Stolen Kisses
After knowing him for so long, it was still surprising to see how smooth and concise his movements were when he worked in the kitchen. The former thief had always moved elegantly –always exuded elegance like light rolling off a candle— but her initial impression of him didn't peg him as someone that was good at housework. That impression changed over time when she discovered his passion for cooking curry dishes. Jill breathed in, taking in the warm aroma of cinnamon and melted butter which soon coated the entire room in its thick presence. The texture and taste of his food was exquisite since he always chose each ingredient carefully. As for the food's appearance… well, it was a given that his food would be presented well. With a quick turn of his wrist, the pancake landed unbroken back onto the center of the pan.
Resting her chin on the back of the wooden chair, Jill smiled over at her husband. It wasn't often that he cooked breakfast since he slept in until late morning so the female savored the moment. As if sensing her gaze, the male turned his head to face her. His hair was still tousled from sleep, sticking out at odd angles, but Skye seemed too tired to care at the moment –he was still in his pajamas after all. Or perhaps he was too tired to notice. The sleepiness in his eyes dissipated when he noticed her stare. Grinning, the male asked, "Can't take your eyes off me, beautiful?"
Smile growing wider, Jill took this as an opportunity to test which one of her theories was correct. Motioning to her own head with a hand, the farmer said, "Well, your hair… it's a little…" Skye looked confused for a moment, his spatula-free hand reaching up to lightly touch his hair. Feeling the tangles, the thief frowned, quickly set the spatula aside and attempted to flatten his tresses with both hands. A cute pout formed on his lips. "W-why didn't you say something earlier?" "You looked cute." The female stifled her giggles as Skye turned away to frantically fix his hair. Some things just didn't change.
The sound of small footsteps and a blanket being dragged across the wooden floor caught the farmer's attention. Wood scraped against wood as a chair was pulled back and the toddler clambered clumsily onto her seat across from Jill. Tiny fists rubbed against her eyes as she mumbled softly, "Good morning, papa…. mama." Frowning slightly, the blonde gazed down at her lap when her mother returned the greeting.
"Did you not get enough sleep last night?" Jill asked, leaning forward on the table. Rae wasn't usually this subdued, even in the mornings. It wasn't unlikely that she didn't get enough sleep since the girl had been jumping in excitement all night yesterday and had asked repeatedly if everything was ready for Santa until Jill had practically dragged her to bed.
In response to Jill's question, the toddler pressed her lips together and frowned. After a moment, the farmer tried again. "Can you tell me what's wrong, sweetie?"
Rae merely shook her head, her loose pigtails swishing from side to side, still refusing to meet Jill's gaze. She was familiar with her daughter's stubborn personality and knew pressing the matter wouldn't lead to Rae giving in easily. With this in mind, she took a step back and attempted to analyze the situation. The blonde didn't look sick so the problem was likely an emotional one. As much as she disliked the thought of forcing Rae to talk, at this age, allowing Rae to come to her own conclusions didn't seem like a good idea either.
"Good morning, my princess," Skye greeted as he set a stack of pancakes in front of Rae. Her husband sent her a brief smile and Jill was grateful for the help. Skye had always been better at drawing out answers. By no means was he more patient with others than she was but the way he spoke was as if he were laying a trail of honey that lured others towards saying what he wanted to hear. Despite being a victim to his techniques numerous times, she could never quite figure out what it was: the tone of his voice, the words that he arranged so artfully, or the aura around him. Either way, she often found herself saying things to him that she never intended to say aloud –at least not at that particular moment. It came with him being who he was and wasn't something she could ever copy. Jill watched as he leaned over Rae from behind her chair, in an almost protective manner, and could almost feel the sense of security the person under his spell usually experienced when he did that. "Why are you frowning like so? It doesn't suit your pretty face."
Rae's eyes began to tear up as she looked at her father. The reaction was so unexpected that the charming mask on Skye's face slipped away, transforming into concern. "You know you can tell me anything." The blonde girl bit down on her trembling lip and slowly nodded. "P-promise… you won't tell mama." It was a concerning request but after a brief glance at his wife, Skye nodded. Rae's eyes flickered tentatively in Jill's direction as well and taking the hint, the brunette pretended to be occupied with drinking her tea. While casually bringing the mug to her lips, the farmer discreetly tried to make out whatever Rae was saying. The toddler's voice was low but since she was far from being a master of discretion, her whispers were audible across the table. "Mama can only kiss papa, right?" A nod from Skye. Cupping a hand around the former thief's ear, Rae revealed in a rush of words, "I… I saw mama kissing someone else."
