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The sun rays filter through the gaps in the curtains, casting a warm glow to the occupants of the bed. The smaller of the two blearily blinks his eyes open, immediately pulling the comforter up to shield his face from the sunlight. He squirms for a bit, inhaling deeply, before deciding to roll over. Careful not to jostle the arm around his waist, he turns to face the other occupant on the bed.
Malleus is still asleep. It's not a very common sight, since he usually wakes up before Cater. The redhead grins, admiring the relaxed face of his husband. He observes the long lashes of the other, the high slope of his nose and his slightly gaping mouth.
Even when Cater turned around, Malleus didn't shift even a bit. He must be in deep sleep. Cater takes the opportunity to reach up and brush his dark bangs away from his forehead, exposing the markings there.
He pushes himself up for a bit, and kisses the top of Malleus' forehead, on the skin above the markings and below his hairline. One of his favourite places to kiss Malleus.
The action causes Malleus to take a deep breath, waking up from his sleeping state. His eyebrows furrow, arms stretching out before his hands fumble around, seeking Cater. Hands finding Cater's body, they relax. His eyes slowly blink open, just a little bit. He groans, pulling Cater towards him.
"Don't wanna get up yet?" Cater asks, voice scratchy early in the morning.
"Five more minutes..." Malleus mumbles into the pillow.
Cater allows himself to stay in the warm cocoon of Malleus arms for a while, thinking of his engagements for the day. He briefly remembers that he has two events in the town, which would take up most of his day. After a few more minutes, he finally untangles himself from Malleus and lands a peck on the other's cheek before getting up from the bed.
While heading to the bathroom, he glances at the calendar on the side table and sees something marked for the day.
Anniversary <3
Oh. It's their anniversary today.
Cater takes a second in the bathroom to marvel at the fact that it has already been a number of years since he got married to Malleus and became the king's consort. It feels like so long ago, but at the same time still fresh in his mind.
Has it been 7 years now? Or is it 8...?
Well, he couldn't imagine a different life than this. The royal life and commitment felt surreal in the early years, but he's getting used to it now. And in moments like these, waking up alongside Malleus and brushing his teeth, nothing feels out of the ordinary.
Malleus walks in while he was brushing his teeth. The fae's long hair is being tied into a bun by his magic, green sparks twisting the hair smoothly. Malleus yawns, one hand scratching the side of his neck. Cater observes his husband who has his mouth wide open, sharp fangs on display and nose scrunched up.
So ungraceful. So unbecoming of a king.
The redhead snickers. It's always a treat to see Malleus in his unguarded state even after all the years of knowing him. He's delighted over the fact that Malleus only ever shows this side of him in front of Cater.
Noticing the other staring at him, Malleus turns his head to the side.
"What?" he grunts.
"Nothing."
Not quite awake yet to press the matter, Malleus lets it go and starts brushing his teeth. Cater moves on to his skincare routine, washing his face with various products. By the time he's done with the whole process, Malleus is also done with his routine, which is just cleansing his face one time. Cater is always envious of the fact that Malleus' skin is near flawless and he doesn't even need to put a lot of care into it.
As part of their morning routine, Malleus leans down and gives him a short kiss. The taste of toothpaste and general morning freshness is very familiar by now.
"Good morning," Malleus finally says.
Cater pulls him back down today, and gives him another kiss. "Happy anniversary darling."
Malleus raises an eyebrow at the statement.
"That is today? I'm sorry, I completely forgot."
Cater shakes his head. If they haven't known each other for years, then Cater might have been upset. But they both had more important things to think about.
"Don't worry about it. I also just remembered this morning."
The fae hums, smiling softly at Cater.
"No wonder I woke up feeling extra soft today."
Cater playfully pokes his side before walking out of the bathroom.
"Really now? I thought you looked extra grumpy."
Malleus follows him out the bathroom, the smile still on his face.
"I just wanted to spend more time in bed with you."
The excuse is met with Cater's deadpan face, taking it for what it is. An excuse.
Soft music greets them as they enter the room. Cater wanted some mood-boost in the mornings but his song choices were too loud for Malleus. They compromised with slow instrumentals.
