"A Little More" - Adelaide/Galen
Title: A Little More. (006. Hours)
Characters/Pairing: Adelaide/Galen.
Rating: PG.
Word Count: 1068
Summary: Eleven years, nine weeks, twelve hours and forty-two minutes later.
A/N: Crossover Adelaide's World/Founders AU. Because it was convenient >.>
Disclaimer: Galen Gryffindor and Áina O'Liathain are Sil's brainchildren. The world they all live in belongs to JKR.
The kiss at the alter, however brief, had left them both flustered. He had spent the evening on his very, very best behaviour after Áina had lectured him on Adelaide’s behalf. He hadn’t touched her, only ever kissed her cheek and kept the dancing perfectly appropriate. Now he was forced to watch the silhouettes on the screen as someone else undressed his wife.
“I waited eleven years and now you’re making me wait longer?” Any rejection he may have felt was overridden by frustration and then annoyance as the maids helping Adelaide started to giggle.
“Firstly, it is not my fault you’re older than I,” she began in a tone that made Galen feel as though he were at school again, although it was hard to tell whether her impatience stemmed from his own or if she was simply tiring of the dress, “Secondly, you’ve seen my dress and you’ve seen my hair; it’s not like untying corset laces.” No, the entirety of her needed untying and she was getting restless. There was the distinct sound of skin hitting skin and one of the maids cried out in pain. “I told you not to touch my hair, I can do that myself.”
Twenty minutes passed and Galen was lying on the bed, still watching the silhouette pantomime, partly convinced that someone was going to die at his wife’s hands if they put another foot out of line. Her newest and, apparently, most obedient familiar was curled up at his feet after receiving instructions to cut off the circulation from his knees down if he tried to jinx the screen again. She had a soft spot for constrictors. It took three of the girls to carry the wedding dress out of the room, and from the shadow on the screen he could not tell if Adele was wearing anything more than her last layer of petticoats. He tried not to dwell on that too much without knowing whether her mood had improved. The last maid left with reassurances that she would be ready shortly, but it was another ten minutes at least before Adelaide emerged. Stepping around the screen in her undergarments, she raised a pre-emptive hand to stop Galen from approaching and retrieved her wand from down the front of her corset - which earned an incredulous smile, much to her delight. As she waved it idly over her head, the tiny green and silver baubles that pinned her hair up began to remove themselves, and it fell about her shoulders and down to her hips in near-perfect ringlets. The relieved sigh that followed gave away just how much more comfortable she was. Setting her wand down on the nearest surface, she noted that Galen hadn’t moved at all but his eyes were all over her.
“Please stop staring, the dress alone made me uncomfortable enough,” she hadn’t meant that to sound quite so defensive. Her cheeks coloured and her heart started thundering in her ears as he crossed the room towards her. She was never so easily moved as she was with him. His arms closed around her waist and she felt like a doll. Far too small, far too light; excellent for dancing.
“Would you like help with that?” She saw his lips move but did not register the words until whalebone vibrated under the gentle tapping of his fingertips. For a moment she considered saying no, and it might have been worth it just to see his reaction, but she had lost her voice somewhere in her memories and the realisation that, but for all the extra life experience, this was the same Galen she had left at school. Adelaide nodded dumbly, unable to take her eyes from his face until he pulled her closer and she was glad for the support his chest provided.
There was music. No, he was humming. And they were dancing - sort of. They were moving towards the bed, feet automatically moving in a strange sort of rhythm. He had taken the lead and she had followed without thinking. She had to laugh when she realised he was using his extra height to see over her shoulder in order to untie the rather unforgiving knots her maid was responsible for.
“Do you have extra laces?”
She held her breath as her corset tightened slightly, “Plenty, why?” There was another sharp tug that knocked her almost utterly breathless and the snapped laces began to unravel, dropping the corset to her hips. Adelaide blushed as Galen pulled it away entirely, thankful for what little cover her bodice and underskirt provided, although not one inch of what she was now wearing left much to the imagination. It didn’t help much that he had taken a step back to admire the view, and her arms hugged her midriff, eyes dropping to the floor. Feet obscured her vision of the stone flooring, then a hand as he lifted her chin. His lips pressed against her forehead and she tingled from head to toe. She reminded herself she would be fine once he made the room stop spinning around them.
“Adie, stop hiding,” she was a doll again, scooped up in his arms and she didn’t mind in the slightest, “You’re beautiful.” He had said that before, of course, but the words had never had this much impact. Reaching for his neck, she tilted her head back to look at him properly - she’d been looking at him ‘properly’ all evening, but never when he would have had the chance to notice - and bit her lip. She had nothing to say in return, no sentiment to echo his…
“I love you, Galen Gryffindor.”
Whatever he had been about to do or say was banished from Galen’s mind and he froze. She had never said that before. Certainly, she had used many milder variations, and all had carried as much feeling, but never those specific words and never without having him say it first. She watched the way his expression continued to react to her declaration, revelling in the way his eyes lit up. He did not say anything, but the kiss that answered her sentiment held more passion than any spoken word could. Smiling against his lips, Adelaide looked up into eyes that betrayed him completely. Her hands slipped away from his neck and she plucked at the front of his shirt.
