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She was being uncharacterstically silent, that little princess of his. Her father was awake and -more importantly - back to full health, the state of affairs was back in order, the nobles had been put in their place and she had won the respect of the entire country. Her mana was perfectly stable too, so nothing to worry about there. She should be back to her normal, chatty, sassy, smiley self. So what on earth could be going through her mind this time?
Lucas slouched back in his chair. This was boring. She wasn’t even doing anything, just sitting there, fiddling with her thumbs. It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy watching her. Or just looking at her. She was a beauty of rare quality after all, even in her fifteen year old body. Seriously, in all the hundreds of years he’d lived, he’d probably come across three, maybe four other people whose looks could rival hers. Yours truly, of course, being one of the few who could top it.
But looking was nowhere near as much fun as bickering, as making her laugh or even as being at the mercy of her wrath. He liked her best when she was being emotive and brimming with light and life, and he’d had enough of her endless moping and crying. Should he say something? He was pretty good at pissing her off. Hmm … what was a sensitive spot of hers these days … ?
“Lucas?”
His eyes snapped to her. So the little bird finally decided to sing, huh? It’d better be something good or he’d go find something else to entertain him.
“Come here for a moment.”
She patted the space next to hers. Was she planning something? No, her expression was perfectly docile. She probably just wanted to play with his hair again, didn’t she? She barely managed to keep her hands off it since she’d pulled on it so roughly the day he came back. Well, that was to be expected. It was gorgeous after all, and it was about damn time she realized that. He’d make her beg a bit, though. Just because he could. And because he very much enjoyed hearing her praise him, even if she only did it to butter him up. It was the fact that he had the power to make her say it, especially without magic. So, with a small smirk on his face, he got up, let his hair grow back to its normal length and made his way over to sit next to her on the couch.
“You called?”
He put on the most shit-eating grin he could muster, knowing perfectly well it’d make her mad. But she was already twiddling her thumbs again, not even making an effort to look at him. He frowned. Something was up.
“Well … uhm … would you … close your eyes?”
Lucas’ eyebrows shot up. Not at the request. She had plenty of odd requests, her recent stunt with the world tree branch easily being the worst of them. He still felt a bit nauseous whenever he thought of all the ways this could have gone wrong.
No, no, the odd thing was how bashful she was being about this. How uncomfortable. She was never like this. At least not with him. His princess was loud and forceful and commanding, even when embarrassed or flustered. But then she was looking at him with those big, beautiful, sapphire eyes of hers, silently pleading and just like always, he found he couldn’t say no to her. Well … there was also a real chance this could be interesting. So once more, he did as he was asked and closed his eyes.
It took a few seconds before anything happened. He was already about to reopen his eyes and ask what was going on, when he felt her fingers on his jaw. That alone was enough to set him on fire and send his pulse through the roof. The princess never touched him. Not like this. Hits over the head, yes. Playing with his hair, yes. The occasional hand holding, yes (though he’d been the one doing most of that since he’d come back from the world tree). But a touch this intimate? This tender? Never. Not in all the eight years they’d known each other.
Which made the soft brush of her lips against his cheek all the more surprising. His eyes flew open. His jaw slacked. His brain stopped working. All he could do when she gingerly pulled back was to blink stupidly at her. When was the last time he’d been this dumbfounded at something? The first time she had hit him? Yeah … yeah, probably.
“Uhm …”, she was bashful again, back to twiddling her thumbs, “you … you like those, right?”
Damn right he did. Not that he quite understood why, but hey. So he nodded, because he’d lost his voice and he wasn’t quite certain how to find it.
“Everything that happened … everything that's gone wrong … it was all resolved thanks to you. You did so much to help me and I never could have handled this situation without you. Daddy … daddy would be dead if it wasn’t for you. Anastasius and Aethernitas would have taken the throne if it wasn’t for you. Obelias would probably be on fire now if it wasn’t for you. And … and Jennette …
There was so much going on, I never even had time to tell you how grateful I am that you’re here.”
