WARNING: Smut, NSFS/NSFW, Mature Themes.

Chapter 31: Healing

I fell to my knees as the brown blur of fur ran into my legs, toppling me over. The familiar sound of panting hitting my ears just before a bright pink tongue began exploring my skin. I shouted her name happily as I threw my arms around the writhing mass of fur in my arms. Nika's whining filled the room as she squirmed closer into me, and I couldn't help but laugh with relief as she collapsed onto the floor next to me, panting happily. I scratched the patch of fur between her ears as Corvo closed and locked the door before turning towards us, a small half-smile gracing his face. We only held eye contact for a moment before he glanced at the floor, his smile quickly replaced with a slight scowl. I watched as he picked a scrap of fabric up off the floor, examining it for a moment as his scowl grew, Nika whined under my hand and I moved my head scratches to her belly.

"What is it?" I asked Corvo as I watched him crumple the fabric in his hand before stuffing into the pocket of his trousers.

"Nothing," He replied immediately, his voice darker and harsher than usual. He seemed to notice the tone he'd taken up with me, because he elaborated a moment later, his voice much softer and more reserved. "Just some trash Nika dragged in." I wish I knew what was going on with him, this side of him was completely new to me and it was apparent that I was walking on previously un-treaded ground. I didn't know what to say so I remained quiet, the silence growing between us. Corvo looked away from me to glare at the pistol in his hand almost like it was some Coldridge felon, he let out a rough breath of air before walking off towards the bedroom. I knew that he was going through some pretty serious stuff at the moment, but I still didn't understand the forced distance, the obvious self-loathing that kept slipping through the chinks in his armor, the timidity he'd been expressing in my presence ever since I'd woken up. I sighed softly as I watched him disappear into the bedroom, he needed his space, even I could tell that much.

I focused my attentions on Nika, not only did she serve as a wonderful distraction from whatever was going on with Corvo, but I was so relieved that she was alright; back safe and sound. "Are you hungry girl? I bet you are," I spoke softly to her as I picked myself up off the floor. I went about making breakfast in a bit of a haze, part of me wondering where Nika had been, the other half wondering what was going on with Corvo's mood swings. I knew Corvo was complex, and he had always acted somewhat peculiar to a certain degree, but I just couldn't understand what was going on with him right now. I knew he had a hard time forgiving himself for what happened, and that he also believed himself to be abusive, but I couldn't agree with him on that. I didn't think he was abusive. If he was he wouldn't have stopped so suddenly the second I told him he was hurting me. Before I could slip too deeply into that train of thought a gentle hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my slight haze.

"Jessamine, are you alright?" Corvo's voice was laced with concern as I turned to look at him, momentarily abandoning my own attempt at flapjacks.

"Of course, why?" I questioned as I turned away from him and back to the batter in front of me. I paid much more attention than necessary to the simple task of mixing everything together, I just didn't want to think about the changes in Corvo in the last twenty-four hours. Changes that I didn't like. Changes that were all my fault to begin with.

"I asked you a question, you didn't even hear me," Corvo stated as he pulled his hand from my shoulder, stuffing it in the pocket of his trousers before stepping around me and leaning against the counter top.

"Sorry. I just wasn't listening, what did you ask?" I focused on placing a pan on the hot stovetop as I spoke. It wasn't that I was trying to avoid Corvo or that I was scared of him, I just didn't want to look up at him only to see self-loathing on his face. I'd already tried to help him get past his own personal problems but he had basically refused my help, and I was tired of my efforts being futile. I hated seeing him in pain and not being able to do anything to help him.

"Are we going to leave now that we have Nika back?" Corvo's voice was low and even as he spoke, and I couldn't help but look away from my work and up at him as the realization that he was actually giving me a say in what happened dawned on me. He had been so adamant about leaving yesterday that I hadn't expected him to actually take what I wanted into account, I certainly hadn't assumed that he would ask for my opinion on the matter. I should have known better though, Corvo had always been more of a gentleman than I gave him credit for, yet another thing I admired about him.

"I'd really rather not, but I'm not going to fight you on the issue either," I sighed, part of me assuming that even though he'd asked for my opinion on the matter he would still do whatever he wanted. Everyone had always done what they wanted even if it wasn't what I did, I was used to this by now.

"You're not?" His voice was surprised, matching the slightly bewildered look on his face. Apparently, he'd also learned by now that I rarely went down with a fight, and my quick and easy surrender threw him off. But what I had with Corvo wasn't worth risking over a few more days of alone time, if this was the sacrifice I had to make to keep him I'd do it.

"I'm tired of fighting Corvo," I sighed as I returned to making breakfast, pouring a generous amount of batter onto the warm pan and staring at it until small bubbles began to float to the surface as the silence between us grew. My anxiety grew with each passing moment. Normally silence between us was comfortable, calming; this time it was nerve-wracking.

"You want to stay?" Corvo's voice broke the silence as I flipped the flapjack, only making a small mess much to my own luck.

"I do believe that's exactly what I just said," I answered quietly as I waited tensely for his response. This time the silence between us lasted for a few minutes, each passing second only making my stomach churn more. By the time he broke the silence I was already flipping the third flapjack.

