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summary: you werenât looking for company. he was seeking something he couldnât name.
pairing: creature x reader
warnings: mature/explicit, 18+ (minors dni!), no use of y/n, afab reader, gothic themes, body horror (mild/very vague), grief/loneliness, emotional hurt/comfort, first kiss, slow burn, size difference, first time, piv sex, soft dom undertones (reader), gentle worship, let me know if i missed anything!
word count: 9.5k
a/n: sheâs back on her behemoth big boy fic shit, letâs go
likes, comments, & reblogs are very appreciated but never required!
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The fire has burned low, a slow red heart pulsing in the grate. Sitting on an old, hand-sewn cushion, back pressed against the side of a threadbare armchair, legs tucked beneath a woolen blanket. The book in your lap is a familiar oneâyour favoriteâyet youâve read the same page three times and could not recount it once. Words seem to blur when youâre this tired.Â
Your small cottage is quiet, save for the steady crackle of the fire and the faint patter of icy rain on the thatched roof. Evenings are usually a comfortâparticularly in winterâwhen the day finally slows and work is done. Sometimes, though, the silence of it has teeth and gnaws softly at the edges of the room.Â
Tonight feels like one of those nights, the stillness giving too much space for thought. Memories stir: last winterâs fever, frantic days now gone.
Outside, the wind sifts through the trees like a restless hand and the cottage creaks in reply. Itâs familiarâthe small groans of the wood and stone holding fast against the bitter cold. Life is quiet now. The few hens you have tend to roost early this time of year, the vegetable garden rests under a blanket of frost, and footsteps have long since vanished from the road.
No one would be fool enough to traverse them until the spring thaw.Â
The chair at your back sits empty, as it has for a little over a year. Sometimes you still find yourself glancing toward it before remembering that no oneâs there, that no one will fill it again. Shaking off the thought, you close your book, and stand to stir the fire. Sparks leap up, quick and bright before fading. You tell yourself that this solitude fits you and you nearly find yourself believing itâuntil a strange sound from outside catches your attention.Â
Itâs faintâsomething scraping beyond the door. Not the wind, not an animalâs small rustle. No, it must be something largerâheavier. A noise that has no business in so still a night. Frozen for a second, you grab the lantern from the mantle, ignoring the tremor in your hand as the wick catches.
The second you press open the old wooden door, the cold drives into you like a blade. The storm has thickenedâsleet turned to snow, fat flakes dragged sideways by wind. Lantern light shows only swirling white at first, until a shape emerges: hulking, dark, near the edge of the shed.Â
It moves.
Before you can stop yourself, you call out, âWhoâs there?â
No answer, just another gust of wind that rustles the bare branches of nearby trees. The shape turns, hesitates. Against your better judgement, you tighten the woolen blanket around your shoulders and take a few tentative steps forward. The light illuminates the shape just enough for you to see himâtaller than any man youâve ever met, shoulders bent, face half-hidden beneath a curtain of wet hair.Â
Your heart lurches and you take a step back, the lantern swinging, âGo on, then! Iâve nothing worth stealing!â
He flinches at your voice and lifts his handsânot threateningly, but as if warding you off. You see the raw red of his knuckles, the trembling of his fingers. His clothes are in tatters, soaked through. He looks less like a robber than someone hopelessly lost.Â
âPlease,â you call, quieter now, âWhat do you want?âÂ
His gaze flicks toward the cottage, the front door still cracked open behind youâletting the warm light from inside spill out into the dark. Again, he says nothing, merely gives a small shake of his head, chest heaving. You notice that heâs barefoot and your heart gives a pitying clench despite the situation.Â
Words die on your tongue as you take a slow step forward, deliberate and carefulâthe way one would approach a wounded animal. Shivering, whether from fear or cold, he keeps a cautious watch, glancing toward the treeline as if planning escape.Â
âI donât mean you any harm,â the reassurance sounds foolish even as it leaves your mouth. He could overpower you without effort, yet something insists he wonât.Â
He doesnât answer, merely gives a fearful grunt and wraps the tattered coat he wears more tightly around himself. Slowly, it dawns on you that perhaps he canât answerâthat he may not understand you at all.Â
âYouâre lost, arenât you?â The words hang between you, âNo one would be out in this weather otherwise, I suppose.â Wind howls, branches scrape, and silence settles again. You can feel your pulse hammering in your throat, but you keep your voice steady, âDo you need help?â
Understanding flickers across his eyes. He looks hurt, scarred, paleâpatched together in ways that donât make sense. Yet, no danger radiates from him. Every instinct says to run, but compassion roots you in place.
âYes? Help?â You try again, cocking your head to the side. He doesnât nod or offer a word, but doesnât look away either. After a quick prayer under your breath, you gesture to the open door, âItâs warm in there. You can stay the night, if youâd likeâjust until the weather clears.âÂ
Wide, dark eyes study you. A gust of wind makes him shiver harder while he looks between you and the light spilling out into the cold. His muscles twitch, wanting desperately to move toward the warmth, but still, he hesitates.Â
You take a few steps back toward the door and he follows, stumbling forward before stoppingâcautious and unsure. The sight of it makes your heart clench tightly in your chest for reasons you donât quite understand. He moves like a dog whoâs been scolded by its master, assessing every step for some unknown dangerâexpecting pain.Â
You recognize that lookâsomeone waiting for a mercy that wonât come; you wore it the night your brother died.
âHas someone hurt you?â You question, purposefully soft and slowâmeant to soothe. No reply, but his body speaks plainly enough. Hair blows across his face, and in the firelight you glimpse eyes that, for all their strangeness, look kind.
Standing aside, you gesture him in. âI wonât hurt you,â you reassure, just as another icy gust forces a shiver through your blanket. âCome, itâs much too cold.â
He hesitates, then finally steps through, ducking beneath the lintel. The room seems smaller with him inside. Water drips from his clothes onto the boards, but awe softens his expression as he takes in the firelight and the few humble furnishings. When the door closes, he jumps at the sound.
