In light of the recent Ao3 Downage, I've decided to share the fic below, just to give you guys a little goodnight story. Enjoy!
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Adder had seen you before.
In fact, Adder had watched you many times. In Kuttenberg, specifically. His gaze pinned on you as you made your way through the market, relieving every Tom, Dick and Joe of their possessions without making so much as a peep. He’d watched you vanish without a trace, far away from the scene of the crime by the time the poor Kuttenberg citizens realised what had happened. In, rob, out. Unassuming clothes, innocent demeanour. Nothing anyone who wasn’t a crook would notice, and if they were a crook (like he proudly was), then they wouldn’t snitch. You seemed to know who to rob and who not to. You had it all down to a game. Adder respected that.
Other than that, there was nothing particularly eye-catching about you. You were skilled, and just about as attractive as anyone. Adder wasn’t particularly exclusive when it came to raking his greedy gaze over someone. You didn’t stick out– that was your entire goal– so Adder let you be. Left you to your pickpocketing. He just figured it didn’t hurt to look.
He made the mistake of bringing it up one night in the Devil’s Den, when his blood was warm with ale, and his tongue was looser than normal.
“Janosh,” the blond draped over the cook, who was contentedly munching on apple slices. Always pekish when drunk. And also when not drunk. “Janosh, Janosh, zauważyłeś kieszonkowca w Kuttenberg?” His polish was looser than usual, but Janosh had spent enough time around him to understand.
“What pickpocket?” His friend responded with a mouth full of apples, as if Adder had just grown two heads. “In Kuttenberg, there many pickpockets.”
“Nie, nie… ten… najlepszy…” Adder’s words came out mumbled as he rested his head against Janosh’s neck, closing his eyes. Thus, he didn’t see the dubious smirk spread across the cook's face.
“Oho?” Janosh sounded alarmingly smug. Adder was immediately on his guard. “My sweet Adder like the pickpocket, ey?” Adder pushed away fast enough to make his head spin, giving Janosh a harsh shove to the shoulder, which only made the other laugh.
“Zamknij mordę!” Janosh laughed harder.
“Oi! What’re you whinin’ about over there?” A non-too-sober Hynek barked from the table across the den, where the rest of the Devils had set up for the evening. Most of them paid them no mind, but it was curious Kubyenka and Hynek who were looking their way. Adder glared at Janosh, threatening him to keep silent if he valued his life. Janosh, it seemed, didn’t. No, Janosh smirked, and with his gaze set firmly on the blond, he spoke.
“Adder has eyes on Kuttenberg thief-”
“Ty skurwysynu! Wypatroszę cię!” And with that, Adder had tackled Janosh. This was usually how their nights of drinking ended… more or less.
The others paid them no mind. Scuffles were normal in the den, and Adder, as Hynek loudly proclaimed, “has his damn eyes on any wrigglin’ piece o’ meat around.” For Adder to think with his cock wasn’t unusual. For him to be bashful about it was.
You were still on his mind the next time he visited Kuttenberg. He’d complained and moaned about being the one given Kuttenberg spy-duty, but it made sense. And secretly, he was pleased too. Only, he realised to his disappointment, that you were nowhere to be seen. Shame. He sighed and made his way towards one of the markets.
It wasn’t long before he realised he was being trailed. The telltale feeling of the hairs on his neck standing on end. The odd thrill running up his spine. Being trailed was never good, never, and still, it never failed to excite him.
He was in the middle of the market. It wasn’t the guards, because they couldn’t be sneaky if they tried, and if they wanted him, they’d just haul him away in the middle of the square. Adder strolled nonchalantly through the market, eyeing but not seeing any of the products. He always faced the risk of a disgruntled husband or partner. He could fight them, if that turned out to be the case, only he really would rather not right now. He leisurely turned the corner, considering his next move. It was then he managed to set eyes on his stalker; It was you. Sure, whenever he turned his head to peer in your direction, you pretended to be looking at the wares, but it was you, he was sure of it. You were following him. But what for?
It didn’t matter. Adder’s lips spread into a lazy grin. Like a dog preening under the attention of its owner, except the attention he was receiving was being stalked. It was good enough for him. More than good enough. His mother had always warned him not to play with his food, but the bitch was buried in Poland and had nothing to say on this matter.
Adder continued wandering through the market, continued to pretend as if nothing was wrong, just to feel your burning gaze on him. In one way or another, you wanted him. For some reason, you were watching him. Tracking him. In some way, you desired him. Whether this desire was positive or negative remained to be seen.
