A Court of Flight and Valor

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled as he followed her along, squeezing her hand as she talked about her and Ramyth's relationship. "That's the way friends are. But you're right, Bridris is someone who prefers to do things more formally, and I'm sure if you walked in on them when they were doing something intimate she'd have a heart attack, and because she'd get upset Ramyth would also get upset, and I don't think that that would go over well for you." Ailuin explained as they reached his rooms, making sure to shut and lock the door once inside before leading her over toward the bed. "So, are we allowed to snuggle like earlier, or did Ram ruin it?"

---

"Still, be careful. I don't want either of you to get hurt." Bridris pouted a bit to get her point across, but smiled as they walked to her room, shaking her head when he apologized. "We'll have plenty of nights where we can stay up late, Ramyth. You don't have to apologize." She giggled a bit though as he pulled back the sheets on her bed, shaking her head a little. "We have to put our pajamas on first, silly." She pointed out, pressing a kiss to his cheek before she moved over to her dresser to pull out a clean nightgown.

@ katahdin

Aubrius sighed. "I guess that means I have to knock and wait for a response." She and Ramyth got upset with each other from time to time and always managed to settle it fine, but she didn't think Bridris had ever really been upset or angry with her, and she didn't like the idea of it happening now. She wouldn't know how to settle it. If Ramyth was upset, they got physical and were better. Ailuin got upset and things got physical in a different way a few times, with their conversation today being a little out of the ordinary. When she was upset, she was confrontational. She wouldn't begin to know what to do with Bridris, who was prone to crying, and Aubrius really, truly, hated it when she cried. Then, just like that, they were back in his rooms, and she stretched as he asked about snuggling, almost saying no, but it had actually been kind of nice, and he'd seemed really happy about it. "Just for tonight."

---

"She never injures me in any permanent way," Ramyth reassured her teasingly, kissing her cheek and stifling a yawn as she giggled at him and pointed out they needed pajamas. "My mistake," he chuckled. "You pulled me in here, and since my clothes are in my room, I thought you were taking Ailuin's order seriously and trying to get me to bed. Give me a minute. I'll be back." He gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go and heading to his room to change while she did as well.

@ sun spirit

"Yes, you'll have to knock and wait for a response, and I'm sure Ram will do the same for you." Ailuin pressed a kiss to her forehead, knowing it might be hard for her to adjust, but it would be for the best. He tried to hide his excitement as she agreed to snuggle, even if it was only for tonight, giving her hands a squeeze. "Do you need to put pajamas on? Or are you fine sleeping in what you're wearing?" He figured he'd be polite and ask, even though he really did want to just curl up in bed with her again. He smiled at her after a moment and ran his fingers through her hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Aub.. Thank you for agreeing to be my mate. I'm not sure what I would have done if you'd rejected me."

---

"I thought you'd stop on your way, or that you'd help me take off my dress and I'd help you with your tunic.. But we can follow Ailuin's orders. He is a king after all, so I feel like we should listen to him." Bridris murmured, nodding a little as he promised to be back in a minute before reaching behind her to work on unbuttoning the back of her dress, still struggling with it a bit when he returned, offering him a sheepish smile. "I don't know how I managed to get it on this morning without help, but now I can't get the buttons undone.." She confessed, blushing as she looked up at him. "At least you look cozy in your pajamas.."

@ katahdin

Aubrius wasn't sure she'd ever seen Ailuin look so purely excited. That wasn't saying much, given they'd only started spending a large amount of time around each other the past week, but it was still a little shocking. The expression suited him, actually. But the weirdest part was that it was something she'd said that'd made him do that. The thought made her a little warm, and she realized she'd like to make him look that happy more often. And that maybe she actually could, something that had thus far seemed impossible. "I'll be fine. Reaching back to button and unbutton shirts hurts anyway," she said, shaking her head a bit as he ran his fingers through her hair and thanked her. "Thank you for coming after me. I just thought we were being stupid and were getting feelings for each other even though we knew it couldn't happen, and I thought I was sparing us both worse pain by cutting it off. If I'd known we were mates... I still would've questioned whether you even wanted it, but I don't think I would've run. Or maybe I would've and not stopped until I was far away from the court, because you definitely deserve better. Someone who wants kids and doesn't have reservations about ruling with you and will snuggle all the time and doesn't get defensive or disappear or start fights and can fly with you and won't make you worry that she'll disappear and leave in the middle of the night." But she loved him anyway, and if she'd actually been at the festival and had written a prayer to Roedanya, she realized she probably would prayed that the mating bond never eased up so things could keep being the way they were, and maybe it'd buy her time to figure out how to make him smile.

