vanilla, marshmallow, cotton candy, cherry chocolate chip, chocolate chili
Hi! I'm Amara, and after about a year of trying to work up the courage to debating whether or not to join in here, I'm finally taking the plunge. The canon I'm working with here is a ludicrously long, rambling, and painfully "work in progress" project that started as my NaNoWriMo 2013 project; it's turned into such a tangled and ever-expanding mess that I'll likely be writing and rewriting it for years to come, so in between that work, I'm distracting myself with writing prompts! I have a vague, likely foolish hope of someday writing something for each and every prompt of each and every flavor here, but for now, here's my starting offer.
And I apologize profusely if I just horrifically bork this somehow.
Potential trigger warnings! This canon deals heavily in themes that are common triggers. The following ficlets may allude to potentially triggering or otherwise distressing crimes and mental states.
Title: Nadia is Enceinte
Author: AFTanith
Story: Parabellum
Flavor(s): Vanilla #6 (dinner party); Marshmallow #18 (good news); Cotton Candy #1 (congratulations)
Toppings/Extras: Chopped Nuts & Gummy Bunnies (30_children)
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,582
Crossposted At: AO3
Sparrow was, to put it simply, worried. It was unlike Simon to be this mysterious--unlike him to keep secrets from her at all, really--and it was almost unthinkable for Nadia to be so tight-lipped about whatever was going on. And as far as Sparrow could tell, Frost didn't know what the hell was going on, either, and that was perhaps the most disconcerting thing of all. If something was going on behind her back, it was almost always Frost's doing; that it didn't seem to be this time, however, was ominous indeed.
She made it to the dining room at seven, just as they'd asked, and what Sparrow saw startled her. She wasn't sure whether it was a good sign or a bad one to find the table set even more luxuriously than normal, not quite to the point of a holiday feast but much more lavish than a normal dinner. The lights were down low, the room mostly lit by the candles on the table, and if Sparrow had thought this was Frost's doing, she would've assumed she was about to be seduced.
As it was, though, this was because of Simon and Nadia, and sure enough, they were already there waiting for her. Frost, though, wasn't, and so Sparrow was left to be baffled on her own as she walked into the room and anxiously took a seat. "If it were anyone else," Sparrow said, eyeing the other two warily, "I might think something horrible had happened, and you were trying to make up for it." She didn't need to mention who that "anyone else" might be; they all knew, of course.
Simon looked downright jittery, which certainly fit her theory, but Nadia was grinning like she'd won the damn lottery. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I promise this is good news. Just wait until Frost gets here."
Far from reassured but temporarily willing to put her worries aside, Sparrow shrugged and fell silent. She was watching Simon as they waited, and Simon was watching Nadia; it, too, was disconcerting. He was giving Nadia the kind of overprotective, downright worrying stare that she'd seen him give to her from time to time, usually in regards to something that Frost had done. Nothing about it was any comfort to her, that was for sure.
Sparrow was downright relieved when Frost finally showed up, and she watched him go through the exact same cascade of emotions as she had; there was subtle but unmistakable worry and suspicion on his face, just as she was sure there had been on hers, and it was confirmation enough that he wasn't any more aware of what was going on than she was.
"I hope I don't have any reason to be worried," Frost said as he sat down beside Sparrow, his smile not quite genuine.
The look Simon gave him was decidedly less tolerant than the one he'd given her. "You two act like we've done something horrible. It's just dinner."
"A bit more formal than we're used to on a typical Tuesday night, though."
"It is," Nadia interrupted, still smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world, "just a little, family dinner party. Because this is a special occasion."
Sparrow watched Frost's brow lift. "Is it now?"
"It definitely is," Nadia confirmed, nodding as her eyes glittered. She turned to Simon, who gave her a stiff nod. "Because Simon and I have a big announcement to make." Sparrow was surprised to see that her smile was catching; Simon seemed to be struggling with the ghost of one himself as the other two waited for his fiance to continue. "Do you want to say it, Simon, or should I?"
Simon's grin widened. "Go for it."
Nadia looked almost too excited for words, but she got them out anyway. "I'm pregnant."
The surprise on Frost's face was refreshing in its rarity. "You're serious?" he asked immediately, and Sparrow was surprised to see that his expression, for once, was genuinely indecipherable. She couldn't tell if he agreed that this was good news or not. (As for herself, she had no idea how she felt.) "You're sure?"
"We're sure she's pregnant," Simon said firmly, "and we're sure it's mine."
Sparrow didn't miss the challenge in Simon's voice, and she was sure Frost hadn't, either. But while Frost didn't question it, Sparrow couldn't stop herself. "Wait, how? I think I would've noticed if you'd stopped fucking us."
Simon, to her surprise, actually laughed. "Us being the operative word there, I think. Nadia and Frost couldn't have conceived recently, trust me. We were careful."
He sounded completely sure, but Sparrow couldn't help but wonder how she'd failed to notice anything different in their relationship dynamic recently. "So… what now?"
Nadia laughed. "Well, I was hoping for a bit of congratulations."
Undoubtedly more abashed than Nadia had intended, Sparrow offered the other woman an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… Congratulations, of course; I'm just really surprised. I had no idea the two of you wanted to--"
"Marry me."
Sparrow turned, startled, toward Frost, whose piercing gaze was for once affixed to someone besides herself. He was staring at Simon and Nadia, gravely serious, and unless she hadn't heard him correctly, he'd just proposed--which was odd, considering that the last time she'd checked, he'd been very much married to her.
"Um," Sparrow interrupted, and Frost glanced back at her as if he was only slightly less surprised than she was. "Forgetting someone?"
"Of course not," he said, and from the look on his face, he didn't quite seem to understand what she was getting at. "Why, do you not want to?"
Sparrow was suddenly acutely aware of them all looking at her, waiting as still and as silent as if the whole world hinged on her response. She glanced at Simon, the faintest hint of a blush creeping into her cheeks. "It doesn't matter what I want. They're interested in marrying each other, not you. So leave them alone."
To her surprise, Simon was actually the one who looked the most put-out by her response. "I think we can decide that for ourselves, thanks." With Sparrow taken aback and downright speechless, Simon turned to Frost. "What are you suggesting, exactly?"
"I stay married to Sparrow, you marry Nadia, and the four of us file for joint union."
"For what?" Sparrow demanded, more than a bit irritated. No matter how spur of the moment his proposal had been, the fact that he'd made it meant he must've considered it before; and so why the fuck hadn't he mentioned it to her before?
Nadia was the one who came to her rescue. "It's like, uh, two couples--or triads, or a couple and a triad--getting married to each other. It's so everyone involved has legal standing, you know, for if someone ends up in the hospital, or someone dies and--and leaves behind kids." She turned back to Frost. "You're sure about this? You're really... serious?"
Frost nodded eagerly, but Simon interrupted, his arms folded over his chest. "Convince me. Why should I say yes?"
