𝒜 𝒟𝒶𝒾𝓈𝓎 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝐻𝒾𝓈 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

Lukas: 15

Valentina winces as I pull the scissors back out.

"I haven't even touched you yet." I laugh.

"Are you really criticizing me right now?" She glares, and I shake my head.

"I don't blame you, I'm just saying relax. I'm not going to hurt you." I take her hand and squeeze it.

She sighs, and doesn't say anything for a moment.

"Ready?"

"Fine." She nods, but she looks more scared than reluctant. "Get the gun wound over with."

"Okay." I nod.

Gently, I lift up her shirt, where there's a bandage only a few inches below her heart.

"God, you could have died." I grit my teeth at this attackers aim.

I take off the bandage, cut the stitches, carefully, and my eyes widen at the hole that opens in her stomach. Valentina frowns.

"What? Is it bad?" She asks from her looking away position.

"Uhhh, you have a hole in you. I'm pretty sure that's bad." I scrunch my nose up in amazement that she survived. "Don't worry though, you'll be fine. I'll clean it up and bandage it again."

I take a cloth and wet it, dabbing the hole gently where it's bleeding around. Getting another bandage, I seal it over the hole, and pull her shirt back down.

Valentina cringes when the bandage moves, but looks content with that hurting less than the first stitches.

"What, no kiss this time?" She pouts.

"I think that'll hurt." I laugh, but pull her face down to mine and give her lips a soft kiss. "That okay?"

"Mmm. I was half kidding, but you made it worth it." She grins, and I feel my face heat up.

"Okay, where was the last one?" I change the subject.

Valentina pulls up the fabric of her shorts on her left leg, and gestures to her thigh.

I whistle in amazement.

"Twenty one stitches? They weren't kidding around with you." I start to snip the stitches away, and she rests her hands on my shoulders, clutching them for stability.

I wipe and bandage the tear in her thigh, and give her a reassuring smile.

"There we go." I nod. "All good."

"Thanks, Luke." Valentina lets out a sigh of relief.

"No problem." I kiss her cheek, and lift her off of the oddly high countertop.

"Okay," She nods, looking up at me. "I'm taking you to your living quarters."

"Oh, right! Thanks." I smile as she takes my hand and drags me out like a woman on a mission.

I grab my suitcase on the ay, and she takes me down a few halls until approaching a room. Opening it, she nods.

"This is where you'll stay." She smiles.

"Thanks." I leave my suitcase in the room, but come out to her. "So, apparently we need to start planning for the wedding now, according to our monarchies."

"Already?" Valentina cocks her head. "Why?"

We walk down a flight of stairs to the kitchen as I explain.

"They want us to be able to unite as soon as possible, so they're getting ready for whenever I decide to propose." I say.

"So, the powers in your hands?" Valentina grins.

"Which means it's also in your hands. We can decide together when it's a good idea." I say. "We can be on the same page about this."

"Cool. When are you thinking?" She asks.

"Well, realistically, in like a week, but I figure if I was actually allowed to decide when, like, a month? It hasn't really hit me that we're getting married yet." I add.

"Same. I keep thinking I'm single." Valentina lets out an airy laugh.

"Do you want to be single?" I raise an eyebrow, feeling protective all of a sudden.

"Do you want me to be single?" She counters, and I laugh.

"Touché." I grin, and we take our seats at the dining table.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

I'm under the linen sheets of the bed, and I groan as I toss and turn. I can never sleep somewhere new the first night. I decide to text Valentina.

Me: You up?

I immediately regret it, knowing that I'm going to wake her up or annoy her.

Valentina: Yeah. What are you doing?

Me: Trying to sleep.

Valentina: How's that working out for you?

Me: So far? You can probably tell.

Valentina: Bring your suitcase and come over here.

Me: Wait, why?

Me: Valentina?

Me: Hello??? Are you there???

I suppose I should listen to her orders, since she does tend to have good ideas, so I get my suitcase and quietly creep down the hallway, knocking softly on her door.

Valentina cracks it open, and pulls me inside before locking us in.

"What's the lock for?" My heart pulses.

"You know, murderers in the night, journalists looking to take pics,..." She notices why I got flustered. "Or, you know, anything you were thinking about."

"Just as I was suspecting." I laugh.

"Why are you up at..." She checks the clock. "1:18 am?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I follow her to sit on the edge of her bed.

"I asked the question, Luke." She gives me a look.

"I can never sleep on the first night when I'm in a new place." I say. "You?"

"Insomnia. Very minor, but still. Some nights are worse than others." She lays down, and indicates me to do the same.

I flop down next to her, and she curls up onto my chest, sighing. I hold her close with my arm, and feel content next to her.

"Well, aren't we a pair." I say. "Both happen to be up at one in the morning, due to sleep issues."

"Yeah." Valentina nods. "We should do something."

"Like?" I ask.

"Let's see..." Valentina pulls out her phone, and the light blinds us both. "Ugh, I forgot to turn it to night mode."

She searches some stuff, and scrolls for a bit, reading out some things we could do.

"Do a jigsaw puzzle?"

"Nah..."

"Yoga?"

"Do we really look like one of those yoga couples?"

"Start a side hustle?"

"We've already got all the money we need."

"ASMR?"

"So... we would sit here and listen to mushy sounds together?" I laugh.

"Uhhh, good point." Valentina chuckles. "Just reading what's on the screen."

"Hmmm, not sure that's our thing." I joke.

"I know. Watch TV?" She looks up from the site.

"That could be fun."

Legit 20 minutes later, we decide that's a bust, because we can't decide what to watch and fight over every suggestion.

Valentina sighs, pulling up the website again.

"Hmm... dancing?"