*Evelianna*
Warmness, she was surrounded in comfortable, firm, warmness... firm? Her eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times before setting on a chest. A male bare chest. "what the..." She blinked again and as the chest, and the rest of the limbs attached to it, began to stir with a groan, she lifted her gaze to meet half-closed icy blue eyes... Dots began to connect as she stared into those eyes, eyes that she now remembered got more silverish when they were filled with burning lust. Memories came rushing back to her and she watched him as he finally moved, raising a hand to rub his face while he sighed heavily.
"By the divines, if you tell me you were too drunk to remember, I promise I really will strangle you" He muttered, to her or to himself, she did not know but she blushed all the same.
"N-no I remember..." She said, finding out that her voice was a bit hoarse, surely from all the... Gods, this was embarrassing! An eye peered down at her from under his hand but she couldn't make out his expression.
"Good..." He seemed about to add something, but he stayed silent and sighed again. Rubbing his face some more before running his hand through his hair. He looked back at her, a hint of concern in the depth of his eyes. "How are you feeling?" She lifted her eyebrows in slight surprise and he grunted, almost exasperatingly. "That was your first time wasn't it?" She thought she almost saw a shade of pink grace his cheeks. But after she blinked, there was none. The redness of her cheeks, on the other hand, must have extended over her entire face. Gods what had she been thinking!? Wasted or not, she had almost jumped on him! And it was her first time too! Not that she regretted it or anything, no, quite the opposite she had loved it! And he had been so... but ooh what he must think of her now! Maybe he saw her as an easy girl or something. No... it was her first time after all, so maybe not to that extent but still... "Maybe some lustful-" her train of thoughts was interrupted when she felt a hand grab her chin and tilt it up, just like the previous night. She looked up and his eyes trapped hers, staring into them as if they were searching something.
"Are you ok?" He asked again and she nodded slightly.
"Yeah, I think" She replied but he didn't release her gaze, as if he was still searching for something.
"Are you regretting?" He asked hesitantly after a moment.
"... No." Although she did regret almost jumping on him and kind of fighting with his stubborn self so he would stop being reasonable and just bring her to bed... She heard him sigh and she wasn't quite sure if it was a relieved one or not... "And hum... are you?" She asked in turn.
He was about to say something but his eyes fell down on her shoulder, near her neck, and she wondered what he was looking at. She did remember somewhat of a pleasurable pain that had shot in her shoulder around that place, but she had been kind of... coming, at that time, so the rest was a bit cloudy to say the least. The man beside her began to move away and she watched him slip out of bed, still silent. Her eyes widened upon seeing his nudity, but she didn't look away and just sat up, keeping the fur against her naked body while she watched him put some clothes on, his back to her. She wanted to ask if something was the matter, but she was beginning to fear his answer. Was he disgusted of her? Since she said she didn't regret it... Or maybe disgusted of them both for letting this happen. He did try to stop at the beginning... But before she could muster the courage to ask, he finally spoke.
"I don't know." Was all he said and for a moment she didn't understand what he meant. Putting his shirt on, he turned to look at her. He must have seen her confusion because he clarified his previous words. "I don't know if I regret it or not. In fact, I'm not even sure you do either." This felt like a punch in the stomach and she just stared at him as he just looked away. Great! Now he couldn't even look her in the face! "I'll go up ahead... You can take you're time." He seemed to want to add something again, but never did. Instead he just left the room, closing the door behind him and she stared at it for a while.
"What do you mean 'you don't know'!?" She finally snapped at the closed door, long after he had gone. She so wanted to scream right now! What the heck was going on? He had been so caring the other night, so gentle when she hadn't even thought about whether or not she was a virgin. But he had thought of it, he had made sure it wouldn't hurt too much or too long. He had also been passionate and oh just thinking about it made her body heat up and tingle. And when they embraced each other, she had realized how good it felt in his arms, just hugging her, protecting her. Nothing had ever felt so right than at that moment and she had wished it could stay like that forever. And now... Now he... He had just reverted back to the infuriating man she knew! Why!? What happened? What did she do that would make him regret? Oh no, that's right, he 'didn't know if he regretted it or not'! Gods how could she have even considered wanting to stay in his arms!? She pulled her knees up and hugged them as she buried her face in the black fur that covered them. As she took a deep breath to try and calm herself, she picked up his smell on the soft fur and tears began to prickle her eyes, but she tried to push them away. She would not cry because of this. There was no reason to cry. They were drunk, they shared a night together and morning came, with sobered clarity and dreadful realization. But even then, he had still been acting like a caring lover, asking with obvious concern if she was alright. His first words came back to her mind too. He didn't want her to have forgotten their night at that time. Then why did he regret it? Wouldn't he want her to forget if he thought of it as a mistake? She grunted, feeling more and more confused. Couldn't he just make up his mind? "Argh just let him be damned!" If he wanted to regret it, that was his problem! She, on the other hand, wouldn't let regret tarnish the beautiful, hot, passionate, good memories of that night. It would become a one night thing and they would carry on interacting with each other as if it never happened, just like that first kiss.
