A/N: So it's been a hot minute. I do still have the same laptop as my last author's note, weirdly enough. But not a lot else is the same. I hope you're all staying safe in this time of plague. Hopefully almost 4 years won't pass between updates - we can thank 7/16/2016 me for leaving copious notes and a detailed outline so that when I woke up this morning 6/30/2020 with this big emotional conversation I could type this up. My style has changed, but I'm trying to capture that old feel. Hope you enjoy!
The flush of victory filled Elana with a second (or third or fourth) wind. She was all too willing to be the driving force of their exit from Blackreach through the lift where they'd spent the night. Encouraging a flagging Vilkas into drinking a stamina potion, they set out for Dawnstar - judged to be the closest based on where they'd come up, and there was still some daylight left for the walk.
Vilkas had argued for heading straight back to Whiterun, but Elana insisted she had a favor to do for a hermit outside Winterhold first while in the area.
Of course, Dawnstar had never heard of traveling companions, apparently, though they'd heard of the Companions of course. Nor people who might have a budget - there being no merchants to swap Dwemer artifacts for the coin the innkeeper would prefer.
"Just get two beds, Elan," Vilkas hissed.
"They're ripping us off!"
"We can afford it."
Elana hissed back in effort while shifting where Vilkas's weight leaned on her. "Not with stopping off in Winterhold like I need to." She turned to the innkeeper keeping her rasp pitched low. "Just one room please."
The innkeeper accepted the gold and gestured towards a door. Elana gamely tossed Vilkas onto the bed, though he did contribute some of his own force.
"I am capable of lying down on my own."
Elana merely rolled her eyes as she unlaced her boots, knocking a little more snow off that she hadn't managed to leave at the door. Vilkas tossed his to land next to hers, and their armor formed a second careful pile on the floor.
"Alright, move over," she suddenly spoke, keeping to a rasp in case of thin walls, though the bard's soft playing would probably cover her voice.
"We're in an inn, Elan; we don't need to conserve heat."
"Coward."
Hush.
Elana raised an eyebrow. "Really. You're going to let your Shield-Brother sleep on the floor?"
Vilkas twitched at that, starting to get up, but Elana was quicker - shoving her way onto the bed and him back down onto it. He froze as she settled in, the slide of linen tunics across the sheets the only sound for a moment.
"Relax, Vilkas," she murmured, her back curled against his side and close enough she didn't mask her voice. "Our bedrolls are a little smaller than this and we did fine."
"Dovahkiin, I am checking out of this conversation."
She ignored the mutterings of Mirmulnir as she waited for Vilkas to reply.
"I- I am going to miss you. When we have to go back."
"What do you mean?"
"Out here- Out here you're just you. Not pretending with that paper-thin disguise that lets Nords see their legendary savior returned a man, so it works. No responsibilities, well, they're why we're out here but they're not harassing you. You're Elana, and I like who you are out here. Unless this is just another lie, in which case I don't like it at all."
She twisted over, propping herself up on an elbow for one long moment as she met his gaze. Then, she kissed him.
"Elana?"
"No lies, right? That's what you want?"
"Yes," he breathed out more than said.
She smiled back. "All I have wanted, more than anything, is a home to myself far away from anyone else, where I don't have to answer to anyone. I'm accepting, slowly, I might not get that. I just can't abandon the Companions or the responsibilities I accepted to Whiterun as Thane," Elana trailed off for a moment.
"And this has to do with kisses how?"
Elana returned her eyes to his. "I wouldn't mind, in fact I would quite like it if we could share that home far away from anyone else that I won't get."
"What do you want from me, Elana?"
"Whatever you will give me, no matter how little or how slowly. I owe you that respect and this honesty."
Vilkas opened his arms, and she curled into his side again. "I think we can have an understanding. See what happens. But sleep, first. We have your ever expanding list of favors to fulfill."
"Oh, but can you imagine if I managed to call them all in at once?"
"If you manage to solve the Civil War through a network of bizarre favors, I will be very impressed."
"Wonder how big a favor I have to do for the Empire?"
Vilkas tapped on her hip with the arm he had around her, exhaustion starting to drag him under. "Stop that. Sleep now. Thinking later."
Letting out one final chuckle, Elana relaxed. With the ease of warriors used to pushing past their limits, she let sleep claim her.
Elana woke up first to find that as they'd adjusted in the night Vilkas had ended up wrapped around her. Her attempts to stifle laughter woke him with bleary displeasure, but enough jokes about heat-seeking sabre-cats had him groaning and detaching himself so they could pull on their armor and boots.
Vilkas grumbled the whole cart ride to Winterhold about the inefficiency of it all, no matter how fast the driver pushed his horses.
Elana accepted the weird blood extractor device and made her excuses, slipping away from the conversation and back up the icy tunnel only to come face to face with a swirling purple mass of green tentacles.