almost sets the kitchen on fire trying to bake and oh no now she's crying over a pan of burnt brownies.
SHE’S ON THE FLOOR, CRYING ABOUT BROWNIES, && he soon realizes he’s never been TRAINED on how to DEAL with a p r e g n a n t wife. he can only go over & kneel down beside her, cupping her head in his hands. he offers her a SMILE, trying his best not to LAUGH at the situation. ❛ hey, hey— it’s OKAY. i don’t even LIKE brownies, ❜ he assures her, kissing her forehead.
HE’S SITTING ON THE BED, paperwork on his lap when he feels her get onto the bed. he knows all TOO WELL that she’s going to disturb him. he leans his head back, staring at the ceiling as she makes her way onto his lap. he looks back down to her, brows arched up & a small smirk on his lips. he chuckles softly & leans down, kissing her on the forehead. ❛ can i HELP you with something? ❜
HIS ARMS ARE AROUND HER THE MOMENT SHE TOUCHES HIS CHEST. he smiles just a bit, head tucking into her shoulder. he does nothing but hold her, hand brushing her back before moving to gently TANGLE into her auburn locks. she’s cold, as usual. he can only try & squeeze her tighter, gently swaying them. he’s not one for being overly affectionate, but, she’s his WIFE. not just some girl. he kisses her head before smirking a bit & picking her up, spinning her around before setting her back onto her feet. ❛ you should EAT more. i can feel your ribs, anya. ❜
draws invisible patterns on his back with her fingertips, tracing the words "i love you".
HE’S LAYING ON HIS STOMACH, eyes closed as he focuses on leveling out his breathing. he can feel her soft fingers on his skin. she always gets sentimental AFTER. he doesn’t mind. he might, if she were anyone else. but, for once, he doesn’t MIND being tethered to someone. so, he cracks open an eye to watch her, seeing the far-off look in her bright gaze. he smiles just a bit & leans over, pressing a kiss to her chin. ❛ i love you, too, anya, ❜ he mumbles, nose raising to nudge against her own. ❛ ——–your fingers are cold. come here, ❜ he murmurs, pulling her gently into his arms & kissing the top of her red-head. he tangles their legs together & wraps his arms around her, almost too tightly —— & it’s on purpose, cued by the laugh on his lips.
HE SHOULD BE USED TO THIS. he really should. it’s not the first time she’s woken up, sweat causing auburn strands to cling to her pale skin. it’s instinctual for him to wrap his arms around her when she jolts up in the bed. he holds her around the waist first, head gently nuzzling her side. he kisses the fabric of her shirt a few times before sitting up & kissing the side of her head. he gently pulls her head to his shoulder, quiet sounds of C O M F O R T leaving his lips as he strokes her hair.
❛ you’re okay— ❜ he whispers into her ear. ❛ i’ve got you. you’re okay, ❜ he holds her close, free arm gently scooping her up to rest on his lap. it didn’t MATTER that they’d fought before bed. it didn’t matter what they CALLED EACH OTHER. or the fact he was sure his shoulder had some deep bruising. now, he just wanted to hold her. comfort her. gentle kisses litter her head, fingers tracing her spine. ❛ i love you— please stop crying, ❜ he whispers, holding her closer to him & kissing her temple. he gently cups her face, trying to get her to look at him. he offers her a smile & kisses her forehead.
❛ your eyes are going to be all PUFFY tomorrow if you don’t stop, ❜ he tries to lighten her mood – make her focus on him instead of her dream. ❛ you’re beautiful even when you cry…. but your eyes are starting to match your hair, ❜ he smiles just a bit & gently kisses over her eyelids. ❛ come on. we’re getting ice cream, ❜ he muses, scooping her up onto his chest & crawling from the bed. he carries her to the small kitchen of theirs, resting her onto the counter & kissing her a few quick times across her face before bringing her the container of ice cream from the freezer. ❛ —–don’t cry into your ice cream, anya. ❜
ASTARTLEDYELP leaves her lips before she can stop it, hands clasping at herrear where snow clings to her oversized coat. It doesn’t take agenius to figure out who the culprit is— between Dimitri andVladimir, it’s obvious who’s more immature. She whirls, fixing heatedblue eyes on him and with mischievous intent, she grabs a handful ofsnow and proceeds to shove it down his shirt.
