San Antonio, Texas
August, 2027 AD
Don't get me wrong – I absolutely adore 'The Avengers' no matter how many times I've watched it. However, I recently discovered something that is slightly more entertaining than that: watching Arthur's reaction to my favourite movies! So here I am, staring at him, barely blinking, while he watches the screen of my laptop with a puzzled expression that has become seemingly permanent on his pretty face ever since 'Captain America: The First Avenger' began to play a week ago.
'The Chitauri are coming,' Loki stated as he moved to look out the large glass wall of Stark Tower with his magic staff in hand. 'Nothing will change that,' he continued while turning back to face Tony. 'What have I to fear?'
'The Avengers,' Tony replied, earning a confused look from the Norse god. 'That's what we call ourselves, we're sorta like a team,' Iron-Man continued nonchalantly. 'Earth's mightiest heroes type o–'
I let out an involuntary growl when Arthur suddenly paused the movie.
"Camelot's mightiest heroes," he said while raising an eyebrow at me.
I let out a giggle and turned my head to nuzzle into his chest while confessing, "Yeah... I kinda stole that line..."
"Do you steal a lot of lines?" he interrogated.
"Maybe..."
"What else?"
I looked up at him meekly. "You'll see soon..."
He scoffed and rolled his eyes playfully, he kissed the top of my head, and then he pressed 'play' again. I straightened up so that I could keep watching him as the movie continued to progress.
'The Avengers' ended some twenty minutes later and I stared at my King as he blinked rapidly at the screen while the titles were playing. I reached up to press a kiss to the side of his jaw, effectively earning his attention.
"D'ya like it?" I asked.
"It was even stranger than the previous ones..." he claimed with a frown.
"But did you like it?" I pressed.
He smiled a little and leaned down to kiss me, which made me grin. "Yes, I liked it," he finally said and I instantly cheered while hugging his waist. He let out a breathy chuckle and returned the hug, only much more cautiously because I kinda do have five broken ribs.
"All right," Arthur sighed while closing my laptop, "it is my turn to get what I want."
I smirked and raised an eyebrow. "But we're not allowed to do that yet..."
He tickled my tummy and I squirmed away from him while laughing – despite the pain that shot through my ribcage from the movement. "Not that, you cheeky woman!" he exclaimed. Then he stopped tickling me and drew me closer again. "Tell me about all the times you and Merlin have saved my life without me knowing."
I puffed and nuzzled into the crook of his neck, where I planted a kiss. "I really wish you'd wait 'til he can be a part of this conversation," I mumbled before leaving another kiss. Perhaps if I distract him enough...
"You promised," he grumbled.
"Fine," I sighed and straightened up a little as I tried to remember everything that my brother and I have done since we arrived in Camelot. I can tell Arthur about the things I contributed to, and leave Merlin's solo hits to him... "Well, I guess the first most relevant one was when we saved you from demonic!Tinkerbell..."
"Who?"
"Remember when you kinda fell in love with that girl Sophia n' tried to elope with 'er?"
"Yes..."
"Well, she was part of a fairy species, and she and her dad wanted to sacrifice you to their elders, or whatever, for some reason I can't remember... So they enchanted you and dragged you to this pretty lake called Avalon, and they tried to drown you, but then Merls used magic to kill 'em, and I pulled ya' outta the water, and then we told you that we simply tracked you down and knocked you out," I recounted rapidly.
Arthur seemed speechless for a moment as his jaw dropped and he stared at me for a few moments while I shrunk under his gaze. Then he asked incredulously, "You pulled me out of a lake?!"
"You're lucky buoyancy's a thing," I responded.
"I remember that you were damp when I woke up that time," he recalled in a mumble and I nodded. "Merlin said that you refused to leave my side until you made sure I was all right..."
"Yep."
He strengthened his hold on me and moved me onto his lap before kissing the side of my head. I smiled a little and nuzzled into his neck again, enjoying his warmth and his manly scent.
"What else?" he asked.
So I went on to tell many more tales, trying to be mindful not to say things that Merlin might want to say himself, until I eventually convinced Arthur to give me a break and allow me to play another movie for him; so we began watching 'Iron-Man 3'.