---

Bridris' words through Ramyth for a loop, especially as he realized that's what they'd been talking about earlier, except the way she said it now suddenly sounded far more... innocent. Maybe that was how she'd meant it all along? It stewed in his brain the entire time he dressed, that maybe being around Aubrius for too long had done him in and his mind was in the gutter when it shouldn't have been to the point where he'd made up meaning that wasn't even there, and when he returned to Bridris' room, he was fully embarrassed with himself to the point that he didn't even notice Bridris was still struggling with her dress until she spoke. "Something might be stuck. Here, let me look," he offered, giving her a little smile as he walked over and moved behind her to look at the buttons in the back. "They're pretty comfortable. Another gift from Mir. She's a seamstress and likes creating clothing that she thinks we need for us for gifts," he explained as he started to try and figure out where the buttons were getting stuck.

@ sun spirit

As Aubrius spoke he gently guided her into bed with him, tucking the blankets around them while being mindful of her wings, willing his magic to turn off the lanterns that kept the room lit, leaving them in the dark save for the bit of moonlight coming in through the windows. He shook his head a bit as she said that he deserved better, leaning down to press a loving kiss to her lips. "We both deserve each other. I wouldn't want anyone else Aub, truly. And I know once you're healed properly you'll fly with me and laugh when you see how awful I am, and not wanting children or being afraid of ruling is perfectly normal, since I used to not want children and was terrified of being king. And I like it when you pick fights, because they're usually over something you're passionate about or your sticking up for yourself or me or your friends, and even if we only get to cuddle during Roedanya once a year I'll consider myself the luckiest fae alive because I know I'm the only one you'd do this with." He soothed softly, gently running his fingers through her hair. "Besides Ram, maybe, if he knew how to get you to sleep..." He'd assumed that the guard had just known about the trick because they were friends, but he must have had to get close to her to learn it, and now Ailuin wondered why they'd be so close together in the first place.

---

Before they'd been interupted earlier Bridris had been looking forward to helping Ramyth out of his clothes and him helping her out of hers, albeit also nervous about it, given that compared to him she was very inexperienced, and the few experiences she had we're not pleasant ones. But they were both tired, so it made sense that the mood had changed and they'd have to wait for another day to do something like that. She noticed how embarrassed he look when he returned to her room, and although she initially thought it might be because she was still in her dress, he didn't seem too embarrassed or nervous as he came over to help her with her dress, turning around for him and pulling her hair out of the way so he could see properly. "I don't know how it could have gotten stuck.. Maybe it was Roedanya." She offered him a faint smile over her shoulder, nodding as he explained that his sister had made his pajamas as well. "The tunic she made you is lovely, she's very skilled.. I haven't really looked at your pajamas, but I'm sure I'll say the same thing." She did her best to stay still for him, wanting to make it easier for him to get the dress undone.

"Did.. Did I say something wrong before?" She asked after a moment, glancing back at him with a little frown. "It seemed like you were upset or something when you came back after putting your pajamas on.. I didn't upset you, did I?"

@ katahdin

As they got into bed together and Ailuin pulled the blanket around them and blew out the lanterns and tried to ease her worries, she curled up close, wrapping an arm around him and not really minding when he started to run his fingers through her hair, despite Ramyth having sold her out. "You just said that I was annoying earlier though. And I know I frustrate you and make you angry a lot. A lot more than I make you smile," she pointed out, frowning against his shirt. "And I definitely don't cuddle with Ram. That's... eww. I've let him sleep over before because he were both drunk and my house was closer than the castle, but I don't think two drunks slouched on top of each other counts as cuddling. The reason he knows about the hair thing is because we first became friends while I was still living with my parents. My mom liked to try and embarrass me. He found out about the healing one because he and Hanvosi are pretty much the only two who've ever been around when I've gotten hurt, and he picked up on it."

