A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) - Nikolai is very attentive to his partner’s needs both during and after sex. He loves to tell you how good you were for him and how much he loves you. He’s happy to take care of the clean-up and he likes to cuddle, even if that means he has to sleep in the wet spot 😆 He’s not the type to kick you out of bed afterwards! -

B = Body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) - His favourite body part on a partner is their eyes. He loves how expressive your eyes are and the way that he can tell from just from one look when you’re turned on. His favourite body part of his own is his hands. He’s very good with his hands, both in and out of the bedroom -

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) - Nikolai loves to make a mess of you, whether that’s coming inside you or on your stomach/in your mouth. He’d never want to make you uncomfortable or cross your boundaries though, so he’d always ask permission ahead of time -

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) - He secretly has a bit of a possessive streak. He loves to mark you up in places it can be seen so that everyone knows you’re his (but only with your explicit consent, of course!) -

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) - Nikolai is fairly experienced, he’s had a handful of lovers of various genders so he definitely knows what he’s doing, but he’s been careful not to leave any bastards behind - he would never want his child to grow up knowing they were illegitimate the way that he did -

F = Favourite position (this goes without saying) - He prefers to be face to face with you, but other than that he’ll pretty much take you however you’ll allow - missionary, cowgirl, in the shower, against the wall, on his desk - as long as he can be close to you and is able to watch your face when you come, because that’s a real turn on for him -

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) - Nikolai takes his partner’s pleasure very seriously, but he’s not afraid to have fun with it. He’s an easy-going guy and has a great sense of humour so he’s always up for a laugh, even in the throes of passion -

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) - Nikolai keeps himself well groomed, he’s not averse to a bit of manscaping. He’s a natural blonde and the carpet matches the drapes (except of course when he’s disguised as Sturmhond and a redhead, he’s committed to the disguise but he’s not going as far as having his pubic hair tailored!) -

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) - Intimacy is important to Nikolai. He wants you to feel safe, loved, and cherished, so he’ll go all out on the romance you deserve, especially in the bedroom. Kissing, tender touches, and whispered declarations of love are always features of your love making with him, even when it’s fast and dirty -

J = Jack off (masturbation head canon) - He’s more than able to take care of himself, and absolutely will if he’s away from you or you’re not in the mood for whatever reason, but he wouldn’t choose to masturbate if he has the option of having sex with you instead -

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) - Nikolai definitely has a praise kink, words of affirmation are his love language, and he likes nothing more than to hear if he’s doing a good job of pleasing his partner -

L = Location (favourite places to do the do) - Although he’s generally not averse to a bit of grandstanding, he’s not much of an exhibitionist in the bedroom - and as a prince/king, the last thing he needs is a sex scandal - so public places are a no go for him. That being said, he often can’t keep his hands off you, so you’ve definitely had sex in various rooms around the palace - but usually only with the doors closed (and he doesn’t really think they count as “public” since it’s his home 😉) -

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) - You. Everything about you - the way you smile at him, the sound of your laugh, when you bite your lip, or touch him casually, or order him around. He loves everything about you, and he wants you all the time, so it really doesn’t take much to get him going -

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) - Nikolai’s not into inflicting pain on his partners and he would never want to hurt you, so no impact play (beyond some light spanking) or blood play etc. He also wouldn’t be comfortable with humiliation, either from a giving or receiving point of view -

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) - He loves both giving and receiving oral. Having you voluntarily get on your knees for him gives him such a rush, and he loves how much you seem to enjoy it almost as much as he does. He’s very skilled with his tongue and there’s nothing he enjoys more than being able to take you apart with just his mouth -

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) - Depends on his mood. Fast and rough is fine for a quickie, but he prefers to really take his time with you whenever possible. He likes to give you multiple orgasms with his mouth and hands before he finally fucks you -

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) - As king, Nikolai is naturally a very busy man, so sometimes a quickie is a necessity, and he finds a quick release can help lower his stress levels. However, he would much rather a long, drawn-out session where you can really enjoy each other -

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks?) - He’s definitely open to experimenting. He would do pretty much anything to make you happy, and he’ll try most things at least once, as long as it doesn’t include hurting you/putting you in danger -

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) - His stamina is usually pretty good, and as a young guy in his prime, he has a short refractory period, but he’s so into you that he sometimes has to keep a tight grip on his self-control to stop himself finishing too early -

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) - Nikolai doesn’t own a lot of toys, but he’s open to using them if his partner is into it -

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) - Nikolai loves to tease. He likes to make things last, and he loves the way you beg so prettily for him when he gets you really worked up, so he’ll tease for as long as you both can stand it. He also likes when you tease him, but he’s always much quicker to break down and beg -