The sound of the bathroom door opening caused me to look up from my game of 'Geometry Dash' on my laptop and I grinned when I saw Arthur returning from a shower, looking incredibly hot with his hair dampened. He carefully lay down next to me and I moved my laptop onto my nightstand before curling up next to him again.
"I missed you," he whispered while leaning his forehead against mine.
"I missed you, too," I responded.
"I mean in there," he stated while nodding towards the bathroom. I snorted and gently brushed my lips against his, enjoying the feeling of his natural warmth against my natural coolness.
Someone cleared their throat at the doorway to my room and I pulled away, scowling as I sat up to look at my Aunt.
"No funny business," she scolded while pointing a menacing finger.
"We were just kissing!" I protested. "And we're married!"
"Anyways," she loudly clapped her hands once and I narrowed my eyes at her, "I just got off the phone with Sage. She's booked Arthur's check-up for tomorrow at twelve."
"Thank you," Arthur responded, earning a nod and a grin from Kelly.
She then turned to address me again, "She's also booked a check-up for ya' at one."
Ice coursed through my veins and I scooted closer to my King. "I don't need a check-up, I'm fine," I argued.
"Star – you have five broken ribs!" my Aunt raised her voice and I cowered a little.
"Five?!" Arthur echoed and I squeezed my eyes shut while dropping my head. "You told me there were only two!"
"You just had a heart surgery, I didn't wanna worry you too much," I mumbled.
"You are going, Astraea," Kelly said sternly before I heard shuffling footsteps, indicating that she was walking away.
I lay back down and pulled my covers over my head while letting out a shaky breath, knowing that now I've caused Arthur to get mad at me again. Downplaying injuries for him just has become too normal for me, y'know? And I don't want him worrying about me when he should be worrying about himself. He's the one who almost died!
He soon joined me under the covers and I instantly put an arm around his waist and nuzzled into his chest – being mindful of the wound, of course – while moving one leg to rest in between his, wanting to feel as close to him as possible.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"All this time... I thought I was protecting you," he said in a soft tone. "When in reality, you and Merlin were the ones protecting me."
"We were all protecting each other," I argued.
"But it is my job to protect you," he stated.
"You've always protected me," I assured him while tilting my head up to look at him. "Even if I don't make it easy."
He let out a breathy chuckle and brushed his nose against mine, causing me to sigh and drop some tension. "No, you do not make it easy," he responded, making me smirk. Then he kissed me, but it only lasted for a few moments because it got too warm under the covers and I had to move out of them. There's only so much that air conditioning can do to dissipate the summer Texas heat, y'know?
Once I wasn't suffocating, I wrapped myself around Arthur once more and resumed the kiss, allowing it to turn more intense this time as he quickly deepened it with a gentle swipe of his tongue. I took note of the residual minty taste on his lips and reached up to run my fingers through his hair, which caused him to hum.
I pulled away when I felt him getting overly excited down there, knowing that we have to be sensible with our injuries, and then I gave him a much softer kiss before dropping my head to nuzzle into his chest again while I caught my breath. He slipped a hand under my shirt and slowly brushed his fingers along my spine.
"When we are healed..." he began in a deep tone.
I nodded. "Yeah, I know."
We remained silent for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company.
I'm infinitely grateful to have him with me, feeling alive and well, after I came so close to losing him. I don't ever wanna be away from him again and, now that the secrets are out and that Merlin and I won't have to sneak around so much, perhaps I won't have to. Although… I think that, in a way, I'll miss how keeping those secrets forged my bond with my brother. I don't know if we would've become as close as we did without that making us reliant on one another.
"Why do you hate physicians so much?" Arthur suddenly asked.
"I don't hate physicians," I defended. I mean, Gaius is a physician and I love him like a grandpa. And Dr. Hayashi is a physician and I can't hate him when he's the one who saved my King's life. "I just don't like 'em anywhere near me with their grabby hands and stupid needles."
"Why?" he pressed.
I puffed. Y'know what I do hate? Trauma-dumping. But he's my freaking husband and he asked, so I responded truthfully, "Probably 'cause of what happened after the accident..."
