Skyrim One-Shots

Ulfric x Reader(Female) ~Making It Work~

Ulfric knew why she came running back in the middle of the day, eyes wide and brimming with tears. He had known the second he had seen her again. He had felt it in his gut, the searing guilt and absolute moment of 'oh fuck' that hit him dead in the face. Galmar didn't know why. He was concerned, expressing it in an awkward glance at her as Ulfric rushed off his thrown, took her sobbing body under his arm and ushered her to his quarters. Shushing her quietly the best he could to try to calm her- wishing he had never gotten drunk that night, he entered his room and let her sit on his bed, closing the door before returning back to her and holding her in his arms as she cried, and cried, and cried.

It had been weeks since it had happened. He thought he was in the clear, thought it was just something to shrug off. But now? Now, he was going to be shoving just about everything aside to try to build a relationship from scratch, to try to make everything okay so he could look back on this with her and they could laugh it off. 

She dug her head into his shoulder, her tears and spit rubbing on his shirt but he could care less. Her hands clawed at his back, her sobs muffled but still heart-wrenchingly audible. His own arms were around her, his hand pressed to the back of her head as he rocked her gently on instinct, his eyes closed and his swallows thick.

"I hate you," came the soft stutter, followed by a loud hiccup as tears streamed down her face, her chest heaving up and down in shakey, uneven motions. "I hate you!" she repeated, louder and voice breaking worse than before as her eyes clenched shut and she ripped herself away from him, turning so she was staring at the wall opposite of his door and her back was to his front.

"____, we can-" he tried to start, a gently rumble of words, but she shook her head sharply, turning again to look at him. 

Her eyes were pure fire, but panic swirled, uncontained, behind it. "I never wanted this! I don't- I don't want any of this! This- This is your fault! Why didn't you just-"

"Calm down," he narrowed his eyes, his words sharp as swords. "Calm down, before you say something you regret. Before you do something you regret, stop over-reacting and get over yourself. This isn't just about how you or I feel, understand? Cry all you need, but don't you dare start putting the blame on me. You're a woman for Talos' sake, don't act like a girl who hasn't got her way. We can make this work. We have to."

She looked back to the wall, upset at being called out and upset that it was true. Ulfric clenched his eyes shut and took a steadying breath. 

"Here," he murmured, "come over here."

He wrapped her in his arms again, the one thing he could always seem to do right, and she was just a dead weight in his arms, eyes staring downward with her lashes fluttering as she blinked slowly. His hands rested at her stomach, which wasn't as flat and as toned as it always was. Not eating right and not taking care of herself in the field had him worried enough, but his concern shot higher with each passing moment.

Now it wasn't just her on the line.

Now it was her and that small bump. Her and that seemingly insignificant thing that were going to become the center of his life. She started to calm down, her breathing still not very steady and her eyes closed but at least she was quiet, at least she wasn't crying and screaming and driving herself into a panic.

"What are we going to do?" she asked quietly, swallowing.

He met her eyes now as her head rested upon his chest. Sincere. If eyes were the gateway to the heart, his was sincere. His was nervous and cautious, but he still had something holding him up. "We fall in love, I guess."

The words sounded odd from his mouth. He was such a serious, almost emotionless person that saying something as ridiculous as that almost made himself laugh. He wasn't even drunk.

"Like those stupid bard tales?" she questioned. He nodded weakly, and she made a vulgar gagging noise. "Do we die in the end, at least?"

"I mean, I hope so," he snorted. "Those are the good ones."

"Oh, Agnar, please don't go," she mimicked, "my heart yearns for your own, do not leave me so, all alone, left for the chill to eat away my dust and bone."

Despite himself, Ulfric cracked a smile. "What, I'm the dead one? I thought it was the woman that dies!"

"No, no! You go off to war, come back wounded, and I'm crying at your bedside!" she cried, "I'm not dying! The fair maiden never dies!"

"If you're a maiden, I think even Galmar would be aswell at your classifications," he chuckled. "I might even fit in them too."

"Oh I'm a maid, I'm pure and fair and I'll never dance with a hairy bear! I'll never dance with a hairy bear!" she burst out in outrageous song in response, now grinning like mad as she playfully ignored him.

"I am a Stormcloak, thank you very much," he snipped back.

"Bear to me."

"Aren't you cute."

"I know. You're fascinated, I can tell."

"Wanna sleep in my bed?" he blurted randomly.

"Can I kick you? I kick in my sleep."

"Yeah."

"Then sure."

"I shout in my sleep," he grinned with childlike triumph.

"I do too!" she gasped. "Agnar, we're the perfect two!"

"But of course," he added.

The two burst into laughter, and Ulfric found himself thinking as he laughed.

He thought everything would be ok.

He hoped for a girl, despite what society told him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the night is dark and full of terrors

dani out

Adieu!