"How long have we been here?" Luna asked softly, her voice a lazy whisper as she traced the curve of Tuf's brow with her fingertip. If they were to base it on the room's time flow, they had been inside for weeks now. But real time moved differently, because of Tuf.
"Five days," he answered, eyes still closed, voice rumbling low in his chest.
They lay tangled on the bed, skin to skin, her head resting on the crook of his arm while his other arm remained curled protectively around her waist.
Luna shifted, draping her body over his, lying on her stomach as she continued her gentle exploration, her finger gliding across the bridge of his nose, along the sharp lines of his cheek, down to his lips. Tracing his face had become one of her quiet indulgences. A habit she never allowed herself anywhere else. It was intimacy in its purest form, reserved only for the man beneath her, the only one who truly saw her. The man who could drive her insane and yet still be her only peace.
"You're getting good at controlling time," she murmured, letting her finger trail down to his lips.
"But not as good as Milo," Tuf replied, still with his eyes closed, voice growing softer with fatigue and contentment. "That's the most I can stretch it, one week for a day, or the other way around. And only in a contained space. Milo could suspend or fast-forward time across the entire empire if he wanted to. I wish I could do that."
Tuf rolled onto his back, letting Luna shift and rest on top of him, their bodies perfectly aligned, chest to chest. Her cheek pressed against his bare shoulder as her fingers resumed their lazy dance along his collarbone.
"Father should've made you Regent," Luna said suddenly, her tone serious now.
A flicker of surprise crossed Tuf's face. It was rare, almost unheard of, for Luna to praise him outright.
"Most elders think Pixie is the most dangerous among us," she continued. "Because of her Silver Tongue. But if only they knew... the most dangerous one is you. I think... if they truly saw what you're capable of... they'd make you Demon Lord after Father."
Tuf raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Well, that's a first. Are you... complimenting me?"
Luna only shrugged.
"Since I can't see my own future," he said, smirking a little, "why don't you tell me, what would the empire be like with me as Demon Lord?"
He said it jokingly, clearly uninterested in the actual title. Just imagining the full responsibility made his skin itch. He barely enjoyed managing Lightning Peak, the largest business empire in Velrathis. Running the entire empire? That was a special kind of nightmare.
And it was true, what he told the council. Tuf surrounded himself with the best people so he could let them work hard while he played hard.
Luna smiled to herself. Because she had seen it, had glimpsed that future once, buried among the infinite branches of possibility with her Foresight.
"Chaos," she replied with a smirk, rolling her eyes. "You'd pit one race against the other just to entertain yourself."
Tuf let out a low laugh, unbothered. "That does sound fun. What better way to spend eternity?"
"But it wouldn't help Father," Luna countered, poking him in the chest.
"No, but it would be fun," he repeated, eyes glinting with mischief. "A damn good way to spice things up."
She chuckled again, the sound soft against his skin.
"Did you see the disappointment in the young leaders' eyes during the council meeting?" she asked, her head resting on his chest now. "They couldn't believe that man sitting with a child on his lap was the Demon Lord."
Tuf chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. "That's because they've never seen Father in action. If they did? I guarantee they'd be shaking in their boots, or more specifically, their balls. They wouldn't dare question him again."
He smirked as he twirled a lock of Luna's hair around his fingers, the hunger in his gaze sharpening with every second.
"I'd really like to have Father's ability."
"You're being greedy now," Luna teased, raising a brow at him.
Tuf only grinned, the devil in his smile never quite hiding.
"If the others ever find out that you can copy abilities, everyone's abilities, except for Father's," she said, voice laced with amused warning, "and that you've already copied ours without permission, they'd gang up on you. Honestly, I think it's unfair."
"There's nothing commendable about my ability," Tuf said, trailing his fingers along her arm in lazy circles. "I'm a copycat, literally and figuratively. I'm like a copy machine running on ten percent ink."
Luna narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about, 'nothing commendable'? Are you hearing yourself right now? You can copy almost anyone's ability, and use them simultaneously."
"But it's only ten percent of the original's power, kitten." Tuf shrugged. "That's hardly worth bragging about."
"You really are greedy, you know that?" Luna said, shaking her head in disbelief. "How many abilities have you copied, exactly?"
"A few." Tuf answered with a maddening nonchalance.
She raised a brow. "How many is that 'few'?"
"More or less fifty? I don't really keep track, kitten."
