Fated (Bloodhound x Eve (OC))

Storm

"I care for you deeply, Eve. What do you need from me to prove my devotion?"

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Eve woke with a gasp from the boom of thunder that crashed outside. She tried to close her eyes and calm her racing heart, but sleep would not come back to her. Her phone screen glowed dimly on the nightstand, still too bright against her burning eyes. 4:37 AM. She stirred from her place among the fur covers and disentangled herself from Bloodhound's arms. Extricating herself was a delicate operation, each movement was careful and calculated. She didn't want to wake them this early just because she couldn't doze off again.

In desperate need of caffeine, Eve shuffled into the kitchen to start making some coffee. Her hands were clumsy with drowsiness, struggling to free one coffee filter from the bunch, but she finally managed to set everything up. While the brew dripped slowly into the pot, filling the kitchen with its warm, nutty scent, she rubbed the remnants of sleep out of her eyes. A fierce storm had begun this morning, though the inside of the cabin was cozy and dry.

Eve tiptoed to try and peek at the garden through the window over the sink, but it was still too dark to see. Hopefully, the vegetable sprouts had rooted deeply enough to hold on through the gale. Through the intermittent showers over the last few days, the pair had spent the time in between the rain finishing the weeding and digging, preparing the garden for the final round of planting. It was exhausting but rewarding work.

She turned back towards the bedroom, spying Bloodhound's sleeping form through the open door. The furs and blankets were pulled around them, their auburn hair was sleep-tousled, splayed over the pillows and their face. It was tempting to jump back into bed and snuggle against them, to pepper their cheeks with tiny soft kisses until they roused to give her attention or to merely lay back against the warm chest and firm arms that beckoned her return. Eve resisted the urge.

She checked her messages absentmindedly, staring at the one from Natalie that she couldn't figure out how to respond to.

'So, how did the night go after the date? Tell me everything! I can tell you two are lovebirds already!' it read.

The message was accompanied by the pictures from the date, too. It had been a fun evening in a lot of ways, but her tight smile and Bloodhound's stiff grip on her shoulder betrayed both of their feelings of discomfort. Eve sighed. Every explanation she started to type felt hollow and wrong, and she didn't want to lie outright. No others knew about Bloodhound and her aside from Loba and Ajay's shrewd deductions — though Eve hadn't confirmed those suspicions. Pretending to the others and herself that she and Bloodhound weren't something was growing harder each day.

A staccato beat of swollen raindrops drummed against the roof and windows. Eve tapped her fingers on the counter; the coffee was taking too long. Impatient for the drink and unable to stand still any longer, she walked to the front door. She slipped on her shoes and stepped out onto the covered porch. The air was fresh and damp, smelling of rich, fertile earth, and something else that she couldn't name, but made her nostalgic for simpler times.

Eve leaned against the railing and stared forward, watching the rain puddle in the divots of the path that led to the cabin. The downpour was steady, falling in sheets and dripping from the leaves of the trees above.

Despite the turbulent weather, there was peace to be found amidst the storm, but she could not enjoy it today. Too many things weighed heavily in her mind that she couldn't ignore anymore. She had been living with Bloodhound for months, finding a comfortable rhythm. The two trained together, cooked, cleaned, shared in tasks large and small, laughed in unison. They knew her well, habits, moods, and preferences. Though they held much back from her, she knew at least the version of themself they presented, likely more than anyone else.