Fated (Bloodhound x Eve (OC))

Bond

"Perhaps we require a little more time with touch for you to feel comfortable again. May I wash you, elskan?"

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Eve woke from her nap with a start, hands desperately searching for the warm body she had clung on to as she had fallen asleep, for Bloodhound. Today was cleaning day, but they had excused her from many of the chores, allowing her to rest after the spanking she had received the night before. Even though she hadn't exerted herself much today, after lunch she began to doze, and had fallen asleep in bed cradled in the hunter's strong arms.

Waking without them now felt wrong. They were probably just attending to a chore, but a strange feeling filled her and gnawed at her stomach. It wasn't the first time after some intense play that she had felt needy and clingy the next day. Logically, she knew that everything was fine, that Bloodhound still cared for her. But, on top of their recent time apart, her insistent, self-esteem-shattering thoughts pushed through.

She slid out from under the warm covers, feeling too cold and exposed in just her shorts and cami. Her bare feet padded quietly on the wood, bringing out the occasional tiny squeak from the floorboards. Eve spotted Bloodhound through the open doorway, sitting at the dining table. They were bent over a notebook, writing something, so intent on their task that they had not even noticed that she had gotten out of bed.

"Hound?" she asked softly, a tremor in her voice, half-hiding behind the doorway.

Bloodhound set the pencil down on their open notebook and turned to face her. "Ah, you are awake." Their brow furrowed when they saw the way she frowned, the uncertainty in her gaze, her timid posture. "Is something the matter?"

"You're not mad at me or anything, right?" She released the wood frame to fiddle with the metal ring around her leather collar.

Their eyes widened in surprise. "No, elskan. Have I done something to make you think this?"

"N-no, nothing really. I don't know," she mumbled, staring at her feet. "You just weren't there when I woke up, dunno."

"Come," they commanded, but there was a gentleness to their tone. Bloodhound patted their leg. "Sit."

Eve shuffled into the room and licked her lips as she stood by them. Artur was perched on the back of a chair, eating blueberries from a small dish. His beak clinked against the plate each time he bent for one, and gobbled each plump berry greedily, throwing his tiny head back to swallow them whole. She reached for him and stroked a finger across his chest before moving closer to Bloodhound.

Bloodhound watched her curiously. It was obvious she was stalling. They pushed their chair away from the table to make room for her, and she carefully slid her bruised bottom over their muscular thigh. Bloodhound pulled her against their chest and Eve buried her face into the crook of their neck, a perfect fit.

Eve wiggled her toes as her legs dangled between theirs. She closed her eyes and breathed in their warm scent, pine and wood and something deeper that was just them . It was familiar, grounding. It helped a little. When she opened her eyes again, she peeked at their notebook. She recognized their name and hers, and what looked like a chart for days of the week.

"What are you working on?" Eve asked to detract some of the attention away from her.

"I am forming a new training plan for us both. I believe with an accelerated week or two, we can make up for the time you lost while injured."

"Oh," Eve said softly. "Yeah, I definitely felt it last match. Even though my squad won, I felt out of shape, kinda slow."

"You performed exceptionally well, even so."