Will flushes but otherwise keeps his expression straight. " I see your possessive streak has carried over." He leans into the brief kiss, momentarily wondering if he should grab the Snake's jaw and press a real one to his lips. Will begrudgingly decides against it in favor of returning Kazimir's shirt to the closet in search for one more fitting.
(sorry for the wait, I've been busy!)
"Mm, of course it has, darling." he replied, letting go as Will returned to his closet. "You are the one I treasure most, what sort of person would I be if I did not take care of you?" he followed Will over to the closet, leaning on the doorframe and watching him.
(aldhjd no worries I've been busy too)
Will's grateful he's turned away from the Snake for he feels his face go hot again at the comment. Curse his affinity to easily turn redder than a tomato at the smallest of statements. Carefully, Will selects a smallish, warm brown long-sleeve and a set of simple black trousers. He'll need a belt. Either not caring that Kazimir is watching or simply forgetting, Will pulls his pajama shirt over his head to change into the new one.
Kaz did not turn away, figuring that if Will wanted him not to watch, the human would have said something. That Will had not said anything was not at all Kaz's fault. He exhaled slowly, eyes half open. Waking up this morning without Will beside him had…worried him. Quite a lot.
With a brief huff, Will pulls the shirt over his torso, covering his clearly visible ribcage. He switches his pants in mere seconds. He then turns to the Snake, arms wrapped around his middle from the brief chill. "Breakfast?" Will inquires, raising an eyebrow.
Kaz nodded slightly, internally deciding that Will clearly needed to eat more. "Breakfast." he agreed, standing straight and leading Will from the closet and out into the main room. "If you are sure you are ready." he eyed Will for a moment, mentally mulling over everything that had already happened that morning.
"I don't see why I wouldn't be," Will answers, threading his fingers through Kazimir's without another word. And then it dawns on him. They'll be dining with the Queen. The one who now believes that he is pregnant with Kazimir's child. "Oh lord, Marie will be there." He groans, butting his head into Kazimir's shoulder.
Kaz smiled a little when Will took his hand, closing his eyes with a soft, happy little hum. At the reminder of Marie, however, he exhaled, wrapping his free arm around WIll's shoulders. "Yes, she will." he responded, kisisng the top of Will's head. "But you need to eat, darling." he took a small step towards the door, not letting go of Will.
Will huffs, allowing himself to be dragged to the door. "Is it possible to arrange a separate dining room?" He gestures with his free hand. "Or perhaps we can eat later to avoid her?" The last thing William needs is an agry queen who's under the guise that he's pregnant with the Snake's child.Oh god, just thinking about it makes his queasy.
Kaz thought about that for a moment, squinting and frowning as he ran through the numbers and rooms in his head. "I…do not think a separate room is an immediate possibility." he replied, shaking his head a little bit. "And we can't eat later. You're…well. You're too thin, my darling. I can see your ribs."
"I can survive a few more hours, I'm not on death's door yet," Will retorts, almost defensively brining his free arm to wrap around his torso. Even as he speaks, they're heading through the winding halls of the palace towards the dining room. "Please, I don't want to be subject to whatever wrath she's hoarding."
Kaz frowned, and shook his head again. "No, you need to eat." he said firmly. "And she will do absolutely nothing to you, my darling." he kissed the side of Will's head, trying to soothe him. "I promise, love. I will not let her do anything to you."
"She's going to kill me," Will hisses through his teeth as they turn the corner and enter the large yet private dining room. He momentarily wonders what the grandeous dining hall looks like. There's so much of the castle he hasn't explored yet… Will huffs upon seeing the queen sitting in a chair far from the head of the table where Kazimir usually resides.
"She will not." Kaz retorted, leading Will into the dining room. He sat down at the head, where he always sat. His gaze cut over to Marie, narrowing as he took in where she had seated herself. Far away from him. An obvious snub. She stared right back at him, a challenge in her eyes, and then her eyes moved to Will.
The Fae queen was a beautiful woman, that much was undeniable. But there was an icy coldness to her, and an air of…something. Different than Kaz, but no less dangerous. Her brown hair was bound into a beautiful style, a crown nestled into her hair and shining in the lights. But there was something calculating and furious in those eyes of hers. Something similar to the way Kaz's expression often was. No wonder they had married each other.