“I think you’ve waited long enough.”
Characters/Pairing: Adelaide/Galen.
Rating: PG.
Word Count: 1068
Summary: Eleven years, nine weeks, twelve hours and forty-two minutes later.
A/N: Crossover Adelaide's World/Founders AU. Because it was convenient >.>
Disclaimer: Galen Gryffindor and Áina O'Liathain are Sil's brainchildren. The world they all live in belongs to JKR.
The kiss at the alter, however brief, had left them both flustered. He had spent the evening on his very, very best behaviour after Áina had lectured him on Adelaide’s behalf. He hadn’t touched her, only ever kissed her cheek and kept the dancing perfectly appropriate. Now he was forced to watch the silhouettes on the screen as someone else undressed his wife.
“I waited eleven years and now you’re making me wait longer?” Any rejection he may have felt was overridden by frustration and then annoyance as the maids helping Adelaide started to giggle.
“Firstly, it is not my fault you’re older than I,” she began in a tone that made Galen feel as though he were at school again, although it was hard to tell whether her impatience stemmed from his own or if she was simply tiring of the dress, “Secondly, you’ve seen my dress and you’ve seen my hair; it’s not like untying corset laces.” No, the entirety of her needed untying and she was getting restless. There was the distinct sound of skin hitting skin and one of the maids cried out in pain. “I told you not to touch my hair, I can do that myself.”
Twenty minutes passed and Galen was lying on the bed, still watching the silhouette pantomime, partly convinced that someone was going to die at his wife’s hands if they put another foot out of line. Her newest and, apparently, most obedient familiar was curled up at his feet after receiving instructions to cut off the circulation from his knees down if he tried to jinx the screen again. She had a soft spot for constrictors. It took three of the girls to carry the wedding dress out of the room, and from the shadow on the screen he could not tell if Adele was wearing anything more than her last layer of petticoats. He tried not to dwell on that too much without knowing whether her mood had improved. The last maid left with reassurances that she would be ready shortly, but it was another ten minutes at least before Adelaide emerged. Stepping around the screen in her undergarments, she raised a pre-emptive hand to stop Galen from approaching and retrieved her wand from down the front of her corset - which earned an incredulous smile, much to her delight. As she waved it idly over her head, the tiny green and silver baubles that pinned her hair up began to remove themselves, and it fell about her shoulders and down to her hips in near-perfect ringlets. The relieved sigh that followed gave away just how much more comfortable she was. Setting her wand down on the nearest surface, she noted that Galen hadn’t moved at all but his eyes were all over her.
“Please stop staring, the dress alone made me uncomfortable enough,” she hadn’t meant that to sound quite so defensive. Her cheeks coloured and her heart started thundering in her ears as he crossed the room towards her. She was never so easily moved as she was with him. His arms closed around her waist and she felt like a doll. Far too small, far too light; excellent for dancing.
“Would you like help with that?” She saw his lips move but did not register the words until whalebone vibrated under the gentle tapping of his fingertips. For a moment she considered saying no, and it might have been worth it just to see his reaction, but she had lost her voice somewhere in her memories and the realisation that, but for all the extra life experience, this was the same Galen she had left at school. Adelaide nodded dumbly, unable to take her eyes from his face until he pulled her closer and she was glad for the support his chest provided.
There was music. No, he was humming. And they were dancing - sort of. They were moving towards the bed, feet automatically moving in a strange sort of rhythm. He had taken the lead and she had followed without thinking. She had to laugh when she realised he was using his extra height to see over her shoulder in order to untie the rather unforgiving knots her maid was responsible for.
“Do you have extra laces?”
She held her breath as her corset tightened slightly, “Plenty, why?” There was another sharp tug that knocked her almost utterly breathless and the snapped laces began to unravel, dropping the corset to her hips. Adelaide blushed as Galen pulled it away entirely, thankful for what little cover her bodice and underskirt provided, although not one inch of what she was now wearing left much to the imagination. It didn’t help much that he had taken a step back to admire the view, and her arms hugged her midriff, eyes dropping to the floor. Feet obscured her vision of the stone flooring, then a hand as he lifted her chin. His lips pressed against her forehead and she tingled from head to toe. She reminded herself she would be fine once he made the room stop spinning around them.
“Adie, stop hiding,” she was a doll again, scooped up in his arms and she didn’t mind in the slightest, “You’re beautiful.” He had said that before, of course, but the words had never had this much impact. Reaching for his neck, she tilted her head back to look at him properly - she’d been looking at him ‘properly’ all evening, but never when he would have had the chance to notice - and bit her lip. She had nothing to say in return, no sentiment to echo his…
“I love you, Galen Gryffindor.”
Whatever he had been about to do or say was banished from Galen’s mind and he froze. She had never said that before. Certainly, she had used many milder variations, and all had carried as much feeling, but never those specific words and never without having him say it first. She watched the way his expression continued to react to her declaration, revelling in the way his eyes lit up. He did not say anything, but the kiss that answered her sentiment held more passion than any spoken word could. Smiling against his lips, Adelaide looked up into eyes that betrayed him completely. Her hands slipped away from his neck and she plucked at the front of his shirt.
“I think you’ve waited long enough.”