For a Wedding Dress, a Blanket

Jarel waited patiently on the couch.

It was well past midnight now, and the time had finally come for sleep. But Quinn was taking a while.

He didn’t move a muscle - he’d been ordered not to.

Still, he could feel himself drifting. If she took much longer, he’d only realize what had happened when the sun rose.

A thought surfaced.

What if she’d fallen asleep?

A pulse ran through him, urging him to check, but it wasn’t strong enough to get him moving. It did, however, drag his mind back from the brink.

He strained his ears, listening.

Nothing.

When Quinn wanted to be quiet, she was silent.

He began to count down.

From two hundred.

When he reached one, he’d close his eyes and give up.

He made it to one hundred and forty-nine before the bedroom door opened. And just in time - the counting was working a little too well.

His eyes snapped open, scanning for Quinn, half-expecting her to already be airborne and about to collide with him.

But she wasn’t.

In fact, she took longer than usual to reach the couch.

Only a few seconds longer - but Quinn wasn’t one to waste time.

He quickly saw why.

She was wrapped in a blanket she must’ve pulled from the bed. It trailed behind her like a cathedral veil, her height making it seem far larger than it actually was.

His brain wasn’t awake enough to process it.

“What’re you doing?”

She smiled shyly as she reached him.

“I thought it might be comfy.”

He hummed, accepting the answer without question, too tired to notice the half-truth.

It wasn’t until she climbed on top of him and lay down that his mind caught up. The blanket wrapped around them both, forming a poorly made cocoon.

Something felt… different.

He looked at her.

“You’re not wearing anything.”

She smiled.

“I have a necklace on.”

He sighed.

“Did I say you could pull my shirt off?”

She froze immediately.

“Oh… sorry. I forgot. Can I?”

One part of him wanted to refuse.

That part was pathetically weak.

“Yeah.”

She brightened and continued.

A short while later, he was in the same state as her, both of them hidden beneath the blanket.

And then it clicked.

A smile spread across his face.

“Oh. Sayang can’t see us. So that was your idea.”

She beamed.

“Are you proud of me?”

He chuckled, ruffling her hair.

“I just wish you’d put those good ideas toward more practical things.”

She giggled.

“This is practical.”

“In what way?”

“From what I’ve read, skin-to-skin contact is good for laziness.”

He wasn’t entirely sure how much of that was true.

“Nothing else?”

“Not really.”

He frowned.

“How much research did you do?”

She settled against him, wrapping her arms around his body.

“Enough.”

He sighed and let it go.

“Fair enough.”

He returned the embrace, doing his best not to focus on the overwhelming number of sensations hitting him all at once.

A moment passed.

Then she spoke, barely above a whisper.

“Are we married now?”

He smiled.

“This is not something that determines marriage.”

“Aww.”

She pushed herself up to meet his gaze, her eyes shimmering.

“Then what does?”

“Well, either a wedding or an elopement. Or do you want the exact part?”

“Exact part, please.”

He thought for a moment.

“Legally, it’s when the documents are signed. But generally, it’s when the vows are said.”

She blinked.

“Vows?”

He frowned.

“Did you really research romance?”

She nodded sheepishly.

“I thought I’d seen enough, but it’s hard to know.”

He briefly wondered how Sayang and Mahalina had managed it, but pushed the thought aside.

“It’s like a set of promises a couple says to each other. Then they agree to take each other as husband and wife in front of witnesses, and that seals the deal.”

“Would Sayang count as a witness?”

She was thinking fast.

He tried not to wince.

“She would, yes.”

“Jinxia?”

“Assuming people think she’s human, yes.”

Her eyes widened.

“Can non-humans not get married?”

He did not want to think about the legalities of marrying a demon at this hour.

“Well… barring your ears and tail, you’re pretty close to being human.”

She hummed.

“So I need to cut them off.”

His words shot from his mouth.

“No! Don’t do that. Please.”

It was hard to see in the dark, but she was clearly upset.

“But I want to get married.”

A thought surged to the forefront of his mind.

“You know… I’ve just realized I’ve never asked why.”

She blinked.

“Why… why I want to get married?”

He nodded.

“It was for the cookie recipe, wasn’t it? But you have that now. So what is it?”

She didn’t answer immediately. When she did, her voice was barely a whisper.

“I… I…”

A sigh that could twist a heart.

“I want to stay with you. And I want to receive those marriage benefits.”

It took him a second to remember what she meant by that. But she wasn’t finished.

“And… I love you. Is that enough?”

A pause.

Then he smiled.

With his arms still around her, he gently pulled her further up until their faces were level.

“It is. It’s more than enough.”

The kiss that followed didn’t just feel right - it felt necessary. Like the conversation would’ve been incomplete without it.

Her tail wagged beneath the blanket, brushing softly against his legs. Her arms slipped around his neck, pulling herself closer. It didn’t matter that it was only their second kiss. They melted into it all the same.

Still innocent.

Still soft.

More a promise than anything else.

When Quinn finally lifted her head, her silver hair fell around her like a waterfall, framing her face. Her smile told him everything.

He grinned back, unable to stop himself.

“Marriage benefits, eh?”

Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a deep flush that was somehow visible even in the dark. He could almost feel the heat radiating from her as she stammered.

“S-s-sorry! I wasn’t thinking!”

He chuckled, pulling her close again.

“Clearly. Or we wouldn’t be in this state of dress.”

She mumbled something about laziness as she tucked herself under his chin, arms settling comfortably around him.

This time, the air between them felt… open.

Calm.

Sleep came quicker than either of them expected, their minds unusually still in the quiet comfort of each other.