Or so she tried to convince herself. But when she had finally carried herself to have breakfast in the mead hall, her eyes met his and she just froze. Great. How was she supposed to act again? He looked her over with a small hint of concern seeming to flicker in his eyes, but it was gone before she could ascertain its existence. Again, his gaze seemed to look at her neck and she saw his eyes darken before they lowered on the plate in front of him. What the hell was with him and her neck? She took a mental note to try looking at it when she would have the time... alone if possible. She saw Farkas who was smiling at her and like always he waved her over. The young woman was tempted to but he was sitting with his brother and right now, she didn't think she had the strength to sit near him and be able to contain her emotions. Whether it was her anger or her pain. Wherever the latter came from, she did not know and she didn't want to know. She preferred to just be angry at his confusing behavior. She smiled apologetically to him and shook her head, going in the opposite direction. Fortunately, the moment she averted her eyes, they were caught by Aela's who was looking at her with a friendly smile so she went to see her, acting as if she had already decided to do so before Farkas had invited her to their table. And it seemed the huntress wanted to talk to her, so all the better.
*Vilkas*
The twins watched as the newest official member of the Companions went to sit with Aela, at the other side of the room, and Farkas turned to his brother.
"What did you do to her this time?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow and the brooding man just scolded.
"What do you mean 'this time'? And why would her choosing Aela's company over yours have anything to do with me?"
"First, her acting like that is nearly always because of you. Second, she likes my company, it's yours she's avoiding. Though... I thought your relationship had improved these last weeks." He leaned toward him and continued in a hushed tone "Not to mention what happened last night. So really, what did you do? I can't imagine you were that bad." He finished with a smirk and Vilkas just stared at him with wide eyes.
"Wha..." he recovered from his surprise and changed the question he had nearly asked. "What are you talking about?" He almost didn't want to know the answer.
"Well, I saw you last night you know... When you said you were taking her to bed, I didn't think you would actually dare to take her to yours!" He said, widening his eyes in a dramatic fashion though mischief was apparent in them. He still made sure to talk in a low voice so others wouldn't hear.
"I didn't know my brother was such a peeping tom" He growled back and Farkas' smile just became wider.
"It's not like I wanted to. I was going to bed and you were making out on the wall beside the stairs! You must have been quite into it to not notice my presence in the middle of the staircase" He chuckled.
"Why didn't you go on to bed!? It's not like you would be embarrassed to pass by people kissing." Dammit that was embarrassing and irritating. If only he had just walked on...
"I didn't want to interrupt you two. I wouldn't have been embarrassed but she, on the other hand, might have" He shrugged.
"I would have preferred you interrupt and she got embarrassed than you just letting me... gods why didn't you stop me!?" If he had, he wouldn't be feeling like a jerk. He had told her he didn't know if he regretted it and that was partly true. He had liked their night together, more than that, he would have wanted to keep her in his arms, always... But that mark, that damn mark he had selfishly put on her! She wasn't his mate. How could he loose control to the point of marking her as his when she wasn't! And she would never be. He was a cursed man. One that needed to be constantly on his guard as to not let his wolf out if he was to feel too strong an emotion. And he had just gone and lost control by marking her like his wolf wanted! Gods he was such an idiot! And so he preferred to stay away from her as much as possible for the time being. As long as she had those hickeys and bite marks, he didn't know if he would be able to contain himself. Just this morning he had wanted so much to kiss her! Even just a simple, good morning kiss... What was that!? That's what lovers do! And they were not! He was pulled out of his thoughts by his brother's reply.
"Why should I have stopped you?" He scoffed "As if I'd ever voluntarily do something that would hinder my brother's love life"
"Lo-" He couldn't even repeat it, he just stared at him, dumbfounded, and then "Where the hell did that come from!?" He had been able to keep his voice down until then, but the unexpected statement had him snap back at him so loudly that even the person concerned in the opposite corner had looked at them.
