It was warm and cozy by the fireplace in the Watcher's quarters. Wizardry lessons, Lenneth reflected, had grown much cozier in general since she and Aloth figured out that their feelings were mutual. He was folded neatly into one side of the sofa drawn up to her fireplace, his grimoire open on his lap as he went over the theory of some spell or other with her, and she was sprawled over the remainder of the sofa, leaning against his shoulder, fingers entwined with his when he wasn't busy turning pages. She sighed in contentment at the sound of his voice and the warmth of his hand in hers, watching him through half-lidded eyes instead of following along where he was pointing in the book.

Then he stopped speaking, and she realized at his expectant look that he'd asked a question. Which, given that for the last several minutes she'd been focusing more on everything she loved about the wizard himself than on the spell he was trying to teach her, Lenneth was completely unprepared to answer. "Sorry, say that again?" she asked, eyes going wide and innocent in her best simulation of a student who had been paying attention all along.

Aloth's look was more amused than annoyed. "Lenneth," he said, lips turning up at the corners ever so slightly, "do you want to become a wizard or don't you?"

She considered this for a moment, then answered with a smirk, "Well, yes. It's a long-term goal, though. Which is fine! I don't mind taking years to master this, really. But at present, I also want to kiss a wizard."

He laughed, squeezing her hand. "A goal you intend to achieve much sooner, I take it."

She leaned closer, drawing him in with a flutter of eyelashes as her smile widened. "That's up to you, isn't it? We are in the middle of a lesson."

He regarded her for a moment longer. Then, returning her smile as he released her hand, he folded the grimoire closed and placed it carefully on the ground before gathering her into his arms.

Several kisses later, she murmured against his lips, "All our lessons should have included kissing breaks. Why did it take us so long?"

Instead of responding to her statement with the laugh she'd expected, Aloth leaned back, just enough to meet her eyes, considering her question seriously. "For my part," he answered after a moment's thought, "it seemed too much to hope for. And even once I dared to hope, I couldn't find the words to broach the subject." He shrugged and gave her a wry smile. "Most of my experience with, ah, flirting has involved Iselmyr doing so too recklessly and me getting in trouble for it. Your friendship - and your support, every time you learned the secrets I expected would end it - were too precious to risk offending you if my affections were...not returned."

"So you just kept that the biggest secret of all," Lenneth grinned. "And the best one. I am not offended by your affections, darling, just so you know."

"So I gathered," he chuckled, "since you persist in distracting me from your lessons with kisses."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Want me to stop?"

"Never."

"Good." She kissed him at that, of course; briefly, and then looked him over as she considered her own question. "On second thought, maybe taking our time to get here was a good thing."

"Is that so? A moment ago you seemed to regret it."

"Yes, I'd be glad to have started kissing you much sooner. But I'd hate it if that were all we had. Look at us, Aloth - on the surface, neither of us seems all that trustworthy; you with all your secrets, me with all my schemes. It's a wonder we learned to trust each other with anything, let alone our hearts. But now I couldn't ask for a more loyal friend than you. I've loved getting to know you, the heart of you that you don't let most people see."

Aloth held a deadpan expression long enough to ask, "Does that mean your inquisitiveness has come to an end? Are you all out of questions?"

Her shriek of laughter brought out his smile again. "I'll think up new ones if I have to. Just to hear you talk."

"You know," he pointed out, with a tip of his head to the grimoire on the floor, "I was talking just a moment ago. About casting Fleet Feet so you can get in stabbing range of your enemies quicker."

"Mm-hm," she hummed. "It sounded lovely."

"Would you like to hear it again," he nudged her, "and perhaps actually learn it this time?"

She sighed overdramatically, leaning back to free him to reach the book. "Only if I am to be rewarded with a kiss as soon as I manage to cast it. Deal?"

His eyes were on the grimoire as he reopened it to where they had left off, but Aloth made no attempt to hide his smirk. "Perhaps I should think twice before arranging such a reward for the moment when you've succeeded in hastening everything you do, but," he met her eyes and took her hand as the pair of them once more settled into place looking over the spell on the page, "deal."