---

"Maybe. And you'll have to tell her you think so when we go visit for dinner. She's probably already planning on making you something anyway." Ramyth returned Bridris' smile with a little one of his own, but after a few moments of looking, he found the problem. "It looks like some of the stitching on one of your flowers came loose and got wrapped around a button," he explained, carefully picking at the thread in question and unwinding it from around the button. "It should come off fine now if you want some privacy to finish getting ready for bed." He went quiet when she suddenly asked if she upset him though, quickly shaking his head as he took her hand. "No, no, you didn't upset me at all!" he tried to reassure her immediately. He hesitated there though; he didn't feel like it'd be fair to tell her what he'd really be thinking, not if he was the one who'd gotten it wrong. He offered her a little smile. "I just got to thinking about everything that's going on again is all. I know I said it'd all be fine, but I can't help but worry anyway."

@ sun spirit

Ailuin's brows furrowed as she said she didn't make him smile, shaking his head as he pulled her closer. "I've smiled more in the past few days with you than I have in years, Aub. Yes, you annoy me sometimes and when you make stupid decisions I get angry, but to be fair you deserve it most of the time." He gave her a little smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. He chuckled a bit as she explained Ramyth knew how to get her to sleep, giving her a little squeeze as he stifled a yawn. "That makes sense.. I'm glad he and Bridris are your friends, you deserve them."

---

"She doesn't have to make me anything, I don't want her to go out of her way when she doesn't have to." Bridris murmured, nodding when he declared that he'd found the problem. "Be careful, I'd hate to ruin the dress.." she warned, smiling and turning to press a kiss to his cheek once he'd got the buttons free. "Thank you." She murmured, already beginning to undo the buttons of her dress as he was offering to leave and give her privacy, just wanting to be out of it and in he nightgown by then. She frowned a little though as he reassured her that she hadn't upset him, giving his hand a squeeze before having to pull her hand back to hold up the front of her dress against her chest after she'd gotten all the buttons undone, the garment starting to slip from her shoulders. "I... O-Oh.." she murmured as he said he'd been thinking about their situation and was worried, looking down at the floor as she chewed her lip in thought. "If you're having second thoughts about us.. about me, that's perfectly understandable. You don't have to sleep in here if you don't want to, and I'll stay here while you have breakfast and go to the ceremony with Ailuin and Aubrius. I'm sure they'll understand, too."

@ katahdin

Aubrius gave him a skeptical look as he claimed that he’d smiled more recently than in years, though she was simultaneously relaxing in his arms, starting to get tired again. “If you say so. I want to see you smile more like you did when I said we could cuddle though,” she murmured softly, nuzzling into his shirt. “I’m glad they’re my friends too. It’s nice having them.” She went quiet for a long time, then quietly asked, “Ailuin?” She didn’t want to say anything else if he was asleep.

---

Ramyth chuckled softly. “You’ll have to take that up with her. Mir will probably insist though,” he warned her, stepping back once he’d freed the buttons and she started undoing the buttons to get the dress off. He glanced away as she caught her dress in the front before it fell off her, trying to give her some privacy even if she’d started to take off her dress in front of him. His head snapped back towards her when she asked if he was having second thoughts though, reaching out to take her hands as he shook her head. “No, no Bri! That’s not it! I still want to be with you. More than anything. When I said I was worried, it wasn’t about us. I’ve never been more sure about anything than I am about loving and wanting to be with you. I meant your kidnappers knowing you’re here now, the council causing trouble, that sort of thing. I’d never second guess you.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin shifted a bit as she relaxed further in his arms to make sure that they were both comfortable, carefully tucking his wing over them again to help shield some of the moonlight away from Aubrius in case it was bothering her and keeping her up. He smiled though when she said that she wanted him to smile more like how he'd done earlier, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before nuzzling his nose into her hair, gently running his fingers through it still in an effort to get her to sleep. "I'll always smile for you, Aub." He promised, letting his eyes close as they relaxed, fingers stopping their travel through her hair so he could simply wrap his arms around her. He let out a little hum though when he heard his name, his arms tightening around her a bit as he nuzzled his nose further into her hair. "Hmm? You're supposed to be sleeping.."

