Leigh!fic | In the Still of the Night (1/1) | Carter Clearwater-Vaisey/Grace Flynn
Title: In the Still of the Night (1/1)
Author: Leigh, aka leigh_adams
Characters: Carter Clearwater-Vaisey/Grace Flynn
Rating: PG
Word Count: 832
Summary: Carter had opened up to her before. He could do it again, dammit.
Author’s Notes: Written for elle_blessing as part of my Spring 2013 Drabble Meme. This story is based in the universe of our second-generation RPG, pink_lambs, where Elle writes Grace and I write Carter. I hope you like this, Elletator! *SMOOSH*
In the four years since she'd started dancing at Pandora's Box, Grace had grown in more ways than she'd ever could have imagined. She'd taken the job at the burlesque because... well, it was fun. She got to dance and flirt and tease -- and she got paid for it. As far as jobs went, it wasn't a bad one.
And there was her Piano Man. (Because no matter what, he was hers -- one of her people. Different from her Clovelly cousins, but hers nonetheless). He was handsome and funny, wickedly intelligent. And he was really good at snogs and other sorts of things that made her warm all over.
They hadn't shagged in months. Didn't matter. He was still hers.
What had started out as nothing more than a fun bit of work had turned into something more. She had ideas, Things To Do. Grace had never lacked for confidence, but she freely admitted that she wasn't particularly grounded as far as business-type things went. Carter had helped her work out a business proposal and talked her through it, coaching her on the right way to bring her ideas up with the Boss Man. (Making friends with said Boss Man's son had been one of her better whims, in her humble opinion).
She was moving beyond part-time burlesque dancer. She was going to Do Things at Pandora's Box -- big things that both excited and scared her.
One thing that had made her a bit sad about the passing of time was... well, her Piano Man. He'd stopped playing on a regular basis at the club, and if she didn't seek him out of her own accord, it'd be weeks until she saw him again.
Grace didn't take it personally. She knew he was busy with his own business -- and she was busy, too, with another scary/exciting thing: a real boyfriend.
Tonight, Carter was back at the piano, and Grace was back at her usual spot: sprawled across the lid of the shining grand piano, her blonde hair hanging off the side as the pounding of the keys thrummed through her body. She'd missed this. It was a reminder of the first time they'd spoken, the first time she'd stolen a snog.
The first time Carter had taken her upstairs for the best orgasm of her life. (Not that she was telling him that; Merlin only knew, his ego was large enough as it was).
She was chatty by nature. But in the hours after midnight, the threat of dawn palpable on the London night air, she didn't often feel the need to fill the space with words.
Save a few she'd been hoarding.
"Paige?"
"Seeing someone." His fingers played through the end of the song and stilled, the final few notes hanging in the air between them. Dark eyes lifted to meet hers, and his lips twitched wryly.
Her brow furrowed. "Why?"
Carter shrugged. "Why not?"
She wrinkled her nose at his non-answer. He was a snake, and snakes were always like that. "Why not you?" she countered.
"You'd have to ask her, Tiny Dancer." Carter reached for his glass of water and took a sip, setting it back down next to the piano bench.
"Maybe I will," she said, a hint of challenge in her voice.
He grinned then, and reached up to tweak a lock of blonde hair between his fingers. "How's your actor boy-toy? Not here watching you dance."
It was Grace's turn to shrug as she propped herself on her side, leaning on her elbow. "He's an understudy in a musical opening next week. He'll be by when he comes by."
"Do I get to meet him?"
"Of course." The words were out of her mouth without thought. With Painted Aristocracy on the road, the foremost of her people had yet to meet her new boyfriend -- and that word still felt strange to think, but it was true. Carter was still her people, though, despite the fact that getting Important Information out of him was like hiding gold from a niffler.
"Only," she added after a beat, eyebrows raised at him, "if you tell me what happened with Paige." From what she'd seen, the darker woman had been after Carter something serious. "You can tell me about her, you know. I'm a good listener." She knew Carter. He kept his cards close to his chest, but he'd opened up -- albeit a tiny bit -- before. He could do it again, dammit.
Carter chuckled and rose up to brush a kiss across her forehead. "I know, Grace. And I will, I promise. Just not tonight."
She grinned and tipped her head back, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll hold you to that, Piano Man."
