The Phoenix Archer ∞ Peter Pevensie

ii. | S I X

✧

N E R I S S A

"You're the sister he was talking about?" Peter questions as he leads me to his room.

I look down at our interlocked fingers. He hasn't let go of it ever since we reunited and I relish the feeling of his hand back in mine.

I nod, "It's a long story."

Peter stops before his door, grabbing me by the waist and twirling me into his arms and planting the biggest kiss against my nose.

"Well, then it's a good thing we have all the time in the world for you to explain it to me, huh?" He says, smiling so brightly down at me that the corners of his eyes crinkle.

He leans down, kissing me deeply. His hand slides up to cup the back of my neck, holding me closer to him.

"If you keep this up, I won't have the chance to explain it at all," I mutter, smiling against his mouth.

Peter hums in reply, thumbing the corner of my mouth. "That's fine. I don't know if I want to hear it anymore either."

He leans down to kiss me again but pauses just above my lips with furrowed brows. "Does that mean he'll be my brother-in-law? Because I'm pretty sure he has a thing for Susan. That's weird, right?"

The subtle suggestion of one day getting married is not lost on me. Peter's intentions were clear, judging as to how he had so outrightly proposed multiple times, there was no doubt he wanted it. He had just never properly asked.

I chuckle, "It's not weird unless you make it weird."

He grunts thoughtfully, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against his chest. "If he has intentions of going after my sister, I'm not going to go easy on him just because you consider him a brother."

I couldn't help but laugh at the protective side of him. Reaching up, I flick him lightly on the nose. "Leave poor Susan alone." I chide, "She doesn't need you meddling with her love life, I have no doubt she can handle it on her own."

Peter wrinkles his nose playfully, "Fine. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You're insufferable," I say, failing to hide the smile that's tugging at my lips as I rise onto my toes to kiss him.

"So, I've been told. Many times." Peter mumbles as he meets me halfway, claiming my lips like a starving man devouring his meal when I hear a door click open from further down the hallway.

"Oh, for goodness sakes!" Edmund's voice echoes through the hallway, "I've missed you, Nerissa and I'm glad you're back, this?" He says, pointing between Peter and me with disgust, "I certainly did not miss. Not one bit. I say this as respectfully as possible; get a damn room."

"Alright, alright. We're going." Peter grumbles, grabbing my hand and tugging me through the door of his room.

"I've missed you, too, Ed!" I yell before the door swings shut.

As soon as the door shuts, Peter lifts me off the ground before tossing me onto one of the few mattresses that we've managed to obtain during one of our supply runs.

"Well, hello, my darling." He offers me a cheeky grin before draping himself over me and peppering my face with kisses.

"Peter!" I squirm under him, laughter bubbling up my throat.

"God, I've missed you so much." He mumbles as he buries his face in the crook of my neck, "I never want to let you go, ever again."

Peter pulls back, his face growing completely serious as he brushes a stray strand of hair away from my face and meets my gaze. Then, he lowers his lips to mine. I let out a sigh in contentment as I feel Peter's lips move against mine, slow and sensual as if he's drinking in every second.

"Marry me." He says against my lips as they part, "I'm serious. I want you to marry me. We'll get married right now if had it my way. However," He chuckles, "I know I'm King but if I were being honest, I still haven't had the slightest clue of how weddings work around here and I want you to have the best wedding ever, because, darling, you deserve nothing less than that."

His words have me getting choked up, and I end up having to cover a sob with a laugh, "Peter, that's all the leftover adrenaline from the day speaking. You just got back, we don't have to rush anything."

Peter wordlessly reaches around his neck, pulling a chain from around it, his gaze never leaving mine.

I suck in a breath at the sight of a ring hanging through the chain. The metal glints in the sunlight that filters through the open window, highlighting the orange hue of the diamond it held.

"You see this, darling?" He asks, resting his forehead against mine, "I was planning to ask you when we returned to Cair Paravel that day...but well, we both know how that turned out." Peter chuckled, "So, if you ask me, I've waited far too long and I'm not willing to waste another second."

I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. Reaching out I trace my fingers up along Peter's jawline, before running them through his silky blonde hair. He closes his eyes as brush his hair back, taking a minute to memorise every single detail of his face like I've done a hundred times before.

Then, wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him down for a searing kiss, hoping it could translate all the emotions I couldn't possibly put into words and hoping he would understand them. Hoping he knows how much he means to me and how I love him so much it makes it hard to breathe sometimes.

Peter pulls back from our kiss, "Although I absolutely love your kisses, are you really going to leave me hanging like that, my darling?" He laughs, even though I could hear the nervous edge to it.

I chuckle, trying my best to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall before nodding.

"Yes." My voice cracks as I answer, "As if I'd ever say no."

Peter's shoulder slumps forward with relief, "Yeah?" He whispers and I nod in reply.

"Yeah."

Just when I thought his smile couldn't get any wider, he proves me wrong. He smiles so wide that I worry that his cheeks would start cramping up.

"I love you." He says before slamming his lips back down to mine.

His hands tangle through my hair as he deepens the kiss, his lips moving against mine with much more urgency as compared to the slow kiss we shared before, a kiss so raw but at the same time, tender it makes my mind spin.

We're both panting a little by the time we break apart and Peter smiles down at me, his eyes so full of love it makes my heart squeeze. Then, he reaches behind him, unclasping the chain from around his neck and sliding the ring into the palm of his hand.

He then takes my left hand in his and slips the ring onto my ring finger before bringing my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss right over the ring.

I take the chance to lean in to whisper against his ear, "I love you, too, Peter Pevensie."

He chuckles against my neck before leaning down to plant a slow kiss right below my ear.

"Just so you know," He says his breath tickling my neck and making me squirm. I could feel him smiling against my skin as he says, "You said 'no' seven times. I counted."