She hadn’t. That was true. But it wasn’t like he’d ever blame her for that. Even if she was older than she looked, she’d handled a lot since he’d gone off to find the world tree. Most people would not have been able to handle it all. He wasn’t sure if he would have been able to handle it all without his magic. And … well … she had made it very clear how much she needed him the moment he returned. He gave every bet she’d been strong and hadn't shed a tear until then. He was still pissed that her reaction was all about her dad. He had really, really wanted that desperate welcome to be all because of him. He wanted to believe she’d missed him so much, she’d cry over his return. He hadn’t even known he wanted that until he was in the situation, but when confronted with the idea, he immediately knew he did. Kind of like the first time she’d kissed him.
Still, she’d been able to hold on because of him. She’d been strong because he’d given her hope. She’d continued to fight because she knew he’d return to make everything better. It wasn’t quite enough to soothe the wound, but it did make him want to fulfill that hope of hers. She relied on him. She needed him. And - unfamiliar with emotions as he was - that was enough to make him happy.
Plus, she’d called him her friend. The thought of that still made him giddy.
“It’s fine”, he answered. “There were a plethora of reasons to help.”
“It’s not fine”, she insisted. “You deserve all the kisses in the world. It’s the only thing I have to repay you with … at least the only thing you can’t get your hands on yourself. So … so I’ll give you as many of them as you want.”
He blinked at her again. Because that’s all he could think of doing for a solid minute. At least now he knew why she was being so bashful. He’d surprised her with his eagerness last time she’d offered a kiss, but she knew a bit better what to expect now. How much embarrassment must she be wrestling with to make him such an offer?
“As many as I want?” He asked.
She swallowed hard and he could see her fighting down the blush, but either way, she nodded.
“Do you mean it?”
She nodded again, a bit more fiercely. Lucas could barely believe it.
“Are you sure?” He asked again.
“How many times do you need me to say yes? Are you deaf or something? Or did the world tree mess with your brain? You’re usually not this slow.”
Hah! There she was. His sassy, feisty, little princess. He liked her much better like this. The shy, quiet skit didn’t suit her.
“No take backs, alright?” He grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“What the -” she began to protest, but it died when, with a snap of his fingers, he teleported the both of them out of the room.
It took her a minute to reorient herself when they arrived. The main reason why he’d grabbed her around the waist, rather than take her hand like he usually would. That … and to be frank, he just straight up felt like having her close. How couldn’t he after she’d said something like that?
“Where are we?” She asked, gently pushing herself away from him so she could have a look around.
“The tower.”
“But … this isn’t where the nobles gathered ….”
“That was the audience room. This is my private study. No one can enter here unless I personally escort them.”
At least that’s how it should work. Which only made it all the more vexing that Aethernitus had somehow managed to break into it. Well … having stolen his magic probably helped.
“Why are we here?” She asked again.
“Because no one’s going to disturb us here.”
She whirled around to face him, hands on her hips and face perfectly sceptical. So she still didn’t trust him. Somewhat. It almost made him laugh. All this time and she still had no idea that she was the only person in his long, long life whom he obeyed. The only person ever to keep him under control. To keep him tamed.
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
“You said you’d give me as many kisses as I want.” He stepped close and took her hand. “And I want a lot of them.”
The blush crept over her face again, but still she tried her best to stay indignant and pouty. Goodness, she was adorable. He could just gobble her up sometimes. Instead, he tugged at her hand so that she stumbled towards him until they were chest to chest. He’d been a confused, flustered mess the last time they’d been this close, but now, he was the one in control and that somehow made it a lot easier.
“Kiss me, princess”, he mumbled into her ear.
He’d meant it as a tease, but the effect that had on her amazed him. He could feel her entire body heating up and the beating of her heart going into overdrive. The shudders ran down her body, strong enough to be passed on to him and he absolutely relished in it. There was also a quiet little gasp that somehow slipped right into his bloodstream and set his nerves on fire. That was new. And confusing. He wasn’t sure what to make of this feeling or what to do with it, so he opted to ignore it for the moment.
“T- then s - sit down”, she stuttered. “You’re too tall to reach when you’re standing.”
