thatwaslucky | Blackwood Grove- Sunday night

Blackwood Grove- Sunday night

Of course Rey would prefer not to be a sand cat. But if she had to be one, there were worse ways to spend a week than getting thoroughly spoiled. Adrian had been very concerned about keeping her warm enough, to the point that she'd had a sort of throne of blankets, even. It was very possible she'd never been so comfortable in all her life. (And hopefully Boston was cool with all of it.)

Tonight she'd hopped up onto Adrian's bed to make herself a cozy little nest in the blankets, finally gotten herself settled, and was just dozing off to sleep when she was startled awake by suddenly not being a cat anymore. And being cold.

[For the owner of the house, bed, and kitty princess blankets.]

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Boston had mostly resigned himself to whatever shenanigans transformations entailed. Rey had been much less of a danger to his tail than Lydia ever was, so that made up for a lot of the spoiling that had been given over to Rey instead of him.

Adrian had been reading while absently petting Rey and it took a moment for him to realize that she'd changed; he pet her hair, paused as his brain informed him that that wasn't what fur felt like, slid his hand down further, found skin, and then--"Rey?!"

She made a vague "ugh" sound, uncurling herself from her now-uncomfortable position. "This is definitely the least awkward way this has ever happened."

"Rey!" He was grinning as he dragged her in for a hug. "You're back! You're--Great Forest, you're not under any blankets!" He reached for his heavy comforter, drawing it up over her while he cuddled up against her.

Adrian, she'd been exposed to the air for maybe thirty seconds, she wasn't going to succumb to hypothermia, relax.

"I think I would live," she said with a little laugh, though she was definitely snuggling up to him for warmth, really. "Though this is much better."

Totes. And so he would testify, even if they questioned him separately.

"You have my full agreement," he said, wrapping his arms around her. Also for strategic warmth purposes, obviously. "You're a very adorable cat, but I have a strong preference for this version of you."

"That's handy," she said, leaning in for a kiss. It'd been a whole week! "As much as I appreciate you spoiling me, I missed this."

Sure, he'd been right there. It was different.

Very different.

"This is much better," he agreed. After another kiss, of course. "I missed you, too."

Did she like hearing that? Maybe. "It's not like we haven't survived a week apart before. And I was right there," she said, teasingly.

With one more kiss, though. They'd both been really brave this week.

They had been. They deserved one more kiss, just to make it even.

"I promise, at some point soon, I'll work up the moral fortitude to offer you something to wear," he said with a low chuckle, kissing her shoulder. "Orrrr..." A kiss to her earlobe next. "Perhaps I could interest you in a bath?"

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, because on one hand her current situation was really nice. On the other hand, "That does sound amazing, actually."

"It'll be the best bath you ever had," he promised, kissing her shoulder. "And I'll even wash your hair."

'Even.' Like it was a hardship.

"And here I worried you wouldn't come with me," she smiled.

She had not worried.

"If you were worried about that, I gotta step up my boyfriending game," Adrian said with a soft laugh. He gave her another kiss, but this one was different because he was sliding out of bed. "Keep my spot warm for me?" he said, pulling up the blankets further around her. "Give me a few minutes to prepare everything, then I'll come get you."

Rey pulled an arm out from under the blanket, gesturing to what he just did. "You absolutely do not need to step up your boyfriend game," she said, deeply amused.

"Can't rest on my laurels, either," he said. "Trying to keep up with your girlfriend game is no joke." Another kiss, this one on her forehead so he didn't get further distracted (listen, she was naked and in his bed, it's not like his mind wasn't going to go there anyway), and he headed downstairs to prepare her bath.

It was about fifteen minutes later that he returned, calling a soft, "Rey?" just in case she'd fallen asleep while he was gone.

She'd sort of started to, though she hadn't fully gotten there because she was wondering what he was doing for it to take that long. But when she heard her name she sat up to ask, "Ready?"

"All ready," he said, heading not to the bed but to his wardrobe to pull out his thick, heavy, (black, obviously) winter robe. And then he made his way to the bed, holding it out for her. "Sorry for the delay, the stove didn't want to light for me. I'll have to check it out in the morning. Are you heading downstairs under your own power? Or am I sweeping you up off your feet and carrying you?"

He knew his preference.

She stood to
Take the robe and put it on, looking at him quizzically. "That last thing is an option?"

It was amazing that he could still surprise her by being extra. (She loved it, shh.)

"I need to do more chopping wood without a shirt on if you doubt I can carry you down the stairs," Adrian laughed.

"You should do that anyway." What. He should. "I don't doubt you could, I just... didn't consider that."

The only times she'd ever been carried was about sex or kidnapping, see.

Well, he did sorta have a hope of where the evening would lead, but uh...it wasn't the second one.