For a long moment, the both of you simply stand there, watching one another. âIt isnât much, I know,â you murmur, finally breaking the silence and carefully stepping around him. Walking over to the hearth, you pick up a poker and adjust the logs until the flames pick up a little more, âYouâre welcome to stay until lightâor until itâs safe to travel.â
In the light, you can see him more clearly. Your heart thuds in your chest at his strange appearanceâscarred and stitched, patched up in ways that donât quite make sense. The coat he has wrapped around himself is old, faded in spots from the sun. His hair is damp and dirty.Â
All of it should reasonably frighten you, and yet, as he takes a few more steps into the cottage and stops before the fire, pity wins out. His fingers tug at the edges of his coat, keeping it held tightly around himself like a shield.Â
Unsure what to say, you manage a small smile and gesture toward the armchair youâd been sitting against earlier. âSit, pleaseâyou must be tired,â moving to the table, you glance at a half-eaten loaf of bread, âAre you hungry?â
He merely looks at the chair for a momentâas if itâs some brand new thingâbefore finally slowly going over to it. When he finally sits, it creaks under his weightânot exactly meant to hold someone so large. You donât miss the quiet sigh that leaves him, one of relief.Â
Slicing the bread, you spread a generous helping of jamâstill sweet from the summerâs last batchâonto a few pieces before setting them on a plate and taking it over to him, marveling silently at the strangeness of it. Youâve long since stopped setting a second place at supper but sometimes, out of habit, your hand still reaches for another plate or fork before you can think better of it.Â
When you reach him, he merely blinks at the food before looking back at you, prominent brow furrowing in confusion. Can he not speak? You think, observing him for a second, Perhaps heâs lost his memory?. He certainly looks as if that could be the caseâso scarred and pale, almost sickly.Â
Miming eating, you make exaggerated âMmm!â sounds while pretending to chew, laughing softly at the silliness of it. âHungry?â You try again, pointing to the bread, âFood, for you. Eat, please.â
Hesitantly, he does reach out and take the plate, though he makes no move to eat until you turn awayâbusying yourself by putting away the remaining bread and jam and wiping off the knife. Out of the corner of your eye, he raises the plate to his face and sniffs at it before grabbing a slice. His movements are uncoordinatedâshaky and unsureâbut he finally eats, wolfing down the simple meal with the occasional grunt of approval.Â
Finishing up, you slowly make your way back toward the fire and lower yourself to sit on one of the cushions, grateful for the warmth of the fire when wind whistles through the cracks in the wood. Tilting your head to the side, you study him for a long momentâtaking in the way light traces the uneven lines of his face, how exhaustion sits in his posture. Although it must be quite late by now, sleep will be scarce tonightâcuriosity and apprehension weighing far too heavily on your mind.Â
âDo you have a name?â The question drifts across the firelight and he pauses, his head cocked just slightly. Brow furrowed, you point to yourself, repeating your own name slowly. His gaze sharpens, following each sound until recognition flickers in his dark gaze. You repeat it, deliberate, syllable by syllable. âThatâs me,â you whisper, âMy name.â
His lips part in a rasping attempt. Then, finally, he shapes the wordâyour nameâin a voice rough and uncertain.Â
Your eyes light up. It feels like the first warmth of spring.Â
âYes, thatâs exactly right!â The praise drips easily from your lips and you spend the next few moments coaching him, repeating your name again and again and listening as he repeats it with growing confidence, nodding all the while. The gentle encouragement seems to please him and the corners of his lips twitch up into a small smile, making a strange warmth bloom inside you.Â
You know nothing of this man, and yet your heart stirs in your chest.Â
âYour turn,â you finally murmur, nodding to him expectantly, âWhat do I call you?âÂ
The smile on his lips slowly fades at that and gets replaced by a look of confusion. He opens his mouth to speak, lips quivering as if trying to utter a sound his mind has forgotten. A strained breath pushes out insteadâfrustration, or fear, or both. His brows draw low over his eyes. One trembling hand lifts from his lap and hovers in the space between you, then presses against his chest as if trying to force a word up from somewhere deeper.Â
Still, nothingâonly the flicker of panic.Â
âShh,â you soothe quickly, hand raised before he can work himself to distress, âThatâs alright, weâve time.â Even as you reassure him, something inside you seems to breakâhe truly has nothing. No proper clothes, no name, seemingly not even the surety of some worldâsome lifeâwaiting for him out there. âYou can tell me later,â you continue, smiling softly as you lower your hand, tentatively resting it atop his on the arm of the air, âWhenever you remember.âÂ
His shoulders dip, relief loosening the tension that had crept into his frame. He nodsâsmall and hesitantâseemingly grateful you arenât pressing him.Â
A quiet settles over the cottage, the kind that hums around the edges of the fire. Your eyes catch on the damp patches of his coat and you realize how his coat clings to him, heavy with melted snow and ice. âPoor thing, you must be freezing,â you say under your breath, just as another gust of wind pushes against the shutters, punctuating your point, âWait here.â
He doesnât understand the words, not fully, but he understands the gesture when you hold up a hand and step away. He stays rooted to the armchair, though his head cranes around as he watches your every move while you retreat to the far side of the cottage.Â
The small trunk at the foot of your bed hasnât been opened in months. Your hand hovers over the lid for a heartbeat too long and the iron hinges creak when you finally lift it. Inside, folded with a care only grief can bring, are the last of your brotherâs thingsâhis clothing, his oil paints, a tattered old journal of his that you still canât bring yourself to read.Â
Cedar. Soap. Faint, fading memories.Â
Your chest tightens. You force a slow breath through your nose and swallow down the ache working its way up your throat before lifting a shirt and pair of trousers from the neat stack. Theyâre soft from wear, too big in some places and too small in others, but theyâre warmâdry and whole.Â