Right. Even his ‘kid’ body was that of a fifteen year old now. Old enough to tower over her. He’d barely noticed, especially not with how she’d seemed so much larger than life lately. And this … this had to be her way of leveling the playing field. Get some control back. He did briefly wonder what she’d do if he said no, but he was already pushing it and the last thing he wanted right now was for her to run away. It wasn’t like she couldn’t teleport out of here herself anymore if he pushed it too far. So, as he did so often, he obeyed his lovely princess and sat down on the couch next to the table with all of his potions. Not the safest place for a couch, he duly noted. Several of those potions were deadly. If any of those were to fall on her …
The thought was forgotten when she sat down next to him. He kept his face perfectly calm - at least he hoped he did - in an attempt to hide just how giddy he really was. His princess had no such luck. The blush was swallowing her whole, but the look on her face betrayed her sheer power of will. She looked like she was going into battle or something. Probably against her own embarrassment. Hilarious. He’d laugh out loud if he didn’t think that’d cause her to up and leave.
She took a deep breath before planting a kiss on his cheek. His heart fluttered. The next one was placed on his temple. He hummed in satisfaction. The third was placed on his cheekbone, right beneath his eye. He found himself leaning into her.
“Is that enough?”
Enough? Of her kisses? He’d been satisfied with one last time, but now that she’d made him that offer, he heavily doubted he’d ever have enough of them again.
“What about the other side?” He grinned at her.
She answered with a pout.
It only lasted for a few seconds though, before she moved to work on the other side of his face. Except, what she did somehow felt dangerous. Like before, she had the tip of her fingers on his jaw, this time to gently turn his head to make it easier to reach. And just like before, the touch set him on fire and sent his heartbeat soaring. He prayed to all the heavens that she wouldn’t notice.
What was almost worse though, was the hand she put on his thigh so she could lean over him, and how it forced him to put a hand on her waist to stabilize her. He struggled to grasp what exactly that position was doing to him and why it felt so dangerous. All he could tell for sure was this was new. This type of contact. And how close they were. And how they somehow both had control over this and at the same time, none of them did. He was almost too distracted by it all to notice the next kiss. Almost. But the feel of her lips on his skin still managed to overpower every other sensation and he immediately felt like humming again. And just like before, she followed up by kissing his temple and then his cheekbone.
“Enough?” She asked again.
“I said a lot. Was that a lot?”
“It was a lot for a jerk like you.”
“Jerk? Don’t you mean that handsome, genius magician that did every little thing her highness requested of him without uttering a single word of complaint?”
“HAH! Nice try. Complaining was the only thing you did!”
“Aside from healing your dad, lifting his curse, giving you my branch of the world tree, capturing Anastasius, saving you from the white rat bastard’s advances, playing doctor … want me to continue?”
She glared at him for that and he simply smirked back. There was no way she could refute him. After all, it was the reason they found themselves here, in his tower, on his couch, with her on his lap. Staring daggers at him, yes, but on his lap nonetheless.
“Fine, I get it”, she finally relented. “Just say stop when you’ve had enough.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep going”, he commanded and after a bit more glaring and probably (certainly) cussing him out on her head, she obeyed.
She moved again. Climbed over his thigh to position herself between his legs and it nearly made his heart stand still. She stood up halfway, put her other hand on his face as well and gently tilted it down so she could press a kiss onto his forehead.
His eyes became large. Something about this kiss felt different. The ones before, he knew, were mostly duty bound. She’d offered, he’d accepted and now she had to get it over with. But this one? This one felt … more gentle, perhaps? Compassionate? Almost … almost loving. It took his breath away and he stared at her with the roundest of eyes when she pulled back. She looked at him for a second, searching for something in his eyes maybe, before pressing yet another kiss just above his eye. He closed it out of pure instinct. It was just as soft. Just as tender. Then she kissed that exact same spot on the other side. Her next kiss went to the corner of his jaw. Then the other side. A cute, tiny kiss was placed on the tip of his nose. Then one in between his eyes. Then one more on his forehead.
When … When was the last time he’d been bathed in affection like this? When was the last time someone had treated him so lovingly? His parents hadn’t. His nanny hadn’t. His master certainly hadn’t. No one ever had. She was the first. This was a first. And as her lips gently caressed him and her fingers softly guided him, Lucas felt something inside of him soar. The overwhelming urge to hold her close, closer, ever closer, feel her presence and warmth and heartbeat on every single bit of his being until they melded into one. The lurch of his stomach and his heart that shouted at him to beg for something, anything, though he could not think of a single thing to say. The desire for more, the pull inside calling him to action, the deep, deep despair that made him want to whimper and cry like a babe in her arms.How surprising. To think he was still capable of feeling that much. Feeling this deeply. It was all so overwhelming, how could he possibly think of a way to act on any of it?
