The sun was nearly setting by the time she finally stirred. Her body had been so exhausted that once sleep finally claimed her it held on for as long as it could. The smell of food filled her nostrils and a gnawing hunger in her belly pleaded for her to wake up and investigate. She opened her eyes slowly with a smile spreading across her lips.
Wait a minute…
She shook the sleep off in an instant.
Had she dreamed that? Had he really said…? Had she really said…?
His arm circling her as he snuggled up behind her answered all three questions simultaneously.
"You awake, Princess?" He asked, his voice still husky with sleep and she smiled, lifting his heavy hand to her mouth and kissing it. "Mmm. I'll take that as a yes." He said as he stretched, and she used the opportunity to roll over and face him.
"Hi." She whispered, her eyes filled with wonder at the new Cain who greeted her. His face was relaxed, no worry or pain wearing down on his handsome features. All that was remained now was love. Love for her and it made her want to break into a happy dance right there on the bed.
That, however, would require her taking her eyes off him, and she was in no rush to do any such thing.
"Your stomach says you're starving." He said with a sleepy smile, listening to the muffled grumbling coming from between them.
"It speaks the truth, then." She laughed, his words reminding her of the pleasing aroma which had stirred her from sleep to begin with.
He reluctantly removed himself from her bed, laughing at the little whimper she gave in response. He found the world around him suddenly cold and uninviting in comparison to the warmth of holding her in his arms. Picking up the tray he'd had sent up he smiled to himself, knowing he would be spending as many nights as possible relishing in that feeling.
She sat up, her sleepy eyes squinting hopefully to see what he was bringing. She smiled when she spotted the bowl of stew and bread and clapped her hands together, wiggling around in place happily in a way that nearly made Cain drop the tray in a fit of laughter.
He rested the tray in her lap and she barely waited for him to remove his hands before she was digging in. "Glad to see you got your appetite back." He said, sitting beside her and watching her with amusement as she stuffed a buttered section of bread in her mouth. She moaned at how good it was, closing her eyes and savoring it.
"Mmm, yeah." DG said with a full mouth. "You seem to have taken care of that." She teased, bumping her shoulder against his.
Cain felt somehow physically lighter as he burned this moment into his memory, his body no longer weighed down by all of the guilt, pain and torment he'd been carrying around for so long. He could hardly contain the smile on his face watching her despite the small voice in his head that, out of habit, still wished to remain distant and reserved.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak a commotion outside the door caught his attention. He heard mumbles, hushed tones…Jeb?
DG looked at him in confusion, still with a mouth stuffed impossibly full of bread and a hand ready to serve up another bite. He laughed at how adorable she was, kissed her chipmunk-like cheek and rose from the bed to investigate, snatching his fedora from the nightstand and placing it on his head.
As he approached he rolled his eyes, hearing them clearly despite how discrete they thought they were being.
"Twinkle-toes, I'm telling you right now if you so much as touch that door I'll make zippers necessary on other regions of your body." Jeb said in a low whisper and Cain smiled, mouthing an "ooh" at the threat.
"I just don't understand why you don't want us to see-" Glitch began in a flustered voice, but Azkadellia's whisper cut him off.
"Raw!!! Pssstt! Furball! Haven't you been paying attention? You knock and I swear I'll turn you into slippers!" She spat.
With that someone must have pounced.
Sounds of a struggle and bodies thudding against the wall were more than Cain could take. He had to see this for himself.
Allowing his face to take on its usual stone cold expression before flinging the door open, it took every ounce of self control he possessed not to so much as crack a smile at the scene waiting for him on the other side.