He sat up a little and shifted me to look at my face. My lips curved upwards at the sight of his enchanting eyes. "What happened?" he questioned softly.
"Well," I sighed, "I had to get the dumb wound restitched like three or four times because... well, ya' know me, I couldn't stay still... And they had to restrain me more and more each time because I got really scared of needles..." My eyes widened when his hand moved from my back to my abdomen and he began to gently trace the fugly scar, sending electric sparks through my nervous system. "So I guess that's why I'm so particular about what I eat and about hygiene... To avoid getting sick and havin' to go to the doctor..."
Arthur gave me a gentle kiss when I trailed off and I smiled.
"I will be beside you the whole time tomorrow," he promised. "I will not let them make you feel uncomfortable."
"Thanks, Artie," I whispered and earned myself another kiss.
We got good news at midday the next day when Dr. Hayashi excitedly expressed how well Arthur is healing from his injury, and he's supposed to be able to get his stitches out in another week. He's also now allowed to walk around, without overexerting himself; which means that we don't have to be confined to my room anymore. Not that I mind it. I'd be happy even in hell as long as I'm with him.
Then, as promised, Arthur stayed right beside me and held my hand the whole time while a doctor – thankfully a female – checked the progress on my ribs; and the experience wasn't as awful as it could've been. I still hope I don't ever have to go through it again, though.
I'm not healing as quickly as he is, for broken bones apparently take much longer to heal than a surgery wound; but I was also told that I can start moving around a bit more.
No 'funny business' for either of us, yet, but I think I'll live. I'm not sure about him.
Aunt Kelly met us in the lobby of the hospital once we were done.
"Did you behave?" she asked me as soon as we exited the lift.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not four anymore, y'know?"
"No, which is why it's concerning that you still act as if you were," she shot back.
Arthur threw an arm over my shoulders as he assured my aunt, "She was just fine."
"All right, then!" Kelly chirped. "I guess we can stop for some coffee on the way home!"
A smile formed on my face. "Yes, please!"
So we got in the car – with me being stuck in the backseat again – and Kelly drove straight to a Starbucks drive-thru. Now, obviously, that's far from being quality coffee; but I was kind of excited to show my King what the experience of a drive-thru is like, so I decided to get over that fact just for today.
I opened the menu on my phone for Arthur to look at it while we waited behind a significantly lengthy line (by which I mean there were like three cars in front). He seemed puzzled as he scanned the sea of items with squinted eyes and I rested my chin on his shoulder as I looked over it at the device. I mean, obviously, I'll get what I always get. Why change it up when that works for me, y'know? But I was curious to see if there are any new additions since the last time I was here.
"This is a lot," he said in a mumble.
"Yeah, well, the creativity we lack in architecture, we make up for in food," I responded with a cheeky grin.
"Do you not miss all of this?" Arthur asked gently while turning slightly to sort of connect our gazes.
"Maybe, but I traded it for better things," I responded with a wink.
"Yeah?" he asked while raising an eyebrow. I nodded. "Like what?"
"Like you, obviously," I said, earning a cute grin and a kiss to the cheek.
"You two are adorable," Kelly stated.
"We know," I replied.
The time for us to order finally came and my Aunt graciously listed the three drinks – and a doughnut for Arthur because he's never had one and, well, he's in America now, so he must.
I tapped my fingers against Arthur's leg in excitement as I watched Oliver take his sweet time setting up our old Wii on the upstairs TV so that we could teach my King how to play Mario Kart. 'Cause... we're mature that way, y'know?
Kelly climbed up the stairs and she graciously handed me a bowl of popcorn, into which I dug as soon as I'd thanked her. She chuckled before announcing that she'll be downstairs making dinner if we need anything else, and then she left again.
"Here," I offered some popcorn to Arthur. "They're much better than the ones Merls n' I make."
He raised a hesitant eyebrow, but grabbed a fistful anyway before slowly bringing a single unit into his mouth. He seemed fairly pleased with the taste and I sent him a wink before continuing to eat.
"All right," Oliver said as he stood up. "It's ready."
