Weak (Canute x Femreader x Thorfinn)

Stars

I wiped the tears from my eyes. Determined not to let anyone else see me cry. I debated sleeping on the ground for a moment before remembering that not only would my back ache in the morning, but Askeladd would also beat my ass. 
I walked into the tent. Ragnar was sound asleep outside, supposed to be "keeping guard." It was small inside, the only light being the small candle lit near my bed. I sat my stuff down and looked over, Canute was already laying down but he was awake. He looked at me and his face turned red.
"S-so you're sleeping in here tonight." He said not looking at me. His stutter was obvious.
"You talk?" I was genuinely shocked to hear his voice. It didn't match his face at all, even with the stutter.
"I can talk, I- I just have to be careful. Answer the question p-please."
"Yeah I guess I am if that's okay with you." God why was my face getting red.
"Y-yeah that's fine. Are you sure it doesn't make you uncomfortable?" He said still not making eye contact.
"I-it doesn't if it doesn't make you uncomfortable." My face must be as red as a tomato at this point. Why the hell am I stuttering? What's happening to me?
Before he could even respond, I quickly said "Well anyways I'm going on a walk. I'll be back." I said pulling my hood up and heading for the door as fast as I could, trying to avoid any further possible conversation that I could embarrass myself in. I held my face in my hands. Am I going mental ?
"Wait!" He said quickly jumping out of bed. "Can I please go with you?"
"S-sure. You'll need to put on more clothes than that though. You'll freeze." I said looking at him shock in my voice, he was only in his under clothing.
I was shocked alone at the fact that he talked to me, let alone want to spend time with me? Askeladd must have had a hand in this.
He slipped on his cloak and started to the door.
"Wait you'll need gloves, here you can use mine-"
I reached into my pockets. Those were Thorfinns gloves he had given me. I hesitated.
"Is everything alright." He said scratching his head.
Wait why would I even hesitate? He said he hated me earlier? Fuck that small twerp. I had finally came to my senses.
"Yeah use these." I handed him Thorfinns gloves and he pulled them on.
"Let's go."

As we walked through the snow I couldn't help but think of back home. How I would give anything to have winter in Wales with my father again. I looked up at the moon. It was full tonight.
"It's a full moon tonight." He said breaking the silence.
"It is isn't it, you'll be able to see it a lot better once we get where we're walking to."
"Where are we walking to?" He looked at me. He really was beautiful. His long hair shimmered. His eyes were blue and deep.
"Just a little bit further through the forest. There's a path there and if you follow it there's an overpass that over looks the river. We can stop there. I bet you can see the moon really well there."
"Are you from this area?" He asked. I could feel him looking at me again and my face grew warm.
"I'm Welsh, I'm just familiar with it from where Askeladd sends me on missions."
"You're Welsh? Your Norse is amazing."
"I speak English too. I suppose that's why Askeladd keeps me around."
"How did you end up with him anyways, he's your uncle not your father right?"
"He's my uncle. My father died almost two years ago and Askeladd took me in. He's the only family I have left. He's like a father to me though." I sighed. I missed my family. I missed my country.
"O-oh I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Askeladd treats me well. I like traveling anyways, it's sort of peaceful. What's it like being royal?"
"Exhausting. It's like you're not even a person. You're a pawn in a game. I can't even talk for myself,  I have to constantly have to think about what my father would think. It makes me seem weak."
" I don't think you're weak." We made eye contact. My heart was beating faster. He was so close to me.
"L-look we're almost to the overpass, let's hurry." I pointed and started walking ahead faster.
"Thank you" I heard him say quietly under his breath.