*Evelianna*
The loud outburst had made the young woman turn her head toward Vilkas. He seemed angry about something his brother had said and with something resembling "Have you gone out of your right mind!?" He had just stormed off. What could Farkas have possibly told him?
"So?" Aela's voice brought them back to the discussion at hand and the two women looked back at each other. "Are you interested? It might even give you the time to put in order whatever's on your mind... Even if it shouldn't be too hard to take the beast down I guess."
"Yeah thanks." She smiled thankfully "I really could take some time alone to think things through."
"Just don't let it distract you when the time comes. I wouldn't want the wolf to get you because your mind was too caught up by something else." The huntress advised and Evy smiled faintly at that, her words making her think of another wolf... Then Aela's eyes fell on her neck and the girl blinked. Really, what could there be on her neck for everyone to always stare at it? She didn't trust the smirk that slowly stretched the huntress' lips. "But... I suppose you've already been caught by a 'wolf' huh?"
"What are talking about?" She almost stuttered, feeling her cheeks burning up. Damn those traitors. Aela just laughed.
"Oh please! With the hickey on your neck and his smell blending with yours, it's not hard to understand what happened." She laughed again and the young woman just felt more and more embarrassed.
"A-anyway... I should go get prepared." She said, standing up.
"Yeah you do that. Have fun." The huntress replied, smiling.
Evy just nodded and went to her room to pack for her mission. Her first mission alone since that time when Vilkas had just yelled at her for being 'stupid, reckless and foolish'... Well, this time would be different. It was just taking care of a wolf that had entered the smith's house in Riverwood, gods only knew how... Oh well, she didn't mind. It would allow her some time away from an infuriating man and she would be able to see Hadvar again if he was still there.
Like Aela said, the wolf wasn't that hard to deal with and she spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Hadvar and his family. She stayed in Riverwood for the night and headed back to Jorrvaskr the next morning. But even after her time alone, she still didn't have a clue about anything concerning Vilkas, neither what to think about his behavior or how she should act in front of him. And she didn't even want to begin thinking about what she felt for him! It was easier to just be irritated like before and to flee the problem by going on missions, alone or not, than to face the mess the Vilkas case had become in her head. To say the truth, by the time the marks on her neck and shoulder disappeared, he did seem like he had wanted to discuss it with her... But at this point, when they found themselves alone for the first time since that night, she just didn't want to listen anymore.
"Look, about what happened..." He had begun, uncertainty in his voice.
"No. Stop." She cut him off. "We were both responsible for what happened. But if you want to regret it, go ahead, that's your problem and I can't stop you from thinking what you want."
"Just listen to me I just want to explain-"
"No! I don't want to know why anymore! It won't change what happened and it could mess even more whatever relationship we have. It won't happen again anyway, so let it stay where it is: in the past. A one night stand of two drunk idiots. Ok?" She sighed, lowering her head as she fought back the tears "I'm tired of this Vilkas... I just want this stupid situation to end." There was silence for a moment and she caught the movement of a hand reaching toward her, but he never touched her, he just withdrew his hand that was now clenched in a fist.
"I understand. Let's just... Try to forget it and act normal again... without going back to our first interactions if possible" He said with the faintest of smile that brought her one too.
"Yeah..." And she couldn't help but add "After all, now I have the skills to kick your butt if you get too much on my nerves." He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms at what she said. She preferred that kind of interaction. It was still awkward but picking a fight, even a friendly one, was better than just avoiding each other.
"Oh really?" He uttered, ready to take on the challenge. But before he could say anything else, they got interrupted by Ria who was searching for Evy. They were supposed to go on a mission together.
"Well... I'd better go..." She said with a weak smile and he nodded.
It took almost a month before they could actually speak properly with each other, never about the subject they were now both avoiding, but still they were beginning to somewhat loosen up around each other. Anyway, they both lived under the same roof, they couldn't just keep on running the other way whenever they had the chance.
In the meantime, she had heard that some people named the Greybeards had called for her to go meet them. She didn't quite understand, but it had something to do with the Dragonborn thing and if it could finally tell her if she was that Dragonborn or not, she would gladly go see them. After asking around a bit about them and where they lived, she decided to wait a little. It seemed that the way up to them was long, cold, tiring and filled with wild beasts and even trolls. She wasn't too much worried about the wild beasts, but she preferred to wait and stuck up on better equipment and potions before going.
