As The World Falls Down

Chapter 36

When you finally awoke from a deep, dream filled sleep, you unhappily blinked into blinding, morning light and a sharp pain piercing through the middle of your skull. You sat up slowly, pressing your palms to your eyelids, trying to block out the light so as not to stir the nausea you felt slowly but surely climbing up your throat. After a moment of sitting as still as possible, you opened your eyes again and realized that you were not in Jareth's bedroom, but instead in your own bedroom, staring in absent confusion at the familiar greenery surrounding you. 'How long have I been asleep?' you wondered in confusion, trying to piece together what went down after you had left the nymph kingdom. You vaguely remembered being in the throne room, and having a brief but heated conversation with Jareth, but the details were blurry and you suddenly got anxious when you realized you didn't really know where you and your fiancé stood.

With a dry mouth and needling headache, you wandered out into the hallway and down the stairs, listening for Jareth so you could track him down and figure out where the last 12 hours had gone. You found him in his private library, comfortably sprawled on the couch, his long legs hanging over the side with a thick book in his lap. He looked up with a jolt when you knocked sheepishly on the wall, immediately tuned in to your presence and looking you over. You approached him and gave him a shy smile.

"Darling," Jareth said, holding his arm out to you over the edge of the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," you admitted, taking his hand gingerly, his cool skin on yours a calming presence. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A day or so," he said nonchalantly. Your eyes nearly bugged out of your head hearing that, and you let out an involuntary scoff.

"A day?"

"Or so. You definitely needed it, my love. You were as drunk as the day is long."

"Oh, god..." His hand reached up and brushed your cheek lovingly, and you leaned into the touch, thinking hard as you tried to remember.

"I'm guessing you don't recall our exchange," Jareth mused, smiling slightly.

"I remember what you said at Foxglove's," you said. "But I'm guessing that's not what you mean."

"Nope."

"Tell me, please. I'm already embarrassed."

"Well..." he trailed off playfully. "It seemed you forgot my apology once we got home, which is odd seeing as you remember it now. You basically tried to wring my head off my body and called me a whole list of names before I wrestled you into your room and locked you in. I do apologize for that, but I had to prioritize my safety at that moment. You were positively ferocious."

"Oh, Jareth, I'm so sorry," you apologized, cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"Don't worry, darling. It was adorable."

"How is it adorable that I tried to kill you in a drunken rage?"

"Because it's you," Jareth smiled, and you rolled your eyes. "I trust that rage has since left you?"

"Yes," you assured. "You're not mad at me either, right?"

"I could never stay mad at you," he insisted, looking offended you'd even suggest it.

"And we're still getting married?"

"Of course. I've pulled too many strings to back down now," Jareth teased.

"Very funny. Glad to hear you've settled."

"Ah, speaking of the wedding..."

Jareth got up and fished in his pocket before pulling out your own engagement ring, glittering in his large palm. Your heart skipped a beat and you looked at your finger to see that it was indeed bare.

"Don't tell me-"

"You hurled it at my head," Jareth interrupted, fortunately looking entertained by the fact. "I've decided to not take it personally, for my own sanity."

"I sound like such an asshole when I'm drunk."

"You are."

"Thanks, honey," you drawled sarcastically, and he laughed. You stuck your hand out for him and he slipped the ring back on your finger, your stomach giving a flutter at the remembrance of the first time he had done this.

"So, are you gonna get a ring, too?" you asked.

"Yes, and you'll be the one to put it on me," Jareth explained, raising your hand to give it a swift kiss.

"Do I get to see it before then?"

"Noo," he teased, and you laughed when you pouted. "I'm sorry, dove. You know how I love surprises."

"Can't you give me a hint? I deserve a hint after all this fighting we've done," you complained, wrapping your arms around his neck. He mocked your pout and thumbed your bottom lip as he tilted your chin.

"Your hint is it's silver," Jareth said mock ceremoniously. "And it will look wonderful next to yours when we hold hands. Or when we lace our fingers for other reasons."

"Oh, it's like that, is it?"

"Mm," he hummed with a smile before leaning down and kissing you with a force that made you inhale sharply and melt against him. You hardly had the time to breathe between kisses, only stopping when he pulled away and took you in with a familiar, dark look. However, it only lasted a moment before he blinked a few times and looked away with a smirk. Panting slightly, you knit your brow in confusion.

"What?" you asked, trying not to sound desperate. "I'm not drunk anymore. I can consent to...you know. Whatever that was leading to."

"It's not that," Jareth smiled, brushing your hair away from your face. "I was just thinking that maybe we could do something a little more...traditional."

"What would that entail?"

"I think it would be interesting for us to wait until the wedding."

"Wait for what?" you asked, your voice a little weaker this time.

"Wait for me to make love to you like you deserve," he purred, kissing you on your cheek as you flushed all the way to the tips of your pointed ears.

"That's forever away," you whined. "I think. Wait, did we even set a date?"

"I think we were going to do that before you got your dress," Jareth reminded you. "But then things got all muddled and horrible. We're really not so good at sticking to a plan, hm?"

"Well we're going to have to if you want to stick to this other, ridiculous plan," you pointed out, grumbling slightly at the premise of having to stay chaste until your wedding night.

"Why don't we wed at the end of the month, Y/N?" he proposed. "The willows and magnolias will be in bloom around the church by then. They blanket the forest floor and I'm sure they'll look beautiful under the skirt of your dress. You did get a white dress, right?"

"Yes, Jareth," you laughed. "I'm not a complete whore."

"Pity, I was counting on that for our wedding night," he grinned devilishly.

"You're a dick," you teased. "End of the month it is. Will you be able to get everything ready in time?"

"Anything for you," Jareth assured, giving you another kiss. "For the record, I will not be limiting kisses. I think I'd go crazy without your touch, darling."

"You're just saying that because you want me to kiss you again," you giggled, feeling giddy now that you had a date to look forward to.

"Yes, please," he murmured before kissing you again. And this time, he really drew it out. Cupping his face, you could only imagine how good your first kiss as man and wife would be.