Veneri slowly opened his eyes and immediately felt warmth pressing against his chest. He blinked a few times before he saw her.
Narisva was lying on top of him beneath the sheets while staring directly into his eyes. Her long starry hair cascaded around both of them across the bed. Tiny lights drifted inside the strands while faint nebulas shimmered between them softly but it was her eyes that stunned him.
Her pupils were black holes rotating quietly within brilliant space-blue irises. Her eyes looked deeper now. Yet despite how terrifying they should have looked, all Veneri could think about was how unbelievably beautiful she was. Narisva noticed his stare and waved her hand above his eyes.
"What?"
Veneri smiled sleepily.
"Morning."
"Morning."
For a few seconds, neither of them moved. They just stared at each other quietly while the morning sunlight passed through the hotel curtains and illuminated the room. The peaceful atmosphere felt strangely domestic despite the fact that one of them was now essentially a cosmic goddess.
Narisva slowly lowered herself and continued staring at his face carefully. He really was handsome. Even after all the suffering, exhaustion, sacrifices, and stress, he still looked gentle when he woke up. It made her chest feel warm.
She reached forward and pinched both his cheeks. Veneri immediately frowned.
"Ow- Nari, that hurts."
She ignored his complaint and squeezed a little more.
"You're too cute. It's annoying."
"Nari."
"You look even softer after crying yesterday."
"I cried once."
"You cried a lot."
"That's just slander at this point."
She finally released his cheeks before gently rubbing them with her fingers. Her expression softened more and more as she looked at him.
"If I woke up to this every morning after a night like yesterday, I think I would feel complete forever."
Veneri slowly reached upward and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. The glowing strands slipped through his fingers.
"I'm glad I have someone like you in my life too."
Narisva's eyes widened. Without warning, she suddenly hugged him very tightly.
"Nari-"
She squeezed harder.
"Why are you so adorable?"
"I can't breathe."
"You're alive."
"My ribs are cracking."
"You'll survive."
"Nari-"
She buried her face against his neck while continuing to hug him possessively. Unfortunately for Veneri, she had become absurdly stronger after her ascension. He actually felt pain. His entire body creaked slightly beneath her grip.
"Nari, seriously-"
"You smell nice."
"That's not the issue right now!"
She finally loosened her grip slightly before lifting her head again. Her black hole pupils rotated slowly while she looked at him with clear affection.
"We can solve the moon problem today."
"That fast?"
"It's easy."
"You're rushing things again."
Inside her mind, Elest immediately spoke.
[Are you seriously not telling him?]
Narisva answered mentally without changing expression.
[No.]
[You became a Second Tier Primordial Goddess.]
[And?]
[He deserves to know.]
[He'll figure it out eventually.]
Elest sounded amused.
[You're worried.]
Narisva mentally scoffed.
[I am not worried.]
[You're scared he'll feel left behind.]
Narisva sighed internally.
[Maybe a little.]
Elest laughed loudly before disappearing from her thoughts again. Meanwhile, Veneri was still looking at her suspiciously.
"You definitely did something."
Narisva immediately smiled innocently.
"I have no idea what you mean."
"That expression means trouble."
"That hurts my feelings. I'm not that bad, am I?"
"You once killed someone while smiling like that. Was it when we went on a date in the coastal city before leaving for the Inexpelcae Islands?"
"That was one time."
"It was not one time."
She leaned down slightly until their noses almost touched.
"Stop worrying so much. Your beloved is simply talented."
"My beloved sounds suspiciously overpowered right now."
"Good."
Veneri sighed before finally trying to sit up. The moment he moved away from her warmth, Narisva immediately wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Carry me to the shower."
He looked at her in disbelief.
"You can manipulate space and you still want piggyback rides?"
"Yes."
"You're unbelievable."
"And yet you love me."
"Unfortunately so, yes."
She bit his shoulder.
"That answer was unacceptable. You should say you love me even if I was a planet. Bad boyfriend."
Veneri laughed quietly before standing up properly with her still clinging to his back. The sheets slipped while Narisva comfortably wrapped her legs around his waist. Honestly, if the citizens of Spheraphase saw the terrifying Narisva Starisnova acting like this, the Xypelians would collapse from shock. The strongest Divine of the Third Generation was now refusing to walk because she wanted attention.
Veneri carried her towards the bathroom while she happily rested against his back. Then she quietly whispered near his ear.
"You know... if Earth had mornings like this every day, I can understand why you missed this world a little."
"Yeah."