You close the trunk firmly before grief has space to bloom.Â
When you return to him, the firelight paints his face in shifting golds and shadows. His eyes drop to the clothes in your hands and then lift again to your face, searching for instruction.Â
âThese,â you say softly, offering them out against the pain in your chest, âWere my brotherâs.â You swallow once more, steadier now. For a second, you think of explainingâof talking through the illness that took him, the stillness thatâs haunted you ever since. Deciding against it, you simply give a shake of your head and nod at the ragged coat he wears, âThey should fit better than⌠those. And theyâll be warm.âÂ
He looks down at his tattered rags, fingers brushing over the threadbare fabric with something like shame. Then, he reachesâslowly, cautiouslyâand takes the bundle from your hands. His palms dwarf the folded clothes, holding them with a strange, reverent care, as though afraid to crease them.Â
âThere,â you try for a smile, âLetâs get you warm.â
You gesture toward the corner of the cottage nearest the hearth, where a simple privacy screen stands next to your wooden wash tub. Itâs hardly more than a patched sheet hung on a wooden frame, but it offers the illusion of modesty. He watches you, then looks to the screen, and then back to youâuncertain.Â
âItâs alright,â you reassure, pointing at the clothes once more and then back to the screen, âYou can change there.âÂ
Understanding seems to dawn on him slowly and he stands, still clutching the clothes, and moves behind the screen. Fabric rustles. You poke at the fire once more, busying yourself and giving him spaceâtrying not to imagine the state of the bruises and scars hidden beneath the tatters he wears.Â
A few moments pass and the rustling finally stops. When he steps out again, the sight nearly knocks the breath from your lungs.Â
The clothes hang strangely on himâthe shirtâs sleeves end too high on his forearms, and the trousers fit awkwardly around his hipsâbut he looks⌠human. Softer around the edges and gentler in the glow of the fire. Warmer, somehow.Â
âBetter,â you say quietly, and you mean it.Â
His fingers pluck at the hem of the shirt, testing the feel of it. He murmurs something low, a rumble you think might be gratitude, but the words are lost in his throat. You offer a small nod anyway.Â
âLet me make you somewhere to sleep,â you offer, gathering spare cushionsâpatched, faded, but still softâand arrange them beside the hearth, âIt must be quite late by now.â You leave him the wool blanket youâd dawned before, then place a spare pillow down as wellâone that smells faintly of the lavender sachets youâre so fond of. He watches, eyes wide and dark and questioning, while you kneel and shift everything into place, lips parted slightly in something like wonder.Â
As if no one has ever done him a favor before, as if even this small shred of comfort is entirely foreign.Â
When you finish, you look up at him with an almost sheepish grin. âIt isnât much,â you admit softly, âBut itâs warm, at least.â
He doesnât move until you do, finally giving him space as you go over to your bedâa simple thing pressed against one of the cottageâs walls. Finally, he lowers himself onto the palletâslow, as though uncertain the floor will hold him. His hand presses into one of the cushions, testing its give with an odd fascination. Then, he lays downâstiffly at firstâand pulls the blanket around himself. His body sinks into the softness, his shoulders relax and a long, shuddering breath leaves himâalmost a sigh.Â
Your heart twists at the vulnerability of itâa wild, feral thing, finally at ease.Â
Climbing into your own bed, you quickly make yourself comfortable and stare at the dark wooden ceiling, watching the way shadows play on it. Turning your head to the side, you watch him for a long momentâtrying desperately to make sense of him. âGoodnight,â you finally murmur, voice quieter than you intend.Â
He looks up at you, eyes reflecting the firelight. His lips part.
Your name leaves him againâsoft and imperfect. Your heart clenches.Â
Not trusting yourself to answer, you simply lean over and blow out the small lantern on the old table by your bed. The cottage settles around you. Outside, the storm rages on; inside, the only other sound is the quiet rhythm of another breathing within the same four walls.Â
Sleep comes eventually.
For the first time in a long while, you wonder if youâre truly meant to be alone.Â
Winter refuses to loosen its grip. Days pass in a slow, snow-choked drift, and he stays because there is nowhere else to goâand because you donât ask him to leave.Â
A cautious routine finds its way into the cottage.Â
In the mornings, you light the fire while he hovers nearby, hands held out toward the warmth with wary curiosity. He copies your motionsâawkwardly splitting kindling, mimicking the way you poke at the fire. Heâs clumsy at first, but quite determined.Â
You read to him in the afternoons when the light is best. He sits cross-legged on the floor, elbows on his knees, gaze fixed on the pages as though trying to devour every word. When you pause to take a breath, he taps the page with a large, scarred finger and murmurs, âAgain.âÂ
He learns fastâfaster than you expect. Simple words come at first, stilted and halting. Then, slowly, phrases. Sometimes he surprises youâsnatching a word you didnât think heâd been listening for and rolling it around in his mouth like a smooth stone. Before long, heâs reading through your books himselfâsometimes aloud, sometimes with quiet whispers.Â
You speak to him more each day; at first, it was to fill the silence, then because you want to. The cottage no longer feels so hollow.Â
You catch yourself humming while you cook, or find him watching you with a soft, puzzled fondness, as though trying to understand the way you move through the spaceâto understand how youâve taken up so much of his chest in so little time. You start setting two cups at the table without thinking.Â
A quiet companionship roots itself between youâunexpected, fragile, strangely natural.Â
Snow keeps the cottage shuttered, the world beyond reduced to white drifts and howling gusts. Days slip into each other, marked only by the crack and sigh of fire and the slow progress of your shared routines.Â
Still, something in him changes.Â
