding another in there, using her finger to poke it in a little farther to make more room.

Pushing some hair from her face, the woman inspected one of the petals and found another that was of similar size and shape. Content with her findings, each petal got delicately laid over an eye. And then continued petals being shoved into his mouth, though it was done slowly and while watching him. It became a game to her, to see how many petals she could get in his mouth before he finally woke up. Which turned out to be a surprising amount to the point where she was running out of petals and his mouth was full.

A few red petals found their way into his hair next, Gennadius practically weaving and burying them into the equally red strands. And that left her with one last rose petal, the woman playing with it between her fingers for a few seconds before she looked back over his face.

And she shoved it up his nose.

Nilo slept through her morning shenanigans, blissfully unaware of what was happening mere inches from him. No, it wasn’t until a petal was shoved up his nose that the prince was startled awake. He sneezed, loudly, and sat up in bed, choking on and spewing petals out of his mouth. To say the experience was unpleasant was an understatement, as waking up with your mouth full of foreign items was not fun. At all. No, his heart thrummed against his chest as he leaned over the side of the bed, hacking up and spitting out rose petals, confused and, at the moment, afraid.

But once he was able to gasp for a breath, Nilo was quickly able to understand that no, he was not dying, his wife was just a complete and utter ass. He let out a displeased groan, having to actually reach into his mouth to pry the saliva-covered petals off his tongue and the walls of his mouth. Not to mention the taste. Gods it tasted bad and he couldn’t get it out of his mouth. He scrunched up his face and smacked his lips in disdain, still trying to force petals out of his mouth that were no longer there. It just tasted so awful he assumed he still had a mouthful left to project out onto the floor.

On top of the taste, his mouth was drier than a desert. He stared at the pile of slobbery flowers in disgust, as he was taking a minute to recover from the most harrowing thirty seconds of his life. “Who in the…” Nilo trailed as he ran his fingers through his hair, which resulted in him pulling out more petals. He let out a low growl. “Who in the hell does this?!” He exclaimed, ruffling the fiery strands to free them of the additional rosy intruders. Gods his wife. Why? What had he done to deserve such a betrayal?! He had been sleeping. Sleeping! He was just trying to rest and enjoy sleeping in on his vacation.

He was not trying to be assaulted by his own wife. Nilo huffed and turned his head, glaring in her direction. “You are insufferable and I wish you couldn’t walk. Clearly, I was too nice for the likes of you.” The man declared, crossing his arms over his chest, though he wasn’t super upset. He was annoyed. Very annoyed. But angry? Not so much. He glanced around for a glass of water, but unfortunately, he hadn’t grabbed one the night before, probably because he’d been too occupied with his wife who would later betray him so horrifically in the morning, but small details.

“You could’ve, I dunno, woken me up nicely? Instead of rubbing your hands together and plotting the worst ways to wake up a person like a little ifrit.” His pale eyes flashed with the sting of betrayal and his tone was incredibly accusing. The woman pulled pranks so off-handedly like it was a second nature. What would Nilo have done? He probably would have brought breakfast back and drawn her a bath then have woken her up with gentle kisses. That was romantic! That was normal. But no, he tried to sleep in and had a bouquet's worth of roses shoved into his mouth.

Nilo grimaced, opening and closing his mouth a few more times. “I feel like I slept with a flower field. No, I slept with a bouquet in a flower field. I’ll never look at a rose the same again.” He looked over at the damp pile he had expelled. He was lucky he hadn’t vomited. “I prefer to tend to the flowers, not eat them. This isn’t wine tasting for rabbits! If I swallowed one I am going to jump off the balcony and you have to clean my guts off the cobblestone. Then you have to go home to tell my father what you did and explain to our dogs why their father never came home. It would be tragic and you deserve it.”

There was another huff and Nilo reached around to scratch at his scar and, per usual, failed. He was silent for several moments, his dramatically heated rant having ended though he was still clearly displeased by the taste in his mouth by the faces he made. “I’m going to be tying a scarf around my mouth to sleep now, you cannot be trusted.” He commented, shifting to be more comfortable beneath the soft crimson fabric that covered the bed. “No more good night kisses for you, or in general. I ban you from my mouth.”