They move towards their large closet, picking out their clothes for the day. They have the freedom to make their own decision, knowing to choose the appropriate clothes for the day's events and engagements. Only during special occasions do they have a stylist who would prepare their attires. Cater developed his own sense of style over the years, adhering to the traditional attires but also injecting his own personal flair on it. He got the stylist's approval over his design, so he's free to dress himself.
Since he has events in the town today, he chooses an attire on the fancier side, a dark green long coat with some frills on the sleeves. He changes into it and puts on earrings as well. Mostly done, he turns to Malleus.
Malleus has his own standard attire as the king, an all-black look from his robes to his shoes. The sash at his waist is untied and he routinely stands in front of Cater. Cater is not sure how it started, but Malleus would always leave his sash untied and Cater would tie it up properly for him. Pulling the soft material over Malleus' hips, Cater muses on how domestic it is.
"You have an event later?" Malleus asks, seeing Cater's attire. He brushes his hand across Cater's hair, planning in his head on how to style it. He likes to keep his own hair loose, but he enjoys styling Cater's hair.
"Yeah. There's two so I won't be back until the afternoon."
Confirming that Cater has formal engagements, Malleus decides on styling Cater's hair into a neat braided bun.
"Should we dine out tonight then?" It is still their anniversary after all. Even if they're over the big celebrations period, it's still a celebration.
Cater hums. "I think I'd rather dine in. We can play some music or something. Maybe get a cake."
There is a sudden growling sound and Cater laughs once he recognized it as Malleus' stomach growling.
"Well, let's have breakfast first before we decide on dinner, shall we?" he pats the other's stomach.
"Good idea."
The couple head to their dining room, walking through the corridors and down a staircase. They come across several attendants along the way, greeting them. Reaching the familiar set of doors, Malleus opens it to the welcoming aroma of food.
It's a moderately-sized room, compared to the other large halls and rooms in the castle. This room is used specifically for the king and his consort in private. The dining halls used for formal events are way too spacious and cold. Cater likes this room. The furniture and decorations are also handpicked by Malleus and him so it's less formal and more homely than most.
Their breakfast is served at the side table and they pile up their plates with their choice of food. Cater puts scrambled eggs, baked beans and a slice of toast on his. Malleus goes for toast with marmalade. Sitting down with their food, Cater moves to pour the coffee provided on the table for Malleus and himself.
The mornings are a fairly quiet occasion. It's the moment before they have to start their work, before they are King of the Valley of Thorns and The King's Consort. In the mornings they are just Malleus and Cater. Married couple enjoying breakfast together.
They start eating, exchanging light conversations. After finishing their food, Cater checks his phone, scrolling through his Magicam feed out of habit. He's allowed to keep his personal account, but there are rules on the things he posts. He mostly uses it to keep up with his friends anyway.
Malleus sips on his coffee and checks on his schedule for the day. After going through it, he frowns and clicks his tongue in annoyance.
"Long day?" Cater asks, seeing the irritated face.
Malleus sighs, putting down the paper.
"It looks like it will be. I have to meet with Sir Lawrence again."
Cater chuckles, ever-too-familiar with the name. Malleus has been complaining about him for a month now.
"Still not done with the negotiations?"
"No. It should have been done a week ago but someone keeps insisting on discussing again before finalizing the decision. Honestly, if it were up to me I'd just remove him from the council and be done with it," Malleus starts.
He goes on about how irritable Sir Lawrence is, while Cater does his best not to laugh. It is always an amusing affair when Malleus expresses dislike over a person or a subject. He listens of course, who else could the king complain to if not his own husband, right?
"—and can you believe he doesn't want gas stoves installed? Does he expect everyone to breathe fire to cook? Not like he could do it himself, the leaf pixie. He's so backward-minded and can't accept anything slightly modern," Malleus rants.
Cater can't help letting out a laugh at that.
"Cut the pixie some slack. You were once like that too. Remember when I wanted to get microwaves for the maids?"
The fae's eyebrows furrowed with the statement, eyeing Cater accusingly.
