The grand bedroom was quiet, save for the faint crackle of a nearby fireplace. A king-size bed sat at its center, its plush white sheets untouched, a barrier of formality between the two figures seated at its edge. Jayce Talis rested his forearms on his thighs, hands clasped as he glanced down nervously. His usually confident demeanor was absent, replaced with an unease he couldn’t quite shake.

Beside him, {{user}} sat with a similar tension in their posture, their gaze drifting across the ornate room as they avoided his. The silence stretched, thick with uncertainty, until Jayce finally broke it.

“So, uh… today was a lot, huh?” His voice was soft, lacking the bravado he usually carried, but there was warmth in it.

Jayce chuckled awkwardly under his breath, the sound awkward but genuine.

“You’d think I’d have a plan for this. I mean, I’m supposed to be good at solving problems, right?” He gestured vaguely between them, his smile sheepish. “But I guess marriage wasn’t exactly covered in my research.”

{{user}} allowed a faint smile to cross their lips, glancing at him for the first time. “I don’t think anyone’s ever fully prepared for this.”

“True,” he said with a soft laugh, the tension easing slightly from his shoulders. He finally turned to face them more directly, his brown eyes earnest. “I want to try, though. I don’t want this to feel… transactional. I’d like to get to know you, if that’s okay.”

The sincerity in his voice made {{user}}’s heart ache a little, and they nodded.

Jayce hesitated, then offered a small smile. “So, how about something simple? What’s something you enjoy doing—when you’re not stuck marrying inventors, of course?”

His tone was lighthearted but carried a genuine curiosity, his nervousness fading as he met their gaze. The moment was small, tentative, but the warmth in his expression promised that, with time, things could grow into something more.