"I just…I just need to know that you're safe, and I'm not certain of that here." It was the tone of his voice that caught me by surprise, soft and remorseful, almost timid. I drew in a deep breath as I realized that Corvo was just as worried about further damaging the tentative peace between us. I pulled the flapjack from the heat before turning completely to stare him down, his face showing all the uncertainty that his voice had been tainted with a moment prior.

"I'm safe wherever I am as long as you're with me," I stated softly as I stepped forward, closing the distance between us before taking one of his larger hands in my own. I rubbed slow circles into the back of his hand with my thumbs as he stared down at our hands.

"I wouldn't bet my life on that statement if I were you," Corvo whispered as he continued to stare down at our interlaced hands, his voice just barely loud enough for me to hear. I couldn't help but scowl at his words; I kept trying to make him feel better, to make him realize that he was still a hero in my own mind, but he kept trying to undermine my words.

"Well, you're not me." My voice came out snappier than I intended, but he kept annoying me with his inability to forgive himself. "So are we staying or not?" I asked, my voice softening considerably as I stared deep into his brown eyes, hoping to read the emotion hiding inside of them.

"We'll do as you wish," Corvo stated as he stared back unfaltering, his voice growing strong once again. After the initial jolt of surprise ran through me I was still left somewhat awestruck, I hadn't thought Corvo would give me this, but I was incredibly grateful that he did. I could feel a smile growing on my face on its own accord as I squeezed Corvo's hand a bit tighter. I rested one of my hands on his smooth cheek and leaned onto the tips of my toes, planting a small kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you," I whispered against his smooth skin as his arms circled around my back, holding me tight against him as he let out a long shaky breath. And in that moment everything felt like normal, and I relished in every second of the contentment.

TWO HOURS LATER

I snuggled deeper under the blanket covering me as the chill spreading from my hands made me feel colder than I really was. I rested my head against the curve of Corvo's shoulder as I tried to get back into my book, but I was quickly distracted when I noticed that Corvo wasn't reading his book, instead he was holding it loosely in his hands while staring at the wall with glassed over eyes. I sat up straighter as I closed my book and set it down on the couch next to me, Corvo made no indication that he noticed I was moving, still staring off into some far away unknown place. I moved cautiously at first, I didn't know what part of his life he was reliving in his mind at the moment and given the life he'd lived chances were his memory wasn't a good one. He didn't respond as I rested my hand lightly against the curve of his jaw so I took the liberty of running my thumb across the smooth plane of his cheek, still not drawing any reaction from him.

"Corvo." His name fell softly from my lips before I fully realized that I'd said it. With the silence between us now broken he turned to look at me, pulled from the haze he'd been lost in. I immediately noticed the unusual shine on his eyes, the excess wetness pooling against the lower rims of his eyelids just waiting to be set free with one little blink. Corvo continued to stare at me, his gaze unwavering, his face showing no more emotion than one would find in a stoic painting; but his eyes told the unspoken truth, he was breaking. The silence between us grew as I finally realized he wasn't going to say anything, he was waiting for me to say whatever I'd wanted in the first place, but I hadn't anything in mind to say from the start. I hated seeing him in pain, I hated that he refused to talk to me about what was going on with him; but most of all, I hated that he had been sitting there suffering for who knew how long while I hadn't the slightest clue.

"Oh, Corvo," I sighed as I leaned in closer to him before planting a small but lingering kiss on his forehead. I pressed my own forehead against his own, the tips of our noses touching as I wrapped my free arm around his shoulders pulling him closer to me. Peaceful silence enveloped us for a short moment before a broken and choked breath of air he'd been holding in escaped, and a warm fat tear fell onto my hand where it still rested against his jaw. I swallowed heavily as Corvo let out another breath; shallower, shakier. I'd never actually seen Corvo cry before; the onion a few days ago didn't count, but this, this was real. I pulled away from him slowly, just far enough to look at him; and if broken had an illustration next to it in the dictionary it would have been of him at this very moment. He refused to look at me, his eyes downcast, staring at his hands resting limply on the book in his lap as another fat tear slowly rolled down his cheek. I wished I knew what to do, but Corvo was so complicated and this was entirely new to me, and probably to him as well. I wiped the tear from his cheek gently with my unoccupied hand, the wetness spreading thinly across my skin as I worried myself over what I needed to do to make him better.

"Corvo," I whispered softly, waiting for him to look up at me before continuing. As the seconds ticked by I wondered if he was going to do anything, or if he was just going to ignore my voice; but after what felt like a long time he finally looked up, his still watery eyes finding mine almost timidly. "I love you, and I hate seeing you like this. I hate seeing you in pain. Will you please just talk to me?" I whispered as I pulled my hands from his face and wrapped them around his own hands, which were somehow colder than my own.

"There's," He stopped as his voice broke, pausing a moment before clearing his throat and speaking up once again. "There's nothing to talk about," He finished as he continued to stare at me, pain still more than evident in his eyes. I just wanted to understand, if I could just understand what was wrong with him I could help.