He grows quiet in a different wayârestless beneath the surface. It starts small: pauses while you read, his gaze drifting toward the window and then beyond it, toward a world he cannot name. Sometimes, you catch him pressing a hand against his chest as though feeling for something missing.Â
He dreams, you think, occasionally letting out quiet whimpers or gasps in the nightâlow, broken murmurs. His breath hitches. A few times heâs bolted upright, disoriented and searching for something you cannot see.Â
One afternoon, when youâre darning a rip in an apron, he stands so long at the window that frost collects in his breath on the glass. His reflection looks back at him, strange and stitched, and questioning. When he finally speaks, his voice is steady.Â
âI keep⌠thinking,â his words are careful, soft, âBefore this place, before you. There must have been a place, a beginning.â His fingers tap against the window, restless. âI feel itâhere,â he murmurs, pressing a hand to his chest, âBut I cannot see it clearly.â
Setting your mending aside, you give him your full attentionâhead tilted with curiosity, âWhat do you remember? Even the smallest pieces.â
His eyes close and the hand against his ribs tightens. âCold stone,â he whispers, searching, âEchoes, light so bright it hurt. And⌠a voice, a name.â
âA name?â
âVictor,â he mutters, speaking the word as though it causes him physical pain, âI think that is where I began.âÂ
You stand then and reach out to him as you approach, gently settling a hand on his arm. âIf you feel drawn to it,â you say gently, âThen you should go. You have a right to know where you came from.â
His brows knit and he stays silent for a long moment before finally looking at you with wide, fearful eyes, âAnd if I find something I wish I hadnât?â
You swallow, words sticking in your throat. âThen you come home,â the word slips out before you can catch it. His eyes softenâsurprised, almost shy.Â
You donât take it back.Â
You hate the way your heart lurches when he leaves the next morning, dawning his old coat once more.Â
You spend that day listeningâto the wind, to your own footsteps, to the hollow quiet left in his absence. The cottage feels wrong without his heavy, deliberate movements, without his curious hums at the fire, without the soft sound of him turning pages too slowly, tracing each line with a careful fingertip.Â
The storm picks up at dusk. You light the lantern early.Â
By nightfall, fear sits like a stone in your stomach.Â
Thenâjust as you reach for your cloak to go after himâthe door slams open.Â
He stumbles insideânot the careful, cautious creature youâve come to know, but something unraveling. Snow clings to his hair and lashes and ash streaks his face, remnants of whatever ruin heâd found at last.Â
He collapses to his knees before you as if his legs have simply given out. âI found it,â he rasps, âThe tower.â
You drop beside him, brows furrowed with worry, âWhat happened?â
He lifts his head, and the devastation in his expression cuts into you like a knife. âI know what I am,â he says, voice breaking, âI saw the place, I read what he wrote.â His chest heaves, breath shaking over a sob, âI was made of⌠pieces. Scraps. Things torn apart and stitched together. I was not⌠born, not wanted.â He shakes his head, a miserable and helpless gesture. Tears streak over his cheeks and your stomach drops, âI thoughtâI hopedâthat there might be someone who wished for me, but there was nothing. Only the work of a man who came to fear me.â
More tears fall and he presses a trembling hand to his throat as though steadying something inside himself. âI am a monster,â he whispers.
It hits you like a physical blow.
You reach for his faceâgently, carefullyâand cradle the sides of his jaw. He flinches, then leans into your touch with a broken exhale. âLook at me,â you say softly, sucking in a breath when his dark eyes look up to you, âYou are not a monster.âÂ
His breath shudders and his brows twitch, âHow can you say that?â
âBecause, monsters do not learn,â you whisper firmly, as if trying to press the words so deep into him that they stick like stone, âThey donât feel, they donât try. They donât listen to stories like they matter or help me shovel snow or read words theyâve never seen before. They donât care.â Exhaling, trembling, your voice drops to a mere breath, âThey donât say my name like it means something.â
Sniffling, you brush a streak of ash from his cheek with your thumb, âYou are someone.â
He closes his eyes as if the words hurt, as if they warm him too quickly after too much cold. A moment passes and he lifts his hand, hesitates, and then touches your cheek with the gentlest brush of his fingertips, as though he fears you may break, âI donât want to be alone, to be nothing.â
âYouâre not, you have me,â the words come as a whisper and you sigh when his forehead rests against yours. His hand curls carefully around one of your wrists and the fire crackles, snow still falling outside.Â
Something new seems to settle in the air between you, different from before. Itâs not mere comfort, or gratitude, not even longingânot yet.Â
You donât move closer, he doesnât either.Â
But neither of you move away.Â
The storm breaks two days later, as if exhausted by its own violence. Snow still blankets the world, but it begins to shrink under patches of weak sunlight. Icicles drip steadily from the eaves. The road outside remains buried, but icy wind no longer beats against the walls.Â
âThe storm will clear soon,â he says quietly, looking up from the book heâd been reading to you. You look up from his coat, the tattered one heâd come to you inâyouâd been determined to fix it up for him and had been slowly mending tears. Almost tentatively, you look at one another, âAnd when it does⌠I goâŚ?â
The words land like a cold draft on your skin and you swallow, setting the heap of fabric in your lap to the side. âThat was our deal,â you murmur, âWhen the weather changed.â Turning your gaze to the window, you watch for a moment as the tree branches outside sway in a soft wind, âDo you⌠want to go?â
He stares at you for a moment, unblinking. He seems to sense the turmoil growing within you, the uncertainty in your voice. His fists clench and unclench in his lap, his throat tight. â...No,â he finally answers, hoarse, hardly more than a whisper, âI donât, but I thought⌠I assumed you wanted me toâŚâ
âThat was before,â the words come quicklyâto quickâand you catch yourself, pausing. That was before you learned about him, before you cared for him. âBefore I⌠I knew you,â you finally say, words settling on a whisper.Â