From the excited look on Frost's face, that was a better response than her been expecting. "I'm currently the most powerful man in the world. You would have access to all of that--my money, assets, everything. Your children would have everything they could ever dream of, opportunities they would never have access to otherwise--and so would you. Simon, I will give you--all of you--the world."
"And in return?"
Sparrow stared. She couldn't believe he was actually considering this, and, more importantly, she couldn't believe that it seemed he might actually say yes. "Nothing. I promise, I'm not going to ask anything from you that you haven't already given."
"So you just want to play daddy to my children, is that it? Sparrow won't let you knock her up, so you're aiming for the next best thing?"
Frost actually hesitated, and Sparrow was startled to realize how much truth there must be to the accusation. "Simon," he said after a moment, a bit of his excitement muted now. "You're already living here with us. My wife is in love with you, and whatever you think about me and my motives, I care about the two of you. Enough to ask you to marry me, Simon. I want the four of us to be a family."
Sparrow watched, heart pounding, as Simon seemed to consider it. "The Circle isn't going to let you have three victors all to yourself," he said finally, and if the the smile that broke out across Nadia's face was any indication, it might as well have been a yes.
"They will," Frost assured him."They're done with you now anyway, and they can't do a damn thing to stop us--if you actually want to go through with this."
"You're paying for everything."
Frost relaxed into the almost the exact same satisfied grin as Nadia. "I will."
Simon shrugged, impossibly nonchalant for the circumstances. "Then okay. I'm in if everyone else is." Nadia squealed in her delight, and Simon had the ghost of a grin himself. "Sparrow?"
There wasn't any point in resisting it. Frost had set this ball rolling whether she wanted it or not, and for once, she actually thought she might like where it was going.
"I guess we're getting married," she agreed, and she couldn't help but smile..
Title: Seasonal Food
Author: AFTanith
Story: Parabellum
Flavor(s): Cotton Candy #15 (indulgence); Cherry Chocolate Chip #4 (hunger); Chocolate Chili #13 (uncertainty)
Rating: Mature (contains sexual themes and profanity)
Word Count: 2,322
Crossposted At: AO3
It was downright overwhelming, Sparrow decided as she took in the sight in front of her. The three of them--she, Simon, and Nadia--were standing in the doorway of the manor's dining room, eyeing the overflowing table with varying degrees of surprise; Nadia looked delighted, while Simon looked nearly as skeptical as Sparrow felt. The scent of sweetness filled the room, a mingled aroma of baked goods and frosting and so much sugar that she could feel her teeth rotting just by looking at it, and Frost stood a few feet away, watching her reaction as eagerly a child showing their parent the art project they'd poured their soul into.
"So, what'd you do wrong?" Simon asked, breaking the silence as he crossed his arms over his chest, everything about his expression and his posture utterly unimpressed. "Because this feels like a bribe."
Frost's grin faltered slightly, the skeptical lift of his brow threatening frustration. "You don't have to be here, you know."
Simon scoffed, and Sparrow jumped as she felt his hands settle onto her hips as he pushed her into the room so he could step past her, heading toward the table. "Sparrow wants me here," he said, eyes scanning the array. Amid the usual poinsettia centerpieces that had arrived a few days before was a veritable explosion of anything that could have remotely qualified as a "Beneficence food". There were at least a dozen different pastries and cakes, each rich-scented, lavishly decorated, and decked with icing and chocolate or strawberries or candies; there was a gorgeous glass vase stuffed full of candy canes and surrounded with little porcelain bowls of other candies of every shape and size and color from sugar plums to chocolate truffles; there were plates of little gingerbread men and cookies of all kinds--peanut butter, chocolate chip, chocolate, sugar, and more she didn't recognize--and several different kinds of fudge; and on each side of the table, there was a large gift basket wrapped in red- and green-tinted cellophane. Sparrow's mouth watered even as it made her a little sick.
"How much--?"
"No," Frost said sharply, turning to her with slightly narrowed eyes. "Don't even think about it."
She rolled her eyes but fell silent. "Alright, then. Why?"
"Why what?" he asked, and Nadia gave Sparrow an excited one-armed hug as she practically skipped past her, eyes on the food.
"It's not Beneficence yet; what is all this?"
"This," he said, pausing just a moment to grab an outraged Simon's wrist as he reached for a cookie, "is the first draft of the menu for the manor's annual party. And you all are going to tell me what you think."
"You realize we can't possibly eat all this. This is--" It was far too much.
"Spectacular!" Nadia interrupted, grinning back at Sparrow. She reached out to her, waving her hand insistently until Sparrow sighed and started forward. "Come on, if he wants to waste all this food on us, why bother complaining? I'd rather be eating anyway."
Simon scoffed, pulling his hand out of Frost's grip. "Can I touch now, Your Majesty?"
Frost nodded, apparently choosing to ignore the sarcasm. "Knock yourself out." He turned to Sparrow. "Think of it as your first gift this year: a veritable feast of the best deserts money can buy."
"Most expensive," she corrected, and she leaned forward to snatch a pale white cookie from a plate. "I don't even know what most of this stuff is, you know?"
"In that case," he said, "this will be educational and delicious."
A few feet away, Simon had seized a diminutive holiday plate from one of the two large stacks the center of the table, and he'd already begun piling it high with one of everything he could grab. Nadia leaned past him, her own plate in hand as she cut into a nearby cake with a massive silver knife, the dull, gleaming blade cleaving through its fluffy chocolate interior. Sparrow felt her stomach rumble, and she hesitated; already, she knew without a sliver of a doubt that she was going to overeat tonight. This was not a meal intended for moderation--it wasn't a meal at all, really, and certainly not one for just four people--and she'd never been one to hold back when it came to food specifically because until the Culling had turned her whole life around, she'd never had enough food to hold back from. But she'd never binged quite like this before.
With a little sigh and a half-formed notion of starting her pre-Culling exercise back up, Sparrow threw in the towel; after all, it wasn't like Frost would have let her turn this down anyway.
Sparrow leaned forward, bending her body over the tabletop while she reached for a plate of her own, and she scowled as she felt Frost's hand brush against her ass. "Eating," she hissed, smacking her hand backward blindly; she didn't manage to hit him, but he moved back anyway, laughing. Not particularly amused herself, she handed him a plate and brushed him aside. "Put food in your face and keep your hands to yourself, kay?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, and somehow he managed to make the words sound just as suggestive as they did sarcastic.
Simon, who had by now dropped himself into a seat across from them, Nadia in the chair at his side, scoffed. "You know, there's some real irony in calling a woman half your age 'ma'am'."
"How old--"
"Sit," Sparrow interrupted, pointing toward Frost's usual seat. "Shut up. Eat."
Simon smirked in between bites of a sugary cookie that Sparrow couldn't wait to try for herself, and he cast a rather petty glance in Frost's direction as he sat down obediently, watching her with a rather amused grin of his own. "You have no idea how satisfying it is to have someone put him in his place for once."
