Work Text:
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I think it's time we get a little Desmond/Amber moment and a break from all the insanity that's plagued my stories lately. Lol. Don't get me wrong; I'm all about the chaos and craziness, but sometimes it's nice to just sit with these two for a change and see what's going on with them. :D Also, I feel their concerns in here are warranted, because everyone goes through times of questioning like this. 😊 Anyway, hope you enjoy! And if you really want to amp up the fluff, put on the song in the background while reading. Hehehe.
*Story*
Desmond couldn't believe it was already November. It was now considerably colder outside, and the trees were steadily losing their leaves as autumn pressed on. Soon enough, winter would be upon them. But not only would the seasons change… So would their lives.
He gazed down at his sleeping wife and smiled warmly. Wife. Even after being married to Amber for almost a year, he was still getting used to that term. They were together. It was practically a dream come true for him, since he'd had a crush on her since they were younger, especially after completing that ridiculous science fair project.
Or maybe not so ridiculous… It had forced them to work together (spearheaded by Sofia, of course), and he soon found afterward that he didn't want his partnership with Amber to end. If anything, he wanted to be closer to her.
Now, they were about as close as he could have ever dreamed of getting. They complemented each other so well: fiery and feisty Amber with calm and cool Desmond; fashion-forward princess with modestly dressed prince; larger-than-life future queen with her beloved and still somewhat shy husband… It might have appeared strange to others, this pairing, but if they could see what he saw when he looked at her or vice versa, then they'd be astonished and amazed by the image.
To Desmond, Amber shined, brighter and more vibrant than anyone he'd ever known. She'd always been so outgoing and vivacious, parading around with that fan of hers and announcing sometimes scandalous and sometimes intriguing things… And while she was now far more reserved because of her future goals, she was still Amber. She was still the captivating princess he'd fallen in love with all those years ago.
He sighed and rolled over, running his fingers through his hair. He was glad she was able to sleep so well. Given the current circumstances, he was grateful she was getting rest. However, he'd had anxiety plaguing him the last few nights, and not about the baby this time.
Rather, he recently found his mind drifting to the future. He knew that Roland would want to step down as the ruler in the next few years or so, or maybe more, if he still had the willpower. But every time he thought about it, he came to the same conclusion: while Amber would be a fantastic queen and ruler, he was worried that he would fail in his own role.
Amber was a natural born leader. She snapped her fingers and people came running. She proclaimed she wanted to host a party, and people were falling over themselves to help make her plans come to fruition. Her word was law—almost literally.
He still stumbled over his words on occasion, though not nearly as badly as he used to. Granted, this wasn't actually his kingdom, although he'd been living in Enchancia for a while now. Maybe that was part of his concern: what if the Enchancians didn't take him seriously or want his leadership? What if Amber was forced to do the majority of the hard work on her own? Not that he didn't think she could handle it, but he did not believe it would be fair or realistic to let the feisty blonde do everything by herself.
Desmond glanced down as he heard a soft sound and felt Amber snuggling closer to him, resting her head on his chest and placing one hand on his arm. He smiled tiredly as she opened her eyes and smirked at him. "Amber, I thought you were asleep."
"I was," she began playfully, "but you've been sighing and tossing and turning so much that I figured something must be on your mind." She reached up and brushed some of his soft hair down before lowering her hand to his arm again. "What's going on in that brilliant brain of yours?"
He could have lied to her and said nothing. He didn't want to add more stress to her while she had enough things to worry about, especially with their child on the way next month. But this was Amber, and she would see right through his thinly veiled excuses. So… "I guess I'm just worried."
The princess frowned. "About…the baby?"
"No, actually…" He took her hand and turned more to face her as she sat up. "I was just thinking about the future… When your parents step down as rulers, it will be our turn, and…" He frowned thoughtfully as he ran his thumb over the back of her hand, relishing in how soft and smooth her skin was. He blushed a bit as he saw that knowing smile form on his love's face. "And I just…"
"Desmond…" Amber leaned over and ghosted a kiss over his lips. "Look, I know you're scared. Running a kingdom on our own won't be easy, especially dealing with our little boy or girl." She half shrugged as he released her hand to instead place it tenderly over their child. "But we're going to be fine. Violet has proven herself as a worthy successor for Baileywick, and she's going to help us out. Plus, Daddy isn't just going to let us flounder around and not know what to do. I've been watching him for years, so I know the ins and outs. But everyone is going to help us out."
Desmond nodded uncertainly before smiling as she placed a hand on his cheek. He reached up and took her hand, placing a kiss to it. "Thanks, Amber…" He sighed contentedly as she nodded. "I needed that."
"Anything I can do to help you, I'll do it." She then laughed somewhat nervously. "In fact… I could use some encouragement myself now."
He frowned, tilting his head curiously. "What's wrong?"
"I…" She sighed heavily before offering the prince a sheepish look. "You know what I was like when I was younger. And you know what I can be like every now and then. Sometimes…" She shook her head. "Sometimes, I'm worried that I won't make a very good mother. Like, maybe I'm too selfish or brash to be a good mother."
"You're…joking, right?" Desmond reached out to Amber, twirling a few of her wavy locks in his fingers, brushing them against her back and causing her to smile lightly. "Amber, you're going to be a great mom. There's so much to you that you just don't see…"
"Like what?" Her question sounded so soft, but she was clearly intrigued by his comment.
He chuckled. "You still have that ambitious attitude from when we were younger, and that's great. But if you think about it, that really just proves that you will be a great mother." He continued caressing her back, smiling as she clearly appeared to be growing sleepy again from the steady motion. "Our little one is going to know that his or her mother expects the best of things to happen, because our child will deserve the moon and more; and if anyone can give it to our baby, you can. You just don't give yourself enough credit, Amber…" He pressed a kiss to her forehead and murmured, "You're so passionate about everything and everyone around you… When you really care about something, you always fight so hard for it. And that's when you really shine. You will be the best mother ever."
Amber laughed lightly and tilted her head up a bit, grinning as he kissed her again. "Thanks, Desmond. I needed to hear that."
"Just returning the favor, darling."
She made a face at the term of endearment. "Can we not? I know you've been working on 'nicknames,' but that's…not it."
He snickered. "Okay, I'll keep working on it… Pumpkin." He smirked as she scrunched her nose up. "Lovebug? Dear? Sweets?"
The princess raised a hand, covering her husband's mouth and sighing in exasperation. "Desmond. Stop." She laughed as he kissed her palm before shuffling and carefully pulling her into a hug. "Why don't we just be Desmond and Amber? There's nothing wrong with that."
"You're right…" He traced the patterns on her nightgown, his fingers following the lines of the designs. "My queen."
Amber grinned at him. "Now there's a sobriquet I can get behind."
"Ooh, 'sobriquet.' Now who's the brilliant one?" He laughed as she playfully thumped his forehead before snuggling up to him again. "Just kidding… Get some rest, Amber. I love you."
She smiled, closing her eyes. "I love you more."
Desmond pondered everything as he watched his princess sleeping. So they both had concerns, then. It wasn't just him. It was even—dare he say it?—normal, apparently… But as he thought more about it, he soon realized that both of their fears would subside soon. After all, he had every confidence that Amber would be a loving mother, and she obviously believed he had it in him to be a good ruler. Maybe all they really needed was the encouragement that they each had to offer one another… Just maybe.
He smiled. "Thanks, Amber…" With that, he settled down, drifting off to sleep as well.
The end