At which point, Jill began choking on her tea. "W-what?" Skye appeared equally taken aback. It took a moment for both parents to recompose themselves. Her husband soon regained a neutral expression, if only for Rae's sake, but couldn't find any words. Meanwhile, Jill had no idea what to make of the claim. She certainly didn't remember kissing anyone other than her husband but Rae looked completely serious. The farmer didn't remember drinking heavily at the bar recently either so she shouldn't have any gaps in her memory.
Tiny hands grasped at Skye's arm. In a voice tinged with fear, the girl questioned, "Does… mama and papa not like each other anymore?" Her question tugged painfully at Jill. Skye's silence did not help the matter and as the silence dragged on, Jill felt her heart grow heavier. Tossing aside the pretense of not listening to their conversation, Jill interjected, "I love your father. You and him are the most important people in the world to me." Skye's gaze softened at her words. With his usual charming smile, the male answered, "Your mother is the most important to me as well."
Rae's eyes turned from one parent to another. The girl appeared calmer than before, the tears gone from her eyes, though she still couldn't bring herself to smile and act like everything was normal. "Then why… did you kiss Santa?" It took a moment for realization to sink in. Skye pulled away from their daughter and turned around to smother his laughter. Memories from yesterday night rushed back to Jill and she suddenly understood her daughter's misunderstanding. Rae turned to look at Skye, his shoulders shaking from laughter. "Papa… are you okay? Please don't cry."
"E-excuse me," the male gasped as he exited the room. Which left Jill to explain by herself why she was kissing Santa last night and made her husband cry. Put on the spot and with her daughter glaring angrily at her, her mind could only draw a blank. The silence between them was almost palpable and she half expected Rae to leave to comfort Skye but the toddler stayed seated in front of her. She was glad to have the chance to explain herself but the farmer could only watch, as if she were standing afar, the opportunity slip away like water cupped in the palm of a hand.
"Um…" Jill began to wonder if Skye was going to come back and help her with forming a suitable explanation. When it seemed like he wasn't going to return any time soon, the female forced her mind to work towards finding an answer. There weren't many options. She wanted to thank Santa? No, that sounded wrong and gave the wrong idea. That Santa wasn't real? No, that was just crushing for someone Rae's age. That Skye liked to dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve? …That might work. Jill paused as she imagined Rae asking why Skye liked to dress up as Santa. And the answer to that was because…
"You're taking too long to answer, mama," the girl accused, arms akimbo.
Thankfully, Skye chose that moment to return, now with a completely straight face. Despite being given more time to work on a better answer as Skye made his way to his seat, the farmer could only tell herself to not doubt her decision. And suddenly, Skye was sitting beside her and all eyes were on her again, waiting for a response. Her husband didn't even look encouraging as he looked at her with a slightly amused expression that he couldn't quite hide. It almost made Jill want to drag him down with her onto the sinking ship, especially since the situation was partly his fault in the first place. It would be more comforting if she could. Skye was a quick thinker but he couldn't exactly answer a question directed at her so she was on her own for now. Jill was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when her husband spoke.
"How could you, my angel?" Skye said in a hurt tone. The silver-haired male crossed his arms over his chest and mockingly turned his head away from her in disgust. Meanwhile, Jill could only refrain from gaping at him. Why was he adding fuel to the fire? Rae sent Jill another heavy glare before stretching across the table to pat Skye's hand. What had she done to deserve this? This was a Christmas Day joke wasn't it? She half expected Rae to suddenly shout out that she was just joking and that she hadn't seen anything last night. Unfortunately, that didn't seem like it would happen.
"I… um… I didn't do it," Jill blurted out, breaking under the pressure and completely forgetting her carefully thought out lines.
Rae furrowed her brow, not finding the answer acceptable. Likewise, Skye arched an eyebrow as if he were surprised by her answer. Admittedly, that wasn't a thought out answer but did they have to look at her like that? Jill shot Skye an unhappy look. What did he want her to say then? Denying it was probably better than saying he liked dressing up as an old man on Christmas Eve. Then again, maybe she should have said that so that Skye could answer whatever awkward questions Rae brought up. But now that she had given her answer, she had to stick with it. Breathing out deeply, the female reinforced her earlier answer. "Yes. Nothing happened last night. I was sleeping. All night." Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Skye fighting to keep a straight face.
"But I saw it!" protested Rae, standing on her chair and pointing to the spot underneath the mistletoe. Embarrassment filled Jill at the thought that Rae had seen everything because of their carelessness. Thankfully, Rae was too focused on pointing out where she had witnessed the scene to take in her guilty and embarrassed expression.
"So there weren't any passionate activities that occurred last night, beautiful?" Skye teased with a slight flirtatious undertone in his voice. His question and voice deepened the blush on Jill's face as she remembered amorous whispers and warm lips pressed against hers. Of course it wasn't nothing but she couldn't admit it in front of their daughter. "Because…" Snapping out of it, the farmer stomped down on Skye's foot. She didn't know what he was attempting but this really wasn't the time for that. Her husband let out a quiet hiss before falling quiet.
