Back To December// Cregan Stark / Hope Mikaelson

30. Just a Kiss

Hope slurped up her soup and plucked at her bread while Frito and Storm ran around the great hall wrestling. Hope kept an eye on the wolves.

"The maesters should take a look at those cuts." Cregan remarked. 

"Just a scratch." Hope corrected. 

"Can I take a look?" Cregan countered. 

"No." Hope answered taking another slurp. 

"Lord Stark? Do you have a moment?" Jace questioned glaring back at Hope. Cregan faltered looking between them but Hope refused to look at him. 

"Hope-"

"I'm fine... sorry I scared you. But I'm okay." Hope assured. He gave her shoulder a squeeze as he got up and moved to Jace. Daeron gawked looking from Hope to Cregan and back. 

"What the fuck?" Daeron's voice raised an octave as he sat beside her. "You like him, stop with this tough girl, I dont need anyone act." 

"I need you." Hope offered him a small smile. 

"Hope." Daeron begged. 

"And I am tough." Hope reminded him. Daeron crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm tough. Like a cactus in Dorne."

"You are a cream puff when it comes to him." Daeron corrected. "A cupcake, a carrot cake- Soft!"

"I'm like fucking garlic cloves. Pungent. Fifty layers. Impenetrable!" hope corrected

"Garlic is the best part of every dish." Daeron remarked "and butter. You are butter!"

"Gross D." Hope grumbled.

"You like him he likes you. Whats the problem?"

Hope extended a hand and claws came out under the table. Daeron looked down at his claws before looking to her face. Daerons face was unreadable

"So the fuck what? Hes a wolf!" Daeron whispered shouted. 

"Sigil, wolf sigil and being able to actually rip throats are very different." hope corrected.

"Yeah I guess." Daeron murmured. "Maybe he thinks fangs and claws are hot. I'm sure he has kinks." Daeron added.

"Daeron!"

"What! Just thinking out loud." Daeron remarked. 

"Think in your head." Hope requested as Cregan came back. They silenced and Daeron excused himself as Cregan sat beside her, his back to the table he let out a long slow breath. Hope glanced over to him and damnit if Daeron wasnt right. She was soft for Cregan.

"Something on your mind?" Cregan questioned, his fingers trailed up her arm, over the raised shivers of her skin, slipped across her collar bone.

"You didn't used to want this, Cregan." Hope reminded him. He hummed in agreement.

"tried not to," his hand moved over the curve of her hip beneath the waistband of her pants. "Guess I wasn't too good at that."

"What changed?" 

"You running away and me thinking you were dead and I would never get to kiss you again." Cregan admitted. "But its been longer then that."

"How long?" her voice went soft as his fingers traced her skin.

"Long enough I thought it'd never happen," his shoulders rose in a rough shrug, trying to hide the way his voice almost cracked. "Long enough to drive myself insane trying to be tough, to hate you until you gave me- told me what I needed... what I wanted to hear."

"I had no idea," Hope whispered, yes she wanted him, of course she did but it was stupid... they were stupid. She turned towards him. When she got to winterfell she thought he hated her, that this was just to torment her. Then the whiplash of back and forth, the flirting and questioning each other. 

She raised up enough to rest her forehead against his neck, wanting to hear the thud of his heart. She felt him swallow, his fingers playing with a loose thread on her sleeve, suddenly uncertain, and she sat up moving away from him slightly. She had pushed him away for a reason but as he looked at her those reasons seemed to disappear from her mind.  

"What?" His head cocked and Cregan looked up at her. "I can't deny I've wanted this, Hope. But are you sure you do?" The doubt in his eyes, the wariness she was sure matched her own. But he couldn't bring himself to believe that she wanted  this after all the push and pull and running away, running into a snow storm to get away from him. But he wanted to prove to her that he was still the man for her, he would do it a thousand different ways, for the rest of his days if thats what it would take.

"Hope, I told myself I didn't. That we were nothing. But I couldn't stop coming back to you... Seeing you again, after all this time, you being here in Winterfell, in my home... it is driving me insane," Cregan admitted against her lips, and she let out a shaky breath.

"I didn't know... I never thought you would want-" Hope stopped herself. "After all I did to you..." Cregan shook his head.

"I was, I might still be mad at you about that Hope." Cregan admitted. "But if I dont kiss you I might explode." Hope opened her mouth not knowing how to response to that but then as his lips met hers it made her think that maybe they could try again.

She hardly noticed as he led her upstairs, felt the softness of the mattress give beneath her as he laid her down. His lips hadn't left hers. Insistent. Everything she needed to forget. Her arms wrapped around him, stealing his warmth as his body trapped her between his and the bed.

He knew what she wanted, he wanted it too. 

But he pulled away staring down at her. She tried to catch her breath as her gaze locked on his. 

"Just a kiss." Cregan whispered before getting up and leaving her alone.