Hey Guys! Here is the next request from MissLissa4, hope you like it! In this one, we get to see some cuddling between Vlad/Leila and Mencheres/Kira. I always liked the reversal of the typical spooning positions so here you go!

Mencheres cracked an eye open as sunlight flowed in from the drapes he had forgotten to close the night before. With a flick of his power, the room was bathed in relative darkness once again. Kira shifted behind him, sensing that he wasn't in her arms as he was when they fell asleep the night before. Before he could retake his previous position wrapped around her, her arms wound around his waist.

Surprise briefly strafed through his conscious before settling into a content warmth as Kira entangled their legs and tightened her arms around his middle. Generally he was the one to curl around her, but as Kira cuddled her face into his neck from behind and her arms cradled his sides, he found himself enjoying this position just as much. Maybe he would request it more often, if Kira was of mind. Shifting to get more comfortable in their new position, Mencheres felt disappointment when Kira edged awake from the movement.

He didn't have time to tell her to go back to sleep before sleep heavy eyes locked with his own from over his shoulder. Her brows scrunched in confusion before taking in their position. Her eyebrows hit her hairline, before she glanced at him in curiosity. "You don't mind being the little spoon?" Obviously if he had then he would have moved her, but she wanted confirmation.

Mencheres rolled over, not wanting to talk over his shoulder despite how comfortable the position was. "If that is what it is called, then no. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would be more than welcoming should you decide to do so again."

Kira beamed at him, inching forward to peck his lips before answering. "As long as you enjoy it too then I will definitely be doing that again. I'm surprised though, most men seem to think it's demeaning or some other bullshit. I always thought it was a nice position to relax."

Mencheres pulled her against his front before responding, his fingers weaving into her hair. "I have no reason to fret about my masculinity. It is firmly in place and spending the morning wrapped in your arms would not affect it. Even if it had impacted it in some way, I would still choose to lie in your arms."

Kira's stomach bubbled happily, she loved it when Mencheres said such things. While she knew he was different than most men, being over four millennia old and all, it was always refreshing to not deal with the often toxic masculinity that plagued today's society. If Mencheres felt like doing something with her, he would. It never crossed his mind if the action wasn't strictly masculine by definition, such as this, the only thing he concerned himself with was their enjoyment.

Kira wove her fingers into his long hair, the silky strands sliding through her fingers as she took in his face. His eyes closed in enjoyment as her fingers carded through his hair, she had learned early that one of his favorite things was when they laid down and she played with it. She was happy to oblige any time that they had the opportunity, his hair was soft.

"I know and I love that about you, I can't tell you how refreshing it is that you don't buy into society's 'masculine' image or try to force yourself into that mold. I love you as you, not society's definition of how you should be." Mencheres hummed in enjoyment and agreement as her fingers gently dug into his scalp. He knew of what she spoke and even when he had been human such things had existed. Society, no matter what country, had an image they held for what each person should be. He had never cared for those images, he would be himself and it didn't matter what strangers thought about that, because as long as he and those close to him held no objections then that was all that mattered.

"I will never turn your touch away because it is seen as emasculating, I care for your touch too much and other people's opinions too little for such a thing to come about." His words sparked an idea in Kira, her hands pulling out of his hair as she rolled over onto her back, immediately catching his attention.

She held her arms out in an unspoken offer that Mencheres wasted no time in accepting. Rolling over, he rested his head against her chest and throat while wrapping his arms around her. Her arms came up to cradle his head and back, fingers leisurely stroking through his hair before massaging down his spine. He felt his body relax against her, the soothing stroking feeling sublime as he settled into her embrace.

They stayed like that for what could have been hours, before Kira shifted her hand over his head to her nightstand. Plucking the book from its previous spot, she propped it open one handed on his back before she began to read out loud. Mencheres dozed in and out of consciousness as the sound of his dark lady's voice and touch dragged him into sleep's embrace.

It was a lazy morning in Romania, one of the few times when Vlad had a clear work schedule, which left him with time to relax with his wife. Leila rested contentedly on his chest, happy to soak in the tranquil mood as Vlad's hand stroked up and down her back.

