A/N: This got so away from me both with the length and with the slight angst that crept in but I am glad with how it turned out (and was on the verge of tears once more). I hope you'll enjoy it as well.
"So," Griffin drawled out as she put the tea cup on the saucer and left all of it on the coffee table. It seemed somehow new even though she was used to having tea with Faragonda in the penthouse as it'd been her home for a long time now. Could be the new tea set Faragonda had bought for her. Or it could be the wedding band shining on her finger. Sadly, there was no way to truly tell. "What's new with you and Hagen?" she asked, still having a hard time believing it'd been more than fifteen days since the last time she'd seen Faragonda at the bachelorette party. They had a lot of catching up to do even if they'd talked a few times during the honeymoon.
Valtor had taken off an astounding two weeks which he'd spent away from work and instead working on reminding her she was his wife now. She could've gotten confused and started thinking that was her name now with how often he'd said it, taking every opportunity to lean in and whisper into her ear how happy it made him to call her that. And she hadn't found it in herself to complain, weak for hearing the mirth in his voice as he said the title he'd allowed her to claim.
"Anything new Hagen wanted to try that you hadn't had the chance to tell me about?" she asked, letting a mischievous smirk take over her face as she fought to remain focused on the present and not get lost in the memories of Valtor following up her name with the words "my wife" every time he'd come. Which hadn't been too rare an occurrence during the honeymoon, the two of them practically living in bed as if they'd never touched each other before. Not that she'd had any objections. It'd been hard to speak with the lack of air due to the reverence he was putting in the words and the feeling of both wedding bands on her skin as he'd touched every inch of her, adding on to the breathlessness brought on from his ministrations. She'd wanted to explore more of Greece's culture but she could never say no to Valtor's body on hers and their souls coming together as they'd both murmured their declarations of love.
Faragonda raised her eyebrows so high Griffin was afraid they were going to fall off her face. "Really?"
"What?" she asked, a chuckle escaping her and sneaking into the word, making it sound all nervous and confused. It was ridiculous as she knew very well what Faragonda was getting at and they'd talked about that before–as evidenced by her own question and the ease with which it had been asked and met–so there was no reason for her reaction.
"You're starting with me after you just came back from your honeymoon?" Faragonda asked as she left her own cup on the table and turned to her, sitting sideways on the couch, her whole attention focused on Griffin. It made her burn, not really from shame as there was no need for that between the two of them since they knew each other so well and despite being a very private person, she didn't have a problem with that openness, she really valued it, in fact. The feelings inside her were explosive, though, and were pushing to get out while also taking over the deepest parts of her being and it was a confusing duality that was hard to comprehend. Like she had to share but only because she would burst if she didn't and she was still mindful of revealing her inner experiences even to Faragonda.
"What do you want to know?" Griffin asked, less as an attempt to escape the interrogation she knew was coming and more in search of direction since there was so much to talk about and she didn't know where to start. Those two weeks had felt like an eternity and she'd been ecstatic to spend every moment of it in his arms.
"Everything," Faragonda said, an answer she should've expected, though the loudness and excitement in the single word were definitely a surprise. Faragonda was usually calmer and more contained, even when she was under the rule of stronger and more intense emotions. So it definitely stuck out to see her like that. "Tell me about your wedding night. And don't stop there," she said and her movements could almost be described like bouncing from excitement by her usual standards. It warmed Griffin's heart to see how happy her friend was for her. Not that she hadn't known Faragonda–and the others too–was ecstatic about the wedding but it was so touching to see that happiness and know that it reflected her own. "Walk me through the whole thing," Faragonda leaned forward, her eyes on Griffin as she prepared to listen carefully to every detail.