Instead, he felt his mind floating away somewhere as she continued to pepper his face with kisses. Sweet, gentle, tender kisses, containing all her gratefulness and warmth and love. More and more, he lost himself in the feeling of them until all that was left in the world was him and her and this moment and the silence of it, the magic of it.
A kiss against his beauty mark was the last one he allowed her to give him when he slowly turned his face to look into her eyes. She was being oddly silent again. And there was something about the look on her face that was different. Not that he could decipher it. Later maybe, but right now he was busy drinking in how her gem-like irises peeked at him from under her eyelashes. Striking. The eyes of the royal family had always been described that way, for hundreds of centuries, but only now did Lucas find it in himself to agree with that sentiment. His eyes drifted down to her lips for a moment. He’d never really looked properly at them before, but they seemed soft and rosy and plump. To think just a moment ago those lips had touched just about every inch of his face.
Except … except for his own.
He looked back into her eyes. They’d never been so close. So … so very close … not close enough. So he closed the last of the distance. Slowly, so she could stop it. So she could hit him or yell at him or run. She did neither of these things and he kissed her. A soft, gentle touch of lips. Not so different from the other kisses he’d received today, but what it did to him was like something from another world. He forgot to breathe, somehow. And think. Or maybe he forgot to exist entirely. All he knew right now was how to feel and taste and smell and it was all her. Nothing but her. His brat. His enigma. His princess. His queen.
Athanasia.
He pulled away. Opened his eyes just a fraction to see the look on her face. He couldn’t have been the only one who forgot how to breathe, judging by how deeply she was inhaling. Nor could he have been the only one enjoying this, if the daze in her eyes was anything to go on.
“Luc -”
He cut her off with another kiss. One that was a bit more forceful. Where he leaned into her and she dug her fingers into his hair as if to secure herself somehow and it was only then that he noticed that her hands had found their way to the back of his head at some point. Where the push of lips against one another caused his mouth to open and hers followed as if obeying a silent command and his arms had wrapped around her waist to pull her closer, taste her stronger, feel more of her, the rise and fall of her chest and the little gasps for breath the she made, or maybe it was him, whenever the kiss loosened for just a moment before he continued to steel the air from her lungs. Where there were shy touches of tongue and he licked her lips whenever he had the chance because he couldn’t get enough of how delicious they were and their jaws continued to open and close as if locked in a dance and their mouths didn’t have a choice but to follow, slotting and clashing over and over until he’d lost sight of where she ended and he began and her nails kept digging into his hair, his skull as if nothing else in the world could possibly give her halt.
And then it was over.
She’d made herself comfortable on his lap at some point. Probably before the first touch of lips and he’d just been too lost in her little butterfly kisses to notice. He’d also grabbed her quite tightly, one arm completely around her waist, the other hand sprawled out between her shoulder blades. He remembered the silence in between the kisses. There had been something different about it. As if the air around them was charged with magic, with a spell, except it wasn’t and yet he’d been bound by it. Interesting. How he was always so highly aware of everything, every little detail surrounding, yet just a bit of affection could make him completely lose track of everything that was not her.
That, and probably the look on her face at this moment. The sight she made as she looked at him , still dazed and maybe a little wobbly, but definitely dreamy and it was him that reduced her to this. But then she regained her bearings and the blush spread over her face again. She fumbled for a moment, trying to talk and not managing and that’s when he knew it was time to end this.
“That’s one ugly face you’re making”, he smirked.
“You … you …”
“I know, I know. But this is my tower, not your room, so you’ll be the one to leave, princess. Call me when you feel like rewarding me again.”
She was gone with a snap of his fingers and immediately, he missed the warmth of her embrace and the weight of having her on his lap. Well, it wouldn’t be a replacement, but something fun should happen in 3, 2, 1 …
“LUCAS!!!”
Right on cue. Her scream was probably audible throughout all of Claude’s palaces and this time, Lucas really did laugh out loud. He’d better stay out of her way for the next week or so if he wanted to keep his head.