Gennadius wasn’t overly considering the ramifications of what she had been doing, instead just having fun in the moment. It seemed like a decent plan at the time and certainly had cured her boredom for as long as it lasted. That said, the moment he lurched up and began spewing out petals, the woman began to wheeze in laughter, doing her best to hold it in. Sitting up, a hand reached out to gently land against his back in soft pats as he hacked up the numerous red petals, her mouth clamped shut as she was managed to contain herself.

“You... you uh... okay there?” She managed the words between gritted teeth, glancing away as he had to pry even more out of his mouth. If she didn’t look, she could keep herself somewhat composed. Somewhat being key, as even asking the question, the woman had managed a wheeze and nearly lost it. At least until he discovered the petals in his hair, his tone setting her off into a heavy fit, her body shaking as she was forced to lean forward clutching at her abdomen. The harder she laughed, the tighter her arms squeezed around her waist. She was desperate to calm down at least a little until she suffocated herself from lack of oxygen.

She managed in a deep breath, offering a tentative glance towards him. The glare caused the softest of snorts as she fought to keep herself calm, head tilting slightly as her tangled hair framed her face rather comically. “Now to be fair, if I couldn’t walk, I would still have been able to do it. You just would have felt bad for me on top of that. Not to mention I probably would have gotten a nice hot free bath and obsessive affection. Maybe you weren’t nice enough.” She grinned like the little miscreant she was, crossing her legs under the blanket as she leaned forward with her head in her hands.

Shifting, she pulled the crimson cover up to drape it over her shoulders and around her front. “And I wasn’t exactly doing it to wake you up! To be fair I’ve let you sleep in a LONG time! I was just bored!” Gennadius was truly trying to defend the undefendable, considering it was a rather unpleasant prank on his end of the deal, even if her intentions had not gone beyond curing her own helpless case of not wanting to be laying around doing utterly nothing.

All would have been fine with her from there on out had he not proceeded to go into a min rant. It was enough to set her off, the laughter peeling from her gut as she tipped forward, her face pressing into the soft blanket. It was enough to cause the slightest shake in the bed, because it truly was funny. She knew far better than to think he would jump off the balcony for something so simple, it was just the way he said it and the fact that if looks could kill, she would at least be somewhat maimed from his irritation.

“Okay, okay!” she exclaimed between the deep gasps she was managing to get in, her chest slowly easing from its frantic rhythm that came of the laughter. “You’ve made your point.” Gennadius grinned widely, glancing around to see where on earth her robe had ended up. Which unfortunately turned out to be somewhat across the room. His shirt, however, was closer as it had been taken off before the fireworks started flying and was within arm’s length of the edge of the bed. Her body stretched out some as she grasped the fabric between her fingers, pulling it to herself as she slipped it on.

The beauty of his shirts came in that they covered not only her upper half but part of her lower half as well. And with it on, she slid off the mattress, feet padding silently to go to the bathroom. “You. Stay there.” It was a quick instruction she threw back at him, leaving the door open as she retrieved a glass from the cabinet. To her surprise and delight, there wasn’t a speck of dust, her assumption that Theodore had even thought to make sure those were cleaned up.

Filling it with water, she pressed her lips to the edge, taking a light sip before making her way back to the bed, though she went to Nilo’s side. The woman eased onto the edge, pulling a leg up and twisting to the side to offer the glass to him, sure he must be thirsty after his rude awakening. “Peace?” Her grin was wide with dark eyes sparkling, “I can even get dressed and go out to pick us up some pastries and bring them back. Give you a royal breakfast in bed and earn your love back?”

A hand reached out, pulling a petal he had missed from his hair and flicking it to the ground. “So a big breakfast in bed, maybe a walk through the countryside, a run through the castle...” Her tone danced as her smile grew wider. “Maybe I can bribe you to show me all the secret places and then we can rally back here for lunch and whatever you would possibly be interested in.”