An ache swells in your chest and you busy your hands by picking at the fraying edge of your apron, but the feeling doesnât dissipate. âI donât want you to go,â you continue before you can talk yourself down from it, âI donât. Iâd been alone here for so long, I⌠I thought that was what I wanted. But nowâŚâ You shake your head, feeling your heart beat up into your throat. âNow it feels⌠wrong. Empty.â
A flicker of surprise passes across his face, followed by hope and something a bit warmer that he doesnât quite know how to name.Â
âI would stay,â he says slowly, âIf that is what you truly want.â
âI do,â you whisper and silence settlesânot heavy, not like before. Itâs more of a relief, something left unsaid now made plain.Â
From that moment on, things change between the two of you.Â
He offers to carry firewood in from the sheds now rather than merely helping, brushes snow from your shoulders with a hand so gentle it nearly undoes you. You spend an afternoon teaching him how to mend tears in fabric, guiding his fingers with yours. He reads to you more nowâslow, at first, but endlessly determined; the delighted scrunch of his nose when he recognizes a difficult word warms you from the inside out like wine.Â
And you⌠find yourself watching him more than before.Â
Heâs becoming familiar in a way that feels alarmingly precious. You expect the way heâll bow his head ever so slightly when heâs deeply listening, or start expecting the low hum that sounds from his chest when somethingâs confused him. What you find yourself searching for the most is the way his eyes light up when he makes you laughâreally laugh, not the brittle sound youâd grown used to after your brother passed.Â
Youâd forgotten what it was like to share a space with someone who truly knows you, and who you know in turnâsomeone who would care if youâre tired or cold or quiet.Â
He feels the change, tooâyou see it in the way he goes still for a second after you touch him, the way his breath catches in his throat and he looks to you before quickly averting his gaze.Â
You donât rush him, you donât need to.Â
You do, however, start leaving out more of the romance books youâd had carefully tucked away; tales of knights and princesses, of desire.Â
Some nights later, the world feels strangely gentleâthe kind that breeds anticipation.Â
The snow has finally begun to melt in earnest and the air that seeps through the shutters is still cold, but no longer biting. The outside smells of rain and damp earth and new lifeâa scent youâve grown to associate with early spring, when endings and beginnings still press too close together.Â
Youâd fallen asleep easily, lulled by the low crackle of the fire and the steady turning of pages from the nearby pallet. Lately, heâs taken to reading long after youâre asleep; your lullaby has become low mumbles while he reads through paragraphs with careful concentration.Â
Tonight started off no differently, until a sound drags you from sleepâsharp, choked.Â
Pushing yourself upright, your brows furrow and your heart thuds. The cottage is dim, lit only by the glow of slowly dying embers, just enough light for you to make him out.Â
Heâs sitting upright on the pallet, shoulders curled inward with a hand tangled in his hair. His whole body seems to trembleânot violently as if from cold, but more contained, like he didnât want to wake you.
âHey,â you whisper, already across the room before thought catches up to you, âItâs alright, youâre safe.âÂ
He doesnât flinch from your voice, but his breath stutters as if heâs trying and failing to hold steady. âI⌠I saw it again,â he manages, voice rough at the edges, âThe tower, the fire⌠him.â His throat tightens around the last word as he stares blankly at the flames dancing in the hearth, âI thought it would fade but⌠itâs as if he haunts me.â
You kneel beside him atop one of the cushions, your knees nearly touching his. Your hands hover before you dare touch him; he looks lostâtruly lost, the way he had been the first night youâd found him. Understanding only seems to have brought a new kind of pain.Â
Gently, you reach for his arm.Â
He exhales shakily at the contact, like the simple touch alone is what anchors him to the present. âYou donât have to sit with it alone,â you murmur, âYou neednât wake up alone either.âÂ
His gaze lifts at thatâdark, shimmering in the low firelight. Confusion and longing braid together; your meaning is clear to him, as is the knowledge that the ache thatâs steadily been building in his chest is present in yours as well.Â
He swallows hard, shaking his head slightly, âI do not want to frighten you.âÂ
âYou could never frighten me.â
âI should,â he mutters quicklyâtoo quickly, it makes him wince. Taking a breath, he turns his head from you, then says again, softer, âI should⌠I⌠Iâm a monster, I am nothing.â
You shake your head and slide closer, brows furrowed as if his words bring you physical pain. âCome,â you say gently, âCome here.â
His hesitation is visibleâshoulders drawn tight, eyes flicking to your bed, then back to your face. You wait, patient. You let him come to youâit matters that itâs his choice.Â
After a long, trembling moment, he finally shifts toward you.
He leans in carefully, forehead pressing to your shoulder with a drawn out breath, warm against your collarbone. For someone of such large stature, heâs such a fragile thing. You ease your arms around him, pulling him close into a proper embrace for the first time.
He melts.Â
Bit by bit, piece by piece, the tension leaves him until heâs practically folded into your chest, one hand clutching the fabric of your nightdress as if afraid you might slip away.Â
âYouâre alright,â you whisper into his hair, breath catching as he seems to purr low in his chest, âIâve got you, itâs alright.â
The two of you stay like that for a long whileâthe fireâs dim glow painting the room in amber shadows, the only sound the soft stutter of his breathing gradually smoothing into something calmer.
When he does finally speak again, the words are quiet. âWill it always hurt?â He questions, âRemembering?â
âMaybe,â you admit, a sharpness fills your chest as thoughts of your own family flood your mind. It doesnât take long to soften, thoughâmorphing into something sweeter, nostalgic, âBut they may settle, eventually. And when they do come⌠you donât need to face them alone, not anymore.â
A breath leaves him, soft and shakyâlike a weightâs been lifted from his shoulders.Â
You pull back just enough to see his face. His eyes flick toward your bed again, then away just as quicklyâas though heâs ashamed for even looking.
