Arya had craved this for weeks, ever since Miraak went from her worst enemy to… Whatever he was now. Not her lover, not her nemesis, but something in between that made her head swim and her heart ache. When his lips parted and allowed her tongue access, she finally realized why that was. She was smitten.
As if sensing her thoughts, Miraak wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed the air from her lungs until she pulled away with a choking gasp.
“What are you doing?” He loosened his grasp on her throat, but his fingers remained, and the way he looked at her made her eyes prickle with tears. She would not let him make her cry, though, so she looked away, jaw set, knowing that if she tried to speak the tears would come anyway. He sighed and pulled his hands away, briefly resting them on her thighs before thinking better of it and crossing his arms across his chest. “You cannot sway me, Dragonborn. I will be free, even if it means…” He trailed off, though she knew what he’d meant to say. “Seducing me won’t change that.”
A bitter little laugh escaped her. “You think I’m trying to seduce you? Have you forgotten who started all this?” Her voice was hoarse and sharp, but she was too angry to care.
“That doesn’t mean…” The words died in his throat when she snapped her head back up to glare at him.
“I’m not stupid, Miraak. We both know that this whole ‘paying me back’ thing is just a flimsy excuse. This is about domination!” Her hands involuntarily balled into fists, and she tucked them under her arms to cover her chest. “About showing me that you can bend me to your will without ever using that Shout.” She glared as long as she could, but she could not keep it up, and had to look away again. “About making me second guess my feelings so it’ll be easier to kill me.” What did it say about her, she wondered, that she knew all this, maybe from the start, and gave in so easily?
An awkward silence hung between them for several moments. She could feel his gaze on her, making her desperately want to redress, but her clothing was scattered around the room and the only thing that could make her feel more ridiculous would be darting around naked in a vain attempt to find both her garments and her dignity. When she finally glanced up, she was surprised to see his shoulders uncharacteristically slumped and a rueful look on his face.
“You’re right. You’re not stupid.” He moved his hands to his hips and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “That’s one of the traits I like most about you, Arya.” Even the intense anger and shame she felt couldn’t stop a blush from painting her cheeks, and he smiled, a sad but genuine smile. “This, too. The way you blush at the slightest provocation,” he added, tilting her head up further and running his thumb along her cheek. “I did indeed intend to break you. Perhaps I still do.” With that, she shied away from his touch, and he sighed again.
“But perhaps more than that, I want to make you happy before one of us must die,” he conceded. There was a note of melancholy in his voice, and she was reminded of the way they’d parted the last time they met like this. “If circumstances were different…”
“They could be!” she interrupted. “We don’t have to play Mora’s game. We can find another way.”
He coaxed her hands away from her chest and held them in her lap, soothing her fingers with his thumbs. “No, we can’t. There is no other way. I have been here for long enough, and I have tried so many things. The plans you ruined were set in motion long before you were even born. And now Hermaeus Mora knows what I’ve been doing. I don’t have much time left.”
Re: "Reparations" Miraak/F!Dragonborn Part 5/?
As if sensing her thoughts, Miraak wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed the air from her lungs until she pulled away with a choking gasp.
“What are you doing?” He loosened his grasp on her throat, but his fingers remained, and the way he looked at her made her eyes prickle with tears. She would not let him make her cry, though, so she looked away, jaw set, knowing that if she tried to speak the tears would come anyway. He sighed and pulled his hands away, briefly resting them on her thighs before thinking better of it and crossing his arms across his chest. “You cannot sway me, Dragonborn. I will be free, even if it means…” He trailed off, though she knew what he’d meant to say. “Seducing me won’t change that.”
A bitter little laugh escaped her. “You think I’m trying to seduce you? Have you forgotten who started all this?” Her voice was hoarse and sharp, but she was too angry to care.
“That doesn’t mean…” The words died in his throat when she snapped her head back up to glare at him.
“I’m not stupid, Miraak. We both know that this whole ‘paying me back’ thing is just a flimsy excuse. This is about domination!” Her hands involuntarily balled into fists, and she tucked them under her arms to cover her chest. “About showing me that you can bend me to your will without ever using that Shout.” She glared as long as she could, but she could not keep it up, and had to look away again. “About making me second guess my feelings so it’ll be easier to kill me.” What did it say about her, she wondered, that she knew all this, maybe from the start, and gave in so easily?
An awkward silence hung between them for several moments. She could feel his gaze on her, making her desperately want to redress, but her clothing was scattered around the room and the only thing that could make her feel more ridiculous would be darting around naked in a vain attempt to find both her garments and her dignity. When she finally glanced up, she was surprised to see his shoulders uncharacteristically slumped and a rueful look on his face.
“You’re right. You’re not stupid.” He moved his hands to his hips and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “That’s one of the traits I like most about you, Arya.” Even the intense anger and shame she felt couldn’t stop a blush from painting her cheeks, and he smiled, a sad but genuine smile. “This, too. The way you blush at the slightest provocation,” he added, tilting her head up further and running his thumb along her cheek. “I did indeed intend to break you. Perhaps I still do.” With that, she shied away from his touch, and he sighed again.
“But perhaps more than that, I want to make you happy before one of us must die,” he conceded. There was a note of melancholy in his voice, and she was reminded of the way they’d parted the last time they met like this. “If circumstances were different…”
“They could be!” she interrupted. “We don’t have to play Mora’s game. We can find another way.”
He coaxed her hands away from her chest and held them in her lap, soothing her fingers with his thumbs. “No, we can’t. There is no other way. I have been here for long enough, and I have tried so many things. The plans you ruined were set in motion long before you were even born. And now Hermaeus Mora knows what I’ve been doing. I don’t have much time left.”