The Brunette

Malreus stood to the side of the Great hall, his eyes cast down at the polished marble.

The young prince of the Underworld was examining the little drops of blood beside his black boot; it contrasted against the pearly white glare of the floor. Malreus shook his head slightly and a small smile grew along the ends of his mouth.

"Cas..." The youngest of King Death's children was a true vigilante. Yesterday, a young maid working in his main quarters had silently complained to her female companion of a guard and his friend who would often whistle and howl obscenities at her whenever she walked past. Once, even trying their luck in tugging her towards them, but earning a slap in the face instead. This naturally only resulted in their barks growing nastier and their ire with her deeper.

Unbeknownst to her, the young Casseus and Asclepius had overhead the conversation; with Ash not paying much attention to the words, but nothing as vile as the guard and his friend's deeds would pass by Cas.

"Sit still." Opis was in no mood to deal with this nonsense today. Irma had taken a few days leave from work and was visiting with some of the Old family in Tundra, which left Opis to mend Casseus' shirt before Aurora noticed the large tear down the middle. The guard has tried to fight back, but his attempt had been rather comical for the prince.

Casseus sighed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Opis, just leave the damn thing. I can wear something else."

"You just had to get into a bar fight on the one day your mother and father have dignitaries over for lunch?" Opis grumbled loudly and pinned the needle between his teeth; he smoothed down the newly sewed seam with his palm. "Where's my rum when I need it..." He uttered his words from between gritted teeth.

Malreus grabbed a handkerchief from his right pocket and bent down to rub the blood away, while Casseus rolled his eyes at the old man. "Mater won't even know the difference." The prince pinched a piece of the material of the new shirt he was wearing.

Opis lifted a brow. "It amazes me how little you know your own mother..."

"I defend a woman's honour and you repay me in sarcasm?"

Opis glared back over his shoulder at the much younger man; "Be grateful your lip has healed in time or else my sarcasm would've been the least of your worries, young master."

"Casseus..." Malreus politely cleared his throat and lifted his own brow in response, silencing Casseus' witty reply. "Your sister?" He reminded him of the reason Malreus had sought him out in the first place.

"Oh, right..." Casseus shook his head and turned back to his dear friend. "She's in the parlour."

Malreus nodded and thanked him. He turned to leave Casseus and Opis with the ripped, seemingly expensive shirt, but knew that there was very little Opis would manage to do to fix that big of a tear before lunch was served. Queen Aurora would most definitely notice, but would never dare make a scene in front of the guests. Later though, Casseus would no doubt get an earful...

"You might want to knock, Mal." Casseus smirked and shot him a side-eye.

Malreus stopped, confused by the odd remark. He turned sideways and shot his friend a puzzled look; titling his head much like King Thanatos always does.

"Lord Nilus' son is working up a charm. Pretty disgusting, if you ask me." Casseus grimaced at the thought of a man chatting up his older sister, but kept his smirk knowing the way his words would displease Malreus.

Though, Mal was fairly good at keeping his composure. He nodded his head, an expression of disinterest. He simply gave a small smile and turned back to head towards the parlour. "At least try to wear the same colour as the torn shirt, Casseus."

Casseus looked down at the dark grey shirt he had chosen to wear and then at the burgundy coloured mess Opis was trying to stich back together. "Fair point."

Malreus turned the corner and his shoulders tensed. Nilus' son? Who was he again? That impish looking boy who could never grow a beard? Chatting up Theia? Oh, what was his name?

It escaped Malreus completely, but by no means did it bother him nearly as much as it bothered him that Theia thought being alone with a young, unmarried man in a side room unoccupied by anyone else was a good idea. What would the maids think? Another gossip story to run the rounds for the next two weeks...

The guards stepped aside when they noticed the dark prince storming towards the double doors leading into the parlour. He was clearly on a mission.

Malreus purposefully opened the parlour door with force, so as to announce his arrival and hopefully scare off the mouse that was this... Gods, what was his name again?

Theia looked up from across the room, her smile immediately growing in size as she realised who'd interrupted her conversation. She stood up slowly and clasped her hands together. Politely, she greeted her oldest friend- almost too formally, Malreus noticed; "Ah, there you are Malreus. I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost."

A youngish brunette stood up from the sofa across Theia, his back towards the door. Malreus walked up to join them, just as the man turned his head. Mal was right- it was that elfin, mouse-like boy he'd met at a ball about a year or so ago, but this new version of him was... different. He'd grown taller- settled into his features more. The boy had clearly gone through his last stage of puberty- quite late, if you'd ask Malreus- but he was, nonetheless, not the rodent-esque child the prince had expected.

