Title: His and Hers Lifeboats
Rating: R
Characters: Arthur, Guinevere, Gwaine
Summary: New Year 2015, a time of stimulating imagination and brave spontaneous jumps.
Warnings: some innuendo and some swearing
Word Count: 2,390
Author's Notes: This was originally written for
robinmarian’s LAS {Last Author Standing}: theme New Year’s. We had a word count limit and I totally flubbed it lol, after getting the fic's word count down to what was allowed. I was the first author out. Oh well. Learned a lot. And a kind soul gave me lovely constructive feedback (thank you!) then that I really appreciated. //So here’s the story now fixed to have better detail and such. //Modern AU //Credit for its inspiration and the song played in the story: Snow Patrol-Lifeboats
His and Hers Lifeboats
Booming sound interrupted him as he worked on the last bits of work needed before taking off for the night. The New Year was a day away and he already sent everyone home. So why was music vibrating against the walls and the strong echo filling his office?
When she was a bitty girl she danced, a bit of tap, some ballet and jazz. She didn’t have all the right body assets to go to pro, but she was quick on her feet and knew has to sashay her hips effectively. It showed now as her red skirted hips beat in time with the drumming vibratos.
Curious and knowing there was no way possible he was going to be able to concentrate on what he was doing with that thumping sound, Arthur stepped out of his office. His eyebrows hitched up with surprise as his ears filled even more deafly with the hypnotic music, more importantly his eyes took in her hypnotic movements across the floor. Leaning against one of the cubicles, his voice battled to rise above the loudly played song,
“Uh, we manufacture toys-
Not 1-800FucKagrams.”
To her credit the interruption barely startled her. It just teased at her pulse. Sauntering over to the office sound system, a small Sony executive model, she dimmed the sound of Snow Patrol’s Lifeboats. Then giving him a quirky smile, she asked smoothly, “Macchiato?”
“Nice.” Arthur answered, commenting on the drink and her smooth way of handling things. It was the same way she applied her head to business, with cool calculating calm.
If he thought she hadn’t noticed he was in for a rude awakening. Guinevere’s knee length cherry red skirt flared playfully around her fast moving legs as she brought it to him, not a bit of sympathy showing on her face, just of matter of fact scrutiny. “Pay the Piper.”
She was holding the Penalty Jar, in place for random office swearing violations. The boss was the greatest offender, and unfortunately for Arthur’s sake, that was him.
Annoyed that it was time to deplete his pockets again, he asked caustically, “Grrrr…whose stupid idea was this?”
The ringing sound of change filled the jar and Guinevere returned it to the shelf with satisfaction, telling him, “Yours.”
“Right.” He complained as she whipped it up.
Mug topped with foam, she handed him the macchiato with a reminder. “It’s the philanthropic thing to do. Remember? For charity.”
Delicious. He savored the sweetness and strength of her concoction. But still had to wonder. “What are you doing here Guinevere? I dismissed everyone hours ago. New Years Eve tomorrow.”
She pulled at her curls of hair that she had tightened into a loose ponytail as she was dancing. Now she simply let it go so that it fell around her shoulders.
“Technically it’s in one hour. I’m here to keep you from pulling all your hair out.” Sanded gold strands were twisting atop his head, blue shirttails hanging out. Fondly, she smoothed his hair and admired his big blue eyes. She noticed them first when she needed a job less than a year ago, university degree not panning out as expected.
He smiled wonderingly, thinking there had to be better places for her to be at. No one ever wanted to stick around on New Year’s Eve or close to it anyway.
There was something about that boyish grin. Butterfly flutters tickled her stomach, playing naughtily with her calm, even making her back up some to not be so close to his golden aura. Oh now that was a silly thought…this wasn’t Camelot!
“Thank you.” He answered, truly glad to have someone who wanted to help him out, but still thinking she definitely could be doing something more fun right now.
“Sure Arthur.” She answered calmly, managing to get her equilibrium back to a safe level.
It was dark, where they were standing, the outer offices of Pendragon Mystical Toys & Agates
Arthur had begrudgingly took over when his father’s fatal heart attack interrupted his university studies, ambition then to be a private detective.
It was hard for a whlie; Pendragon floundered without its imaginative creator, its staff used to his father, not his university ditching son. Arthur needed new blood so he hired a partner and assistant, Guinevere the latter. The former was soon sacked for suggesting rainbow color haired dolls. Pendragon was a classic toy company of horses, knights, dragons, and nostalgia.