The blond led you on some sort of cat-and-mouse game. Walking through the market to see if you’d follow, and you did. Speeding up to see how fast he could go before he lost you, but inevitably slowing down again- because he didn’t want to lose you. Not yet. Curve by curve, stall by stall, you were there. Shadowing him and doing it well. He might now have noticed, were he not in the trade himself.
Eventually, he decided that this game was coming to an end. And he did want to meet you. His expensive, stolen boots turned from the market onto the side streets. You trailed him still, albeit more carefully now. Corner by corner, you followed him. From alleyway to alleyway. Until you turned the corner and saw nothing.
You stopped immediately, keen eyes scanning the alleyway. There was nobody there, and no exits. Reasonably, the blond man should have been there. Yet he wasn’t.
There was an odd charge in the air. Like an electric, prickling current. You knew logically that the best course of action would be to turn around and evacuate. You knew a trap when you saw one. But you’d come this far, and you couldn’t for the life of you imagine giving up now. Even if that meant going from the hunter to the hunted.
With tentative steps, you crept into the alleyway, eyeing the shadows like they might jump out at you. Where could he have gone? Aside from scaling the walls, there weren’t many options. It was a dead end.
Meaning… he’d tricked you. Which meant–
Before you had time to reflect on the precarious situation you were in, there was an arm wrapped around your neck. A chokehold. You coughed and jabbed your elbow back into the ribs of your assailant, who let you go with a hiss and a foreign swear. And when you spun around, unsheathing your dagger, you came face to face with the very same man you’d been following here.
Adder glared at you, as if he’d not been the one to deserve the elbow to the ribs in the first place. His eyes pinned you to the spot. Only when he was certain you weren’t launching the dagger at him did he let his gaze shamelessly stray from your face, to your chest, to your legs, and back up. When his eyes met yours again, they’d darkened ever so slightly. You ignored it. And the way your cheeks burned.
“I’ve seen you watch me.” You pressed on, dagger firmly aimed at him. “Who are you? Who do you work for?”
Adder laughed mockingly. “A co, patrzenie się to przestępstwo?” He challenged, taking a step closer. You took a step back. “To ty mnie śledzisz.” As expected, the polish made you furrow your brow, and you blinked, trying to make sense of the words. Adder grinned sharply, taking another step closer. “Chciałś mojej uwagi? Mogłś po prostu zapytać.” He purred. And while you didn’t fully grasp his words, the meaning behind them was rather obvious.
You scoffed and stepped to meet him, your dagger coming to rest against his throat. Adder simply allowed it, raising his chin and watching you through his lower lashes. You paused, scanning his expression for defiance and finding none. Instead, there was something akin to submission. You pressed harder, testing the limits, letting the dagger push him backwards, until his back hit the wall. Nothing. Not even a nervous gulp. Just his hungry gaze on yours.
“I know you can understand me,” you glared, “Tell me what I want to know.” You repeated. And in response, he merely raised an eyebrow, his gaze languidly lowering to once again take in your form. Your dagger dug deeper into his skin, warning. Instead of the intended effect, Adder’s lips spread into another cocky smirk. Daring you to do it, like he knew you wouldn’t.
This close, it was hard not to take in the man. He was tall, taller than many other men. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, and with a rough look to him. This was no man that made an honest living– that much you’d gathered at first glance.
But more than that, there was something magnetic about him. About the way his eyebrows creased and his eyes bore into yours. A raw sort of attraction that you had no interest in admitting to.
“So you refuse to speak Czech, then.” You concluded, trying to distract yourself from the tension in the air. Adder scrunched up his face in dismay, which you took as an affirmative. “That makes things a bit more complicated,” you mumbled. You could remove the dagger from his neck, then, but… something was stopping you. The urge to keep him put was overwhelming. Or maybe the urge to stay close. Adder smirked, as if he could see it on your face. And you wondered if you were really that transparent, or if this man was just something else entirely. Your eyes dimmed.
Instead of giving in, you stepped closer, pressing your dagger further into his skin. For the first time, you watched as his breath hitched in his throat. A dark feeling of satisfaction welled over you.
“But Polish isn’t that different from Czech. I think I can pick up some of it.” You didn’t glare, but your expression was firm. Demanding. “Talk.”
