Zavien
Determined to find whatever sustenance his girlfriend - the mother of his child - required, Zavien smiled and dipped his head like a loyal and noble knight to his queen. She could ask him to fly to Halo dangling from the bottom of a skyship to get her a single berry and he'd do it with a smile on his face, no matter how pale or green it turned. All just to make her happy, to hear that laughter again, to make this transition somehow any easier.
Her question elicited a low huff of laughter, the force of his smile pressing against her touch. "I'm sure it was the same thing I did to deserve you." Maybe they'd endured enough suffering to deserve some happiness. Maybe the gods favored them enough to take pity. Or maybe their bad luck had finally run out.
Zavien didn't much care, kissing her regardless of how they'd found themselves here, relishing in the moment and the bit of peace they'd found in each other.
When she turned the question back on him, he opened his eyes, giving her the same level of honesty she'd given him. "Scared." He smiled, nudging his nose against her as he continued, "And nervously excited. And also unimaginably happy. And maybe a bit delirious." Laughter bubbled from his lips as he pulled away just enough to look at her straight on. "This isn't happening the way I expected it, so my mind is jumping all over the place. Like," he tilted his head, "I thought the hardest part would be the pregnancy, not wondering how I'm going to be there for you if we're living apart. Or, worrying about gender and first names instead of whether they'd have my last name or yours." A small flush formed on his cheeks, worried he might be saying too much too soon, that maybe he was being too honest.
"I guess I just expected to be going through this when things were more stable - once we were married. And now..." He looked down, shuffling his feet as he tried to find the words to describe the debate transpiring in his head. "It doesn't feel like the right time to ask." The thought had cross his mind. It had nothing to do with his feelings for her, and everything to do with the timing. Instead of feeling sincere and loving, it would feel forced - rushed, obligatory. And he didn't want Soh to feel like she had to say yes because of this, even if they were agreeing to love each other as much as this child.
That just meant they'd have to navigate this a little differently than he'd imagined, to find what worked for them at this point in their life. And then if - when - the time was right, they could talk more about marriage.
Her question elicited a low huff of laughter, the force of his smile pressing against her touch. "I'm sure it was the same thing I did to deserve you." Maybe they'd endured enough suffering to deserve some happiness. Maybe the gods favored them enough to take pity. Or maybe their bad luck had finally run out.
Zavien didn't much care, kissing her regardless of how they'd found themselves here, relishing in the moment and the bit of peace they'd found in each other.
When she turned the question back on him, he opened his eyes, giving her the same level of honesty she'd given him. "Scared." He smiled, nudging his nose against her as he continued, "And nervously excited. And also unimaginably happy. And maybe a bit delirious." Laughter bubbled from his lips as he pulled away just enough to look at her straight on. "This isn't happening the way I expected it, so my mind is jumping all over the place. Like," he tilted his head, "I thought the hardest part would be the pregnancy, not wondering how I'm going to be there for you if we're living apart. Or, worrying about gender and first names instead of whether they'd have my last name or yours." A small flush formed on his cheeks, worried he might be saying too much too soon, that maybe he was being too honest.
"I guess I just expected to be going through this when things were more stable - once we were married. And now..." He looked down, shuffling his feet as he tried to find the words to describe the debate transpiring in his head. "It doesn't feel like the right time to ask." The thought had cross his mind. It had nothing to do with his feelings for her, and everything to do with the timing. Instead of feeling sincere and loving, it would feel forced - rushed, obligatory. And he didn't want Soh to feel like she had to say yes because of this, even if they were agreeing to love each other as much as this child.
That just meant they'd have to navigate this a little differently than he'd imagined, to find what worked for them at this point in their life. And then if - when - the time was right, they could talk more about marriage.
I love you with everything I am,
everything I've been,
and everything I hope to be.
everything I've been,
and everything I hope to be.
