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The rain poured throughout the forest, the canopies providing only some cover, as a lone man rode his Dullahan through the forest, carrying wrapped in his overcoat a precious package. A host of dead swarmed behind him, mindless and unfeeling, obeying only the Wild Hunt’s orders, as the man leaned down on his mount, trying to make sure his package didn’t get too wet.The rain had only started after their fight, and after their ‘dance.’ Now, with his clothes ripped and body bruised all over, the unconscious heir dozed softly against Heathcliff’s chest, dark hair only sprinkled with a bit of colorless rain while his worst enemy took the brunt of the biting downpour.As they approached Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff dismounted and carried the heir quickly inside. The only one left alive in this manor besides Gregor was Ryoushuu, who was far used to the routine ever since the manor fell to this beast.In the morning, Heathcliff would go to the forest to hunt. In the afternoon, Gregor would go out to hunt him. At dusk, Heathcliff would bring him back, unconscious and bruised and defeated but undeniably alive and whole. And then Gregor would recover from their fight for the next few days and the cycle would start anew.Heathcliff carried his precious package straight to the Young Master’s bedroom and in front of the grand fireplace in front of the bed. He unwrapped his package, grabbed a rag from the master bathroom, and began cleaning the heir up from their fight.Once he was clean and bandaged and dried, Heathcliff removed both their soiled clothes and put them in a pile, and then placed Gregor into the pile of blankets and pillows in front of the fire. Then he adjusted the lanterns to only restore color and not light so only the warm fire would light them. Then he started up the fire before crawling into the pile of blankets and pillows with Gregor. He pulled Gregor against his larger body, the heir facing him, and held him to his chest with his muscular arms wrapped around the smaller thicker man’s plush waist. Heathcliff pulled the blankets around them tightly, piling them on until they were completely covered and cozy, only their heads peeking out. And then the Wild Hunt just held him close and tight, running calloused fingers through long dark hair and waiting for him to wake up.It’s quiet and calm for hours, with only the roaring of the fire and the two’s calm breathing as company.Finally, the heir begins to stir, and when he realizes where he is, naked and warm and cozy by the fire against the strong body of his beast, he doesn’t say anything snappy for once. Doesn’t try to rile him up, doesn’t point out the obvious affection. Instead he wraps his good arm around Heathcliff’s neck and snuggles into him tightly, sighing silently in content. He’s still sleepy, but more than that, he’s relaxed and comfortable. It’s ironic since they were dueling just hours before, but... wrapped up and cuddling by the fire like this, Gregor has never felt more safe.And Heathcliff says nothing either, and simply tilts Gregor’s chin up to give him a soft, sleepy kiss.They never fight in front of the fire. And they never question their tender moments in front of it. They don’t know why. It’s an unspoken rule. If they leave the fire, they can bicker and fight all they want, and can relish in constantly trying to get under each other’s skin. But the fire is for letting these tender sweet moments happen and not questioning them.Not questioning why no matter how low they fell, why their fights always ended in angry kissing and why tender loving moments like this inevitably snuck into their regular hatred no matter what they did. Not questioning why they could never bring themselves to resist having these tender moments or to reject each other initiating them. They would never speak about it, because they were both petrified to lose these moments. They didn’t want the spell to break completely. They wanted to keep having these tender moments more than anything. They were selfish, and they were addicted and to each other’s touch, and little did they truly understand but they couldn’t actually live without each other. If one killed the other, the remainder would spiral into self destruction and die soon after.But they didn’t realize that.All Gregor knew, as he softly moved his lips against Heathcliff’s, was that deep inside he treasured these moments more than their constant fighting. So many of his constant nightmares were of these moments being ruined. Of Heathcliff betraying their unspoken rule, and killing him while he was most vulnerable.Thinking about it made him shake, clinging tighter to Heathcliff, tangling his legs with his, digging his flesh fingers into his hair.Like this, Heathcliff could read his worry, but not what it was about. They never spoke during this, but... he pulled Gregor deeper into the kiss, rubbing his back and humming softly for him, soothingly, laying kiss after sweet kiss onto his lips.And slowly, as Gregor leaned into and chased every kiss, clung to him and pressed desperately into his body, he started to