Some might even say he was verging on the line of handsome.

Not Malreus though, but some. Some like Theia.

"You remember Malreus, don't you?" Theia smiled at the man. He nodded and held out his hand in a friendly gesture to the prince of the Underworld. "Of course I do! My lord, it's good to see you again."

Malreus wanted to slap his hand away, but that would be most impolite. And Malreus was anything but impolite. He grabbed the boy's hand in his vice grip and shook it harder than necessary. "Likewise... um-"

"Oh, apologies! Jino."

"Right... Jino. Nice to see you again. It's been a long time." Jino. That was his name. Malreus took back his hand, it felt the handshake was growing far too long.

Jino nodded beaming and turned his head back to Theia. Malreus scowled silently.

"Let's refill our drinks- I suspect lunch might take a while longer to be served." Theia grabbed her and Jino's glasses from the table.

"Are they not done with their talks yet?" Malreus asked Theia, ignoring Jino's wide smile. He followed Theia to the drinks stand, subtly hiding her behind from prying eyes. Malreus' cleared his thoughts when he noticed Theia's dress was tighter than usual. It was not like her to dress so... provocatively.

It was a beautiful shade of midnight blue, which contrasted beautifully against her red eyes. Her hair was pinned up and exposing her long neck, with delicate silver diamonds dropping down from her ears and grazing across her shoulders whenever she moved her head.

"Not yet," Jino answered a question not meant for him. "It seems our parents have much to discuss still."

"I see." Malreus has arrived late, but if he'd known Jino would've been here, staring at Theia the way he was, he'd have cut his morning fencing classes short.

"A single, Jino?" Theia asked with a smile Malreus had never been on the receiving end of, but had only ever seen. A smile reserved for flirting.

"I'll have a double if you do." Jino chuckled and shrugged.

Theia was way ahead of him, grabbing the whiskey bottle by the neck. "Excellent."

Malreus grabbed a glass from the shelf and stepped up beside the blonde. "Don't you think we should wait for lunch before we drink more?"

Theia shot Malreus an annoyed look and grabbed the glass from his hand; she poured him a double. "On the contrary, I think you need to catch-up to us."

Malreus bit his tongue, but shot her a look. She smiled tightly and gave him the glass. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Theia winked and poured herself and Jino their refills.

Jino took this time to annoy Malreus even further. "So Malreus, Theia says you've started pottery classes. Are you any good?"

Pottery wasn't exactly something you'd expect the prince of the Underworld to enjoy, but Malreus did actually like it quite a bit. It was therapeutic for him and gave him a chance to be creative and relax. Was it slightly embarrassing knowing this boy knew about his new hobby? Maybe...

Mal shot Theia a look, but she ignored it, staring at the bookcase as she took a sip of her drink. "I started a few weeks ago; I doubt I'm anywhere close to 'good'."

Jino ignored the snarkiness in his voice; "Theia, you paint, don't you?"

"I do." She smiled and sat back down on the couch.

Instead of sitting down on his seat from before, Jino moved towards the seat beside Theia. "I would love to see one of your works sometime."

"Oh, no. I am definitely not a talented painter- that's for certain." She giggled and shook her head. "I just paint for the fun of it. It's rather calming, I think."

"I can imagine. It allows the mind to repair." Jino said knowingly and Malreus fought the urge to roll his eyes. His quote made Malreus queasy.

The prince bit the inside of his cheek and sat down on Jino's old seat, replacing the heat with his own, while Theia nodded at the cheesy comment. "I couldn't agree more."

Malreus' lifted the glass to take a sip, but much to his horror, he watched as Theia's hand placed itself onto Jino's and retracted back to her lap. His eyes widened, while Jino's lowered with lust. "We should do something together-"

Without giving it any second thought, Malreus uttered; "I think I heard the lunch bell." He stood up from the couch and pointed towards the door. "Let's join them."

"I didn't hear anything?" Jino said with uncertainty.

"Neither did I?" Theia stood up to join Malreus and smoothed down her tight dress.

Jino shrugged and placed his drink on the table. "Let me go have a look and see."

"Excellent idea." Malreus nodded, loving the idea of Jino leaving. "We'll wait here."

"Oh," Jino shot a look to Theia, having hoped she would've offered to join him, but she crossed her arms and smiled, waiting for him to leave. Jino nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back."