"That's because the first thing you told me about the apparatus is that it will explode if I accidently leave a metal utensil in it. Not a very good introduction."
The redhead shrugs, a teasing smile on his face.
"At least I wasn't lying."
Malleus shakes his head, a small smile on his face. He continues drinking his coffee.
Cater's phone vibrates as he receives a notification from Ereve, informing him that his transport has arrived. He gets up and moves around the table to Malleus.
"I'll head out first. Have a good day Mal."
He leans down and kisses Malleus' cheek. He was about to leave when Malleus takes his hand, stopping him.
"You have a good day too. I'll be waiting for you later."
Malleus turns Cater's hand around and kisses the back of it.
Cater couldn't help the grin on his face. He leaves after Malleus lets go of his hand and he waves him goodbye.
Walking the length of the castle grounds, Cater arrives at the entrance where Ereve, his personal attendant, was waiting.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," he greets Cater with a slight bow of his head.
"Morning Ereve. Where's our first destination today?"
Heading to the carriage, the attendant briefs him on his engagements for the day, which is more of a checklist since Cater knows most of it already.
"Have a safe trip, Your Majesty," Ereve sends him off. "Oh and happy anniversary," he adds afterwards, finally smiling at Cater.
"Thank you Ereve. You have a good day~" he smiles and waves as the carriage starts moving.
Pulling out of the castle grounds, Cater takes a deep breath and prepares himself. Now that the morning has started, Cater is now Cater Diamond, the King's Consort.
Straightening his back, his day officially starts.
"Meeting is adjourned. Thank you for your cooperation everyone."
The ministers around the table politely excused themselves and start to leave. Finally done with his third and final meeting of the day, Malleus lets out a sigh and leans back in his chair.
The meetings today weren't too bad. Thankfully, Sir Lawrence didn't have much opinions during the discussion and even agreed with the group's decision without much fuss. Malleus praised the Great Seven when the pixie nodded to the decision.
"Thank you for your time today, Your Majesty," a voice speaks from his left.
Fixing his posture, Malleus finds one of the council members standing before him. Sir Favonia.
"Likewise, Favonia."
"The consort is not here today?" the fae asks.
On some occasions, Cater would also attend the meetings alongside Malleus. The consort doesn't have the authority to make decisions or approve legislations but he is still a part of the council. Some members of the council were displeased that a human was taking part in the decision-making at first but Cater held his own and proved his worth. Malleus just liked having Cater by his side, but the additional insight was a bonus.
If Malleus remembers correctly, Sir Favonia joined a meeting with Cater once or twice before.
"No, he has other matters to attend to," Malleus explains.
"I see. If it's not too forward of me, please send him my regards."
This is new. He knows most of the council have acknowledged Cater's presence but to have someone actually looking for him is new. Cater must've left a really good impression in the few times that he met Sir Favonia. It makes Malleus happy to know that Cater has grown on some of them.
"Of course. I'll let him know."
Bowing to Malleus, Sir Favonia leaves the room. Now finally alone, Malleus takes out his phone to check his messages. He bought the device to keep in contact with Cater when they were dating but he keeps it until now because of how useful it is. It certainly surprised a number of his attendants to see their then-crown-prince smiling at the small rectangular object a number of times.
It is already a bit past 6pm. He checks his messages and sees one from "Kei 💖"
'event extended for a bit. will b home late.'
Malleus sighs, disappointed that he couldn't see Cater now, right after his meetings.
'Okay. Take care.'
Since Cater wouldn't be back until a later time, Malleus decides to plan their dinner. He already thought of having it at the balcony of their room, for a change of view. He told the maids to prepare a light meal and serve it there later. Venue is set, decorations he can deal with, food is settled. Guess he should get a celebratory dessert for the occasion. He opens his phone again.
'Are you still open for delivery? I would like to order a pumpkin pie.'
He's not sure if the baker would reply at such short notice, but it was worth a try. Surprisingly, he receives a notification just a minute later.
'We actually closed orders but I'll deliver it for you. Anniversary right?'
