Elle&Leigh!fic- The Only Exception (1/1)- Astoria Greengrass, Julian Vaisey, Michael Corner
Title: The Only Exception (1/1)
Authors: Leigh, aka leigh_adams and Elle, aka elle_blessing
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,272
Possible spoilers/warnings: None
Summary: Beyond his inner sanctum, he'd never entertained the idea of love until now.
Notes: Written for raspberry_rave as part of my 2009 Christmas drabble meme. She requested my character, Julian Vaisey, along with two of my dear Elle's characters, Astoria Greengrass and her step-brother Michael Corner. Since I tend to get those two out of character, Elle was amazing enough to co-write this with me! I hope you enjoy, Robyn! *SMOOSH*
Christmas is a time for being with the people you love.
Though it was a laughable thought to those who only saw his carefully constructed facade, Julian Vaisey had a heart. He felt love, he felt pain, he had emotions. He just never let anyone see them unless he wanted them to.
He would've loved his mother, he thought. He never knew her, but had she lived, he would've loved her.
He'd loved his grandparents. After his mother had passed, leaving a two day-old baby in their hands, they'd been the only family he had. Priam Vaisey had taught him how to be a man, how to run his business, his life, as a gentleman should. Buy low, sell high. His grandfather had taught him how to ride a broom, play Quidditch, handle his business, and had educated a raw, underdeveloped talent for investments.
His grandmother, Lucretia, had also loved him, and he her. He'd watched her run an efficient household, had learned how to manage servants and conduct himself in society due to her influence.
His assistant, Dominique, and his second-in-command, Edmund, he didn't love, per se, but he protected them. They'd proven their loyalty to him countless times, and he was a man who rewarded loyalty with his own brand; namely, protection.
Beyond his inner sanctum, he'd never entertained the idea of love until now. Even now, though, it was something to be carefully examined, prodded, poked and generally eyed until he figured out just what was going on. Because something was going on, he mused, his green eyes resting upon the object of his musings as she moved about the room.
"It's always lovely to see you too, Mrs. Kensington," Astoria agreed, pressing a quick kiss to either cheek of the old dowager before she slipped back into the crowd of people filling her parent's ballroom. It was crowded, but their exclusive Christmas ball always was.
The old woman was a friend of her grandmother's - or Michael's, she supposed. Had this noble and pure woman been an acquaintance of her father's mother ... the Greengrasses had ever been a neutral family, but the underbelly of her family was anything but clean and were anything but politically neutral, and no true friend of her extended blood family would have been half so friendly.
As it was, her uncle had made it quite clear that he did not like her attachment to Julian and though Daphne hadn't said anything outright, it was obvious she agreed with her father.
She felt the heavy glare of Devon Greengrass following her. Her uncle could stuff himself.
Their gazes met briefly and she sniffed delicately at him. They were across the room from one another, but she could still feel his anger, see it burning in his eyes. It was singularly satisfying to turn her back on him, the deep luster of her red dress swishing with the movement. She wasn't entirely sure what it was she had with Julian Vaisey, but whatever it was, it was hers. He was hers, uncertain parentage or no.
As if her thoughts called him, her search for her lover wasn't really one at all. Her eyes found his in a heartbeat, dark and heavy on her, and as it ever had, it made her pulse pound and a gentle flush tint her skin.
Julian's lips curled when his bella serpente's eyes locked onto his, dark brown meeting his own green gaze. Red, while the color of the season, was not one usually seen in the wardrobes of Slytherins; however, on Astoria, it called to the underlying passion and fire that drove her, always simmering beneath the surface.
Briefly, his gaze broke from hers for one split second and connected with that of her uncle's. Devon Greengrass had made no bones about what he thought of Julian's relationship with his niece...not that Julian was fussed by that. His little snake was just that: his.
It was inevitable, inescapable that she found herself moving towards him. She'd once thought him dark, but he was the only one with color in the room. All the couples that danced around him, between them - it was idle movement, black and white and not really there, not when he was looking at her like he was.
Not until her palms smoothed over his chest, until she was pressed to him and his hands were moving down her back did Astoria remember to breath again.
"Mrs. Kensington making for stimulating conversation again?" he asked, his voice soft, but just loud enough for her to hear over the music. Leaning in, he brushed his lips over the smooth skin just beneath her ear; a chaste touch of the lips that spoke to much darker, intimate activities.
