noble lines AU - shirayuki's POV first hearing about obi and kiki and/or meeting obi for the first time
Prompts are currently closed while I catch up. I will announce when I am open! :)
Five hours a bride and still she does not know what to dowith this sense of… relief.
Raj is gone. Or- at least he is no longer here, but in his rooms or with Izana orjust- somewhere else. Still, her hands tremble faintly at her side, heartpounding like she was twelve summers and just got caught kissing the boy nextdoor – faintly sick, faintly exhilarated, and verging on exhaustion. Restingher back eyes the wall, the tension in her lungs break, eyelashes flutteringshut.
“Hey,” a voice, soft and earnest at her shoulder givesher a start, but when her head snaps towards it, all she can see are clear blueeyes, a quirked smile and a sincere face. “How are you doing?”
Shirayuki laughs, breathy, palm still pressed to her chest.“Better.”
“Good.” Zen’s hand at her elbow should not be a surprise,not now, but it presence is as comforting as it ever was. “I’m glad this workedout.”
“Mm, me too.” Shirayuki’s eyes pass over the room,landing on the man to whom she is freshly wed. The woman who hasnot left his side in hours, currently speaking with him in hushed, clippedtones. And the not-quite-nausea that has been ever present for the past two months roilsin her gut.
“Shirayuki,” Zen draws her back, out of the bog beforeshe can sink into it. “Obi’s a good man. He’ll be good to you. And if he’s not-”He draws his thumb across his neck, tongue peeking out from beneath his lips andhe slowly crosses his eyes, tilting his head at an awkward angle.
She stares at him for a moment, uncomprehending. “Oh!”she slaps her hands to her cheeks, once, about as hard as his meaning hits her.“I’m sure that won’t be necessary. He’s your friend and I would never-”
Zen laughs, loud and full, grabbing hold of her to dragher palms from her face. “It was a joke!” he grins, squeezing her wrists inemphasis. “Shirayuki, calm down. I was just kidding.”
Swallowing hard, her eyes involuntarily seeking out her-her husband. For a moment, they land on amber, at the spark of gold caught inthe late afternoon light before they slide off her, shadows drawing sharp linesdown his cheek. His mouth moves, replying to something that Lady Kiki saidwhile he rubs the back of his head. Her stomach stabs, sharp, when he rests anassuring hand on her shoulder.
“He’s very devoted to her.”
Shirayuki rears back, stung. “What?”
Zen is looking towards them as well, the lines at thecorner of his eyes strained. “He didn’t tell her until a few hours ago. Thishas to be hard for them both, too. I can’t remember a time that they were apartand now…” His voice drifts off in a soft puff of laughter. “Sometimes I wonderif they still share the same bed.”
Shirayuki’s mouth parts and Zen blanches a moment later,the words catching up to his brain just as the ground gives out from under her.Turning towards her swiftly, he raises both hands in supplication. “Not that Ithink- they’ve never- I mean, I’ve never been given any reason to suspect thatthey’ve-“
Hands gripping in vain against the smooth papering thatcovers the wall, Shirayuki fears that she may vomit.
“I keep making this worse.” Zen grimaces, hands retreatback to himself and instead pluck at his bangs. “What I mean to say is: they’reclose. Childhood friends. He’s been her companion since she was six.”
That only absolves her guilt by a margin. She rememberswhen her grandparents forbid boys from going to her room shortly after herfirst menses; the awkwardness in the conversation that followed. But still, noone- no one placed especially strong emphasis on her virtue. Not like- like theheir to an earldom would. If they still shared a bed, then-
There had to be some expectation, at the very least, thatthe two of them would be something more.
“Have I ruined it for them, then?”
“Hardly,” Zen snorts. “There was a time that there wasrumors, but they- well, they never came to anything much.”
Shirayuki swallows, hard, and she- she wants to press, butshe’s not sure how. Taking a few clearingsteps towards the balcony as to not have to- to look at them, she manages,“It’s strange, though, to be married to a man and know almost nothing abouthim.”
When she looks back, Zen’s eyes are wide, confused and,ah, that’s right. He couldn’t understand, could he? Marrying for love is asforeign to him as marrying for power is to her. “Ah,” he flushes, fiddling withhis sleeves. “I hadn’t… thought too much about that. When I went to fetch him.But- I suppose- you could ask me?”
She wants to, but something rankles at the thought. “Iwouldn’t want to… be dishonest… towards either of them.”
Zen’s smile turns fond. “I’ll be careful to not go toofar.”
“Okay.” Hands smoothing down her skirts, Shirayuki stepsout into the sunlight. “How about- how about something easy. How did you meet?”
“Well,” Zen drawls, stretching his arms out to the side.His mouth trembles at some unspoken joke. “My parents always had it in theirhead for Kiki and I to marry…”