Sparrow raised a brow as she moved to take her seat at Frost's side, opposite the table from Simon and Nadia. "Really?" she deadpanned. "I have no idea? You're sure about that?"
"Alright, fine. So you do have an idea. But believe me, I'm having just as much fun watching it as you are doing it."
Nadia popped the end of a chocolate-covered strawberry into her mouth, and it caught Simon's eye as surely as it caught Sparrows; but while Sparrow took it as her cue to reach across the table and take a little fruit for herself, Simon's gaze was fixed on his girlfriend's mouth as she sucked the sweet glaze from the surface of the berry. If Nadia noticed her audience, she pretended otherwise--and Sparrow was fairly sure at this point that she'd seen enough of Nadia's practiced obliviousness to know that Nadia was indeed faking at the moment--and stretched an arm out across the tabletop, her fingers crinkling the decorative cellophane of the wrapped-up gift basket off to Simon's right.
"What's in here?" she asked as she carefully lifted the wicker basket above the food and pulled it into her lap to inspect its contents.
Sparrow didn't trust Frost's barely-suppressed grin for a moment. "Candy," he answered. "Chocolate. A few other things."
Nadia's nimble fingers made quick work of the white-and-red striped ribbon tying the cellophane shut, and the material made a long, ongoing crinkling sound as she pulled it off the basket--and then proceeded to carefully fold it into a napkin-sized square while Simon and Sparrow stared at her in disbelief. "You realize that's the most obnoxious sound in the world, right?" Simon asked, reaching out to try snatching the offending noisemaker from her hands.
Nadia dodged easily, knocking his grasping hand away with her unoccupied one while she set the neatly folded wrap onto the table beside her plate. It crinkled again, trying to come undone the moment her fingers were no longer holding it, and she set her plate down on it firmly before looking back down at the basket. From her seat across the table, Sparrow was at such an angle that she couldn't see its contents where they rested in Nadia's lap, but Frost and Simon could. The three of them watched idly as Nadia rifled through it, tinfoil making tiny tinny sounds as she scooped wrapped chocolate truffles from inside and set them onto the table.
"You know," Frost said, his attention divided now between Nadia's ministrations and the slice of strawberry cake on his plate, "somebody spent a lot of time putting that basket together. Probably."
"Don't care," Nadia said with a little shrug, and Frost scoffed softly.
"These two are a bad influence on you," he observed, and Sparrow tried not to laugh as she saw Simon throw a glare at him over Nadia's shoulder. "You're supposed to be the sweet one, remember?"
Nadia scoffed, pausing her exploration of the basket to bring another strawberry to her lips. "Please. Sparrow's the sweetheart here."
Sparrow blinked, tempted for a moment to question that--and then decided against it. Nadia had given her the nickname months ago, and if she hadn't been able to get a satisfactory answer then, she doubted she was going to get one now. "Flatterer," she said instead, her eyes narrowing in on the cake Frost was cutting. She didn't know what it was--pure white and fluffy and filled with what looked like candy pieces--but it looked delicious nonetheless. He caught her looking after a moment, and with a word, he offered her the first piece before going back to cut another for himself. "Thanks."
"Of co--"
"Hey, whoa, wait a minute!" Simon interrupted, his eyes widening slightly as he leaned forward and snatched something from the basket in spite of Nadia's protesting yelp.
"Why can't I ever seem to finish a sentence with you around, Simon?" Frost asked, and the question went entirely ignored as both women turned curious eyes to the little bottle Simon was holding in his hand.
"Frost," Simon said in the kind of voice one would assume when talking to a child, "just because peppermint lube is edible, that doesn't mean it's food."
Nadia cackled, snatching the bottle from Simon's hands. "You're serious?" she asked, squinting slight as she ready the swirly print of the prissy luxury label. She laughed again, and looked up at Frost. "Yup, you're serious. What are we supposed to be doing with this, exactly, Frost?"
Simon wrenched the bottle back from her and raised a brow in Frost's direction. "I hope this is for you two," he said, nodding across the table.
Sparrow thought she had left blushing behind months ago; apparently not. Impatient and more than a bit embarrassed, she held an arm out, reaching for the bottle. "Let me see that." Simon handed it over willingly, and while she was inspecting the label, Frost seemed to finally find his voice.
"That is for me," he said, and a quick glance in his direction proved he was staring at Simon with a slight frown. "And whoever decides to join me."
Simon's challenging expression sank into something more sullen even as Nadia seemed to brighten beside him. Sparrow bit the inside of her cheek, trying to contain her sudden urge to laugh. She failed, a derisive snicker--it wasn't a giggle--sneaking past her lips, and three heads turned in her direction. "And what's your plan if nobody shows up?"
"Well," Simon said, giving Sparrow a much more appreciative grin than before, "since the thing was in his little gourmet gift basket, I'd wager he plans to eat it."
Frost sighed exasperatedly, leaning back in his chair as Sparrow tossed the bottle of lube back to Nadia. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
"I try." Sparrow watched Nadia turn the bottle over in her hands with a contemplative expression, and Sparrow frowned. She knew that look; Nadia was considering it. Catching Sparrow's expression, Frost followed her gaze, his smile returning as he seemed to come to the same conclusion as she had, and yet when Simon caught up with them a moment later, he fell back into his scowl. "Absolutely not," he said. "There isn't a thing in the world you can say that'll persuade me to spend my night licking peppermint lube off Frost's dick. Not fucking happening, Nadia. Not even for you."
The other woman was clearly trying to suppress a grin. "Well, he didn't say that's what he was inviting us up for."
"It was certainly implied."
Sparrow watched the two of them for a moment, uncertain. Last night, the four of them had been together for the first time in... what, a month or two? And before that, it had been even longer since they'd been together, in spite of Frost's attempts to persuade them all otherwise. Most of the time, the resistance that she and Simon seemed to share toward the idea was enough to sway Frost, but now it seemed that Nadia was--that she was on his side, more or less, and that was far from what she'd been expecting. Nadia was genuinely considering this for the second time in as many days, and Sparrow truly did not know what to make of that.
She licked her lips, hesitant, and made her decision. "We could... try something else instead, then."
Simon's gaze snapped to hers, and she shifted uncomfortably as his eyes narrowed again. He had clearly expected her to be on his side, as she normally was, but... but if Nadia wanted Frost--well, half of Sparrow's reasoning went right out the window. Simon stared at her for a moment longer before he turned to Frost, his expression just shy of a glare. "Fine," he said, practically spitting the word. "Hope you like the taste of peppermint."
Frost didn't even try suppressing his grin this time. "I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't, Simon."
The other man just sneered.
