He didn't respond, but he did get up and strode over to her, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders and turning himself around so that he was behind her with his chin on her head. "I'm back to normal, I promise," he said while pressing his cheek against the side of her head. It was a loose guess as to what she really wanted to do, but this was his way of comforting them both—her to ease her worry, and him to ease the unearthed pain.
She sighed softly, leaning just a bit back into him as his arm wrapped around her. That had been it. She'd wanted to give him a hug. She reached up, gently framing the side of his face with her palm to offer a bit more comfort, the only physical kind she knew much of. Hugs were his thing, though she was learning. "I'm glad. That it doesn't linger too long. I'm sorry to hover."
He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch slightly. "You don't need to keep apologizing, Lily. You were worried, and I should've explained it to you beforehand. That's on me." His voice was a rumbling murmur, the morning tiredness finally creeping up on him after the slight rush from using his magic since forever ago. A small smile bloomed on his lips as he whispered against her hair, "I forgot to say, mornin' darlin'."
Her heart skipped a beat at the rumble in his voice, a light flush creeping onto her cheeks. "Alright, no more apologizing." She promised, running her thumb along his jawline. And then he was whispering goodmorning, and she was essentially hopeless. Fates, waking up to that every morning…that would be enough to turn her into a puddle. "G-good morning, dear."
He dipped his head down so that his lips were brushing against her neck, teasing her. He could sense the change in her just from his words—or rather, his voice—and his smile grew as he stored that information away for later. That doesn't mean he would move her into his room, or he spend the night in her room, but it was still useful nevertheless.
The flush to her cheeks darkened as his lips hovered over her neck, with just enough contact to send a small shiver down her spine. Letting him figure out how sensitive her neck was, was probably one of the worst mistakes she'd made. Now if only she could convince herself of that. Because at the same time, part of her desperately wanted his lips on her neck.
Rhydar smirked and lowered his voice to a whisper, the morning rumble still there as he asked her, "What do you want, Lily?" His lips brushed against her neck as he spoke, something he knew would drive her nuts. He was honestly asking her what she wanted, but it was also meant to fluster her even more to bring out that adorable squirming and blushing.
"What do you want, Lily?"
That's a harder question to answer than you think. No, no it wasn't. And Lily knew that. Her own reaction to his lips brushing her neck, her blush deepening as she shifted just slightly, trying to keep herself from baring her neck completely, answered that question perfectly well. Even her own mind answered that question, an immediate you that had her even more flustered. "I-" She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, gathering the courage to admit the answer to that question. "I want you to stop teasing me, and just k-kiss me."
Rhydar tilts his head slightly, the action moving his lips away from her neck for a brief period of time. It didn't take him long to murmur, "As you wish, Lily darling," and pressed his lips to her neck. He let the first kiss linger, before slowly trailing more up and down her neck.
Lily inhaled sharply as his lips finally met the skin of her neck, despite having already been partly expecting it. Despite the haze in her mind that had appeared so suddenly, she wasn't too much of a puddle yet to not notice how gentle his kisses were. Like even with the permission, he was still being careful.
Rhydar made his way up to the underside of her jaw with his lips while his other arm snuck over to Lily's free arm. He lightly grabbed her arm and slowly ran his hand up and down, feeling her silky skin with his fingers while his lips tasted her sensitive neck.
With Lily pressed against his chest and practically melting in his arms, asking him to kiss her, this morning was by far the best morning he's ever had. He would give anything to live this moment every morning, but that wish was entirely up to Lily. He wouldn't ask that of her without her first voicing a similar wish. He cared about her too much to put her into that situation.
Lily's head tilted back just a bit, almost immediately, giving him full access to her neck. And then his hand was on her arm, and it took quite a bit of effort not to let her legs give out completely. Fates, she couldn't even be embarrassed, too focused on the feel of his fingers on her arm, his lips on her neck, then her jaw. What a way to start the day. Something you could get behind.
Rhydar hummed as he trailed his butterfly kisses down to the base of her neck, very lightly nipping at the skin before simply pressing his face in the crook of her neck. His fingers continued to glide up and down her arm in a methodical manner as he breathed in Lily's scent for a few moments.
