Cw: You know what's coming... pun intended ;)
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Ella awoke to the sky falling.
She sat up partially on her elbows, eyes wide as she tried to make sense of the thundering noise. A violent cacophony of wind, hail and graupel slapped against the tent like a lone boat weathering a stormy sea. It was so dark, it was impossible to tell the time, and she was afraid to stick her head out, lest an ice pellet catch her on the forehead.
Beside her, Aedion sat up, blinking away sleep, a palm scrubbing up and down his face. She could just about see his outline, the faint frown on his face. He checked the tent, making sure the structure remained solid, and tied the opening tighter to prevent water from coming in.
"The horses," Ella said, her voice barely audible above the din of the storm. "Will they be fine?"
Aedion nodded, crawling back to his side of the tent. "I set their tent beneath big trees last night, and I covered them with wool blankets. They'll be safe."
Ella bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. It was so cold, that her breath formed white clouds around her. A pervasive sort of chill that made her bones creak and her teeth chatter.
Even as she crawled beneath her pile of furs, she was so miserably cold, that she could do nothing more than wiggle back and forth, trying and failing to find a source of heat.
Aedion sighed and lifted his pile of furs, patting the space next to him. "Come here, your chattering teeth are waking the dead."
Ella didn't have to be told twice. She rolled over to his side and immediately latched on, intent on stealing all his heat. He was a furnace, even in the frigid storm, and she was little more than an icicle; Ella was not embarrassed to admit that she was a tad envious.
She stuck her numb hands up his warm back, her frigid toes catching on the strip of exposed skin where the leg of his trousers had ridden up. Aedion jolted as if he'd been stabbed.
"Fucking hell," he hissed. "You're freezing."
Immediately, he pulled her discarded furs and piled them on top until they were entirely covered, cocooned in heat. Ella shivered, further pressing herself into him, so cold her stomach hurt.
Grumbling beneath his breath, he took her blue-tinged fingers and rubbed them between his palms, imbuing them with heat. He caught her feet between his strong calves and allowed her to press her chilled toes on his skin, wrapping the rest of her body in his own, sharing his warmth.
After a while, Ella slowly began to thaw, her body finally regaining blood flow. Aedion must have been overheating beneath the massive pile of furs, but he didn't complain, dutifully rubbing his palms up and down her arms, her back, and her hands. He was like her personal heating station, and perhaps she was still sleepy, because the thought made her giggle.
"What's so funny, hmm?" he grumbled, rubbing little circles into her back. "Having fun terrorising me with your freezing hands? I swear, if you weren't breathing, I'd worry you were dead."
"I'm like a cold little lizard, and you're my sunny rock," she tittered into his chest, poking her cold nose into the strip of skin where his shirt sagged.
Aedion let out a chuckle, half amusement, half exasperation. "Delusional. The cold finally managed to freeze your last coherent thought."
"The way I see it, I'm all warm and toasty, and you're putting up with my cold feet. So who's really delusional, hmm?"
"Can't argue with that logic," he grumbled, going back to massaging warm circles into her back.
"You did this for me. When you rescued me from the lake," she said quietly. They were pressed hip to hip, his arms wound around her comfortably, just like they'd been that day. "That was nice of you."
"Was it? You nearly scratched my eyes out," he said dryly. "Bathing a cat would be easier than tending to you."
"I was ill," she sniffed, toying with a cord from his tunic, wrapping it around her finger. As close as they were, she could just about map out the lines of his amused face in the dark. "You managed well, though. I know I'm a handful. Thank you for that. And for this, I suppose," she grinned sheepishly, wriggling her legs, which were comfortably sandwiched between his own.
Aedion arched a brow. "What, for keeping you alive? The standard for decency is in hell if you're thanking me for that, Wen."
"It was more than that," she protested, cheeks heating.
"It was basic politeness," he rolled his eyes.
But it wasn't. It was more than simply tending to her. Keeping her alive didn't involve massaging her aching shoulders, whispering comfortingly and gently holding her, kissing her fingertips and her forehead. He hadn't done that because he needed to. But now, she felt foolish for mentioning it. Perhaps for him, it truly hadn't meant anything, not like it did for her.
"Don't cheapen something because you haven't the courage to be honest," she rattled, pushing away and wriggling out of his hold, heat be damned.
Aedion wasn't having it. His arms banded around her like steel, an impossible cage. "I don't have the courage?" he uttered slowly, jaw popping.
"Let me go," she snipped stiffly, palms pressed flat against his chest, the heat of it seeping through the thin tunic.
