#winter cleaning

…he wasn’t used to nesting alone, not anymore. He didn’t like it. His tongue flicked out with a dissatisfied hiss, and he could smell his mate close by. Her scent was still strong on the pillows, letting him know it hadn’t been all that long since she’d been nestled beside him. He forced an eye open and noticed the cottage beyond the crack in the curtain wasn’t toobright yet, so it couldn’t have been toolate in the day. It was just enough to make him hope that Marinette had only temporarilyleft their nest and would soon be returning to him.

They had been up rather late the night before, after all. He’d thought he’d quite thoroughly exhausted her. She’d certainly exhausted him.

…he was eager to let her exhaust him again.

But a good five minutes had passed, and there was still no Marinette to hold. Ten, and still she had not returned. He couldn’t even hear her moving about in the main room. When he had laid there, Marinette-less, for nearly twenty minutes, he started to get grumpy.

He opened his eyes and pouted – no, he was a fully-grown naga, he did not pout. He glaredat the crack in the curtain. It did not move, except for when his tail twitched in irritation and hit the bottom. He didn’t want to get up, not yet. He wanted to stay in their nice, warm nest. He wanted his mate. Where was she?

“Marinette?” he called, his voice rough from sleep. There was no answer. He stilled and listened more intently, and a sudden crash and yelp had him darting from the nest. He burst through the curtain and looked around, worried for his (sometimes rather clumsy) mate, but the room was empty. “Marinette!”

“I’m ok!” came her muffled voice from the door that led to her little bathroom. His brow furrowed as he slithered closer. Had she been in there this entire time? “Sorry – did I wake you? You can go back to sleep, Luka!”

“No, I can’t,” he said, stopping outside the door. He laid a hand against the wood. “There’s no Marinette in our nesssst. How can I sssleep without my Moussssinette?”

He grinned when he heard a tiny, muffled squeak.

“You…you managed just fine all winter,” she huffed after a moment, and his chuckle was dark.

“That was winter,” he said, his voice low and teasing in a way he knew made her toes curl. “It is now sssspring.” He scratched at the door with a claw and pressed his forehead to the wood. “My needs have changed, Moussssinette.”

The answering thump was closer.

“…are you all right?” he asked, genuinely concerned. He couldn’t hear any water running, so he doubted she was in the shower. What exactly was she doing in there? Relieving oneself didn’t usually result in so much…thumping. Not in his experience, at least.

“Besides my mate trying to fluster me to death?” she snipped back, making him chuckle, even if it didn’t exactly answer any of his questions. “Grand.”

“Marinette…” he sighed, tapping on the door. “Are you coming back to bed ssssoon?”

“I’m busy, Luka,” she said. He frowned.

“…you’re in the bathroom,” he said. The door opened a crack – barely a sliver – and she peeked out at him. His eyebrows rose, an amused smile quirking his lips, when he saw how…disheveled she looked. There was even a smear of purplish powder on her cheek, and her hair was sticking up at odd angles. “Love. What are you up to in there?”

“It’s a surprise,” she said. She shooed him off. “Go back to sleep. Or, if you really are getting up for the day…” she gave him a Look as she trailed off, because even though his brumation was over he still wasn’t what one would consider a Morning Personand Marinette knew it, “…then go…be productive.”

One eyebrow rose higher than the other.

“Productive?” he laughed. She rolled her eyes and shooed him again.

“Just find something to do, will you?” she whined. He chuckled, low and full of dark promise, and reached out for her. She squeaked and started to close the door. She would have caught his fingers had he not jerked his hand back.

“Peacccce, love,” he said. He smiled and scratched a claw along the door. “That’sss exxxactly what I was trying to do, you know. Find sssomethingto do.”

“S-something that’s not me!” she squeaked, ducking her burning face. She peeked up at him with a half-hearted glare. “I mean…not now. I’m busy. With a surprise.” With every emphasized word, his grin grew. She rolled her eyes and attempted to close the door again. He leaned on it – not enough to open it, but just enough to keep it from closing. “For you, you silly snake. So shoo. Go find something to do, and when you’re done it should be ready.”

“Marinette…” he sighed. He glanced out the kitchen window, at the bright sunlight streaming through the curtains. “It’sss a beautiful day outsssside. Don’t you want to –?”

“No, I do not,” she said. A thought occurred to her, and she snapped her fingers. “Didn’t the centaurs need to speak with you about something? You could do that.”

If he had been grumpy before, he was outright crankyat that suggestion.

“…you really do want to get rid of me,” he sighed wearily. She giggled as she opened the door just enough to poke her head out and reach for him. He went to her willingly, hissing contentedly as she finally kissed him. A hand slipped through the gap in the door, finding her waist and attempting to pull her closer. A muffled protest squeaked against his lips, and she stepped back.

“Cheat,” she huffed, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Tease,” he retorted, his own tongue flicking at her. She blew him a kiss and winked.

“You love it,” she said.

“I love you,” he sighed. “You really won’t let me in?”

“No, I won’t,” she said. The look she gave him was anything but innocent, and paired with her giggle had his head tilting in curiosity. “Besides, you silly, incorrigible snake. You won’t fit.”

She was still giggling as she slammed the door in his face.

With a longsuffering, put-upon sigh, Luka turned from the bathroom door and set about preparing some breakfast. It was a long hike to the part of the Forest where the centaurs roamed, and the sooner he left the sooner he could come back.