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) - His time living in the army/on a ship in close quarters mean he’s learned how to keep the noise down, but he’s a talker so he’ll whisper a litany of filthy praise in your ear. He absolutely loves when you are loud though, it’s good for his ego and the sounds you make drive him crazy. A sure-fire way to make him forget to be quiet is to get on your knees for him and suck his cock -

W = Wild card (a random head canon for the character) - His position as king is demanding and making tough decisions every day is draining, so sometimes when he’s feeling particularly stressed, Nikolai likes to be submissive in bed. The act of submission - both in allowing you to take complete control, and knowing he can trust you to take care of him, is incredibly freeing and never fails to leave him feeling relaxed -

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) - Nikolai has a great body and he’s proud of it, he’s worked hard to look that good. His cock is a good 7-8 inches hard, and has a decent girth, but not so big that you’d struggle to take him -

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) - He has a high sex drive, especially when it comes to you. You only have to say the word and he’ll be on his knees for you, and the slightest hint of you wanting him is enough to get him hard -

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?) - Nikolai is very affectionate, particularly with close friends and lovers. He didn’t get a lot of affection growing up, so he craves it as an adult. He always keeps things appropriate in front of other people, just hand holding and causal touches, but when you’re alone he can’t keep his hands off you -

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?) - Nikolai is a great friend, he’s warm and kind, and unfailingly loyal. He’s a bit of a joker, so his best friend needs to have a good sense of humour. Nikolai is willing to go to the ends of the earth to help his friends and would lay down his life for them without a second thought -

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?) - Nikolai definitely likes to cuddle, especially in bed, and he’s happy to be the big or the little spoon depending on what his partner prefers -

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?) - Nikolai wants to settle down eventually, he’s a bit of a wanderer but he longs for a family of his own. He’s always been neat and tidy, although growing up in the palace with servants meant he didn’t do much cooking or cleaning as a child, but years in the army/at sea mean he’s picked up at least some of the basics. He can probably make a meal out of very little, but whether it would be edible is up for debate -

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?) - Nikolai hates goodbyes, he’d rather not break up with a partner and for that reason he’d probably put it off as long as possible. He struggles with feelings of not being “enough” and puts a lot of pressure on himself to be a perfect prince, so if he were to end things then I think it would likely come from a place of thinking his partner “deserves better”. Nikolai wouldn’t want to draw things out, but he is a talker, and he would want to say the “right” thing, so for a breakup he’d have a speech planned ahead of time.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?) - Nikolai goes all in when it comes to commitment, and he’s no stranger to a hasty proposal. Once he’s found his one, he would see no reason to wait on getting married -

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?) - Nikolai is more than capable of being gentle both physically and emotionally. He puts on a front to the world - the tough privateer and the charming prince - but underneath all that, he’s just a boy wanting to be loved. Once he lets down his walls, he’s all soft touches and sweet words -

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?) - Nikolai is a big hugger. He’s not afraid to pull a friend in for a hug, either in greeting or as a way to offer comfort. He gives good hugs, the kind that make you feel warm and fuzzy -

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?) - Nikolai wears his heart on his sleeve, as soon as he knows he’s in love with you he’d have no problem saying it out loud -

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?) - Nikolai is a bit of a flirt himself so he’d be a total hypocrite if he got upset over his partner doing the same. That being said, he does get jealous occasionally - particularly if someone touches his partner in a less than casual way. He also won’t stand for anyone making his partner uncomfortable, so anyone pushing their luck will earn themselves a sharp word from him -

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?) - Nikolai is a fantastic kisser. He likes to kiss you as often as possible, just a peck on the lips in public, and a lot more sensual in private. He likes when you press a kiss to his temple especially if it’s combined with your fingers running through his hair, usually when you’re cuddling together -

L = Little ones (How are they around children?) - Nikolai is great with kids. He’s patient and kind, and he has endless energy to chase them around. His fun sense of humour makes him a hit, especially with the little ones. He wants children of his own someday, and he’d be a loving and attentive father, giving his kids all the affection he himself never got as a child -

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?) - He’s a busy man and an early riser, but on the rare morning he can sleep in he loves to cuddle with you and feed you breakfast in bed. Sometimes he wakes even earlier, just so he can admire your sleeping form in the light of the sunrise before he has to start his day -

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?) - Nikolai has trouble sleeping, he has a lot on his mind. His favourite time to talk is late at night, when you’re cuddled up in bed together and the rest of the world is safely shut out -

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?) - In some ways he’s an open book, but he also tends to spend a lot of his time trying to be whoever other people want him to be. He would be slow to really open up to you, but once he felt safe enough to actually drop the act and just be himself, he’d share everything with you -

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?) - Nikolai is generally a patient guy, he’s a smart strategist and knows the value of waiting to get what he really wants. Sometimes he can be impulsive and act rashly, usually when it comes to people he loves being put in harm’s way -