Well, that was... unexpected. Even after hearing others call her Dragonborn when she killed dragons, three at that point, she still hadn't really believed it. And the old men almost didn't believe it too at first since she couldn't shout when they had asked her too. How the hell was she supposed to know how to shout when the only time she had been able to do it, she didn't even know it was that! Not to mention it had only happened because her instinct had took over before she would get killed. The old man that spoke for the Greybeards had appeared so condescending when she had been unable to shout that it ticked her off. So, they made her come all the way up a huge mountain, through wind and snow and almost unnoticeable unsteady steps, fighting against bears and saber cats and whatnot. Even a damn troll! All of that to then tell her how disappointed they were that she didn't turn up to be what they were expecting. Why those damn old geezers... They didn't even try to explain to her how to do it, as if it would just be a waste of their precious meditating time! Well of course! One would obviously know how to use the 'gift' that comes with being the real thing... Even if they don't even know they are! Riiiight, after all even babies instantly know how to walk since they were born with feet! She was so mad at them as they were just going back to their things with that whole disappointment atmosphere, that when the speaking one told her to just go home, she actually was able to shout at him. After that they finally tried to understand what she had told them, that she had no clue how she did it. And of course came the wise words of "Do not worry, it is not uncommon."... Then why the hell did they...
"Oh just forget it. Getting anymore angry again won't change anything anyway." She thought with a tired sigh as she walked down the road leading to Whiterun. She was finally coming back to the place she considered the most like her home. The old geezers, she still called them so for the time being, had given her a mission to go retrieve the horn of some guy in nordic ruins... At least she was able to deal with those places better than her first time. But it seemed like they were always up for a surprise as the horn had been stolen before she got there... and the thief had left a note for her. How many times was she going to go through stupid tests and trials before people would be satisfied? For the Companions, it was ok, it was needed and she did see two or three haughty milkdrinkers barging in as if their guild should be honored and grateful their great self wanted to join them. Idiotic pompous weaklings. Well, she did enjoy the show as Vilkas took care of them. But then, there's the "Prove to me you're the Dragonborn" that always had a hint of "that you call yourself to be". Why did it always sound like she was 'assuming something there was no way she could be'? "Arf whatever. Delphine did accept that I was the Dragonborn in the end." It had needed a fight with a dragon for that, but she did convince her she was the real thing. Then she had to go on with the long ascension to see the old geezers so they could get their horn, and back the mountain again! At least this time it was to go home. She did hope the old men wouldn't call her too often or she would have to ask if there wasn't some teleportation shout of some sort. After all she was surely nearing a month since she left Jorrvaskr, or maybe more? Unfortunately at some point she had lost count of the days.
Now, at last, she was about a day of walk from Whiterun. Oh how she missed everyone! She did send them letters when she could, like she had promised Farkas and Ria. That way they wouldn't worry too much since no one knew how long the whole thing would take. But she rarely received letters back, as she was always on the move. She looked at the red hues that tainted the sky as the sun was setting and she decided she should start looking for a place to camp. The thought made her sigh. She was so tired with the past few days of walking, camping, fighting with wild beasts and bandits... At least she had been able to buy some potions and provisions when she had passed villages in her travels, but now, she was running low on them as she was nearing the end of her journey. So now, she was just plain tired and eager to return to Jorrvaskr. That must have been why she didn't sense the threat coming from behind her until pain shot from the back of head, the hit knocking her out successfully.
It's another kind of pain that snapped her back to consciousness with a cry. It was night, but a fire shed some lights on two sneering figures above her. The pain that had woken her still hadn't subsided, on the contrary, it was just coming back, again and again as if it was tearing her apart and she instantly realized it came from the man between her legs. She began to struggle in an attempt to push him away, to fight back as hard as she could, but her wrists got caught by the second man just after she had been able to land a punch on the pig's face. She got hit back but she continued to protest, insult and scream at them as she struggled against the filthy hands that pinned her down. It only made them laugh more while panic and pain just kept on rising more and more in her until... "FUS!" and the laughter disappeared.
A/N: Ok, the beginning didn't come out like I first pictured it, but it fitted better in my opinion so I left it like that. As for the rest... Please don't hate me? I am a fervent supporter of happy endings and it will (eventually...) get better. It is why it's called "Hurt/comfort" and not drama or tragedy... It might not get better as fast as my romance freak side would like, but it will. It's just that I have a tiny bit of an evil side too. Sorry.
Thanks for the last reviews! It really reassured me ^^
And now, on with mentally/emotionally torturing Vilkas for being such an idiot at first.
(Oh, while I'm at it, was the "old geezers" thing too much? I found it amusing, but now that I think about it maybe it isn't?)