Promises By The Lake - A Cain Fic
[WARNING: CHAPTER 11 SPOILERS]
You and Cain were back at the camp, helping with the kids. It was the last day of summer camp, and the kids were allowed to be free. Other counselors took them somewhere for their last day.
You came out of your cabin, ready for a swim in the lake.
The sun shimmered against the lake, breaking into a thousand glints on the surface. It looked almost the same as it had years ago— quiet, deceptively peaceful. The laughter of kids echoed faintly from the trails where the other counselors had taken them, leaving the lakeside empty.
You looked in the lake.
There he was.
Cain.
He looked relaxed and peaceful. It gave you an odd sense of deja vu. Cain was floating on his back, arms spread like he owned the whole damn lake. The sun caught on his skin, water beading along his chest before sliding away. His eyes were closed, but you knew better than to think he didn’t notice you. Cain always noticed you.
You went in slowly, sneaking up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Last time, years ago– years before you got married, this ended horribly. Last time, out of pure worry, he told you he couldn’t do this. Last time, he said he regretted it. Last time, there was something between you.
This time would be different.
This time, you were his wife. This time, he didn’t jump. He wasn’t zoned out. This time, instead of panic, Cain made a noise that was half-surprise, half-pleasure.
His head tilted toward you, droplets clinging to his lashes as he cracked one eye open. That crooked grin pulled at his mouth— lazy, familiar, devastating.
“Could’ve warned me,” he drawled, voice low and rough from the quiet, but his hand found your hip under the water anyway, steady and possessive. “Sneaking up on a man like that… you planning to drown me with affection, sweetheart?”
You smirked, even though your heart was thudding in your chest. “Thought I’d test if you still regret kisses by lakes.”
The grin faltered— just a flicker, quick as the ripple that broke against your shoulder. His eyes searched yours, the way they always did when he thought you were hiding the sharp edges of your feelings,behind a joke. Then he grinned.
“The only thing I truly regret about that was being a coward when I could’ve done this.”
Before you can answer, his mouth is on yours— no hesitation nor regret in the motion. It’s not frantic; it’s steady and claiming, like he’s sealing a promise he should’ve kept years ago.
A promise he should’ve kept that very day.
The sun slid across your skin, the water lapping at your hips, and for a heartbeat all the ghosts of that night were drowned out by the press of him.
When he finally broke the kiss, both of you were breathing a little harder, the lake glittering like it had swallowed the sun and spat out light just for you two.
Cain’s grin came back slow, dangerous in the way that made your pulse stutter. He kept one hand at your hip, the other resting on the water as if even the surface needed permission to be between you.
“You taste like the lake,” he teased, voice rough.
You smiled, “I happen to like the lake. Now, at least.”
He grinned, before tipping his head, eyes asking something that didn’t need words. “Jump.”
You didn’t need to be told twice.
He caught you like he had been built for it—hands braced under your thighs, wrapping you around his waist. His grip was strong and sure, holding you tight against him. The water rocked with the motion, but Cain didn’t waver, not even a little.
“Let me make up for everything…” he breathed, his lips brushing your temple, your cheek, before finding your mouth again. “Show you what should’ve happened. What I really really damn well wanted.”
You clung tighter, fingers sliding into his wet hair, tugging just enough to make him groan against your mouth, before moving back to his chest. His chest was firm beneath your palms, every shift of muscle reminding you how solid he was, how unshakable. The sound he made when you pressed closer sent a shiver straight through you.
“Sweetheart…” he growled softly against your lips, the word breaking on a sharp inhale as you kissed him back with equal urgency. His hands squeezed your thighs, adjusting his grip, pulling you even tighter around him. The lake swayed around you both, cool and indifferent to the heat sparking between your bodies.
His mouth trailed from your lips down your jaw, over the sensitive skin of your neck, his teeth grazing lightly before he kissed the spot as though to soothe it. You tilted your head back, a quiet gasp slipping free, and Cain swallowed it like it belonged to him.
It did.
“Never regretted you. Could never regret you. That damn memory kept torturing me in my head and I know I deserve it.” he murmured against your skin, voice rough, almost desperate. “I only ever regretted not being brave enough to hold on. See where things could’ve gone.”
“We’ve got forever now.” is your reply, “You had reasons, Cain. I get it. Really making it up to me, though.”
Cain hummed, low and satisfied, as if your words were a balm he didn’t know he’d been craving. He pressed a lingering kiss to the curve of your neck, then back to your lips, each movement slower now, savoring the connection instead of needing it.
His lips find yours again, softer this time, coaxing, teasing, letting you set the rhythm. You respond eagerly, pressing closer, feeling the heat of him through the water, the steady thrum of his heartbeat against yours.
Your arms move from his chest to his neck, wrapping around it. The kiss deepened, his mouth parting yours with a hunger that was steadier now, deliberate— like he was memorizing you, every taste, every sound you made. His tongue brushed yours in a slow, commanding slide, and the sound you made in response had him growling again, a rough rumble that vibrated through his chest.
His breath ghosted against your lips between kisses, warm and ragged, his forehead resting briefly against yours before he claimed your mouth again.
Cain pressed one last kiss to your forehead, sealing it, before resting his chin briefly atop your head. “Should’ve done this years ago,” he murmured.
"At least you're here now." You smiled.
His grip tightened, "Of course I am. Never leaving you again."
"You better not." You chuckled, "Cause I'm not, either."
"Good."
And as the two of you floated there, tangled together in the heart of the lake, you knew he was right. This time, there were no ghosts left between you.
Just you and just Cain.
