Summary: A little rewriting of the Dom rescue scene from Book 3, in which Diavolos gets injured and keeps protesting taking anything for pain until Kenna makes him. I played around with the timeline, so this doesn’t follow the book scene exactly.
At some point, in all of the chaos of trying to get through to Dom and preventing Hex from killing them all, Diavolos gets thrown into a boulder. She’s not sure if it’s because of Dom, or Hex, or something else altogether, but she definitely isn’t expecting to see him slam against the rock and slump to the ground. Kenna’s first reaction is disbelief, then shock that something managed to distract him enough for it to happen, then panicked concern when he doesn’t come to immediately.
She hears Jackson scream her name just in time to avoid a blast of flames as Dom comes at her again. By the time she manages to subdue him (though she regrets she had to stab him to do it) and he’s passed out in her lap, Annelyse has emerged from the tunnels and Diavolos is awake. He’s grimacing, and looks a little dazed, but relief washes over her as she watches Annelyse check him over.
She definitely hadn’t relished the thought of having to tell Luther that his favorite son was seriously injured or killed. The surprisingly instant pull she feels towards him has absolutely nothing to do with the frantic slamming of her heart, she tells herself. Neither does the intense kiss they’d shared in her room on the airship the previous night.
“I’m fine,” Diavolos insists, attempting to stand with no success as Annelyse scowls at him and tells him to sit back down.
By the time they’ve decided to bring Hex with them, and Anton has joined them as well, Diavolos is up and hobbling around. Kenna can tell he’s in pain by his frequent wincing and grimaces, but he continues to insist he’s fine.
“I’ve had worse,” he says, his teeth gritted as he flashes Kenna a forced smile.
Kenna frowns. “I’m sure you have. That doesn’t mean you’re not hurt now.”
Diavolos shrugs, then winces immediately. “I just need a bed and a strong drink, and I’ll be good as new.”
Annelyse rolls her eyes as they board the airship. “Diavolos, I have some herbs you could take to help with the pain-”
“Don’t need them,” Diavolos interrupts her as he slowly edges his way towards his room. “I’m fine.”
Annelyse throws her hands up in frustration. “Fine. Be miserable.”
“What’s going on with him?” Kenna asks as the airship glides into the air.
“He doesn’t have a concussion, I don’t think. He doesn’t have any of the symptoms now, anyway. He definitely has some bruised ribs. Lots of cuts and scrapes. He’s lucky it’s not worse, actually,” Annelyse replies.
“Hmm. Where are the herbs? I’ll see if I can convince him to take them.”
Annelyse raises an eyebrow, and Kenna shrugs nonchalantly. “We have an understanding.”
“Oh? Does that understanding have anything to do with you two disappearing to your room last night?” Annelyse asks.
“We just talked! It was for the benefit of the alliance,” Kenna insists, but she knows she sounds flustered.
Annelyse smirks. “I’m sure it was. Come with me. I’ll get you the herbs.”
Diavolos is sprawled out on his bed, his shirt and crown draped over a corner of the bed, an arm thrown over his eyes, when Kenna knocks quietly and enters, closing the door behind her. Diavolos shifts his arm and smirks at her.
“Did you come to-” he stops, narrowing his eyes as he sees the bundle of herbs in her hand and scowling. “I said I don’t need anything.”
Kenna sighs in annoyance. “They’ll help with the pain. And don’t tell me you don’t have pain. Why won’t you just take them?”
Diavolos mutters something under his breath. She doesn’t catch it all, but she does hear the words “obstinate woman”.
He huffs when she sits on his desk chair. “Well?” she asks.
“I’ve had a bad reaction from taking them before,” he says, sitting upright and grimacing as he grabs his side.
“What do you mean?”
“I just started saying and doing odd things,” he mumbles.
“Such as?” Kenna is intrigued now, a smile crossing her face, though she tries to keep her expression neutral.
“I don’t think I want to share that with you,” he smirks. “You haven’t earned that privilege yet.”
Kenna laughs and rolls her eyes, then pointedly holds out the herbs and some water. “Take them,” she says sternly.
“Are you really not going to let this go?” Diavolos sighs, rubbing his forehead.
“No.”
“Fine,” he finally grumbles, taking the herbs. “Just promise you won’t let me leave this room, or let anyone else in, until we’ve landed. I couldn’t look at people for days after I took these the last time.”
“I promise,” she says, shaking her head and smiling. He’s a terrible patient.
Diavolos lays back down, his eyelids finally dropping closed and his breathing slowing. Kenna can’t help but look at him while he sleeps. He really is good-looking, and surprisingly…decent, considering his upbringing and family.
Her eyes drift over the scar through his left eyebrow, wondering how he got it, to his long, dark eyelashes, over his cheekbones, and down to his full lips. She flushes just slightly as she remembers how those lips had felt against hers last night, the feel of his stubble scraping over her skin, his hand tugging lightly at her hair.
His strength had been apparent in the easy way he’d held her against him last night, her fingers just briefly feeling the solid muscles of his chest under his shirt. She itches to run her fingers over his bare chest now, to trace along the muscles and run her fingertips through the dark smattering of hair over his tan skin.