"Corvo, please," I begged, my voice so quiet that I didn't know if he'd hear it even though were sitting right next to each other.

"What do you want me to say, Jessamine? That I hate who I was in the past, and even though I thought I wasn't that person anymore I know now more than ever that I am? That not a night goes by that I don't hear the screams of a little girl who ran into her father's room only moments after I slit his throat, his body still twitching with the last of his life as she crumpled to the ground absolutely broken?" Corvo paused a moment to draw in another shaky breath as another tear rolled down his face, he wiped it away almost instantly before continuing. "That I've killed more people than I can count, made widows and orphans and destroyed families? Because all of that is true, but I'm the one who did those things; and it's my burden, not yours, to live with the guilt now," Corvo finished, his voice taking on a hard steely edge as he tried to pull on his tougher than steel persona once again. I swallowed as I held his hands a bit tighter, I'd always known Corvo had a bloody and ruthless past, I just didn't know that it affected him so much to this very day.

"You don't have to do everything alone anymore Corvo, it's okay to need help. If you'd just let me I'd…" I trailed off as I realized I had no idea what I could do. I didn't know how to fix this, I didn't know how to fix anything.

"You'd what? Make everything magically all better?" Corvo's voice held a mocking tone, but I knew he didn't mean it like that; he wasn't trying to hurt me, not on purpose at least. He always pushed people away, it's what he did when he felt vulnerable, and it was what he was trying to do right now.

"No, but I could help ease your pain," I stated softly as I tried to caress his jaw, but he pushed my hand away. I admired how he always tried to be strong, but he needed to learn that it was okay to be weak too, it was okay to need someone to help you through life.

"I deserve to feel this pain," He growled, his voice hard and unfeeling. Full of self-loathing that had become more and more apparent this last day. But he didn't deserve to feel this pain, and he certainly didn't deserve to deal with it all on his own, nobody did.

"No, you don't," I breathed, as I continued staring him down his eyes still locked onto my own. I took a deep breath before leaning in, fully prepared for him to push me away, or get up and walk off; but he surprised me once again, sitting there as unmoving as stone as I pressed my lips against his. I took his lack of attempting to flee as a good sign, so I pressed myself closer to him, wrapping my arms around his back and burying a hand in his hair as I kissed him again. He remained unresponsive, the same way he had this morning when I'd kissed him...like he was scared to reciprocate. I tried kissing him one last time when he finally caved, his arms wrapping around my back possessively as he laid back on the couch, pulling me down on top of him as his lips began to move against mine. His fingers dug softly into my back as his mouth began to devour mine with more passion than he'd shown ever since we got in that fight yesterday. I lost myself in the feeling of him as his hands began to explore my body and his tongue began to map out my mouth, it wasn't long before he was making me pant for breath, his growing arousal becoming more and more apparent as he grew harder under me.

"Corvo," I breathed quietly as his lips began to trail under the curve of my jaw, forcing my stomach to flutter. The second I broke the silence Corvo froze, the same way he had this morning; all movement immediately stopping before he sat up, pushing me off of him and standing up, putting some distance between us. Annoyance grew inside of me immediately from his refusal to entertain any sexual needs, he couldn't get me all worked up one moment just to pull away from me the next. "Corvo, why do you keep avoiding sex?" My voice was louder now, more authoritative, I wanted answers and I was going to get them. This was the second time this day he'd pushed me away and I was going to find out why.

"I'm not avoiding it, I'm just not in the mood Jessie," Corvo growled, clearly annoyed as he turned back around to look at me. His face unreadable as he stared me down in a way that somehow made me feel like the bad guy for wanting to make love, I wasn't going to have any of that though. Not this time.

"Stop lying Corvo." I stood up and made my way over to him until we were standing inches apart. "The truth is more than obvious," I finished as I gestured to his tented trousers, the hard evidence that he was in fact, very in the mood. The silence between us grew as we stared each other down, waiting to see which of us would surrender first, and I could guarantee that it wasn't going to be me; he was going to talk if it was the death of me, I needed to know what was going on with him. Both of us remained silent for a few moments until Corvo finally broke the silence.

"I'm scared, alright?" It came out in a tired sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, tidying it back into place. Corvo refused to meet my eyes after that, instead choosing to stare at our feet.

"You're scared?" I questioned incredulously as I crossed my arms over my chest. "You're never scared of anything," I finished with a slight scoff. Corvo had been fearless for as long as I'd known him, it seemed so unlike him to suddenly admit he was scared. He looked back up at me as I finished speaking, his eyes showing some steely determination that hadn't been there before.

"Yes, I am. I'm scared of everything these days," Corvo stated as he turned away from me and stalked over to one of the windows, staring out it before continuing. "I'm afraid that if I touch you I'm going to hurt you; because that's what I do, that's all I've ever done, is hurt people. I'm afraid of getting you undressed only to see the bruises that I put on your skin staring back at me, the evidence that I'm not a decent person blatantly mocking me. And I'm afraid of who I am more than anything," He finished before sighing heavily, shaking his head softly as he continued to stare out the frosty window.