Dimitri yells protests.It’s hard to believe the two of them are adults, the way they carryon; running back and forth along the snow-covered path, pelting eachother with snowballs. Shrieks and expletives fill the night and Vladimir only watches them, smiling. A littleexasperated, too.
snuggles up to bc SOMEONE is hogging all the blankets
HE’S TURNED AWAY FROM HER AT FIRST. he doesn’t do it PURPOSEFULLY. he’s just not big on overheating by c u d d l i n g. now, though, he can feel her warmth against his back, curling like a CHILD to their parent. he grunts in his sleep, bleary & disoriented for a second as he registers his surroundings. he slowly rolls over, arm draping around her as he realizes what she was complaining about. he had to admit, it was COLD that night. he could deal with it for her.
HIS LIPS PRESS TO THE TOP OF HER HEAD as both of his arms encircle her, pulling her close to his frame & tangling their legs. he nuzzles his nose just above her ear & mumbles a quiet & sleepy ‘ i love you ‘ into her ear as he holds her. it was when he was desperately TIRED that he became overly affectionate. too sleep deprived for sarcasm, he simply slides his hands along her back making small patterns to try & lure her to sleep.
she doesn't care that he's trying to work, she's going to drape herself across his desk in very unsubtle 'pay attention to me' fashion.
HE’S TRYING TO FOCUS ON DOCUMENTING A PASSPORT. trying & desperately failing. especially when anastasia is suddenly LAYING on top of his work. his jaw clenches slightly, looking up at her with dark hues under dark lashes. he arches a brow, QUESTIONING her silently. he lets a puff of air from his lips & tugs her to sit up, guiding her legs to allow himself to scoot his chair forward & be between her legs. his hands SLIDE along her thighs, moving to rest on her behind with a small bite to the corner of his lips before he opens them to SPEAK.
❛ YOU’RE B O T H E R S O M E, YOU KNOW THAT? ❜ he questions, letting his forehead rest on her bossum like a child, arms moving to instead wrap around her hips. he nuzzles his head before pressing his lips to the FABRIC of her shirt, then tauntingly stealing a nip from the under-curve of her clothed breast, a small c h u c k l e bubbling up from his throat. ❛ but, you’re probably the only person i WANT to be bothered by, ❜ he muses aimlessly, pressing his lips DOWN her abdomen before sliding the material up to kiss her skin. he bites just under her belly button, then kisses to her hips, leaving a mark with his lips along the curve of her hip bone.
❛ IF I’M GOING TO BE DISTRACTED, might as well be PROPERLY distracted, ❜ he whispers, hands sliding UP her stomach so that long fingers can wrap around her clothed breasts before sliding back down & getting to work on moving away her pants. he guides her hips up & yanks the fabric down off of her legs, tossing pants & underwear to some corner of his room. he kisses down her abdomen, painfully slow & taunting before he grips her legs, PULLING her forward so that she leans back, draping her legs over his shoulders. lips TRACE the curvature of her thighs, biting & kissing trails to her hips. he glances up at her before his mouth is put to work, never quite losing the SMIRK that forms as he watches her W R I T H E. oh, but he’s not going to REWARD her for disrupting his work. no, no. so, just when he knows she’s close, he withdraws, lips kissing her thighs & calves before leaning back in his chair with a smirk.
❛ I NEED TO FINISH MY WORK. if i don’t get to finish, neither do you. ❜
slides up behind her & lifts her up, spinning her around.