---

"Maybe I could help her? I had to sew my own clothes, and none of them were anywhere as nice as the ones here, but I can at least try to be helpful. And I'd want to give her something too, but I don't know much about her, and I doubt she'd want anything that I could make her." Bridris murmured mostly to herself, practically thinking out loud as she undid the buttons on her dress, not really noticing as Ramyth looked away to give her a bit of privacy when her dress nearly fell off, struggling to hold it up with one hand as she tried to get the last of the buttons undone with the other. She allowed Ramyth to take the hand that wasn't keeping her dress up when he stepped forward, looking up at him with a little frown and a faint blush as he promised he wasn't having any second thoughts about her, giving his hand a little squeeze. "I-I just assumed that you'd realize you didn't like me as much as you thought.. A-And if you ever do, it's ok. It doesn't matter if the petals brought us together, or if Roedanya blessed us. I'd hate for you to feel miserable being with me just because you felt like you had to be to spare my feelings or something.." She murmured as she looked down at their joined hands.

@ katahdin

Wrapped up in Ailuin’s arms, half draped over him and cocooned by his wing, Aubrius felt completely at ease and was half asleep, eyes closed, when she said his name. It was almost a surprise when he answered. “I will soon,” she promised softly. “But I wanted to say... I always planned on building a house in the mountains. Somewhere I could walk off the balcony and fly, with windows everywhere so it never felt closed in, and close enough to the castle that I wouldn’t have to go too far to get here, but far enough not to worry about neighbors. I’m okay living in the city though, and I didn’t want to mention the mountains because I worried you’d just say yes trying to make me happy and we’re supposed to be doing this together.” She nuzzled a little closer, pressing her face into his shirt.

---

Eyes on the window off to Bridris’ left, Ramyth smiled a bit as she talked out what she was thinking on the subject of Mirella. “Well, we’re having dinner with the family soon, and I’m sure my parents will invite her and Tad over, so maybe you could talk it over with her then?” he suggested, hoping to help a bit since she seemed genuinely worried about the whole thing. He wasn’t even sure if Mirella was planning on making Bri anything, but if he knew his sister... but then they were talking about her concerns, and he looked into her eyes as he reassured her, wanting her to see that he genuinely meant every word he spoke. “Bri...” he squeezed her hand in his, then raised it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “I don’t think I could ever change my mind. I just... it might sound crazy, but I’m sure about you. With my entire heart. With my entire being. I mean that. I’ve... I’ve dated girls before and never felt like this. It isn’t a phase. It’s real and I mean it. I’m not going to wake up one day and snap out of it, I promise. I love you.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin remained quiet as he listened to Aubrius talk about the house she'd planned to build, smiling a little as he pictured it. "It sounds perfect, Aub... I miss the time when I briefly lived in the temples built into the cliffs, and I could jump out my window and fly down to the city or wherever I wanted to go.. Gods, what I'd give to be able to do that again." He hummed at the memory, tugging her closer as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We can maybe try to scout out some places tomorrow? I'd offer to carry you, but my wings are barely strong enough to carry me, let alone the both of us.. And having to build a house just means I get to take more time off." He stifled a yawn, shifting slightly so that he was more on his stomach, arms still wrapped around her and wings still draped over her, but now his other wings weren't pinned underneath him as much. "I love you, Aub.."

---

Bridris had given a little nod at his suggestion that she speak with Mirella at the dinner his family was planning, not that he'd see her response given that he was looking away, and she was staring off at some corner of the room as well, trying not to look at him as she confessed her fears. She did raise her head to meet his eyes when he raised her hand to his lips, though, blushing faintly as she nodded when she heard his words, squeezing his hand in return. "I love you too, Ramyth... You make my heart feel very full." She murmured softly as she pressed into his arms, standing up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, not really caring that her dress was falling off again. Kissing him seemed more important than holding it up, anyway.

