The Keeper of Flame and the Master of Ice (Sub-Zero x Reader)

VI - Parting

Warnings: Unbetaed. Sexual references. English is not my first language. OOCness. Extremely lazy writing. I wrote this in a rush since I hadn't posted anything in a while. It will most certainly sound repetitive and choppy.

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Part VI: "Parting"

When you woke up the next day, the first thing you noticed was that some discomfort in your stomach still persisted, but it wasn't nearly as painful as the night before. As inconvenient as it was, you figured you would only have to drink some more of the brewed liquid for your cramps and stay in bed for a while, until you felt better.

Nobody would question if you did that. Spending the night with your husband should have made you very tired, and it made sense that you would take the day off to rest. Or that was the explanation they would find, at least.

As you reached for the porcelain pot to refill your cup, a heavy weight shifted on the mattress and you chanced a glance over your shoulder.

It was Liang, who slept soundlessly next to you in last night's clothes.

At the sight of him, the memories of the previous day returned— the marriage, the celebration, and the wedding night that never happened. It was curious to see that he hadn't even undressed, or used the covers to be warm, as if he had just tumbled into bed and fallen asleep. Still, it wasn't precisely warm in the bedroom so you sat up and grabbed the bedspread, draping it on him.

As you drank from your tea, its taste even more unpleasant now that it was cold, you took notice of the birds singing and roosters crowing in the distance. It was early in the morning, no doubt, and on any other normal day you would have had to crawl out of bed to attend chores and other obligations. The fact that you were Wu Lae's niece didn't mean you were allowed to slack off and be a bum. But today was different and you didn't have to worry about those things now that you just married.

Carefully, you stood up and made your way to the window with small and measured steps. After pulling the curtains aside, you observed the morning mist engulfing the visage of the pond and houses, the dark sky growing lighter. It wouldn't be long before the sun rose.

The view made you remember a legend that your grandmother once told you about the gods Nüwa and Fu Xi, parents of mankind. It was said that after a great flood came and destroyed the world, Nüwa and Fu Xi were the only ones that remained. The siblings then wanted to marry so the human race could survive but felt ashamed because of it. So they went to Kunlun Shan, and prayed to the heavens to send a signal— that if they were allowed to wed then mist would surround the mountain. The heavens approved of their union so mist descended on them and they married, becoming the ancestors and first rulers of mankind.

This had to be a good presage of things to come, or so you hoped.

With a sigh, you finished the remaining of your tea and turned around to leave the cup on the night table. Eventually the discomfort would go away and you'd go on with your daily life. For now, you wanted to have some rest. Getting into bed again, hands folded over your stomach, you felt tempted to turn your gaze to the man sleeping by your side. This was the first time you woke up next to your husband, although you weren't even sure if you were actual spouses. Sure, everyone thought so, but you didn't exactly lie with him last night.

Your curious gaze slowly travelled to his face and you placed a hand over your mouth, studying him as he slept. There were no traces of concern or severity on his features, and he seemed relaxed— if his steady breathing was any indication. You couldn't tear your eyes off of him, settling on his strong cheekbones and the profile of his aquiline nose. His body was much larger compared to yours, and so he took up quite a bit of space. Of course you had noticed this before, but this time you were more aware of that. You tried not to laugh when you remembered Yue's comment— which of course was ridiculous— about how you should get used to having less space to sleep because he wasn't small.