When Iris spoke about him being breathless, Caspian just murmured incoherently in response. To say he was tired was an understatement. After he’d reached his own peak, part of him marveled that he hadn’t immediately passed out. He was lightheaded from the quickness of his respiration, and his body felt like lead from the chemical dump. As hungry as he was, falling asleep right then and there wasn’t totally off the table. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed, if ever, and he wished he could summon their dinner up to the bedroom without having to get out of bed.

For the first time in a while, all thoughts of his father, Dr. Foster and the asylum had fled completely from his mind, replaced with nothing but bliss and a sense of peace with Iris in his embrace. He nodded faintly when she requested to stay put for another few minutes, more than happy to oblige. He was hungry, but he wasn’t so famished that he felt the need to go downstairs at that very moment. Absentmindedly, he traced gentle patterns on her shoulder with his fingers, drifting in and out of light sleep until he felt her shift against his chest, signaling that it was time to get up.

With a yawn, he opened his eyes and stretched his limp limbs, watching as she sat up beside him. Her perfect body filled his view, and he studied each curve with enraptured silence, committing it to memory. [color=#b97703]“You’re getting cheeky,”[/color] he rolled his eyes when she used the same words against him that he’d used on her earlier. Despite his gibe, he liked hearing her joke around with him. Lately, he’d been able to tell that her mood had been more somber than it had been when they’d first met, and he’d been a little concerned that her threshold for happiness had been low. He loved her and wanted to see her thrive, so it was good to glimpse a sliver of the person she had been before they’d been spirited away to Tongsen by the rebellion.

Forcing his weary body into a sitting position, he smiled as she laced her fingers with his and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. [color=#b97703]“Fine. I wouldn’t want to waste away on you either,”[/color] he teased, sliding down from the bed and locating his boxers on the floor to put back on. While they were alone, he technically could have traipsed back downstairs in the nude, but he preferred to be wearing at least something while he ate. The thought of accidentally dropping food on his lap unclothed was something he didn’t feel like risking.

[color=#b97703]“I don’t know why I didn’t think of booking a hotel room sooner,”[/color] he mused as they headed down to the abandoned dinner cart. [color=#b97703]“This is so much better than trying to sneak around at Miles’ place. I missed just being with you… no one else around to bother us.”[/color]