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?) - Nikolai pays attention to the tiny details and remembers them all. This is partly because of his people pleasing tendencies- the easiest way to be who people want you to be is to study them, work out what they like and then be that person - but it’s also because when he loves someone, he wants to know all of them. He wants to know everything about you, every little mundane detail is fascinating to him -

R = Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?) - Nikolai’s favourite moment would be when you finally confessed your feeling for each other. It’s a moment he would hold onto in bad times, knowing that he loves you and you love him in return is such a big thing for him, he would never take that for granted -

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?) - Nikolai is very protective of the people he loves, and he would never want you in danger. He would lay down his life to protect you or any of his friends. Words of affirmation make him feel safe and loved -

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?) - Nikolai puts a lot of effort into dates, anniversaries etc. He’s a romantic at heart and very observant, so he’s a great gift giver too. Day to day, he’s very busy, but he’d still try his best to make you feel loved and appreciated -

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?) - A bad habit of Nikolai’s is getting lost in his projects, whether that’s saving Ravka or his newest invention. Even when his current fixation is completed, he’s straight on to the next one. His mind is always working a mile a minute, and he finds it hard to switch off or rest –

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?) - Nikolai looks good and he knows it too. He takes pride in his appearance and his clothes. It’s important to him that he look polished and put together, and it’s a kind of armour for him, an image he projects to the world -

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?) - Nikolai loves with his entire being, and once he’s found his true love, he wouldn’t feel whole without them. If you absolutely had to be parted for any length of time, he would give you a token to hold on to and if you gave him something in return, he would treasure it until he could be reunited with you -

X = Xtra (A random head canon for them.) - Nikolai is great at card tricks. He saw a magician as a child and was obsessed with figuring out the secrets behind his tricks. Once he learned them, he practiced for hours until he perfected the performance -

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?) - Nikolai has no time or patience for prejudice. He wants a united Ravka, where all its citizens can live happily and peacefully, and that includes Grisha. He values loyalty, and one thing he would not easily forgive from a partner is a betrayal -

The party to celebrate Nikolai’s saints day was going to be beyond anything Ravka had ever seen before. Lavish decorations were being put up, the palace kitchens were working on a complicated menu, and the best musicians had been hired to perform. Nikolai hadn’t wanted such a fuss, but the triumvirate had invited every eligible maiden in the country, and most of the neighbouring countries as well, insisting that it was the perfect occasion for the king to finally choose a bride. Which was exactly why you had decided not to attend.

Nikolai had been your best friend since childhood, and you had been in love with him for more than half that time. Over the years, as you had grown from a child into a young woman, you had hoped that maybe he might see you in a romantic light, but unfortunately that hadn’t happened. You didn’t hold it against him, in fact you treasured his friendship, and you wanted only the best for him. You just weren’t sure your heart could withstand watching him fall in love with someone else.

The day of the party, you kept to your room, feigning illness. Nothing too serious, just a headache that would prevent you from attending the party, so that Nikolai could meet the potential woman of his dreams without you having to witness it. Unfortunately, sitting alone in your room all day gave you endless time to think, and your mind was determined to linger on thoughts of Nikolai with some faceless princess. Before dinner, you decided to take a bath, hoping to distract yourself. When you returned to your bedchamber, you found Genya lounging on your bed, alongside a large box.

You stared at your friend, wrapping the towel tighter around yourself. “How did you get in here? And why are you here, shouldn’t you be at the party already?”

“Unimportant,” Genya said breezily, waving her hand as if brushing the question aside, “and yes, I should, but someone had to help you get ready.”

You opened your mouth to tell her she needn’t have bothered but she cut you off with a disapproving click of her tongue. “Don’t waste your time trying to convince me you’re ill, I know that’s a lie.”

“Fine,” you huffed, “but I’m still not going, even if I wanted to - which I don’t - I have nothing to wear.”

Genya gave you a sly smile, holding out the envelope she had hidden in her hand. It bore the royal seal, and was addressed to you, but it had already been opened.

“Have you been reading my private correspondence?” You questioned, irritation bleeding into your tone.

“Mmm,” she hummed, not sounding sorry in the slightest, “it seems the king has sent you a gift. How very thoughtful of him.”

You eyed her suspiciously as you pulled the note from the envelope. The message was short, just two lines, written in Nikolai’s familiar cursive.

~ I hope you’ll wear this tonight. Lantsov blue looks good on you. N ~

Your brow furrowed in confusion. That shade of blue was reserved exclusively for the royal family. The closest you ever came to wearing it was a baby blue silk ribbon that you used to tie your hair back every day. A ribbon you had stolen from Nikolai himself, many months ago. He had been using the blue silk to tie his invention blueprints, keeping the rolls of parchment together and relatively organised when he wasn’t using them. On that afternoon, you had been wearing your hair down, but it was hot in his workshop, so you had pulled your hair back into a braid, snatching up the ribbon to secure it. You had meant to give it back, eventually, but then you had forgotten, and soon it had become a part of your daily wardrobe. You hadn’t even realised he had noticed it.

