You Be The Prince, And I'll Be The Princess
It had been a long day. Adam had never been so thankful to be done with work and be able to go home to his girls. He checked his phone—he still had half an hour until bedtime. He thanked whatever divine power which had allowed him to reach home before Makayla's bedtime because spending time with her was the best way to decompress after working all day.
He got his keys out and let himself into their apartment, smiling at the scene that welcomed him. Kim had transformed the entire living room into a kind of stage, and several of Mak's stuffed toys were scattered all over the floor. They both had their backs to him, neither of them having heard him come in because Makayla was in the middle of doing a monster voice. He stared at them for a few seconds, a slow smile spreading across his face. Mak had a tiara on her head, wore a bright pink tutu and held a magic wand to complete the ensemble, and Kim was arranging the stuffies in an order. Looking at them, it made him realize how empty it felt to come home to nobody. He now fully appreciated the difference of coming back not just to a full apartment, but to a home. Their home.
"How are my girls doing?" he asked, announcing his presence. They both turned around, huge grins on their faces, and Mak's excited squeals filled the room.
"Adam! Adam, look, we're doing a show! Are you ready?" she asked, starting an excited chatter of all the things she'd planned. It seemed as if she'd written and directed the play herself, and he and Kim were the leading stars. He listened intently, smiling a little at how invested she was in the whole thing. He glanced at Kim, who was already looking at him with a little smile of her own.
"Hey," he mouthed at her, wondering how her day had been. She'd left early to pick Mak up from school. She smiled wider, mouthing back a hey. Mak asked him a question, pulling him back into her chatter.
Kim dimmed the lights, giving the room a soft glow. Mak handed him one of her toys, and he started in with whatever monster noises he could think of, but she stopped him midway.
"No no, Adam, you're not the monster! You're the Prince!" she exclaimed, giving him a sassy look, like 'why don't you know this already, dummy?' He chuckled.
"Oh yeah? And what would Your Highness want this Prince to say?" he played along.
"So, you're the Prince, and Kim is the Princess. She's in trouble because the bad people found her and are keeping her prisoner. You need to ride your horse and find her so you can save her!" she said, looking between the two of them. Adam laughed softly, wondering how far her imagination went.
Kim, who up until now had just been staring at the two of them, grew very still. The air around her was suddenly very poignant with the promise of something. Not being able to hold her thoughts in anymore, she said what she'd felt in her heart when she'd heard Makayla utter those words.
"He already saved me," she whispered, looking directly at Adam, a soft smile on her face. He stared back at her, a myriad of emotions coursing through him. His chest felt tight, his breathing picked up, and his heart had most definitely stuttered for a second but was beating at triple speed now. His mind was whirling, and emotion after emotion fluttered through him, so fast he couldn't keep track of them.
Swallowing roughly, his gaze on Kim, he said, "Thing is, Mak…," he paused, his voice hoarse. "The Princess saved me first." He looked right at Kim as he said this, wanting her to know exactly what he meant. Makayla was too young to understand the full meaning behind his words, but he knew Kim would. Her smile grew, and her eyes glowed with emotion. Before he could think about anything else, Makayla interrupted.
"Well, how could she have saved you? She's trapped!" she asked, looking adorably confused. Kim and Adam both laughed.
It was a little while later when Kim was cleaning up the living room and Adam had just finished putting Makayla to bed when he came out and joined her.
"Hey," he said, sitting on the couch. She turned around, having just put the last of the toys away.
"Hey," she replied, smiling shyly at him.
"Come here," he said softly, stretching his hand out. She walked closer, taking his hand. He pulled her down beside him, circling his arms around her. She snuggled into him, enjoying their closeness, seeking his warmth. A few minutes passed, both of them basking in their happiness and contentment and a thought occurred to Kim.
"You know… you might've saved me, and I might've saved you. But in all honesty, she saved us," she said in a quiet voice. His arms tightened around her, and she felt him press a kiss to her forehead.
"Yeah, darlin'. She definitely saved us," he whispered back.