xtaketwox - Tumblr blog

xtaketwox · 13 days

Text

Summary: Everyone is born with an arrow on their hand that points toward their soulmate on their eighteenth birthday. When Lucien comes to find Elain after the arrow on her hand led Graysen to dump her on her birthday, she tells him to leave and not contact her again. Nine years later, their paths cross once more and Lucien makes it his mission to woo Elain.

Fic Rating: Explicit

Warnings: None

Chapter Length: 3772 words

Masterlist; Read on AO3

Chapter 4

Well, fuck.

Lucien watched Elain walk to her car feeling like the biggest asshole, despite the circumstances being completely out of his control. He could hardly be blamed for his parents’ wealth, but neither could he blame her for holding some resentment for those with money when by the sounds of it, she had struggled throughout most of her life.

As an adult, he had seen enough suffering to know that while wealth wasn’t everything, it also wasn’t nothing. He was lucky to be an ambassador to a wealthy country now, but in his travels he had seen enough poverty and sickness to keep him humble for the rest of his life. After the first time he had been faced with the terrible truth that people suffered through starvation and poverty, he had promptly begun donating a sizeable chunk of his money every year to reputable charities. He may have his own traumas from growing up in Beron’s household, but starvation and lack wasn’t one of them.

He felt like an ass after listening to Elain discuss her struggles. He felt a bit humiliated by what she must think of him, knowing he had been so reckless and spoiled in his younger years, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he had fucked the whole thing up by being so open about his past.

Lucien scrubbed his face, and then drained the rest of his coffee and got into his car to head back to his apartment, ruminating on all the things he’d learned about Elain. He couldn’t just let things end there, not when finally, after nine years, he gotten her to talk to him.

Clearly she had led a difficult life, and there was still the matter of what caused her to reject him in the first place, but perhaps he could woo her. He made his living turning tense situations around, surely he could do the same with his soulmate. He would just have to be careful with how he approached the situation if he had any hope of succeeding.

Lucien opened the door to his penthouse and winced as he stepped inside. Owning a penthouse, even if it wasn’t top floor, while only living in it for a few weeks a year certainly wasn’t going to convince Elain he was a normal guy. But then again, he supposed he wasn’t a normal guy so maybe it was best he didn’t pretend otherwise. He just needed to show Elain that it didn’t mean anything. She likely thought they have nothing in common, so he was going to have to show her that they were compatible.

Lucien walked to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine before heading to drop onto his couch to contemplate ways to woo Elain, to show her that he was worth her time, that he wasn’t just another spoiled rich man who didn’t understand the struggles of those less fortunate. Of course, he didn’t have first hand experience, but that didn’t mean he was entirely clueless.

He wanted to know more about Elain’s history, and briefly considered enlisting the help of Azriel—that man could find out information like nobody’s business—but quickly dismissed the idea. Elain wasn’t likely to enjoy him prying into her life like that, and honestly he didn’t find the idea all that appealing either. He wanted to get to know Elain the old-fashioned way. Maybe he could do the normal thing and google her socials, see what he could find that way.

A couple hours later, his answer to that was nothing. Elain had almost no social media accounts, and those she did have were either private or filled with pictures of flowers. He sighed, setting down his fifth glass of wine. He supposed that’s what he got for trying to snoop.

Lucien stared at his phone, wondering if he should text her or wait for a couple days. He itched to send an apology to her, although he wasn’t sure what to apologize for. Sorry I grew up rich seemed about as good an idea as texting I’m sorry to hear you were poor. He winced at the thought and immediately berated himself as an asshole for even thinking it.

He groaned, his head falling back against the couch. He was an asshole though. Instead of trying to think of ways to woo Elain, he had just spent several hours thinking about the wealth gap between them and trying to find an easy way to get to her. He needed to get his shit together because he’d be damned if he let Elain slip through his fingers again. If he was going to be relegated to a life alone, then he at least wanted to get to know more about his soulmate first.

There were certainly plenty of other obstacles that would make a relationship difficult if Elain ever did decide to give him a chance. He had been conveniently ignoring the fact that he lived out of the country for most of the year while Elain was firmly rooted in this country. He couldn’t exactly ask her to give up her flower shop to come be decoration on his arm while he did his job.