"Why are you scared of yourself? I'm not afraid of you," I stated softly as I stepped forward and rested a gentle hand on his back.

"Well you should be," He stated harshly as he turned around swiftly. Staring down at me with something akin to anger in his expression.

"Why are you scared of yourself, Corvo?" I questioned gently as I let my hand drift back down to my side. I knew he was trying to scare me off so he wouldn't have to explain himself, but I was past being scared of him anymore, he clearly needed me and I was going to stand by his side regardless of how much he tried to push me away. Silence grew between us once more as he clearly contemplated whether or not to try to scare me off again or just answer my question, apparently the latter won out though.

"Because I finally have something good going for myself. I finally have something worth living for, not just merely existing, but actually living. I found something that actually makes me genuinely happy…You. I always find a way to screw up everything good though, and I can't…I refuse to be the person who breaks you. And I could break you, at any moment, and not realize it until it was too late," Corvo explained slowly, his voice quiet as he stared down at the floor, his long hair draping over part of his face. A part of my heart broke at his confession. He was more scared of hurting me than hurting himself, if he only understood that it hurt me when I watched him hurt himself.

"You could, but you're not going to," I offered softly as I stepped forward before wrapping my arms around his larger frame, holding him tightly against me as he tensed up. After a few short moments he relaxed though, wrapping his arms around my waist in return.

"I hope you're right," He breathed quietly before burying his head in the crook of my neck and letting out a long shaky breath.

EIGHT HOURS LATER

I squirmed deeper into Corvo's side as he extinguished the last candle, his skin warm under my cold hands. Today had been trying for the both of us, but things were getting better, he was slowly starting to come around. It was good to know that we were healing after everything that had happened. He grumbled as he buried himself deeper under the covers and looped his arm behind my back, holding me tight against him. He was finally starting to warm up again, and that gave me a sense of hope I hadn't had recently. It was finally looking like things were getting better.

Despite the fact that I had been constantly trying to help Corvo forget about the incident that had happened between us the previous day it was still flitting through my mind. I had questions about it that I wanted the answers to, but I also didn't want to make Corvo relapse into the emotional state he'd been in before. There were still so many things I didn't know about him, or parts of him that I'd seen only glimpses of, and I wanted to know more…needed to know more if this was going to continue between us, and I definitely wanted it to be continued, preferably indefinitely. I stared at him from my slightly awkward vantage point as I considered whether or not now would be an appropriate time to talk about the things on my mind. If anything I felt now more than ever that we needed to have a talk about his more…Rough side, especially if it had anything to do with what happened yesterday.

"Corvo," I began softly and then realized that maybe now wasn't the right time for this. I should wait a little while longer. But it was already too late, I'd already gotten his attention, and I could tell by the way he was staring back at me that he wasn't going to let never mind pass as a finishing statement. I took a long deep breath before swallowing nervously and continuing, "Yesterday, when we were...Well, you know. Was that what the rough sex that you enjoy is like sometimes?". My voice had become softer the more I talked until it tapered off into a whisper towards the end. At first, he appeared slightly ashamed, but I was relieved when that look turned into a slightly remorseful yet gentle look. It didn't seem as though he'd taken offense to my question, or that it had sent him relapsing into self-hatred. If anything he just seemed disappointed about what had happened between us.

"No, not at all," Corvo began before taking a deep breath as he rolled onto his side so he could get a better look at me. I couldn't help the surge of relief that flowed through me at his answer, if our hate sex yesterday was exactly what he wanted out of our partnership then I knew I'd never be able to satisfy him, I knew that I would never be able to keep something like that up. "Yesterday was...Unhealthy, and shameful, and you're already well aware of how much I regret feeding into what happened between us then," He continued, his voice gentle as he reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. A secondary, smaller wave of relief flowed through me, I did know very well how much he hated himself for that incident, but I hadn't automatically assumed that just because he felt bad about something meant he wouldn't enjoy it under different circumstances; but now I had my answer, and thankfully it was the one I had been hoping for. "What makes you ask that?" Corvo questioned softly as he rested a hand on my arm, his eyes boring into mine in the dim light.

"Well, it's just, the first and only time you ever showed me that side of yourself was all those months ago back on the ship. And I couldn't help but wonder if what happened had something to do with, I don't know, pent up desires that you haven't really let out since back then," I began slowly, but began talking a bit faster as I just forced myself to get the words out. The timidity in my voice was clear, and it made Corvo scowl slightly as he trailed his thumb back and forth across my arm.

"Yesterday had absolutely nothing to do with any sort of pent up desires, I've already explained what yesterday was about. That one time that we almost had rough sex my intent was in no way to hurt you, yesterday was...Well, you already know. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure yesterday never repeats itself," Corvo stated slowly and calmly, if he was feeling worked up over my questions he certainly wasn't showing it. He pulled his hand from my arm and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for me to say or do something.

"So, when do you think you're going to want to have rough sex?" I questioned as I stared up at the ceiling. That question had been nagging my mind for a while now, and it felt good to just get it out.