Title: Evergreen, Part I
Author: AFTanith
Story: Parabellum
Flavor(s): Vanilla #1 (shopping); Marshmallow #12 (imitation); Cotton Candy #13 (compromise)
Rating: Teen (contains profanity)
Word Count: 1,561
Crossposted At: AO3
It'd been almost a year by now, and Sparrow still didn't get out much. She knew Frost still didn't trust her; if anything, he trusted her less now than ever. He'd been bad enough before, guarding over her like a jealous warden--which described him rather perfectly, now that she thought about it--but after Severin and Suri had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, his obsession intensified almost overnight. As soon as he'd realized how close he'd come to losing her--how close she'd come to escaping him--it was as if he was terrified of letting her out of his sight at all. She'd hardly gotten a second to herself for the entire month afterward, and even now, it was hardly better.
To her immense relief, however, he was still letting her out of not only the suite but occasionally the manor itself, and today she found herself at his side as he lead her through the single strangest store she'd ever come across.
"This is a literal forest," Sparrow said, her arms crossed tightly over her chest in the chilly winter air. There were Evergreen trees as far as the eye could see, and people killed about seemingly at random over the frozen earth of the lot. The ice crunching beneath their boots looked almost like a thin dusting of snow.
Frost laughed. "What better place to buy a tree?" he asked, as if adding more nonsense on top of nonsense would explain it.
"I'm still not sure why we're doing that, actually," Sparrow reminded him, and he gave her a little sigh. She shivered in her coat, the garment clearly designed with style in mind instead of warmth, and she let Frost wrap an arm around her waist. She'd gotten to used to being warm this fall; this slight chill was nothing compared to the winters she'd suffered in Solares, and yet somehow she was genuinely cold.
"It's Beneficence," he repeated. "This is a big part of it, and you would love it if you just gave it a chance."
What did he think she'd been doing the past few days? "I am giving it a chance, Frost," she insisted, a bit impatiently. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"I know, darling," he said softly. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."
The false contrition in his voice was honestly fairly amusing; for someone who could so easily manipulate people--up to and including herself, she was well aware--there were still times like this when he would say something so obviously inauthentic that there was no pretending otherwise. She wondered, of course, if that was actually part of it; perhaps he thought that by merely letting her catch the occasional lie, he could trick her into thinking everything else was the truth. As if she had ever been that naive.
"Yes, you did," she countered, but there was nothing approaching upset in her voice. "You're not grateful that I'm letting you get away with this, and let's not pretend that you wouldn't have just dragged me here anyway if I'd said no."
He stopped in his tracks, turning to look at her with a sudden frown. "Sparrow. If you want to go home, we can go home. I'm not going to force you to be here."
My, what generosity, Sparrow thought as she shook her head. "Frost, I think this is stupid and I'm cold as shit, but I'm here anyway. Do yourself a favor and stop acting like you know better than me, would you? I am doing this entirely for you, so shut up and enjoy it."
Frost was still for a moment longer, and another couple passed them on the wide path between the rows of Evergreens. He glanced over in their direction, his eyes following them until they were out of earshot, and then he turned back to her. "I'm sorry. Believe me, love, the last thing I wanted to do tonight is upset you. I won't say anything next time, alright?"
She tried to hide the mocking quirk of her lips. "Next time you decide you know better than me, you mean?"
He must have caught her smile anyway, because he matched it with a faint grin of his own. "You know what I mean."
Sparrow could only scoff. "I always know what you mean, Frost," she said, reaching out to hook her arm through his. "I suggest you don't forget that."
The faint look of uncertainty on his face as she started walking again, tugging him down along the path at her side, was the best thing she'd seen all day.
They walked along the trees for a few minutes before Sparrow finally asked the question that was on her mind. "Alright," she said, "if we're doing this, I'm gonna need something cleared up: How exactly do you go about picking out a tree? Aren't trees all just about the same? By what strange collection of standards are we judging these poor dead plants?"
To her surprise, Frost laughed. "They're not dead, love. Look at the base of the trunks. They're still planted."
"So, what, this is a fucking farm? Some kind of ridiculous tree farm?"
"More or less. The second are actually planted somewhere else and then transferred here, but, yes, they grow these trees here year-round."
"I'll never get you people," Sparrow remarked, shaking her head. "What's the point of growing trees all year, only to kill them in time for Beneficence? Is this some kind of weird ritual sacrifice thing?"
To her intense amusement, Frost looked fairly horrified by the thought. "What in the world has Hyde been teaching you?"
"Nothing about Beneficence trees, I promise. "
"Sounds like maybe he should, if you think ritual sacrifice is a reasonable explanation of our cultural traditions."
Sparrow rolled her eyes. "Makes just as much sense as the real answer, I'm sure. I just don't get the fascination with trees."
"It's just tradition, love. And I'm sure the trees don't mind."
She snorted. While she certainly wasn't about to start anthropomorphizing trees just to frustrate him, there was certainly something characteristic in his automatic assertion that the victims of one of his beloved society's "traditions" didn't really mind their victimhood.
Frost, however, seemed to think she was laughing at his words, not the implications behind them, and so he merely smiled at her. They kept walking.
Finally, after Sparrow was fairly sure they'd circled the entire place without Frost apparently finding whatever particular tree he was looking for, she stopped him. "Are we looking for something specific, or are you just wasting my time?"
"Browsing," he said simply. "Why, are you cold?"
"Try bored." She turned to him, ready to demand that they just grab any tree and get out of here before it was midnight, when something else caught her eye. There was a small clearing in the trees, an icy patch of open space filled with wooden pallets stacked with what looked like towering piles of already cut trees. Sparrow nodded in that direction. "What about those?"
Frost followed her gaze. "Those aren't trees," he said, and Sparrow's brows shot toward her hairline.
"Excuse me? Those aren't trees? What the fuck are they, then?"
He chuckled. "Alright, fine. Those are artificial trees."
"Wait, hold on," she said, brow furrowing now. "Are you kidding me? There's selling artificial trees here? Then why are we looking for a real one?"
She had no idea why Frost looked as surprised as he did. "No one wants an artificial tree."
"Why the fuck not?"
"Why would we?" he countered. "Why get a fake one when you can have the real thing?"
Sparrow could only stare. "Well, it's plastic, isn't it? You can use it again every year, instead of cutting down another fucking tree? How the he'll could killing a tree every year possibly be better than that?"
"It's tacky."
"Well, then I'm fucking tacky." Unfortunately aware of just how much she sounded like a petulant child arguing with a stubborn parent, Sparrow pointed toward the piles of plastic Evergreens. "You want me to pick out a tree? That's my pick. We're getting a plastic one."
She watched Frost's face cycle through the emotions she'd come to expect when she asked for something he didn't really want to give her. First surprise, then resistance, then reconsideration, and finally begrudging acceptance; she knew he was willing to give her this, so long as she kept giving him what he wanted.
"Alright," he said once the cycle was done, "I suppose I can compromise. The main tree in the grand hall is going to be real; we've already bought it, and it's a national tradition, not just mine. But as for the tree in the suite... if you really want a pl--an artificial tree...I suppose it won't actually hurt anything."
