Afternoon fic: Goodbyes
Feb. 18th, 2009 07:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolevalanTitle: Goodbyes
Fandom/original: Original. (Back in the day, this used to be a fanfic journal...)
Rating: PG-13
A/N:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rougen's prompt was "first last kiss."
There was no guidebook, to Arthur's knowledge, of how to break things off with a woman. Especially when she had begun the affair. Especially when she was a senator's wife. It almost made him change is mind. But he knew it was time to finish... well, whatever it was they had. He just need to figure out how.
She smiled at him, indulgently as he played with her hair. "You're thoughtful this evening, master Willoughby."
He smiled back, a small twist of the mouth. "How could you tell?"
"I don't know that you really want me to answer that." Chava shifted, to prop her head up with one hand. "Do I want to know what you're thinking about?"
They went to supper. He couldn't say he took her, because she always insisted on paying. At the restaurants they went to, he wouldn't have been able to, anyway. She was stunning, without drawing any attention. A tasteful cluster of pearls at her neck, green satin hugging her curves. Even though he was beginning to tire of her, he had to confess that Celine took great pains to keep her natural beauty well displayed. She took great care, in general. She would be much better at planning this sort of thing.
He traced the curve of her hip, slowly, almost idly. "I was just thinking. Perhaps we should run away together."
She laughed, her lovely, rich laugh. "You are completely hopeless, you know that?"
"I am being serious." His smile faded. "We could have a future."
"I couldn't help but notice," Celine commented, "that you seem to have something on your mind, Arthur." She took a sip of her wine.
"Oh, well." He smiled a bit. He knew it was a winning smile, though not quite fully polished. "I have been... thinking. Recently."
"Oh dear. That could be dangerous. Dessert this evening, do you think? Or shall we go?" He hesitated, and she shook her head with a smile. "Go, perhaps. You can get things of your mind in the car."
"What sort of a future? What would you do, without your parents' money, hm?"
"I'm strong. I could work as a soldier. There's work enough for a young man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty."
She sat up a bit. "You are serious."
Nicolas nodded. "I am."
The car stopped outside his apartment building. She looked over at him. "Well?" Quieter, "Spit it out, then."
He looked back at her. "I don't have to tell you all the reasons that we were a bad idea. But that shouldn't suggest that I..."
She raised her eyebrows, then shook her head with a wry smile. "Arthur. As a word of advice. Next time you leave a woman, don't try to tell her you respect her. It makes one feel awfully old."
He winced. "I'm making a mess of this."
"Nicolas... I'm flattered. But you do not wish to throw your whole life away." She touched his face fondly.
He caught her hand. "You could be my life, dorogaya."
She studied him, as if truly seeing him for the first time. "I wonder."
"You are," she agreed, without malice. "And you don't have to go."
"No. No, it's time." He paused a moment, then leaned in to kiss her, slow and lingering. Bittersweet. She made a soft, pleasant sound as she returned it. He let it draw out, but both of them knew it would be the start of anything. It was an ending.
When he pulled away, she smiled a bit. "There, you see? That's how you leave a woman, Arthur Sloane."
Finally, she got up, reaching for her shift. "...well. If you're serious... you deserve a thoughtful response." She gave him a small, enigmatic smile. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, at length."
"Tomorrow. First thing." He caught her hand and pulled her to him, reaching up for a deep, passionate kiss. She smiled as she returned it, molding her body a bit closer to his.
Finally, she broke away. "I have to get back to the kitchen. They'll be missing me."
"First thing tomorrow."
She laughed again, softly. "You are a ridiculous man, Nicolas Willoughby." She pulled her clothing on, deftly doing the laces. "Until tomorrow then." She tied the kerchief lightly over her hair, gave him the small, private smile meant for him alone, and turned to go. Neither of them knew it was the last time.
Fandom/original: Original. (Back in the day, this used to be a fanfic journal...)
Rating: PG-13
A/N:
rougen's prompt was "first last kiss."There was no guidebook, to Arthur's knowledge, of how to break things off with a woman. Especially when she had begun the affair. Especially when she was a senator's wife. It almost made him change is mind. But he knew it was time to finish... well, whatever it was they had. He just need to figure out how.
She smiled at him, indulgently as he played with her hair. "You're thoughtful this evening, master Willoughby."
He smiled back, a small twist of the mouth. "How could you tell?"
"I don't know that you really want me to answer that." Chava shifted, to prop her head up with one hand. "Do I want to know what you're thinking about?"
They went to supper. He couldn't say he took her, because she always insisted on paying. At the restaurants they went to, he wouldn't have been able to, anyway. She was stunning, without drawing any attention. A tasteful cluster of pearls at her neck, green satin hugging her curves. Even though he was beginning to tire of her, he had to confess that Celine took great pains to keep her natural beauty well displayed. She took great care, in general. She would be much better at planning this sort of thing.
He traced the curve of her hip, slowly, almost idly. "I was just thinking. Perhaps we should run away together."
She laughed, her lovely, rich laugh. "You are completely hopeless, you know that?"
"I am being serious." His smile faded. "We could have a future."
"I couldn't help but notice," Celine commented, "that you seem to have something on your mind, Arthur." She took a sip of her wine.
"Oh, well." He smiled a bit. He knew it was a winning smile, though not quite fully polished. "I have been... thinking. Recently."
"Oh dear. That could be dangerous. Dessert this evening, do you think? Or shall we go?" He hesitated, and she shook her head with a smile. "Go, perhaps. You can get things of your mind in the car."
"What sort of a future? What would you do, without your parents' money, hm?"
"I'm strong. I could work as a soldier. There's work enough for a young man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty."
She sat up a bit. "You are serious."
Nicolas nodded. "I am."
The car stopped outside his apartment building. She looked over at him. "Well?" Quieter, "Spit it out, then."
He looked back at her. "I don't have to tell you all the reasons that we were a bad idea. But that shouldn't suggest that I..."
She raised her eyebrows, then shook her head with a wry smile. "Arthur. As a word of advice. Next time you leave a woman, don't try to tell her you respect her. It makes one feel awfully old."
He winced. "I'm making a mess of this."
"Nicolas... I'm flattered. But you do not wish to throw your whole life away." She touched his face fondly.
He caught her hand. "You could be my life, dorogaya."
She studied him, as if truly seeing him for the first time. "I wonder."
"You are," she agreed, without malice. "And you don't have to go."
"No. No, it's time." He paused a moment, then leaned in to kiss her, slow and lingering. Bittersweet. She made a soft, pleasant sound as she returned it. He let it draw out, but both of them knew it would be the start of anything. It was an ending.
When he pulled away, she smiled a bit. "There, you see? That's how you leave a woman, Arthur Sloane."
Finally, she got up, reaching for her shift. "...well. If you're serious... you deserve a thoughtful response." She gave him a small, enigmatic smile. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, at length."
"Tomorrow. First thing." He caught her hand and pulled her to him, reaching up for a deep, passionate kiss. She smiled as she returned it, molding her body a bit closer to his.
Finally, she broke away. "I have to get back to the kitchen. They'll be missing me."
"First thing tomorrow."
She laughed again, softly. "You are a ridiculous man, Nicolas Willoughby." She pulled her clothing on, deftly doing the laces. "Until tomorrow then." She tied the kerchief lightly over her hair, gave him the small, private smile meant for him alone, and turned to go. Neither of them knew it was the last time.