Your voice stays calm, even as your heart skips a beat in your chest. âDo youâŚâ you start slowly, taking a deep breath, âDo you want to lie down? With me?âÂ
He stays utterly still in your grasp, seeming to freeze. âOnly if you want to,â you add quickly, damning the way your heart sinks, âOnly for⌠comfort. Just warmth and rest.â
His chest rises once, sharply, and his brows pinch. Something like disappointment passes over his gaze before vanishing. âI⌠want,â he whispers, rough, âBut I do not know if I should.âÂ
It feels as though someone pours a bucket of hot water over you when you hear those wordsâhe wants. Your eyes connect with hisâonly for a secondâbut the meaning is clear enough, understanding blooming between the two of you. Swallowing thickly, you nod and reach for his hand, threading your fingers with his, âI trust you. I want you there.â
Something inside him breaks open at thatânot painfully, but like thawing ice finally cracking to let something gentle through. He nods once.Â
Standing, you lead him to your bedâhumble and somehow holy all at once.Â
You get in first and shift over to make space beside you before looking at him expectantly. He moves carefully, cautiously, as though afraid heâll overstep some boundary he doesnât fully understand. You pull the blankets up as he settles beside youâtoo large for the narrow mattress, pressed close by necessity. Even still, he keeps a respectful distance at first, rigid with uncertainty.Â
Under the blankets, you slide your hand toward his, just barely brushing against his fingers. He inhales sharply and then slow, deliberately, closes the distance and lets his hand settle, warm and heavy, over yours.Â
âRelax,â you whisper, a coy smile playing on your lips.Â
âI am trying,â he breathes, with a trembling kind of honesty that softens something deep inside you.Â
You shift closer, offering your warmth without crowding him, and after a moment, he mirrors you. His forehead comes to rest lightly against yours, his breath mingling with yours in soft, tentative exhales.Â
âThank you,â he murmurs, âFor letting me stay.â
Your thumb strokes the back of his hand before you lift it, cupping his cheek instead, âI donât ever want you to go.â
Some small and aching thing flickers across his faceâwonder, disbelief, and want all rolled into one. He lifts his hand, hesitates, and then cups your cheekâmirroring you. He touches you as if you may break and his thumb brushes the corner of your lips.Â
You donât know who leans in first, only that youâre drawn together like a magnetâby some pull thatâs been slowly gathering strength for days now.Â
Your lips meet his softly and for a moment, itâs as if the sunâs rays have managed to swallow you completely. Thereâs a gentle pressure, hesitant at first, but then firmer when he realizes youâre not pulling away. He exhales against your mouthâa tender, trembling soundâand pulls back only an inch, eyes wide while they search yours.Â
â... Alright?â he swallows, words failing him.Â
You cradle his jaw, brushing your thumb along his cheekbone once more while you chuckle softly, âYes,â you nod, grinning, âMore than alright.â
Growing more confident, he clings to you like a man drowning, shifting down until he can press his cheek against your chest; the sound of your heartbeat beneath his ear pulls a pleased grumble from him. There are no books or borrowed words grand enough for this feelingâthis belongingâso he simply holds to you tighter.Â
With a contented rumble, he presses another kiss to you, this time to your collarbone. The two of you stay quiet for a long moment, simply basking in the feel of⌠whatever this new development is. After a while, he tilts his face up to meet your gazeâdark eyes full of quiet wonder. â...Happy,â he murmurs hoarsely, knowing the word alone canât possibly contain everything he feels.Â
The sweetness of the simple declaration has you huffing out another breathy laugh, your lips quirking up into a smile. âYou make me very happy, too,â you whisper, cupping his cheek before you comb your fingers through his hair once more, âIâm so glad you found me.â
The two of you lay together in a comfortable silence for a while, the steady crackle of the fire in the hearth and the occasional whistle of wind the only sounds keeping you company. Having him pressed against you like this, so solid and strong, has your mind wandering. Trailing your hand down ever so slowlyâslow enough for him to stop you if he wishesâyou gingerly untie the laces of his tunic.Â
When he doesnât stop you, you let your hand wander further. Sucking in a tentative breath, you reach out and slowly trail your fingers over the center of his chest, keeping your eyes on him the whole time.Â
Beside you, he tenses for just a moment when your fingers brush his bare skinâstill unused to touch that isnât clinical or violent. But then, he melts into it with a shuddering exhale, nuzzling further against your chest, silently marveling at how strange it feels to be seen like this and not recoiled from.Â
When you pull your hand awayâonly for a secondâhe makes a small noise of protest before going perfectly still as you bring your hand back to him once more, your fingers tracing over the lines of his chest where heâd been stitched together. Thereâs no disgust in your touch, only gentle curiosity, and it steals the breath from his lungs.Â
â... Ugly,â he murmurs, rough voice muffled against you as he struggles to meet your gaze.
Your brows furrow and your heart clenches as a wild desperation fills youâa need to show him that heâs wrong, to make him understand how lovely he is. âNo,â you whisper, giving a slow shake of your head, âNot ugly. Beautiful.âÂ
Gingerly, you press at his shoulder until he shifts a bit on the bed, moving to lie on his back. With an infinite slowness, giving him more than enough time to protest should he wish, you carefully move until you can straddle himâyour thighs on either side of his hips. The delicate fabric of your nightgown rides up your legs with the movement and you let out a soft sigh as you finally settle, resting your hands against his chest.Â
âYou are so lovely,â you murmur, gazing down at him while you slowly work his tunic open, âNot ugly, never ugly.â
Below you, his eyes widen as you trail your fingers over his chest once more, as if he canât quite believe the touch. Itâs as if heâs waiting for the other shoe to dropâfor you to stop and pull away in horror at the sight of him. âButâŚâ he says hoarsely, swallowing thickly in a poor attempt to ignore the lump forming at the back of his throat while he watches you.Â
Quietly shushing him, you slowly lean down and press a kiss against the bare skin of his chest, trailing them up over his neck until you can reach his lips. âDeath neednât be ugly,â you whisper against him, letting your forehead rest against his, âDeath can be beautiful, peaceful⌠like you.âÂ
Giving him a soft smile, you press a series of kisses over his jawline and press yourself further against him, letting him feel the warmth of you, the softness. A little thrill goes through you when he groans underneath you, the sound vibrating against your skin. âDeath is not one thing, just as you are not one thing,â you whisper, straightening back up and looking down at him with a soft smile, watching as your words sink into him.Â
A quiet sound escapes him when you sit back up, desperately wanting to pull you closer but so afraid of hurting you. He knows heâs strong, much more so than you, and infinitely worried heâll bruise the thing he loves most. But, when you kiss him again, he meets you eagerlyâhoping youâll somehow understand the words he fails to say as they get caught in his throat.Â