He brought her even closer, brows pitched low. "No, I don't think I will. Weren't you just accusing me of lacking courage? Well, here I am. Let's have it, Wen. Talk."
"No," she said through clenched teeth, body flushing with anger. "Why would I? So you can play stupid and dismiss everything I say? No, thank you."
She turned her head sideways, and Aedion grunted in annoyance. With an arm firmly holding her in place against him, he gripped her chin and brought her back, so close, they were almost nose to nose.
His eyes, so golden they were near molten, flashed with irritation, bright even in the dark. "I am trying to understand you, so gods so help me, can you for once be clear?"
"How much clearer do you want me to be!" she hissed, legs kicking uselessly. "I have been crystal clear with you, so at this point, you are either a coward who cannot be honest with me, or you are purposely dense!"
"I am a coward?" He uttered incredulously, heartbeat kicking up like a drum. "Who is the one who is always running away, hmm? Who is the one who cannot be honest to save her life? It sure as hell isn't me!"
They were so loud, that if it weren't for the raging storm, the entire forest would have heard them. Ella didn't care, she was so furious, she could hardly bear it. Her anger was a living thing, emitting heat, keeping her warm like a burning city.
"I have been honest, what do you think this is?!" she slapped a hand across his chest. "Do you think I simply jump into bed with every man I meet? Do you think I allow anyone to hold me? That I tell just anyone even half of the things I tell you?" she thundered, practically shaking with fury. "I even told you I liked you—twice! What more do you want from me?"
He had to understand. Aedion had to know that none of this was easy for her. Going out on a limb, vulnerable like a featherless bird. She was an Aeron, for heaven's sake! Aerons simply did not go around confessing their feelings. It was unthinkable that he would make her repeat herself just to, what, reject her? There was only so much humiliation she could take.
Eyes prickling, she tried to shove at him again, but he wouldn't let go. He pulled her impossibly closer, pressing their foreheads together.
"You said you liked me," he muttered under his breath, his scoff incredulous. "Unbelievable. You drive me fucking insane, you know that? You impossible, vexing woman."
"Then let me go," she seethed, throat thick with emotion, hating that she still craved the closeness of their bodies. "If I make you insane, let me go."
"No," he shook his head, brushing his nose against hers. "I like you too much. I think I'll keep you."
Ella's eyes widened, beat pulsing in her ears, almost louder than the hail pelting the tent. She let out a stuttered breath, nose bumping against his. "You... you like me?"
Immediately, she hated herself for asking it out loud, and when Aedion let out a low chuckle, she scowled and tried to kick away again. It was no use. He kept her thighs tangled between his own, her body effortlessly pinned against his muscled chest with one lone arm.
"I do. I thought I'd been clear on that as well. I wouldn't put up with half of this if not," he drawled, gently squeezing her chin and making her look at him. "You beautiful, infuriating woman."
Her body flushed from head to toe, and she scowled to hide it, fingers digging into his pectorals. She was duly aware of how close they were, their breaths forming one single cloud of fog, their shared heat warming the tent up like a live fire. Her blood pumped with a thrilling combination of lust and residual anger, a heady, heady concoction.
"Do you?" she taunted, eyes flashing silver as a rare bout of lightning lit the sky up like a bonfire, illuminating the tent in blinding white. "Then prove it."
Five seconds. That was what it took for the ear-splitting thunder to crackle like a whip, seeming to split the world in half. Five seconds, that was how long it took for Aedion to grip her chin, pull her forward and claim her lips, her surprised moan drowned out by the raging storm and his mouth.
Aedion kissed her like a man possessed. Greedy pulls of her mouth, biting her bottom lip until it was red, tasting her tongue and stealing her breath. His hand on her jaw was possessive, his hold on her hips deliciously brutish. It was like he was getting back at her, for denying him for so long. For being so incredibly vexing.
It was so brilliant, that Ella could hardly breathe as she moved her mouth over his, refusing to pull back to gulp air. Her hands were everywhere--buried in his hair, tugging on the strands, digging into his chest, brushing over his shoulders.
Desperately, she writhed against him, lost in a haze of pleasure so thick, that she could hardly hear the storm over the pounding of her heart. She snuck her hand beneath his shirt and dragged her nails down the planes of his abdomen, the muscles contracting in response.
"Bratty little thing," he rumbled, dragging his mouth across her neck, sucking the hollow of her throat with an intensity that was sure to leave a mark. She gasped out a little moan, her hips rocking against his own, and Aedion let out a dark, delighted chuckle.
