[ It's that look of utter disbelief she gives him that finally makes it impossible to hold his laughter back. ]
Easy. You just decide what you want to do when you wake up that morning, and you go do it. Or maybe you decide you don't want to do anything that day besides relax, and that's okay too.
[ Claude clears his throat to compose himselfe and tries to look serious then - and mostly fails that miserably. ]
Also, I'm officially banning anyone from my court from trying to help you plan things if you think you're gonna get around the lack of schedule when you're there.
[Never has he forced a pout from her quicker! Edelgard's expression twists as her lips purse and brows crease. With a huff she slips out of his lap to climb into bed.]
Very well. I will just have to show you the superior experience it is having it all planned out.
[ Oh no. That Edelgard very clearly sulks before getting up and leaving him behind only makes Claude snicker again, even as he's standing up himself to follow. ]
Wait a minute, tell me about your plans for now first.
[ He climbs into bed after her and leans down to first press an apologetic kiss to her shoulder right before launching back into immediately teasing her as he props himself up on an elbow with his best look of faux concentration. ]
How scheduled are we talking? Like, is there a specific hour designated for making Ferdinand be appalled and another one for beating Hubert at chess, or just a general day where those fit in?
[At first she thinks he's being sincere, but it's quickly very clear he's teasing again. Her frown becomes harsher.]
You have just scheduled your demise, Claude.
[Just short of lunging at him, Edelgard grabs his shoulders to pin his back on the mattress and straddle him. While her weight may not be at all threatening, her strength makes up for it.]
Wish to beg for mercy before you feel my wrath?
[She's frustrated with him, but she knows he's only trying to poke fun. Which is why these threats are (mostly) empty.]
[ Claude doesn't get to finish his verbal stamp of approval about her schedule pun before he's suddenly pinned on his back. Of course that motion comes with an exaggerated oof from him like Edelgard's kicked him all the way out onto the floor instead of just rolling him over.
Still, he peers up at her for just a second like he's seriously thinking over his options. ]
Nope, not even a little bit. [ He brings his hands up to rest on her knees, taps his fingertips against her legs lightly. ] Maybe I like being at your mercy on any given day. And your wrath, too.
[ Is he just being obnoxious? Maybe. He'll never tell. (He probably will.) ]
[Oh, well then. He is certainly asking for it, isn't he? One of her scarred hands runs through his hair before gripping the locks with her fist. Just enough to guide Claude to tilt his head so she can descend on him. Harsh teeth meet the soft skin of his throat as she bites down. Just hard enough to bruise. And to make sure that sticks she sucks hard before lathing at the spot with her tongue to soothe it.]
[ The hand finding purchase in his hair tells him exactly what he's in for before it happens, and as Edelgard's teeth sink into his neck Claude's quick to tilt his head back even further out of the way to offer up more space. ]
If your wrath is your teeth, I'm changing my answer from maybe to definitely liking it.
[ A very pleased hum leaves him as her lips and tongue replace her teeth, and he trails his hands up her sides before wrapping his arms around Edelgard to keep her close. ]
And if I keep teasing you about your schedule, do I get another one of those?
We both know I'm too annoying to be ignored for long.
[ The feeling of her breath gets a slight shiver out of him, and also inspires him to pull her even closer. Not that it's lost on him that she could easily overpower him if he annoys her too much, as Edelgard had also helpfully reminded him by pining him here, so he lets his hands roam down her back. ]
What if I compliment your planning instead?
[ There's a grin in his voice again, but this time it's less teasing, more sincere - he's not looking to sleep on the floor. ]
That you're very detail oriented, that no one's as meticulous as you. Just ask this nice new mark on my neck you put there so diligently.
[Oh. Oh no. The praise actually resonates with her much more than she thought it would. It makes her feel warm, affectionate, and all around... bashful. Most of her life any achievements were not worth praising. "The best" was expected, and anything less unacceptable. Genuine praise is... probably one of the reasons she grew soft on Byleth much faster than she had any reason to.
And now Claude, a man who she found always admirably (and frustratingly) clever praises her. How could she not feel something from it? Her hand in his hair leaves for softer ventures. Like drawing mindless patterns on his chest while she peppers kisses from that hickey all the way up to his jawline. Edelgard dares not speak anything in response for fear of her voice wavering and giving her away.]