Diavolos shifts in his sleep, his face pinching in a brief frown, before settling again, one of his hands resting against his chest, the other resting at his side. Kenna allows herself to briefly touch the roughened back of his hand, to run lightly over his long fingers, before he moves his hand away just slightly. She smiles, then sits back in the desk chair. Her eyes are heavy, and she closes them, just for a minute, she thinks sleepily.
~~~~~~~~~~
When she wakes, it’s to gentle fingers running through her hair. Kenna is on alert instantly as she sits up, then sees Diavolos laying on his side. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes as she realizes she must have fallen asleep against the edge of his bed.
“How are you feeling?” she asks, yawning.
He’s staring at her with a peculiar look on his face. “You’re pretty.”
“I’m…what?”
Diavolos grins, not that cocky grin she’d spotted so many times during the dinner and then their trip to Aurelia, but something else altogether. Sweet, almost.
“You’re pretty. Come lay in bed with me.”
“Diavolos, are you-oof!” Diavolos is upright and dragging her into his bed before she hardly has time to react.
He tugs her back against his chest and burrows his face into the crook of her neck, pressing his lips against her skin and sighing. She feels a faint fluttering in her stomach despite herself. She attempts to roll over to face him, but even injured and apparently out of his mind from the medicinal herbs, he’s much stronger than her, and she can’t budge.
“Diavolos. Let go,” she says, struggling against his grip.
“Why?”
“Because you are clearly not feeling well, and need to sleep.”
Kenna huffs as she tries to pry his arm away, but it’s banded tightly around her.
“You can sleep here with me,” Diavolos says, nuzzling against her neck again.
“Diavolos,” Kenna laughs. She feels the slightest twinge of guilt laughing at him, knowing he has no idea what he’s doing, but this sweet, affectionate, and very touchy-feely side of Diavolos Nevrakis is kind of endearing.
“That’s me,” he says, and she can feel him grin against her.
“Yes, yes it is. Now, will you please let go of me?”
Diavolos sighs and loosens his grip, allowing her to sit up and face him. “You don’t want to lay here with me?” he asks sadly.
Kenna smiles down at him. “Diavolos, you have no idea what you’re doing right now.”
“I do too. I’m trying to get Queen Kenna Rys to lay in bed with me.” She’s mildly impressed that at least he knows who she is. He still has that disappointed look on his face, and she can’t stop herself from running a hand through his dark hair.
“Mmm,” he hums, closing his eyes. “Keep doing that.”
He shuffles over in the bed, and she sucks in a quiet breath as he settles his head in her lap. She goes to move, but he makes a faintly whining noise and wraps his arm around her thighs.
“Please, Kenna?”
Apparently princes who can’t handle simple herbs for pain relief are her weakness, she thinks wryly, then…no. Not any prince, she admits to herself.
She sighs quietly and slides down slightly in his bed, tangling her hands in his hair again.
“Go to sleep, Diavolos,” she murmurs.
“Promise you’ll stay here?” he asks, squeezing her legs.
“I promise.”
“Good. I like you,” he mumbles.
“I…” By the time Kenna formulates a response, he’s asleep again. Not that he’d remember any of this later, she reminds herself. Still…
She smiles. “I like you too,” she admits quietly.
She tries, once, to slide out from under him, but he’s heavy and just wraps his arm around her tighter. Kenna dozes in and out of sleep for a while, then, when she can’t sleep any longer, looks out the tiny window at the faint twinkling of the stars and the glow of the moonlight. Diavolos stirs against her as he wakes up, and she finds herself strangely disappointed as he pushes himself upright.
He runs a hand through his disheveled hair and looks at her in confusion, then raises an eyebrow and smirks. “You know, if you wanted to get me in bed, you could have just asked.”
“Funny,” Kenna retorts, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and stretching. “I’ll have you know that you pulled me into your bed, and wouldn’t let me out of it.”
She’s amused by the brief tinge of pink that crosses his cheeks. “Did I really?” he asks.
“You did.”
Diavolos groans as he stands and tugs his shirt on, grinning when he notices her watching him. Kenna looks away quickly.
“I told you this would happen,” he says, sitting back down next to her. “Please tell me I didn’t do anything too inappropriate.”
“You didn’t,” she reassures him. “You were actually really…sweet. And cuddly.”
“Hah!” Diavolos snorts. “I am not cuddly.”
“You were cuddly,” Kenna insists with a laugh.
“Huh. You must be special then,” he says teasingly.
He’s sitting impossibly close to her, their legs pressed together, his hand lightly brushing hers. Kenna swallows hard as she looks at him, his eyes flickering down to her lips and then back up. She leans in instinctively as he brushes his mouth over hers, letting out a quiet surprised “Oh!” when he lifts her into his lap and starts kissing her more fervently. He presses her against his chest and she groans as she tangles her hands in his hair.
Someone knocks on his door and Kenna jumps, Diavolos cursing quietly, his hands stilling around her back.
“Kenna? We’ll be landing soon.” It’s Annelyse.
“Be right out,” Kenna calls back.
She looks down at Diavolos as she hears Annelyse walk away, and he grins at her, that familiar smug look back on his face.
“We could make them wait for us,” he whispers hotly in her ear.
“Diavolos!”