"Okay," Griffin said, chuckling again and this one was closer to joy even if it still had some nervousness left in it. She just didn't know if she'd find the words to describe it. "It was very... romantic," she said, struck not by how unusual that was for Valtor but by the exact opposite. He was actually a very soft and sensual lover and partner and she was stunned she hadn't realized that sooner–at least not on a conscious level–as they'd been together for years. "He carried me through the door of the presidential suite–and in here when we got home too–and there were petals everywhere. Not from roses, though, but from plumerias. Those violet ones. And it all looked so soft on the background of the champagne sheets," Griffin said, the image clear in her head as she suspected it would be for the rest of her life with how special everything had been. "Speaking of which, we did toast to being a family but the champagne was wasted since Valtor was too eager to focus on me." Griffin felt a smile pulling at her lips at the memories. It had been supposed to be a simple kiss at the end of the toast but instead she hadn't even realized when her glass hadn't been in her hand anymore or when her dress had left her body and she'd been pinned under Valtor. Not that she'd complained. "He took his time and didn't really let me do much besides making noise for him." She paused, looking to fill her lungs with air again, much like she'd struggled to do back then as he'd left her completely breathless.
"Breathe, Griffie," Faragonda said, the smirk tugging at her lips before she'd even finished her sentence, making Griffin shoot her a dirty glare that had just enough playfulness attached to it not to be taken seriously.
"Now you're talking," Griffin snipped at her, playing offended. "But you were all breathless and flushed that time you were telling me how you and Hagen almost broke the bed," she said, smugness washing over her as Faragonda instantly flushed again at the mention or, more likely, at the memory. "Or that time you told me you made a sex tape." Griffin grinned as Faragonda cut her gaze from hers, the slight movement of her thighs as she pressed them together making it clear what was running through her mind.
"Don't start with me, Griffin," Faragonda recovered quickly–much more so than Griffin could when it came to what had gone down on her honeymoon–and her eyes were locked with Griffin's once more. "You have a lot more talking to do," she said, her gaze imploring her to get back to her own memories while remaining just as gentle as Griffin knew it to always be.
"Okay," Griffin relented, going back to where she'd left off. "Valtor used every opportunity to call me his wife," she said, the smile finding its way back to her face as she felt a calmer and steadier warmth spread through her at the memories of how hearing him say it had made her feel weightless and... happy. She'd been floating from the intensity of the happiness spreading through her at the sound. Although it had been frustrating as he'd stopped several times while he'd been eating her out, leaving her hanging on the edge, to test how the word sounded next to her desperate whines.
"Why am I not surprised?" Faragonda chuckled but it didn't take long for only a genuine smile to be left on her face and the emotion in it was reflected in her eyes too, as she looked straight into Griffin's soul as if to place there the reassurance that her joy was shared. Not only by her husband, but by her friend too. And she was no longer lonely, with only her mom to join her when she had something to celebrate.
"I think he's still trying to get used to the idea as much as he is doing it out of excitement," Griffin said, her own voice small at the thought. Mainly because she understood since she was having a hard time believing it too. "Which might be why it took him so long to get me to orgasm," she said, forcing the words out to shift back to the light mood that she shouldn't have chased away before the concern in Faragonda's gaze had time to jump out and flood the space around them. She didn't want to stain the happiness of the present with the pain of the past. She'd lived in that long enough and she really wanted to move on from it now. There was no need to be stuck in it any longer. "We were at it until dawn and then slept well into the afternoon," she continued, the sight that Valtor had made as he'd slept softly next to her in the daylight–she'd woken well before him but she'd settled for letting him sleep and doing her best to seal the image in her brain since she wasn't certain when they'd have the opportunity to be in bed at that time of day again–taking over her and pushing away anything that didn't match the feeling of awe and love it carried.
"I don't think anyone can blame you," Faragonda said, her voice quiet as if not to disturb the inner atmosphere Griffin had set for herself but also reassuring as if to help her shake off any feelings of duty and responsibility that might have transferred on to her from Valtor and she was grateful. She was pretty sure there hadn't been much guilt on his part when it came to their honeymoon and she'd caught him in the beginning of his episodes when there'd been such so she felt secure that they'd handled that issue but it was still good to get the confirmation that they were allowed to be happy, and the encouragement too.
