#ask.hc

[zoyalais-moved]

tell me about zoyalai and how they had to ~pretend~ to be a couple which was the start, the thing that actually set off the rumours in ravka abt them possibly being together

Omg omg YES (I pulled a bit from annie's hc oops <3)

so other than the fact that when they're around each other it's like ✨no one else is in the room✨

they use each other to get out of things. nikolais being cornered by some old lady who wants her seventeen yr old daughter married off? zOYYA MY LOVVVE COME HERE 😍❤️

and she only agrees to this because it goes both ways. cuz I mean imagine these dukes coming to any sort of ball at the palace and seeing zoya in all her glory. just. everyone wants a dance and they're all old and make her uncomfortable and maybe their hands dip a little too low while dancing

one look from zoya and suddenly nikolais at her side, pulling her away- and pulling her *close*- it's a pretty obvious message. most of them take it.

mind you they don't say a word about it because of course they don't want some big scandal, but they do little things. zoya will come and rest a hand on nikolais chest and his eyes will soften when he looks at her (this !! is all !! pretend !! ofc !!) or nikolai will tuck her hair away and smile at her until the annoying suitor disappears again

point is: no one says they're together but...well no one says they're not

but something big must have happened for the rumors to start, right? and what better place for rumors to begin than in the palace itself. more specifically, through the servants.

it was an accident. honestly it had just been a really long day and zoya was too tired to get back to her room and the couch was right there and nikolai happened to be already asleep. it wasn't !! her fault !!

but when the maids come to present the king with his morning tea and see the way nikolai and zoya are wrapped in each other's arms (and I mean full on tangled, they're cuddling and mostly completely unaware of it)

zoya wakes up first and jumps back, unintentionally sending a gust of wind at nikolai, causing him to fall painfully onto the floor.

he gets up and glares at her groggily. she doesn't mention how good he looks with his messy hair and rumpled clothes, and he doesn't say that her eyes are brighter in the morning, and somehow her tone seems less sharp.

but they're both thinking it.

they don't talk about that night- because it meant nothing anyway !! and they totally don't think about it for hours after !!- but the servants talk. oh, they talk.

they're too afraid of zoya to say anything particularly bad about them, and far too lost to nikolais charm to spread hateful rumors. so when word does get out, it isn't a scandal about the unmarried king and his general. it's a story about a love that could never be.

It's almost tragic, nikolai thinks when it circles back to him

thank all the saints it isn't real

[zoyalais-moved]

do u think nikolai had an *oh* moment or do u think he knew he was falling the whole time lmao (dude idk i havent read lol)

he had about six oh shit moments imo so here's a few of them <3

(tgt + kos spoilers ahead)

first, was when he fell at the end of r&r and zoya caught him because the world was completely black and dark and he couldn’t see or read or even properly think, it was literally killing him. and then the darkness was gone and he was back to himself and falling at an impossible speed down to earth. but then zoya stormwitch nazyalensky cushions his fall and she’s there next to him and he’s never seen her before but oh fuck she’s so pretty and oh fuck she just saved his life

the second was when they’d been working an all nighter (which has pretty much been happening every day for at least three months) and they’re working in companionable silence until eventually nikolai cant figure out what to write back to this shu diplomat and he’s kinda panicking bc he’s half awake, dead tired, and utterly lost. then a slip of paper falls out of the letter and when he picks it up its a fully formed comprehensible letter written by zoya and he’s just. how.

when he looks over she’s asleep, her hair falling onto her eyes, her expression untroubled for once- saints, she almost looks at peace. and he just kinda smiles and goes “what would I do without you”

and then it hits him. bc. what would he do without her

he has another one when he sees her teaching the grisha, and while she’s strict ofc with them, he sees the way her face lights up when the little boy manages his first gust of wind, or the proud tilt of her chin when she updates him on their progress. she just loved them sm ok

one more when they’re at the winter solstice ball and he keeps looking for her but she’s nowhere, and really has he even seen her all day long? was she ok? maybe he should go check on her-

and then zoya walks in. and. he completely stops functioning. 

because she’s wearing a dark blue gown and her eyes are brighter, and did genya do her hair? who’s idea was it to leave it braided over one shoulder, studded with silver gems? 

she catches his eye and raises a brow. maybe there’s some diplomat trying to get his attention but the entire world just disappeared so who cares anyway

he asks her to dance and she says dancing is a dangerous game yes

anyway the entire time he's just heart eyes and his hearts beating fast and why is this happening to him??

this is #283837 and genya's watching like "for the love of GOD one of u make a move"

but just like in kos he always assumes it's best for them not to be together, be it for ravka or for zoya herself or for his reign there's always some excuse he comes up with

still she's the one on his mind, always <3

[zoyalais-moved]

How do you think Alina will react to Zoyalai?

