When they finally went upstairs, Darling paused at the edge of the bed like a man assessing a bridge that may or may not collapse under questionable engineering. The bed was a king-sized one. It looked trustworthy but looks had deceived civilizations before.
He pressed a hand into the mattress first, testing its compression. Then he sat down carefully, distributing his weight with the kind of control only someone used to accidentally crushing furniture would have. The mattress dipped.
Nothing snapped.
"That's promising."
Asenane, who had been watching him with amusement, stepped closer.
"It's cute that you're evaluating a lot of stuff."
"Yeah. The stronger a Spheraphasian is, the heavier they are. I would prefer not to reenact failure on our honeymoon."
She tilted her head, considering that. Then she sat beside him. Darling looked down at the frame, then at the floor beneath it, sensing the density through his perception.
"The flooring is reinforced. It's calibrated to Spheraphasian gravity."
Asenane lay back, staring at the ceiling as her white nightgown fell softly around her form.
"Everything here is strange. I could flick that wall and it would collapse."
He glanced at the wall.
"Please don't flick anything. The floor, at least, can handle us. That's considerate."
She shifted onto her side to face him. "Were humans from Earth truly this helpless?"
"Earth's gravity is significantly lighter than Spheraphase. The structural stress humans endure daily is lower. Their bones, muscles, even their materials reflect that."
"Then this place is not Earth."
"No. It was built with Spheraphasian gravitational constants. Whoever constructed this realm understood that."
"A Divine?"
He shook his head slightly. "Unlikely. If a Divine Rank entity had made it, the materials would be far more durable. This feels… mortal. A Transmigrator, probably."
She hummed softly, processing that, then exhaled.
"We were married yesterday."
He turned his head toward her.
"I expected something dramatic. I don't know, special romance of some kind? And instead, we're discussing gravity density and wall durability."
He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his lips.
"Do you hate it?"
She shook her head slowly.
"No. It's peaceful. I didn't expect that but it is pleasing."
He shifted slightly closer to her, resting his head against the pillow.
"You deserve peace."
She studied him quietly for a moment, then asked the question she had asked before but tonight her tone was softer.
"How was your life on Earth?"
He inhaled slowly.He had answered this question in fragments before. He had told stories, shared pieces and offered memories like broken glass laid out carefully so no one would cut themselves. But he never quite knew how to answer it fully.
"I don't remember much. Not in a complete way at least. Most of what I know… I know because I shared it with you and the others."
She waited.
"There was an apocalypse. Society collapsed. Infrastructure failed. People turned into versions of themselves they didn't recognize. My best friend… he couldn't handle it. He killed himself. I was captured after that. Taken to a facility for sixty years. Greshina saved me. After that… things blurred. I remember fragments. I remember being in an orphanage in Europe. Then being transferred to one in the United States..."
He stopped. The sentence echoed in his own head.
"Europe?"
It had not been there before.
He knew the apocalypse. He knew the facility. He knew Greshina but the orphanages and the geographical transition?
That was new.
"How do I remember that?"
He was certain that detail had never surfaced in his shared memories. Asenane noticed the shift immediately, already knowing where this would go.
She leaned forward and kissed him, When she pulled back slightly, her eyes were searching his.
"You're distressed."
"I'm fine—"
She placed her hand over his mouth without hesitation.
"I feel you through the Sapphire Bond. Never say that word to me. You always say it when you are the least fine."
He removed her hand gently, looking up at her with a tired half-smile.
"I'm worried. That's all."
"About your memories?"
"Yes."
She shifted slightly, then moved until she was straddling his waist. The mattress dipped again but the frame held stubbornly beneath them. She brushed her hair over one shoulder.
"Then perhaps it's time to change what's bothering you."
There was no embarrassment in her tone.
He went quiet when she lifted her nightgown slowly over her head, revealing a simple undergarment underneath. She looked down at him, and there was no hesitation in her eyes.
"I have waited for this for a long time and I finally have it."
Her hand rested over his chest, feeling the steady beat beneath. It was strange feeling his heartbeat, considering he didn't have any for a few years.
"Are you comfortable with this?"
"A mature Progenitor Dragon is on top of me right now. What kind of idiot would pass on the opportunity to be devoured by his own wife?"
"You are dangerously good with words."
"You know, for beings who could level mountains, we're being awfully careful with this bed."
Asenane's lips curved into a sly smile. She shifted her weight slightly, pressing down just enough to make the mattress dip.
"Careful? Perhaps at first. But, I have no intention of holding back forever."
"Huh?"
With that, she captured his lips in a kiss that started slow but it didn't last. One of her hands was tangling in his white hair and the other sliding down his chest. He responded in kind. His grip tightened on her waist as he pulled her against him. His free hand ventured to her back to unhook her bra, just enough to elicit a gasp from her.
"Impatient enough, Darling?"
She teased him, breaking the kiss to nip at his jawline.
He flipped her with surprising ease—considering her strength she could have resisted if she wanted—pinning her beneath him now. He didn't hesitate. He lowered his head. His lips brushed over her collarbone, down to her chest. Her fingers digging into his shoulders.
"Darling..."
He obliged, trailing kisses across her stomach, pausing at the edge of her belly.
She wasn't one to be passive for long. With a growl that was pure draconic, she pulled him up, flipping their positions again. Now astride him once more, she made quick work of his clothes. His shirt was unbuttoned and discarded. Her grin was enough to make him smile.
"My turn."
In short, they did it.
I'm not going to elaborate more of that because it would be inappropriate to say any more than this. All you have to know is that Asenane enjoyed herself that night. And being the only one strong enough to handle Darling's strength, let's just say she did get one of the best nights of her life.