Doves and Peacocks
A work day
“Ruthenia?”
Ruthenia looked up with a tiny start at the sound of her name, immaculately pronounced, intoned inquisitively.
She was still not entirely accustomed to hearing Aleigh’s voice inside her shed, and found she had to remind herself repeatedly that, yes, he could be here, and was here.
“Yeah?” She smiled, turning to find him beside her desk, one hand on the windowsill, face framed in sunlight.
He turned. “Are you putting it back together now?”
“Ihir, I could barely tell you’re nearly an adult with how impatient you are!” she replied with a laugh. “You see all these cogs here? Those have to go back inside the clock before I screw the panelling back on.”
“Could I help you?”
Ruthenia turned. “Well, you could hand me tools and parts,” she answered with a grin. “Although I don’t think Your Highness would find such a task suited to your station.”
He had already settled at the far end of her work bench by then, and was waiting expectantly for instructions. With another laugh, this time from being reminded just how dear he could be, she turned and asked for the smallest screwdriver.
Aleigh visited whenever he had an entire morning to squander--which was typically thrice a month, and without pattern. A clock was on the bench today, and although she was trying to make it sound like she had much more to do, she knew she would be done in less than fifteen minutes.
“I will never tire of how fascinating your work is,” he said from the edge of the bench.
“I’ll never tire of you telling me that,” she replied.
In time, Ruthenia rotated the clock face back into position and slotted the hands back on. Then she gave the pendulum a swing, and folded her arms with a satisfied smile as the hands began to tick.
She tugged off the gloves and flung them in her toolbox, then unrolled her sleeves, turning midway to find Aleigh watching her with an eager smile that quickly vanished as soon as her gaze met his.
“No need to pretend you don’t like seeing me,” she said, dropping into the seat beside him, and only barely remembering that she was still covered in sweat and wood shavings.
“Well, I do,” he said, and in answer, Ruthenia drew up to him till there was no space between them, leaning her head against his shoulder as he nestled his own against hers.
“I want this to be how it is forever,” she said, capturing him in a tight embrace. “I can’t believe this is what I missed as a child. You know...meaning something to someone. Being important to someone.”
“I know,” Aleigh replied in a sigh, running his fingers down her nape, which made her draw a sharp breath of enjoyment. “I like how it feels. To be loved. I never thought I could enjoy anything this much.”
“Isn’t it sad? That neither of us had anything like this before we found each other.” She buried her face against his chest and felt it rise and fall. “Damn it, I blame you in full for turning me so mushy in the head, but I love you more than I ever thought possible.”
She lifted her head and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, and felt his fingers tense upon her shoulders in response; his paleness made his blushing obvious. He bowed and answered by pecking her lips, and then she at his, with a laugh of enjoyment as the playful back-and-forth became a deep and furious kiss that surprised them both, Ruthenia rising on one knee on the bench so she held the superior position.
She leaned away and he clung to both her arms, smiling brightly. She grinned back and leaned towards him until their foreheads bumped and they were staring into each other’s eyes. “Let’s go before Tanio finds us,” she said.