I keep coming back to this and honestly I just think she owes people money now. A lot of it.

nikolai finally gets zoya to marry him and he’s so over the moon, he decides everyone needs to hear it from HIM

“I don’t want people thinking it’s just rumors, dear” “You don’t think the signs outside the palace are a big enough hint?” “ANYONE could have done that ANYONE !!”

so they have to visit pretty much everyone they ever met just so nikolai can go “and this is my wife, zoya” “fiancé” “they might not understand what that means zoya tHEY NEED TO KNOW”

he told tolya and tamar at least thirty times even tho they were there when zoya agreed

anyw so they get to the orphanage and finally tell mal and alina (at the door bc nikolai was too excited to wait) mal just grins and alina scowls. then she hands him twenty and goes “dammit I was only one week off”

it occurs to nikolai that maybe, just maybe, their friends knew.

just maybe

mal totally guessed that they were both hard headed and wld take ages and alina was like “if he doesn’t propose by the end of the year, zoya’s moving to the Shu Han”

she owes a lot of people money now but she’s happy for them all the same

[zoyalais-moved]

ohhohhoh zoyalai height difference!!

omg ok so

ms zoya nazyalensky, storm witch, commander of the second army, queen of storms, is very very short

this is not self projection she’s smol and scary ok

now with zoya being short. shorter than genya. shorter than p much everyone. she is tiiiny compared to nikolai. 

she makes up for it with three feet of pure spite but still he’s a tree

now to counter this she wears like six inch heels everywhere (now she just reaches up to his chin and he loves coming from behind and wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her head, brushing her hair, and shes just so content) 

anyway zoyas so determined to be That Much taller compared to nikolai that sometimes he’ll wear boots with heels on em just to piss her off

he trips an falls on his face five minutes in but the look on her face was worth it

also zoya being short means nikolai carries her (which !! she totally !! doesn’t want him to do !! omg !!) but secretly she rly likes it and he’ll do it at such random times, if she seems a bit tired he’s like uP YA GO and zoya is absolutely terrified of heights so she’s holding on for dear life which nikolai finds very amusing

he gets punched tho on more than one occasion. just cuz.

also if they’re working late and zoya falls asleep on the couch, he’ll pick her up bridal style, and if she’d half conscious, she’ll just cuddle into his chest and he finds it so adorable

he does this a lot, and sets her in bed, tucks her in and adds like four blankets so she’ll wake up cocooned with a ton of them and she’s just?? wtf nikolai?? but then he’s just got his arms around the giant ball of blankets that contains zoya so she rolls her eyes and smiles

also if they’re out somewhere nikolai will come up and rest an elbow on her head just to tease her and she will absolutely smile sweetly at him before zapping him with electricity (which yes i believe she has developed the ability to create small electrical shocks through her fingers and. boy does she use em.)

zoya has to get up on her tip toes to kiss him and nikolai still finds it adorable usually he just carries her mid-kiss which she totally !! doesnt like !! 

on that note zoya sits on counters a loT, ok? counters, tables, anything- and she can meet his eyes properly which shes ridiculously proud of

also forehead and nose kisses ✨✨

anytime zoyas upset she’ll kinda scrunch up her face an nikolai will just kiss her nose

they literally cannot function without each other

if one of them has been away for too long nikolai will always end up running up to zoya and spinning her around before pressing a kiss to the top of her head

your honor they’re in LOVE

[zoyalais-moved]

talk about zoyalai stargazing

JSHSJSJ OK SO

zoya has always loved the stars, since she was little and her aunt would lay down beside her and name out the constellations

when she moved to the little palace, she couldn't see the stars cuz none of the kids were allowed outside at night, and she didn't have a telescope. so it was whatever she could make out from her dorm window which was...not a lot.

it was upsetting of course so she ended up studying the stars from books, and they became a sort of comfort to her.

and I mean she knew all the constellation *by heart*

now one day nikolai gets REALLY excited about something and he's like “ok ok zoya C O M E !!”

she's confused but he's Like That so she goes along with him

he takes her to the roof grinning like a kid he's just SO EXCITED

now obviously as a pirate privateer, nikolai had to learn to sail via stars right? so he's also got them down quite well

anyway they get to the rooftop and it's cold and quiet and almost peaceful. and at first she thinks he wants her to see os alta from above- because holy shit what a sight- but then she sees that someone (ahem nikolai) spread out some blankets and has pillows propped up.

she gives him a really confused look "nikolai what is this??" but he's still grinning "just come *on*" and he pulls her down beside him.

and then he's pointing above and her breath leaves her.

because she hasn't been able to see the stars for so long, she'd practically forgotten one *could* see them at all. nikolai's watching her reaction and he's still real excited about the whole thing he doesn't notice that some tears fill her eyes.

and they lay down beside each other watching the stars and nikolai tells her all about the different constellations, everything she already know, pointing to them enthusiastically, adding to her knowledge with various myths he'd heard from his travels- "and you see the bear? the zemini believe a wild bear tried to attack a zowa, who used her ability to trap him in the stars, a reminder that nature isn't to be messed with"-

she knows pretty much all of it but she lets him talk, smiling to herself, until eventually he mixes up two names and she corrects him automatically. and he just kinda pauses.

"how do you know all this?" "old hobby of mine" "and you *let me go on"??"

"...I wouldn't want to hurt your pride" which of course translates to I love hearing you talk.

but they're *zoyalai* so ofc she doesn't SAY that.

and so they lay beside each other and at some point nikolai reaches out and links their hands and zoya doesn't protest and maybe just maybe they fall asleep under the stars.

and for once neither of them has nightmares.

send me zoyalai hcs to expand on