savory scribbles

the thrill of kissing him never got old. 

after fighting wanderers, facing death, and crossing deepspace to find each other, nothing compared to the feeling of being in his arms. 

so many years had passed. so many memories had been made. but each new one you created with him still became your favorite. 

a soft laugh slipped through your smiling lips when you parted. your palms smoothed against his chest as you gazed at him affectionately. 

the years had been kind to him, of course. but you loved the way faint lines now traced the corners of his eyes and his mouth. 

signs of someone who smiled often.  

“what is it, sweetie?” he raised a quizzical brow, hands tightening around your waist.

“I…” you glanced over his broad shoulder, double checking to make sure no one was watching.

“don’t tell me you’re getting shy on me after all these years, kitten,” he leaned in to place a soft kiss on your neck. 

“my back hurts…” you finally confessed before looking away, a bit ashamed. 

and it was probably because he had sat you up on the balcony while kissing you. and probably because the balcony was made of stone. and probably because you weren’t as young as you used to be, so it was a little uncomfortable. 

but you didn’t want to admit that. 

tenderly, he grabbed your chin and turned your face back to his. he tucked a piece of hair behind your ear as a warm smile bloomed on his face. 

“kitten…” he started, words trailing off as he contemplated whether or not he should continue.

“I’m freezing,” he finally admitted with a laugh, “… and my shoulder is acting up.”

“the one you injured that time on the motorcycle?” 

he nodded, helping you down as you both chuckled at the memory. 

“we really did it anywhere back then,” you shook your head, hand smoothing over the aforementioned shoulder, “what were we thinking?”

“that we wanted someone to see us fucking on a motorcycle.”

you both burst into laughter.

“right, and you weren’t secretly hoping for some voyeur to catch us on the balcony this time either, sy?” you waved a finger in his face. 

he gave you that signature, all-knowing smirk. 

“this time… that time on the windowsill, those multiple times at auctions-“ 

you smacked his chest to cut him off. 

“alright! alright… gosh, we were really chasing thrills back then, weren’t we?” 

he wrapped his arms around your waist.

“I still am.” 

your heart warmed. how did he still manage to make you melt after all this time together? 

“yeah, but… sometimes I feel like we’re not as adventurous as we used to be.”

his brows furrowed. 

“beloved, when I say I’m still chasing thrills, I mean like this…”

strong arms pulled you into his embrace. the sound of two heartbeats filled your ears as you were pressed close together. 

“… holding you, just like this, will forever be the greatest thrill I’ve ever experienced.”  

you pulled back to meet his gaze. 

“greater than doing it on the balcony?” 

he let out a laugh that rumbled through his chest. 

“our warm, comfortable bed sounds even more thrilling than that, if I’m being honest.”

“the bed? after all these years? doesn’t that seem boring-“

he took your hand and started leading you back into the house. 

“a nice hot shower after, a cup of tea, and our favorite show has a new episode to watch…” 

he stopped in front of your bedroom door, turning to wink at you. 

“… and we can be asleep by 9.” 

your eyes widened at him. 

“mr. qin, you’ve never been sexier than right now.” 

he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, tapping his temple as he smiled down at you. 

then you were being swept off your feet- literally. 

turning the handle of the door, he kicked it open, carrying you with one arm like he’d always done. 

“don’t get used to it, mrs. qin,” he plopped you onto the bed.

“I’ll never be done chasing thrills as long as I’m with you.”

dividers by @uzmacchiato