Work Text:
The meeting was mandatory, unfortunately.
Just another way to drag time forward and talk about problems that aren't actually problems and more general inconveniences for the pompous assholes who sat around the large table they used for said meetings.
Everyone knew that any real problems get solved pretty damn quickly, most before they even managed to make it to this table.
Her King was not merciful. Nor was he gentle in the way he solved his problems. He was efficient, and he was cold.
Which, despite his ‘uncaring’ meant that their city knew more peace then any surrounding kingdoms within miles.
Meant that these meeting were pointless and most of all so painfully boring that she could fall asleep and no one would be able to blame her.
They still would, of course.
But she’s seen more then one of those puppet show men and women sit with their heads bowed down ‘respectfully’ during those meetings, only to be woken up by a quick kick to their shin by a neighbor.
Hypocrites. But she didn’t expect any less from those under her newly acquired position.
She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she leaned further back into her chair, the latest ‘update’ from the capitol being sprawled out in front of them in form of many sheets of papers.
The man to her right looked almost as bored as she did, but he was much better at hiding it behind his cold indifference.
She, on the other hand, could already feel the judging stares from her husbands worshippers sitting around them, all while the only one with brains and her husband the King’s right hand, Uraume, laid bare the state of their country and capitol.
Same as last week.
And the week before.
And the week before that.
Nobara let her eyes trail from the scattered papers along with the low droning voice of Uraume, to her partner. Looking every bit the king he was, despite the annoyance and boredom barely hiding behind his crimson eyes.
She lifted her foot under the table, and tapped his ankle carelessly. Finding amusement in the tick of his jaw as his eye cut toward her in a mixture of curiosity and warning.
He knew her too well.
She hid her grin behind her palm, but it did nothing to hide it from her eyes as she continued tapping his shin.
He rolled his eyes with a silent sigh. Lifting his hand from it’s place on the arm rest and reaching over to her chair- equal in height and build, if not a bit more slender- and grabbing the wrist she was using to prop up her chin loosely. Gently.
She straightened and let him grab it, his fingers trailing from her much smaller and paler wrist to her own slender fingers. Where he wrapped his around them easily.
She conceded and left his shin alone, finding a new amusement in letting her thumb rub small circles along the portion of Sukuna’s hand that it could reach.
The meeting continued droning on in the background lowly. Everyones voices matching her and Sukuna’s combined boredom perfectly.
The meeting room door opened with a low creak, Sukuna only spared the new arrival a glance, before he turned back toward the people speaking in front of him.
Nobara let her eyes linger on the young man who had entered curiously.
He was holding a tray of cups, all no doubt full of the promised wine that had been requested once the meeting had started.
Her brow quirked slightly at that.
He was new.
She’d never seen him before that day. The man who had served them before was much taller, if not a bit lanky.
This young man looked even a bit younger then herself, with a shorter more built stature then the man before.
And, as she watched him start handing out already filled drinks, she noted that he did not seem familiar with the castles security. As he wouldn’t have given Sukuna or her their drinks without at least tasting them first.
She straightened slightly as he placed Sukuna’s then moved to her side and placed her own. Noting the deliberatness in his movements, along with the way he surpassed all drinks to give Sukuna a specific cup.
She nearly scoffed.
Well he obviously’s never tried this before.
Sukuna’s eyes drifted away from the meeting as he reached for his glass, seeming intent on taking a drink.
Nobara had no intentions of letting him.
She reached forward first, wrapping her slender fingers around his glass and pulling it toward herself with little care for respect for the man she just took it from.
Sukuna, for his part, only paused and turned her way with a furrowed brow, “don’t you have your own glass?”
She shrugged carelessly and leaned back into her chair, finding satisfaction in his easy admission of his drink as she swirled it lazily, “yours is better.”
He paused at that, his eyes hardening in a way that spelled a danger to anyone who would confirm the suspicions swirling around in his mind.
He was quick to understand.
She knew he’d be.
But Nobara didn’t care much if he understood, not as long as there was no proof.
She sniffed it gently, before she lifted her hazel eyes to the cup-bearer who had finished his rounds. And was now stiff and staring at her.
He almost looked pale.
Bingo.
She felt her lips pull up as she lifted Sukuna’s glass to them, her eyes never leaving his. Stuck in a game of chicken Nobara knew she was winning.
Sukuna was tense beside her, watching her with a hawk’s eye, unsure of what she was planning.
Nobara, with little hesitation, tilted the cup back and took a drink. Humming as she pulled it away from her lips with a grimace, already feeling it’s poison taking affect.
It would not kill her. No doubt as it was meant to kill the King.
No poisons would kill them.
No one seemed quite to understand this fact.
But it was going to hurt like a bitch.
She did not let it show. She bit back her grimace and placed it back onto the table, rubbing her chest absentmindedly. She lifted her eyes back to the assassin who had brought in their cups. “Poison,” she spoke. The word damning and most definitely a blade to the young man’s throat.
He stiffened, eyes wide and fearful as he looked between her and the now frozen king.
Sukuna’s eyes were wide, different then the young man’s, as his didn’t hold fear.
They held anger.
Anger that someone would try and poison him.
Anger that they ‘succeeded’ in poisoning his queen.
Nobara let her smile grow victorious at that.
Sukuna’s eyes narrowed into something dark as he stood from his chair and whipped toward the assassin, fists clenching as he seemed to force the words “Seize him.” out of clenched teeth.
The young man ran.
He did not get far. Not with the guards chasing him down.
Once the assassin was out of sight, Sukuna wasted no time turning back toward her swiftly, crouching in front of her chair all while the anger bled into something different.
Something that looked concerningly close to the fear that had been in the assassin's eyes.
Her smile sobered at that, all while he fretted and barked out an order for their doctor.
She noted one of the council members slipping out of the room, but she kept her eyes on his. “I’m fine.” she smiled, showing teeth as she leaned forward and caught one of his fretting hands.
He took a deep breath, before he seemed to be composed enough to speak, “you drank poison.”
She shrugged, “and i’m fine. It’s not the first time, remember? I can handle it.”
“I could too.” his frown deepened, “i would’ve been fine, you didn’t have to-”
She squeezed his hand and met his frown with on of her own, “yeah, well i’ve always loved dramatics. Besides, you wouldn’t have let me drink it, had the positions been reversed.”
He pursed his lips and held her eyes for a long tense moment, before he exhaled heavily and leaned forward. Grabbing both her hands and resting them in her lap, before he rested his forehead on them. “You’re impossible.”
She grinned, opening her fist as best as she could in his to caress his inked cheek, he took another breath, and straightened just as the doctor entered, “as soon as you feel the affects become worse, you tell me or the doctor immediately.”
She nodded easily, before he reluctantly stood and let the doctor take his place. One of his hands holding her own the whole time.