What a fine mess this is

The thrashing beneath the shallow water didn't let up, no matter how long Rogue held Nimue down for. Fucking hell, why wasn't she just giving up?! Rogue actually started to get nervous as the seconds dragged on towards minutes and her flailing paws and claws didn't subside. He wasn't going to let her up while she was in her manic state, but by the gods, did she have a death wish or something?! Eventually that struggling began to slow, Nimue's movements becoming more sluggish underneath his giant paws. Oh fuck. Realizing she was on the verge of passing out and still hadn't tapped out, Rogue began to release the pressure on her chest holding her under the water. That opening was all she needed, and the next thing the dire brute knew he felt her kick his hind legs out underneath him. With a grunt of surprise, Rogue went crashing down into the lake in a splash of cold water.

His paws slipped, allowing Nimue the freedom she needed to squirm out from under him like a trapped fish. Unable to regain his footing in the slippery mud of the lakebed, Rogue was easily pushed over when Nimue reversed their pin, the giant brute collapsing to his back in the lake while the much lighter weight of Nimue took her dominant position over top of him. Sunset amethyst eyes blinked in surprise, gazing up at the waterlogged fae now perched atop his chest like he were her throne. Being as large as he was, Rogue didn't wind up underwater like she had, but the shallows did come up halfway on his body, leaving him significantly drenched too. Nimue's paws pressed to his chest, the pressure she put on him doing little to actually keep him down, but those claws remaining a dangerous threat as she claimed her victory over him. Rogue did not resist; he knew when he was beaten.

Each of Rogue's heavy breaths raised and lowered Nimue's petite form on top of him, her hips moving up and down in time with his rising chest. She was both warm and cold at the same time, body heat and soaked fur pressing to his. He stared up into her matching amethyst eyes while she glared down at him, gripping the water matted fur of his broad chest and accusing him of trying to drown her. "What?! No, I-!" But she wasn't done yelling at him yet. She bopped his nose, leaving a tingle like a need to sneeze while he wrinkled and wriggled his snout to get rid of the unpleasant sensation. Had Ashen made him that angry that he wanted to kill her? "No, it's not like that! I didn't want to kill you! I just..." Rogue's voice trailed off, his chest tight while he grappled with his turbulent emotions. "...didn't want to hurt you again." The brute's voice broke on the last word. Hurt her again—like he had done last time unintentionally.

Rogue didn't want to talk about this. He wanted to bury the past and just be angry. But Nimue had asked, and now she would get her answer. "I didn't just lose Ashen! I lost everything!" The midnight sky brute's voice boomed around the lake as he shouted, letting out all his anger and frustration and pain at her because she was the only one who had cared to listen so far. "Everything I ever knew. Everything I ever was, was in Ashen! I don't have anything anymore. My family's gone, my home's gone, even my name means nothing anymore! And what did I do to deserve this?! Nothing!" Rogue glared back up at Nimue, but not glaring at her. She was seeing the raw, vulnerable emotions tearing Rogue apart. He was angry at something he couldn't lash out at. He was raging against fate and circumstance. She just happened to be the one who broke the mask enough to see inside him.

As his anger began to simmer away, Rogue's expression slowly softened, the gravity of what he had done (or almost done) weighing on his mind and his conscience. His head flopped back down to the water with a little splash, eyes closing while he tried to steady his pounding heart with a few measured breaths. "I'm sorry. I-" Rogue didn't have the words to express himself properly. How do you even apologize to someone you almost murdered? "I'm sorry..."

"Rogue Klein"