[ For a moment he almost raises a hand to wind into her hair as she works her way up along his neck, then remembers her braid and thinks better of messing it up. It doesn't take him long to put two and two together that the praise ended her 'punishment' and encouraged her. So naturally, he's just going to continue down that path. ]
Hm, what else, what else. Wait, I know.
[ Leaving one palm against her lower back, Claude reaches up with his other hand to tilt her face up towards his to make eye contact even if she has nothing to say, runs his thumb along her cheek. ]
That there's no one as thoughtful as you are, for planning what to do because you want to show it all to me, to thinking of doing that at all. Or as patient, what with letting me bother you every chance I can get.
Or, [ he adds with a smile, a real one, ] as beautiful...ly organized.
Speaking of, perhaps there is more I'd like to show you tonight.
[Her kisses lead along his jaw until she reaches the lobe of his ear. Edelgard catches it with her teeth, and rolls it between them. Her tongue even tastes the metal of his earing briefly before pulling back to sit upright again.]
[ Not his best retort, but with how Edelgard keeps doting attention on him - really, he can't be blamed for being distracted. Especially when she sits up and he raises an eyebrow in intrigue from both the lack of detail of what it could be and whether traveling's gotten the better of him. ]
Too tired for you? You know the answer to that is always never.
[After finding the hem of her dress Edelgard begins to pull up the skirt to reveal her legs more. But she is intentionally very slow, and a little mischievous part of her intends to frustrate him.]
I don't know, have you been good enough to see what I'm about to show you? How hard have you been working back in Almyra? Probably not hard enough if you have the time to surprise me with a late night visit.
[While teasing him she wears a small, smug smile.]
[ As soon as her skirt begins to move Claude's gaze falls on it before he flicks it back up to her face, noting that already pleased expression. He brings his hands to her knees again, narrows his eyes slightly like he's taken some great offense just for the show of it. ]
On the contrary, my dear Emperor, I've been working very hard. Some might even say that's how I'm here right now.
[ While talking his hands move, fingers featherlight over the skin now revealed, intent on keeping pace with the movement of the skirt. And it is terribly slow, but Claude's never been one to surrender to a battle of wills so easily. Instead he just shifts to run his fingertips along the inside of her thighs, still keeping pace with what the hem reveals and nothing further - his own way of being frustrating. ]
But if it's good and hard you're looking for, I have some ideas for that.
[Edelgard stops hiking up her skirt to put her own hands over his.]
Oh, please do elaborate. And don't hold back — I know you like hearing yourself talk.
[Okay, the last bit is mostly teasing. But out of everyone she knew in the academy Claude was always the chattiest person who knew how to keep a conversation about nothing going for as long as he needed it to.]
Hm, I don't know. Doesn't sound like there's a whole lot of fun in me revealing all my secrets right away... and besides that, what was it you said to me?
[ Claude crinkles his face up in thought, studying the ceiling like it'll answer him before putting on an entirely fake look of recognition before he looks back at Edelgard like it just hit him. ]
Oh, right! Your vivid imagination will hold you over. Seems like that could apply here too, couldn't it?
[ There's a vague attempt to look serious in there, but it's not very well done since he'd paused his hands momentarily when hers found his but now they inch higher again, skirt be damned. He might also be trying to distract her from being (completely) right about talking entirely too much. ]
But you know, we could always trade for whatever you're going to show me.
Very well. If you wish to barter, I'm in. I promise to show you my intent if you tell me more about your "good and hard" ideas.
[She guides his hands from the inside of her thighs to the tops of them. No more sneaking up between her legs until she hears something filthy out of that pretty mouth of his.
At least he'll know Edelgard's promise is good. After the war broke out she never lied or went back on her word. There was nothing to hide after that (well, except her rebellious notions toward her uncle and his associates, but that was a more delicate matter).]
[ Belatedly, Claude realizes the fatal error in that whole trading concept which had seemed great at the time it came out of his mouth: it still gives Edelgard the upper hand and leaves him behind to catch up. Which she knows as she promptly (and smartly) takes that advantage and moves his hands, so - time to accept a temporary defeat.
Hard to complain about that when it'll benefit them both. ]
I'll tell you one of them for now, how does that sound?
[ Now he withdraws his hands from where they're pinned, this time to bring them to her hips and at the ready to encourage her forward with his next request. ]
For starters, you can stop sitting where you are and come sit on my face instead.
[She did not expect him to be so bold so quickly! If advancing further ahead than she had anticipated was a tactic to throw her off, well... Claude certainly excelled at that.
