A/N: This may have been inspired by the meme about Marie Kondo but hey, if it sparks joy, who am I to argue, right? XD
Griffin heard the ring, her heart doing that little jump just like the elevator did right before it stopped at the thought of Valtor coming home. And it wasn't even six o'clock yet when she glanced at the corner of the tablet. She'd just tapped on the video she'd wanted to watch but she couldn't care less about it now that he'd arrived, and unusually early at that. He was spending more time at home with her lately and while she could never complain about it and was absolutely ecstatic to have more of him to herself, she couldn't help but wonder what had prompted the change in routine.
She left the tablet on the coffee table, her efforts at pausing the video unsuccessful but she could always rewind when she came back to it. That was of no consequence to her mind that had only one thought left in it and it was all woven from the want to be engulfed in his arms.
He seemed just as impatient as her, for he was right there in front of her when she got up from the couch and turned to meet him, his arms finding her waist instantly and drawing her into him, prompting her to wrap hers around his neck and hold on tight. There was nothing she'd love to do more and she could spend all her life in his embrace so she saw no problem when he only pressed himself closer into her and drew her into a kiss, his lips on hers the perfect way to say hello.
Their tongues came out to play as well and she was soon holding back a moan, the strain in her he could feel making him pull back, for they both knew just where this would end if he didn't. And while she had no problems with that, she'd like to get to see him first, ask about his day and tell him about hers, get the chance to melt in his softness before she did the same in his passion. Not that she didn't want that, but she craved the emotional closeness and the connection they had out of the bedroom too. She craved everything as long as he'd be there to share it with her.
She took a deep breath before letting the smile take over her face and opening her eyes. "Welcome home," she said, her voice small from the lack of oxygen but it only made the words sound more intimate, like they were only meant for the two of them which really fit since that was exactly the case. The penthouse was their home and theirs only and she loved how secluded it was, raising above all the other buildings around like a tribute to their solitude and they were in their own universe. It was all she wanted. So she made sure to greet him properly every time he came home – with a smile and a hug–that was accompanied by a kiss more often than not–and words to tell him how glad she was to see him if her actions hadn't already done that.
"My day was just made," Valtor said as he moved his hand to cup her cheek, the other one still wrapped around her but in expression of affection still and not in a desperate attempt to make sure she wouldn't slip away. They'd been there but she was glad to see the sinking fear disappear to make space for the open tenderness he was touching her with now. "I'll never understand how you can do that with just one sentence," he said as he looked at her, his eyes full of deep gratitude and a small smile pulling at his mouth. It was a breathtaking sight, especially when she knew it was just gentle instead of timid.
"I think your own heart might play a part here as it's beating with love for me," she said, tugging playfully at the lapel of his coat. He hadn't even taken that off in his hurry to hug her. "It gives me the power to work all this magic that has you so entranced," she said, leaning in slightly, their lips almost touching again, before she pulled back, giving him a knowing smirk as he followed her movement, striving to reach her. They'd get too tangled in each other, though, if she didn't move now. "You must be so hot," she said, her tone all laced of mischief despite her own best intentions but she couldn't help it. The opportunity was too good for her to pass up on it. "Perhaps you should take this off," she said as she tugged at his coat only to let go of it and step away the moment he released her to let her pull it off of him. She'd love to help but the moment she started undressing him, they'd lose dinner, not to mention any conversation they could have if she just stayed focused. There was enough time for everything now that he'd come home earlier than normally.
Valtor gave her a disappointed look as she sat back down on the couch but was quick to remove his coat and, after throwing it carelessly over the furniture, join her.
"What are you watching?" he asked as the sound from the video finally registered for him and he looked at the tablet, his eyes reading over the subtitles while Japanese filled the penthouse as she settled for just observing him for a moment, adoring the sight of his concentration, especially after the long day she knew he'd had. He was overdramatic at times but he didn't lie about how stressful and tedious his job was and she admired him for the willpower to keep at it as she knew she couldn't have done it if she'd been him. She had paperwork, of course, but her students were what kept her spark alive when it came to her job. So she was even more flattered he was taking serious interest in what she was doing and putting effort into learning more about it when all he probably wanted was to curl up at her side and let the world melt away. She knew she wouldn't be opposed to that.
"I'm watching a video about Marie Kondo," she said. "She's a tidying expert and an organizational consultant." That was about as much as she'd gotten from the video before he'd come home and interrupted. "What? Faragonda told me about her philosophy and I got curious," she explained when he gave her a questioning look, which, frankly, wasn't misplaced. The parts of her life that were a mess she preferred that way, and the others were organized already as could be evidenced in the books lined up on her shelves and the order in her closet. But she was glad Faragonda was taking steps in freeing herself from old burdens, as the method she was now following wasn't only about organizing but about helping you let go of things that don't bring joy in your life anymore. And she was thrilled to see Faragonda finally starting to realize she needed to move on from situations and people that didn't need her and didn't deserve her and her efforts.
"I'm surprised you haven't gotten the books," Valtor said as his eyes remained on the screen in front of him, though she couldn't blame him, considering that that was the only way for him to understand what was happening in the video. He had a few other languages besides English mastered but Japanese was not amongst them so he needed to rely on the subtitles. Something she was surprised had not irritated him already since he usually could understand whatever he was watching even without help from those–she might have exploited his abilities to get him to translate some poetry for her, more for the experience of hearing his voice forming the soft words rather than for the content itself–so as a rule, he wasn't fan of having to have his attention focused on them.
"I wanted to see if I'd find something for myself in this idea," Griffin said. "I hardly have any space left on the shelves," she added when he looked at her, ready to argue that money was not the problem. She could argue with that but they'd mostly reached a consensus on the topic these days and there was no point in further debating except for a reminder or clarification here or there when something brought it up.