Will untangles his hand from Kazimir's and takes a seat to his right. He blinks, looking in Marie's direction before back at the center of the table. Food adorns the entirety of the table. With a careful hand, Will reaches to scoop a small helping of some fine looking egg dish onto his plate. Then followed by some fruit and lavender tea. He knows if there's anything that'll cause his insides to explode, Kazimir will stop him. He glances over to Marie again, the urge to correct Kazimir's lie weighing heavily on his tongue.
Kaz kept a careful eye on Will to make sure he didn't take any food he couldn't eat, quiet and watchful. He dished himself out his own food, doing his best to ignore his wife, who was still staring at the two of them as she ate her own food. Jewelry glinted lightly on her fingers, and her mouth was pinched into a faint, thin line, and each stab of her fork into the food on her plate seemed almost violent. Barely restrained.
If she could have killed Will right then adn there, she would have. Irregardless of the fact that she thought he was pregnant with Kazimir's child, she probably would have killed him anyway.
Will takes one, two, three bites before setting the fork down on the edge of the plate. He inhales slowly. God, he thinks he's going to die if Kazimir's lie continues. "Marie," he addresses the Queen as politely as he can. "I'd like you to know that Kazimir lied and I am not pregnant with his child." He prays his face doesn't go red.
Marie's gaze zeroed in on Will as soon as he said her name, and her eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Kazimir?" she looked over to her husband. "Is this true?"
Kaz cast Will a look, then moved his gaze to Marie, hand tightening faintly on the fork in his hand, rings scraping faintly against the metal. His mouth pinched as he thought about how to respond, and he finally exhaled. "Yes. That is the truth." he confirmed.
She was silent for a long moment, and then stood up from the table.
"Glad the air is cleared," Will mutters as Marie exits the room. At least now she won't be trying to kill him for holding an heir. Now silent and without a weight on his chest, he takes another few bites of the food laid out for him and takes a long sip of his lavender tea. It's not quite up to par with what his mother made, but it's certainly better than any other drink options. That and William knows that it's something that won't cause him to implode.
Kaz frowned a little as Marie left, turning to Will. "Why did you tell her?" he asked. "I would not have let her harm you, William, and now she will only be angrier at the both of us." he ran a hand through his hair, crimson eyes flashing slightly in the light. He looked a bit angry, though not furious. Not as incandescently full of rage as he was capable of being. When that happened, he had the sort of anger that burned too hot for too long. The kind of destructive, vengeful fury that had turned him into the ruler he was.
"I don't like lies, Kazimir," William responds simply. He pushes around a piece of egg on his plate. "She may be angry but isn't that better than her being furious later down the road?" He shoots Kaz a brief glance before returning to his food. He swallows the slight unease that arises upon seeing Kazimir in a mood. Anger is something he's quite used to handling. A calm tone yet rapid fire words usually accompanied Will when dealing with the latest village scum. His iron spine will not crack. No amount of anger could cause him to fold.
He sighed, tapping his fork against his plate. "I suppose, but that doesn't mean she will forgive either of us for this." he replied, taking another bite of his food, quick and a bit savage in the motion. There was still anger in those eyes, though not as bad as it had been moments ago.
"I don't care if she forgives me for being here," Will responds, pouring himself some more tea. "I just don't think she should believe in lies." It's strange doing this. It nearly feels like back in Will's home village of Estonvale. Countless of times he arrived at trials uninvited to set records straight. Nobody thanked him for his services, not even the man William saved from exile. Back in Estonvale, William was two things: the most honest man in the village and a schoolyard scapegoat.
He sighed again, shaking his head. "If that's what you say." he replied, still not liking any of this. "She is still going to be angry." he did not like when Marie was angry. It never went well for anyone involved. Sure, he was more powerful than her, and he was emperor, but her family…well. Her family was the reason he had married her.
Will nods, continuing to eat his meal in relative silence. Through the open dining room door, he watches a couple of advisors pass, deep in conversation with the other. "You should probably serve to your duties that you missed out on the past two days," he mentions. "I'll be in the library for most of today so you won't have to worry about chaperoning me."