@ katahdin

‘Perfect’ certainly wasn’t the reaction Aubrius had expected, and she peeked up at Ailuin as he spoke, having forgotten about his time living at the temple, though as he spoke, he did earnestly sound like he missed it. “Are you sure? You were talking about the city and neighbors, and I thought you’d want to be somewhat close to the castle. I don’t want you to just decide on something because I said I’d like it.” But he’d also said he wanted to hear what she wanted, and since she’d missed doing it earlier, she’d decided to try and do it now. She shifted her wings a bit as he moved, wrapping around her a little more, then settled them again. While still tender, they didn’t feel as bad as they had. The trouble was keeping them comfortable with them laying as they were, and she was sort of resting against him at an angle so they could lay against her back. They probably brushed against him too, but he hadn’t said anything about it yet, and she was comfortable in the little cocoon they’d made. “I love you too,” she said softly, squeezing him a little bit. “Thank you for not letting me run.”

---

Ramyth smiled down at Bridris as she simply said she loved him too, rather than voicing any other insecurities or concerns, and looking as if she felt better after hearing his reassurances. He happily returned her kiss as she leaned into him, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her deeply. He paused as he felt fabric bunching around his hands though, belatedly realizing that her dress was completely unbuttoned and it was probably only his hands at her waist that was keeping it from completely pooling on the floor. Ramyth’s face warmed as he pulled a bit from the kiss, but not moving far as he pressed his forehead against hers. “You probably need to grab your dress before I let go so it doesn’t fall,” he murmured softly. “And I can turn around while you change into your nightgown.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin opened his eyes to smile at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead once she'd settled down in his arms again, gently rubbing her back between her wings, very aware of making sure he wasn't causing her any discomfort. "Of course I'm sure, Aub. I promise that if I'm not sure about something I won't agree to it. I only mentioned the city and neighbors earlier because it hadn't even occured to me to find or build something outside of the city. And being far away from the castle might keep the council and who knows who from showing up at our door to bother me." He murmured, gently stroking his fingers through her hair. He smiled when she thanked him for not letting her run, nuzzling her nose into her hair. "Thank you for not running. I'll do my best to give you a good reason to stay."

---

Bridris let out a pleasant hum as Ramyth deepened the kiss, her arms wrapping around him as she pressed into his arms and returned his kiss. She closed her eyes happily as he rested his forehead against hers, blushing when he suggested that she grab her dress before he let go so that it wouldn't fall down, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before opening her eyes to offer him a faint smile. "I'm not sure I'd mind if it fell.. But I'll grab it so it won't fall. Do you think that you can grab my nightgown from behind you?" She asked softly, hands moving to grab the bunched fabric around her waist so that she could tug it up again once there was a bit more space between them.

@ katahdin

Aubrius yawned as Ailuin snuggled in close again and rubbed her back gently, feeling reassured as he said he actually liked her idea and just hadn’t thought of it before, smiling a bit as he then suggested that maybe he’d be harassed less if they lived farther. “Okay. And I think they’d still send people to bang on our door until you answered or we pushed them off the mountain. Maybe we need some sort of magical trap that can do that. And we can select certain people it won’t attack, like us and Ram and Bri,” she suggested, yawning again. “I just ran because I didn’t think I could have you. I’ll stay until you no longer want me,” she reassured him softly, eyes closing again as she felt herself getting close to drifting off.

---

It felt like they were in sort of a weird place where seeing each other naked was okay but maybe not at the same time. At least, that’s how it felt for Ramyth and he’d been raised as a gentleman and to be conscientious of the women in his life, so that played a factor as well. He gave Bridris a smile though as she kissed him and asked him to turn and hand her her nightgown, giving her a nod and a quick kiss. “Okay,” he agreed, giving her a moment before he pulled back, making sure she had hold of her dress, before he turned around to pick up the nightgown she’d set out and brought it back to her.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled softly as she suggested setting a magical trap, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "It's definitely something to think about. Now go to sleep, Aub. I don't want Hanvosi yelling at me for not getting you to rest." He murmured as he closed his eyes and settled in against the pillows, giving her a little squeeze as she said that she'd stay. "I'll always want you, Aub. That's something that I'm sure of." He mumbled into her hair before finally drifting off to sleep, his arms loosening around her a bit as he fell asleep.