Edelgard swallows dryly as her face turns bright red and hot.]
I didn't know if that was part of what you wanted to show me. Seemed better to not assume.
[ And - flustering Edelgard is just a bonus as far as he's concerned. That flush on her face is a very nice sight, though her question gives him some slight pause as he thinks about it. ]
Too much? [ Claude takes her hands in his, this time just to get Edelgard to lean down for a short kiss. ] I... might've had a lot of time to think while in Almyra.
[She leans down, but instead of indulging him with a kiss on the lips Edelgard brushes them softly against his knuckles before guiding his hands to her nightgown.]
[ At least a nightgown isn't as frustrating as a dress! So he complies, starting with winding the hem into his grip since it'd been a blockade just mere moments ago and carefully pulls it up. Carefully as in slowly, because this is about the only teasing he has at his fingertips at the moment. ]
Now's your chance to roll your eyes at me saying this feels a lot like unwrapping a present.
[ Timed with pulling the fabric up and over Edelgard's head so she gets one last view of his grin over bringing out yet another corny line purely to see her reaction. ]
[Good lord he's so frustrating! If he truly wanted to get a laugh from these jokes he should have shacked up with Dimitri who seemed so smitten with such humor. With a huff she'll grab the fabric of her nightgown once he has it off her, and she tosses it at his face. While Claude attempts to remove it she'll have her hands on his top trying to hastily undress him. Maybe if she moves too fast for him he won't be able to keep the commentary up.]
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Easy. You just decide what you want to do when you wake up that morning, and you go do it. Or maybe you decide you don't want to do anything that day besides relax, and that's okay too.
[ Claude clears his throat to compose himselfe and tries to look serious then - and mostly fails that miserably. ]
Also, I'm officially banning anyone from my court from trying to help you plan things if you think you're gonna get around the lack of schedule when you're there.
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Very well. I will just have to show you the superior experience it is having it all planned out.
[This is going to go horribly wrong, isn't it?]
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Wait a minute, tell me about your plans for now first.
[ He climbs into bed after her and leans down to first press an apologetic kiss to her shoulder right before launching back into immediately teasing her as he props himself up on an elbow with his best look of faux concentration. ]
How scheduled are we talking? Like, is there a specific hour designated for making Ferdinand be appalled and another one for beating Hubert at chess, or just a general day where those fit in?
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You have just scheduled your demise, Claude.
[Just short of lunging at him, Edelgard grabs his shoulders to pin his back on the mattress and straddle him. While her weight may not be at all threatening, her strength makes up for it.]
Wish to beg for mercy before you feel my wrath?
[She's frustrated with him, but she knows he's only trying to poke fun. Which is why these threats are (mostly) empty.]
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[ Claude doesn't get to finish his verbal stamp of approval about her schedule pun before he's suddenly pinned on his back. Of course that motion comes with an exaggerated oof from him like Edelgard's kicked him all the way out onto the floor instead of just rolling him over.
Still, he peers up at her for just a second like he's seriously thinking over his options. ]
Nope, not even a little bit. [ He brings his hands up to rest on her knees, taps his fingertips against her legs lightly. ] Maybe I like being at your mercy on any given day. And your wrath, too.
[ Is he just being obnoxious? Maybe. He'll never tell. (He probably will.) ]
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If your wrath is your teeth, I'm changing my answer from maybe to definitely liking it.
[ A very pleased hum leaves him as her lips and tongue replace her teeth, and he trails his hands up her sides before wrapping his arms around Edelgard to keep her close. ]
And if I keep teasing you about your schedule, do I get another one of those?
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Mm, if this is a reward rather than punishment... perhaps I should ignore you instead. With enough determination the cold shoulder might be effective.
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[ The feeling of her breath gets a slight shiver out of him, and also inspires him to pull her even closer. Not that it's lost on him that she could easily overpower him if he annoys her too much, as Edelgard had also helpfully reminded him by pining him here, so he lets his hands roam down her back. ]
What if I compliment your planning instead?
[ There's a grin in his voice again, but this time it's less teasing, more sincere - he's not looking to sleep on the floor. ]
That you're very detail oriented, that no one's as meticulous as you. Just ask this nice new mark on my neck you put there so diligently.
