Work Text:
Every day, he was always awake before me. As his page, I should have been the one to ensure he was awake and ready to tackle his duties for the day. As his wife, I should have been the one to see him off with a smile before he goes to work. He would notice if I got up earlier to make him breakfast and would question if I slept at all.
He works so hard every day, dealing with meetings, paperwork and reports.
I watch him every day as I work by him, exasperated expressions exchanged when Lord Shigezane comes running down the corridor and throws the door open carelessly, followed by either Lord Kojuro or himself to lecture him about failing to announce himself again.
"You have to remember that they are married now," Lord Kojuro reminds Lord Shigezane.
Lord Shigezane grins. "Relax! I know they're busy but Masa wouldn't be trying to get it in the middle of the day."
It makes me think about whether I do enough to be Masamune's wife during the day, when I spend much of it being his page and being his wife comes when the sun has fallen.
As his page, I've become oblivious to the expression of stress on his features. But I see it as his wife when he comes to bed, his arms wrapped around me to protect me and he looks exhausted. Meal times seem to grant him that little bit of energy of being able to deal with anything happening before we go to bed.
By the time I realize it, I've let it go on for a few days and I'm already kicking myself.
I've finished my bath and come back in my sleeping robes, where I find him in the same clothing but he's reviewing a letter that I know can wait until tomorrow. My actions don't seem to do anything to pull him out of his thoughts, even as I closed the door and put aside my things, allowing me a moment to observe him.
His shoulders are tense, and his position is far from relaxed.
I decided to go and kneel behind him, gently placing my hands on his shoulders. I can feel him jump under my palms and realize it's me before I start to move my hands, applying pressure in a massage. I can feel how tense he is, the little noises he makes when I press a certain way, as I work out the little knots. After a moment, I slow my actions to a stop and move my weight onto my knees so I can reach over his shoulder and take the letter from his hands to place on the table. "Work can wait until tomorrow," I say softly.
He looked at me as I had done so, placing a hand over one of my own and smiled. "Yeah."
I suppose my actions took him by surprise, because I had always asked to touch him before anything else, but I felt like he would say it's fine and dismiss it before I could do anything.
We decide to go to bed from there, and this time I put my arms around him last and I embrace him, wanting to protect my beloved for just this one night. If anyone wanted him, they would have to go through me first.
I felt him be more at ease with himself that night, as if I had reminded him that being his wife meant that he could share his burdens with me.
When the crack of dawn comes, his expression seems a bit better as I open my eyes in time to see him start to get dressed for the day. I watch him for a moment, before my eyes drift to his clothing and it gives me a reason to get up instead of returning back to sleep.
With his under robes on, he still has yet to put on his hakama and kimono. When he turns to reach for his kimono, it isn't there and he looks around, only for his beautiful jade-coloured eye to fall on me.
I smile with his kimono in my hands and I come up to him in offering for him to slip his hands through.
There's a tinge of pink on our cheeks as I help him dress bit by bit, the actions almost as intimate as when we take each other's robes off and make love.
"Is this too tight?" I ask softly as I secured the tie of his hakama. I had surveyed him enough to watch how he tied his clothing that I never realized it would come handy at a moment like this.
"No, it's just right," came his warm voice in my ear.
His sword is tucked right where it needs to be, and I come around with the final piece. Standing behind him, I place his haori on his shoulders and lean forward to rest my cheek on his back as my hands remain where they are. As his wife, I am his support when he is struggling and having a difficult time.
We stay like that for a moment before I pull back and we go to the door.
I smile warmly and with love at him, giving pause to press a light kiss to his lips despite the blush that blooms on both of our cheeks at my being so forward. "Have a good day, Masamune." My role as his wife will end when he says his goodbye, and I will begin as his page at breakfast.
He looks at me with that kind, loving and boyish smile of his that makes my heart skip a beat every time, his hand reaching up to cup my cheek and his thumb gently smoothing over my skin. "Yeah. I'm heading off now." His warmth leaves me as he moves back to head out the door.
It isn't long before I have to get dressed too so I can begin my duties for the day, but as long as I serve the love of my life while supporting him, I persevere in happiness.
After all, I am his wife.