Malleus smiles at the reply. It pays to be long-time friends with the owner of Clover's Bakery. And of course he remembers their anniversary. He wasn't the best man for nothing.
'Yes. Thank you Trey.'
He figured a pumpkin pie is more suiting than a cake. They had a big cake during their first anniversary where they threw a party with a number of friends. Over the years they grew tired of big events, especially the official ones, so they decide to celebrate quietly whenever possible. Birthdays and anniversaries are some of the occasions. Since this year it's only the two of them, Malleus thought he'd buy something Cater would enjoy. Besides, they'll be having dinner, so they probably won't want to eat too much desserts.
Having nothing else to do, Malleus decides to drop by the event venue. Usually he'd rest or look over any documents that needs reviewing for the next day in his free time, but he wants to see Cater. Maybe because it's their anniversary, so he's feeling a bit clingy.
Making his way to the castle entrance, he puts on his travelling robe which had a hood he puts up to cover his face. He likes to take a walk around the town at times but he didn't want people to make a buzz around him. He decides to walk instead of fly, wanting to take his time and relax.
He walks along the road, smiling at the situation he's in. If anyone told him Cater would be an honoured guest in the Valley of Thorns and attending an event without him, he probably wouldn't believe it. But that is the fact now. He has numerous administrative work, so Cater actually attends more public engagements compared to him.
He thinks back on the time when they agreed to get married. The discussions they did to come to the decision were lengthy but it was needed. A fae marrying a human was uncommon enough as it is, but for the Crown Prince to marry a human? It definitely was a big situation, for both Malleus and Cater.
The slight advantage that Cater had was that he was a singer. A celebrity who was used to being in the public's eye and receiving baseless criticisms. Being the center of attention would not bother him too much, especially if he has Malleus by his side. They were ready to get married and were prepared for the changes in their lives, but it was still a difficult time at the start.
Malleus was worried about Cater, worried about the position he had to take up. It wasn't an easy feat. He is a human in a faefolk-populated kingdom. The citizens are more accepting of humans of course, Sebek's father working there being one of the few examples of how they've adapted to humans. And overall, the kingdom didn't really take too much interest in the king or queen's choice of spouse. But hearing that Malleus was marrying a human definitely piqued the interest of many. Initially the main reaction was confusion, and even some slight outrage from the older faes but over time most of the citizens warmed up to the idea.
Malleus remembers the first public event where he brought Cater along as his partner. It was the Queen's Ball where the castle was open to the citizens. The event was nothing big, so Malleus decided it was a good event to introduce Cater to the public. Cater was super nervous but Malleus stayed by his side and encouraged him all the way through. They danced together that night, and Malleus was proud of the fact that everyone saw how good they looked with each other.
All in all, Cater made quite a perfect first impression. No one could disagree too much on the marriage, seeing how smitten the Crown Prince was with this fairly good-looking human.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he realizes he's reached the event venue at the town square. The event is a showcase of some sort. There are a lot of small stalls around the square with an abundance of flowers at each of them. It must be one of the celebrations for Spring. He walks around for a while, trying not to attract too much attention. Approaching the middle of the square, he finally sees Cater.
And he takes a moment to really look at Cater.
The man is really beautiful. His hair has grown longer now, and it's in the neat bun that Malleus did for him in the morning. His bangs fall perfectly around his face, and he is glowing. His green eyes are kind, focused on the bouquet that was held towards him. He has a warm smile, not too forceful and not too overbearing. He truly is a picture of elegance. Fitting of royalty.
Malleus feels an overwhelming sense of pride at how far Cater has grown. And with every growth, Malleus falls in love even more.
Faefolks were always said to have an air of ethereal beauty to them. But to Malleus, Cater will always be the most beautiful, even among the other fairies around him. But perhaps he was being biased.
Cater turns towards his position and notices him. The change in the redhead's face is obvious, from his bright eyes to the growing smile on his face. He excuses himself from the person who was speaking to him and approaches Malleus, a full grin on his face. Malleus is sure he sports a matching one.
"What are you doing here?" Cater asks once he's in front of Malleus.
Malleus slips off the hood from his head. "Just wanted to see you. I'm finished for the day," he explains.