"She's pleasant enough," Astoria murmured, thoughts far away from the words, the conversation she'd had minutes earlier. With Julian's lips on her, rational thought was always difficult. Her lids fluttered, body softening into his when his lips brushed that spot.
He chuckled against her skin, letting his lips trail along the line of her jaw. "Yet you crave more, yes?"
"Of her company?" Her lips twitched. She knew what her lover was speaking of and humor tinted her words, the warmth accompanied by the gooseflesh left in the wake of his attentions. "Not particularly, but this..." Astoria's breath caught and her fingers splayed on his chest. "This you can feel quite free to continue doing."
"I think I will," he murmured, lips twitching in the barest hint of a warm smirk before he let his lips capture hers in a kiss. His hands, once idle on her hips, slid around to the bare small of her back, pressing her against him. His body knew hers like his own, and demanded to have her flush against him once more. What more could he do than comply?
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sprawled on the sofa near the overlarge Christmas tree, Michael's blue eyes tracked through the crowds of people, stuttering to a stop on a particularly conspicuous couple. They drew the eye for the singular fact that they weren't, in fact, dancing.
"Michael, you can separate yourself from that thing for one evening, yes?" His mother's voice was warmly amused over his shoulder and he tipped his head back to catch eyes as blue as his own.
"I can, yes," he agreed, lips twitching at the raised brow she gave him.
"Can. And will." The twinkle in the depth of her gaze belied where he'd gotten the trait.
"Yes, Mother." A grin curled his lips then, and despite his words, his fingers plucked a louder tune from the guitar strewn across his tailored suit.
"Don't 'yes, Mother' me, Michael Corner. Do." Despite her words, Lilian's eyes were bright and she brushed a kiss to her son's brow. "Merry Christmas, love," she murmured before straightening and moving through the crowd to find her husband and continue greeting all their guests.
Michael's gaze followed her until the sapphire gown was lost to the crowds before tracking back to where he'd last seen his sister.
When he found her again, she was dancing. She was also smiling, glowing as she looked up at the man who led her around the floor.
Julian Vaisey. Devon Greengrass didn't like him, which made Michael think he was likely an alright sort.
But mostly, Astoria loved him and that was all that really mattered.
Bending his head over his guitar, he picked at the strings, the melody lost to the voices and stringed quartet filling the room with the sounds of the holiday.
Authors: Leigh, aka leigh_adams and Elle, aka elle_blessing
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,272
Possible spoilers/warnings: None
Summary: Beyond his inner sanctum, he'd never entertained the idea of love until now.
Notes: Written for raspberry_rave as part of my 2009 Christmas drabble meme. She requested my character, Julian Vaisey, along with two of my dear Elle's characters, Astoria Greengrass and her step-brother Michael Corner. Since I tend to get those two out of character, Elle was amazing enough to co-write this with me! I hope you enjoy, Robyn! *SMOOSH*
Christmas is a time for being with the people you love.
Though it was a laughable thought to those who only saw his carefully constructed facade, Julian Vaisey had a heart. He felt love, he felt pain, he had emotions. He just never let anyone see them unless he wanted them to.
He would've loved his mother, he thought. He never knew her, but had she lived, he would've loved her.
He'd loved his grandparents. After his mother had passed, leaving a two day-old baby in their hands, they'd been the only family he had. Priam Vaisey had taught him how to be a man, how to run his business, his life, as a gentleman should. Buy low, sell high. His grandfather had taught him how to ride a broom, play Quidditch, handle his business, and had educated a raw, underdeveloped talent for investments.
His grandmother, Lucretia, had also loved him, and he her. He'd watched her run an efficient household, had learned how to manage servants and conduct himself in society due to her influence.
His assistant, Dominique, and his second-in-command, Edmund, he didn't love, per se, but he protected them. They'd proven their loyalty to him countless times, and he was a man who rewarded loyalty with his own brand; namely, protection.
Beyond his inner sanctum, he'd never entertained the idea of love until now. Even now, though, it was something to be carefully examined, prodded, poked and generally eyed until he figured out just what was going on. Because something was going on, he mused, his green eyes resting upon the object of his musings as she moved about the room.
"It's always lovely to see you too, Mrs. Kensington," Astoria agreed, pressing a quick kiss to either cheek of the old dowager before she slipped back into the crowd of people filling her parent's ballroom. It was crowded, but their exclusive Christmas ball always was.