Genya opened the box to reveal a beautiful gown of pale blue silk, overlayed with a layer of tulle, embroidered in a galaxy of sparkling silver stars. You moved closer, lifting it from the box to finger the delicate fabric.

“See, problem solved.” She announced smugly.

“I can’t wear the king’s colour,” you protested.

“Clearly, he wants you to,” she argued, “would you really deny him?”

You gave her a withering look, “You know full well that I would never deny him anything,” you grumbled, “but people will talk.

“So? Let them,” she shrugged.

You bit your lip, deliberating. On the one hand, the thought of Nikolai buying a dress specially for you to wear on his birthday made your stomach flip pleasantly, but on the other hand, you had already decided not to go to the party and a pretty dress wasn’t going to change your mind. But surely it couldn’t hurt to just try it on … right?

“Well, you have to try it on, at the very least,” Genya insisted, as if she had read your mind, “a dress this beautiful deserves to be worn.”

“Alright,” you conceded, “but just for a moment.”

Genya smiled widely, clapping her hands together with glee.

The second you stepped into the dress, soft silk slipping over your skin, you knew you had made a mistake. Genya laced the corset up with practiced ease and when she was done, she stepped back to admire you. She gasped as she took in the full effect of you in the dress, and as you turned to look at yourself in the mirror you could see why. It fit you like a glove. The colour complemented your skin perfectly and the fabric clung to you in all the right places, accentuating your waist and the curve of your hips. The sweetheart neckline was so low as to almost be scandalous, putting your breasts on full display. You wondered what Nikolai had been thinking when he picked it out. If he had picked it out. Either way, now that you had seen it on, you knew you had no choice but to go to the party. A dress like this demanded to be seen. Genya fixed your hair, sweeping it into an elegant updo and leaving a few curls to fall loose around your face. You kept your jewelry light, diamond earrings and bracelet to match the stars on your dress, but none of the necklaces you tried were quite right. You didn’t want anything that would draw focus from the gown. Genya suggested your hair ribbon, and when you fastened the light blue silk around your throat as a choker, she helped you to tie it into a simple bow at the back.

“Perfect,” she declared, lips curving into a smile, and as you looked yourself over in the mirror you thought she might just be right. The two of you walked together to the ballroom, but when you got there, she dropped you off in the queue of nobles waiting to be announced, insisting you should make a grand entrance. She slipped away before you could argue, muttering something about how she couldn’t leave David unattended any longer, lest he use the opportunity to retreat to his workshop.

You waited at the top of the staircase, just out of sight, as your name was announced. Your heart pounded as you made your way down the stairs. It felt as though everyone’s eyes were on you, but then you saw Nikolai, standing at the foot of the stairs as if waiting for you, and suddenly everyone else melted away. It was just you, and him, and his eyes on yours like you were the only thing that mattered to him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Nikolai was having a dismal evening. So far, he had suffered through what felt like a lifetime of conversations, the longest of which was with the Kerch ambassador, a pompous peacock of a man with an impressively large moustache and unfortunately low IQ, followed by a highly uncomfortable discussion about politics with both the Shu and Fjerdan delegates. To top it off, every time he managed to escape, Zoya would appear with a new princess for him to meet, each one less suited than the last, and he would be forced to spend several painful minutes listening to them talk about their own virtues, of which there were many, apparently.

It seemed like everywhere he turned was some ambassador offering him thinly veiled threats disguised as polite conversation, or one of his ministers trying to push their own agenda whilst they had him alone, or worst of all, another pretty, but vapid, young lady, waiting to be thrust upon him as a potential bride. In truth, he wasn’t interested in any of it, because all he found himself thinking about was you.

As the minutes passed, he started to worry that you wouldn’t come, that you would leave him to deal with the vultures all on his own. And more than that, he worried that he had overstepped with his gift. He had been full of confidence when he helped to design it, chosen every detail to compliment you perfectly, but now he was second guessing himself. Would you like the gown? Would you understand his meaning, about you looking good in blue? Would you return his feelings? He wasn’t sure.

He was contemplating this - whilst only half listening to one of his ministers drone on about the dangers of allowing farmers to have control over their own crops, when Genya suddenly appeared at his side. She politely excused them both from the conversation, pointedly ignoring the minister’s indignation at being interrupted, and looped her arm through Nikolai’s, pulling him away. She led him quickly across the room to stand near the bottom of the stairs.

“Stay right here.” She instructed him sternly, and Nikolai could only blink at her, perplexed, before she was gone, melting back into the crowd without even giving him a chance to respond.

