Nessian prompt? Nesta braiding Cassian’s hair (or vice versa)
"I think I'm doing pretty good."
Nesta winced. "Yeah, Cass. You're...doing great."
Cassian's fingers stilled. "Too rough?"
Nesta laughed, quietly, as she looked at their reflections in the mirror. Cassian was sitting on the edge of their bed, his fingers in her hair, while Nesta sat cross-legged on the floor, a book in her hands.
He had been learning how to braid.
Nesta had been his practice-tool.
"Stop looking at the mirror," Cassian said, his wings wrapping around her, hiding her line of vision, for emphasis. "I want the end result to be a surprise."
"Then why did you make me sit in front of the mirror?" Nesta asked, unable to stop her laughter. "It brings temptation."
Cassian shrugged, continuing to braid her long, golden-brown hair. "I've always thought you were pretty good at controlling your temptations. We lived under the same roof for months before you finally caved and crawled into bed with me, after all."
Nesta looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.
Cassian laughed, quietly, and straightened her head. "Keep still, Nes."
She did as she was told, holding her book back up so that she could see the pages.
Braiding had been Cassian's latest hobby. Since finding out Nesta was with child, he was destined to learn everything he could about being a father. The week before, he had brushed up on every Illyrian lullaby and folktale he could find in the library's history section. The week before that, he had learned how to crochet from some elderly women in town.
The first blanket he'd brought home was rough.
The second one was slightly better...it was currently sitting in the nursery, draped over a chair, but Nesta hoped he'd give it a third try before the baby arrived.
This week, his mission was to perfect the art of braiding.
Cassian was halfway done with her braid as Nesta looked up to the mirror, but Cassian’s wings were soon blocking her view, yet again.
She snorted. “Seriously?”
“I told you not to look until I’m done. You get the wings.”
With quiet laughter, she said, “Fine.”
As Cassian was nearing the end of the braid, Nesta reached up and brushed the tips of her fingers along the edge of his wing.
Cassian jumped, swearing as he did so, which only made him pull on the end of Nesta’s hair, making her yelp.
“You can’t touch me there!” he scolded, tying a ribbon around the bottom of her braid.
“You know why,” he muttered. “It...tickles.”
“Illyrian baby,” she mumbled.
“I heard that,” he said, only to see Nesta’s shoulders shaking with laughter. “Alright, alright.” He moved his wings out of her view and she met her reflection in the mirror. “How’d I do?”
Nesta looked at the braid, twisted her head to the left, then to the right. She pretended to study it far longer than she typically would have, only because she knew it drove Cassian mad.
She leaned her head back and looked at Cassian. “My honest opinion?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yes.”
Nesta sighed, and looked back at her reflection. “I think it’s beautiful, Cass.”
Cassian reached forward and pulled Nesta’s back against the bed, between his legs. “Beautiful enough to cross braiding off my checklist?”
Nesta chuckled. “Depends, what’s next on your checklist?”
“Hmmm,” Cassian began, his head tossed back as he looked up at the ceiling. “Wood working, I think. Kid’s gonna need a crib.”
A light sparked in Nesta’s eyes as she looked back at their reflection, and Cassian wrapped his arms around her. She reached up and fiddled with the end of her braid. “Yeah. I suppose you can cross braiding off the checklist.”
His grin made her toes curl as he kissed her forehead, then stole the book off her lap before pulling her onto the bed on top of him.
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