Adder eyed you for a few moments. He could feel a drop of blood trail down from where your dagger was pressed into his skin. He shifted his hips in response, feeling his cock harden in his braies. Fine, then.
“Jesteś złodziejem kieszonkowym. Jesteś sprytny.” He shrugged, as if the situation was obvious, “Lubię patrzeć, jak pracujesz.” And then the look in his eyes shuttered again, becoming shiftier. His smirk lascivious. “Przeszukaj mi gacie, jak chcesz. Może znajdziesz coś wartego złapania-”
“That’s enough, thank you.” Your face burned, clearly having picked up enough to get the gist. “So that was all then? No spying? Just… watching?”
Well, Adder wasn’t sure if what he was doing could be defined as just watching. Even now, as his eyes trailed over what he could see of you without tempting his fate by moving his head or neck, his gaze was undeniably disrespectful. It made your skin tingle. Or crawl. Both, maybe.
“Taaak, tylko patrze,” he confirmed, voice barely above a murmur. You swallowed dryly, and the silence stretched on. Your dagger was slick and red, and so was his throat. The sight was surprisingly appetising.
“Oi! What’s goin’ on down there?” A voice from the dead-end entrance snapped the fragile tension between the two, making you turn your heads towards the intruding man in unison. In the blink of an eye, your dagger was gone, sheathed back into its hidingplace. Leaving behind the suspicious smear of blood on the blond man's throat. Adder reached up to lightly try to cover the damage with his hand, with debatable success.
You turned towards the man, stepping slightly in front of Adder. Almost possessive in the action. Maybe you just wanted to shield him, and the incriminating injury on his neck from view. Or maybe, Adder thought, there was more to it.
“Fear not, my good man, we were just talking.” Your voice was steady, leaving no room for debate. “We didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You ‘ave no business here.” The man growled, his beady eyes scanning you disdainfully. Adder rolled his eyes in the background, but kept his mouth shut for once in his life. They could take this man down easily, but he’d let you take the lead on this.
A staring match ensued. Your biggest, most innocent eyes aimed at this distrustful gentleman. The man huffed, seemingly deeming you more trouble than you were worth, and stepped back.
“Scram. And don’t let me catch you sniffin’ ‘round my porch again, y’hear?”
You nodded, casting a glance over your shoulder at Adder. Realising suddenly that you had no idea what his plan was. If he’d follow you or if he’d split. Your interaction felt unfinished, but you had no idea if the blond shared that sentiment.
“You won’t see us here again, don’t worry.” You nodded as you moved to pass by the stranger.
You didn’t get very far. A greasy hand gripped your arm, stopping you in your tracks. You turned your head to glare at the rude stranger, an affronted look on your face.
“Excuse me!”
Only the man wasn’t watching you. His eyes were pinned to the silver brooch pinned to your hood. The one you’d nicked a month or two ago. Immediately, you knew you’d been caught.
“That’s my neighbour Lucilda’s.” The man growled, something ominous brewing in his tone. “Said it was stolen right out of her pouch.”
This had never happened before. You were normally way more cautious than this. As a rule, you never wore something you’d stolen. But your hood had gotten a distracting, sizable hole, and you hadn’t had time to mend it before heading out. You’d picked up the brooch without thinking. It was reckless and stupid, and now you’d been caught. The man’s grip on your arm tightened painfully.
A coiled fist collided with the man's face. You yelped and staggered back as his grip on you let up, only you didn’t get very far this time either, as your blond and bloody victim sprinted past you.
“Uciekaj!” He barked, and you did. You ran down the muddy streets as fast as your feet could carry you, hearing the yelling behind you turn into clanging and clamouring. The man had wasted no time alerting the guards, then. That was not good.
You took the lead, knowing the Kuttenberg streets like the back of your hand. Or at least, you figured, better than the foreign man did. Left and right and then left again, you bolted through the backstreets of Kuttenberg, trying to lose the trail of righteous knights doing their best to prove their worth. Somewhere along the way, you unpinned the brooch and threw it down another street, hoping they’d follow it like the dumb dogs they were.
They did, but you didn’t lose their scent for long. They might be dumb dogs, but there were many of them. You backtracked and pulled Adder along with you down another alley, as the clanging and shouting suddenly appeared in front of you instead. You’d never been this close to getting caught before.
Adder had. And it never failed to thrill him. To teeter on the edge like this, and do it in good company no less, made his blood run hotter. He followed your lead, turn by turn, trusting you to lead him to safety.