Sparrow could see that he didn't look convinced; there was something particularly close to distraction in his eyes, as if his mind was far off elsewhere even as he was speaking to her. Her arm still hooked around his, she slid her other hand around the back of his neck and rose slightly onto her toes so she could kiss him. He smiled against her lips, his other arm settling around her waist.
They both knew this was her part of the compromise.
And I apologize profusely if I just horrifically bork this somehow.
Potential trigger warnings! This canon deals heavily in themes that are common triggers. The following ficlets may allude to potentially triggering or otherwise distressing crimes and mental states.
Title: Nadia is Enceinte
Author: AFTanith
Story: Parabellum
Flavor(s): Vanilla #6 (dinner party); Marshmallow #18 (good news); Cotton Candy #1 (congratulations)
Toppings/Extras: Chopped Nuts & Gummy Bunnies (30_children)
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,582
Crossposted At: AO3
Sparrow was, to put it simply, worried. It was unlike Simon to be this mysterious--unlike him to keep secrets from her at all, really--and it was almost unthinkable for Nadia to be so tight-lipped about whatever was going on. And as far as Sparrow could tell, Frost didn't know what the hell was going on, either, and that was perhaps the most disconcerting thing of all. If something was going on behind her back, it was almost always Frost's doing; that it didn't seem to be this time, however, was ominous indeed.
She made it to the dining room at seven, just as they'd asked, and what Sparrow saw startled her. She wasn't sure whether it was a good sign or a bad one to find the table set even more luxuriously than normal, not quite to the point of a holiday feast but much more lavish than a normal dinner. The lights were down low, the room mostly lit by the candles on the table, and if Sparrow had thought this was Frost's doing, she would've assumed she was about to be seduced.
As it was, though, this was because of Simon and Nadia, and sure enough, they were already there waiting for her. Frost, though, wasn't, and so Sparrow was left to be baffled on her own as she walked into the room and anxiously took a seat. "If it were anyone else," Sparrow said, eyeing the other two warily, "I might think something horrible had happened, and you were trying to make up for it." She didn't need to mention who that "anyone else" might be; they all knew, of course.
Simon looked downright jittery, which certainly fit her theory, but Nadia was grinning like she'd won the damn lottery. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I promise this is good news. Just wait until Frost gets here."
Far from reassured but temporarily willing to put her worries aside, Sparrow shrugged and fell silent. She was watching Simon as they waited, and Simon was watching Nadia; it, too, was disconcerting. He was giving Nadia the kind of overprotective, downright worrying stare that she'd seen him give to her from time to time, usually in regards to something that Frost had done. Nothing about it was any comfort to her, that was for sure.
Sparrow was downright relieved when Frost finally showed up, and she watched him go through the exact same cascade of emotions as she had; there was subtle but unmistakable worry and suspicion on his face, just as she was sure there had been on hers, and it was confirmation enough that he wasn't any more aware of what was going on than she was.
"I hope I don't have any reason to be worried," Frost said as he sat down beside Sparrow, his smile not quite genuine.
The look Simon gave him was decidedly less tolerant than the one he'd given her. "You two act like we've done something horrible. It's just dinner."
"A bit more formal than we're used to on a typical Tuesday night, though."
"It is," Nadia interrupted, still smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world, "just a little, family dinner party. Because this is a special occasion."
Sparrow watched Frost's brow lift. "Is it now?"
"It definitely is," Nadia confirmed, nodding as her eyes glittered. She turned to Simon, who gave her a stiff nod. "Because Simon and I have a big announcement to make." Sparrow was surprised to see that her smile was catching; Simon seemed to be struggling with the ghost of one himself as the other two waited for his fiance to continue. "Do you want to say it, Simon, or should I?"
Simon's grin widened. "Go for it."
Nadia looked almost too excited for words, but she got them out anyway. "I'm pregnant."
The surprise on Frost's face was refreshing in its rarity. "You're serious?" he asked immediately, and Sparrow was surprised to see that his expression, for once, was genuinely indecipherable. She couldn't tell if he agreed that this was good news or not. (As for herself, she had no idea how she felt.) "You're sure?"
"We're sure she's pregnant," Simon said firmly, "and we're sure it's mine."
Sparrow didn't miss the challenge in Simon's voice, and she was sure Frost hadn't, either. But while Frost didn't question it, Sparrow couldn't stop herself. "Wait, how? I think I would've noticed if you'd stopped fucking us."
Simon, to her surprise, actually laughed. "Us being the operative word there, I think. Nadia and Frost couldn't have conceived recently, trust me. We were careful."
He sounded completely sure, but Sparrow couldn't help but wonder how she'd failed to notice anything different in their relationship dynamic recently. "So… what now?"
Nadia laughed. "Well, I was hoping for a bit of congratulations."
Undoubtedly more abashed than Nadia had intended, Sparrow offered the other woman an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… Congratulations, of course; I'm just really surprised. I had no idea the two of you wanted to--"
"Marry me."
Sparrow turned, startled, toward Frost, whose piercing gaze was for once affixed to someone besides herself. He was staring at Simon and Nadia, gravely serious, and unless she hadn't heard him correctly, he'd just proposed--which was odd, considering that the last time she'd checked, he'd been very much married to her.
"Um," Sparrow interrupted, and Frost glanced back at her as if he was only slightly less surprised than she was. "Forgetting someone?"
"Of course not," he said, and from the look on his face, he didn't quite seem to understand what she was getting at. "Why, do you not want to?"
Sparrow was suddenly acutely aware of them all looking at her, waiting as still and as silent as if the whole world hinged on her response. She glanced at Simon, the faintest hint of a blush creeping into her cheeks. "It doesn't matter what I want. They're interested in marrying each other, not you. So leave them alone."
To her surprise, Simon was actually the one who looked the most put-out by her response. "I think we can decide that for ourselves, thanks." With Sparrow taken aback and downright speechless, Simon turned to Frost. "What are you suggesting, exactly?"
"I stay married to Sparrow, you marry Nadia, and the four of us file for joint union."
"For what?" Sparrow demanded, more than a bit irritated. No matter how spur of the moment his proposal had been, the fact that he'd made it meant he must've considered it before; and so why the fuck hadn't he mentioned it to her before?
Nadia was the one who came to her rescue. "It's like, uh, two couples--or triads, or a couple and a triad--getting married to each other. It's so everyone involved has legal standing, you know, for if someone ends up in the hospital, or someone dies and--and leaves behind kids." She turned back to Frost. "You're sure about this? You're really... serious?"
Frost nodded eagerly, but Simon interrupted, his arms folded over his chest. "Convince me. Why should I say yes?"
From the excited look on Frost's face, that was a better response than her been expecting. "I'm currently the most powerful man in the world. You would have access to all of that--my money, assets, everything. Your children would have everything they could ever dream of, opportunities they would never have access to otherwise--and so would you. Simon, I will give you--all of you--the world."
"And in return?"