We walked for the next five minutes side by side not saying a word. A blush on both of our faces but not knowing what to say.
"Look we're here!" I said. Happy to break the awkward silence.
"You were right, you can see the moon better here." He said
"I know, look at it reflect off the water. I missed this place."
I found a fallen tree and sat on it looking up a the stars, he followed sitting right next to me.
"Thank you for taking me here." He said a smile on his face.
"No problem. Look that's the Big Dipper." I said pointing and scooting closer to him to show him, our legs were touching . "And look right under its the Little Dipper."
"H-how can you tell." He squirmed he was stuttering again.
"That star right there." I pointed "can't you tell?" I turned to look away from the sky and at him instead. Oh shit.
Our faces were less than a centimeter apart. Our lips almost touching.
His breathing was heavy. There was a certain look in his eyes but he didn't move away. My heart was beating so fast I thought for sure he'd hear it.
"I'm so sorry!" I jumped back covering my mouth. " I didn't mean to get that close to you, let's head back." I stood up and started to walk back not caring if he was following me. God why does this shit keep happening to me.
"S-slow down please." He said following after me trying hard to keep up with my pace.
Screw my uncle. This was all apart of his plan. I wouldn't be fooled by this shit. I walked even faster determined to get back. Maybe I can stop fucking things up in my sleep.
"Ow." I turned my head around. Canute was on the ground.
"Oh my god, are you okay I'm coming."  When I got to him he was holding his ankle. "What happened?" Tears of guilt started to well up in my eyes.
"I fell trying to catch up to you. Im sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by being so close."
"You didn't, I thought I made you uncomfortable." I said tears evident in my voice "I thought it would make you feel less uncomfortable if I left you alone."
"You couldn't make me uncomfortable if you tried." He said. I moved closer.
"You don't mean that." I said laughing looking down at him, tears starting to run down my face.
"I do." He was breathing fast. I moved closer again "stop crying there's nothing to cry over. I'll be okay." He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed me it to dry my face.
"Let me see your ankle."  I said.
I touched it and he winced. I could tell it wasn't broken at least.
"You'll be fine it's a sprain. Try and not walk on it as much as you can. Let me help you up."
I stood up and let my hand down to pull him up. He gasped in pain.
"You can't walk like that don't even try." I said. It was worse than I expected.
"What am I supposed to do then?" He looked down at me.
"Grab onto my waist. I'll lead."
" I can't."
"You're going to have to. Like you said, you can't make me uncomfortable."
"Alright" he said hesitating before grabbing on. His arm wrapped around  my lower waist. I reached up and grabbed his hand to steady him. I interlocked my fingers with his and he looked at me.
"I'm sorry tonight went like this. I hate that you got hurt."
"Don't apologize, we can do this again soon... I-if you'd like."
"I'm shocked you want to after this." I sighed
"O-of course I'd want to. I-  nevermind."
"No say it." I looked at him in the eyes.
"I-I want to learn more about you. I-if you want to." His face was red I could feel the heat radiating off of his face.
"I'd like that a lot." I smiled, looking down at the ground and then back up at him. "Let's get back to the tent before it gets too late, we can do this again tomorrow if you want."
"I do."
As we hobbled back to the tent his grip on my waist grew tighter. I couldn't help but steal looks at him. I was wrong, he did have the face of a king under all that long hair.

"Look!" He said as we neared the tent.
"What?"
He moved closer to me, the back of my head was now touching his shoulder.
"There's shooting stars."
"Where?" I said excitedly.  I loved the stars. Looking at them reminded me of warm nights with my father, laying down in fields seeing who could point out constellations the quickest.
"Right there." He pointed and pushed me into him. My head now rested on his shoulder. His grip on my waist still strong.
"Oh yeah I see it now!" I said right into his ear "look at that one!" I pointed. I let my head fully fall into his shoulder. From a distance we would look like a couple but I didn't care.
"It's beautiful isn't it." I said.
"Yeah it is." He said, looking at me not the stars.
"(Y/N)" he said shakily
"Yeah?" I said picking my head from his shoulder turning to look at him. He was looking at me deep in my eyes.
"Thank you for tonight."
"You shouldn't thank me, you got hurt. Let's head back now I'm tired." I yawned and we started to move forward together.

When we got to the tent I took off my jacket off and began to get ready for sleep. I took my hair down from its (ponytail/braids/none if you have short hair). Canute looking at me while I did.
"Goodnight" he said just as I was about to blow out the light.
"Goodnight." I said back happily, reaching into my jacket pocket for my cross. It wasn't there.
"Hey did you see me drop anything while we were out?" I said frantically
"No why is everything okay?"
"Yes I've just lost something, I've got to go out and find it."
"No you can't go alone it isn't safe." He sat up
"You're hurt. You can't go with me."
"Are you sure you can go alone." There was concern in his voice.
"I can handle it " I said a little annoyed but trying to not show it. I put my jacket back on before checking one more time, nothing there.
"I'll be right back" I said before slipping out the door, candle stick in hand.
"I must have lost it when we were looking at shooting stars and he pushed me into him. I felt it in my pocket after I had helped him up so I couldn't have lost it then" I said to myself. My mind was racing. That's the only thing I took with me when I ran away. To me it was priceless.
When I got to the edge of the forest I heard a twig snap. Someone was walking towards me. I stood up and looked.
Thorfinn.
His eyes were red. He had been crying. But what he looked at me with was nothing but rage.
"Looking for something?" He said, anger in his tone
"Yeah-"
"Probably lost it when you were cuddling up to your new boyfriend huh"
"We weren't, he was hurt. were you watching me-"
"Shut up" he moved closer to me. So close that his face was was an inch away from mine. He brought his hand up to my face and caressed it.
"What are yo-"
He pushed me down to the ground before I could even think. My hand scraped the hard ground from catching myself.
"Rot in hell" he said turning around and walking off after throwing my cross at my face.
"And keep the gloves."
What a night.

AN: YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER!! I hope you all are enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing it! I love the whole angst and forced proximity tropes so be sure to stick around for more of that. I love writing juicy chapters like this. From here on out it should be more quick paced with the romance as I've introduced Canutes character now. Thank you all for the votes btw it means a lot <3 new part coming soon