Her eyes were wide and she was blushing deeply. "But... like... ugh..." She buried her face in his chest. "You're impossible."
He laughed warmly, kissing the top of her head. "I love you. I'm going to go find Finneas for the project, okay?"
He kissed her cheek one last time before stepping back, going back to the house to look for Finneas with a curious frown.
That night Zerras and June retreated into guest house for the night. Zerras crawled into the bed and opened his arms to her, his gaze soft.
She was wearing her pajamas now, soft linen shorts and a tank top of sorts. She tilted her head before moving over to him. "You sure you want me here?" she asked, sounding a little uncertain. "I can go back to the house if you want some space."
"Of course I want you," he told her gently, slipping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. "I always want you."
She flushed, relaxing in his arms as she cupped his jaw gently. She paused before her eyes lit up. "Oh! I found something I think you'd like," she said, leaning over the side of the bed and grabbing something from under it. She pulled out a sunflower, sitting up straight. "You might not like this, actually, in retrospect. But I liked it." She seemed embarrassed, squinting at the flower. "And I wanted you to have it. This is weird, now that I think about it."
He brightened immediately and took it carefully, twirling it around in his fingers gingerly before he looked up at her with a wide grin. "I love it, June!"
She seemed very relieved that he liked it, pulling her knees to her chest, her ears pricking up happily. "You do?" she replied, tilting her head as she considered him. "It's weird. It's a weird thing to give someone who isn't an elf."
He held it close to him for a moment before delicately setting it on the night stand, lying back in the bed and pulling her with him. "It is?"
She nodded, resting on her stomach and lying her body against him. “Yes. Remember when I told you about flowers meaning a lot in elf culture?”
“Sunflowers mean adoration,” she mused, brushing her fingers up his chest. She fell silent for a moment before speaking again. “You would’ve never known that we were going to end up like this when you first met me.”
He took her hand and gently kissed her fingers, his lips soft as they brushed her skin lightly. "Me neither," he told her quietly. "You really helped me be better, Juni."
She softened, looking up at him thoughtfully before leaning over, resting her head in the curve of his neck. “You were always able to be good,” she told him quietly. “You have such a kind heart, Z. It just... you know... wasn’t allowed to show itself for a long time.” She turned her head and kissed his neck slowly, her fingers slowly curling in his shirt. “You are so wonderful. More than you know.”
He rubbed her back slowly, shutting his eyes as she spoke. Her voice relaxed him. Everything about her relaxed him. "You helped me bring it out, June. I really couldn't have done it without you." He smiled slowly. "You're everything to me."
She fell silent for a moment before she closed her eyes, exhaling slightly. “You won’t leave, then?” she asked after a moment. “Even though it’s hard work, and there are children running around and no concubines... all I have to offer is myself. I wish I could give you back the life you had, but I...”
"I prefer this life," he told her quickly, opening his eyes to look down at her. "I prefer this so much more than anything else."
