My Random Skyrim Stories

Noticed (Vilkas) 12

Vilkas was equal parts relived and disappointed that evening when Inga's clothes were finally dry enough for her to put them back on. He'd turned away so she could dress, but after what sounded like quite a struggle to get her small cloths on without moving her right leg, she gave up with a grumpy huff.

"Do you mind if I just stay in your shirt?" She asked, "i-it's longer than my shirts... so it... covers more..."

"I don't know," Vilkas smirked, "what if I prefer you to be covered less?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her and she just stared back at him with an amusingly dark blush across her cheeks, looking shocked and a little indignant.

"I'm teasing, love," Vilkas chuckled, "I don't mind if that makes you more comfortable."

He returned to her side and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist again.

"To be honest, I rather like the sight of you in my shirt..." he placed a kiss to the side of her head, "until I can get you to Riften at least," he added in a low whisper.

She smirked and dropped her gaze. "With how you've been checking so often to see if my clothes were dry, I thought you wanted me more covered," she mumbled sheepishly.

Vilkas half-groaned, half-chuckled as he pulled her a little closer. "Actually," he sighed, "at the moment, I do... it makes it a little easier to resist the temptations," he admitted as he kissed her cheek again.

She raised her eyebrow at him with a curious smirk and Vilkas chuckled.

"I want you so badly, Inga," Vilkas said with a longing smile, "but I don't want to dishonor my future-wife by taking you like an animal in the wilderness before we've wed."

Inga blinked at him in surprise for a moment, but then gave him a teasing— almost mischievous— smirk. "Will you take me like an animal in the wilderness after we've wed?"

Vilkas's eyes widened, surprised by her flirtatious smirk...

For a brief moment all thoughts left him— likely because his blood was suddenly all flowing to his groin and not his brain...

He blinked and swallowed the lump in his throat as he regained his composure. "If you want me to," he nodded, his expression slowly shifting to a wolffish grin.

Inga giggled at his reaction and leaned forward to place a quick kiss on his cheek, which made Vilkas realize it had been over a week since he'd shaved... fortunately Inga didn't seem to mind as she then ran her fingers into his short beard and turned his face gently toward hers.

Vilkas was just leaning in to kiss her again when they both heard a shout from over the nearest ridge...

"Over here! We're close now!"

It was Aela's voice.

Vilkas swore under his breath and began scrambling for his own shirt only to find the larger piece of fabric still wasn't quite dry.

Inga quickly pulled the bedroll covers back around her and began trying to straighten the shirt she was wearing and then fix her hair.

"Vilkas," she hissed, motioning him frantically over to her.

Vilkas hurried back to her side and knelt back down when she reached for him. He was confused for just a moment before she began quickly brushing his hair with her fingers.

"Alright, I think you're good, what about me?" She whispered moments later.

Vilkas quickly smoothed a few stray hairs at the top of her head, and then tucked a few more loose strands behind her ear. "Beautiful," he replied, and couldn't help but smirk as she smiled back at him.

"Now hurry up and look like you were about to cook something or something," she said, shooing him away urgently.

Vilkas chuckled and turned back toward the fire just in time to see Aela come around the bend in the valley trail.

She had her bow at the ready and looked to be on high-alert, obviously smelling the air and tracking them.

She stopped in her tracks as her eyes landed on him and then Farkas nearly ran into her as he rushed around the bend as well.

"Calm down, icebrain, I found them," she said, sidestepping to avoid being run over by Farkas.

Farkas scanned the valley and then came running, full sprint, the rest of the way to them.

Vilkas quickly stood to greet and calm his brother, and Farkas nearly hug-tackled him.

"Ack," Vilkas complained, "it's good to see you too brother— calm down, we're alright..."

"You took off in the middle of the night and no one heard from you in weeks! We thought somethin' happened," Farkas yelled, sounding angry and relieved at the same time as Aela approached more calmly.

"Well... a few things did..." Vilkas admitted as Farkas let him go.

Farkas turned toward Inga then and froze in place... Vilkas followed his gaze to the amulet around her neck... resting at the neckline of the oversized shirt she wore...

"An amulet of Mara?" Farkas asked, going wide-eyed.

"Oh you noticed," Inga giggled in surprise.

Vilkas felt a sudden fear as Farkas just swallowed and nodded, and Vilkas watched Farkas's gaze slowly travel up to Inga's beautiful, smiling face.

"Kinda hard to miss," Farkas replied, still staring.

"Oh is it now," Inga smirked in amusement, cutting her eyes toward Vilkas like they shared an inside joke, "well... I'm just glad Vilkas noticed it..."

Farkas looked back to Vilkas with a look of confused surprise and Vilkas couldn't help but grin, his fear fading as quickly as it had come.

Aela scoffed quietly. "Here we've been worried sick and coming out to look for you... and you two've just been off fooling around in the middle of nowhere."

"We're not fooling around, we went dragon hunting," Inga protested pointing up at the bones.

"Mmhmm," Aela hummed, raising a skeptical eyebrow as she looked between them both, "which is why you're wearing Vilkas's shirt and lying in a bedroll..."

Farkas suddenly looked back to Inga, looking more surprised.

"That's actually more because I sustained a bit of an injury in the last fight," Inga admitted, pulling back the furs just enough to show her bandaged leg, propped on the rolled bear pelt.

"...and Vilkas is sauntering around shirtless," Aela added with a smirk.

"That's more because my little dragon decided to drag me into the stream with her when she fell in," Vilkas explained with a chuckle, still grinning at Inga.

"Your little dragon?" Aela repeated turning back to Vilkas in disbelief.

"I am much smaller than these things," Inga smirked pointing back up at the bones.

Aela rolled her eyes.

"Hold on," Farkas shook his head, "so are you two..." he trailed off and looked back to Vilkas questioningly.

"Aye, brother," Vilkas chuckled, clapping a hand to Farkas's armored shoulder, "I asked the Harbinger to marry me..."

"And I said yes," Inga added with a beautiful, happy smile. "We were actually about to start discussing a trip to Riften when you two showed up."

Farkas just blinked in shock for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.

"So I get to call you sister for real now?" Farkas asked excitedly turning back to Inga.

"You do," Inga nodded happily.

Farkas dropped to his knees and hugged her excitedly and Aela rolled her eyes again and clapped a hand to Vilkas's shoulder in what Vilkas could tell was meant as congratulations.

"Come on, icebrain," Aela scolded, smirking at Farkas, "don't make her injury worse, we need to get these two home and on the carriage to Riften."