The kiss is languid and sweet, achingly tender even as stark need builds between us. His hands move over your body slowly, tentatively at first but with growing confidenceâsqueezing gently here and there, trying to see which touches illicit sweet gasps from you.Â
After a moment, he presses up against youâan instinctive buck of his hipsâand you gasp at the unmistakable feel of the hard line of his arousal pressing against you through the thin cotton breeches he wears. A small, surprised laugh claws its way up your throat as you pull away for air and you move against him in return, rolling your hips down against his.Â
He groans at the feel of it and his fingers dig into the soft flesh of your thighs as he moves beneath you again, chasing that same delicious pressure. One large hand cups the back of your head and pulls you down into a kiss. His lips move against yours more surely now, need obscuring uncertainty as he feels every shuddering breath you take, every sweet noise vibrating against his mouthâall of it driving him mad.Â
Breaking from the kiss, you sit up once more and stare down at him with a half-lidded gaze. Already panting, your jaw sets and you swallow thickly, brows pinching. How much does he know?Â
âDo you⌠want more?â You ask, measured and careful, watching him closely. Itâs plain to see he longs for something, the way his breaths catch in his throat tells you that much. Reaching out for him, you take one of his hands in yours and mindfully guide it toward the area where your center presses against his length.Â
His eyes widen slightly and you gather that your question is pointed enough when he nods, bucking up toward you again as understanding quickly dawns within him. He had read about this, about intimacyâin fragmented, flowery prose, yesâbut the reality of it is infinitely more overwhelming. âYes,â he rasps, fingers flexing against your hip. He canât imagine a world in which he would ever tell you no.Â
Seeing you atop him like this, though, makes him pause, apprehension flickering across his face. Compared to him, in all his size and stature, youâre so⌠small, delicate in ways he is not. His free hand comes up and brushes over the curve of your jawline. â... It hurts?â He asks softly, brow furrowed with concern.Â
Heâd never forgive himself if he broke you.Â
His question gives you pause and for a second, you merely blink, the realization of what he means slowly coming to you. Your heart flutters in your chest, a new, foreign warmth filling your veins. Even after all the weeks youâve spent with him, his sweetness still takes you by surprise. This is all so new to him, so much, and still, he worries for you.Â
âNo,â you whisper, shaking your head reassuringly as a smile creeps over your lips, âNo, if done right, it neednât hurt at all.âÂ
Your movements are measured still as you help him rid himself of his tunic, leaving him shirtless before you. Your eyes widen as they rove over his form, greedy as you take in the various lines and shades decorating his skin. âBeautiful,â you murmur after a moment, finding your voice once more.Â
He shivers under the intensity of your gazeâexposed in more ways than one as you drink him in. The firelight dances across his patchwork skin, highlighting every scar and seam. When your fingers trace over his chest again, he catches your wrist gentlyâbringing it to his lips to press a kiss against your pulse. His dark eyes hold yours as he whispers, âShow me.âÂ
His other hand finds the hem of your nightgown, fingers trembling where they brush against the softness of your thigh. You guide his hand up higher, letting it trail over your skin while you nod your headâpermission to remove it.Â
Heâs careful with it as he pulls it up and over your head, letting the fabric pool on the floor by the bed to be dealt with later. Your cheeks flush while he looks you over, taking in the bareness of you for the first time, looking you over with something akin to reverence. His hands hover over your waist for a moment before settling there, watching the way your breasts rise and fall with each breath you take.Â
It only takes a moment before he gets antsyâcuriousâand his eyes flick up to yours as one hand trails lower, slowly trailing over the thatch of hair between your legs. He makes a quiet sound of wonder at the way you feelâso different from anything heâs read about, yet infinitely more perfect. He stills again, silently seeking permission once more.Â
Nodding just slightly, you raise up a bit, giving him more room with which to explore you. He tentatively traces lower, until his blunt fingertips graze lightly over your entrance, eyes lighting up when the small touch earns him a sweet whimper from you. âOh,â he murmurs in amazement, feeling the slickness of you against his own skin, somehow knowing that must be a good thingâsome fuzzy memory from a life he no longer remembers telling him as much.Â
The way he looks at you alone makes you whimper, those dark eyes staring up at you like youâre sunlight in human form. Heart fluttering, you let him exploreâlet him touch and lookâonly gasping when his cool fingers brush over your folds, trailing toward your entrance.Â
Eyes slipping closed, your head tilts back from the pleasure of it. âYes,â you breathe, voice catching in your throat as you nod, jolting just slightly when he rubs over the aching bud at the apex of your center, âLike that.â
Beneath you, he commits every sound you make to memory, entranced at the way you move and how your voice fractures when you try to speak, the way you arch into his touch. Growing bold, he circles your entrance once more before just barely dipping the tip of a finger inside, marveling at how warm you feel against him. When he withdraws to rub slowly over that pinpoint of nerves that had made you jump a moment ago, he watches intently as you squirm above himâdetermined to learn exactly what makes you gasp and shudder.Â
You can feel his length twitch against you and, not wanting to leave him aching, you give him one final look before snaking a hand between your bodies. Working at the laces of his breeches slowly, you gauge his reaction all the while, grinning at how eager he seems. âCan I?â You ask, voice soft while you press the tips of your fingers beneath the fabric.Â
He nods immediatelyâeager despite his shyness. His hips jerk slightly and a low groan sounds from him when you tug his breeches down just enough to free his cock, letting it rest against his lower belly. âPlease,â he rasps, fingers flexing against your thighs while he watches you with a dark, hungry gaze.Â
A shudder runs through him when your fingers finally brush against himâhis entire body tensing for one breathless moment before melting into the touch with a choked-off sound.Â
âShh,â you soothe, gently wrapping your hand around him, stunned at the size. It feels similar to any other manâsâdefinitely no less magnificentâand seems to work the same as well, a bead of moisture already welling at the tip that you run your thumb through, making him jerk beneath you, âIâve got you.âÂ
Arching into your touch with a low whine, he feels as if his body is strung as tightly as a bowstring. Every touch sends sparks racing up his spine and when you lean down to press kisses against his neck, it makes him shudderâtoo much and not enough all at once.Â
âY-You⌠inside?â He manages to pant out between ragged breathsâwords failing him as you twist your wrist just so. His hips stutter upward helplessly, chasing the sweet friction of your hand even as he pleads for more. He wants desperately to be closer, to somehow be a part of you.