Sparrow stared. She couldn't believe he was actually considering this, and, more importantly, she couldn't believe that it seemed he might actually say yes. "Nothing. I promise, I'm not going to ask anything from you that you haven't already given."
"So you just want to play daddy to my children, is that it? Sparrow won't let you knock her up, so you're aiming for the next best thing?"
Frost actually hesitated, and Sparrow was startled to realize how much truth there must be to the accusation. "Simon," he said after a moment, a bit of his excitement muted now. "You're already living here with us. My wife is in love with you, and whatever you think about me and my motives, I care about the two of you. Enough to ask you to marry me, Simon. I want the four of us to be a family."
Sparrow watched, heart pounding, as Simon seemed to consider it. "The Circle isn't going to let you have three victors all to yourself," he said finally, and if the the smile that broke out across Nadia's face was any indication, it might as well have been a yes.
"They will," Frost assured him."They're done with you now anyway, and they can't do a damn thing to stop us--if you actually want to go through with this."
"You're paying for everything."
Frost relaxed into the almost the exact same satisfied grin as Nadia. "I will."
Simon shrugged, impossibly nonchalant for the circumstances. "Then okay. I'm in if everyone else is." Nadia squealed in her delight, and Simon had the ghost of a grin himself. "Sparrow?"
There wasn't any point in resisting it. Frost had set this ball rolling whether she wanted it or not, and for once, she actually thought she might like where it was going.
"I guess we're getting married," she agreed, and she couldn't help but smile..
Title: Seasonal Food
Author: AFTanith
Story: Parabellum
Flavor(s): Cotton Candy #15 (indulgence); Cherry Chocolate Chip #4 (hunger); Chocolate Chili #13 (uncertainty)
Rating: Mature (contains sexual themes and profanity)
Word Count: 2,322
Crossposted At: AO3
It was downright overwhelming, Sparrow decided as she took in the sight in front of her. The three of them--she, Simon, and Nadia--were standing in the doorway of the manor's dining room, eyeing the overflowing table with varying degrees of surprise; Nadia looked delighted, while Simon looked nearly as skeptical as Sparrow felt. The scent of sweetness filled the room, a mingled aroma of baked goods and frosting and so much sugar that she could feel her teeth rotting just by looking at it, and Frost stood a few feet away, watching her reaction as eagerly a child showing their parent the art project they'd poured their soul into.
"So, what'd you do wrong?" Simon asked, breaking the silence as he crossed his arms over his chest, everything about his expression and his posture utterly unimpressed. "Because this feels like a bribe."
Frost's grin faltered slightly, the skeptical lift of his brow threatening frustration. "You don't have to be here, you know."
Simon scoffed, and Sparrow jumped as she felt his hands settle onto her hips as he pushed her into the room so he could step past her, heading toward the table. "Sparrow wants me here," he said, eyes scanning the array. Amid the usual poinsettia centerpieces that had arrived a few days before was a veritable explosion of anything that could have remotely qualified as a "Beneficence food". There were at least a dozen different pastries and cakes, each rich-scented, lavishly decorated, and decked with icing and chocolate or strawberries or candies; there was a gorgeous glass vase stuffed full of candy canes and surrounded with little porcelain bowls of other candies of every shape and size and color from sugar plums to chocolate truffles; there were plates of little gingerbread men and cookies of all kinds--peanut butter, chocolate chip, chocolate, sugar, and more she didn't recognize--and several different kinds of fudge; and on each side of the table, there was a large gift basket wrapped in red- and green-tinted cellophane. Sparrow's mouth watered even as it made her a little sick.
"How much--?"
"No," Frost said sharply, turning to her with slightly narrowed eyes. "Don't even think about it."
She rolled her eyes but fell silent. "Alright, then. Why?"
"Why what?" he asked, and Nadia gave Sparrow an excited one-armed hug as she practically skipped past her, eyes on the food.
"It's not Beneficence yet; what is all this?"
"This," he said, pausing just a moment to grab an outraged Simon's wrist as he reached for a cookie, "is the first draft of the menu for the manor's annual party. And you all are going to tell me what you think."
"You realize we can't possibly eat all this. This is--" It was far too much.
"Spectacular!" Nadia interrupted, grinning back at Sparrow. She reached out to her, waving her hand insistently until Sparrow sighed and started forward. "Come on, if he wants to waste all this food on us, why bother complaining? I'd rather be eating anyway."
Simon scoffed, pulling his hand out of Frost's grip. "Can I touch now, Your Majesty?"
Frost nodded, apparently choosing to ignore the sarcasm. "Knock yourself out." He turned to Sparrow. "Think of it as your first gift this year: a veritable feast of the best deserts money can buy."
"Most expensive," she corrected, and she leaned forward to snatch a pale white cookie from a plate. "I don't even know what most of this stuff is, you know?"
"In that case," he said, "this will be educational and delicious."
A few feet away, Simon had seized a diminutive holiday plate from one of the two large stacks the center of the table, and he'd already begun piling it high with one of everything he could grab. Nadia leaned past him, her own plate in hand as she cut into a nearby cake with a massive silver knife, the dull, gleaming blade cleaving through its fluffy chocolate interior. Sparrow felt her stomach rumble, and she hesitated; already, she knew without a sliver of a doubt that she was going to overeat tonight. This was not a meal intended for moderation--it wasn't a meal at all, really, and certainly not one for just four people--and she'd never been one to hold back when it came to food specifically because until the Culling had turned her whole life around, she'd never had enough food to hold back from. But she'd never binged quite like this before.
With a little sigh and a half-formed notion of starting her pre-Culling exercise back up, Sparrow threw in the towel; after all, it wasn't like Frost would have let her turn this down anyway.
Sparrow leaned forward, bending her body over the tabletop while she reached for a plate of her own, and she scowled as she felt Frost's hand brush against her ass. "Eating," she hissed, smacking her hand backward blindly; she didn't manage to hit him, but he moved back anyway, laughing. Not particularly amused herself, she handed him a plate and brushed him aside. "Put food in your face and keep your hands to yourself, kay?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, and somehow he managed to make the words sound just as suggestive as they did sarcastic.
Simon, who had by now dropped himself into a seat across from them, Nadia in the chair at his side, scoffed. "You know, there's some real irony in calling a woman half your age 'ma'am'."
"How old--"
"Sit," Sparrow interrupted, pointing toward Frost's usual seat. "Shut up. Eat."
Simon smirked in between bites of a sugary cookie that Sparrow couldn't wait to try for herself, and he cast a rather petty glance in Frost's direction as he sat down obediently, watching her with a rather amused grin of his own. "You have no idea how satisfying it is to have someone put him in his place for once."
Sparrow raised a brow as she moved to take her seat at Frost's side, opposite the table from Simon and Nadia. "Really?" she deadpanned. "I have no idea? You're sure about that?"
"Alright, fine. So you do have an idea. But believe me, I'm having just as much fun watching it as you are doing it."