The old woman was a friend of her grandmother's - or Michael's, she supposed. Had this noble and pure woman been an acquaintance of her father's mother ... the Greengrasses had ever been a neutral family, but the underbelly of her family was anything but clean and were anything but politically neutral, and no true friend of her extended blood family would have been half so friendly.
As it was, her uncle had made it quite clear that he did not like her attachment to Julian and though Daphne hadn't said anything outright, it was obvious she agreed with her father.
She felt the heavy glare of Devon Greengrass following her. Her uncle could stuff himself.
Their gazes met briefly and she sniffed delicately at him. They were across the room from one another, but she could still feel his anger, see it burning in his eyes. It was singularly satisfying to turn her back on him, the deep luster of her red dress swishing with the movement. She wasn't entirely sure what it was she had with Julian Vaisey, but whatever it was, it was hers. He was hers, uncertain parentage or no.
As if her thoughts called him, her search for her lover wasn't really one at all. Her eyes found his in a heartbeat, dark and heavy on her, and as it ever had, it made her pulse pound and a gentle flush tint her skin.
Julian's lips curled when his bella serpente's eyes locked onto his, dark brown meeting his own green gaze. Red, while the color of the season, was not one usually seen in the wardrobes of Slytherins; however, on Astoria, it called to the underlying passion and fire that drove her, always simmering beneath the surface.
Briefly, his gaze broke from hers for one split second and connected with that of her uncle's. Devon Greengrass had made no bones about what he thought of Julian's relationship with his niece...not that Julian was fussed by that. His little snake was just that: his.
It was inevitable, inescapable that she found herself moving towards him. She'd once thought him dark, but he was the only one with color in the room. All the couples that danced around him, between them - it was idle movement, black and white and not really there, not when he was looking at her like he was.
Not until her palms smoothed over his chest, until she was pressed to him and his hands were moving down her back did Astoria remember to breath again.
"Mrs. Kensington making for stimulating conversation again?" he asked, his voice soft, but just loud enough for her to hear over the music. Leaning in, he brushed his lips over the smooth skin just beneath her ear; a chaste touch of the lips that spoke to much darker, intimate activities.
"She's pleasant enough," Astoria murmured, thoughts far away from the words, the conversation she'd had minutes earlier. With Julian's lips on her, rational thought was always difficult. Her lids fluttered, body softening into his when his lips brushed that spot.
He chuckled against her skin, letting his lips trail along the line of her jaw. "Yet you crave more, yes?"
"Of her company?" Her lips twitched. She knew what her lover was speaking of and humor tinted her words, the warmth accompanied by the gooseflesh left in the wake of his attentions. "Not particularly, but this..." Astoria's breath caught and her fingers splayed on his chest. "This you can feel quite free to continue doing."
"I think I will," he murmured, lips twitching in the barest hint of a warm smirk before he let his lips capture hers in a kiss. His hands, once idle on her hips, slid around to the bare small of her back, pressing her against him. His body knew hers like his own, and demanded to have her flush against him once more. What more could he do than comply?
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sprawled on the sofa near the overlarge Christmas tree, Michael's blue eyes tracked through the crowds of people, stuttering to a stop on a particularly conspicuous couple. They drew the eye for the singular fact that they weren't, in fact, dancing.
"Michael, you can separate yourself from that thing for one evening, yes?" His mother's voice was warmly amused over his shoulder and he tipped his head back to catch eyes as blue as his own.
"I can, yes," he agreed, lips twitching at the raised brow she gave him.
"Can. And will." The twinkle in the depth of her gaze belied where he'd gotten the trait.
"Yes, Mother." A grin curled his lips then, and despite his words, his fingers plucked a louder tune from the guitar strewn across his tailored suit.
"Don't 'yes, Mother' me, Michael Corner. Do." Despite her words, Lilian's eyes were bright and she brushed a kiss to her son's brow. "Merry Christmas, love," she murmured before straightening and moving through the crowd to find her husband and continue greeting all their guests.
Michael's gaze followed her until the sapphire gown was lost to the crowds before tracking back to where he'd last seen his sister.
When he found her again, she was dancing. She was also smiling, glowing as she looked up at the man who led her around the floor.
Julian Vaisey. Devon Greengrass didn't like him, which made Michael think he was likely an alright sort.
But mostly, Astoria loved him and that was all that really mattered.
Bending his head over his guitar, he picked at the strings, the melody lost to the voices and stringed quartet filling the room with the sounds of the holiday.