It had been a long day full of unexpected things. The return to Silas was rough, consisting of a few near death experiences and Laura nearly getting married to a kobold named Lief. The past couple of days had been some of the weirdest you've ever lived through, so it was no surprise to Laura when you had offered her a drink, one to help her sleep through the night without Bloody Perry seeping into her dreams.
You expected Laura to be a talkative drunk, but not necessarily an affectionate one. She had been nuzzling your neck for the past ten minutes, not that you minded. You enjoyed the feeling of her nose dipping into your collarbone, the brush of her lips against your cooled skin, and the flutter of her eyelashes sketching waves into your faint pulse. You held her close to you as half of her body was on top of you, your hands raking through her hair and scratching lightly at her scalp.
Laura giggled suddenly, the sound vibrating through her chest and into yours.
"What's so funny?" you ask her, leaning your head up to look at her properly.
Laura blushed, the heat of the alcohol still thick in her throat as she slurred her response, still giggling. "I have a secret."
You dragged your hands down the length of her back, resting your hands on her hips as you raised a brow, a light smile curving your lips. "Do you now?"
Laura nodded, staring hard at you. It was a lot of eye contact, even for her. You held her gaze though, not finding it in the least bit difficult to get lost in them. You think it had to do with the fact that if you stare at something long enough, everything around that thing is fuzzy, and then what you are staring at begins to blend into one shape and color. That never happened though, the room was unfocused around you, but Laura's eyes never did. They were as clear to you as the day you first saw them. They were breath taking, Laura was breath taking.
"I think I'm in like with you." Laura whispered, biting her lip nervously.
You grinned, feeling the alcohol pool in your stomach into one huge puddle that was beginning to weigh on your muscles and bones. You were grateful that Laura would most likely forget this night, the memory would be foggy and hopefully what you said next would be part of that mist. "Do you know how penguins fall in love?" You blurted out, not believing that you were going to say this. You have only ever heard about it once a few years ago, but the thought of it interested you severely.
Laura shook her head, completely invested in what you were saying. Her eyes glued to your lips as she tried to focus on what you were saying, as if she could interpret what your mouth said from kissing it a thousand times.
"They fall in love only once and stay loyal to that one other penguin for the entirety of their lives, even if they get separated." You whisper to her, as if it's your own secret.
Laura smiled, "Are we penguins then?"
You felt your heart swell, "All I know is that you mean more to me than anyone I've ever met in my life. I know that I'll be loyal to you for the rest of your life." You couldn't lie to her, even if she was inebriated. You could promise your love and devotion for eighty years, but you wouldn't spend the rest of eternity an empty shell.
Laura continued to stare at you, her lip slowly un-tucking from between her teeth. "You love me?"
You grinned, "I know that I'm in like with you."
Laura giggled once more, leaning forward and placing a sloppy kiss full of grinning onto your lips. "Me too." She whispered before nuzzling back into your neck. You were left to wonder whether she just told you she liked you or that she was in love with you. Either way you fell asleep for the first time in over three hundred years smiling.