"Jessamine, I'm not even ready to have normal sex with you yet after…" Corvo trailed off, silence filling the room for a moment before he sighed heavily. "I don't know if I'll ever want to have rough sex with you now," Corvo admitted after a moment. Surprise rushed through me at his admission, I had never really expected Corvo to possibly change his tastes in the bedroom just because of what had happened, I'd just assumed we would wait a while until we were both over it before we tried anything like that.

"Really?" I asked, my surprise evident in my voice. "Alright then," I stated, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You didn't like it…Did you?" Corvo questioned as he turned his head to get a good look at me. I made a noncommittal humming sound as I shrugged my shoulders and continued to stare up at the ceiling, purposely ignoring Corvo's gaze. Corvo shifted beside me to lay on his side once again, staring directly at me, practically demanding an answer even though he hadn't spoken up again yet.

"I mean, it was sort of sexy, but you're always sexy so…" I trailed off in hopes of sounding nonchalant and noncommittal. At first, I had thought that I was just neutral towards that side of Corvo, but after these days with Corvo alone, knowing the things he could do to me…I would have been lying if I told myself that I wasn't curious about how it would feel with him trying something a little less domestic. "Would you ever let me, you know, rough you up a bit?" I questioned tentatively, slightly concerned Corvo would laugh at my question, or poke fun at it every time we were alone for the next five years.

"You want to dominate me?" Surprise was evident in his voice. I forced myself not to shy away from his question, even though embarrassment was burning hot in my cheeks. I swallowed before speaking up once again.

"I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to giving it a try if you'd let me," I stated softly, once again trying to come off as uncaring and unconcerned about the topic as I'd managed before, but this time failing horribly. I couldn't help but sneak a glance away from the ceiling and over at Corvo, I was worried that I'd see some sort of concerned judgment in his face but instead, there was only a sort of humored contemplation gracing his features.

"I mean…If you wanted to I'd let you…" Corvo began, faltering slightly as he spoke, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that I wasn't the only one slightly flustered with the topic at hand. "But you're not exactly ready for something like that," Corvo finished, quickly sounding a lot less unsure and much bolder. His last statement made me quickly forget the small surge of reassurance that his previous words had given me, as I quickly became defensive over what Corvo considered good enough merits for someone to have before he'd let them take him in that way.

"How do you know I'm not ready?" I questioned boldly as I rolled over so I could stare at him through slightly narrowed eyes. I couldn't help but take slight offense at his words, I knew plenty about sex to know what to do, I was ready. Corvo answered my glare with a slightly quirked eyebrow and an amused half smile before answering my question.

"I know because I haven't taught you anything about that and I really doubt you know it all on your own going off nothing but instinct," He chuckled softly at the end as he reached a hand out to rest it on top of mine. Even though he was clearly trying to be gentle about the topic on hand I couldn't help but still feel the need to prove that I knew more than enough than I needed to dominate him perfectly fine.

"I know how it works! I tie you up or pin you down or whatever, then I do whatever I want to rough you up a little, then I have sex with you," I explained quickly in hopes he'd see that I did in fact understand, but my words had the opposite of effect of what I had been hoping for as the room erupted with the deep sound of his laughter. I blushed as he laughed at my answer, I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed that he found my serious answer so humorous.

"That's not at all how it works," Corvo finally explained as his laughter died away, my embarrassment still flushing through me. I forced my embarrassment away though, I wasn't going to let him make me feel silly for my lack of practical knowledge.

"Then teach me!" I exclaimed as I playfully slapped his chest. Besides how else was I ever going to learn something like that if he wasn't willing to explain how things needed to be done to reach his level of standard.

"Goodnight Jessamine," Corvo said softly before he rolled over onto his back, resting his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Shock washed over me as I realized that Corvo was purposely trying to skirt the situation at hand, he was probably hoping that if he pushed it off for long enough that I'd eventually forget about it. Well, I wasn't going to forget about it, and I'd pester him every day until he finally told me what I wanted.

"You're a butt," I grumbled only partially grudgingly as I turned my back towards him and pulled more of the blanket off of his body. A few more deep chuckles filled the room before silence engulfed us.

THE NEXT DAY

There was no sunlight streaming through the window to blind me as I blinked my way out of sleep. I tried to glance through the window at the head of the bed but Corvo was laying on my hair, inadvertently making it impossible for me to move more than a few inches in any direction. I growled under my breath as I tried to lift Corvo by his shoulder, just enough so I could wiggle out from under him. But my efforts were proving to be futile until he grumbled incoherently and rolled over, releasing my hair from under his back. I took my opportunity at freedom to sit up, pulling my hair over my shoulder to prevent it from being laid on once again. I glanced out the window to see that it was snowing gently, flakes falling from the sky at a leisurely pace before disappearing into the endless sea of white blanketing the ground. I sighed softly before falling back onto the bed, letting the warm blankets engulf me as I curled against Corvo's back. He grumbled as my hands traced the panes of his stomach, rolling onto his back and nearly crushing me under him in the process, as much as I loved sleeping in the same bed as Corvo I hated waking up in the middle of the night to find him using me as more of a mattress than the bed itself. It was nearly impossible to wiggle out from under him when he did that, but it was a tolerable evil.