---

"I like your kisses.." Bridris admitted softly between a few of them, tugging her dress up to cover herself as he pulled away from her to pick up her nightgown, thanking him as she took it from him. "Thank you, Ramyth.. I'll just run behind the changing screen to put it on, and then I'll be right out." She promised, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she turned and shuffled over behind the screen, letting her dress drop to the floor before she pulled her nightgown on over her head and stepped back out, hurrying back into his arms, practically jumping into them. "Is it weird that the petals make me miserable whenever I'm not right next to you?" She asked softly, looking up at him as she rested her head against his chest.

@ katahdin

Aubrius was already well on her way to falling asleep when Ailuin fussed at her. She smiled a bit, snuggling in a little closer and nuzzling into his chest. “I’ll always want you too,” she murmured softly, giving him a little squeeze. She fell silent then and it wasn’t long before she drifted off. She slept in the next morning rather than waking as early as usual, practically wrapped around Ailuin, her cheek resting in a small puddle of drool when a series of knocks came at the door. Aubrius curled around Ailuin a little tighter, hoping whoever it was would give up, but when the knocking came again, she blindly reached out from under the cocoon of their wings and threw a pillow across the room, hoping it’d hit the door and throw off whoever was there.

---

“I like your kisses too,” Ramyth assured her with a smile, giving her one more kiss before he let her go so that she could change. He wanted to keep holding onto her, but they needed to get to sleep, and she needed to change before they could get in bed, so he waited for her as she changed. Thankfully, she did so rather quickly, and he laughed as he caught her as she practically ran back into his arms, smiling as he enfolded her in his embrace and shaking his head a bit at her question. “From what I know, that’s pretty normal with the petals. They attract people like magnets,” he explained, then, because it’d probably be odd trying to shuffle into the bed like they were, he shifted, pulling back, then picked Bridris up, carrying her over to the bed and carefully laying her on the mattress before climbing onto the bed next to her.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin hummed happily as she squeezed him, snoring softly into her hair as they slept. As per usual he slept soundly through the night with his wings draped over her, happy and content in their little cocoon, and was plenty happy not feeling Aubrius get up per usual at sunrise to go train. He let out an unpleasant groan as he hard the knocks, though, nuzzling his face back into Aubrius' hair after she threw one of the pillows at the door, his arms tightening around her as he tucked his wings in closer in an attempt to shield them from whoever it was that was knocking. "Go away.." He mumbled, still half asleep and ready to go back to sleep.

---

Bridris smiled up at Ramyth innocently as he caught her, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his lips before giggling as he lifted her into his arms. "I like it, though. I'm already used to being with you all day, but I like getting to hold your hand or have you hold me or kiss me. I hope that the feeling never goes away, so that we'll always want to be close." She murmured as he set her down in bed, scooting over to let him in before moving back into his side once he was settled, helping to tuck the blankets around them, peering up at him with a little smile. "I'm tired, but I don't want to sleep." She whispered after a few moments of silence, feet lightly nudging against his.

@ katahdin

Aubrius groaned again as there was a third set of knocking at the door, especially as she heard Hanvosi’s voice calling their names through the door, claiming to have come to treat her. Even as some part of her brain registered that this meant she and Ailuin needed to get up, she curled into him and held onto a fistful of his shirt so he couldn’t go anywhere either, hoping in her half-asleep state that maybe if they laid there long enough, Hanvosi would just go away and they could go back to sleep.