He felt a prickle of annoyance at being ordered around, honestly, wasn’t he the king? He considered walking away just purely on principle, no matter how childish that might be, but then he heard your name being announced, and he wondered if Genya had known. He looked up, his heart hammering in his chest, and when you walked out onto the staircase, he thought it might have stopped beating altogether. You were wearing the gown he had picked out, your hair curled and styled perfectly, and around your throat, that scrap of pale blue silk that haunted his dreams. Usually, you wore it in your hair, and it was eminently practical, but it had the unfortunate effect of making him want to untie it. Seeing it around your throat made that idea all the more appealing. You were stunning. He realised his imagination had not done you justice, could not even come close. The sight of you quite literally took his breath away.

He reached out almost automatically as you got near enough, offering you his hand, and you took it, letting him guide you down the last few steps.

-------------------------------------------------------

“Hi,” you breathed once you were standing face to face, butterflies fluttering in your stomach, but Nikolai just stared at you, slack-jawed, for what felt like an eternity. You began to fidget, feeling self-conscious.

“Do I look ok?” You asked, smoothing down your dress nervously.

He shook his head. “‘Ok’ would be a gross understatement,” he said, “You are a vision.”

Your face lit up in a smile, pleased at the compliment, and you could feel the warmth of a blush spreading across your cheeks. Nikolai dropped your hand, and you almost mourned the loss, but then he pressed his hand to the small of your back instead, and all you could focus on was that intimate point of contact as he led you away from the stairs and further into the room.

“I was beginning to think you had abandoned me,” Nikolai said, his mouth tipping up into a small smile.

“I wasn’t sure I’d come,” you found yourself admitting quietly, “but then someone sent me this beautiful gown, and I changed my mind.”

“You like it?”

“I do,” you assured him, “Thank you. It’s a very generous gift, although it’s your birthday, shouldn’t I be the one giving you a gift?”

“You deserve it,” he said, voice low in your ear, “and seeing you in this dress is a gift for me.”

You were sure you were blushing again. Was he flirting with you? Surely not, that had to be wishful thinking on your part.

“Do you want to dance?” You asked, changing the subject lest you embarrass yourself.

“Yes,” he murmured as he took your hand again, leading you out onto the floor.

He held you close as you moved together through the steps of the dance, effortlessly in sync. You focused completely on him, enjoying the intimate feeling of being pressed against him, his eyes on yours and his hands warm on your body. Being so close to him was the sweetest kind of torture, and you quickly began to feel overheated, as your mind inevitably drifted to all the other ways you could enjoy being close to him, of his hands in much more intimate places. You looked around, trying to clear your head, and you realised that it hadn’t been just your imagination, people were staring, but you found that you didn’t care at all. As your eyes met his again, you were surprised to see that same feeling of desire reflected back at you. Maybe it wasn’t just wishful thinking after all.

When the dance ended, he asked if you wanted to get some air, and you agreed, following him across the room and out into the hallway.

--------------------------------------------------------

Nikolai pulled you into an alcove, just off the main hallway. It was quieter here, with less chance of being seen or overheard.

“Genya and Zoya won’t be happy when they realize you’ve ditched your own party,” you told him, “They’re determined to find you a wife tonight.”

“I don’t care,” he said honestly, “and I’m not interested in any of those girls.”

“You must marry, Kolya. You can’t put it off forever,” you insisted, even though it pained you to say it. “You’ll have to choose someone eventually.”

“You’re the only one I would choose.” He confessed. The words were out before he thought better of them, and there was no way to pull them back.

You studied him carefully, your heart racing. “As your friend?” You asked, offering him a chance to right the ship, to take you back to familiar waters.

He could have lied, could have given you a hundred different easy replies. Instead, he said, “As my queen.”

“Because I’m dependable,” you said cautiously, tentatively, “or because I know all of your secrets?”

"I do trust you more than myself sometimes- and I think very highly of myself." He said, and you huffed a laugh, convinced that any moment now he would take it all back.

“But I would make you my queen because I want you. I want you all the time."

You wanted to tell him that you wanted him too, that he was the only man you had ever wanted, or ever would want, but it wasn’t that simple. He was your best friend, and he was also your king, and you had to be practical. “As your friend, I should tell you that would be a terrible decision. You should make a political choice, take some foreign princess as your bride. Someone who was born to be a queen.”

He met your eyes, voice steady and earnest when he said, "As your king, I should tell you that no one could dissuade me. No prince and no power could make me stop wanting you."

Nikolai felt drunk. You were going to laugh at him. You would knock him senseless and tell him he had no right. But he couldn't seem to stop.

"I would give you a crown if I could," he said. "I would show you the world from the prow of a ship. I would choose you, as my friend, as my queen, as my bride. I would give you a sapphire the size of an acorn." He reached out, fingers brushing over the blue silk ribbon tied around your throat. "And all I would ask in return is that you wear this damnable ribbon on our wedding day."

