Red Wine and Moonlight

Romulus barely contained a snort of laughter when Lillith demanded his head as he declared war between them. It was so easy to fall back into a comfortable normality with her, despite the end of the world crashing down around them, despite all the fear and uncertainty, and despite how he'd nearly been dead just a couple short weeks ago. It had never felt strange or bizarre to him at any point; being with Lillith and being himself had always just felt... natural. Roman hadn't ever really stopped to think about it or consider it until this point, but he realized where he recognized their bond. It was the same thing he'd seen between his parents growing up. The way his mom and dad would smile at one another, how she'd laugh at his terrible jokes and how he'd always have a paw around her like he needed to be touching her at all times for his own sanity. He hadn't understood as a pup—but lying beside Lil, curled up into one another beneath the borealis painting the sky, he was beginning to.

Lillith took the wine from him with a playful accusation of his intentions, giving him a wink that made his heart miss a beat, to which Roman just grinned and batted his eyelashes innocently. "Why Miss Adravendi, I have no idea where you could've gotten that idea from. I'm trying to get us both drunk, as a matter of fact!" He snickered and waited for her to finish her drink before taking another long swig for himself, chasing that pleasant buzz of the alcohol as quickly as he could. "Life's more fun when you can let go of inhibitions and just enjoy your time. I'm never gonna take another second for granted." And that was the gospel truth. After his near death experience, Romulus wasn't going to let another moment slip away from him. Life was meant to be savored and enjoyed, so he would do just that for the rest of his days.

A tingling warmth began to spread through his core, starting in his stomach and branching outwards through his veins. The alcohol hadn't quite hit his brain yet, but he was beginning to feel its effects. Underneath the colorful starry sky, the two wolves passed their drink back and forth, enjoying the night together in their own way. Amidst all the chaos and horror, Roman had found his piece of solace with Lil. He liked looking at her, watching her react when he complimented her, liking the way her skin flushed red beneath pallid alabaster cheeks and the way she shivered beneath his teasing touches. While Lillith relaxed against him more, Roman lifted his foreleg and draped it across her side to hold her close, the heat of her body almost searing as their coats blended and mixed amidst their cuddling. Even that little touch left static dancing across his heated skin. In his chest, his heart beat to a strong and steady rhythm, faster than it ever had before while it beat against his ribs. He silently wondered how close their heartbeats matched.

Navy-dipped ears flipped up to catch Lillith's quiet question as her body relaxed, almost completely limp against his side while he snuggled and loved on her. The Armada brute paused in his ministrations while he considered her question. Perhaps they were dreaming. Maybe he had actually succumbed to his illness and died and this was his heaven. A peaceful evening, a gorgeous night sky, his beautiful lover wrapped up in his arms, a bottle of good wine... Yeah, he could spend an eternity right here. "Hmm, if this is a dream, then I hope I never wake up," he murmured in response, brushing his lips up the back of her neck to nibble at the edge of her ear while he spoke, whispering right into it for only her to hear.

With a roguish grin, Roman slowly slid his paw along Lillith's side, tracing the contours and curves of her slender body until soft paw pads were running circuits along the underside of her belly. "You feel pretty real to me though. Warm, soft, alive..." Shifting his head so he could gaze down into her breathtaking ruby eyes, he brought his lips to within millimeters of her own. He could feel her warm breath against his chin, smell the wine on each exhale she made. "Do I feel real to you...?"

"Speech"