"Yay!" I cheered and set the popcorn bowl aside before I reached for a Wiimote atop the table in front of the couch, only wincing slightly when my ribs reminded me that they're not in prime condition.
"Careful, my love," Arthur cautioned while sending me a concerned look.
I waved him off. "I'm fine."
I helped him to turn on his Wiimote and explained the basics of the game while Oliver promptly took us into a friendly multiplayer game.
"So, you accelerate by keeping 'two' pressed, and you steer by tilting the controller, n' you use objects by clicking the 'up' arrow," I told Arthur while demonstrating on my own Wiimote.
"And you drift with 'B'," Oliver added.
"Yeah, but that's harder to coordinate," I pointed out. "Let 'em get the hang of the easy bits first."
"All right," my cousin mumbled.
"All right," I echoed.
I chose Toad to play – like I always do – and Oliver chose Donkey Kong. Then we both turned expectantly towards Arthur, who seemed entirely lost as he frowned while scanning the TV screen. "What is this?" he asked after a few moments.
"You gotta pick a character," I explained.
"They all look so strange," he mumbled in response, causing Oliver and I to share a chuckle.
"Just pick one," my cousin pressed.
"Princess Peach is right there," I said with a teasing grin.
The look I got from Arthur let me know that I'm lucky that my cousin's here and that my ribs are broken, for I surely would've been mercilessly attacked with tickles otherwise. "Cheeky woman," he whispered before finally picking Koopa Troopa. Which I think is totally adorable. Well, to be fair, I would've thought the same thing regardless of who he picked. He's just the most adorable thing ever, period!
Then we got to the cars and I chose the 'Bit Bike' while Oliver chose the 'Flame Flyer', and Arthur... once again looked lost. Then he glanced down at me and he promptly picked the same bike I did, which caused me to grin again and I reached up to kiss the side of his jaw.
'Luigi Circuit' was the obvious choice for the first race, given that it's probably the easiest course and, thus, likely to make Arthur's introduction to the game a little easier. Oliver made my life really hard when I was learning the game back in, like, 2008, because he kept choosing the hardest courses and throwing me to the wolves. I do believe that's what made me such a great player, though. I mean, not to brag, but I'm pretty awesome.
The countdown appeared on the screen and I straightened up a little while my heart accelerated in anticipation.
3...
2...
1...
Oliver and I blasted off and blazed past all the CPU runners until we were well in the lead and battling for first place, which he narrowly took from me for a moment before I threw a green shell at him and beat him with a cackle.
"Astra?" Arthur suddenly said in a nervous tone, breaking my concentration as I glanced over at his screen to find that he was trapped in the sand. "Why am I going so slow?"
I promptly returned my attention to my own screen, lest Oliver manage to take my rightful place as leader, and I responded, "Just steer away from the sand and onto the actual track."
No response came and the game continued in silence; with only grunts from my cousin, giggles from me, and the background music from the game filling the living room as we continued to fiercely battle for first place.
"Astra – there is something flying above me," Arthur interrupted again. I glanced at his screen once more and snorted when I saw that he was going in the wrong direction.
"Do a one-eighty and you'll be fine," I instructed.
"One-eighty?" he questioned.
"Half turn."
"All right," he mumbled, and I assume everything turned out fine because he didn't whine again.
I smirked as the 'final lap' sign appeared above my character and I giggled when I glanced at the map on the screen to find that I had a generous advantage on Oliver, who instantly glared at me.
"You are going down, Astraea," he growled.
"Yes – I'm goin' down as the greatest player ever!" I quipped, causing him to grunt.
The lap was over in a flash, with yours truly getting the victory, and I threw my arms in the air before glancing at my husband, who looked completely confused as he tilted his Wiimote in a strange manner. I glanced at his screen and found that he was in the sand again and hadn't even finished the first lap.
"Okay, lemme," I said as I took the Wiimote from him, earning a frown. I moved to sit on his lap, being careful not to place my weight against the injured side of his chest. "Put your hands over mine," I instructed while gripping the controller. He instantly obeyed while resting his chin on my shoulder. "Feel my movements," I said softly and turned to kiss his cheek before I easily steered his character out of the sand and onto the track. I knew there was no way we'd beat anyone, but I figured that he could get a feel for the game this way, and then he could try on his own again.