°°°°°°°
The moment Veneri and Narisva entered the Space Exploration Department headquarters again, they immediately noticed the atmosphere was different. Everyone was rushing around frantically.
Massive screens displayed lunar trajectories, orbital calculations and launch simulations while analysts shouted numbers at each other across the room. Some scientists were crowded around a projection of the moon while engineers argued beside rocket schematics projected across digital tables.
Narisva tilted her head while looking around.
"They look terrified. They probably haven't slept since yesterday."
Commander Hale quickly approached them with dark circles under his eyes and several folders in his hands.
"You're here earlier than expected."
Veneri glanced at the massive rocket blueprint on one of the screens.
"What's all this?"
Hale sighed heavily.
"We're preparing an emergency launch operation. If your solution fails, we want astronauts on the moon to deploy gravitational stabilization devices manually."
"You're sending humans there?"
"Yes."
"Using that?"
She pointed at the rocket blueprint. Hale looked confused.
"Yes?"
Narisva stared at him silently for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"You don't need a rocket."
The entire room slowly became quiet. One analyst looked up from his computer.
"What?"
Narisva spoke casually like she was discussing the weather.
"I can get to the moon in a few minutes."
Someone accidentally dropped a coffee cup in the background. Veneri honestly looked impressed too, even though he technically already knew she could probably do it. Still, hearing her say it so casually was absurd. Commander Hale blinked several times.
"A few minutes?"
Narisva nodded.
"Yes. Space is my domain."
Nobody spoke. One scientist quietly sat down because his legs suddenly stopped working properly
"Actually, since humans seem obsessed with going to space, I can help with that too. We solve the moon issue today, then afterward I can help your astronauts reach space safely. Maybe even visit another planet."
The analysts looked like their souls were leaving their bodies. One woman nearly choked on her coffee. Narisva looked thoughtful for a moment.
"What was the red one called again? Mars? Or Venus?"
"Mars," about seventeen people answered instantly.
"Oh. Right. Mars. I can get you there."
The room somehow became even quieter afterwards. Veneri leaned against one of the desks while watching the collective mental collapse happening around them. Honestly, even he forgot sometimes how ridiculous Celestials were when it came to space.
Commander Hale slowly rubbed his forehead.
"You're telling me... you can casually transport people to another planet?"
Narisva looked confused by the question.
"Yes?"
"Without spacecraft?"
"Yes?"
"Without oxygen systems?"
Narisva looked even more confused now.
"Why would they need oxygen systems if I can create a spatial enclosure around them? Oh, you mean air. That's not a problem at all."
An old scientist in the back whispered something about retirement. Veneri laughed quietly before speaking.
"I actually have a way to make sure the entire planet sees it happen live too."
That immediately got everyone's attention again. Hale narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, this is going to be funny. I finally get to personally prove flat Earthers wrong."
"Flat Earthers?"
Several analysts immediately looked uncomfortable. Veneri sighed dramatically.
"There are people on Earth who believe the planet is flat."
Narisva stared at him and slowly turned toward Hale.
"He's joking, right?"
Hale looked away.
"He is unfortunately not joking."
"You people went to the moon in the twentieth century and some still think the planet is flat?"
Veneri nodded.
"Yep."
Narisva looked disturbed now.
"How?"
"No idea."
"But they can literally observe planetary shadows during eclipses."
"Yep."
"And your satellites?"
"Yep."
"And gravity?"
"Yep."
"And astronomy?"
"Yep."
Narisva slowly held her forehead.
"This species is exhausting."
One analyst quietly muttered, "She's adapting to Earth culture fast."
Narisva ignored him and continued staring at Veneri in disbelief.
"So there are people who think this planet is shaped like a disk floating in space?"
Veneri nodded again.
"Some even think space itself is fake."
Narisva looked physically offended by that statement.
"Space is literally everywhere!"
"That's what I'm saying!"
She pointed aggressively at the ceiling.
"They are INSIDE space."
"I know."
"How do you fake space while existing in space?!"
"Welcome to Earth."
Narisva looked horrified now.
"No wonder your Internet is full of arguments."
One younger scientist accidentally laughed out loud. Even Commander Hale looked like he was struggling not to smile. Veneri crossed his arms smugly.
"Anyway, when Nari fixes the moon publicly, we'll livestream the entire thing globally. Then she can casually show Earth from space."
"Oh. That would humiliate them."
"Exactly."
A scientist hesitantly raised his hand.
"You want to solve a planetary extinction event partially to win an online argument?"
Veneri immediately pointed at him.
"Now you understand me."
Narisva nodded proudly beside him.
"See? Humans can learn quickly."