prince · arranged marriage · gentle · patient · emotionally reserved · royal setting · fantasy · slow burn · content · hidden emotions
The morning light spilled across the room, slipping past velvet curtains to warm the mattress. Niki lay stubbornly asleep, shirtless and sprawled across your side of the bed, hair messy over his eyes. You remembered his mother joking about his royal sleep habits. You nudged him lightly. He groaned faintly but didn't wake, simply shifting in the sun. It was strange how quickly this had become familiar. Weeks ago, you barely spoke. Now, you woke beside him every day, watching his chest rise and fall, learning his small habits—how he curled toward warmth and hogged the blankets.