You should say no, you should tell him he was making a mistake, but you couldn’t. You wanted him too, and not just tonight, but forever. You wanted a future with him, and if you closed your eyes, you could see it, as clear as day. Standing at an altar set before the Saints as a priest named you man and wife. Mornings spent together, eating breakfast and sipping coffee while you discussed the day ahead, and nights spent tangled together in his sheets, sweaty and sated. Soft touches and words of affirmation whispered in the early morning light. Two - or maybe three - golden-haired children, with your eyes and his smile, running about the palace, happy and loved, and constantly getting into mischief. A million inside jokes, and shared looks, and fights about nothing, easily forgiven. A lifetime of moments, big and small, side by side with him. You wanted it all.

“Yes,” you said simply, meeting his gaze.

“Yes?” He repeated, as if he didn’t dare to believe it.

He cupped his hand to your cheek, his palm warm against your jaw. His thumb brushed lightly across your cheekbone, and when your tongue darted out to wet your bottom lip, his eyes followed the movement. You wanted him to kiss you, so badly that you ached with the need of it. You tilted your head up slightly, lips parted in invitation.

He dipped his head, then paused, lips hovering just inches from yours as he searched your eyes, waiting for permission. The heat of his gaze was like flames across your skin. You leaned into him, pressing a hand to his chest and you could feel his heart racing beneath your palm. “Yes,” you said again, barely above a whisper, and he bent his head forward, finally, touching his lips to yours. His kiss was soft and sweet, just the barest brush of his lips over yours, but it wasn’t enough. You wanted more. You made a needy sound, chasing his lips when he moved away, and his mouth curved into a smile.

He pressed you back against the wall, his hands settling on your hips and then his mouth was on yours once more, and this time there was nothing tentative about it. His tongue met yours hungrily, desperately, swallowing your sounds of pleasure. You grabbed a handful of his shirt, crushing the fabric beneath your fingers as you hauled him closer, but it still wasn’t close enough. You reached down with your free hand, tugging your skirts up so that you could curve your leg up around him and he groaned low in his throat, his hand immediately dropping from your waist to the bare skin of your thigh.

He pushed his hips forward, and you could feel the proof of his arousal, pressing against you intimately. You gasped, tipping your head back against the wall. He ducked his head, his tongue darting out to taste the smooth skin of your exposed throat, and he nipped lightly at your pulse point before trailing kisses down to the dip of your shoulder and along your collarbone.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, teeth just barely grazing your skin, and your eyebrows knitted in confusion, wasn’t he doing that already?  

“I want to taste you,” he said, his fingers skating up and over your inner thigh to press at you lightly over the lace of your underwear. Oh. The thought of having his mouth on you, there, sent a wave of heat straight to your core.

“Yes,” you murmured after just a brief hesitation, and his smile turned wicked as he sank to his knees in front of you.

You hiked your dress higher, bunching the fabric above your hips so that you could watch him as he dragged your underwear slowly down your thighs and helped you step out of them. He stuffed the scrap of lace into his pocket, before he ran his hand up your calf, bending your knee and then lifting your leg to rest it over his shoulder. He kissed a path from your knee up your inner thigh towards your centre and then he stopped, warm breath ghosting over you and eyes fixed on your core, until you began to squirm. He stilled you with a firm hand on your hip.

“Nikolai,” you started, but you were robbed of the power of speech when he leaned in, his face disappearing between your thighs.

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He licked a broad stripe across you with the flat of his tongue and you gasped, your hand shooting down to fist in his hair. He licked into you slowly, nose bumping your clit, until you were writhing and panting above him. His fingers worked you over, drawing lazy circles over your clit as he explored every inch of you with his lips and tongue. He dipped two fingers inside you, moving them in and out, crooking them slightly to search for that spot that would have you seeing stars and he knew he had found it when you moaned, clenching around him.

Nikolai had always enjoyed this, drawing pleasure from his partner with his mouth and hands, and he prided himself on being good at it, but he had never found it such a turn on before. His pants were uncomfortably tight, and he thought he could probably come untouched, just from the taste of you and the sounds you made. He turned his head for a moment to draw a ragged breath, and he smiled against your inner thigh when you whined impatiently, using your grip on his hair to drag him back where you wanted him.

He went easily, happy to oblige you, and this time he closed his lips around your clit, sucking it against his tongue. You cried out, your hand tightening in his hair hard enough to make his scalp prickle. He kept the pressure of his mouth gentle but non-stop, as your thighs began to shake, your hips jerking against his face. He couldn’t hold back his moan as he felt your body shuddering, his mouth flooded with wetness when you found your release. He worked you through it, lapping at you gently until finally, you pushed him away with a shaky hand.