"Fifty?!" Luna shot up from where her head had been resting on his chest. She stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "And you still think it's not commendable?! Even if each ability is only ten percent of the original's strength, fifty abilities means five hundred percent!"
"Math doesn't work that way, kitten," Tuf said, chuckling as he propped an arm behind his head. "Ten percent is still just ten percent, no matter how many times you stack it."
"Regular math doesn't apply to your ability," Luna countered. "If you go one-on-one against Alpha, sure, he can use his full-strength Rune Magic. But he doesn't have Bear's one man army strength. Or Milo's time manipulation. Or any of the others. You, on the other hand, have all of ours. If you throw everything you have at him, it's like one versus fifty. That's not a fight, that's an ambush."
"One giant versus fifty dwarves," Tuf snorted, laughing.
Luna let out a huff and shook her head. "Thank the gods someone as lazy as you ended up with that ability. Because if one of those young leaders had your ability, I wouldn't even need my Foresight to see them trying to conquer not just Velrathis, but all of Solmara."
"Only lunatics would want to conquer all of Solmara," Tuf said, making a face. "Do they have any idea how much of a headache it is to run a vast empire? Too much responsibility. Thanks, but no thanks."
Luna rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. She leaned down, kissed him on the lips, then slipped out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Tuf asked, watching her move across the room like a goddess entirely comfortable in her nakedness.
"I need to head back to the Dark Tower. We've been hiding in here for too long."
"It's Princess Rapunzel's Tower," Tuf corrected with a smirk.
"Really?" Luna said, arching a brow. "You're seriously calling it that after you made Pixie cry?"
"I didn't make her cry. Alpha did," Tuf grinned, clearly amused at the memory. "Come on. Let's stay a little longer."
"Father might need me. Besides, you need to start preparing to cross the Blinding Mist," she said as she remained standing, regal even in her bare skin.
"He didn't say when I need to go," Tuf said, lounging back on the pillows. "And I've already planted people in the human kingdoms a long time ago. They'll feed me all the information I need once I'm there."
That was one thing Luna loved and hated about him, he was lazy, yes. He played too much. But he was thorough. He always moved like a storm: quietly at first, then all at once.
"But Father— " she began.
"Father won't mind if you're gone for a while," Tuf said, cutting her off gently. "He'd want you to enjoy yourself before going back to the Spire. Milo and Vivi are probably out there having their own fun right now. And with Pixie around? He'll be completely distracted. You know she has him wrapped around her little finger. He'll give her all his attention, for now."
Luna paused. Her lips twitched, a reluctant smile threatening the corners of her mouth as her posture relaxed.
From the bed, Tuf extended a hand toward her, his voice low, coaxing, seductive.
"Come back to bed, kitten."
"Stop using your charming ability on me," Luna growled, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not," Tuf chuckled, thoroughly amused. "I'm just naturally charming."
"You're shameless," Luna rolled her eyes, but she walked back to the bed anyway and took his outstretched hand.
"One day," she told him, arching a brow in warning as she allowed herself to be pulled on top of him.
"One day outside," Tuf clarified quickly, grinning as he guided her to straddle him. His lips found her neck instantly, placing a soft, open-mouthed kiss against her pulse.
"Mmm." Luna let out a breathy sound, the sensation stealing any coherent response. "No extensions," she warned between sighs. "I promised Nugget I'd wear one of her designs and walk in her runway for this year's EL Fashion Gala."
"That's still two months away in real time," Tuf murmured against her skin, his tone playful, persuasive. "Which means I have no choice but to delay my trip beyond the Mist until after the event. I need to support both my sisters, after all." He looked up at her, that signature smirk tugging at his lips.
Luna shook her head, exasperated but fond. "You really will use every excuse just to do what you want."
Tuf only smiled wider, utterly unapologetic. "And it works every time."
She didn't deny it. She liked it, even if she'd never say it aloud. The idea of Tuf attending the Gala, even if they'd have to pretend to bicker or ignore each other in public, even if he'd be surrounded by cameras and fashionistas, meant something. His presence, his silent loyalty, his gaze that always found hers in a crowd… it was enough.
So they stayed. One more day.
Which in this private room, where time bent and curled like silk around them, meant one more week.
One more week in each other's arms.
One more week pretending the world didn't exist.
One more week as just Luna and Tuf.
One more week before they returned to reality.