Nilo growled at her laughter, arms folded over his chest in indignance. Insufferable! Insufferable she was! “Have I made my point?” He questioned, narrowing his eyes, “Because I think you have no regrets. In fact I know.” He poked at her chest, “You have nothing inside, nothing,” And with that he wiggled back to be completely submerged beneath the covers, though his nose up was there, which allowed him to glare daggers at his wife, who was busy considering his plight to be the funniest thing on the planet. He wasn’t sure he should have expected anything less of her.

His eyes followed as she snagged his shirt, reminding him that was equally bare. But he was too busy hiding beneath the blankets and simmering in his betrayal, which he decided he would do quietly from then on as she no longer deserved the satisfaction of a reaction. Because he knew that was all it really amounted to, her childish fulfillment from seeing him all worked up from her pranks. The exclamations, the rants, the monologuing, all of it. His wife was a six year old trapped in a grown woman's body, though one could argue that Nilo was the same.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” He retorted when she hopped off the bed, pale gaze following her to the bathroom. But he didn’t move, only laid there while his wife puttered around in the bathroom, though he perked some at the sound of water, somewhat curious. His wife only brought him back a glass of water, which was nice, but he was still somewhat suspicious. Though he propped himself on an elbow and took it, sipping gingerly at it. “Adequate.” He conceded, drinking some more before reaching out to set it on the nightstand. It did wonders for the floral taste and the dryness in his mouth.

But at the idea of a breakfast, he visibly perked up. Nilo liked food, it was no secret. Besides, the way to a man's heart was his stomach, wasn’t it? “Fine, I suppose I can concede with that. You can go fetch us breakfast and I’ll clean up here. I may even throw something nice in for you, but only if I’m feeling kind.” He looked around for his clothes, only to find them not within arms reach of the bed. He had a bit of a habit of throwing clothes once he removed them when in the heat of the moment. So apparently he was stuck scantily clad with only a blanket protecting him from the air.

It was time to get up though and he didn’t really need protection from some fabric. Wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen anyway. With a sigh he sat up, scratching at his jaw for a moment before he leaned to press his nose to her shoulder, inhaling. Honestly, the grin with eyes that smiled equally had him sold, though he wouldn’t admit that. No, he only let his arms encircle her middle, holding her close for just a moment longer. It was something he would have done by default when he awoke had she not scandalized him while sleeping, but better late than never, right.

With a playful nip at her neck and a pat on her thigh, Nilo pulled back to free her. “Off you go, though I recommend you put at least some form of bottoms on.” He snorted, hopping off the bed to retrieve his underwear, which he slipped into before stretching, balancing on his toes and extending his arms into the air. “I mean, you do you, wander around naked for all I care. Show off for the tapestry of my grandparents, I’m sure they’d just love that.” He laughed, moving around to pick up their strewn clothes and folding them on the blanket chest at the edge of the bed.

“And if this breakfast you find us is good enough, I’ll consider divulging the castle’s secrets to you. But be warned, my standards are impossibly high.” She could have brought him gruel and he would’ve still shown her the castle. Nilo liked good food, but he really just liked eating a lot of food. He wasn’t exactly a picky one and he was easy to please on top of that. “If you don’t, well… I dunno… I’ll banish you to the balcony? I haven’t decided yet, but it will be sinister” He shrugged.

It was expected to see the man perk up at the mention of breakfast. Gennadius had long since learned that the man loved food, and would most likely offer their firstborn child in exchange for a meal if it was good enough. “I thought you might like that offer. And you are always feeling kind, so I look forward to whatever this nice thing will be.” She grabbed the glass from the nightstand, sipping at what was left as she gazed at him before placing it back down.

Her arms wrapped around him as he sat up and buried his nose to her shoulder. Fingers smoothed over his back, the woman releasing a pleased noise at what she would consider an acceptance of her apology and offering. Not that it lasted too long as Nilo decided he was ready to move on with his day. “Hey!” she laughed at his nip, pulling her head back and shaking it as she watched him start retrieving his clothes. “You know, I don’t think you would really appreciate your wife, crown princess, and the woman you share a bed with, to run around your kingdom naked. Though you can be sure I will spare some respect for the memory of your grandparents.” She chuckled as she finally slid off the edge of the bed to retrieve her bag.