That had worked great five and ten years ago. But in the modern age everything fell apart, except his well timed macchiato.
Frustratingly pulling at his hair one day, it was Guinevere who lightly suggested after he confessed to her his favorite spy shows,
How about knights turned into private detectives, dragons as get-away cars.
Ludicrous, some said, complaining so loudly, Arthur escorted them to the door and kept the most dedicated while also hiring fresher creative souls who weren’t afraid to take a chance.
Guinevere had worriedly looked at him while the cost of new supplies went up, and for the interim, sales went down, but he just knew it would work. And it did. What some saw as ludicrous was actually…
Brilliant.
Even the old timers got used to it, or addicted to the whole new format. Pendragon was still a classy manufacturer of toys, but now it was all nicely situated with the new age. Futuristic knights and dragons mixed with old. Book volumes accompanied. Stores demanded more Pendragon stock and the sales rose to heights that it hadn’t achieved since its earliest days.
But Arthur, like his father wasn’t one to rest on his laurels. Arthur wanted to once again go in a sort of new direction. Not too drastic, but just enough change to keep buyers excited. He confessed it all to Guinevere now.
“I’m here late for a reason. We have the new line, but nothing’s coming up.”
“Lifeboats.”
“What?”
“Lifeboats.” Gwen repeated, leaning against one of the desks. “Recall book 4, Lady Knights of Albion Corporation took over the old guard. Have them rescue their peer knights of past with jet soaring dragons,aka, ultra powered lifeboats.”
Arthur chuckled. “This from your song that you were dancing to?”
“Didn’t like it?”
“To the contrary. It was quite entertaining. As for the idea, it’s quite ludicrous.” He smiled. Ludicrous was now code for
*lightbulb*.
“So it’s brilliant?”
“Yes. They could join forces against Mordred’s Empire. Mesh the worlds-
Guinevere smiled now too with satisfaction. Arthur had ranted to her enough times that he didn’t feel he was as skilled at this as his father. She begged to differ. He truly did have an imaginative mind. And it was nice to see it returned now.
Arthur studied Guinevere strongly for a moment, letting out, “You’re too good for this.”
“Excuse me?”
“Being my assistant.”
She shrugged, taking away his downed macchiato and heading to the sink with the empty mug.
Avoiding his watching blue eyes, she admitted, “I like assisting you.”
“You do?” When she was done he took the cleaned cup, towel in hand to dry. “You’re actually like my lifeboat. You saved Pendragon from dying more than that partner did.”
“Just needed the right direction.”
“Indeed. What are you doing?”
She restocked the cup, giving him a perplexed look.
“New Year’s. Date with Gerard?”
“Over.”
He probably should give all the sympathetic lines, but Guinevere didn’t really take all that well to them and he wasn’t one much for platitudes either. “Good. Don’t let it get you down. You’ll find better.”
She smirked. “I dumped him.”
Such a cheeky one she was. And smart. “Scum anyway. Brilliant decision.”
“And you?”
He lifted his phone. “She sent another.”
“Or he.”
Guinevere, it is a woman.” He’d been getting intriguing, but anonymous texts now for weeks. “She wants to meet New Year’s, midnight.”
“Or he, spiked collar picked out. Arthur Baby, oh yeah…”
He pushed at her waist lightly. She kept doing that, teasing him about his worst fear. That his secret admirer may have the wrong kinds of hormones. “Stop.”
With his fingers still brushing against the waistband of her flirty skirt and her leant up against the desk, their faces found close proximity.
He couldn’t help thinking it, how uniquely beautiful she was.
To her, he barely contained the word handsome.
His assistant.
Her boss.
They stepped away, excuses fast.
“I should be going.” She fluttered busily to her small office section, decorated with Pendragon models, one a lady knight figure she had suggested.
“Enjoy. Could kiss you for all you’ve done to make this experience work.” He slid out, referring to the fact that the true joy of owning Pendragon Toys evolved for him when she started working there.
“You could?”
He stared at her lips for a second, before dutifully reminding himself, business, assistant. “Yeah…”
Deep blue eyes…was all she thought.
His lips obeyed themselves and landed politely on her cheek. “Happy New Year Guinevere. 2015. Start of amazing new things maybe. Stay away from the fireworks.”