The statement makes Cater raise an eyebrow, looking skeptically at Malleus.
"You didn't actually remove Sir Lawrence from the council did you?"
"Of course not. He was very agreeable today."
Their conversation is cut off when the organizer of the event approaches them, bowing down at Malleus.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for the lack of welcoming reception. It is an honour to have you here."
Malleus acknowledges the fairy.
"Thank you. No need to fret about me, I am just here to see Cater."
The fairy looks nervously at the two of them, unsure of how to proceed. Cater takes control of the situation.
"Don't worry about him, Betsy. He was the one who decided to come unannounced. Since you're here," he links his arm with Malleus, "why don't we take a look around the stalls?"
Malleus didn't really plan to linger, but seeing as Cater insisted and Betsy looked antsy enough as it is, Malleus decides to follow Cater's lead.
"Okay. That sounds good."
Cater nods to Betsy and the fairy bows again, excusing herself. "Please enjoy the showcase, and thank you again for taking the time to visit us."
Cater leads them towards the stalls and explains on the different types of flowers they're promoting. At each one, he talks to the fairies handling the stalls warmly and compliments their flowers. Malleus gives his own share of admiration at times but overall he's just nodding along to what Cater is saying.
His husband is really amazing. It really warms his heart to see how delighted the fairies were when Cater drops by their stalls. He knows his presence could never result in that level of comfort with the citizens. He's glad Cater could fulfill that role for him.
Finished with all the stall visits, the two of them find the organizing committee and announces their departure. Betsy gives them her deepest appreciation again and hands a large bouquet of flowers to Cater.
"I was told that it's your anniversary today. Congratulations and may you continue to have more happy anniversaries!"
Cater takes the bouquet with a smile. "Thank you."
A carriage arrives to pick them both up. Cater admires the flowers on their way home.
"It's nice of her to give us this. They're really pretty."
Malleus props his head in his hand, smiling warmly at Cater.
"Everyone seems to really like you."
"Hmm? Yeah, I guess so," he shrugs.
Malleus raises an eyebrow at the lukewarm response. "You don't sound that thrilled about it?"
"Well I mean, it's my job to make them like me right? It's for your sake as well." He puts down the flowers on his lap. "I have to be a fitting consort to the great Malleus Draconia after all," he winks cheekily at Malleus.
Malleus chuckles.
"You've always been perfect for me."
Cater chooses to ignore the statement, but his face betrayed his glee. Lips quirked at the ends and cheeks dusted a light pink.
"Besides," Malleus adds, "it's not that difficult for people to like you."
"Okay I know it's our anniversary but you're quite cheesy today. Visiting me at an event, praising me like this." Cater turns his head to face Malleus directly and flashes a smirk. "Do you want a special anniversary gift tonight?"
Malleus knows Cater flirts when he's flustered. It's fun to tease him.
"Maybe? It has been a while," he moves closer to Cater.
Cater faces him head on, face slightly flushed but a confident smirk on his face.
"Then you can look forward to it tonight," he whispers, lips inching closer to Malleus.
Closing the gap between them, Malleus kisses Cater. It starts with short kisses, before they linger longer. Malleus puts a hand on the small of Cater's back and pulls him closer, Cater wrapping his arms around Malleus' neck.
As the atmosphere in the carriage gets heated, Cater pushes him away. They've arrived at the castle grounds.
"As much as I'd love to continue, I wouldn't want to traumatize Ereve again," he laughs.
The innocent attendant once walked in on the two of them making out in the kitchen and both parties had the most awkward time trying to apologize to each other. To be fair they were freshly married at the time and couldn't even be in the same room without wanting to kiss each other.
"I'm sure Ereve would be used to it by now," Malleus jokes. Even so, he moves away from Cater.
As predicted, Ereve is there to greet them as they got down from the carriage and enter the castle. As the sun goes down, their work officially ends for the day. They head to their room, Cater stealing an empty vase from the corridor to put in the bouquet of flowers they received earlier.
"Dinner downstairs?" Cater asks as he let down his hair.
"I actually plan to have it at the balcony. You don't mind, right?"
