She didn’t go ho that night.
I told her to. I even said it plain and clear—"Val, you need to go ho."
She only pouted, dragging out her words in that dramatic way of hers. "If I go ho, I’ll die."
I stared at her. "You’ll die?"
"Yes." She folded her arms like she was stating a fact instead of being ridiculous. "Die. As in, drop dead. Because my heart will stop working if I’m not with you. And also—" she leaned forward with a smile too sweet to trust, "you study better when I’m around."
"Not true."
> "It is."
"You distract . Constantly."
"Fine then." She smirked, flipping her hair. "Let prove it."
"Smart, but it’s not gonna work, Val. You need to go ho."
And just like that, her face softened. The sharp edges lted away, replaced with sothing quiet, sothing raw. "Please? Just one more week... then I’ll go ho."
The "please" did it. Not the dramatics, not the teasing—just that soft note in her voice, the one she only used when she was serious. And before I could think of another excuse, I was already sighing and nodding.
So she stayed.
And surprisingly... we actually studied. Well—mostly studied. She still distracted with little comnts, her foot nudging mine under the table, random doodles in my notebook, but sohow we covered more ground than I expected. She was sharp when she wanted to be. Patient, too.
Not that I’d ever admit that out loud.
---
Now it’s Tuesday, and we’re sitting in the cafeteria after our second test. Yesterday’s went better than expected, and today’s felt even easier. Maybe it was her way of drilling the questions into my head. Maybe it was just the way she kept awake long enough to finish an entire Chapter I would’ve abandoned alone. Either way, I wasn’t complaining.
But I’m never telling her that.
It would go straight to her head. She’d never let live it down. She’d probably tease with it every single day until graduation.
Across the table, she was eating. Actually eating. A little better than last week at least, when she barely touched anything and only pushed food around her plate until I forced her to take a bite. She was chewing slowly, a faint frown between her brows like she was concentrating too hard on a simple sandwich.
> "Husband..."
I blinked. "What?"
Her lips curved into that dangerous smile. "I wanna tick another box on my list."
My stomach sank. "...What list?"
"My list rember. The list of things I wanna do with my boyfriend-slash-husband. You." She pointed her fork at like it was obvious.
I groaned. "Val..."
"You promised," she whined, dragging out the word like a weapon.
I set my fork down with a sigh. "Fine. What do you want?"
Her grin widened, and I instantly regretted giving in so easily. "A kiss."
I blinked. "Oh. That’s easy."
"Mmhm." She leaned her chin on her hand, eyes gleaming.
Sothing about her expression made suspicious.
Sure enough, she added, "But not just a kiss. I want a deep kiss. Like—tongue stuff."
I nearly choked on air. "...Right here?"
She nodded like it was the most normal request in the world. "Obviously."
"The place is crowded, Val."
"So what?" she shrugged, completely unbothered. "I’m your wife. You’re not supposed to back out when your wife asks for a kiss."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "That’s not a kiss, that’s—" I stopped, searching for the right word. "...that’s practically indecent exposure."
She tilted her head, feigning innocence. "It’s just a kiss."
I looked around. The cafeteria was buzzing with voices, trays clattering, people laughing at other tables. Too many eyes. Way too many.
She, of course, didn’t care.
I sighed under my breath. "Not fair."
Her smirk spread instantly. "Of course it isn’t. I’m . I always win."
I leaned back in my chair, defeated. "Fine. Do what you want."
Her eyes sparkled. "Na-uh. You do it."
I froze. "...What?"
> "You heard ."
My throat went dry.
She grinned, leaning closer like a cat cornering prey.
And just like that, I knew I’d already lost.
---
The cafeteria erupted.
The second I caved and kissed her, voices shot up around us like soone had just announced free food. Chairs scraped. Soone whistled. A table near the window actually clapped.
Celestia didn’t flinch. She kissed like nobody else existed. Like we were the only two people in that crowded room.
By the ti I pulled back, ears burning and heart sowhere in my throat, the noise was still buzzing.
She pouted, eyes narrowing just a little. "You didn’t do the tongue stuff."
I went red instantly. "Val..."
She smirked, leaning close enough that her breath brushed against my ear. Her voice dropped to a whisper no one else could hear. "If you let stay an extra week, then I’ll let it slide. Deal?"
I froze.