But instead of saying anything, he simply positioned his hand and scooped her up into his arms. And, okay, definitely gave her a big grin. "Well consider yourself considering," he said. "Besides, my slippers are too big for you and the floor is cold." And wearing socks while you were otherwise naked...? You somehow became extra naked. Awkwardly so. He didn't make the rules here, those were just facts.

Oh, it was absolutely headed there. She just didn't expect it right this second.

"Oh, well if the floors are cold," she said wryly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and giving him a kiss.

"Just trying to be considerate," he chuckled, proving that he could carry her, kiss, and maneuver down the stairs.

She might have had time to smell something in the kitchen, but only a moment, though, before he was bringing her into his greenhouse-slash-glassed-in-patio. It was dark in here, redolent with the smell of plants and green, growing things, and in that darkness, the foliage looked even thicker than usual. The trailing leaves and vines caught in Adrian's curling hair as they moved towards the only source of light in the otherwise pitch-black room. There was a little iron stove glowing cherry red, and a ring of candles flickering around it.

Closer, Rey could make out the tub. Hardly white and porcelain, Adrian's tub was a basin carved from a single gigantic piece of greenish-gray soapstone. It was long enough to hold Adrian without him needing to bend much and deep enough to keep Rey's whole body submerged. Flowers floated on the surface of the water, both petals and full blossoms. Off to the side was a wooden seat with several of Adrian's large, fluffy towels folded on the seat. "Hmm, I see the error in my plan here," he said with a laugh. "This definitely ended with me delicately lowering you into the tub, but I did not take my bathrobe into account."

The plus of being carried was that it gave her more time to watch her surroundings as they went, and appreciate how wholly Adrian it all was.

The tub was way, way better than what she had at home, what even.

"Hm," she said, looking thoughtful. "I suppose you'll have to take it off first."

"You're going to have to hold onto me very tightly then," he said with a low chuckle in her ear. "While I work it off you."

"Gladly," she smiled, tightening her grip around him. She had telekinesis, she was fine, and she wanted to see him do it.

Well, clearly, the first thing to do would be to untie the belt at her waist. That was easily done enough; it was long enough for him to reach without changing his grip on her. Then he brought his knee up to help support Rey as he removed his hand from under her knees and slooooowly pushed one of the sleeves down her arm and off, fingers brushing over her skin. Then his foot went down - good thing, he had juuust started to wobble on the one leg - and his hand went back under her knees. Once she was once again stable, he trusted her to keep hold of him as he pushed the other side of the robe down her shoulder so she could shrug it off, even if it did mean unwinding one of her arms from around his neck.

"There we go," he said, clearly pleased they'd managed to pull off that little maneuver.

You know what this called for? That's right, another kiss.

Rey smiled against his lips, sliding her hand up to the back of his neck to keep him right there for a moment, because that had actually been pretty hot.

"I'm impressed," she murmured, and she'd give him one more kiss to show him that. Shh, she could stop anytime she wanted to.

That would suggest it was a problem! And clearly it couldn't be that!

Adrian kept kissing her, taking one, two steps forward to the edge of the bath and then carefully lowered her into it without breaking the kiss. Eventually, he had to let go of her or he'd overbalance, but rather than simply dropping her, he had her slowly slide down his hands until she hit the bottom.

"There," he said, pupils blown. "Your bath."

Rey slipped under the water enough to cover her shoulders and just to the temperature, still, yes, impressed with him.

"You didn't have to do all of this," she told him. "But I love that you did."

There were flowers in it! Flowers!

"Funny enough, there's still one more thing," he said. "But I promise I'll be right back, truly."

The stove had given him trouble and was getting looked at tomorrow, but he that had just given him more time to get creative!

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised.

"And I'm not going anywhere long," he assured her.

Indeed, unlike his earlier extended absence, he was back in under five minutes, carrying two large, earthenware mugs.

"I made us some saffron milk," he said, resting them both in small indentations around the side of the tub--specifically meant to hold various cups and bowls and containers, in fact. "Flavored with nutmeg and cardamom."

In those five minutes, she'd had time to look really relaxed laying in the tub, though she perked up when he got back.

"Of course you did," she said with a smile, peering into one of the mugs. Decent chance she didn't actually know what cardamom was other than she'd had it before. "Is this what you usually do for baths?"

"More often than not," he admitted with a laugh. Saffron milk is very relaxing, it goes well with baths. Speaking of..." He gave her a slow smile. "Might I join you in yours?"

"I'd be insulted if you didn't," she said, immediately.

And with another grin, Adrian pulled off his clothes and slid into the tub.

Seriously, how would she ever turn this down.

"Much better," she said, moving to give him room to settle.

"Well, I did promise to wash your hair," he reminded, wrapping his arms around her. "And this is much more fun than sitting in the chair."

She settled into him so that she could rest her head against his shoulder. "I never would have let you stay on the chair."

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Blackwood Grove- Sunday night

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