I stared over at Corvo as he continued sleeping, his hair messily strung around his face, the blankets only half covering him. I smiled softly before pulling myself on top of him, he was warm under me as I began to push messy strands of his hair out of his face, making him wrinkle his nose in his sleep. I couldn't help but chuckle at the faces he made as I ran my fingers through his hair, my voice breaking the silence woke him up a bit. He blinked a few times before his eyes focused on me and he gave a sleepy half-smile, he wrapped his arms around my waist before grumbling and rolling over suddenly. I screeched as he pulled me under him until he was laying on me, his face buried in the crook of my neck as his hair tickled my face. I struggled to free myself from the cage of his arms, only causing him to pull me tighter against him until struggling was futile.

"Mine," Corvo grumbled sleepily before planting a string of sloppy kisses up the length of my neck. I giggled as I tried to push him off of me to no avail.

"Let me go," I whined as I gave up trying to escape once again, laying limply in his arms as I waited for him to let go of his hold on me.

"Never," He whispered before his lips found mine, the kiss surprised me and I made a small noise before kissing him back happily, all thoughts of escaping his hold immediately gone. He pulled away faster than I would have liked, bracing himself on his elbows on each side of my head as he leaned up a bit, giving me room to push his hair out of my face. He looked better today, happier, less focused on his past. "I suppose we should probably get up," He mused as he trailed a finger down my cheek.

"I'd rather do something else at the moment," I breathed as I stared up at him, his eyes holding me captive as he leaned in closer to me.

"Hmm?" Corvo hummed questioningly as he brushed a kiss across my forehead. It was clear that he knew what I meant though as his lips found the particularly sensitive spot right under my ear and began to kiss his way down my neck, pulling my high collared sweater further down my neck when he reached the hem. He stopped a few second later though, kissing my cheek before pulling away. "You're still bruised," Corvo stated quietly as his thumb brushed over a few of the marks littered haphazardly along the side of my neck.

"So?" I questioned softly as I stared up at him, his dark eyes cautious and slightly worried as he let go of the collar of my sweater and it hiked its way back up my neck.

"I don't want to hurt you," Corvo breathed as he ran his now free hand through my hair slowly.

"Then just be gentle," I whispered as I traced his collarbones with my fingers, our eyes still holding contact. I wasn't expecting him to actually have sex with me, his words from last night were still ringing in my ears 'I'm not even ready to have normal sex with you yet…' but that wasn't going to stop me from trying.

"Jessamine," Corvo sighed softly as he pushed himself off of me, "You're still bruised, and with everything that just happened…I don't want to push things faster than they should go right now," He finished as he sat up, staring at me with a soft forlorn expression. But I wanted him, and if he wanted me too then we wouldn't be pushing anything, right? Was it really so bad for me to want the simple reassurance that making love would give me? I just wanted to feel like everything was normal, and normally at this time of day I wouldn't be able to keep Corvo off of me if I wanted to.

"You're still scared that you're going to hurt me," I said softly as I sat up, staring him down. That had to be the reason he was pushing himself away, it was the reason he gave yesterday when he did the same exact thing.

"No, I'm not…" He trailed off as I gave him my best 'I know you're lying' look. "Alright, fine. Yes, I'm scared of hurting you again," Corvo admitted before staring at the blankets he was sitting on as though if he looked at them for long enough I'd disappear.

"There's only one way to get over your fears," I stated plainly and he sighed before glancing up at me once again.

"Jessamine, I really—"

"Why are you so afraid? I was the one who got hurt, I'm the one who should be feeling scared. But instead—" He cut me off just as I had cut him off seconds ago, stopping me cold.

"I'm scared because I don't want to lose you. I've already fucked up too many times, I don't want to risk fucking up again," Corvo growled, his voice dark but not angry. I took a second to think his words over before reaching out and resting my palm against his cheek.

"You're not going to lose me," I began softly before leaning in and planting a small kiss on his lips before pulling away. "I love you, Corvo," I continued before pressing another kiss to his lips and pulling away once more. "And I know firsthand that you're more than capable of being gentle," My voice became quieter as I said the words while tracing the curve of his jaw with my lips. Pressing another small kiss against the juncture of his jaw and ear. "Please," I had just finished whispering that last word when his lips found mine, one arm wrapping around my waist and the other cradling the side of my neck as he laid back against the bed, pulling me on top of him.

I couldn't help but smile as he pulled away to draw in a shaky breath, I had wanted this for a while now, and I was finally going to get it. I kissed the stubble already growing on his cheek as the hand he had on my back drifted further down until he was tracing the curves of my bare legs. Our lips met again, this time his seemed more certain, not as shaky and worried as before. I tangled my hands in his hair as his tongue wetted my lower lip, I opened my mouth almost instinctually allowing his tongue to meet mine as I tugged on his hair probably rougher than I meant to. The last time we'd kissed like this it had been fast and rough and fiery, this time it was nearly the exact opposite, slow and gentle and patient. I pulled my hands away from his hair and sat up, grabbing the lower hem of my sweater. I began to pull it off when Corvo placed his hands over mine, stopping me from lifting my sweater any further.