"I didn't kiss Santa," Jill maintained as forcefully as possible. There wasn't anything else she could say besides that but she knew it wasn't enough with Rae also vehemently maintaining that she saw her kissing Santa. They were at a standstill, which was ultimately, a loss for her. Fingers fisting the fabric of her pants, Jill gazed down. She had no idea what to do to get out of this situation.
A warm hand covered the hand resting on her lap, causing Jill to look up at her husband. The silver-haired male winked at her before turning to look at the blonde child. "Actually, Rae, I do remember that your mother was with me all night… You must have been dreaming."
Upon hearing that, the small child looked thoughtful. A finger was pressed to her chin as she tried to recall if the scene had felt like a dream or not. She was outnumbered and both her parents couldn't be lying. In the end, she was convinced by their behavior towards one another –the little things that showed the love they felt. A few more moments of silence passed before the toddler yielded. "Hm… okay then." The matter was then dropped and the toddler happily busied herself with eating the pancakes in front of her.
Jill breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. That had been too much for her for a Christmas morning. She heard a chuckle from beside her and shook her head. Leaning limply against her husband, Jill closed her eyes and took a moment to be grateful that she had him by her side –even if he caused her a lot of trouble, he was there for her in the end. She was an independent person and had never intended to rely so much on him but as his life became so entangled with hers, there was no way to not rely on him. They were in it together –for the better or for the worse. After a moment, the farmer grumbled, "You could have just said that from the start."
"It's all part of making a convincing act," he returned in a low voice. She doubted that he would appreciate her creating a convincing act for Rae if their positions were switched. It was likely that he just liked seeing her flustered. Not that she was any different. Perhaps she'll take a page from his book next time Rae asked Skye an awkward question. It was a tempting thought but somehow, she didn't think her husband would have a hard time getting out of it. However, there were many other ways to tease him. The only thing preventing her from being completely at peace with the conclusion of the event was a small question that nagged her.
"Hey, Skye…" The female tentatively tugged at her sleeves. It took a bit of courage for the farmer to voice the simple words but she couldn't shove the thought to the back of her mind. "Did you doubt me?" His behavior when Rae had revealed what was bothering her made Jill curious about what he had been thinking at that moment. Did he trust her any more than he did back when he stole her blue feather, thinking that she wanted to propose to someone else? Jill switched her perspective once again. Did she trust him, the thief that sprouted beautiful words to every lady he came across, as much as she expected him to trust her? If their positions had been switched and Rae had accused Skye of kissing another woman, would she have doubted him?
The answer wasn't one that she liked. But perhaps it was best that neither of them were blinded by love. Yes, she trusted him to remain faithful to her but not to the extent that she wouldn't look at things objectively if everything pointed to him cheating on her. People and circumstances changed overtime and unpredictable events can drastically influence lives. Still… it was heartwarming to think of Skye's claims that his love for her would never die. Clearing her throat, Jill shook her head and murmured, "Never mind."
The body she was leaning against shifted. A kiss was pressed against the top of her head and she could feel his breath tickle her skin as he murmured, "Your love is like the sun… I can feel its warmth and your feelings towards me. Can you feel my love towards you?"
He sang flowery words into her ear like he did to every other woman once upon a time but… she trusted that she was the only woman he told the words 'I love you' to, the only woman he whispered meaningless things to while wearing a relaxed smile, and the only one he felt secure enough around to let his mask slip and spend time with while his hair was a complete mess. Jill smiled and reached backwards to lightly touched his cheek. "I do." She couldn't compare his love to the sun because it was more passionate, more teasing, more spontaneous but she could feel its warmth regardless. "I don't have to make a pretty simile like you, do I?"
"… You're still not very good at not ruining moments, my angel."
A giggle caused Jill to open her eyes to find Rae looking happily at them. Thoroughly flustered, the farmer made a move to shift away but her husband held her firmly by his side. She wasn't shy with Skye but being pressed so closely to him when someone else was watching was still embarrassing. "S-skye!" "My sweet angel, look at me…" Jill lifted her head and was immediately captured by the intensity in his brilliant green eyes. "I'll never let you go," he whispered, leaning down so that his lips ghosted over the shell of her ear. Warmth flooded Jill's cheeks. The male chuckled at her reaction. Grinning mischievously, Skye continued, "Shall we erase any doubt from Rae's mind?" And before Jill could react, his lips were pressed against hers once again.
A/N: Merry Christmas, DustDemon! I think we have similar tastes in pairings so I was super happy to be able to write for you this Christmas. I hope you enjoyed this story.