adventchallenge 2010: 4/25 (for soraciel)
Prompt from soraciel: A woman living as a man in a steampunk world falls in love. <-- highlight for spoilers
Warnings: het, femmeslash
for December 4th, 2010 (soraciel)
Flora Beaumont sighed as she collapsed her parasol and placed it over her lap. The reclusive doctor was at a bunsen burner in the corner making tea for her-he preferred coffee, he'd said, voice roughened somewhat, likely by the strange box she noticed beneath his bow-tie. Dr. Matthias Edgeworth was an inventor, not a mage. Still, Flora's brother insisted he could-and would-help her, once he knew who asked. Indeed, the poor man had gone quite pale when she'd knocked at the door and introduced herself as Blaise's sister.
"Come in," he'd said. "Coffee or tea?"
She watched his thin fingers, his small hands, as he carried a mug to her and poured the tea with a lady's delicacy. She smiled, and the doctor caught her eye with a clear blue gaze. "Pardon?"
"I thought inventors would be rough and messy," she hedged. Manlier, she thought; more imposing.
"I'm not what most expect," the doctor said, placing the tea on a tray and sitting on the opposite side of his desk. "Now, what can I do for you?"
She fiddled with her parasol between white-gloved fingers and sighed again. "My brother told me to come see you if he was gone more than three days. He said you might be able to find him."
Dr. Edgeworth sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That Blaise," he murmured. "Where did he go?"
Flora was hesitant to say, but when Dr. Edgeworth waited quietly for an answer, the silence became too much. "He was trying to find a jewel," she admitted. "In the badlands. He said if he could find it, I wouldn't be sick anymore."
Dr. Edgeworth's eyes narrowed. "The curse would break, you mean." He didn't phrase it as a question.
Flora nodded. "He said we'd never break it the usual way." She frowned. "I'll die a spinster at this rate. No man will marry someone who can't have children, so there's no hope for love's first kiss to break the curse."
"I see."
"And…" This was the hardest to admit. "I have seen Blaise in love before. I have never felt that way. Not even once."
Dr. Edgeworth smiled. "Someday you will," he said kindly. Then he shook his head. "In the meantime, I must search the badlands for that idiot. I will need a drop of your blood, Miss Beaumont."
Flora obliged, marveling when she felt a flush creep up her high collar when the doctor's fine fingers stroked her wrist before pricking her finger and healing it with a touch. He blotted the drop of blood onto a handkerchief and tucked it into his lapel. "I must go," he said. "If you would return tomorrow, I will deliver your brother to you, in better shape than I found him."
He smiled and led Flora to the door with a hand at her back. She was on the street, parasol blocking the sun and the falling soot from flying dirigibles, when she realized she was smiling, too. How odd, she thought, that the doctor could make her feel this way.
*
Dr. Edgeworth was as good as his word, for the next day Flora returned to his home to find Blaise in bandages, but laughing. "Take him home, please," the doctor pleaded with a smile. "His meddling interferes with my work."
"Oh, Flora, dear, stay for tea! The doctor and I were just discussing your curious curse."
"No, you were discussing it," the doctor snapped. "Would you like tea?"
Flora nodded and he strode back into the kitchen.
"So," Blaise said softly, "What do you think?"
"Of what?" Flora had the sinking feeling her brother had been meddling in more than the good doctor's work.
"Edgeworth," Blase said as if Flora were simple, "Do you like him?"
Flora glared at her brother, even as her cheeks flushed.
"Excellent!"
"You're insufferable."
"You're in love!" he crowed softly. "You should kiss him."
"It's improper," Flora snapped, before realizing she'd walked right into his trap.
"I knew he'd be girly enough for you!" Her brother's smile split his face. "Edgeworth," he called.
"What?" Edgeworth reappeared a few moments later, a cup of tea steaming in his right hand, a saucer under it in his left.
Flora thanked him, and thanked him again when she realized he'd remembered how she liked it.
Blaise snorted. "Smitten," he mouthed at her.
"What did you want?" Dr. Edgeworth asked Blaise. "Surely you didn't think I'd forgotten you are still in my house. Against my wishes."
"What are your intentions toward my sister?" Blaise asked gleefully.
Dr. Edgeworth's eyes went wide. "Why-" he sputtered, "Blaise, are you-"
Flora felt her heart sink. "I apologize for my brother's forwardness," she said, eyes fixed on her shaking tea. "He has no tact, nor sense, nor compassion."
Dr. Edgeworth took the cup from her moments before she would have dropped it, and handed it to Blaise. "I entirely agree," the doctor said, taking her gloved hands in his. "Your brother is an idiot."
She smiled down at their hands, so like in size. "He is."
"I would be honored to court you, if you will allow me to do so," the doctor said.
Flora dared meet the doctor's eyes, and saw uncertainty in them.
"But before you give me an answer, I must…I have something to confess."
When Blaise leaned forward, triumphant smile on his face, Flora bopped him with her parasol. "Please," she said.
"Fine." Blaise sighed and trudged into the kitchen, rubbing his head and pouting.
Dr. Edgeworth pulled off his bow-tie, and the box with it. "I don't know how much Blaise told you about me," he said in a beautiful lilting voice, "but the first thing you must know is I will never be able to have children with you. Because-"
Flora had never done something so forward in her life, but when she realized what Dr. Edgeworth was about to say, she stopped his lips.
Her lips.
With a kiss.
She had her hand on Dr. Edgeworth's chest when they broke apart, and realized it was not as proper as it would be were the doctor a man. She lifted it, but the doctor pressed it back, clasped in his own. "I was born Madeline Edgeworth," the doctor said, "not Matthias."