"Oh~ so romantic~" Cater teases. He waves Malleus away. "I'm gonna shower first."
Malleus changes into a pair of comfy pants and a printed tee, probably gifted to him by Lilia. He goes to the balcony connected to their room and sees the table set with food already. He already told the maids beforehand about the dinner plans, so they prepared accordingly. Even Trey's pumpkin pie is served and there's a card alongside it. Malleus guesses it's a congratulatory card so he'll open it with Cater later.
Now all that's left are the decorations. While he does his magic, Malleus thinks again about how fortunate it is that the kingdom has accepted Cater as his consort.
No, it wasn't about fortune. It was hard work, patience and love. Cater worked really hard to be a person who could stand alongside Malleus, and the effort paid off. The kingdom accepted Cater, and even adored him, judging by what Malleus saw earlier at the square. He feels assured that they won't come across too much trouble in the future, at least regarding their relationship. He could envision Cater spending his life by his side in peace.
Thinking about the future, Malleus thoughts wander towards his future heir.
It's not an uncommon practice to have an adopted heir for the throne. While discussing their marriage, he told Cater that having an heir will not be an issue. But he didn't exactly tell the full story about having an heir. The truth is they didn't really need to adopt one.
But he'll save the discussion for later. They still have a lot of time.
As the decorations settle, he goes back into the room, knowing Cater would probably be done by now. Just as he predicted, Cater walks out from the bathroom, blow-drying his hair. He's in an oversized t-shirt, which is probably Malleus', and pajama pants. They were twinning, in a way. Malleus used to wear night robes to sleep, but he developed the habit of wearing t-shirt and pants after marrying Cater.
Malleus goes towards Cater after he puts away the hair-dryer, and gives an exaggerated bow, a hand on his chest.
"Dinner is ready, Your Majesty. I will be your humble escort for tonight."
The action elicits a laugh from Cater, but he curtsies in response.
"My my, what a handsome escort. Are you single, by any chance?" he jokes, linking arms with Malleus and heading out to the balcony.
"I'm afraid not. Fortunately I've been married for 8 years."
"What a coincidence. So am I."
Cater looks at the balcony setup and smiles. The dark sky and glittering stars stretch out as the backdrop, a few candles floating around to light the area with a warm glow. There is a selection of food on the table, and Cater could see a familiar-looking pumpkin pie as well.
And of course, the highlight.
"You even prepared dandelion wine? You don't have work tomorrow morning?" he asks, sitting down at the table and observing the bottle of alcohol at the side. Faes don't get drunk with just any alcohol, but dandelion wine is one of the few that is able to do that.
Malleus takes a seat next to him. "Not until midday. I won't drink a lot."
"Right. As if you can stop yourself from drinking too much. Remember last time?" Cater brings up the incident where Malleus had gotten drunk at Vil's bachelor party because they served dandelion wine. He even promised Cater before the party that he would only drink one glass.
Dandelion wine became the promise breaker. It seems to get to the best of all creatures, humans, beastmen, merfolks and faes alike.
Malleus chuckles at the memory. "That was one time. Besides, if it gets too bad tomorrow then I'll just postpone any schedule I have."
The human snorts at that. "Imagine, the King of Valley of Thorns postponing a meeting because he is hungover from his anniversary dinner. That would be a headline."
As if wanting to end the conversation, soft music starts playing in the background. Enjoying the calm and comforting atmosphere, the couple dig into their dinner. They eat in silence for a while, just relaxing in each other's presence and warm food. They turn to dessert soon enough, Cater picking up the card that came with the pie.
"Happy anniversary, hope you order more pumpkin pies in the future. Classic Trey," Cater chuckles, reading off the card.
While savouring Trey's signature pumpkin pie, they exchange light conversations, Cater listening to Malleus' recollection about how the meeting went smoothly without Sir Lawrence's interruptions.
"Oh and Favonia sends his regards," Malleus informs him, lifting a forkful of pie to Cater.
The redhead happily eats the pie offered. "Hmmm, that's nice of him. He must've wanted to tell me about his relationship update."