He shifted from his knees back to his feet, and you reached for him as he stood, wanting to keep him close. His hair was sticking up at all angles, mussed by your hands, his cheeks flushed, and his lips tilted in a lopsided smirk. He looked utterly debauched in the best possible way. You swiped your thumb across his bottom lip before you leaned in to kiss him, tasting yourself on his tongue, and you were surprised to find that it wasn’t unpleasant.

You reached a hand down between your bodies, to cup him over his pants and he groaned, pushing himself into your palm. A door opened somewhere, the sounds of the party drifting out into the hallway, and you froze, the illusion of privacy shattered.

The noise from further down the hallway brought Nikolai back to his senses so suddenly, he felt like he’d been doused in ice water. Had he completely lost his mind? Your first time together shouldn’t be like this, frantic and dirty, pushed up against a wall in a public place, where anyone could discover the two of you at any moment.

“I’m sorry,” he said breathlessly, “I got carried away, I shouldn’t have … this wasn’t…”

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, trying to find the right words. You deserved better from him. You deserved a white veil, and matching rings, and a promise made at an alter set before the Saints. He wanted to give you all of that, and he would, but not tonight. Tonight, he could at least give you a soft bed, and gentle hands, declarations of love whispered in the dark. Romance, because you deserved that if nothing else.

He pulled back, letting you drop your skirts down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. You felt your face fall before you could stop it.

“Oh,” was all the response you could muster, the sting of disappointment sharp, and so bitter you could almost taste it. You closed your eyes, willing away the tears that threatened to form. Was he saying this was a mistake? Had he changed his mind? Had you done something wrong?

“I only meant, we should go somewhere more private,” he said, watching you carefully.

“Oh,” you said again, relief flooding through you.

“Unless… if you’d rather return to the party, that’s fine too.” He clarified.

“I don’t,” you said quickly, and you almost blushed at how eager you sounded.

“No?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at you.

You gave him a smile that you hoped was sultry. “No. Take me to bed,” you purred, and you knew you’d hit the mark when his eyes darkened in response.

He took your hand, guiding you through the palace hallways until you reached his rooms. He opened the door for you, ever the gentleman, allowing you to enter first, and then he followed you inside, locking the door swiftly behind him. There would be no more interruptions tonight, not if he could help it.

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You came to a stop by the foot of the bed, waiting for him to join you. He crossed the room in just a few quick strides, pulling you into his arms, and then his mouth was on yours again, hot and demanding. You let your hands roam, over his shoulders and into his hair, before the desperate need to feel his bare skin against yours took over, and you set to work on removing his clothes.

Your nimble fingers made light work of the knot in his cravat, pulling it loose and free of his collar in just a few short movements, and you quickly moved on to his shirt, opening the first few buttons. He pulled back for just enough time to yank the shirt off over his head, and then he was back to kissing you like his life depended on it. When you moved to unbutton his pants, your knuckles inadvertently brushing up against his hardness, he groaned low in his throat and pulled away again, this time to spin you around so that he could unlace your corset and free you from your dress.

He placed kisses across your shoulder, and down the length of your spine as it was revealed to him and once you were completely nude before him, he wrapped an arm around your waist to tug you back against him, his clothed arousal against your bare ass. You brought your hands up to your throat to untie your ribbon, but he stopped you. “Allow me, he murmured, voice low and rough in your ear. He hooked a finger into the bow at the back of your neck, tugging gently until it unravelled, soft silk sliding over your skin, and then he curled it up to put into his pocket, joining your underwear from earlier.

He cupped your breast, thumb circling your nipple until it hardened into a peak, while his other hand travelled down the side of your ribs and across your lower abdomen to your core. You moaned as his fingers found their mark, dipping inside you to gather the wetness there before rubbing gentle circles over your clit. Only once you were panting, your head falling back against his shoulder, and your hips moving in small circles along with his hand, did he nudge you in the direction of the bed. You took the hint, though you were loath to give up the delicious friction of his talented fingers. You moved to sit on the edge of the bed first, watching with bated breath while he took off the last of his own clothes.

Once he was undressed, you scooted backwards onto the bed, so that you were positioned comfortably on the pillows, and he climbed over you, covering the length of your body with his. You gasped as you felt his erection pressing against you, almost, but not quite, in the right place. He pinned one of your hands to the bed beside your head, fingers twining with yours as he dipped his head to kiss you, licking into your mouth until you were both breathless. You bent your leg up around his hip, opening yourself up for him instinctively and he kept his eyes on yours as he flexed his hips, entering you at an agonizingly slow pace. You were warm, and wet, and perfect, and you dug your heel into the back of his thigh, urging him deeper. He groaned, his eyes slipping closed and his hand squeezing yours tightly.

