treacherous | druig x reader

6: buoyancy

You could tell Druig was still upset when he came to get you for dinner that night. You had spent the day alone, mindlessly wandering through the home. Nothing had been able to keep your attention, from snooping around to checking out Druig's fascinating collection of random books. Only the despair and regret you felt were all that could consume you.

Druig's dark presence later that day did zero to help, but it wasn't like you expected it to. Part of your hurt came from him, from the bond.

You two walked in silence towards the dining hall. The only indication that Druig was actually still beside you was his ghostly touch on your lower back, guiding you. Even for how upset he was, you could tell he still wanted you around.

Once you reached the dining hall, Druig wordlessly motioned for you to enter. You did so immediately and made a bee-line for the two reserved seats you had faced the village in earlier. You suspected they were a permanent feature.

You did your best not to make eye contact with anyone as you sat down. You had no interest in really learning how fast words traveled in the village.

Druig joined you in his accompanying seat moments later. The hall was quiet and still.

"Evening," Druig greeted his villagers in English before switching to give a brief address. His voice sounded so distant in your ears despite his proximity to you.

Food scooped onto your plate brought your attention back to the dining hall. You looked up out of reflex. It was Druig who was serving you this time. Why—

"You need to eat," he simply said. "I know you have gone without all day." That's when you felt a tug, a good tug, on the bond. Tears began welling in your eyes.

"Druig, I'm so—,"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for throwing so much at you. I-I got ahead of myself. There's so much excitement, so much I want, that I've been going too fast." He sighed and placed the bowl of what looked to be grilled vegetables back on the table. "I realize I'm only going to push you away if I keep this up."

You were so relieved at his words. You could cry over it as well.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," you admitted.

Only a small part of you wondered why you were entertaining this. You didn't have to deal with it — you could leave...somehow. But you also couldn't, not really. Not realistically. It was a fantasy you were going to have to get over. That started by being an adult, by handling relationships as one. Because you had to be honest, this was a relationship of some sort.

"Good," Druig finally said with a nod of his head. He looked a little confused. You had a feeling he wasn't used to apologizing. "Eat, now. I won't have you withering away, aye."

His brief but accented words made you chuckle before you dove into a spread of vegetables and unknown meats. You didn't really want to know what kind of animal gave its life for this meal so you ate silently and observed the villagers deep in their conversations. They no longer stared at you — well, at least the adults didn't — making meals slightly more enjoyable.

You were just about finished when someone tugged at the hem of your dress. You looked down next to you to find the girl from class earlier. The one invested in love.

She looked at you with big, pleading blue eyes and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

You placed your fork and knife back on the table. "Sorry?" You frowned. "What for?"

You could tell she was searching for the correct English words so you waited patiently.

"You were...s-sad."