After the hours of passion the two shared, Kora found herself exhausted. She hadn’t slept much the night before and her body protested after the hours they’d spent tangled together. With a look down at her exhausted frame lying in the bed, Nori gently moved a strand of hair out of her view before saying, “I’ll draw you a bath, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Despite exhausting her, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied. He was able to embrace her like he’d only been able to in his dreams. Picturing the two of them together, he couldn’t help the wave of desire that filled him. Pushing his feelings aside, he focused on preparing a bath. Filling the tub with warm water, he added some dried petals and some of the scented soap in the cabinet before returning to the bedroom. 

Kora laid sprawled on the bed with a sheet haphazardly covering her body with an arm over her eyes. His gaze traveling down revealed the marks he’d left as he kissed her neck. 

Interrupting his perusal, she said, “Stop looking at me like that. Is the bath ready?” Seeing her movements to sit up, he simply strode over to the bedside as he picked her up in his arms. Clutching the sheet, she covers her body as he begins to walk to the bathroom. 

Once he’d gently brought her to stand in the bathroom he said, “Do you intend to bathe covered in a sheet?”

Indignantly she huffs, “I was covering myself so that no one would accidentally see anything if they walked past the windows.” Dropping the sheet to the floor, she could feel his arms tighten around his waist, where he continued to support her. Avoiding his eyes, she attempts to move out of his arms and to the tub. 

Pulling her to himself, Nori leaned down to give her a quick kiss before picking her up and gently placing her in the tub. “I’m going to grab something for dinner and then I’ll be back, okay?”

Smiling up at him, Kora said a quick, “Okay.” Although she would’ve loved for him to stay with her longer, she knew he wouldn’t be able to control herself and she was exhausted from earlier. 

Leaning back in the tub, she decided to close her eyes for a bit. 

Footsteps were the first thing she heard as she woke up. And then she heard Nori’s voice, “Where are you? Are you still in the tub?”

“Yes, I’m in here.” Gently skimming her hands over the surface of the water, she finally took note of the petals he’d put in the water. Judging by the water’s temperature, she couldn’t have been asleep long, so it was surprising that he was back already. 

Entering the bathroom, he carried a bouquet of flowers as well as a variety of snacks. “I was hoping I was fast enough to find you here still. I brought you a few things I should've prepared yesterday. If you don’t mind, I’d like to wash your hair for you as well.”

Unable to say no to the look on his face, Kora said, “Thank you, and I’d love it if you wash my hair for me.”

“And I love you.” Nori states as he places the gifts on the small stand in the bathroom. Moving behind her, he gently scrubs her scalp, ensuring that he massages his scalp as he goes. Taking care of her like this is something he’d only been able to dream of and he couldn’t help the warm feeling that bloomed in his chest at this moment. He simply wished that they’d be able to enjoy this peace longer. Unfortunately they were set to leave within the week. 

Listening to her breathing, he was able to tell that she’d dozed off once again. He knew he should’ve been a bit easier on her, but was unable to resist. After all, he hadn’t been able to see her in so long.

Gently rinsing her hair, he wrapped her hair in a towel before letting the water out of the tub. Grabbing another towel, he picked up her sleeping form and carried her to their room. Drying her carefully, he dressed her in a comfortable nightgown before placing a delicate kiss on her forehead.

Looking down at her, he chuckled at how deeply she was asleep before he retrieved her gifts from the bathroom. Placing the flowers in a vase, he put them on the dresser in their room. Sealing the snacks in a bag meant to conceal their smell, he placed them in a dresser drawer. Looking at the dinner he brought back, he brought it into their room. Considering they couldn’t have food in the house after dark, he knew he’d be forced to wake her up so that she’d get a chance to eat dinner. Looking outside, he knew they still had a few hours before dark, so he decided to join her in bed. 

As soon as his weight had settled on his side of the bed, Kora, still fast asleep, rolled over and tucked herself into his side. Returning the embrace, he decided to enjoy the peaceful moment just a bit longer, before he woke her to eat.