"It's down the hall, to the left." Theia smiled sweetly and Jino nearly walked into the wall, blinded by her beauty. He smiled and bowed awkwardly.

As soon as the door to the parlour closed behind Jino, Malreus turned his head back to Theia with a look of irritation; "Really? Pottery. You told him I like pottery?"

"What?" Theia's mood grew defensive. "I couldn't think of anything to say at the time! His eyes are so blue..."

My eyes are blue! Malreus shouted in the back of his head. "He's an idiot!"

"That is so rude, Mal." Theia gasped. "He's our guest and a very polite young man. You'd notice if you didn't glare at him so much."

"I'm merely glaring because he can't keep his eyes above your neck." Malreus gulped down the rest of his whiskey.

Theia blushed and smiled; "Really?" She wanted to giggle, but noticed immediately Malreus' unimpressed look. It was his turn to glare at her. She stopped mid-laugh.

"He's kind of cute." She shrugged and Malreus felt a jab to his ribs.

"'Kind of cute' my ass." Malreus grumbled and walked over to the drinks table to pour another double.

Theia lifted her brow and him and pointed to the whiskey; "I thought you didn't want us to drink too much before lunch?"

"Mind your own business, Theia." Malreus said with irreverence and his best friend shot him an amused look. Just then, Jino returned. One of half of the room was happy to see him- the other, not so much...

"And? Are they ready for us?" Theia asked as she seductively lounged against the edge of the emerald, velvet armchair. Jino cleared his throat and kept his eyes locked onto the princess, as if Malreus was just another limestone statue left to collect dust and give ambience to the room.

"They were just about to ring the bell for us to join. The discussions have adjourned." Jino held out his arm for Theia. She curled her own around his and smiled broadly; "Finally- I'm starving."

"Me too." Malreus glowered from the corner, knowing full-well what type of hunger the young man was experiencing. It certainly had nothing to do with the pork roast Irma had instructed the chef's to prepare before she left for Tundra.

Malreus sighed softly and placed his glass down on the bar counter, but his eyes never left the bastard's hands. If he tried one underhanded move, the dark-haired god wouldn't mind continuing his fencing lessons from this morning. Malreus was fairly sure that the boy had never even picked up a sword to begin with.

"You know if thought that too!" Theia laughed melodically and threw back her head with a giggle. He'd been distracted by thoughts of violence and had neglected to listen to their conversation, but he knew Theia well enough by now to notice when she was trying to be alluring.

He'd seen it a few times before- much to his dismay.

Once Malreus was stuck in a horse carriage with Theia and a new reaper guard instructed to accompany them to a year-end ball and the man was flirting with her non-stop. Theia was receptive of the charm; she almost always was. She was a beautiful woman, who liked attention from handsome men. Malreus remembered the glare he shot at the guard, causing him to freeze up and lower his smile. Theia, of course, kept flirting and chatting, not noticing anything odd, but eventually, the guard across from her stopped giving her genuine replies and just nodded, trying to end their conversation.

Theia had no idea why his interest had suddenly left, like a ghost in the night, but she also couldn't see the death-stare Malreus was giving the man every time he opened his mouth to respond to her questions.

Eventually, she minded her own business and grew cold towards the guard. Upon leaving the carriage and moving inside to the ball, Malreus remembered Theia had turned to him and asked; "Does my breath stink? What the hell did I say to him?"

"Nothing. And no, you smell good. Relax, he's just an idiot."

She shrugged and curled her arm around his. "Whatever. He must be gay. He kept looking at you with a very odd expression. Hmp."

Malreus didn't say a word.

Now, that same arm was curled around another bicep- smaller and not as toned, but still clearly eager to pull her with him towards the hallway.

The prince jogged after them and prayed silently to the gods that he'd have the patience to get through this meal without stabbing someone with a fork.

After a delicious, but painfully exasperating lunch, Malreus, Theia and Jino sat in the gardens. They were seated around the round table, each a drink in hand. Theia and Jino were giggling at a joke he'd made, while Malreus tried to force a smile.

They were waiting for Limana, Jino's older sister to join them for a drink. Limana had been caught up in the discussions as well, seeing as their mother had passed away when they were both quite young and thus, took the role as lady of the house.

Malreus noticed as a young woman, about his and Theia's age, walk up towards the terrace. She was pretty, definitely, with dark brown hair and darker eyes, but she was nowhere near Theia's tier of beauty. Unconsciously, that was a tier he compared all other women to.