"We called room service since Valtor didn't want to go out just yet and "share me with the world"," Griffin said shaking her head as if she didn't still get flutters from the declaration and her face muscles hadn't started to hurt from sporting a grin for so long after he'd said it.
"Let me guess. You didn't like the food," Faragonda interrupted her inner musings, bringing her back to the conversation.
"Am I supposed to bite my tongue just because they're not trying hard enough?" Griffin huffed as she looked away since her genuine outrage and Faragonda's amusement did not mix well. "I'll have you know that Valtor agreed with me," she said as she turned back to Faragonda since she still had a point to prove.
"Does Valtor ever disagree with you?" Faragonda asked, an echo of her bubbling laughter in her voice that she was doing her best to hold back.
"Why would he disagree when I'm right?" Griffin asked, taking her cup of tea again both to show Faragonda she was over her attempts at teasing and because there would be no point in drinking it if she waited for them to finish that conversation since there was a lot more to talk about. So many things had happened, all of them good, that it was overwhelming to remember them all at once but that just made her more eager to do it and be overwhelmed by happiness for once instead of all the negativity she was used to.
"Oh, I'm certain he appreciated the fact that you were free to focus solely on him," Faragonda nudged her which Griffin ignored in favor of taking a sip of tea that hadn't been spilled since her friend was considerate and careful enough even when she was playful and Griffin really appreciated that. "Come on! What happened after that?" Faragonda asked, her voice more of a whine than Griffin was used to hearing it. It seemed like she was really curious.
Griffin looked down at her cup, feeling heat that had nothing to do with the hot tea rushing through her. "We, um... we did it on the balcony that evening," she said, quickly lifting the cup to her lips but sneaking a glance at Faragonda as she was sipping on her tea.
"On the balcony?" Faragonda asked, her voice full of disbelief that wasn't misplaced at all. "The two of you?" she asked, knowing them both too well. Valtor was possessive as hell and hated just the thought of someone else getting to see or hear her the way he did. And she was, except for really insisting on having her privacy respected, also too loud for any sexual escapades with the beginnings of an element of publicity to be a good idea. Yet, they'd ended up on the balcony in the first rays of moonlight when the whole hotel had been buzzing with life.
"Valtor said he wanted even the stars to know I was his wife," Griffin said, remembering her own unwillingness at the face of his sudden change of moods and how convincing his kisses had been, how he'd carried her outside on the balcony and peeled off her satin robe from her shoulders, leaving her naked under the night sky. "I had to fight to keep quiet," she said as both Valtor and Faragonda knew she had a hard time doing that. And it'd been even harder that night–they'd just been lucky the noise that'd been coming from all sides had drowned out the moans that had slipped from her lips–as he'd been pushing inside her, his mouth over the skin of her back he'd been able to reach and his hands over all the rest of her, his praises and groans in her ears as the wedding band on her ring finger had reflected the soft starlight and her own moans had filled the night sky. She'd felt like the whole world had been theirs, only existing to fulfill their desires and be a witness to their endless love.
Griffin looked down at her cup again risking to have the tears that had filled her eyes in an instant falling into her tea but she needed a second to take a hold of herself and Faragonda's concerned gaze would only have her unraveling even more instead.
"Griffie, are you okay?" Faragonda asked immediately, her hand on Griffin's, rubbing gently while the other one slowly extracted the cup from her grip and left it on the table.
"I just..." Griffin tried but her voice was trembling far too much with the emotion latching on to it as hard as it was shaking her whole being. She'd been full of feelings back then, too, but she'd been too busy focusing on Valtor and his own soul keeping hers company and touching her so profoundly that she hadn't been able to pay attention to anything else. But now her mind was free of other things and she could feel the full impact of the recent events on her life and her psyche. "I never thought I'd have this, that I'd be... married," the last word morphed into a weird sound as it merged with the sob it drew from her but it seemed that Faragonda still understood her as she squeezed at her hand to encourage her to get it all out. "I never believed I would get to have a husband, a family of my own, and all this happiness..." she said, letting the tears roll down her cheeks as she didn't have enough energy to keep pushing them back no matter how much she didn't want to cry any longer after she'd done that enough times already when she'd been miserable and lonely.