"Please leave it on," He pleaded softly as his eyes found mine, a slight sheen of uncertainty covering them. "Please," He said once again before pulling his hands from mine and resting them on the bed. I pulled my hands away from the hem a few moments later before nodding my silent agreement.

"Alright," I breathed as I bent over, our lips meeting once again. This time I explored his bare chest with my hands, running them slowly down his torso and carefully tracing the lines where his muscles cut away from each other.

"Thank you," He whispered as we pulled away from each other for air. I nodded once again as he pulled my hair over my shoulder before tucking a finger under my chin and lifting my head up a bit more. He leaned up a bit a moment later, his lips finding my neck before kissing a slow and delicate trail down my neck to the hem of my sweater. His fingers then following the path of his kisses before pulling down the neckline of my sweater once again and continuing the path he had originally taken. He stopped when he made it to my shoulder, pulling away for a second before small and haphazardly placed kisses began to dot my neck. I giggled at first as I wondered what he was doing, but a few moments later I realized he was kissing the small bruises that littered my neck. A few more kisses followed before he let go of the neckline of my sweater and laid completely back against the bed once again.

"I love you," I whispered as I pushed some of his messy hair out of his face, forcing myself not to show exactly how much the small gesture he'd given only moments prior had affected me.

"I love you too," He stated quietly as he traced the curve of my cheekbone with his thumb. I could feel a smile spreading across my face even though I wasn't thinking about it, and even against my best attempts to keep it in I could feel a small tear break free and begin to roll down my cheek.

"Why are you crying?" Corvo questioned gently as he wiped away the tear with his thumb, his voice and face showing a sudden wave of uncertainty.

"I just love you so much," I stated softly as Corvo pulled his hand away from my face.

"Jessamine —"

"Shut up and kiss me," I ordered as firmly as I could manage before pressing my lips against his. He didn't fight it at all, immediately giving in as one of his hands buried under my hair, his fingertips brushing against my scalp as his other hand gently squeezed my upper thigh. I lost track of time as our lips and tongues met again and again, what pulled me back out of my haze of lustful kisses was the feeling of Corvo's very hard cock pressing against my inner thigh as he strained against his trousers. I pulled away from his kisses, moving my hands down to the buttons on his trousers before beginning to work them open. He remained almost statue still as I worked all of the buttons open, at first I thought it was because of some sort of lingering nervousness or fear on his part; but the lust shining clearly in his eyes made me quickly realize that it was probably more likely that he didn't want to seem like he was forcing or pressuring me into anything.

As I started to wiggle his trousers off his hips he arched his back for me, making it exponentially easier to pull them off. Once I got them far enough down he wiggled them the rest of the way off on his own. His boxers followed suit shortly after, leaving his whole body bare. I took his length in my hand, stroking a few times and causing him to moan softly. Instead of fisting the sheets like he usually did his hands found my upper arms and wrapped around them softly as he drew in a long shuddering breath. A small smile grew on my face as I felt that familiar proudness inside of me knowing that I was the one who did this to him. Corvo falling apart under me was entirely my fault, and it was something I loved seeing. I only teased him a few seconds longer before aligning my wet folds to his tip, causing him to buck slightly and moan my name.

I slid down on him slowly, taking the time to adjust to his size as I took him. When he was finally fully seated inside of me I took another moment before lifting myself up and sliding back down slowly, this time Corvo wasn't the only one to let out a small moan. He let me continue for maybe a minute before one of his hands wrapped around the back of my head, pulling me down for a kiss as his other hand moved to cup my butt as I slowly rode him. Our lips and tongues tangled together as I continued to ride him, we only pulled away for short pants of breath before our lips found each other once again. I had definitely missed this feeling, the fullness, the closeness, the tender passion, the pleasure radiating from my core throughout the rest of my body. I lost track of time once again as our bodies tangled together, losing track of where one person started and the other ended, all that mattered was his lips on mine and the complete feeling of fullness he was giving me, the pleasure building in my core slowly. But once again I was pulled from my trance like state, this time it was from the annoying burn of my muscles every time I pulled away only to take him inside me once again. The feeling had finally built enough to make it an annoying distraction from the pleasure that would otherwise be flowing through me at the moment.

I pulled away for a long moment, panting for breath as I stared down at Corvo. My mind slowly cleared enough for me to come up with a solution, I wrapped my hands around Corvo's upper arms before rolling over onto my back, Corvo following me so as not to slip out. He chuckled softly as he found his new spot on top of me, I was certain he knew the reason for the change of position, but he didn't seem to mind in the least as his lips found mine once more. He moved slowly at first, one hand tangling in my hair as the other rested against the side of my neck, forcing the neckline of my sweater down as his thumb ever so lightly ran up and down my larynx.