Nadia popped the end of a chocolate-covered strawberry into her mouth, and it caught Simon's eye as surely as it caught Sparrows; but while Sparrow took it as her cue to reach across the table and take a little fruit for herself, Simon's gaze was fixed on his girlfriend's mouth as she sucked the sweet glaze from the surface of the berry. If Nadia noticed her audience, she pretended otherwise--and Sparrow was fairly sure at this point that she'd seen enough of Nadia's practiced obliviousness to know that Nadia was indeed faking at the moment--and stretched an arm out across the tabletop, her fingers crinkling the decorative cellophane of the wrapped-up gift basket off to Simon's right.
"What's in here?" she asked as she carefully lifted the wicker basket above the food and pulled it into her lap to inspect its contents.
Sparrow didn't trust Frost's barely-suppressed grin for a moment. "Candy," he answered. "Chocolate. A few other things."
Nadia's nimble fingers made quick work of the white-and-red striped ribbon tying the cellophane shut, and the material made a long, ongoing crinkling sound as she pulled it off the basket--and then proceeded to carefully fold it into a napkin-sized square while Simon and Sparrow stared at her in disbelief. "You realize that's the most obnoxious sound in the world, right?" Simon asked, reaching out to try snatching the offending noisemaker from her hands.
Nadia dodged easily, knocking his grasping hand away with her unoccupied one while she set the neatly folded wrap onto the table beside her plate. It crinkled again, trying to come undone the moment her fingers were no longer holding it, and she set her plate down on it firmly before looking back down at the basket. From her seat across the table, Sparrow was at such an angle that she couldn't see its contents where they rested in Nadia's lap, but Frost and Simon could. The three of them watched idly as Nadia rifled through it, tinfoil making tiny tinny sounds as she scooped wrapped chocolate truffles from inside and set them onto the table.
"You know," Frost said, his attention divided now between Nadia's ministrations and the slice of strawberry cake on his plate, "somebody spent a lot of time putting that basket together. Probably."
"Don't care," Nadia said with a little shrug, and Frost scoffed softly.
"These two are a bad influence on you," he observed, and Sparrow tried not to laugh as she saw Simon throw a glare at him over Nadia's shoulder. "You're supposed to be the sweet one, remember?"
Nadia scoffed, pausing her exploration of the basket to bring another strawberry to her lips. "Please. Sparrow's the sweetheart here."
Sparrow blinked, tempted for a moment to question that--and then decided against it. Nadia had given her the nickname months ago, and if she hadn't been able to get a satisfactory answer then, she doubted she was going to get one now. "Flatterer," she said instead, her eyes narrowing in on the cake Frost was cutting. She didn't know what it was--pure white and fluffy and filled with what looked like candy pieces--but it looked delicious nonetheless. He caught her looking after a moment, and with a word, he offered her the first piece before going back to cut another for himself. "Thanks."
"Of co--"
"Hey, whoa, wait a minute!" Simon interrupted, his eyes widening slightly as he leaned forward and snatched something from the basket in spite of Nadia's protesting yelp.
"Why can't I ever seem to finish a sentence with you around, Simon?" Frost asked, and the question went entirely ignored as both women turned curious eyes to the little bottle Simon was holding in his hand.
"Frost," Simon said in the kind of voice one would assume when talking to a child, "just because peppermint lube is edible, that doesn't mean it's food."
Nadia cackled, snatching the bottle from Simon's hands. "You're serious?" she asked, squinting slight as she ready the swirly print of the prissy luxury label. She laughed again, and looked up at Frost. "Yup, you're serious. What are we supposed to be doing with this, exactly, Frost?"
Simon wrenched the bottle back from her and raised a brow in Frost's direction. "I hope this is for you two," he said, nodding across the table.
Sparrow thought she had left blushing behind months ago; apparently not. Impatient and more than a bit embarrassed, she held an arm out, reaching for the bottle. "Let me see that." Simon handed it over willingly, and while she was inspecting the label, Frost seemed to finally find his voice.
"That is for me," he said, and a quick glance in his direction proved he was staring at Simon with a slight frown. "And whoever decides to join me."
Simon's challenging expression sank into something more sullen even as Nadia seemed to brighten beside him. Sparrow bit the inside of her cheek, trying to contain her sudden urge to laugh. She failed, a derisive snicker--it wasn't a giggle--sneaking past her lips, and three heads turned in her direction. "And what's your plan if nobody shows up?"
"Well," Simon said, giving Sparrow a much more appreciative grin than before, "since the thing was in his little gourmet gift basket, I'd wager he plans to eat it."
Frost sighed exasperatedly, leaning back in his chair as Sparrow tossed the bottle of lube back to Nadia. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
"I try." Sparrow watched Nadia turn the bottle over in her hands with a contemplative expression, and Sparrow frowned. She knew that look; Nadia was considering it. Catching Sparrow's expression, Frost followed her gaze, his smile returning as he seemed to come to the same conclusion as she had, and yet when Simon caught up with them a moment later, he fell back into his scowl. "Absolutely not," he said. "There isn't a thing in the world you can say that'll persuade me to spend my night licking peppermint lube off Frost's dick. Not fucking happening, Nadia. Not even for you."
The other woman was clearly trying to suppress a grin. "Well, he didn't say that's what he was inviting us up for."
"It was certainly implied."
Sparrow watched the two of them for a moment, uncertain. Last night, the four of them had been together for the first time in... what, a month or two? And before that, it had been even longer since they'd been together, in spite of Frost's attempts to persuade them all otherwise. Most of the time, the resistance that she and Simon seemed to share toward the idea was enough to sway Frost, but now it seemed that Nadia was--that she was on his side, more or less, and that was far from what she'd been expecting. Nadia was genuinely considering this for the second time in as many days, and Sparrow truly did not know what to make of that.
She licked her lips, hesitant, and made her decision. "We could... try something else instead, then."
Simon's gaze snapped to hers, and she shifted uncomfortably as his eyes narrowed again. He had clearly expected her to be on his side, as she normally was, but... but if Nadia wanted Frost--well, half of Sparrow's reasoning went right out the window. Simon stared at her for a moment longer before he turned to Frost, his expression just shy of a glare. "Fine," he said, practically spitting the word. "Hope you like the taste of peppermint."
Frost didn't even try suppressing his grin this time. "I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't, Simon."
The other man just sneered.
Title: Evergreen, Part I
Author: AFTanith
Story: Parabellum
Flavor(s): Vanilla #1 (shopping); Marshmallow #12 (imitation); Cotton Candy #13 (compromise)
Rating: Teen (contains profanity)
Word Count: 1,561
Crossposted At: AO3
It'd been almost a year by now, and Sparrow still didn't get out much. She knew Frost still didn't trust her; if anything, he trusted her less now than ever. He'd been bad enough before, guarding over her like a jealous warden--which described him rather perfectly, now that she thought about it--but after Severin and Suri had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, his obsession intensified almost overnight. As soon as he'd realized how close he'd come to losing her--how close she'd come to escaping him--it was as if he was terrified of letting her out of his sight at all. She'd hardly gotten a second to herself for the entire month afterward, and even now, it was hardly better.