She'd thought that all her friends would get married and she'd be the only one left alone since she could never find a soulmate with all that darkness she carried in herself. She'd thought she'd never find someone to love her enough to want to be her family and marry her. And then when she'd had Valtor, she hadn't thought about that, had done her best to just live in the moment and not think about everything that could go wrong. She'd done her best to hush her fear of abandonment until it had faded away and she'd forgotten all about it. And now she was married–the first one out of her closest friends to be–and it wasn't hard at all to believe but the idea still struck her like a lightning, somewhat painful with the reminder of the fears she'd been made of before she'd met Valtor.
"Hey, it's okay. Let it out," Faragonda said as she scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, her hand still on Griffin's, warm and soothing, and inviting all of her feelings to spill out.
"I don't want to cry," Griffin said as if she had much choice on the matter. The tears were falling from her eyes, unmoved by her attempts to hold them back.
"Let it get out, Griffie," Faragonda said, her hand moving over Griffin's arm and the gentleness of her actions and her voice was so familiar. It was home and provided the security Griffin had been missing during their stay in Greece that she'd needed to work out her emotional blockage. "It will come back to haunt you otherwise," Faragonda said, her advice wise like it always was. "Let it out and let it go," she said while she kept her grip on Griffin steady and firm without making it suffocating or painful and touched her head to Griffin's as if to transfer her some of her own peace of mind, all of which Griffin was immensely grateful for. She had no idea how she would've done it without the support which might have been what had held her back from trying until now.
"Thank you," she whispered, knowing the weakness of the tears wouldn't transfer in that as the sound was already so quiet that even the pain coming out of her did not dare interfere with it as it was far too important to be left unheard.
"Always," Faragonda said, the single word taking so much burden off of Griffin's shoulders as it reminded her that Valtor wasn't the first person who'd stuck around. She'd known Faragonda for decades and they'd always been so close, sharing every piece of their souls with each other. And while they loved her in different ways, they both loved her. And since Faragonda had always been there, that made it so much easier to let herself believe that her happiness was real and Valtor would be with her for the rest of eternity just like he'd promised. And her heart could rest with ease.
She chuckled, a small noise that sounded not quite right but she had to move into the present now, the thought of sinking further in the hurt that she desperately wished to leave behind too unbearable. Especially when it stood right next to the memories of what she had currently.
"I guess I'll just hide from problems in Valtor's arms for now on and break down over them in yours," she said, trying to get some humor into the situation. And it didn't sound like a bad option if she had to be perfectly honest. Her heart was bursting with so much love for Valtor when she was with him that she couldn't remember the times before she'd felt that. And Faragonda had always been a crucial part of her support system, to the point where she'd already gotten used to trusting that she wasn't a burden to her friend.
"I feel like I should argue with that first part but you already had enough emotions to deal with today so I'll leave it for another time," Faragonda said as she rubbed at her back before moving to pull away but Griffin caught her hand and pulled her back into her, the two of them falling backwards against the couch as she wrapped her arms around Faragonda, holding on.
"Just admit you want to hear more about the honeymoon," Griffin said, giving a look that was far more serious than she actually felt currently. But all for the pretense.
"You caught me," Faragonda sighed dramatically and gave a gut-wrenching stare before the grin broke out from underneath the facade she was trying to put on for the sake of their game. "I'm all ears," she said, bumping her hip into Griffin's, the playfulness so refreshing and so familiar at the same time. It did wonders for her soul.
"Valtor did get a little rougher than usual one of the days," she said as she readily sank back into the memories of the honeymoon. She loved thinking about it, about all the ways in which it reminded her that she was Valtor's wife now and he was her husband. "There might have been some ogling when we finally managed to get out of our suite and got to the beach, though I think he was taking out his frustration with the whole matter on the wrong party." She hadn't complained, of course. She knew he wasn't angry at her and his jealousy had nothing to do with him doubting her. They'd gotten over that and she'd been happy to know it hadn't come back not only because it was sparing them the strain on their relationship, but also because it made things easier on both of them when they knew he trusted her love for him. And he might have gotten a bit too possessive, biting and scratching, and thrusting into her like an animal, like she was a territory he needed to mark but she didn't mind another reminder that she was his apart from the wedding band on her finger and he'd taken good care of her, making her come over and over again until she'd had no voice left to scream his name. It might have been one of her favorite experiences since she loved his passion and knowing he wanted her so much that he couldn't quite get his impulses under control.