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And now Claude, a man who she found always admirably (and frustratingly) clever praises her. How could she not feel something from it? Her hand in his hair leaves for softer ventures. Like drawing mindless patterns on his chest while she peppers kisses from that hickey all the way up to his jawline. Edelgard dares not speak anything in response for fear of her voice wavering and giving her away.]
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Hm, what else, what else. Wait, I know.
[ Leaving one palm against her lower back, Claude reaches up with his other hand to tilt her face up towards his to make eye contact even if she has nothing to say, runs his thumb along her cheek. ]
That there's no one as thoughtful as you are, for planning what to do because you want to show it all to me, to thinking of doing that at all. Or as patient, what with letting me bother you every chance I can get.
Or, [ he adds with a smile, a real one, ] as beautiful...ly organized.
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[Her kisses lead along his jaw until she reaches the lobe of his ear. Edelgard catches it with her teeth, and rolls it between them. Her tongue even tastes the metal of his earing briefly before pulling back to sit upright again.]
Or are you too tired from your travels?
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[ Not his best retort, but with how Edelgard keeps doting attention on him - really, he can't be blamed for being distracted. Especially when she sits up and he raises an eyebrow in intrigue from both the lack of detail of what it could be and whether traveling's gotten the better of him. ]
Too tired for you? You know the answer to that is always never.
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I don't know, have you been good enough to see what I'm about to show you? How hard have you been working back in Almyra? Probably not hard enough if you have the time to surprise me with a late night visit.
[While teasing him she wears a small, smug smile.]
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On the contrary, my dear Emperor, I've been working very hard. Some might even say that's how I'm here right now.
[ While talking his hands move, fingers featherlight over the skin now revealed, intent on keeping pace with the movement of the skirt. And it is terribly slow, but Claude's never been one to surrender to a battle of wills so easily. Instead he just shifts to run his fingertips along the inside of her thighs, still keeping pace with what the hem reveals and nothing further - his own way of being frustrating. ]
But if it's good and hard you're looking for, I have some ideas for that.
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Oh, please do elaborate. And don't hold back — I know you like hearing yourself talk.
[Okay, the last bit is mostly teasing. But out of everyone she knew in the academy Claude was always the chattiest person who knew how to keep a conversation about nothing going for as long as he needed it to.]
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[ Claude crinkles his face up in thought, studying the ceiling like it'll answer him before putting on an entirely fake look of recognition before he looks back at Edelgard like it just hit him. ]
Oh, right! Your vivid imagination will hold you over. Seems like that could apply here too, couldn't it?
[ There's a vague attempt to look serious in there, but it's not very well done since he'd paused his hands momentarily when hers found his but now they inch higher again, skirt be damned. He might also be trying to distract her from being (completely) right about talking entirely too much. ]
But you know, we could always trade for whatever you're going to show me.
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[She guides his hands from the inside of her thighs to the tops of them. No more sneaking up between her legs until she hears something filthy out of that pretty mouth of his.
At least he'll know Edelgard's promise is good. After the war broke out she never lied or went back on her word. There was nothing to hide after that (well, except her rebellious notions toward her uncle and his associates, but that was a more delicate matter).]
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Hard to complain about that when it'll benefit them both. ]
I'll tell you one of them for now, how does that sound?
[ Now he withdraws his hands from where they're pinned, this time to bring them to her hips and at the ready to encourage her forward with his next request. ]
For starters, you can stop sitting where you are and come sit on my face instead.
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Edelgard swallows dryly as her face turns bright red and hot.]
You... you do not wish for me to undress first?
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[ And - flustering Edelgard is just a bonus as far as he's concerned. That flush on her face is a very nice sight, though her question gives him some slight pause as he thinks about it. ]
Too much? [ Claude takes her hands in his, this time just to get Edelgard to lean down for a short kiss. ] I... might've had a lot of time to think while in Almyra.
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[She leans down, but instead of indulging him with a kiss on the lips Edelgard brushes them softly against his knuckles before guiding his hands to her nightgown.]
Help me remove it.
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[ At least a nightgown isn't as frustrating as a dress! So he complies, starting with winding the hem into his grip since it'd been a blockade just mere moments ago and carefully pulls it up. Carefully as in slowly, because this is about the only teasing he has at his fingertips at the moment. ]
Now's your chance to roll your eyes at me saying this feels a lot like unwrapping a present.
[ Timed with pulling the fabric up and over Edelgard's head so she gets one last view of his grin over bringing out yet another corny line purely to see her reaction. ]
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