SPOILERS: PLEASE DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ CRESS!

I just finished all three published books of the Lunar Chronicles in the last two days. I love it .. But it needs more Cinder and Kai. ;) .. And Cress and Thorne!

"Your Majesty?"

No answer.

"Kai?" she tapped his shoulder and shook Kai gently. "I think you need to get up now," Iko said.

Kai silently stirred.

"Kai," Iko was getting impatient with him, even if she did have a huge crush on the young emperor. She got closer to his face and harshly whispered, "Wake. Up."

Kai opened his eyes to find bright hazel eyes staring right back at him, less than a foot away. He jumped, gasping. Kai had completely forgotten about Iko's new escort-droid body.

"O-Oh. Sorry, your highness," Iko sheepishly backed away from Kai's bed and looked at the floor. "I didn't mean to get that close to your face. But its already noon, and you were still sleeping!" Iko looked at him and an idea came to her. "Kai–I mean, your highness," Iko said excitedly. "I have to .. go to the market right now to .. get some supplies. Would you mind waking up Cinder for me?"

Before he could answer, Iko was out the door. " Thank you, your highness!" She called from the hallway. Less than a second later, he heard a door slam.

Kai cupped his chin with his hands.

He was still groggy, registering what had just happened. "You're welcome, I guess," he muttered, pulling himself out of bed. Kai looked around the room and remembered what had happened the night before. He had talked alone with Cinder for a few minutes when he woke up after she had shot him with a tranquilizer and kidnapped him. He looked down and blushed when he remembered what he had done after that.

Kai had kissed Cinder.

He fell back onto the bed and put the back of his hand on his forehead. The kiss had lasted for a few seconds before Cinder pushed him away and looked down in horror.

Kai laughed a little inside as he remembered how he momentarily thought Cinder hadn't liked the kiss – or him. He sat up suddenly and shook his head, disapproving his thoughts. "I should be thinking about how to stop Levana," he said to himself. "Not about kissing Cinder." But no matter how much Kai tried to focus, his thoughts kept shifting back to the mechanic.

Her lips, especially.

Kai cringed. An emperor's thoughts weren't supposed to be so perverse.

He blankly stared at the wall, and then stood up. He looked towards the door that Iko had run out off just a couple minutes before, when she had asked Kai to wake Cinder up. "Okay then," Kai stood up straighter and started walking towards the door.

"I guess I'll go see Cinder."

Kai pushed Cinder's door open slowly.

"Cinder?"
He wanted to check if she was awake before he accidentally embarrassed himself by barging in on her. Kai's eyes searched the room and his eyes landed on Cinder's bed. She was lying peacefully on her side, sound asleep. He stepped carefully around the room, approached Cinder, and sat down on the edge of her bed.

Cinder's lips parted as she exhaled and Kai's hand twitched.

He really wanted to kiss her again.

Kai leaned in, gently planting a kiss on Cinder's left cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open in result, Kai returning to his original position on her bed. Cinder's gaze met Kai's as she sat up and her eyes widened in surprise.

"K-Kai?" She squeaked. "What are you doing in here?"

Kai's expression changed as he looked away. He had gone into Cinder's room and kissed her while she was sleeping. He hadn't realized how inappropriate that was until he had done it.

"Um .. well," Kai stuttered. "Iko told me to wake you up. It's noon." He refused to look at Cinder's face as he said this. Did she know that he had just kissed her?

Cinder blinked. "But .. you just kissed my cheek."

Kai's eyes widened in embarrassment, but his head was still turned away from Cinder's view. He laughed nervously but didn't deny nor confirm her statement. Cinder looked down and then understood what he had done.

She knew that if she could blush, her face would be as red as a tomato.

"I mean, not that I didn't like it." She said quickly. "I mean .."

Kai's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at Cinder, blushing profusely.

"I apologize for not asking your permission to do .. that."

Cinder looked at his face and laughed a little. "It's ok, Kai. You don't have to apologize." She averted her gaze to the bedpost and continued. "You don't have to ask permission to do that. If you want to kiss me, then you can just kiss me."

Kai gulped.

"Oh stars. I'm sorry .. that was entirely inappropriate." Cinder covered her face with her hands in humiliation. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Can I really?" Kai said nervously.

Cinder's eyes went wide behind her hands. She peaked through her fingers and saw Kai's anxious face.

"Yes." Cinder said, still covering her face. "You can."

Kai reached for Cinder's wrists and slowly pulled her hands from her face.

"Then I will."