(During the Thieves Guild questline, featuring Selene and Brynjolf. Warning for: smutty stuff)

I.

Eventually Brynjolf found his way to Snow Veil Sactum. One of the best thieves of the guild and it's guild master had gone missing over a week ago and he wasn't the only one who had started to worry.

What he found was… upsetting.

Two dead horses, an abandoned campfire, a collapsed tent, golden arrows (her arrows), and enough blood to make his heart drop into his stomach.

Even after milling around the Sanctum, he found little else; the snow had covered any tracks, the red hair he had found in the ruin and the tent did little to waylay his fears.

Now he had to make the choice to try and pick up the trail in Winterhold, or return to a guild that (at the moment) had no leader.

II.

"Is… something wrong?"

"No, you're just taking your time." There was a teasing quality to his voice but he hoped she caught his meaning.

If she did it was lost on him as she turned away and leaned against the only table in the room, barren of everything but a few mead bottles. "I haven't seen a decent bed in weeks, guess I got a little too comfortable."

"I can understand that."

The silence after was awkward but thankfully broken by Iona stomping up the stairs in her armor. "With your permission my Thane, I'd like to spend sometime at the Bee and Barb." She had secondary motives, she knew what happened when her Thane had a man in her home. Iona had no intention of staying for that.

"Uh, y— yeah? Of course."

"Thank you, my Thane." She stomped out of the house, between Selene and Brynjolf and slammed the door behind her.

"Is she always that pleasant?"

"Mmm, prickly at best."

Brynjolf took the next silence to look her over. The circles under her eyes, the tense shoulders, adverted eyes, armor that—

"What happened to your armor, lass?"

"It's still in Winterhold." Any amusement was gone from her face.

He took a step closer. "You know, any damage that might have been done to it, I'm sure Tonilla could fix it." She looked strange in robes, Brynjolf thought leather suited her better.

"I don't think so." Selene finally looked at him, her look poignant and he dropped it. "Why are you here, Brynjolf?"

"I came to check on—" She cut him of with a curt shake of her head.

"You didn't have to come up here to do that, and you wouldn't still be here if that was the case."

Another step. "I was worried, we still don't know where Mercer is and who's to say he won't try and finish the job?"

"Bryn—"

"Let me finish, lass, please." When she looked at him again, he was right in front of her, eyebrows drawn together in a near desperate expression but she didn't interrupt. "I thought you were dead, I didn't like thinking that again. So, I came to check on you."

His thumb brushed over the scrapes on her cheek that she hadn't fixed yet, he wished she had. After Golden Glow, after finding out she ate dragon souls?

She had seemed invincible.

To have that shattered was, while necessary, unpleasant.

Selene, on the other hand, was only caught between flinching away and leaning into his hand. It had been sometime since someone had touched her, and her foray with Mercer was anything but intimate. It had been rough and mostly clothed. Nothing more then relief for his built up attraction and aggression.

"I thought I'd find out bleeding out in your own bed." Stopped her thoughts, the thumb that had been resting on her cheek brushed over the crease between her eyebrows and across her brow-ridge, his palm finally resting on her cheek, fingers in her hair and she chose to lean into his palm, going as far as to put her own hand over his.

"I don't think— He was so chaotic in the Sanctum. I don't think he cares, I don't think he'll come back again."

They were so close now, if she just leaned forward a little bit— "It would make our job a lot easier." He sounded angry but looked sad. It's what made her raise her hand to his cheek, mirroring him.

It was familiar and horrible, betrayal. It made her wish she hadn't gone through hers alone.

Against her better judgement she plated a chaste kiss on his forehead. He took it as a cue and when she pulled away, Brynjolf closed the distance again by meeting her lips with his own.

She murmured his name and he moved so their bodies were flush against each other. In a smooth movement she was sitting on the table, Brynjolf between her legs, kissing her, both pairs of hands wandering.

When he moved from her lips down to her neck, "Don't I have a house to rob?"

"It's not going anywhere." Breathless words against her collarbone.

III.

Brynjolf sat up, watching her. Half-lidded eyes, flushed cheeks, messy hair against the pillow, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, a tapered waist with a new scar, hips that were perfect under his hands, a pair of legs that were open to his waist, knees that were now pushing against his ribcage.

They had barley removed any of their clothes and already— But he wanted to take his time. Judging by the way she acted, she did as well.

She sat up with him. "Brynjolf," whispered, "what is it?"

He said the first thing that came to mind, "I wish it was brighter." He felt stupid when she chuckled under her breath, but a ball of light formed in her hands between them. It floated away until it found the ceiling, rolling in odd shapes but casting light ever the same.

"Better?"

He could see the deep blush on her chest and cheeks, the blue of her eyes. "Aye."

IV.

Here, she didn't have to worry about startling Dragur or waking grumpy werewolves so Selene stopped biting her lip.

Brynjolf chuckled between her legs. "Don't stop you a—." She was cut off with her own gasp. "Divines." He was good at this. Who was the last person who could do this with their mouth? That was a question she didn't want an answer to.

"Are you sure you're not… umm Dibellan?" She got no words in reply, only his tongue again. "Haeg— Haegla teach you a… few things?" Her eyes were closed, she didn't see Brynjolf's eyes rolling as he stopped. "Do you always talk this much, lass?"

Selene only shook her head and threaded her fingers through his hair, tugging upwards. He crawled forward so he was level with her face, fingers still in his hair and she kissed him.

Their bodies fell together again, skin on skin this time and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I know she'd love to have you."

"Oh, shut up."