When Corrin opened the door to the treehouse, he didn't expect to see his wife, Camilla, passed out on their bed. Him coming home to her sitting on the bedside waiting for him with a warm smile and a "Welcome home, dear," wasn't anything new, but to see her asleep like this was not something the prince saw coming.
Gently shutting the door behind him, Corrin lightly crept to the bed in order to get a better look at her. Her sleeping face wasn't anything new to him, it was what he woke up to on most days of the week, but to see her curled up like this, with her normally pale skin and lavender hair having a glow to them thanks to the fireplace's lighting, was a rare sight indeed.
Slowly setting himself down on the side of the bed, Camilla seemed to unconsciously sense her husband's presence, her arm rising a bit, a gesture that was met by her hand being softly squeezed by Corrin's own. For once, too tired to get up and greet her husband, Camilla instead opted to shift her body towards him, a gesture that Corrin recuperated by also shifting his body to accommodate for this new position. The end result was Camilla laying her head down onto Corrin's lap, her long hair draping over the latter's legs like a quilt.
As Corrin began to gently stroke his wife's hair, he mused to himself about the irony of this situation. When they were both younger, Camilla would often have Corrin rest his head on her lap much like what was happening now. Most of the time, he would drift off to sleep for the next few hours, as usual for his "Afternoon Nap", as Camilla liked to called it. Whenever he couldn't find it in himself to fall asleep, Camilla would always hum a lullaby to help him drift off, her hand stroking his hair. To the young Corrin, it was just rest after a day of training and studying, something that he was grateful for her to help him with. As the years went by and the boy matured, these sessions became more and more sparse, eventually stopping entirely.
Still, this was ironic, Corrin thought to himself, looking down at Camilla, feeling the ebbing and rising of her breathing. Normally, this time of day was when his wife, worried about her darling husband after a long day of work, would offer to give him a shoulder massage or some cuddling to help him unwind, her natural big sister instincts kicking in, but even someone as thoughtful and devoted like Camilla needs her rest sometimes, Corrin reasoned.
Seeing her relax like this, Corrin could see now why she loved settling his head into her lap during many an afternoon when they were younger: To be able to help the one you love the most relax, to let them show vulnerability as they fell into a deep sleep, knowing that you'll be there for them, all of these aspects caused feelings of protectiveness to swell up within the young lord's chest. All this time, Camilla fought to protect him, and would without a doubt give up her own life for his sake. Now it was his turn to protect her and help her relax just like she did for him so many times in his youth.
XXX
"Mmm...huh? Oh, sorry, darling. I must have fallen asl-"
Camilla paused as she realized that her head wasn't lying on the soft fabric of the bed's pillow. This certain feeling could only be the softness of a person's skin, their leg.
"Ah, Camilla, you're awake. Sleep well?"
She turned her head up to see her husband, Corrin, gazing down at her with that soft, warm smile she loved seeing. Wait, then this means-
"Ah! Sweetie!" Camilla yelped, suddenly sitting up and sidling so that she was next to Corrin. "I'm terribly sorry about that. I shouldn't have dozed off on your lap without your permiss-"
"Camilla, it's fine." Corrin said, holding up a hand in gesture. "You've done the same for me so many times, I thought I'd return the favor."
A pause.
"How long was I out for?"
"At least an hour." Corrin replied, looking at the clock on the wall. "And a half."
She turned her gaze to the floor, a blush consuming her face, a behavior that was decidedly un-Camillalike.
"Did I...bother you at all while I was asleep?" Camilla asked.
"Nope. You slept like a log."
"I see."
She took a breath to compose herself before locking eyes with her husband once more.
"I'm really am sorry about sleeping on your lap all of a sudden," Camilla said once more. "I don't know what came over me. While I was waiting for you here, I suddenly got drowsy and decided to rest my eyes for a bit."
Her eyes moving from Corrin to the floor, and eventually back to him again, she sidled closer to him, intertwining her hand with his own.
"I really should've considered how tired you were before I decided to take a nap like that."
"Camilla, it's fine." Corrin said once again. "We all need a little R&R sometimes, and to be honest, nobody deserves some more than you."
"You really think so?" Camilla asked, gazing down at him.
"Of course! If you enjoyed it that much, you're more than welcome to lay on my lap again anytime you want. You're always doting on me all the time, so why can't I spoil you sometimes? "
As those words sunk in, Camilla couldn't help herself as her emotions overtook her. She wrapped her arms around her beloved and pulled him in towards herself.
"Oh, Corrin!" She said, one hand stroking his bushy hair with another at his waist. "That's exactly why I love you so much. You're so considerate and sweet!"
This was the Camilla that Corrin fell in love with. This woman wrapping her arms around him at this very moment. Feeling himself relax, Corrin wrapped his own arms around his loving wife, showing her the same amount of affection that she was showing him right then and there.
"I love you too, honey."
Just another day in paradise for the two of them.