Jino smiled and waved over his sister; "There you are! We were starting to worry."

Limana smiled and blushed when her eyes landed on Malreus, but he didn't seem to notice. Mal had his stare fixed on Theia and her dress. She was sat beside Jino on the sofa, and her one leg was placed over the other, exposing the tan and toned skin. The slit of her dress was too high for Malreus' liking. It showed too much skin when she sat the way she was.

Of course, when it was just the two of them, he could forgive it, but it wasn't just the two of them. Jino noticed her leg too.

"Apologies, I got caught up for a moment." Limana said sweetly. "What are we having?" She held out her hand as Theia handed her a small glass of liquor.

"Peach schnapps." Theia winked and added; "It's a bit chilly so we thought we'd warm up."

"I feel warmer already." Jino said as his hand found Theia's exposed knee.

Malreus gritted his teeth, but before he could think about anything more, Limana sat down beside him and smiled broadly. "My lord, you haven't touched your drink. Do you not like schnapps?"

Mal smiled politely and shook his head; "I'm just quite tired from a long morning. Perhaps it's not the best idea for me to have more to drink."

"You certainly loved the red wine at lunch." Jino said with amusement, meant naturally as a joke, but Malreus felt it was a snide comment. He didn't laugh, nor found it funny.

Theia did. She chuckled; "Mal loves wine. He's so good at choosing the best wines too. He just knows which ones are aged perfectly and which aren't."

Jino didn't like Theia's praise of Mal, but Limana did. She scooted closer to Malreus. "Do you have a cellar at home, my lord?"

Mal smiled; "We do. Sometimes I think it's my mother's favourite place to be in the house." He chuckled and Limana laughed loudly, clearly finding him oh so funny.

Theia lifted her brow in response. His joke was funny, but it was not hilarious.

"Oh, you must tell me the secret to choosing a good wine." Limana asked cutely.

"It depends on a number of factors, but it's really more about your personal taste as well."

"I love most wines." Limana giggled. "Do you prefer red or white?"

Malreus and Limana continued their conversation, while Jino tried to explain to Theia how much better he'd gotten at hunting, but the princess was not listening to a word he was saying. Her eyes were on Limana's hand, which was resting on Malreus' upper arm. Theia pursed her lips.

"Theia?" Jino brought her back to her senses. "Did you hear what I said? I shot a bear the other day."

"Huh, oh. Yeah." Theia cleared her throat and smiled at Limana, her eyes intensely focused on the young maiden. "Limana, I heard you were recently betrothed. Congratulations! You must be so excited for this coming chapter?"

The young woman looked anything but excited. Limana smiled out of civility, but her eyes strayed from Theia's and she hid them as she nodded. "Oh, well... I suppose. Although," She dared a glance at Malreus and her eyes filled with hope. "The arrangements are not yet final."

Theia couldn't help it when her lip pulled sideways. Jino frowned and took a sip of his drink, his expression contemplative; "I thought the date was already set?"

Limana did not appreciate her brother's comment. "It's tentative, Jino."

"Right." Jino nodded, knowing full-well it was not. "More schnapps, Theia?"

The princess was eyeing Malreus from across the lounge, but at the sound of her own name, she twisted her head to the side and smiled falsely. "Sure, why not. Thank you."

"My pleasure." Jino took the glass from her hand and purposefully grazed the back of her hand with his. Malreus glared at the interaction with a broody look. Limana did not seem to notice his annoyance and instead, assumed that he was tired and unbothered by the clear display of desperation from her brother.

"My lord, would you like to get some fresh air?" Limana gestured with her chin towards the balcony. It was a summer afternoon and the wind was slightly chilly. A cricket and a flock of birds could be heard in the distance. All was peaceful.

Malreus nodded, eager to leave the irritation that Jino's presence brought. Normally, Malreus would stay at Theia's side, but tonight, he was annoyed wit her as well. Why was she giving him attention when he was clearly beneath her?

"Lead the way." Malreus stood up and signalled with his outstretched hand for Limana to walk. She smiled and escorted them outside.

Theia swallowed and watched as the two left the lounge for the stillness of the balcony. It was quiet, the sun was dipping lower towards the horizon and the terrace was lit by the light of the dying rays- quite romantic. She did not find the image of her best friend and the pretty stranger alone, on the terrace, appealing. Not at all. "The red in the sky is so vivid here. It's astounding." Limana said as she looked up and rested her hands against the stone railing.