Now that the annoying distraction of my burning muscles was no longer a problem every slow and deliberate thrust made the feeling of pleasure in my core grow that much more. It didn't feel like that long before I was on the edge of my own orgasm, I certainly hoped it had taken longer than it seemed, I didn't want Corvo to feel unsatisfied. He seemed to sense that I was close though, because he picked up speed, snapping his hips into mine with slightly more force than before. It only took a few more thrusts before the overwhelming bliss took me. I was completely lost in the haze for a short while before I finally became completely aware of my surroundings once again. Corvo was still on top of me and inside me, and judging by how hard he still was hadn't gotten to come. Oddly enough though he wasn't moving, instead he was just staring down at me through hooded eyes and running his thumb slowly across my lower lip.

"What'cha doing?" I questioned, my voice slightly slurring just enough for it to be noticeable.

"Waiting until my efforts wouldn't be going to waste," Corvo replied as though it was obvious. But his words made almost no sense to my sex fogged brain, that is until he started to move once again. His first thrust was agonizingly slow, and I quickly learned that post-orgasm I was incredibly sensitive and even the smallest, slowest movements felt better than when Corvo pounded into me with reckless abandon pre-orgasm. His name fell from my lips shamelessly as I clung to his upper arms like they were the only thing keeping me anchored to the world. He chuckled softly at my responses to his thrusts before his lips found the curve of my ear. "Someone's enjoying herself if I'm not mistaken," Corvo said quietly, his voice raspy in my ear. I don't think I could have formed a sentence to reply if I tried my hardest, so my response was another drawn out moan of his name.

Despite being incredibly sensitive it seemed to be taking longer to feel even the beginning tell-tell signs of another orgasm, which seemed to suit Corvo just fine. He was lasting forever and I had a feeling that it was because we were going so slow, that and he had paused mid-sex to wait for me to come back to reality after my orgasm. Corvo was slowly picking up speed now, though that did nothing to hinder his lips from claiming mine in a nearly constant kiss. The familiar overwhelming sensation of pressure building inside of me began to build faster, and thank the void that Corvo's breathing had slowly morphed into small short pants that he was managing to get between long drawn out kisses, that was the only thing that tipped me off that he was also getting close. I started to feel incredibly tingly about the same time that Corvo started becoming unable to hold back his own moans, and after just a few more thrusts I found myself falling over the edge once again as a second orgasm claimed me. The foggy bliss lasted longer this time and somehow managed to be stronger than it was last time. When I finally came all the way back from the second wave of hazy bliss that had claimed me for the day Corvo had apparently also already finished, rolled over, and pulled me on top of him. His skin incredibly warm and sticky against mine as he pressed a small kiss to my forehead before sighing deeply.

I laid on top of him, completely spent. I'm fairly certain I fell asleep at one point, but eventually the annoyed grumbles of my stomach forced me to action. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt incredibly tired after lovemaking because Corvo seemed to be asleep until I got up and accidentally roused him in the process. I chuckled softly as his sleepy and incoherent ramblings as I made my way out of the bedroom. I made my way into the bathroom and tidied up before walking out to the kitchen. Nika greeted me happily as I began to search for food, she was undoubtedly hungry as well. I frowned softly as my efforts at finding food for us were proving meaningless.

"I think we need to go grab some more food," I mused softly to myself as I continued to dig around in the cabinets to no avail. The feeling of Corvo's hand on my shoulder dragging me away from my search, I hadn't even heard him get up, yet here he was.

"I think you're right, let's go put on some proper clothes,"

A/N: Let me start by saying, I apologize for my two-month long hiatus. I know that nobody really cares about excuses, but I think we can all agree that the holiday months are chaos. Between finals, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and election day I think it's safe to say that we could all use a few week long vacation. Am I right?! I am back and here to stay as long as life doesn't become much too busy. Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm excited (and quite honestly scared shitless) to see what 2017 has to offer us all! Also, DISHONORED 2! OMFG my heart! Please kill me now all the god damn feels! Really though, it is quite an awesome game and I'm looking forward to doing a few more play throughs. If any of you lovelies would like to have a chat about the game feel free to hit me up! (Really though, hit me up, my social life is non-existent lol). I'd also like to take a second to thank GhostAssassin1993 and ShadowsandLight20 for messaging me and checking in to make sure everything was going well during this hiatus, your support means so much guys, like really. I'd also like to thank ShadowsandLight20, GhostAssassin1993, and CreedMaster1715 for their reviews on the last chapter, I live for feedback! To answer some of your guys questions, I am working on a Halloween themed one-shot that will be dedicated to ShadowsandLight20 since the idea was originally theirs (I know it's several months late but better late than never. Also, let me justify the long wait time with the length of the one-shot, it's only half done and already 15k words) so keep a look out for that in the future. And CreedMaster, I was originally planning on ending the story with Jessamine dying, but have then since gotten to read a few of Harvey's tweets (particularly the tweet that said Corvo and Jessamine would have gotten married if she hadn't been assassinated) that inspired my muse to come up with a sequel, so there will eventually be a sequel and no this story won't have a cannon ending. Musical inspiration for this chapter came from Niykee Heaton with her song Sober, and Kate Voegele with her cover of Hallelujah (literally my favorite version of Hallelujah ever, seriously, go give it a listen). I'm looking forward to releasing a lot of new content for you all this new year and I hope everything gets better for everyone!