The Cosmic Princess

For the First Time

Warning: Rated R material heading your way!

It was a week and half of daily therapist sessions when there was finally a breakthrough. I knew the royal therapist assigned to us was most likely frustrated with seemingly our lack of effort or care, but she remained patient each day and didn't push.

The first few days, Ike and I didn't talk much about any issues we had as a couple or as individuals. Then day by day we would give little snippets, but they were never enough to get into anything deeper. I knew I was holding back, but a part of me couldn't help it. I wanted to try and explain myself, but a part of me held back.

When the king and queen were notified that Ike and I would be undergoing therapy sessions, the expression on Zotar's face managed to both make my blood boil and sting my entire being at the same time. I could feel the hurt coming from Ike almost as if it was my own before he had quickly put up a mental block to hide his inner turmoil at his father's judgement and snapped at him.

To say the foundation we started on was rocky, was an understatement. When we first started, Phia, our therapist could get little out of us. Short worded replies and poorly strung together sentences explaining our feelings would had made me lose it if I was in her shoes, but Phia was tolerant and kind.

It was the middle of week and Ike and I sat on a couch, facing our therapist who eyed us softly. She was a middle-aged woman, with curly hair that ended right at her shoulders and warm mocha-colored eyes. Curled in my corner of the sofa, with my chin resting on my knees, my attention was more on the clock on the distant wall than the situation currently. It had been like pulling out teeth trying to get us to talk, yet neither Ike nor I had budged much.

"You don't have nothing to say or any issues?" Phia pondered, her soft voice felt like a caress as it moved through the air.

I softly shook my head and then glanced at Ike to see the stoic expression on his face that always appeared during these meetings. He mirrored my actions and shook his head.

Pensive brown eyes flickered between the both of us, before Phia opened her mouth, tone careful. "I feel like there's a wall between you two...l can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems as if being vulnerable with one another is hard for you two. That shouldn't be the case being kindred spirits."

Her musing caused Ike and I to glance at one another before we quickly looked away.

A long silence seeped through the air that almost seemed deafening. I don't know what it was that had caused me to pull back from Ike. I still thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, he still made me laugh, we could still hold conversations, and everything seemed fine, but...there was just something I couldn't quite put my hand on.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can tell you two both love each other very much and that's without the kindred spirit bond by the way." She mused, flashing a easy smile. "Yet, I can also tell your relationship has been a struggle, a constant struggle. Why don't you tell me about it, and please don't forget this is completely confidential."

Those brown eyes stared at us with honesty and openness. I held back an eye roll hating how her questions always seemed like she knew us better than we thought, even though she had no detail at all. I briefly wondered if that was one of her miscellaneous powers.

I could feel Ike's eyes on me, but like every session, I ignored it counting down the time this would be over and I could get back to Ivy to inquire how things were going on Glasstula.

Yet, a soft sigh broke the quietness of the room. "I want to see you get better, Avril." Ike admitted, causing me to turn my attention to him with furrowed eyebrows. "We can't move anywhere if neither one of us are willing to take a step forward and talk. If you don't want to strip yourself bare, it's okay. I'll do it first."