Over the past few days she had been considering asking Vlad if he was willing to try something. It wasn't sexual, which is why she was so nervous. How would Vlad react to her asking him to try, for lack of better phrasing, a new cuddling position? She knew that he wouldn't snap at her but would he think it was childish? Would he scoff at her or tell her such things were beneath him?

Smelling her building nerves, Vlad spoke up. "What are you thinking of that has you so nervous?" He kept his tone neutral, only allowing curiosity to bleed through. Ever since the disaster of his birthday Leila had been more hesitant to speak her ideas or requests, much to his chagrin. He had foolishly hoped that she would walk away with no damage to her confidence after he had apologized and explained the situation but she still had lingering problems.

Shaking off his thoughts, he focused on the present. He had sensed that Leila had been wanting something for days, but every time she was about to ask she backed out at the last second. It was frustrating, waiting for her to be ready to ask, and he had finally had enough. Curiosity and frustration pushed him to ask of her odd behavior, with any luck she would tell him what she wanted and they could begin building her confidence back up.

Leila bit her lip, debating with herself on how to answer. She had no doubt that Vlad had noticed her nerves, he noticed everything. Making a decision, she met his eyes before responding. "I wanted to ask you for something."

Vlad's eyebrow ticked up, intrigued at her words. He had thought she had a question, not a request but that explained her hesitance. She was never comfortable asking him for things. He motioned with his hand for her to continue, which she did after another moment.

Deciding to bite the bullet and get it over with, Leila blurted out. "What are your thoughts on being the little spoon?" If she was still human she would be bright red, of all the ways to ask that was what she came up with?

Vlad blinked in shock which quickly melted into confusion. What was she talking about? "Why would I be a spoon?" He knew he was missing something, by the sound of the phrase it was a more contemporary slang, but what did it mean?

It was Leila's turn to be surprised, although the phrase was relatively new it was still fairly popular. Internally groaning over how embarrassing the coming conversation was, she explained. "Spooning is the term used for when a couple are lying together facing front to back. The 'big spoon' is the one wrapped around the 'little spoon'. If you don't want to that's fine, I just thought it would be a nice thing to try."

Seeing her embarrassment, Vlad dropped a kiss to her head as he considered. Leila looked ready to take it back and bolt, but what she was asking wasn't anything shameful. He enjoyed holding her, enough to spend more time wrapped around her than he had ever spent in bed with a previous partner before. It made sense that she would want to know what it felt like to be the one holding him. He had no objection, Leila wasn't the type to gossip about what they did in their bed.

"As long as you don't spread the knowledge around, I have no problem with reversing our positions. You are one of the few people whose touch I actively enjoy, that extends to being held by you." Leila looked at him with owlish wide eyes, her surprise amusing and irritating him. Was it truly so impossible to her that he wouldn't mind trying a new position in regards to things other than their sex life?

Before she could say anything, Vlad slid her off his chest before shifting to lay on his side in invitation. Leila only hesitated a moment before scooting up against his back, her chest settling against his spine. Her arm wrapped around his waist, his hand coming to rest over hers against his abdomen before interlacing their fingers. His hand pulled her arm tighter around him, tugging her body closer to his.

With their bodies plastered together, she shifted her face into his shoulder. The familiar smell of cinnamon and smoke hit her nose as she snuggled deeper into his back. After a moment with no negative reaction, she relaxed against him. It felt nice to be wrapped around him for a change, despite that she still preferred being in his arms.

As if in response to her thoughts, Vlad spoke up. "While this is pleasant in its own right, I prefer holding you. Should you wish to do this again, feel free to ask."

Leila hummed her agreement, happy that they could do this again in the future as her other arm wiggled underneath his side to complete the embrace. The natural body warmth that Vlad emitted felt like a heated blanket in her arms, her previous drowsiness coming back with a force. The last thing she remembered before drifting off again was Vlad's thumb stroking her hand.

Aaaaand that's it for this one. I like how it turned out, lots of fluff all around.