Some two minutes later, we finished the race and exchanged a grin before I moved off his lap and returned his controller to grab mine again. "You got it?" I asked.
"I think so," he responded. "But can we do it together again? Just to make sure?"
"Sure," I breathed out and he smiled as he pulled me onto his lap once more. "But we're using mine, I don't wanna lose to freaking Oliver."
"Y'know I'm still here, right?" my cousin asked sassily.
"Shut up and play, I'm not done kickin' your butt."
"You're gonna eat your words," Oliver grumbled as he selected 'Mushroom Gorge'.
"Only in your dreams."
With that brief exchange of trash talk, we hopped right back into the game.
Arthur and Kelly sat together at the kitchen table of the farmhouse, enjoying warm cups of coffee while relaxing as they watched Astraea and Sage work around the kitchen while making breakfast. Astra said that they would make quesadillas, Sage claimed that they were making chilaquiles. The King of Camelot hadn't a clue what either of that meant, while his Queen's aunt was certain that some very unique dish was going to come out of this endeavour.
"Keep your dirty chicken away from me, Sagebrush!" Astra cried while shying away from her cousin, who was taunting her with a fistful of shredded chicken, knowing very well how much she hates meat. "You're behaving like a child! What would your daughters say?!"
Astra squealed when Sage flung some chicken at her and she scrambled to get away. "Don't bring my girls into this!" the thirty-eight-year-old woman scolded. "You're the personification of 'childish'!"
"I'm also the Queen of Camelot," Astra shot back with a wink. That is bound to shut up anyone!
"Not here!" Sage retaliated while flinging some more chicken.
"Off with her head!" the young Queen exclaimed dramatically, earning even more chicken. "Okay! Truce!"
Kelly shook her head in disbelief while slightly questioning her parenting choices; though a smile soon grew on her lips. It has been a long time since her two girls last interacted in such a manner, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying it.
Arthur bursted out laughing when his wife broke the 'truce' by crushing a tortilla chip over her cousin's hair. Then she scrambled to get away once more, this time by clumsily trying to climb onto the counter and groaning in the process.
"Astraea – be careful!" Arthur called out.
"You're gonna break another rib, you klutz!" Sage added.
"Nah, the rest of 'em are unbreakable," Astra responded while waving off the concerns, though she surrendered her attempts at getting on the counter. "They survived falling off a dragon."
After calling a more truthful truce this time, the girls settled into a nice rhythm as they prepared 'quesa-quiles' (which is what they ultimately decided to call the creation); though laughs were still shared when Astra got a bit over-excited at the sight of authentically Mexican Oaxaca-style cheese, and when the screen of Sage's phone got a sprinkle of grease, and when Astra accidentally dropped some 'quesa-quiles' on the floor when trying to mix the overburdened pot.
"You know," Kelly began in a low tone, catching Arthur's attention, "when Oliver returned from your time, he kept goin' on about how much Star has changed. Now I see what he meant."
"How so?" Arthur inquired.
"She used to be very quiet... reserved... moody... Now she's found her way back to the little girl we knew before the accident. Spunky, and energetic, n' full of laughter," Kelly explained.
The King hummed pensively as he let his gaze fall on his Queen, his heart warming at the sight of her conversing animatedly with Sage.
"I've been watching 'er showing you 'round and it's almost as if she's also discovering this world for the first time," Kelly continued, drawing Arthur's attention to herself once more. "You're great for her."
Arthur was left feeling somewhat flabbergasted, unsure of how to respond as his heart-rate accelerated, fuelled by joy, while a warmth spread through his nervous system. He can think of only a handful of occasions in which he's been moved almost to tears by mere words. They must be true, if Kelly is saying them with such conviction. He truly has made Astra happy!
"She means everything to me," he finally responded.
"I can tell," Kelly noted with a slight chuckle. It's hard not to notice. "And you mean everything to her."
The King of Camelot smiled and fixed his gaze on Astra once more, watching as she helped Sage to serve some plates. An idea formed in his head, which caused his smile to grow even more.