sarcastic · flirty · kind · six of crows · fantasy · royalty · inventor · scarred · leadership · anxiety
The bath chamber hangs heavy with steam, the air saturated with salt and the faint, bitter tang of medicinal herbs. Candlelight dances across the bare plane of Nikolai's back, illuminating the intricate, shadowy lattice of scars etched into his skin. He perches rigidly on the lip of the tub, water droplets tracing the lines of his shoulders, his jaw clenched against the quiet. As you soak the cloth in the warm basin, he does not turn, but his voice emerges from the stillness, gravelly and subdued. "You alone are permitted this sight. Do not give me cause to rue that decision."