That was, until you took the dumbest turn he’d ever seen. Trying to bolt down a street he knew would lead right into the jaws of the beast. Adder reached out and yanked you back by your hood, shoving you into one of the other tight alleyways.
“Czy ty jesteś kurwa głupi/a?!” he hissed, glancing over his shoulder at the approaching guards. Indignant, you fought futilely against his grasp.
“What the f-mm-!” You didn’t get very far, as a large hand with crooked fingers clasped down over your mouth, muffling your protests. Adder gave you a warning glare before returning his watchful stare to the entrance of the crevice you were squeezed into. Secure in the knowledge that you were going nowhere.
And he was right. Adder had used his large body to both shield you from view and keep you pinned to the wall. This close, you could feel the heat of his body through your clothes. You could smell the smoked meat he’d been eating earlier today on his hands. You could see the light freckles on his cheeks and the specks of grey in his predatory eyes. Not to mention, the uh… proof of his excitement, pushing against your hip. You squirmed, testing his strength, if it would yield— no such luck. Your body heated up in response. You became aware of your breath quickening as the other restricted it.
As soon as you determined the guards to be out of distance, you bit down, teeth digging into the meat of the foreigner's palm. Adder hissed in pain, pulling his hand back and instinctively stepping back and away from you. Not that he got very far, with the area you were in.
“Ty skurwysynie.” Adder gritted out, inspecting his hand. Bloody teeth marks stood out starkly against his pale skin. When he raised his snarling expression to face you, his eyes were dark again.
You wiped your mouth with the sleeve of your shirt, smearing blood across your cheek and sleeve. It wasn’t too much, but enough to colour your teeth, making you look feral as you smirked at the blond. The tension had doubled, becoming something dangerous and violent, and worst of all, foolish. It didn’t matter. The dice had already been cast.
You crashed into Adder like an avalanche, grabbing his gambeson and pulling him down into a violent kiss that tasted bloody and sweet. Adder didn’t even hesitate a second before eagerly responding, planting his bleeding hand against your cheek, coat, hood– anything and everything to leave a mark, to smear his blood, to prove he’d been there, that this happened.
He stumbled over his feet, smacking his back against the wall behind him. You staggered after him, still clutching at him just a bit too roughly. He bit down on your bottom lip, hard enough to make you yelp and try to pull away instinctively, only stopped by Adder’s bloody hand at the back of your neck. You’re stuck between affront and arousal at the way he claims your mouth– even though you’re no better yourself. You kiss passionately, but it’s harsh, on the edge of too violent, too painful. It made your heartbeat speed up, jackhammering frantically against your ribs with arousal.
Once he’d had enough of your lips, he bit his way along your neck, teeth sharp against your sensitive skin. His mouth was hot and wet, greedily sucking at the junction where your jaw and neck connected, making you arch and tip your head back in response, inviting him in. He hummed in approval, voice vibrating pleasantly against your skin and leaving it tingling.
You realised quickly he wasn't only doing this to watch you squirm, but to mark you. Perhaps jealous of all the physical proof you'd left on him. Or maybe something else entirely, something beyond your reach. Bit by bit, he was sucking marks onto the tender skin on your neck. It was inconvenient, but you couldn't find it in you to care, resting your hand against the back of his head.
You gasped out a pained whine, grabbing onto his hair and yanking his head back. He growled like a feral dog unwilling to share its prey, but relented. His eyes, when they met yours, were possessive and hungry. His teeth were stained red. Blood. He'd broken skin. You watched as Adder dragged his tongue over his teeth, savouring the taste. He looked dangerous. He looked animalistic and wild.
You watched him for a moment, both of you panting as if you'd just completed a 50-meter sprint. And you realised that he was waiting to see what you would do. Once again, he was letting you take charge. The realisation made you sigh, stuck between the urge to ravage him and bash his head in. In the end, you did neither. In the end, you planted a hand on his shoulder, pushing him down, down, down until his knees thudded to the dirty ground. And his eyes were on you only.
You felt powerful over him, under his reverent gaze. You realised that you wanted to see him ruined. Not only to watch that smug demeanour of his slip away, but also because you knew he'd like it. You wanted to take care of him, make him feel good. You cared more about that aspect than you were interested in admitting, neither to yourself nor to him.