"Are we in need of another remodeling?" Valtor asked, a smirk on his lips that she did not quite appreciate, considering what they'd had to go through when they'd been adding a kitchen that should have already been there but for some reason it'd been missing. There'd been people all around the penthouse and their secluded paradise had been overtaken. She had no desire to repeat the experience even if it meant she'd get more book storage space. She'd just have to make do with what she had, perhaps donate some books that she didn't need anymore. That could be her own attempt at tidying up. "Or does that not spark joy in you?" Valtor asked, smirking at her displeased expression as he very well knew the answer. "Your little trick before did not spark joy in me," he continued, still playful but there was a heavy layer of seriousness that did not allow his voice to rise quite to the level of mirth it'd been at before and it made her heart sink as if it'd been filled with lead.
"No?" Griffin asked, her bewilderment as overexaggerated as she could make it in her attempt to get the joy back to him. "Does this spark joy then?" she asked as she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, not quite a peck but not too deep a kiss either as they were still in danger of getting too lost in the world of each other's beings. It was a constant threat with them and while it didn't scare her, she wouldn't have the time to pay any attention to his thoughts if she let herself succumb to it every time she felt it tugging at her.
Valtor hummed, turning to her now, both on a physical level and attention wise, his hands on her again but not before he'd made sure the noise from the video was stopped so that it wouldn't distract them. It looked like his will was gone all to work and he couldn't find it in himself to hold back from touching as much as he wanted.
"What about this?" Griffin asked as she kissed his cheek, trying to hold both their attention where it needed to be but failing miserably with his hand on her thigh and the other one tracing her neckline, not to mention the low sound of confirmation that left him and drew her to his neck. "And this?" she asked, her own voice dropping as she did the same and moved downwards, her lips kissing at his throat only to feel the vibration of a quiet moan move through her whole body. And she was gone, just like that, his eagerness too infectious for her to stand a chance against it.
He pulled her closer and she let him, her hands moving to the buttons of his shirt to get more skin exposed to the caresses of her lips as it was his mouth moving over her now, and his hands joined it too, roaming over her body and pulling at her to have her straddling his lap. And he would've gotten her right where he wanted her if the ringing of his phone hadn't interrupted.
Valtor sighed, moving away from her quickly and nearly shoving her farther from him but she couldn't get offended when she knew he was doing it to protect her from the crushing burden of his job. "This does not spark joy," he muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, the device almost flying out of his grip at the jerky motion. He froze for a moment as he looked at the screen before turning to look at her, the apology acute in his gaze. "I have to take this," he said and got up, heading for the fading light coming from the balcony.
Griffin followed him with her gaze, her mind racing with the puzzle pieces it'd been given. His reaction made sense as he hated it when work got in their way but there was something else there. And the few letters she'd seen from the caller's ID were making her jump to conclusions. It wasn't like him to spoil the surprise if he was planning one, but on the other hand, getting a call from the jewelry store could mean many things. Of course, after Faragonda's countless remarks, her mind immediately hopped in engagement territory but it could be anything else. And she wouldn't mind, the monad necklace he'd given her still one of her most treasured possessions. Yet, her heart still accelerated dangerously at the thought of him putting a ring on her finger to make the union between them official.
She was his, completely and without question. And she didn't need silver or gold, or a signature to know it and be happy. He could very well never feel ready to ask her if she'd be his for the rest of her life as she knew how much he feared the potential for rejection a question like that carried and she understood completely. She was okay with it as she was secure enough in the feelings between them not to need him to prove anything when all the evidence was right there, captured in the ice of his eyes every time he looked at her. And even despite that she couldn't help but wander through the fantasy of getting to call him her husband and hear him call her his wife. It wasn't something she'd been able to imagine before she'd fallen in love with him, and she couldn't imagine it with anyone else even if she wanted to. And it was yet another confirmation that she didn't need him to put a ring on her finger and she would never pressure him to do it. But it did spark joy to think about it, and think that it was possible. One day, when he could find it in himself to reach without fear for what was waiting for him. She truly wanted it, wanted to see him believe in their love the way she did and not let the three monsters that he'd called family and the fear they'd instilled in him cripple him anymore. Because she knew that was the only thing standing between them and being an official family. But she was his family anyway, and she would always be, bound to him by her feelings that were far more powerful than anything else he could ever find.
Valtor ended the call soon, almost in sync with the sun sinking in the horizon to disappear as if it'd never been there. And the same happened with her inner debate now that he was free of anything else and that invited her to capture his attention once again.
Griffin slipped out on the balcony herself, earning a smile from him the instant she was back in his world and the welcome made her want to never leave which was exactly her intention. It was why she kept following him and waited for him to come find her after all the obstacles they'd been through. Their road hadn't been easy but there was nothing easier, nothing more natural to her than loving him.
Valtor offered her a hand and pulled her into him again when she took it, wrapping her in his embrace once more which was the only logical course to take now that there wasn't anything to keep him away from her. "Sorry," he said, looking away as if it was too hard to handle the reassurance in her gaze that he didn't need to be. And he didn't need to be but it wasn't really him who decided how he felt so she wouldn't judge him for wanting to be considerate. If that was what the apology was for. "This won't be forever," he said, making it clear he was talking about anything else but work because as much as he himself wanted it, he couldn't pull himself away from that. No more than he could leave her. And she didn't understand but she tried to respect it just like she did with every other part of him as she loved all of them, all of his being.
"This will be," Griffin said and leaned in to let their lips meet again and join together in a show of their love. And there were no stars in the sky yet, but the endless darkness was a better witness anyway with how utterly inconsequential it was to the happiness they shared.