A fully poured glass of schnapps appeared in front Theia's eyes and Jino's once cute smile was slowly beginning to irk her. He was far too eager – like a dog running after a bone. "Thank you." She smiled tightly and accepted the drink.

"So, as I was saying, I-"

"Let's go stand outside." Theia didn't even wait for his answer; she'd already stood up and was headed for the archway that led out to the balcony. Jino stuttered, but then nodded and followed after her like a child.

Malreus was staring at the fountain below, while Limana talked about her new classes. He was listening, but only with half an ear. To be frank, Malreus has no interest in the woman's latest achievements and he'd quickly noticed that she was trying her hardest to boast about her standing to merely impress him. The prince was indifferent in small talk such as this- especially after a long day of running classes. His mind was muddled and in all honesty, Limana was being far too obvious. She wanted him to take her to bed. Malreus was not in the mood, but...

He gritted his teeth. If Theia was going to use Jino for a night's fun...

No. Malreus was not the type. He was the jealous type and the type to hold a grudge, sure, but he was not going to exploit a young woman for petty revenge. Especially not on his best friend. Theia was allowed to have lovers and- gods.

Even in his head it made him feel ill just thinking it, but it was true.

"Oh, look! You can see the moon right there." Limana pointed to the space in the sky.

"It's nearly full moon too." Malreus stood up straighter when he heard Theia's voice. He felt the corners of his lips tug up. The princess add; "It's quite chilly, isn't it?"

Limana smiled tightly. "It is. Quite." It didn't seem like she appreciated the interruption. Jino walked up behind Theia and grinned mischievously. "Schnapps not warming you up enough?"

"It's fine." Theia didn't even care to look at Jino as she leaned back against the stone railing and smiled warmly up at Malreus. He returned the smile with a genuine replica.

"My lord," Limana took a step closer to the prince, "Do you have a cloak or cape perhaps? I am quite cold, actually."

Malreus placed his untouched drink down. "Of course, here." The god removed his cloak and carefully tied it around Limana's shoulders. Theia pursed her lips, but said nothing as Jino drove the conversation to the topic of hunting once more. It was as if he had only two subjects he could chat about and it was slowly driving Theia and Malreus up the wall.

Limana thanked Malreus and immediately started to add onto her brother's story. Malreus turned his head slightly to pick up his small glass of liqueur and his eyes caught Theia's expression. She was glaring at Limana with a look he knew well. He knew all of Theia's looks very well- they were after all, best friends.

She was jealous.

A rush of warmth filled his chest, but he pushed it down and tried to ignore it. He took an involuntary sip of his drink and pulled a slightly face, remembering why he didn't really like schnapps all that much. It was far too strong in syrupiness for his taste.

Limana noticed his face and giggled; "Not to your liking?" She placed a hand on his forearm as he held the glass. "Would you rather I pour you a glass of red wine?"

Before Mal could reply, Theia dismissed the offer; "No need; I can ask for a bottle from the servants."

"It's alright." Malreus smiled at both women, looking at one to the other, "I think I'll pass on more alcohol for tonight."

"But we're just getting started..." Limana said with a blatantly flirtatious tone and suggestive look in her eye. Malreus didn't feel any sort of arousal at the thought of how easy it would be to take her to his bedroom tonight, but he did like the way Theia pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the girl. He liked it quite a bit.

Would it be so wrong to... test it? He thought to himself. Malreus returned Limana's grin with one of his own. His dark eyes lowered along with his voice; "What did you have in mind?"

Limana had not expected this kind of reply, and neither had Theia. Jino was completely forgotten and was standing beside Theia, trying his best to catch her attention. "Theia, is that the olive grove's entrance?"

Theia completely ignored his questions and posed her own to his sister; "Yes, what did you have in mind?"

Limana's suggestive comment was not meant for Theia- only Malreus. She blushed at the question and stammered slightly; "Oh, I meant, the night it still young. We can have a drink in the grove, perhaps?"

"Perhaps not." Theia said sweetly, but Malreus knew her comment was nowhere sweet. "We have a fairly long day planned tomorrow with classes, meeting and such. Maybe another evening."

Malreus nodded, agreeing with Theia. "Yes, I think it's rather late already."

Limana and Jino shared a look. Jino was the first to speak; "Oh, well. We should be going; I presume father is done with his nightcap?"

"Possibly." Limana said softly. Theia added; "Probably."

