Lying here asleep on a sunbeam Exhaustion was settling deep in Amaterasu's bones toward the end of her shift, enough to slow her down and nearly force her to drop a tray at one point. It felt like years before it was time to call it quits, and more than happy to gather her things, the goddess changed out of her heels into more comfortable boots, grateful for the burn along the arch of her feet. After making sure to wiggle her toes and unleash her hair from the ornate hair pins she kept tucked in there, it was time to leave.
The air was always cooler at this time of night, though a certain layer of humidity still hung about, coating her skin the moment she stepped outside. Her mood and energy levels always suffered at this time of night when the sun was nowhere to be seen. Over time, her smiles would lose their easy quality, feeling more forced the later it became. It wasn't something she could really help. She'd always been this way, as her brother could attest to.
Oh, Jubokko. A brother whom she both loved and was terrified of. Not for any particular reason -- he'd always been kind to her, but she knew that when things didn't go as planned, he could make anyone suffer, her included. Her entire life had been spent trying not to tick him off, and for the most part, it had worked. But this time around, she thought that maybe, maybe her lies had become too transparent. Just enough for someone to be suspicious. Amaterasu trusted both Ra and Helios to keep silent about the matter, but who knew how much her brother already suspected?
She sighed up at the moon, hoping all would work out for the best.
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Recently work had been requiring a little over time. The Ryugunese ambassador kept odd hours and he'd ended up at the castle barely awake a couple times. Today, however, it was in preparation for the peace talks. He was tired. The sun was gone and he just wanted to sleep until the next morning. He wondered idly if he was going to be made to look after everyone staying in the castle. He'd be sure to ask Merlin.
Seeing as he was only now on his way home, he decided to stop by Amaterasu's work to pick her up. He was happy with her. He wouldn't say they had an overly flashy life, but it was nice. She was similar to him and Helios seemed to like her. That was a positive. The only...difficult part was that Amaterasu's brother didn't know about their marriage. He was more than uncomfortable with the idea that he'd almost found out...and over the journals was a little too much to deal with.
He smiled just a little bit before yawning, Ra slipped up next to his wife. "Long day at work," he said softly, turning to look at Amaterasu. "Let's hope our dearest and most darling visiting ambassador doesn't intend to call for anything tonight."
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One could say that Amaterasu lived a happy life, and she did. With a husband whom she adored, a job that kept her busy, and a brother-in-law who sought to protect her, every day was a good day, even with the ghostly presence of her brother lingering at every turn. She might have lived in fear of being caught, but there were no tears, no frowning -- just laughter here in Camelot.
Smiling easily at her husband, she edged a little closer to him, seeking out his hand with her smaller one. "You deserve some rest tonight. You work hard, you know," she pointed out, squeezing his fingers gently.
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Ra allowed her to take his hand. It was always a little funny to him that he'd found anyone to marry considering the fact that he hadn't actually intended to do so...but then Amaterasu had shown up and he changed his mind. He pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "Mmm. And he always calls at the most inconvenient hours."
The memory made him wrinkle his nose slightly. "But hopefully he'll sleep tonight instead." Or be too stressed to eat. That would work just as well. He didn't care if he wasn't entirely happy. It was Merlin he was loyal to and it was only because of Merlin he put forth the effort to care about what Morpheus wanted. He let out a sigh. "Not to mention that article that came out." He pinched the bridge of his nose. Merlin didn't need this. Camelot didn't need this. This was going to bring more trouble. Trouble he didn't really want to think about.
"But...tomorrow. I'll leave that for tomorrow."
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Feeling his kiss, she beamed brighter. Together they were less of a passionate, love-fueled couple -- they did love each other, without a doubt, but it was a sweeter love. Something more tender, as if they were a couple who'd long been married. Though knowing this wasn't the case, Amaterasu still appreciated every hug, every caress. In her mind, she couldn't have done better. This was all she needed.
Now if only Jubokko could feel the same.
"Leave your duties until the morning." Yes, the article. A troublesome thing. "Duty will wait for you, right? So tonight, be with your wife." She pressed a cheek to his shoulder. It might have been a selfish thing to suggest, but he'd been so busy lately. Surely, surely that would be alright.
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"Yes...I believe that's the only way to handle it." He smiled, lightly squeezing her hand. "I will deal with things tomorrow and spend time with you for the night." Which he really did need to do. He was quite aware of how busy he'd been of late and he was far more tired than he'd been in a long time. He pressed another brief kiss to her temple. "I doubt anyone will bother us." At least he hoped not. He really wanted to get some sleep tonight and make Amaterasu happy by spending time with her. She deserved it for being such a good sport about all of this.