âInside?â You echo, needing to be sure. This is so precious for himâto be held this way, touched with a loving handâyou need for it to be good for him, âYou know what that means, yes? You understand?â You ask, gently directing his gaze to yours with a hand on his jaw.Â
Noddingâslower this time, more deliberateâhe blinks up at you steadily. âTo⌠become one,â he murmurs, borrowing the words from the various books youâve shared with him. Thereâs no fear or apprehension in his eyes now, only aching want and quiet trust as his hands settle on your hips againâguiding but not forcing, âReady⌠please?â
Nodding along with his words, you lean down until your forehead rests against his, unable to stop yourself from wanting to be close. Your heart flutters when he eagerly leans into you, practically purring while you press your lips against his.Â
A moment later, you sit back up with a deep, trembling breath. Sparing him another glance, you reach between your bodies once more and carefully position him at your entrance, angling your hips just enough to notch the head of his cock against your opening.Â
âO-Ohh,â you breathe, voice catching in your throat while you rest your hands against his chest, slowly sinking down and letting him fill you, relishing the gasps spilling from his lips.Â
His entire body tenses beneath you at the overwhelming heat and tightness surrounding him. For a moment, he simply stares up at you in stunned silence, dark eyes wide with awe. His hands tighten at your hips, not to thrust or control but simply to hold you, as if heâs terrified this perfect moment might slip away. When he finally finds his voice again, it comes out broken and reverent.Â
â... Home,â he chokes, because what else could this be? Your warmth around him, your heartbeat syncing with hisâperfect. For him, this is much more than the simple joining of bodies; this feels like finally coming home after a lifetime spent wandering.Â
Caught off guard by the sheer sweetness of him, you huff out a soft, adoring laugh and lean down to press against him, needing to be close. âGods, you feel so good,â you breathe, chest heaving with soft pants. You stay still for a moment, letting yourself adjust to the stretch of him, before just barely rolling your hipsâthe small movement enough to elicit gasps from the both of you.Â
His hands flex against your hips, greedy and needy in equal measure. A low groan rumbles through his chest when you move against him, his head tipping back against the pillows. âMine,â he thinks deliriously as he starts to move with you, your bodies slotting together like you were made for one another.Â
His large hands slide up to cradle your ribsâcareful now, even in his desperation, as he helps guide your movements. Every little gasp you make, every flutter of your walls around him, sends sparks shooting down his spine until heâs trembling with restraint.Â
âMore?â He says lowly, voice gravelly, half begging, half checking while his thumbs brush over the undersides of your breasts. Please say yes, he thinks, willing you to hear him, Please never stop.Â
The second he requests it, you find yourself nodding, unable to deny him anything for very long. âMore,â you acquiesce, voice morphing to a breathy mewl when he slides his hands up to cup your breastsâhis touch worshipping and curious all at once, âIâm yours, all yours.â
He surges up then to capture your lips in a messy, desperate kissâall restraint gone now that he has those precious words echoing through his mind like church bells. His hips snap upward to meet the next roll of your hips, sheathing himself fully inside you with a choked groan.Â
Yours, yours, yours, he growls it with every thrust, each time his hips meet yours.Â
One hand tangles in your hair while the other grips your hip tightly, guiding you to move fasterâharderâuntil the bed creaks beneath you both. His breaths come in ragged pants against your neck, every thrust punctuated with broken whispers of your name.Â
âMine,â he groans beneath your ear, unashamed to say it now, and he commits the way you shiver at it to memory. His words dissolve into incoherent sounds as pleasure coils tighter in his bellyâhis entire body trembling with the effort to hold on just a little longer, âLove you, love youâŚâ
His words seem to make the pleasure flowing through you double, taking your breath away. Gasping in his hold, you let out a broken whimper and eagerly nod your head, words failing you for a moment. âI love you,â you manage, keening as desire threatens to overtake you, âI love you.â
Knowing heâs hardly hanging on, you hastily trail a hand between your bodies, seeking out the bundle of nerves between your thighs. Tensing against him when your fingertips finally come into contact with it, you waste no time circling it with a practiced touch. âLet go,â you pant, hardly able to get the words out as you finally tip over the edge, walls clenching around his length, âLet go for me, my love.â
Beneath you, he shatters. Your touch, your words, your love, all of them blend together and send him reeling. His entire body seizes as pleasure crashes over him like a tidal wave. Burying his face against your chest with a choked cry, he spills inside you, hips stuttering erratically before stilling.Â
For a long moment afterward, he simply clings to youâtrembling and breathlessâas if afraid youâll disappear if he lets go. When he finally lifts his head, his dark eyes are shining with something soft and awed as he presses a shaky, gentle kiss to your lips.Â
â...Stay?â He murmurs against your mouthâthe question carrying far more weight than just tonight. Stay forever, he hopes, trying to will it into existence, Be his, always.
The question makes you grin against his lips, a huff of soft laughter escaping you at the notion that you could possibly want him to do anything elseâas if you havenât made your stance perfectly clear a thousand times before now. âStay,â you echo without pause, giving a slow nod as you rest your forehead against his, âYouâre home.â
Something bright and joyous flares in his gaze as he pulls you closer, moving to lie down with you tangled in his embrace. His arms wrap around you, protective and adoring, while he tucks you against his scarred chest. He lets out a quiet, low purr of contentment as he buries his nose against your hair, breathing in your familiar scent.For once, the never-ending thump of his heart doesnât fill him with dread. It feels steadying, reassuringâcontent that it has finally found something, someone, to keep beating for.
tags: @zaldritzosrose @sphynxestrel @vampirexprincess @supernaturalwitch89 @sadbirdy @creative-mang00 @brise-ginandre @mywickeddivinity @irrepressible-domovoy @elviraliarlecter-blog @this-gave-pidgeon-further-shock @hauntinq-6 @skeletons-and-roses @poepard @phizzyfrog @nattalinas @tk-tumbler-br @qirlzpanda-blog1 @vkitzu @cherryteddysblog @meryl-melys @luckybook @i12211tg @mintysrandomintrests @thewhisperedone @r4v3n0us












