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"Darling, your conquering hero is-"
Nikolai entered the room with his usual flourish only to find it empty. He frowned, his arms falling and chest deflating. The bag he was carrying thumped against his leg. The sound seemed too loud in the silent room.
"…home."
He looked around the room in search of any sign of his lover. The bed was made, the duvet crooked across the mattress, and her boots were gone from their place by the door. He poked his head into the washroom. Also empty. There was no note telling him where she was or when to expect her back. She was just gone.
Thoroughly dejected, Nikolai stepped back into the bedroom and dropped his bag. So much for surprising her, he thought, tugging his coat off like it was the reason his lover was absent. He flopped onto the bed with a heavy sigh. The blankets still smelled of her. He imagined he could still feel the warmth from where they had laid together that morning, wrapped up in each other's arms like they always should be. It had been but a few hours since he had seen her, yet it felt like a millennium. Every second without her was a year, every minute a decade, every hour a century. He considered roaming the halls on the off chance she was still in the palace. He could pretend to accidentally run into her and use one of his "annoyingly charming" lines as she called them. She would be so charmed that she would have to come back to the room and see his surprise.
Nikolai started out of bed but stopped when he noticed the clothing hanging on the closet door. The blue fabric was detailed with green and silver current-like patterns. Her kefta.
He had seen her wear it a hundred times, had draped it over her shoulders many mornings, but he had never tried it on.
Nikolai smirked. He strode over to the closet and took the kefta down. It was soft and light, comfortable but practical for battle. It smelled like her, too. Nikolai lifted the collar to his nose and drew in a deep breath of sea salt and perfume.
He slid his arms into the sleeves and buttoned the front. He turned towards the mirror to admire himself. He looked good, if he did say so himself. It was a bit tight at the shoulders, but that only accentuated his broad muscles, the masculine plain of his body. He posed like he had seen the tidemakers do and grinned. He looked like a true Grisha. The world was lucky he wasn't Grisha. He would've been even more irresistible.
"What on earth are you wearing?"
Nikolai whirled around to find his lover in the doorway. Her arms were crossed, and her eyebrow was raised in a questioning look.
Nikolai swallowed his embarrassment and said, "You wear my clothes all the time. It's only fair I get to wear yours, too."
"And you thought you'd start with my kefta?"
"Don't I look good?" Nikolai spread his arms and spun. "I think I was Grisha in another life."
She shook her head, but a smile stole its way onto her face. "And you're an idiot in this one."
Nikolai laughed and took her into his arms. She ducked her head under his chin, and he laid his cheek on top of her hair. He stroked her back, enjoying the warmth of her against him. They were silent for a moment, enjoying the peace of being together, until she spotted the bag on the floor.
"What is that?" she asked.
Nikolai grinned. "That, my love, is for you." He offered the bag to her.
"For me? But there's no occasion." Still, she took it, eyeing him suspiciously. She pulled out a silver star-shaped charm and held it in the center of her palm. "It's beautiful, Nik, but what is it?"
"Today is the anniversary of our first meeting," Nikolai explained.
Her eyes softened. "You remember that?"
"Of course I do. The universe shifted the moment you set foot on my ship, like it had been waiting for us to meet. The stars aligned for us. I'll be damned if I ever forget that."
She clutched the charm to her heart. "Nik, that's so sweet."
"I take kisses as payment."
She rolled her eyes, but her traitorous smile returned. She pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Nikolai scoffed. "I don't even get a proper kiss? I go out of my way to get you such a wonderful gift, and this is the treatment I-"
She shut him up with a proper kiss, pulling him to her by the collar of the kefta. He smiled and kissed her back. He kissed her for a long time, never wanting to pull away, even when his lips started to ache and his lungs burned. She finally pulled away, but he kept her close. He rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling.
"You're going soft," she teased.
Nikolai laughed softly. "Don't tell anyone."
"I won't." She swiped her thumb across his cheekbone. The gentle touch made his heart jump. "I like having this side of you all to myself."
She kissed him again. Later, he would return her kefta, and she would tuck the charm into the pocket to keep for good luck. It would protect her, his love like a shield around her. For now, they forgot the war and monsters and savored the peace of their bedroom.