Because right there, it clicked. This wasn’t about her list. It wasn’t about checking boxes or causing chaos in the cafeteria. It was about her not wanting to go ho.
Every move she made—every grin, every push, even this kiss—was just her way of saying please don’t send away.
And damn it, she was brilliant. Always three steps ahead. Always twisting the ga until I had no choice but to play by her rules.
My chest softened, all the fight bleeding out of . I leaned back just enough to et her gaze, her eyes daring to refuse.
"...Deal."
Her entire face lit up, like she’d just won the biggest prize at the fair.
And maybe she had.
---
By the ti we got back to my place, she was practically skipping. Duchess was scooped into her arms the second I unlocked the door, the poor cat dragged into the middle of her victory parade.
"Daddy said we get to stay another week!" she announced proudly, hugging the cat against her chest. "That’s fourteen whole school days, Duchess. Fourteen. Can you believe it?"
Duchess owed, completely unimpressed.
Celestia gasped. "I know, right? It’s amazing. That ans we’ll get to study together, and eat together, and sleep together—" she paused, grinning at from the corner of her eye, "—and Daddy can’t complain about it because he agreed."
I shook my head, trying not to laugh.
She ignored , carrying on her one-sided conversation as she wandered into the living room with Duchess in tow.
"Daddy always pretends to be grumpy, but he loves it. He loves us. You know why?" She leaned close to Duchess like she was telling her a secret. "Because we’re perfect. And adorable. And because if he ever kicked us out, he’d never survive. Isn’t that right?"
Another unimpressed ow.
She gasped dramatically. "Exactly! You get it, Duchess."
I smiled despite myself, the weight in my chest easing with every ridiculous word she said. Sotis I wondered if she even realized how much lighter she made the room feel—how much lighter she made feel.
She didn’t stop talking.
"Fourteen days, Duchess. That’s two whole weeks! That’s fourteen breakfasts, fourteen dinners, fourteen nights of cuddles. We’re unstoppable. Oh! And we’re going to make sure Daddy passes all his tests. Because we’re supportive like that. We’re amazing like that. Aren’t we?"
I finally gave up and laughed. She was impossible. Truly, beautifully impossible.
"Alright," I said, setting my bag down, "keep planning my life with Duchess. I’m taking a shower."
She waved off with one hand, still cradling the cat. "Go ahead, Daddy. We’ll hold down the fort."
I shook my head, smiling as I headed down the hall.
The sound of her voice followed , light and full of energy, filling every corner of the house with warmth I didn’t even know I needed until her.
---
Steam still clung faintly to my skin when I stepped back into the room, towel in hand. I’d already set out the books before my shower, flipping through a page while waiting for her to return. The plan was simple—review a little, rest a little, survive another test tomorrow.
But the plan died the second the bathroom door opened.
She padded out barefoot, hair damp and loose, and wearing... my shirt. Just my shirt.
My eyes lingered longer than I wanted them to—too long, way too long—and of course, she caught it.
Her mouth curved slowly into a smirk.
I groaned. "Really? Now?"
She blinked, feigning innocence. "What? Can’t a girl be comfortable in her own husband’s house?"
I rubbed a hand over my face. "That’s not comfort, Val. That’s... sabotage."
She only grinned wider and then flopped down next to , tugging the hem of the shirt like she was completely oblivious to what she was doing. I tried to focus back on the book, pen in hand, eyes on the words.
But then I felt it—that stare.
Heavy. Intentional.
I ignored it at first, pretending like I could outlast her. But it didn’t fade. If anything, it got stronger, like she was drilling a hole through the side of my face.
Finally, I sighed and closed the book halfway, turning to her. "What now?"
She didn’t say anything right away. Just looked at , eyes softer than I expected. Then her lips curved into a quiet smile.
"I love you," she said, voice so soft it barely reached the space between us.
For a mont, everything in stilled.
And that’s the thing about her—she could go from chaos to simplicity in a heartbeat. From storm to calm. From demanding a kiss in front of the entire cafeteria to whispering words that knocked the air out of my chest.
I didn’t say it back. Not out loud, at least. So things I kept for myself, tucked away where only I reach them.
Because the truth was, I wasn’t sure how to say it the way she deserved.
So instead, I just looked at her, let the corner of my mouth twitch up, and went back to the book.
And... maybe that was enough.
---
To be continued...
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