"No more beach?" Faragonda asked as she looked at her.
"Wasn't exactly possible." She'd been marked all over, some of the bites barely being hidden by her clothes and she'd joked his intention had been to keep her room bound which Valtor had admitted was a beneficial consequence. "Not that we felt the desire to go out much," she said, remembering how she'd caught Valtor giving the bed in their suite sad eyes when they'd had to leave and go back home and, although she'd laughed at his unwillingness to part with it after all the fond memories they'd made there, she'd mourned the loss herself a bit too. They'd had some of their first experiences as husband and wife in it and while that mostly meant sex, she'd loved being cuddled next to him and feeling his even breathing as his chest pressed against her back more with every inhale, knowing that they didn't have to be anywhere else. There was no work or responsibilities that they had to get up for.
Faragonda hummed and Griffin could hear the mirth in her voice as her friend knew what they'd been up to all the time. "Busy experimenting, were you?" Faragonda asked, the look she was giving her definitely more than just suggestive. It was so smug with the knowledge in it but Griffin was again struck by the realization of how happy Faragonda was for her, listening to her blabbering about everything and giving her the chance to live through the memories once again and experience everything she might have missed when the situation had been so intense with feelings. The care her friend held for her was coming through in so many different ways and it only made her hug her tighter and hope that Faragonda knew exactly how much she and their friendship meant to her.
"I'm pretty sure we did it in every position," Griffin said, her eyes narrowing as she was trying to recall the details and make sure she hadn't missed anything. Since she and Valtor were quite adventurous, she'd thought that they'd tried everything by now but he might have surprised her with a new idea or two. "He'd brought the leather cuffs I bought for Christmas," Griffin said, her voice rising slightly from the surprise she still hadn't managed to get under control. "I'm not quite sure how he managed to sneak them through airport security without me noticing but we sure had a great time." He'd made sure to touch enough for the two of them when she hadn't been able to and her head had been spinning the next day still as she'd missed the feeling of his skin all over her so it might have had some not so desirable consequences but she'd gotten back at him as she'd gotten on her knees and made him forget his name.
Faragonda laughed and shook her head. "Of course you did."
"Oh, don't worry, you're up next and I won't let you off the hook until you tell me what exactly you and Hagen were up to while we were gone," Griffin gave that stern look that made her students fall back in line when they started allowing themselves too much.
"Fine," Faragonda said, acting like Griffin expected a grand sacrifice from her. "We're not nearly as busy when it comes to our sex life as you are but there might have been something interesting while you were on your honeymoon."
"Oh, I'm sure it was interesting," Griffin returned the knowing look Faragonda had given her earlier. "Just like I'm sure Hagen was glad to meet your demands," she grinned at the smile that was fighting to break out from under the offended expression Faragonda was trying to pull off. Too bad she didn't have the kind of power over her that she had over Hagen which had him bending to her will whenever she felt like it.
"I'll tell you," Faragonda gave her a serious look that was genuine this time, "but you'll show me pictures of the wedding and what Valtor managed to catch of you on your honeymoon."
"You're all conspiring against me, admit it," Griffin said since she'd had not only Valtor, but also Ediltrude and her mother pestering her about pictures too even when they knew she wasn't a fan of those. "Fine," she said when Faragonda didn't budge under her overexaggerated victim routine. "I'll show you." She wasn't thrilled about sharing her most sacred memories, but she didn't mind if it was Faragonda she was sharing them with. Which was why she wasn't in a hurry to disentangle herself from her friend when she could enjoy the hug a little while longer.