Once he was fully seated inside you, he had to stop. He let his head drop to your shoulder and he held completely still, desperately fighting to get a grip on his self-control. Late at night when he lay alone in the dark, his wildest fantasies playing out behind his eyelids, it was your face he saw and your name on his lips when he came. He had dreamed of having you so many times, in a thousand different ways, but nothing could compare to the reality. It was as if he was suddenly a boy of sixteen again, green and eager, ready to spill himself at the slightest hint of friction. You shifted beneath him, wriggling impatiently and only once he was sure he would not embarrass himself, did he raise his head to look at you.

“Sorry,” he said, the corner of his mouth tipping up into an amused little smirk, “did you need something?”

You just barely resisted the urge to smack him, and instead clenched your inner muscles around him, watching with a smug sense of satisfaction as his eyelids fluttered, the smirk dropping from his face.

“Fuck,” he cursed, his eyes dark with arousal as they met yours, but he still didn’t move.

“Please,” you begged, and you would have been embarrassed by how needy you sounded if not for the way that his hips bucked in response.

He dipped his head, slanting his mouth over yours as he withdrew slowly, almost completely, only to fill you again with a sharp thrust of his hips. His hand was warm in yours, palms pressed together, and fingers intertwined, the connection anchoring you as he started to move in earnest, settling into a perfect, maddening rhythm that was somehow altogether too much, and yet not enough at the same time.

The muscles in his biceps were straining with the effort of holding himself up and you wrapped your arm around his shoulders, pulling him down on to you until his chest was flush with yours. He nuzzled at your throat, as he maintained his languid pace, drawing out your mutual pleasure for as long as he possibly could, and you were torn between the desperate need to climax, and the desire to stay entwined with him like this forever.

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When he felt the beginnings of his own climax, Nikolai reluctantly released your hand so that he could slip his between your bodies to thumb at your clit. Within moments, he felt you tightening around him, your orgasm beginning to ripple through you, and he kept the movement of his hips slow and steady, drawing it out until you were writhing beneath him. He removed his hand as the last tremors ran through your body, and he lifted his head, mouth finding yours, as he finally allowed himself release. He sheathed himself fully inside you, as he shuddered and came.

He collapsed onto you, pressing you into the mattress, and you stroked your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, holding him close, as you both struggled to catch your breath. Your bodies were tangled together, completely enveloped by each other, and neither of you wanted to move.

“I love you,” he murmured after a moment, turning his head so that he could press a kiss to your temple.

“I love you too,” you assured him, holding him tighter.

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In the morning, you had woken early and taken the opportunity to study Nikolai in the light of the sunrise, his face relaxed and boyish in sleep, and when he woke, he had nudged you onto your back and made love to you again. That had been followed by a bath, in which you both ended up dirtier than you had been upon getting in, and a second one - strictly for getting clean, and one horrifyingly awkward conversation with your maid, during which the girl giggled and blushed furiously, as you begged her to bring you something to wear. All of this meant that it was late, long past noon, when the pair of you finally emerged from his room.

You walked hand in hand to the council room, where the triumvirate were already assembled. Genya and Zoya were standing over the table, heads bent as they looked over a map, talking quietly together. David sat across from them, scribbling away, fingers stained with ink. Genya lifted her head as you entered, smiling knowingly at you.

Nikolai cleared his throat. “I… well, we, have something important to tell you all,” he announced. “We’re getting married.” Subtle as ever.

“Thank the Saints,” Zoya muttered, without even looking up, “I thought I’d be old and grey before you two ever got your act together.”

“I told you it would work!” Genya said gleefully.

You and Nikolai shared a confused look. “What worked?” You asked.

“The party,” Zoya explained, speaking very slowly, as if she were talking to a pair of particularly dim children, “the one we planned, to push you both into admitting you’re in love with each other, obviously.”

You both just stared at her.

“Someone had to do it,” she continued with a shrug, “Saints knows neither of you were going to do it on your own.”

“I would have done it without your intervention,” Nikolai said defensively, “eventually.”

“Yes, of course you would,” Genya said mildly, her tone just on the edge of patronising.

Nikolai pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut in frustration. “So, just to be clear - you conceived an elaborate plot, which involved throwing an expensive party with hundreds of guests, and making me suffer through hours of mind-numbing conversation with prospective “brides”, all so that you could manipulate us into confessing our feelings for each other?”

“I wouldn’t say manipulate,” Genya objected, “more like give you a loving shove in the right direction.”

“A brilliant plan, really,” David piped up, “and, clearly, effective.”

Genya smiled fondly at him. “Thank you, dear.”

And suddenly it all made sense, the way Genya had come to insist you go to the party, the way she had pushed you to wear the dress even though it was Lantsov blue, the fact that she had made you wait to be announced, and that Nikolai had mysteriously been waiting for you the moment you entered the room. The mysterious coincidence that all the young ladies Zoya had introduced to him were almost comically unsuitable. They had engineered it all.