Keeping her voice as light as possible, his spicy cologne teasingly assaulting her nose, she hugged him back. “Happy New Year Boss. Maybe you’re right. And I’ll see if I can.”
***
It was minutes until that moment. The New Year.
Dense crowds were everywhere, wild partying souls that were high on life and drunk on liquor. They waved their horns in the air and held down their cheap gaudy hats to their heads. At least the area he was told to go to was a little less busy. Moments to midnight, this more secluded patch of the oceanfront was sparkling with glimmering wave patterns.
Okay, part of him was excited and the other was still horribly tense. He was all for equal rights and to each their own, but if this turned out to be some guy he was going to-
“Hey! Here you are!”
Fuck. {And no you can’t count that one against me Guin because you’re not here. He is. Crap.} A man’s voice. Arthur turned around with dread, but then saw…
“GWAINE?”
The other laughed, a beautiful blonde lady under his arm. “Hah, she made me do it.”
Gwaine was one of his newest employees, a jokester by a mile who had the appetite of an elephant even though he barely had an inch of unseemly fat on him.
“Who?” Arthur asked strongly, angry now that the whole thing had been a joke.
Gwaine gave a wink of his eye, gesturing forward. “She’s standing right there.”
Gwaine and his lady moved away, back to the crowds of wild people. Arthur pressed his hand against his forehead, seeing the shadowy glimmer in the distance. It was definitely a woman.
A very familiar…
“Guinevere?” He asked with shock. “Is this some kind of joke?”
He couldn’t believe that she would do something that sneaky or unfeeling. And he was certain she hadn’t as she slowly shook her head, looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her.
“Not by the half Arthur Pendragon. Although I had to play with you just a bit. Love when you get that big lipped pout on your face.”
He laughed at that, moving toward her. She was wearing one of those flared skirts, just a lot shorter tonight and a lot more shiny. All to go with a lavender halter that bared her sexy shoulders and just enough cleavage to make him wet his lips.
Oh even better than that pout, she thought as on her high heels she met him head-on. And he looked so handsome, in dark glorious blue to make his eyes flare like beginning fire. “You came.”
He stared at her with wonder. “It’s been you all this time?”
“Yeah.” She felt so calm and then it happened.
Awful things!
A firework blew in the distance, booming, frightening. She’d a fear of them ever since her brother set off one near her feet when they were kids. The sound startled her so much that she lost all her ease and jumped into Arthur’s arms faster than was ever planned.
“Umph…” He let out, holding tight to the flares of her skirt, hands scurrying to settle safely on her waist instead of on her appealing ass.
Up so close now, feeling his warm breath upon her cheek, she told him, looking straight into those gorgeous blues, “Resolutions for 2015, face my fears. Fireworks, number one on my list.”
He adjusted his arms around her waist. “Doing pretty good with that one.”
She shrugged, the moonlight surrounding them and the stars and fireworks still lighting up the sky plenty to illuminate them. “Okay, I guess. I’m here, right?”
“And the other?”
“This.” She whispered.
Her lips suddenly on his. Hotly warm.
His luscious.
She pulled away.
He said nothing, the taste lingering.
And then.
“You’re fired.”
She stared. The nerve. Was this his idea of a joke?
She lifted her hand, angrily hurt, but he caught at her fingers, laughing.
Then settling her back down to the ground, but keeping a tight hold, he told her, “You have to be. You can’t be my assistant while we’re dating. You can’t be my assistant at all.”
He surrounded her with his hands. Their noses touched, an almost snuggle. “I want you to be my new partner. In business.
Maybe life.”
“Your lifeboat?”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah.”
“Sorry I almost hit you. You just upset me so much. Didn’t think.”
“That’s what I love about you, and these sexy outfits with the heels and all. Even the way you dance to Snow Patrol.” He took her in appreciatively. “You’re spontaneous and electric smart. You have amazing ideas and best of all-
“What?” Another firework blew in the distance. It was 2015. She tried to be steady, but it boomed all around her. Dreaded things. She couldn’t help it.
His arms were ready, holding her close as he confessed a very fortunate fact for him,
“You’re far from some fucking freaky guy.”
“That’s another you owe.”
“Hey-only at work!”
“Kiss me.”
Bossy too. Who was he to not oblige? Let her save him from the doldrums of life.
Let him feel her chivalrous ways.
Lifeboats.
They held each other close, lips hot on each others for each boom that made her jump.
Oh…what a happy and imaginative New Year…