#wcrththewait

    This was the third time this month.  Titus sat back in his chair, his thumb and forefinger pinching the brim of his nose in a futile attempt to force back his growing migraine.  “We have one rule, Nyx,” the man said. “One rule that we have to follow in order to remain in Insomnia.”

It is late, it is dark, it is in the dim moonlight filtering through the vinyl walls of their tent that Luna rolls onto her side to look at him, sleep still hanging at the edges of her eyes. 

The sandman comes infrequently as of late; one must catch him when they can. 

“When you opened the door to the car and slipped behind the wheel,” she said around a yawn, bringing herself closer to him, arm crossing his scarred chest. His sweatshirt is long and warm on her, but he is warmer. 

He was quiet as the rough, wet cloth ran over his face and neck; he’d rather not get anymore blood in his mouth. The amount of exhaustion that ran through his body didn’t even have much more strength to spit it out if it had, Nyx even allowing his head to dip completely chin to chest as he let out a deep sigh.

The hunt should’ve went without a hitch –they shouldn’t have had to bring Cyro back in pieces along with their target for the meal. Nyx just blamed himself for not being faster than the behemoth.

All that sounded was the dripping of water and blood, along with the man’s sighs and idle clearing of his throat sto he could suppress the tears that threatened to show.

“Acting tough isn’t being tough, Nyx. Talk about it, or cry about it, you know it’s alright. Not like you haven’t seen me at my worst,” Crowe said, voice quiet as she took care of him, gently running the cloth over him.

Not quite tenderly, but respectfully, caring for him, washing him down and washing him off, making sure he was clean so she could handle his injuries afterwards.

She wasn’t really expecting to get married. Yes, she came from a decent place in society, her family had a good reputation and some money, but she was not what most women deemed as ‘wife material’. She was absentminded and easily distracted, her curiosity often side tracking her from more acceptable pursuits like cooking and things. Still, she found herself in a position she’d never expected -sent away to be married to a man she’d never met. 

She came from a town in a different nation, used to ice and snow. Her clothes were far too warm for the area she was going through now. Her cheeks were flush with it as she sat on the back of the cart, looking out at the road behind her as it trundled along. It finally slowed to a stop, and she glanced back to see a man standing there. He was dark haired and handsome  and every time he snapped, fire leaped to her fingers. No one had told her he would be able to do that. It was somewhat intimidating. 

Oh….no.

This cant be happening –no one was supposed to say a damn word!

“Now where would you hear a rumor like that?” he tried to ask in a casual manner, doing everything within his training not to freak out.

“From my daughter in law. She baked me a cake, and came to me about it. She wasn’t going to name you,” Regis said, brow arched.

“It was not like it’d stay hidden for long, from me, once the child was born, Ulric. There’s a trait they will be missing, though I plan to work on that, to help. And I remember, being an expecting father. I always knew my child would be the heir to a kingdom, but you are new to it. You will be raising him with your love and another man and it...” he sighed, rubbing his temple and glancing aside. Too many regrets on his shoulders, too much weight.

He hummed softly through gently smiling lips. His hands worked almost mindlessly, massaging Nyx’s scalp as he went. He’d known as well as any traditional Galahdan how annoying the braids could get as they loosened, becoming uneven in their pull. 

The experience was always intimate, a sort of symbol of trust even among family and friends both in making sure the hair was braided well and the comfort that was brought with it-- like this. Nyx’s hair fully undone, he moved to massage his neck, then moving to work the tension out of his shoulders. This was a time to relax, a time to simply be at ease with those closest to you. 

One Hundred Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ Meme -- Not Accepting@wcrththewait

“ ..was it all just an elaborate trap?” is the first thought as he stared at the status switch from ‘delivered’ to 'read’ and the moving ellipses before Titus’ message popped up. Not an answer he’d hoped for and the way it read off is easily translatable to “not pleased”, considering whom he’s texting.

Fingers tap against the edges of his device as he contemplates the similar thought of unmatching.

“…seal’s broken, I’m already caught.”

[Nyx: The gate hasn’t run away, Sir. Promise.]

[Nyx: Nice pictures, by the way. I didn’t know you owned a shirt like that.]

He’s going to get strangled one day.

    Nyx has always had a smart mouth, and this wasn’t the first time Titus thought about shutting it up, but the second message had him pausing.  That definitely sounded like flirting.

    [Titus: Good, then I’m sure you won’t mind watching it for another two weeks.]

    He paused, and then began typing again.