She could feel him, thick and solid against her core, the whole of him massive and dizzying. She couldn't help but drape her thigh atop his hips, pressing herself against him, her blood swirling, heat and pleasure pooling low in her belly.
"If I'm a brat, what does that make you?" she taunted, her sharp teeth skimming the shell of his ear, delighting in the shiver that coursed through his body.
Her amusement was short-lived. Aedion gripped her hips and pulled her flush to him, grinding against the apex of her thighs with a movement that made her stutter out a wanton moan.
"That, darling, makes me the only one who can handle you," he murmured against her temple, his hips circling against hers, hard and almost punishing. "The only one who gets that pleasure."
He angled his thrust and hit a spot that made her let out a small, keening gasp, her nails curving and digging into the taut muscles of his shoulders. "Isn't that right, love?" he said, nipping lightly at her jaw, even as the hungry look in his eyes betrayed his firm, even tone.
She wanted to quip back something cheeky, but breathless as she was, she could only manage to nod, teeth clamped on her bottom lip to prevent more sounds from escaping. "You are," she managed to rasp, blinking through the haze of pleasure.
She lifted her thigh and curled it around his hips, dragging her claw-tipped nails from his spine, all the way to his nape, burying in his thick, dark hair. Aedion shivered at the touch, and her lips curled up slyly.
"You're right—you are the only one," she whispered in his ear, running the tip of her nose along the column of his throat, her lips following the path. "But I'm not sure you can truly handle me."
His eyes flashed with amused determination. A silent sort of watch me.
Their kisses became messy then. Sloppy. Lazy. Fast. They were all teeth and keening gasps, hands pulling, spine arching. Aedion's shirt was the first to go, his hand reaching back to grab the material and yank it over his head when Ella's tugging became too insistent. Her bottoms followed suit, and then, his.
Soon, she was pinned beneath him, his weight cradled between her thighs, their chests fused, their breaths mingling and fogging around them.
"I like how this looks on you," he murmured into the soft skin of her throat, kissing a little bruise there. He trailed his lips to her exposed shoulder, where the tunic—his tunic—slipped off her frame, down to her collarbone. "But I think you'd look better without it."
Swallowing, Ella pushed herself on her elbows and looked at him, eyes blown wide, mouth bruised red, chin stubbornly tilted. She twisted her fingers on the hem of the fabric and slowly pulled it off. She was left in nothing but her undergarments, bare, skin pebbled with arousal.
Aedion's gaze swept over her hungrily, eyes devouring every inch of flushed skin. The jut of her collarbones, the gentle swell of her breasts, the line running down the middle of her taut abdomen. All the way down to where their bodies met—his hips cradled between her thighs.
"Much better," he hummed, lightly running a fingertip from the curve of her shoulder, down her collarbone, all the way to the valley between her breasts. He gently cupped the swell of her chest, thumb flicking the reddened peak, watching it stiffen with greedy satisfaction.
Ella made a needy noise in the back of her throat, her thighs tightening around him, hips rocking on instinct. She looked down to where they were connected. She could feel him, thick and throbbing, his length straining against the thin material of his undergarments, rubbing against her. In response, her body heated, her core twitching painfully. It was a maddening need, making her near desperate.
Despite his eagerness earlier, Aedion was excruciatingly gentle when he kissed her this time. Slow, languid licks into her mouth, palm squeezing her bare thigh, fingers cleverly caressing her breasts, until she was shaking and panting beneath him.
He seemed to enjoy the way he made her desperate, flushed and grinding against him. He held himself back from going too fast, just barely rolling his hips against her, giving her enough friction to send shivers up her spine, but never enough to get her too far.
"I like your little shorts," he kissed beneath her ear as he trailed a finger over the edge of her ruffly underwear, right beneath her navel. "Can I take them off?"
His fingers danced just on the edge, toying with the ribbons, never quite dipping into the material. Ella nodded and made a breathy sort of noise, knees squeezing his hips for emphasis.
"Use your words, love," he chastised, just barely brushing his knuckles against her core through the thin fabric. Teasing. Taunting. As if her impatience only spurred him on.
Ella's mouth twisted sharply. She hooked her knee behind his hips and brought him forward, his hand brushing firmly against her centre. A low rumble shook his chest, his eyes flashing hotly.
"Is that clear enough for you?" she whispered against his mouth, their lips grazing.
"Perfectly clear," he crooned, cupping her almost harshly, his fingers massaging tight little circles, stealing a stuttered whine from her lips.
Ella buried a hand in his hair and pulled him closer, eliminating every last inch of space between them. This time, no one was going to interrupt them. This time, Ella planned to show him that he was not the only one who knew how to tease.