Vex Is Alone In Her Living Room.  There Are No Decorations Or Furniture, But It’s Still One Of The

Vex is alone in her living room.  There are no decorations or furniture, but it’s still one of the most beautiful rooms she’s ever seen. After months of consulting with the architect and hours of deliberation, it was finally real. She can’t help but shed happy tears at the thought.

Trinket nuzzles her leg, and she runs her hand over his head, giving him scratches which he happily accepts. “It’s ours, Trinket. We have a home.” 

“Vex, we found some wine!” Tary exclaims as he enters the room with a bottle of wine. Percival and Doty follow close behind him. 

Percy instantly notices the tears on her face and asks, “Vex'ahlia, are you all right?”

“I’m just happy,” she replies with a smile.

“As you should be!” Tary agrees. “Which is why we should have a toast! Doty, pass out the glasses."

“Tary,” Doty says as he presents her with a beautiful long-stemmed wine glass. 

“Where did this come from?”

“I bought them as a housewarming present,” Percy answers.

She kisses him on the cheek, and he instantly flushes. “Thank you, darling.”

“To Vex’ahlia, mistress of the Grey Manor,” Tary says, and the three of them raise their glasses. 

“To Vex’ahlia,” Percy makes his toast with his eyes fixed on her. The golden light of the setting sun is falling on his face, making the pride there all the clearer. 

They raise their glasses and drink together. 

“This calls for dancing!” Tary declares.

“Who will provide the music? Trinket?” Percy asks incredulously. Trinket, who is in the corner of the room, gives a musical rumble.

Vex laughs as she sets her wine glass on the floor and pulls Percy by the arm.  “Come on, darling. Let’s dance.”

Tary starts singing a jaunty tune, and they all join hands to dance. They dance until Vex is a little dizzy and laughing so hard she can hardly breathe. Tary goes back to get another drink, leaving her alone with Percy. 

Percy puts one of his hands on her waist while the other holds her free hand. As they dance, he leans down and whispers in her ear, “I am so proud of you, Vex. You deserve this and so much more.”

“Thank you, darling.” 

They fall into silence for a bit, and she enjoys how she feels in his arms and how they move together. 

“You are very good at this. Why did you never ask me to dance before?”

“There wasn’t a lot of time for dancing,” he pauses for a half second, then adds, “I was also afraid.”

The response surprises her, and she looks up at him. His cheeks are flushed again, but she doesn’t think it’s from the wine. “Of what?”

“You,” he answers. “I felt like I couldn’t trust myself with you because I was convinced I would destroy you if I acted on my feelings. The only reason I did was because of what you said while I was on the other side.”

“Then you accepted that I wanted you?” 

“Yes.” Percy dips her backward, following her down, stopping with his mouth only inches from hers. His hand is pressing firmly against her back, keeping her secure and safe. “However, I am still amazed that is the case.”

She wonders if he can see the light that feels like it’s shooting out of her chest. “Percy-”

“You two are disgusting,” Tary complains, but only half-heartedly. 

She steals a quick kiss from Percy to annoy Tarry, who complains even louder. 

-

They stay up late talking, drinking, and dancing. When Tary falls asleep on Trinket, Vex covers him with a blanket, then leads Percy into the hallway.

Percy asks, “Where are we going?”

“It’s late, darling. I don’t want to walk up to the castle. Besides, I might not have a bed, but I have a room. There are some blankets, so I thought we could sleep on the floor like the old days,” she says.

Percy does not argue. Once they are upstairs, her curiosity finally gets the best of her. “Percy, did you mean what you said earlier?”

“Yes,” he answers. 

“Do you still think you’ll destroy me?”

“No, I don’t think I can because you were always stronger than me. You are stronger than me.”

She kisses him soundly on the mouth. It’s a messy kiss, wanting and hungry. He tastes like wine and smells of it too. She pulls him closer, and he returns her kiss with fervor and intensity.  His fingers slip beneath the hem of her blouse, brushing against the sensitive skin of her lower back. When she breaks the kiss, her breath is a little ragged. She pulls on his arm insistently. “Come on, let’s go test out the bedroom.”

Percy laughs, and it makes her heart glow. 

-

Happy birthday, @rightpastnowhere

I LOVE YOU!