Malleus is confused. "Relationship update? Why would he tell you that?"
Cater snickers, putting another slice of pie on his plate. "It gets draining in the meetings after a while. We talk about this and that, and his love life was among some of the things."
Malleus shakes his head, imagining Cater and Favonia giggling quietly while the meeting was ongoing. Well, whatever makes them happy.
As the night goes on, he pops open the dandelion wine and pours a glass for Cater and himself.
"Happy anniversary love," he brings his glass towards Cater.
"Happy anniversary my dear husband~" Cater clinks their glasses together.
The music continues playing in the background, some lady crooning melodic words about love and forever. As the wine kicks in, Cater sways to the song, humming along to some parts and sipping the drink.
Malleus puts down his glass to watch Cater. The man smiling dreamily at the sky, softly singing the wrong words to the song, face slightly flushed and wavy hair cascading over his shoulders.
This is the person he fell in love with all those years ago. Not someone dignified and well-polished, who always sit straight with a polite smile on his face. No, this rough-around-the-edges, clumsy but warm person who cries over romance movies, who loves deeply and messily, this is the person Malleus truly loves.
And he should tell Cater that.
"Kei, I lo-"
"Oh my god!" Cater suddenly exclaims, jerking from his seat. "Is this the song I wrote when we were dating in secret? Mally~ why did you put this song in..." he whines.
True enough, as Malleus focuses on the song that was playing, it indeed is Cater's voice that was singing. His much younger voice.
Malleus grins listening to it. "You were so cute."
Cater pouts at him. "Am I not cute now?"
"No."
"Meanie!"
The fae laughs, knowing Cater didn't take it to heart. Cater probably knows he didn't mean it anyway. He still thinks Cater is cute, even more so now.
"I hide my smile in secret, knowing you- oh man I sound so nasally," Cater complains as he sings along. The song picks up, and he finally puts down his glass.
"But each time I see you~ come on get up and dance with me! Everything else fades away~" he gets up and drags Malleus along with him, moving to the empty space at the balcony.
Cater sways them along, singing exaggeratedly to his song. Malleus does his best to hold Cater as he staggers around, more drunk that he expected but he's not better off himself.
"With you I laugh, with you I cry," Cater sings.
"With you I am free, and nothing else matters," Malleus joins in.
"I wish that we could always be together forever and ever," they sing together, gazing into each other's eyes. They've stopped moving, and are just standing in each other's arms.
Cater properly embraces Malleus, wrapping his arms around his waist and leaning his head on Malleus' chest.
"We've come a long way, huh?"
Malleus strokes Cater's hair, before landing a kiss on it. "We really did."
Cater turns his head up to grin at Malleus, face still flushed from the wine.
"You still want your special anniversary gift?"
The fae laughs at how Cater still remembers the offer. They've done it while they were tipsy, sure, but Malleus preferred it if they were sober. Besides, he's not even sure Cater can even walk back to the room safely.
"Maybe if we can get to the bed," he decides.
True enough, Cater could barely walk in a straight line. Malleus ends up leading him of course, the two of them stagger slowly into the room before finally reaching the bed and collapsing on it.
Cater immediately latches onto Malleus, wrapping his arms around Malleus like a koala. His eyes are closed, probably from the bright lights in the room. Seeing that there won't be any gifts exchanged, Malleus pulls the comforter over the two of them, struggling a bit with Cater wrapped around him. Getting into a comfortable position and making sure Cater's head is pillowed, Malleus settles down and dim the lights in the room.
"Thank you for marrying me, Malleus."
Softly, as if wanting only Malleus to hear him, Cater whispers the words. Under the warm covers, arms around each other, only the two of them matter in the world. Malleus leans down, kissing the soft lips.
"Thank you for being my husband, Cater."
Cater breaks into a bright smile, eyes twinkling even in the dim lights.
"Here's to another 50 years of anniversary," he giggles.
Malleus pinches his cheek. "Another 50 and more."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Sleep comes easily to the couple, drunk from alcohol and their love for each other.
And if Malleus had to postpone his meetings the next day, well, the council can forgive him as an anniversary gift.