accidentally yours | claude de alger obelia

in exchange for a heart

claude woke to the soft sounds of breathing, steady and calm, coming from the person resting against him. it took him a moment to register where he was-inside the cave, the fire now a mere flicker from the night before-and to realize just how much his body was pressed against hers.

evie's head was resting against his chest, her hair messy and tangled from the fall, her clothes tattered beyond repair. the fabric of her cloak had torn in several places, exposing a bit more skin than he would've liked. the faint scent of smoke and the dampness from the cave hung in the air, but it was evie's warmth that he couldn't ignore.

for a second, he stayed still, his eyes lingering on her as she slept soundly, unaware of how close they were. her breathing was deep and slow, and despite her usual fierceness, she looked so... vulnerable in this moment.

damn it.

claude shifted slightly, careful not to wake her. he needed to get up, but her body was pressed against him in such a way that it was hard to pull away without disturbing her. but he was already feeling the coldness creeping back into the cave, and the thought of her shivering in those tattered clothes made his chest tighten.

stubborn fool, he thought with a sigh.

he'd never been the type to care for people, certainly not like this. yet, as he looked at her, still unaware and helpless in her sleep, something inside him churned. it wasn't just the damn cold.

it was something else.

with a quiet breath, claude decided that if he didn't act now, she'd freeze again. moving with calculated precision, he gently lifted her head, slipping out from under her without disturbing her too much. his gaze flickered to her exposed skin, the torn fabric clinging to her fragile form.

idiot.

claude stood, his muscles aching slightly from the tension of the previous night's events. he grabbed his cloak and shirt, deciding that he couldn't leave her in this state. she didn't deserve to wake up freezing. as he draped his cloak over her shoulders, he glanced at the rest of his own clothing-a perfect fit, molded to his body from years of discipline and strength. just for this, then.

he slid his shirt off, his broad chest exposed, revealing a perfectly sculpted torso. he wasn't one to be vain, but it didn't take a mirror to know that years of training had given him a body that was as powerful as it was flawless. his abs were defined, each muscle etched clearly in the dim light of the cave.

he moved back to evie's side, his shirt now draped over her, the fabric wrapping snugly around her shoulders. he tucked the edges of the shirt into the folds of her cloak, securing it with his hands. he could feel his heart beating faster than he liked as his fingers brushed against her skin, but he quickly ignored the sensation. don't think about it.

when everything was in place, claude stepped back and stood by the fire, silently watching over her. her chest rose and fell with a rhythm that was peaceful, her face calm in her sleep.

you'll probably never know, huh?

he ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the nagging thoughts that lingered in his mind. he'd done what he needed to do. he wasn't a soft-hearted fool. but there was something about this situation-

the way she had come into his life, the way she seemed to slip through his defenses without him noticing-that made him question himself.

and that pissed him off more than anything.

he couldn't afford to care. not for her. not for anyone.

as he turned back toward the fire, he couldn't help but feel a tug of something deeper, a flicker of a thought that whispered to him to stay close, to protect her.