Bloom and Sky 30: Painting the house that ends in a paint fight and giggles
Bloom had no idea how he'd done it, but frankly she didn't care. She was just happy to be out of the palace and away from Samara and Erendor. She was pretty sure Samara did like her, but she was hiding it because her husband still saw Bloom as the girl that had weaseled her way into Sky's mind and convinced him to call off an engagement that had been years in the making. Then she'd made it worse with her progressive thinking and making Sky question some of the laws and policies Eraklyon had. It didn't matter to the king that Bloom was the keeper of the most powerful magic in the dimension or that she had a kingdom of her own, she would always be the pesky middle class Earth girl to him. When they'd moved into their own wing in the palace after years of having dated, Erendor barely acknowledged her and it drove Bloom completely mad. She had mentioned it to Sky, expecting him to request that his father be cordial with her – that was all she'd wanted. Instead, Sky had somehow managed to convince his parents that it made sense for the crown prince of Eraklyon and his future queen to live on their own for a bit; experience the realm like the people did. That led them here: their very own apartment in the downtown region of Eraklyon's capital city.
It wasn't a big apartment; one bedroom, one bathroom and an open kitchen/living room with a small balcony on the fourth floor of an apartment building. Stella had called it cramped; Bloom called it cozy. And, best of all, theirs. No kings, no guards, no maids, no rules. They could wear sweatpants to dinner, get up at noon, fuck on the kitchen counter, throw popcorn at each other when they watched tv and order pizza for every single meal if they damn well pleased.
"Alright, I think that's everything we need" Sky said, kicking the door closed behind him. He put down the two gallons of paint he'd carried in from the car. Bloom looked over the equipment: paint, tape, brushes, rollers, rags and stir sticks. They'd primed the walls the day before, so the drop cloths already covered the wood floors.
"Remind me why we're doing this ourselves instead of hiring painters?" Sky crouched down to open one of the gallons of paint. It was a light green colour with a slight blue tint – papyrus, it had been called – that would be perfect for their living room space.
"It's more fun this way. Besides, it's such a small apartment; it can't possibly take us that long to paint."
A few hours later, they'd finished the first coat in the kitchen/living room and bathroom and were on the bedroom. Sky started on the far wall while she worked on the one by the window. They sang along badly to one of the many playlists on Bloom's phone (courtesy of Musa), but otherwise worked in relative peace.
Bloom let her mind wander the possibilities of their future together, as she often did. This time, she pictured late nights cuddled on the couch, Sunday morning breakfasts in bed – even if it was just cereal, cooking together, having friends over for dinner. A grumble from her stomach advised her that she was hungry, so she turned to suggest to Sky that they order some food. A white spot on the very bottom of the wall caught her eye, distracting her from her hunger. "You missed a spot on the bottom" she laughed.
"Shit, really?" Sky maneuvered from his spot atop the ladder, trying to see the missed spot. Bloom assured him she had it and shuffled over with her paint brush in hand. She covered the spot and sat down properly, crossing her legs, at the foot of the ladder. Above her, Sky shuffled and swore. "Move!"
Bloom looked up in time to see the paint can that Sky had on the top rung of the ladder coming at her. She narrowly managed to avoid it, pushing herself out of the way just in time. The can hit the floor, splashing paint everywhere including Bloom herself. Her pants, shirt, arm and hair were speckled with paint.
Sky came down the ladder, trying to hold in a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry" he chortled, covering his mouth with his hand.
"You think this is funny?" Bloom stood up, motioning to the paint splattered along the left side of her body.
"No." Sky's face grew deadly serious, but Bloom could tell he was trying very hard to hold back the laughter. As future king, he'd been trained to present as serious in case it was ever necessary, but Bloom knew him well enough to know his tells.
"You do" she accused, bending over to dip her brush in the paint. "Well let's see how funny you find this."
Paint splashed across Sky's chest and arms, staining him baby blue. Bloom giggled proudly at the shocked look that crossed his face. The shock was quickly replaced by a smirk. He picked up the brush he'd placed atop the ladder and dipped it in the paint. Bloom squeaked and ran across the room to where her gallon of paint waited by the wall.
Paint was tossed wildly: on the couple, the ladder, the drop cloths, the window and the freshly painted walls. At some point, Bloom had found herself tossed over Sky's shoulder, kicking and laughing, for reasons she could remember. At the end, they found themselves lying on the floor covered in paint and laughing.
"I think we're gonna need to get more paint" Sky commented once the giggles had subsided. He propped himself up and picked up the empty gallon at his feet, turning it over to demonstrate that it was empty. "You were right, though."
"Aren't I always?" Bloom laughed, sitting up beside him to rest her chin on his shoulder and smile at him. Sky rolled his eyes, a wide grin spread across his face. "What was I right about specifically, though?"
"This was much more fun than hiring painters."
"Ah, yes. I told you it would be." Bloom laughed again, placing a kiss on Sky's cheek before shifting her head to rest her temple on his shoulder. Sky placed his arm around her, gently caressing her arm. His head rested on hers and he let out a contented sigh. They stayed like that for a few minutes, enjoying the peace of their home, before Sky spoke Bloom's second favourite sentence (the first was I love you). "Come on, let's order some food."