relax again. And he sighed out again, and shuffled to lay on top of him instead, long hair cascading down as he grabbed wild hunt’s overcoat from the pile of clothes and sat up to put it on. It absolutely dwarfed him, but it smelled like Heathcliff, and it made him feel warm and protected and his. His captured prize. Even if he’d never admit it, how much he loved belonging to his worst enemy, how much he relished losing.Heathcliff stared up at him as he put on his coat, eyes blown wide at the sight of his beautiful, naked, chubby, hairy ‘bride’ only wearing his oversized coat. He watched Gregor smile down at him a little, amused by his staring, and Heathcliff dragged him back down into a soft loving kiss.Gregor laughed into it a little, threading his fingers into his hair and humming happily as he felt Heathcliff drag all the blankets right back over them as they lay on top of each other. Now they truly were warm and cozy by the fire.Both their hearts are filled with roaring warmth, and both can’t remember if they’ve ever been happier than they are in these stolen moments by the fire. There’s so many things they want to say, so many things they want to confess.Gregor is always reminded in these moments that deep down, secretly, hidden behind a million locks and barriers, that he’s in love with Heathcliff, and has been from the beginning. He liked him at first sight, and that first dance they had in the garden as teenagers... dancing softly to muffled music in the colorless sunset, surrounded by heath flowers... ending in Heathcliff dipping him and them both leaning in so close to share one perfect brief kiss, Gregor’s first kiss...But then he remembered what happened after. How Outis found them. How his parents threatened him into coming back inside and how he had to leave Heathcliff outside to face punishment.Even when Heathcliff killed his sister and tore off his arm, he couldn’t stop loving him, no matter how desperately he tried to fall out of love with him. He couldn’t make himself stop loving this beast, and it drove him into despair. No, all this bad blood only twisted his love into a sick obsession. He needed to own Heathcliff, to trap him with him forever, to keep him away from everyone else, to keep him in this cat and mouse game with him until the end of time.But moments like this, where he could feel Heathcliff smile against his lips as he dragged those thick calloused fingers gently through Gregor’s hair. These stolen sweet moments they refused to address... the tender moments that snuck in during their fights and ‘dances’... it made him desperately want to tell him how he felt. To tell him he loved him. In hopes that these sweet moments could become their new normal.But there was a mantra in Gregor’s head, one that’s been there since they were children. ‘I don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve him, he deserves better, I don’t deserve any of this, he could never truly love me after what I’ve done to him, he’s just using me as a doll, all I’ll ever be is a willing substitute for the affection he never got as a child.’It prevented him from acting. From telling him. From talking about what the hell their relationship was at this point. What the hell were they? He wanted to know so badly but was too afraid to ask.And on Heathcliff’s end, it was much the same.‘Beasts don’t deserve things like romance. There’s no such thing as romance for animals. Just shows of dominance and mindless breeding as is demanded by nature. We aren’t deserving of things such as love. We’re mindless animals, the two of us. A slobbering wolf and a braindead rabbit.’Yet he gripped onto Gregor tighter, and kissed him deeper, hands exploring his soft hairy body lovingly.‘But if we’re animals, I’ll mate with him for life, and force him to be my bride. The captive bride of a beast.’It was hours later of soft loving kissing and caressing, both so sleepy and warm and comfortable, that the door was knocked on.“Master of the Wild Hunt, Young Master, D.I.R.” Ryoshu said through the door.Their kissing stopped, both looking at each other in silent tension as the spell was broken.Heathcliff dragged him by his hair into one long, deep, passionate kiss, almost as a goodbye. An ‘until next time.’Gregor kissed back just as desperately, whining lowly into it and clinging to him like he was afraid to let go.When they ran out of breath, they pulled away, and Heathcliff pushed the blankets off them, put out the fire, and picked up Gregor bridal style, taking him to get dressed.As Heathcliff was helping him get dressed, Gregor whined as he had to briefly stand with Heathcliff’s help to put on his pants. “You brute... I’m not going to be able to walk for days. And I’m covered in bruises and bite marks. Fucking asshole.”“Hmph. You’re the one who went looking for me in the first place. You wanted this and you know it. You’re lucky I didn’t leave you out there to die.” Heathcliff huffed at him. “Spoiled bastard.”“You’re too obsessed with me to get rid of me. Mindless beast.” Gregor shot back.And yet, there was affection in the way they insulted each other. Yet still, it was back to normal. At least for now.