[ she stays close enough to his face even after he breaks the kiss that when she laughs, her breath is on his face. ]
That'd be poor foundation for a marriage, wouldn't it?
[ but then, maybe that's the kind of marriage he's used to. political alliances surely don't make for warm beds. maybe it's the kind they'd made, too, back in ravka. it's not uncommon in poverty, either. women bought like cattle made to tolerate men who work them like donkeys. ]
[ How would Nikolai know a poor foundation for marriage from a good foundation? He has so little to base it upon. Only his own instincts, and his need to do better than what he was raised alongside. ]
That's fortunate for me, because I'd like to do that more often.
[ As often as she'd permit.
This is not his room. His welcome here feels tenuous, conditional.
He tightens his hold on her, drawing her into him. Closes his eyes for a moment as they settle together. ]
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no subject
That'd be poor foundation for a marriage, wouldn't it?
[ but then, maybe that's the kind of marriage he's used to. political alliances surely don't make for warm beds. maybe it's the kind they'd made, too, back in ravka. it's not uncommon in poverty, either. women bought like cattle made to tolerate men who work them like donkeys. ]
I rather like waking up to you. Just you.
no subject
That's fortunate for me, because I'd like to do that more often.
[ As often as she'd permit.
This is not his room. His welcome here feels tenuous, conditional.
He tightens his hold on her, drawing her into him. Closes his eyes for a moment as they settle together. ]