"I'm glad," Flora said. "I much prefer Madelines, myself."
Warnings: het, femmeslash
for December 4th, 2010 (soraciel)
Flora Beaumont sighed as she collapsed her parasol and placed it over her lap. The reclusive doctor was at a bunsen burner in the corner making tea for her-he preferred coffee, he'd said, voice roughened somewhat, likely by the strange box she noticed beneath his bow-tie. Dr. Matthias Edgeworth was an inventor, not a mage. Still, Flora's brother insisted he could-and would-help her, once he knew who asked. Indeed, the poor man had gone quite pale when she'd knocked at the door and introduced herself as Blaise's sister.
"Come in," he'd said. "Coffee or tea?"
She watched his thin fingers, his small hands, as he carried a mug to her and poured the tea with a lady's delicacy. She smiled, and the doctor caught her eye with a clear blue gaze. "Pardon?"
"I thought inventors would be rough and messy," she hedged. Manlier, she thought; more imposing.
"I'm not what most expect," the doctor said, placing the tea on a tray and sitting on the opposite side of his desk. "Now, what can I do for you?"
She fiddled with her parasol between white-gloved fingers and sighed again. "My brother told me to come see you if he was gone more than three days. He said you might be able to find him."
Dr. Edgeworth sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That Blaise," he murmured. "Where did he go?"
Flora was hesitant to say, but when Dr. Edgeworth waited quietly for an answer, the silence became too much. "He was trying to find a jewel," she admitted. "In the badlands. He said if he could find it, I wouldn't be sick anymore."
Dr. Edgeworth's eyes narrowed. "The curse would break, you mean." He didn't phrase it as a question.
Flora nodded. "He said we'd never break it the usual way." She frowned. "I'll die a spinster at this rate. No man will marry someone who can't have children, so there's no hope for love's first kiss to break the curse."
"I see."
"And…" This was the hardest to admit. "I have seen Blaise in love before. I have never felt that way. Not even once."
Dr. Edgeworth smiled. "Someday you will," he said kindly. Then he shook his head. "In the meantime, I must search the badlands for that idiot. I will need a drop of your blood, Miss Beaumont."
Flora obliged, marveling when she felt a flush creep up her high collar when the doctor's fine fingers stroked her wrist before pricking her finger and healing it with a touch. He blotted the drop of blood onto a handkerchief and tucked it into his lapel. "I must go," he said. "If you would return tomorrow, I will deliver your brother to you, in better shape than I found him."
He smiled and led Flora to the door with a hand at her back. She was on the street, parasol blocking the sun and the falling soot from flying dirigibles, when she realized she was smiling, too. How odd, she thought, that the doctor could make her feel this way.
*
Dr. Edgeworth was as good as his word, for the next day Flora returned to his home to find Blaise in bandages, but laughing. "Take him home, please," the doctor pleaded with a smile. "His meddling interferes with my work."
"Oh, Flora, dear, stay for tea! The doctor and I were just discussing your curious curse."
"No, you were discussing it," the doctor snapped. "Would you like tea?"
Flora nodded and he strode back into the kitchen.
"So," Blaise said softly, "What do you think?"
"Of what?" Flora had the sinking feeling her brother had been meddling in more than the good doctor's work.
"Edgeworth," Blase said as if Flora were simple, "Do you like him?"
Flora glared at her brother, even as her cheeks flushed.
"Excellent!"
"You're insufferable."
"You're in love!" he crowed softly. "You should kiss him."
"It's improper," Flora snapped, before realizing she'd walked right into his trap.
"I knew he'd be girly enough for you!" Her brother's smile split his face. "Edgeworth," he called.
"What?" Edgeworth reappeared a few moments later, a cup of tea steaming in his right hand, a saucer under it in his left.
Flora thanked him, and thanked him again when she realized he'd remembered how she liked it.
Blaise snorted. "Smitten," he mouthed at her.
"What did you want?" Dr. Edgeworth asked Blaise. "Surely you didn't think I'd forgotten you are still in my house. Against my wishes."
"What are your intentions toward my sister?" Blaise asked gleefully.
Dr. Edgeworth's eyes went wide. "Why-" he sputtered, "Blaise, are you-"
Flora felt her heart sink. "I apologize for my brother's forwardness," she said, eyes fixed on her shaking tea. "He has no tact, nor sense, nor compassion."
Dr. Edgeworth took the cup from her moments before she would have dropped it, and handed it to Blaise. "I entirely agree," the doctor said, taking her gloved hands in his. "Your brother is an idiot."
She smiled down at their hands, so like in size. "He is."
"I would be honored to court you, if you will allow me to do so," the doctor said.
Flora dared meet the doctor's eyes, and saw uncertainty in them.
"But before you give me an answer, I must…I have something to confess."
When Blaise leaned forward, triumphant smile on his face, Flora bopped him with her parasol. "Please," she said.
"Fine." Blaise sighed and trudged into the kitchen, rubbing his head and pouting.
Dr. Edgeworth pulled off his bow-tie, and the box with it. "I don't know how much Blaise told you about me," he said in a beautiful lilting voice, "but the first thing you must know is I will never be able to have children with you. Because-"
Flora had never done something so forward in her life, but when she realized what Dr. Edgeworth was about to say, she stopped his lips.
Her lips.
With a kiss.
She had her hand on Dr. Edgeworth's chest when they broke apart, and realized it was not as proper as it would be were the doctor a man. She lifted it, but the doctor pressed it back, clasped in his own. "I was born Madeline Edgeworth," the doctor said, "not Matthias."
"I'm glad," Flora said. "I much prefer Madelines, myself."