ANYAIS ALMOST proud of herself. She’s walking away, being the biggerperson in this fight. Truthfully, she just can’t stand the screaming.It’s all they ever do lately. Maybe it’s the heat of Summer, drawingon their own irritability and multiplying it until it boils over intopetty fighting. Whatever the reason, she’s not going to let him getunder her skin this time. Nope. She’s going to walk away. She mighteven leave,and wouldn’t thatteach him!
There’s only a fefw steps taken across the room when she’s suddenly lifted offher feet; Dimitri’s arms tight around her waist. They spin once,twice. He gets a mouthful of red locks in the process and hours laterhe’ll complain he’s stillfinding stray hairs on his shirt, as though she were some domesticcat shedding on the furniture.
Anyatries to be mad— she really does. It’s not fair. Just as quick he’sriled her up, he manages to make her laugh and before she can thinkabout it, she’s taking his face in her hands and kissing him repeatedly.The anger has dimmed to something like annoyance—- mutteringyou’rea jerkand Ihate you betweenkisses.
Well, that’s what we do! We fight! You tell me when I’m being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you’re being a pain in the ass! Which you are, ninety-nine percent of the time! I’m not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have a two-second rebound rate and then you’re off doing the next pain-in-ass-thing.
HE LOOKS UP towards her, looking away from his paperwork to eye her, brown hues speculating. he knows she’s bored. it’s not exactly FUN at his job. it was HER idea to tag along. he leans on to the paperwork in front of him & hums, ❛ c’mere, ❜ he holds out a hand to her. when she comes to him, he pulls her onto his lap so that her back is to his chest, arms wrapping around her waist as he leans his chin to her shoulder. ❛ i love you, ❜ he murmurs quietly as he presses a few kisses to her neck & jaw before turning her chin to kiss her lips once. ❛ not much longer here. i promise. ❜
*Ivan anon* "Papa, where do babies come from? Mama said ask you."
❛ WELL YOU SEE. when a man & a woman drink too much they wander around until they find a play to lay down && then he puts his——- ❜ oh how quickly a hand is used to cover his mouth.
SHE’S LEANING FORWARD even as he speaks. Missing people. Missing Vlad. Missing— what? It fills her with a sense of hope that maybe– just maybe– he really did have feelings for her. His answer comes in the form of his lips pressing against hers with sudden intensity. Anya’s immediate reaction should have been to push him away. He’s too forward. This is no way for a duchess to behave. But everything in her screams for contact; to soothe the ache left by her own loneliness.
She gives into it, all but melting against him. Fingers curl tentatively over his shoulders and grasp; lost in the moment.
HE LEANS INTO HER, hand resting on her waist. he doesn’t
care about her title. he just wants her. anya. not some duchess who
he couldn’t have. even so, he knows he can’t have her. but, right now?
HE DOESN’T CARE. he leans into her, tugging her closer by the waist.
❛ i missed you, ❜ he whispers, kissing her jaw & her neck.
❝THAT’S NOT TRUE. You are the least boring person that I know of.❞ And she means that. If she hadn’t met Dimitri, she never would have gotten out of Russia– and in turn, likely never would have found her Grandmother. Their adventure together had certainly been far from boring. ❝Boring people don’t turn Orphan girls into Grand Duchesses,❞ she jokes, absently resting a hand over his. This is getting too sentimental. He doesn’t like talking about himself, she can tell. ❝Do you… miss being at the palace?❞
HE HAS TO THINK. it wasn’t a simple question. it wasn’t a question
he could get away with not answer either. but it was the answer he was afraid of.
❛ living there? no. it was cold. ❜ he answers dryly, looking down to her hand. he
purses his lips & sighs, leaning his head back & closing his eyes. ❛ i miss being
around people. i miss vladimir. i miss... ❜ he trails off. he knows his answer.
he turns his head to look at her, brown eyes looking at the way her lips parted
to match her breathing. his tongue trails the corner of his bottom lip before.
❛ anya i-- ❜ he purses his lips before leaning over quickly & pressing their lips
together, fevered & needy; lonely.