You held his gaze, slowly moving your leg until your boot was planted on the ground between his thighs. He grunted, jaw clenching. You could see the way his chest heaved. His restraint was fraying, slipping through his fingers. You wouldn’t leave him to suffer any longer.
“Go on, boy,” you cast a pointed look at your boot, your voice low and hoarse, “take what you need.”
Adder made a soft, wounded noise, like your words were a punch to the gut, and he wasted no time pulling his weeping dick out of his braies. It looked red and neglected. His hands came up to grasp your leg, and slowly, he began to rut against it, rubbing his unclothed cock against your leather boot. You liked that he didn’t hesitate, didn’t complain, didn’t even seem embarrassed. Just went at it, humping your leg like a mutt in heat. You smirked at the sight. No shame in this one.
You ran your hand through the long, tied-up hair on the top of his head, using your fingers to remove the leather band keeping his hair up. The strands fell messily forward as you combed through them. Much less like a gentleman than before. Not that he seemed like much of a gentleman before. You experimentally fisted his blond hair and tugged it backwards, exposing his throat and forcing him to look at you. You were rewarded by a breathless moan, as his grip on your leg tightened and his hips stuttered.
His moans became ragged and desperate as his thighs began to burn and tremble. He was getting close, you could tell. His thrusts were getting clumsy and his gaze more pleading, as though he thought you’d rob him of his release. You considered it for a moment, then decided against it, placing an affectionate hand on his cheek instead.
“Go ahead,” you mumbled. Adder groaned, then whimpered, his grip on you becoming nigh painful. Then he shuddered and whined, come smearing onto your boot as he rode out his orgasm, head lolling forward and slumping against your hip.
For a minute or two, there was nothing but the sound of him panting. You lazily combed through his hair, letting him take his time to recover. He melted into it, nuzzling against your hip. You took the time to redo his braids to the best of your abilities, using his leather band to put his hair up. He sighed and leaned into your hands, like a particularly touch-starved kitten.
After a moment, his eyes fluttered open, and he raised his head to peer up at you. The sight was unreasonably cute for such a crude man.
“Jak masz na imię?” He mumbled, asking for your name, and you told him. He repeated it to himself. You smiled wryly, then nodded down at him.
“What’s yours?” You returned the question, still fiddling with his hair.
“Adder.” He replied, flashing you a little smirk, gripping his soft cock and brandishing it at you lewdly, before wiping it off on your boot and pushing it back into his braies. You were beginning to realise that this was just how he was. It had nothing to do with him being horny. He was just like that.
“Well, Adder, we should probably split up and get out of Kuttenberg for a day or two.” You stated, gaze trailing up to the exit of the alleyway. The guards were long gone, searching some other part of Kuttenberg. This was the ideal time to make an escape. Your attention was pulled to the man on his knees, as he firmly grabbed your leg. He might have meant it as a show of intent, of dominance, but it came off like he was a dog pawing at its owner.
“Nie zostawiam nikogo niezadowolonego.” He stated, as if it were a matter of principle, not pride.
You didn’t know how to tell him that this had quenched a thirst deep within you. That you were more satisfied than you could ever remember being from a quick fuck. Instead, you brushed your fingers gingerly over his cheek, giving him a challenging smile.
“I guess you’ll have to find me again, then.”
Zauważyłeś kieszonkowca w Kuttenberg? - Have you noticed the pickpocket in Kuttenberg?
Nie, nie… Ten… Najlepszy… - No, no… The one… The best one…
Zamknij mordę! - Shut your mouth!
y skurwysynu! Wypatroszę cię! - You whoreson! I’ll gut you!
A co, patrzenie się to przestępstwo? - Is looking a crime now?
To ty mnie śledzisz. - You’re the one following me.
Chciałś mojej uwagi? Mogłś po prostu zapytać - Did you want my attention? You could have just asked. -
Jesteś złodziejem kieszonkowym. Jesteś sprytny. - You’re a pocket thief. You’re good
Lubię patrzeć, jak pracujesz. - I like watching you work.
Przeszukaj mi gacie, jak chcesz. Może znajdziesz coś wartego złapania- - Why don’t you search my braies, huh? See if there’s something worth grabbing-
Taaak, tylko patrze - Juuust watching
Czy ty jesteś kurwa głupi/a?! - Are you fucking stupid?!
Ty skurwysynie - You motherfucker (ish)
Jak masz na imię? - What's your name?
Nie zostawiam nikogo niezadowolonego. - I never leave anyone unsatisfied.