She was incredible, and he was still wondering how he had gotten so lucky as to catch her eye and keep the attention. Sure, he was the crown prince, but it was clear that she didn't see him that way. She saw him for who he was beyond the fancy crown.
He resumed his kisses, though they somehow had more tenderness and love behind them as he covered her neck with his assault.
Lily let out a small and surprised noise when Rhydar's teeth grazed her neck, the color painting her cheeks brightening a bit. His being buried in her neck gave her the chance to breath, and to thank the Fates. For directing her to a man who she could let touch and hold her, without the self-loathing that usually came with that kind of contact. She huffed a small and light laugh at the change in the kisses once the were resumed, leaning back into him a bit more.
"You're so adorable…" Rhydar mumbled once he was pretty sure he had peppered her poor neck with kisses twice over. His eyes were closed, and his head was tilted towards her touch from the hand still framing the side of his face. "An' cozy…" Yes, despite her issues with touch, she was incredibly cozy. If he could, Rhydar would love to just cuddle up with Lily all day, possibly take a nap, and simply enjoy her comforting presence.
Lily returned to running her thumb along his jawline, as though she wasn't blushing profusely and still a bit weak in the knees. "Cozy?" She repeated, tacking a questioning tone onto the word, looking for clarification. What exactly did that mean, comfy? She wasn't aware people could be comfy in any way, since they weren't exactly the same as pillows.
"Yes, cozy," Rhydar said matter-of-factly, despite his sleepy voice getting progressively sleepier. "Like a teddy bear." That was the best way he could describe how easy it was to cuddle with Lily—when she could handle it, that is. That isn't to say she wasn't like a prickly cactus when she couldn't handle it, as she wasn't. "Huggable," he finally concluded, "Soft. Warm. Comforting."
“I think y-you’re the first person to ever call me comfy.” She said, smiling softly. She turned her head, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek. “Actually, for sure. What an odd thing to call someone.” She huffed a laugh, her thumb running circles over the space just behind his ear.
"I'm an odd person," he said with a breathy laugh, turning his head just enough to kiss her jaw before settling his chin on her shoulder. "Mmm, I could get used to his," he hummed with a small smile, his thumb running circles over her wrist, then the inside of her arm, then along her shoulder, then back down to do it all over again.
“You do know you’ll have to let me go eventually, right?” She asked, resting her head against his anyway and making it obvious she was in no hurry to do anything else. “My hair is likely reminiscent of a briar bush minus the thorns.” She continued tracing her own circles into his skin, at ease even with his thumb brushing over scars on her arms.
He jokingly wrapped his arm just a tad bit tighter around her and pulled her as close to him as possible, then let go before she could freak out as he dramatically whispered, "Never~" in her ear. "And your hair is gorgeous at all times, briar-like or not." He hummed to himself as a thought came to him. He could offer to do her hair again, as she seemed to like it the last time, but he also considered the possibility of him sounding unable to leave her side. Not exactly untrue…
Lily gasped softly as he pulled her closer, not quite fear but more surprise, her cheeks heating up as he whispered in her ear. Fates, he had absolutely no clue just how much his voice that close to her ear affected her. “I highly d-doubt that. I’m p-pretty sure looking in the mirror would prove that false.” She wasn’t exactly wrong. Her hair was a complete mess.
"Mirrors lie," he said, still speaking right next to her ear with absolutely no idea how much she was affected by it, "Traitorous bastards that make lovely ladies like you think less of yourselves." He curled his nose in distaste to enhance his dislike for mirrors even more, though he was being dramatic as always. Her stutter was adorable, even if he didn't know what he had done to create it.
It took everything she had not to shudder, suffering silently(not in the worst way, of course) as he spoke in her ear. "T-traitorous? And do you r-really have that much of a g-grudge against mirrors?" She asked, amusement mingling with her flusteredness. It was kind of funny, between his dramatics and his obvious dislike for them already.
He nosed the back of her ear. "Not necessarily mirrors themselves. More like the standards people set that make people look in them and hate themselves for not meeting said standards. I, of course, look amazing in any and all mirrors, and no one is going to tell me otherwise. Same goes for you, and anyone and everyone. But a lot of people don't think of them that way, and that's what upsets me."
After a short pause, he quietly murmured, "But there are some cursed mirrors that I have a distaste for for specific reasons I care not to get into."