---

Ramyth settled in the bed next to Bridris, laying at an angle so his wings would be comfortable and gladly wrapping his arms around her when she moved into his arms, tucking her in close and smiling as she said she she liked how the petals made her feel. “We can hold hands and kiss and be around each other without the petals though,” he pointed out, kissing the top of her head. “I’m not doing all of this because of the petals. I always want to hold you and kiss you and all that anyway. The petals just make it feel more... urgent, I guess,” he explained as he nuzzled his nose into her hair. She surprised him though when moments later she nudged his foot and claimed she didn’t want to sleep. “You’ll be tired tomorrow for the ceremony if you don’t though,” he told her softly, starting to rub her back. “You might not even wake up in time to get breakfast with Ailuin and Aub.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin groaned again as it registered in his brain that it was Hanvosi at the door, which meant that they really did need to get up so that he could treat Aubrius' wounds and clear her to attend the ceremony today. But that didn't make him want to get up, and as his mate curled into him and held onto his shirt to prevent him from leaving, he tightened his arms around her a bit as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm gonna open the door for him to come in, ok? But we don't have to get up up, and after he leaves maybe there will be time to go back to sleep." He mumbled into her hair, waiting a moment for her to confirm that she'd heard him before he used his magic to open the door, lifting his wing just enough to where he could see Hanvosi enter the room. "Good morning, Hanvosi.. What time is it?"

---

"I know that you're not doing it just because of the petals." Bridris murmured as she snuggled in close, gently tracing her fingers over the patterns of the fabric of his night shirt. "I always want to hold you and kiss you too. But the urgency, as you put it, is kind of nice, I think.. It's nice feeling connected to someone like that, knowing not just that we both want each other, but that we both need each other, too.." She murmured softly, humming softly as he nuzzled his nose into her hair, tucking her head in against his chest comfortably as her arms wrapped around him. "I know, I know I need to sleep, but I don't know if I can.." She sighed, closing her eyes as he began to rub her back. "I don't know whether I'm nervous, or scared, or excited, or all of the above.. I know that I'm tired and I want to sleep, but I just don't think that I could fall asleep right now." She murmured, fingers gently gripping his shirt to keep him close. "You can go to sleep, though, I'll stay quiet... What do you do with your wings when you sleep?" She asked curiously after a moment, opening her eyes to peer over his shoulder at his wings.

@ katahdin

Aubrius wanted to just go back to sleep and pretend she didn’t have to get up, but hiding against Ailuin only worked so well when he suggested letting the thing making them get up now in the room. But it also sounded like he wanted to stay in bed and hopefully go back to sleep too. “Fine,”’she mumbled, making zero attempts to separate herself from Ailuin and move into position to have her wings inspected as her mate opened the door and the elder green fae walked in.

“Good morning,” Hanvosi responded as he closed the door behind him and stepped around the pillow near the door to approach the mates. “It’s only a few hours before the ceremony. I expect this to take a good hour or so, and I didn’t want to deprive you of time to get ready for the ceremony. Aubrius, it’s good to see you resting this time of the morning. I need you laying on your stomach in front of me though.”

---

As she tried to explain why she liked the way the petals made them feel, Ramyth thought he understood. And maybe it explained, to a degree, why she wasn’t wanting to sleep. She liked the feeling that they needed each other, and she didn’t want it to go away. Since the effect of the petals would wear off by morning, she was probably trying to stretch out the time—though maybe unintentionally. He held her close, rubbing her back in slow, soothing motions that he hoped might help a little. “What they petals are making us feel, I’ve heard it’s similar to how the mating bond feels. This feeling will go away, the intensity of it at least, but it’s okay, Bridris, because even without the petals, I need you. That’s why I spend so much time at your side and holding your hand—and now that I can, kissing you.” He punctuated his statement with a kiss to the top of her head. “So if it’s mostly about them wearing off, don’t worry. I won’t stop needing you.” When she soon quietly told him he could go to sleep, he didn’t get a chance to give her an answer either way before she asked about his wings. He kissed the top of her head again, containing to rub her back with eyes closed as he contemplated the answer. “Let then spread out usually. I sleep on my stomach a lot. They just rest in whatever position is comfortable. It’s almost always uncomfortable to lay on my back though, so I’m always on my side or stomach.”