To her immense relief, however, he was still letting her out of not only the suite but occasionally the manor itself, and today she found herself at his side as he lead her through the single strangest store she'd ever come across.
"This is a literal forest," Sparrow said, her arms crossed tightly over her chest in the chilly winter air. There were Evergreen trees as far as the eye could see, and people killed about seemingly at random over the frozen earth of the lot. The ice crunching beneath their boots looked almost like a thin dusting of snow.
Frost laughed. "What better place to buy a tree?" he asked, as if adding more nonsense on top of nonsense would explain it.
"I'm still not sure why we're doing that, actually," Sparrow reminded him, and he gave her a little sigh. She shivered in her coat, the garment clearly designed with style in mind instead of warmth, and she let Frost wrap an arm around her waist. She'd gotten to used to being warm this fall; this slight chill was nothing compared to the winters she'd suffered in Solares, and yet somehow she was genuinely cold.
"It's Beneficence," he repeated. "This is a big part of it, and you would love it if you just gave it a chance."
What did he think she'd been doing the past few days? "I am giving it a chance, Frost," she insisted, a bit impatiently. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"I know, darling," he said softly. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."
The false contrition in his voice was honestly fairly amusing; for someone who could so easily manipulate people--up to and including herself, she was well aware--there were still times like this when he would say something so obviously inauthentic that there was no pretending otherwise. She wondered, of course, if that was actually part of it; perhaps he thought that by merely letting her catch the occasional lie, he could trick her into thinking everything else was the truth. As if she had ever been that naive.
"Yes, you did," she countered, but there was nothing approaching upset in her voice. "You're not grateful that I'm letting you get away with this, and let's not pretend that you wouldn't have just dragged me here anyway if I'd said no."
He stopped in his tracks, turning to look at her with a sudden frown. "Sparrow. If you want to go home, we can go home. I'm not going to force you to be here."
My, what generosity, Sparrow thought as she shook her head. "Frost, I think this is stupid and I'm cold as shit, but I'm here anyway. Do yourself a favor and stop acting like you know better than me, would you? I am doing this entirely for you, so shut up and enjoy it."
Frost was still for a moment longer, and another couple passed them on the wide path between the rows of Evergreens. He glanced over in their direction, his eyes following them until they were out of earshot, and then he turned back to her. "I'm sorry. Believe me, love, the last thing I wanted to do tonight is upset you. I won't say anything next time, alright?"
She tried to hide the mocking quirk of her lips. "Next time you decide you know better than me, you mean?"
He must have caught her smile anyway, because he matched it with a faint grin of his own. "You know what I mean."
Sparrow could only scoff. "I always know what you mean, Frost," she said, reaching out to hook her arm through his. "I suggest you don't forget that."
The faint look of uncertainty on his face as she started walking again, tugging him down along the path at her side, was the best thing she'd seen all day.
They walked along the trees for a few minutes before Sparrow finally asked the question that was on her mind. "Alright," she said, "if we're doing this, I'm gonna need something cleared up: How exactly do you go about picking out a tree? Aren't trees all just about the same? By what strange collection of standards are we judging these poor dead plants?"
To her surprise, Frost laughed. "They're not dead, love. Look at the base of the trunks. They're still planted."
"So, what, this is a fucking farm? Some kind of ridiculous tree farm?"
"More or less. The second are actually planted somewhere else and then transferred here, but, yes, they grow these trees here year-round."
"I'll never get you people," Sparrow remarked, shaking her head. "What's the point of growing trees all year, only to kill them in time for Beneficence? Is this some kind of weird ritual sacrifice thing?"
To her intense amusement, Frost looked fairly horrified by the thought. "What in the world has Hyde been teaching you?"
"Nothing about Beneficence trees, I promise. "
"Sounds like maybe he should, if you think ritual sacrifice is a reasonable explanation of our cultural traditions."
Sparrow rolled her eyes. "Makes just as much sense as the real answer, I'm sure. I just don't get the fascination with trees."
"It's just tradition, love. And I'm sure the trees don't mind."
She snorted. While she certainly wasn't about to start anthropomorphizing trees just to frustrate him, there was certainly something characteristic in his automatic assertion that the victims of one of his beloved society's "traditions" didn't really mind their victimhood.
Frost, however, seemed to think she was laughing at his words, not the implications behind them, and so he merely smiled at her. They kept walking.
Finally, after Sparrow was fairly sure they'd circled the entire place without Frost apparently finding whatever particular tree he was looking for, she stopped him. "Are we looking for something specific, or are you just wasting my time?"
"Browsing," he said simply. "Why, are you cold?"
"Try bored." She turned to him, ready to demand that they just grab any tree and get out of here before it was midnight, when something else caught her eye. There was a small clearing in the trees, an icy patch of open space filled with wooden pallets stacked with what looked like towering piles of already cut trees. Sparrow nodded in that direction. "What about those?"
Frost followed her gaze. "Those aren't trees," he said, and Sparrow's brows shot toward her hairline.
"Excuse me? Those aren't trees? What the fuck are they, then?"
He chuckled. "Alright, fine. Those are artificial trees."
"Wait, hold on," she said, brow furrowing now. "Are you kidding me? There's selling artificial trees here? Then why are we looking for a real one?"
She had no idea why Frost looked as surprised as he did. "No one wants an artificial tree."
"Why the fuck not?"
"Why would we?" he countered. "Why get a fake one when you can have the real thing?"
Sparrow could only stare. "Well, it's plastic, isn't it? You can use it again every year, instead of cutting down another fucking tree? How the he'll could killing a tree every year possibly be better than that?"
"It's tacky."
"Well, then I'm fucking tacky." Unfortunately aware of just how much she sounded like a petulant child arguing with a stubborn parent, Sparrow pointed toward the piles of plastic Evergreens. "You want me to pick out a tree? That's my pick. We're getting a plastic one."
She watched Frost's face cycle through the emotions she'd come to expect when she asked for something he didn't really want to give her. First surprise, then resistance, then reconsideration, and finally begrudging acceptance; she knew he was willing to give her this, so long as she kept giving him what he wanted.
"Alright," he said once the cycle was done, "I suppose I can compromise. The main tree in the grand hall is going to be real; we've already bought it, and it's a national tradition, not just mine. But as for the tree in the suite... if you really want a pl--an artificial tree...I suppose it won't actually hurt anything."
Sparrow could see that he didn't look convinced; there was something particularly close to distraction in his eyes, as if his mind was far off elsewhere even as he was speaking to her. Her arm still hooked around his, she slid her other hand around the back of his neck and rose slightly onto her toes so she could kiss him. He smiled against her lips, his other arm settling around her waist.
They both knew this was her part of the compromise.