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Long barren roads. Quiet, dusty, and Serene, giving a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for a drive home after a long and exhausting day.
No hustle and bustle of the city life, constant cars honking, none of that. Just a simple drive that Drati can enjoy, as Pinking played on the radio.
Best part? It was Valentine's Day, and he was heading to the most important place for him.
Home, with his wife.
Finally, his home would come into view, as he pulled into the lot in front of it, parking with ease, since he's done this hundreds of times.
As he stepped out from his vehicle, he grabbed the bouquet of flowers he previously bought, many red roses gathered together for a beautiful display. All for his queen.
With a nod and a grin to himself, he headed for the door, unlocking it and opening it as he stepped inside quietly, with the intent to surprise her.
Yet, as he walked in, taking his shoes off and setting them to the side, he swore he heard voices talking. Curiosity peaked, Drati moved closer to the source, coming from the kitchen.
“...told you Lucy… not used to this…” her voice could barely be heard, but it sounded like she was struggling with something. Knowing her tendency to hide her injuries and not ask for help (except from him, but those are very sweet moments), so he turned the corner, expecting a mess of injuries from the current overlord.
Yeah, it was a mess… but instead of blood, there was… chocolate?
Standing in the middle of the room was Caesar, arm wrapped around a bowl and a whisk in the other, as she glanced to a baking book propped up on the counter, before turning back to a phone also on a stand.
“Seriously! You're making a mess at this point! I wouldn't be surprised if there was more chocolate on you than in the bowl, meathead!” Lucy's annoyed voice could be heard, yelling as usual.
But she wasn't wrong. With how hard Caesar was mixing, it was violent enough to make chocolate bits go flying out of the bowl, and land all over the place. Especially Caesar herself.
“Like I said, it's hard! I thought it'd be easy, just melting chocolate, but who knew it was so complicated! God, It looks so much easier in my manga…” Caesar let out a sigh as she placed down the bowl, leaning closer to look through the book for the next step.
“Everything looks easier in the stories, you damn boar. Listen, if you're really that insistent on following those trashy comics you love so much, then there's always smacking a bow on your head and giving yourself.” Lucy's gruff voice came out annoyed, already done with every bit of this.
But at the mention of her suggestion, Caesar's face flushed bright red, almost dropping the bowl, before catching herself as a bit more chocolate spilled out onto her cheek. “L-LUCY! You know i-i couldn't! I wouldn't be a-able to look him in the eye if I did!”
“Uh, Caesar-”
“But it would be nice if I d-did it, to be as cute as it was in the manga, where Ellen finally took that step!”
“Caesar, behin-”
“E-even though it took a moment for Jordan to catch on and realize what she meant by that kiss, but it was so cute and-!”
“I'm ending this call, ya damn boar. Good luck.”
A steady beep of the call disconnecting snapped Caesar out of her ranting, looking down at the screen. Good luck? Well, it was kind of her, but-
She instinctively flinched as a pair of warm, rough hands wrapped around her waist, causing her to let out an adorable squeak as they gently pulled her back into someone's chest. Before she could turn around to see who it was, lips would brush against her cheek in a gentle kiss, scooping up some of the chocolate with it.
Turning around in the person's grasp, she'd look up at the face of her husband, who was currently licking his lips clean of the chocolate that graced her cheek previously. Her eyes would be pulled in by the sight of his tongue darting out to lick up the rest, before that familiar smirk caused her to raise her gaze into his eyes.
“Well,” Drati's arms tightened slightly, conforming his body against hers, “I think the bow idea is a great one, especially if it comes with you covered in chocolate.
Caesar's brain paused at the teasing tone of his voice, staring up at him, before instantly rebooting. The moment she snapped back to her senses, she buried her face in his chest, ears burning bright red as her voice came out muffled, her own arms wrapping around him and squeezing. Tightly.
A chuckle escaped Drati's mouth, trying his best to not let it out, failing slightly. Lowering his head, he'd plant a kiss on the top of her head, taking a deep breath. Her scent, the scent of the earth, hidden under the spring meadows shampoo she stole from Lucy. It always helped him relax after a long day, helping with the delivery company.
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing but you're just so cute when you're flustered.” Drati's grin only widened, as Caesar looked up at him, still somewhat red, but looking upset as she pressed herself deeper into his grasp.
“Well now you ruined the surprise, and I was working so hard too! Even asked Lucy for help, since she's the brainy one that always knows everything.” She'd pout, her grip around his midsection tightening more and more, gaining strength thanks to the robotic prosthetic arm, and her own strength as well.
He swore he heard something crack, grimacing from how tightly he was stuck in her grip. But instead of trying to escape, he'd lean his head lower, capturing her lips in a tender, soft kiss. One hand sliding up her back slowly to run through her hair, before pulling her deeper into the kiss, surprising Caesar.
