110 Hung The Moon And The Stars (1/2)

Nocturne doesn't get to speak another word before he's forcibly dragged back into their residence. As his vision swims alarmingly, a gentle hand steadies him, and for a moment panic crept up on him. For what, he couldn't possibly name, but it was there all the same.

”Nine, it's not what it looks like,” he blurts out, now beyond panicked.

Nocturne looks into Nine's deep, blue eyes, and he –

”Isn't it?” Nine said, her voice deceptively calm.

The words just send Nocturne deeper into his panic, and when Nine sighs, with the faintest tinge of exhaustion in her voice, Nocturne all but breaks.

Nine breathes out with as much patience as she can. She can already see her Nox's eyes blur with fatigue that hadn't been there before, most likely because he was finally back in a place that he deemed safe and free from the grips of their war.

Without another word, she bodily hauls her partner into the bed, pressing him down pointedly. When he makes no move to resist, she nods in satisfaction, proceeding to pull the blankets around him, and, dare she say it, fusses until she feels something hard within her abate at his obedience.

Just as quickly, she pulls a chair from her interspatial ring, sitting in it as she directs pointed eyes at Nocturne.

”Nine - ” he says, struggling out from under the blankets. He lifts his head off the -divine- pillow, trying to clarify things.

Nine reaches forward and pushes his head back down with her index finger, eyeing him in displeasure.

”Nin - ”

Push.

”Ni - ”

Push.

Nine lets out a huff of laugher when Nocturne grabs her index finger and directs a glare at her, but it's much too cute to be a glare. He looked more like he was batting at her finger petulantly like a kitten.

”Sleep,” Nine says gently, and she sees Nocturne visibly relax.

Nocturne let out an indignant huff, and says, ”No!”

Nine glares at her stubborn husband. Was he really going against her orders to sleep now? Even the dead could see that this man was practically swaying on his feet. He needed all the sleep he could get! Especially since he was more liable to go around working himself till he ran out of magic completely before ever stopping. No. Even then, he would still help out with things like manual labour.

”Not until I clarify things with you,” Nocturne amends, the fight draining from his tone.

Nine raised an eyebrow. ”Really. So, you didn't throw magic on the walls at the frontline directed on the undead until you were completely drained dry of magic when I specifically told you to leave at least a bit?” she said, her voice as dry as the desert.

”No – well, yes, but!”

”So, you didn't move yourself to the medic tent to continue treating people when you were already about to drop when I told you to come back to sleep before you ran yourself into the ground again?” Nine continued, her feelings bursting out of her.

”No – yes! But that's not what I wanted to clarify with you,” Nocturne said, trailing off sheepishly.

”And, what exactly is it that you want to clarify?” Nine said coolly, crossing her arms, settling back in the armchair.

This time, when Nocturne makes to sit up, she doesn't stop him, wondering what exactly he thought he was clarifying. Wasn't the most important thing the promise he made to her that he broke? Instead of trying to keep his promise now, what exactly was he trying to say here?

”I didn't cheat on you with that medic, okay! I would never cheat on you!”

Nine, ”???”