Sorting through it, she pulled out most everything she brought, placing it rather nicely on her nightstand as she collected the pants, undergarments, and shirt she desired for a trip into the town. “Don’t tempt me with your threat of a sinister plot. It truly is intriguing coming from you. Might be worth bringing back nothing at all, just to find out.” Gennadius tugged on her pants, which were actually quite comfortable ever since Claude had started taking her clothing orders. It meant her pants were, well, for her and not made for men. “I really can’t envision you doing anything dark, Nilo. Even the balcony seems to be a stretch. Oh, I know! Perhaps you can lock me out of the castle and stable completely, and make me walk home. Or, you could steal all my hair ties. Or, even better yet, hide a dead rat on my side of the bed.”

She knew he would NEVER touch a dead rat if he could help it, no matter how much he wanted to get back at her. “Actually, maybe not that. If I recall, you scream quite loud when you encounter rats, and no point in defeaning all of Lavarre.” Gennadius cast him a mischievous grin, slipping out of his shirt as she fought with her bra for a few seconds. “But it was a sinister idea.” Her shirt was slipped on and she stood, meandering over to Nilo with a warm smile.

The woman’s arms quickly wrapped around him from behind, tightening her grip as she leaned into him, cheek against his back and rubbing against the fabric of his shirt. “But back to the subject of food, I have a few ideas that might please you, but you’ll have to wait until I get back to find out. Do you think you can behave yourself for half an hour?” Gennadius released him and returned to her stuff to grab her brush and bring it through her hair, tugging at the annoying knots and trying to make her hair look less like a rat's nest and at least like it belonged to someone who somewhat cared what they looked like.

With something that could be considered at least partly groomed, Gennadius attached her sword and grabbed up her boots, shoving them on. She hopped from one foot to the other to yank the black leather footwear up and over her calf. Straightening, she spun to face Nilo, beaming as she was ready to face the day. Stepping over, the woman leaned herself against his chest, gazing up at him with dark pleased eyes. “Don’t burn anything down without me.” She gave him a soft peck before pulling away, but not without offering his backside a sturdy thwack and disappearing out the door.

Her steps immediately shifted into a jog as she moved through the hallways she was familiar with, which were really only the ones that led to the stable, throne room, and dining hall. Those were the only places she had ever been in the castle with Nilo, and after three years, she was almost certain she wouldn’t remember how to get to the throne room or dining hall anymore. Not that it mattered since her current objective was food, paired with her morning workout as she stepped out into the warm bright day that offered a cool refreshing breeze. Damn, she loved the weather in Lavarre.

She made quick work of getting to town, though for once, she avoided the alleyway and back roads. Today she was not looking to visit her past but enjoy her current state of affairs. Which happened to be a husband she was quite happy with and who happened to be waiting for something to eat. So her solution was to stop at a few places and make quite the collection. Of course, the bakery was one of the first stops, the woman picking up her favorite pastry along with a couple other kinds for the two of them to try. She also indulged in getting a flavored sweet bread that looked intriguing before thanking the baker and heading towards the market that was already bustling with activity.

Her next move was to buy some of Nilo’s favorite fruits, adding those to her ever-growing collection of food and goodies to share. By the time she finished her little adventure, she had managed fruit, baked goods, and pretty much whatever other food item she could get her hands on. With it all in tow, being carried in both arms and a couple of bags, Gennadius made her trek back to the castle, more than excited to slide back inside and head back for their room.

She encountered a small issue when she reached the door, her arms full as she tried to angle herself to grab the doorknob, and she was far too stubborn to put anything down. Somehow she did manage, jamming her hip against the knob as she used her elbow to turn it, causing her to tumble inside. By some miracle, she stayed on her feet, straightening with a grin. “I have arrived! And as per your request, I have brought with me a grand assortment of items.” The bags were placed on the table as she stepped back, beaming.