Back To December// Cregan Stark / Hope Mikaelson

32. Take One For The Team & Fuck Him

It was strange falling asleep next to Cregan, just sleeping beside a person that she had thought was her forever. She didnt remember how they got up there, how she wound up wrapped up in his warmth. She stared back at him her hand gliding gently over his bare chest.

 She sat up fixing her shirt as she got up, she stared back at him and part of her wanted more to have happened last night then just a kiss. But she also knew that taking that step, that step they couldnt take back would hurt Cregan when she left, because she always left. 

So she headed out and moved to her chambers Daeron was snoring in her bed she nudged him over and he startled awake. 

"Where were you?" Daeron questioned with a yawn. 

"Why are you in my bed?" Hope countered. 

"I was waiting for you." Daeron answered. "And you never came back..." He gave her a suspicious look.

"I was with Cregan- Talking!" She added quickly. "We talked and drank and fell asleep."

"Talking, sure... right, right thats believable with how you two have been eye fucking each other since we got here." Daeron mused. 

"We talked... go to sleep and stop interrogating me." Hope begged. 

"Alicent's going to be mad when we lose the Starks. Take one for the team and fuck the man you clearly are still in love with." Daeron suggested. 

"Your mother will deal with or without me fucking Cregan." Hope corrected. 

+

"Hope?" Cregan questioned.

"Greg?" Hope teased smirking back at him.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I was looking for a..." she scanned the bookshelves. A what? What was the reason? Wanted to know what it felt like to be in charge. What it would feel like to live here, to be here and be his forever. "Wanted to see whats like to be the lord of winterfell." She offered moving around to the desk and taking a seat kicking her feet up.

"And?" Cregan pondered.

"No too shabby." She offered.

He let himself believe that that was all this was, just casual, a means to an end but seeing her in his office, she looked like she belonged.

Hope had never acted like they were anything more. Until yesterday. When he had begged her with every part of his fragile heart to stay just for him to wake up to her gone. Why did this keep happening to him? Why did he keep coming that much closer knowing she was just gonna pull away. 

  "When did you leave last night?" Cregan questioned softly. The quiet question filled the office.

 "What do you mean?" Hope pondered innocently. 

  "Last night," he faced her, back against the bookshelf and arms crossed over his muscled chest. "What time did you leave?" Hope kicked her legs down from the desk and stood up. 

"Went to check on Daeron and I didn't want to wake you." She didn't think he would care, ,not really at least. Because she was leaving when the storm passed and they could just pretend the other didnt exist. 

Cregan stared back at her and Hope realized how something as simple as falling asleep and waking up beside her actually meant to him. 

Years had passed and so much was different yet he was still the same Cregan.   His shoulder dropped and he looked away, embarrassed perhaps but hope reached out for him.

 "I thought-" he started, and Hope moved closer standing in front of him. 

"You thought I walked away again." Hope whispered understanding.   He blew out a deep exhale, not quite looking at her. 

"Yeah, I guess." Cregan agreed.   Her hands met his forearms, tugging them gently open, his arms fell to his sides, allowing her to get closer to him. 

"Well Cregan, I hate to break it to you but you were wrong." Hope declared. Cregan coughed out a laugh, looking down at her with a soft smile. 

"Something tells me you've been wanting to tell me that for a while." Cregan teased. 

  "Oh that's not the last time you're going to be hearing that from me."  Hope agreed and that made them both think there was a future. 

Hope hugged him and felt his strong arms wrap around her, she clung to him like to release, to let him go was to lose him.