Her grip loosened as she let him go, moving her arms to wrap around her neck and sink deeper into the kiss, lips moving sensually against her own, as if in a trance. The moment he pulled away, her head would follow after, missing the sensation, before realizing what she was doing. Her face flushed red once again, but not as intense as before.
“How about,” his lips rose higher, kissing her forehead with a gentle softness, “we finish making these together? Once they're done, we can both enjoy them.” A smirk returned on his face, as he released her from his grasp.
She immediately nodded, a smile lighting up the room as she bounced back over to where the bowl remained. “Sounds like a plan! Honestly, it'll be more fun than having Lucy tell me off for every mistake. But! You're on dishes duty for sneaking up on me!” She pulled the whisk out of the bowl and immediately pointed it at Drati, as if wielding her sword.
The sudden motion of the whisk being removed caused some more chocolate to go flying out of the bowl, arcing beautifully through the air, powered by the flick of Caesar's wrist. Both Drati and Caesar's eyes would follow its path, before it would directly hit Drati on the cheek, leaving a splatter of chocolate.
The silence was deafening as the two of them stared at each other, both in shock and awe from how accurately it flew through the air. Caesar was the first to react, taking a step back and placing the whisk back in the bow and onto the counter. “I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to-”
As she started apologizing profusely, Drati would reach up, wiping off a bit of the chocolate, staring at it before licking it up off his fingers. A mischievous grin would grace his lips as he stepped forward, grabbing the bowl and scooping out a bit of the chocolate.
“Oh, it's on~”
A small playful shriek came from Caesar as she immediately ran around the kitchen island, Drati chasing after her, playfully reaching out and smearing a bit onto her.
Sweet, playful laughter could be heard as she immediately retaliated, grabbing the whisk and using it as a sword to try to deter Drati. Chocolate would splash on the counter, walls, and each other as the battle continued.
Eventually, after enough of a mess that would ruffle even Lycaon's feathers, Drati moved in for the kill, wrapping Caesar in a bear hug and trailing his fingers down her side, tickling her relentlessly. She squirmed in response, bellowing out laughter as she tried to escape.
“WAIT, THA-HAH-T’S CHEATING! STOP! YOU KNO-AHH! YOU KNOW I'M TICKLISH!” She tried her best to escape, laughing loudly as her hands were against his chest, pushing herself as best as she could away from the tickling punishment.
One of her steps would land onto a patch of melted chocolate, the slippery surface causing her feet to fly out from under her. A desperate attempt to grab something to catch herself would leave her gripping Drati…
And taking him down with her.
Immediately, as they fell, Drati did his best to pull Caesar closer, twisting their bodies around so he'd slam on the floor back first, hugging Caesar on top of him in a protective embrace, wincing at the impact. Taking a moment to catch their breaths, they'd just lay there in a comfortable silence. Looking at each other, seeing the other covered in a mess of chocolate, a snort would escape the both of them, before they'd burst out laughing once more, hugging each other closer.
“Ah, good catch there~ had me swept off my feet there for a second!” She smirked at her own bad joke, hearing Drati dramatically groan in response. Giggling to herself, she'd rest her head against his chest, closing her eyes and enjoying the sound of his beating heart.
Drati, in response, pulled Caesar closer to him, looking down at the sight with a soft smile. Running his chocolate covered fingers through her hair, she'd respond by looking up at him. “Hey Caesar?”
“Mmm?~”
“Happy Valentine's Day. I love you.”
Caesar just melted in his arms, moving up with a smile to kiss his lips lovingly. Pulling away with a smile and a lick of her lips, she'd raise a hand to his cheek, gently cupping it. “I love you too. Happy Valentine's Day.”
With a smile, Drati relaxed underneath Caesar, enjoying the tender atmosphere. Unfortunately, his gaze would wander to the kitchen. An utter mess of dried chocolate and dishes, courtesy of their playful fight. “This is going to be painful to clean. I think I'm in need of a shower, too.”
Caesar pulled herself out of his grasp, looking down at herself. Covered in specks of chocolate, and some of it managed to get in her hair as well. With a nod, she'd slowly stand up, brushing herself off. “You're right, I might need one as well. As much as I don't mind getting dirty, even I have my limits.”
She walked with caution past the mess, moving to the washroom down the wall, flickering the lights and wandering in. A few seconds later, Caesar's head poked around the corner, blushing bright red as she stared at Drati. “... Uhm… wanna join me? We can uh, save water?”
Drati never got up as quickly as he has before, immediately beelining to the bathroom, as Caesar disappeared around the corner with a giggle.
…Make Valentine's Chocolate responsibly, kids.