The idea came as Arise getting more content got me hype again. Enjoy.
The sunlight that slashed through the newly-liberated Ganath Haros felt strange for a land once veiled in mist. A livelier atmosphere than what it used to be, the citizens were a whole different mess to contend with. That alone was enough to rouse Shionne from a pleasant dream.
"Time to move…" Pushing aside her blankets with an unenthusiastic sway of her arm, she tossed her legs off the bedside and gave a big stretch. Dressing herself and shaking off the morning drowsiness, she proceeded outside, greeted with the ear-splitting racket of conversation and work. Never the best thing to wake up too...
"Sleep well?" Law strode up to her, hoisting a rather large sack of miscellaneous items over his shoulder, with Rinwell and Hootle for company.
Shionne nodded and noticed a certain someone was missing. "Where's Alphen?"
"Alphen?" Rinwell and Law looked at each other, then the mage gave her a quizzical look. "I thought he would be with you."
Her brows furrowed. "Me? I just woke up."
Law scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, whenever we find you, we find Alphen– and vice-versa. So we figured you were together."
Shionne didn't know how to respond, so left it at that. She got the insinuation. "So he hasn't woken up then."
"He overslept?" Rinwell said it as if it were unheard of, like the sky would come crashing down at any moment.
"Guy's been hard at work. Makes sense he's gonna oversleep every now and again. The only reason I got up early was because Alphen took over the last half of my work yesterday," Law said.
"Trying to take everything himself, like always." Rinwell and Law did not miss the slight annoyance laced in Shionne's tone. The mage volunteered to get him but Shionne dismissed the offer, told her and Law to continue whatever task they were given, and headed back into the castle. There were a few things she wanted to discuss with him anyway so this worked out. Also give him a good chewing-out about sharing the load, not that he would listen but it would make her feel better.
Standing in front of his room, she gave a soft knock and a "Hello?" Receiving no answer, Shionne knocked harder, surely waking him up now but got not even a peep or rustle in return. A little worried that something might have happened she twisted the handle, finding the door unlocked, and entered. Sleeping soundly on the bed was Alphen, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She closed the door and walked to his bedside. Shionne felt a little bad for waking him up when he looked totally beat, but duty called.
"Alphen, enough sleep. We have work to do, remember?"
"Mmm… ngh… five more minutes," he grumbled in his sleep.
"I swear…" He really was out of it. Maybe being both the first one to rise and the last one to call it a day finally caught up with him. He looked so peaceful that Shionne thought it would be downright sinful to wake him up. Law immediately popped into her mind, and the insinuation he and Rinwell led with. Shionne did admit they spent more time alone than usual. Whether they had tasks to complete, requests from the slowly reawakening citizens, they always found themselves in the company of the other. Heat filled her cheeks fast and she shook her head to dispel her daydreams.
"Alphen! Come on." Shionne threw the covers off him, having the morning chill caress his skin. His entire body trembled as his hands grabbed for the sheets she tossed onto the ground. A side of her couldn't help but find it a little… cute.
"Found it."
"Wha–?!"
Though what Alphen grabbed and pulled toward him wasn't the satin fabric he covered, but Shionne's hand. Unable to catch herself she fell over him. Shionne managed to keep herself from landing on top of him though. No matter what he said or the brave face he put on her thorns still hurt like hell. His hand remained on her back nonetheless, seemingly unaffected by the thorns striking him. Although her thorns were now the least of her concerns.
So daringly close to him, her lips a few inches away from his, her heart would explode into a million pieces if it beat any faster. She could move away if she wanted to– a simple step back to regain their prior distance, and… oh, that's right, he doesn't wear a shirt to bed…
That blazing heat which filled her cheeks earlier returned, turning her face bright red. Her lips quivered, feeling antsy, nervousness creeping into her body, the marrow of her bones. Shionne swallowed hard as a thought crossed her mind: "...Would he be against this?" Her vision slowly grew darker, and she realized her eyes were closing, her head was moving, inch by hesitant inch–
"Shionne, have you gotten Alphen up yet? We have some things to–" Kisara's voice cut and Shionne's body went deathly still. In the doorway she and Dohalim stood with unreadable expressions. They shared a long staring contest, the air still and thinning, and Shionne needed something to break the silence she went insane.
"This is a big misunderstanding! I just came to wake him up, and–"
"No need. This is our fault." Kisara put a hand out to stop her.
"Indeed. You two need your privacy, like anyone else," Dohalim said.
"N-no, wait, this isn't–!" Shionne tried to explain herself, but it was meaningless.
"Apologies. We will leave you alone." Placing a hand on her chest in her customary guardsmen salute, she bowed.
"Yes, do excuse us." Dohalim bowed as well as they saw themselves out. "Everyone, time to double up on your work today!" Shionne heard Kisara bellow and felt her whole world collapse.
"Shionne?" Alphen blinked awake, confused what she was doing kneeling at her bedside, why she appeared so distraught, and how come his hand tinged with pain.
As emotions overwhelmed her, she shouted, "Why couldn't you wake up yourself!?"
"What did I do?!"