Malreus remained quiet and savoured the look of possessiveness that filled his best friend's expression. Her demeanour had completely shifted and she was standing close to his side now, leaving Jino to the chilly breeze. Mal enjoyed the warmth of her side and he smiled at her quickly. She grinned back.

Theia has called over a servant to escort the siblings to their father, but Limana tried one last time to gather Malreus' attention for herself. "Thank you, my lord." She gave his cloak back to him and bowed slowly, her eyes locked onto him. "I hope we see each other again soon?"

"Maybe at your wedding next spring?" Theia couldn't help herself.

Malreus wanted to laugh, but he kept his amusement to himself and tried to wipe the smile from his face. Poor girl...

Limana got the message loud and clear.

Jino had not yet received his. He took Theia's hand in his own as his sister turned to leave with the servant, her ego bruised. "My princess..." Malreus cringed. "It was a pleasure. And it would be my honour to accompany you to my sister's wedding. Feel free to let me know the arrangements."

It was Malreus' turn to lean in over Theia's shoulder and smile tightly at Jino, his eyes filled with an annoyance that would soon spill over into anger. "It may be more appropriate for you to ask her father's permission. He is the king, after all..."

Theia knew it wasn't necessary to ask Thanatos' approval for her to go, but just seeing the holy fear of facing the god of death striking into the eyes of the young man was hellishly funny. She held back her laughter.

Jino nodded and let go of her hand; "We um- We will speak again. Goodnight." He bowed and turned to leave.

Malreus and Theia stood watching the two nobles depart, their tails between their legs. Mal was the first to speak and in a timid, boyish voice, he mockingly said; "Oh, um... My king. Would it be alright if I um... If I took your daughter-"

"Shut up!" Theia smacked his chest with the back of her hand and laughed loudly. "She's not much better! Practically sending out invitations to her wedding, while throwing herself at you like a-"

"Theia!" Malreus feigned a shocked gasp and placed a hand on his heart. "Don't call her that."

"I didn't even say it!" She giggled.

"You thought it..."

"I did think it." She sighed and leaned against the stone barrier. Malreus scooted closer, until their shoulders touched. She snuggled to his side. "It is actually cold."

"Here." Malreus gently placed his cloak on her shoulders and pulled it tighter around the front to shield her from the icy wind.

"It smells like her." Theia remarked with a grimace. Malreus threw his arm around her shoulder and grinned broadly; "Jealous?"

"Me? Jealous? Of what?" Theia scoffed. "Everyone knows I'm your favourite."

"Unfortunately, true." Malreus said jokingly, but his arm tightened around Theia and he curled his other arm around her as well, engulfing her in his grip. Theia whined and wriggled a little in protest, but her giggle made it fairly obvious that she enjoyed his attention.

"Am I your favourite?" Malreus asked as he picked her up from the ground a bit and wiggled the princess in the air. She laughed loudly as she tried to unhook his arms from around her arms. "Yes, yes! Just put me down, you ass."

"So rude to your number one fan." Malreus did as she asked and dropped his arms. Theia immediately missed the warmth and his intimacy.

"Time to call it a night?" Theia asked as she saw the lights go on downstairs; their parents no doubt greeting the guests and preparing to spend the rest of the evening relaxing by the burning hearth in the lounge. Malreus and his parents were sleeping over for the night.

"Or..." Malreus placed his elbow on the railing and leaned casually as he picked up his small schnapps glass; "We can take a bottle of wine to your room and gossip?"

Theia pushed herself off the railing and grinned widely, her eyes filling with enthusiasm. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around..." She grabbed Malreus by the hand and pulled him along with her. The prince was more than happy to have her lead him towards her bedroom. It might not end in a certain way- a way he'd thought about many times before, but being with her made him happier than anything else.

They ended the night laying on Theia's bed, the balcony doors open for cool air as the red wine had gone to their cheeks, staining it just as crimson as their lips. Theia had passed out on the opposite side of the bed, her feet on her pillow. Malreus was still awake, but only just; his eyes heavy with sleep and wine. They'd both changed into more comfortable clothes, but the night air was colder now than before and Malreus could see goosebumps making their way across Theia's arms.

He pulled the blanket over her and lifted her head to place a pillow underneath. The prince of the Underworld grabbed another pillow for himself and scooted in under the covers next to his best friend, snuggling in beside her and immersing his dull senses with her scent. He pressed his nose against her thick, blonde hair and curled his hand around her arm.

Everything else faded, but one thing remained certain. Theia was by far his favourite...

Hello Everyone! 

Hope you enjoyed this little chapter

Love, D xx