"I'd expect nothing less, Tiny Dancer."
Author: Leigh, aka leigh_adams
Characters: Carter Clearwater-Vaisey/Grace Flynn
Rating: PG
Word Count: 832
Summary: Carter had opened up to her before. He could do it again, dammit.
Author’s Notes: Written for elle_blessing as part of my Spring 2013 Drabble Meme. This story is based in the universe of our second-generation RPG, pink_lambs, where Elle writes Grace and I write Carter. I hope you like this, Elletator! *SMOOSH*
In the four years since she'd started dancing at Pandora's Box, Grace had grown in more ways than she'd ever could have imagined. She'd taken the job at the burlesque because... well, it was fun. She got to dance and flirt and tease -- and she got paid for it. As far as jobs went, it wasn't a bad one.
And there was her Piano Man. (Because no matter what, he was hers -- one of her people. Different from her Clovelly cousins, but hers nonetheless). He was handsome and funny, wickedly intelligent. And he was really good at snogs and other sorts of things that made her warm all over.
They hadn't shagged in months. Didn't matter. He was still hers.
What had started out as nothing more than a fun bit of work had turned into something more. She had ideas, Things To Do. Grace had never lacked for confidence, but she freely admitted that she wasn't particularly grounded as far as business-type things went. Carter had helped her work out a business proposal and talked her through it, coaching her on the right way to bring her ideas up with the Boss Man. (Making friends with said Boss Man's son had been one of her better whims, in her humble opinion).
She was moving beyond part-time burlesque dancer. She was going to Do Things at Pandora's Box -- big things that both excited and scared her.
One thing that had made her a bit sad about the passing of time was... well, her Piano Man. He'd stopped playing on a regular basis at the club, and if she didn't seek him out of her own accord, it'd be weeks until she saw him again.
Grace didn't take it personally. She knew he was busy with his own business -- and she was busy, too, with another scary/exciting thing: a real boyfriend.
Tonight, Carter was back at the piano, and Grace was back at her usual spot: sprawled across the lid of the shining grand piano, her blonde hair hanging off the side as the pounding of the keys thrummed through her body. She'd missed this. It was a reminder of the first time they'd spoken, the first time she'd stolen a snog.
The first time Carter had taken her upstairs for the best orgasm of her life. (Not that she was telling him that; Merlin only knew, his ego was large enough as it was).
She was chatty by nature. But in the hours after midnight, the threat of dawn palpable on the London night air, she didn't often feel the need to fill the space with words.
Save a few she'd been hoarding.
"Paige?"
"Seeing someone." His fingers played through the end of the song and stilled, the final few notes hanging in the air between them. Dark eyes lifted to meet hers, and his lips twitched wryly.
Her brow furrowed. "Why?"
Carter shrugged. "Why not?"
She wrinkled her nose at his non-answer. He was a snake, and snakes were always like that. "Why not you?" she countered.
"You'd have to ask her, Tiny Dancer." Carter reached for his glass of water and took a sip, setting it back down next to the piano bench.
"Maybe I will," she said, a hint of challenge in her voice.
He grinned then, and reached up to tweak a lock of blonde hair between his fingers. "How's your actor boy-toy? Not here watching you dance."
It was Grace's turn to shrug as she propped herself on her side, leaning on her elbow. "He's an understudy in a musical opening next week. He'll be by when he comes by."
"Do I get to meet him?"
"Of course." The words were out of her mouth without thought. With Painted Aristocracy on the road, the foremost of her people had yet to meet her new boyfriend -- and that word still felt strange to think, but it was true. Carter was still her people, though, despite the fact that getting Important Information out of him was like hiding gold from a niffler.
"Only," she added after a beat, eyebrows raised at him, "if you tell me what happened with Paige." From what she'd seen, the darker woman had been after Carter something serious. "You can tell me about her, you know. I'm a good listener." She knew Carter. He kept his cards close to his chest, but he'd opened up -- albeit a tiny bit -- before. He could do it again, dammit.
Carter chuckled and rose up to brush a kiss across her forehead. "I know, Grace. And I will, I promise. Just not tonight."
She grinned and tipped her head back, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll hold you to that, Piano Man."
"I'd expect nothing less, Tiny Dancer."