Lucien pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d think about that later. One step at a time, and step one was to get another date with Elain. A real date this time, not just coffee. He didn’t think she’d agree to something obviously romantic such as dinner, so he was going to have to be a little sneakier than that. He pulled his phone back up and typed into google. He sat up when he came across the botanical gardens.

Perfect.

*****

Elain’s anxiety was only growing stronger the longer she went without hearing from Lucien. She almost felt as if she needed to apologize. She knew next to nothing about him, and the fact he grew up wealthy wasn’t exactly his fault. But she didn’t apologize, because that also sounded ridiculous. Sorry I’m jealous of your childhood. And what was there to be jealous of really? So he had grown up wealthy. It didn’t sound as if his childhood were any better than hers, and might have even been worse.

She blinked quickly, shaking her head to get out of her own mind and back to arranging flowers. Money was such a terrible thing to be hung up on. But it also wasn’t nothing. Lucien may have had a terrible childhood, but could he relate to her at all when he had had most things handed to him? He had earned his position as ambassador, but he wouldn’t have had the chance to earn it if not for Helion.

Elain sighed. She needed to stop thinking about this. It didn’t really matter anyway. Even if she wanted to pursue a relationship with Lucien, and she reminded herself that she didn’t, he was out of the country for all but a few weeks a year. It would never work. She had worked too hard to get where she was now and she couldn’t just give it up, nor did she want to spend months at a time without her significant other.

That was that really. No matter whether she and Lucien were compatible, it would never work because his job took him out of the country and her business kept her here. The wealth gap between them was a moot point.

Decision made, she tied a bow around the vase of flowers and then took it to the shelf with the other orders awaiting pickup. She smiled as she looked at the arrangements. No, she wouldn’t want to give this up. She loved her job, loved that her former employers had been willing to sell the business to her for a reasonable price, and loved that she was the master of her own life, even if the house she lived in felt incredibly lonely now that she lived by herself.

Perhaps she should sell it. Except that thought left her with a bubble of sadness in her throat. It was the last piece of their father and mother that they had, and even if she did sell it, it wasn’t just hers. Their father had left the house to all of them, although when he had had the money and mental wherewithal to speak to a lawyer, she had no idea. It couldn’t have been too long after their mother’s passing, because his mental decline had only gotten worse each year until his passing.

Elain went back over to her work bench and picked up her phone to check the time and was surprised to see she had a text from Lucien. She had been so busy with her arrangements, that she hadn’t thought to check her phone for hours, and his text had come through over two hours prior.

I just wanted to drop a quick text to apologize for putting my foot in my mouth the other day. I’ve been thinking a lot since our coffee date and I can see why you’d be upset, perhaps even think we’re not compatible. However, I would still love to get to know more about you, if you’re willing. I have never been to the botanical gardens and wondered if you’d want to go with me while I’m in town.

Elain stared down at the lengthy text, her eyes snagging on the word date. She swallowed, shaking her head and forcing herself to finish the text. Lucien wanted to go to the botanical gardens with her? She chuckled as she stared at the text, reading it over and over. He was good, hitting her right in her Achilles heel. The botanical gardens was one of her favorite places to go.

She bit her lip, trying to decide how to respond. It would be smarter to turn down the offer, given he was still leaving in a few weeks and she wouldn’t be free until this next Monday, which meant even less time until he left. She wasn’t so unware as to not realize she had abandonment issues. Her mother had not left by choice, of course, but it didn’t negate the fact she was gone, as was her father. Even Nesta had left her, although her sister had since apologized for that, speaking with Elain after the wedding. And although Elain was happy for Feyre, she had left her too. Everyone around her was moving forward in life and leaving her behind.

Elain typed out a message declining Lucien’s offer, but her finger hovered over the send button, something stopping her. She stared at the letters on her screen as the desire to delete them grew. She had spent so much of her life being practical, despite it not being her choice. If she had had a choice, she would have been a typical teenager, attending parties instead of work, getting drunk with friends at college while earning a degree in botany instead of working at a flower shop for hardly more than minimum wage. Even Lucien technically represented a lack of choice. She would have chosen Graysen, even if she was glad now that he had shown his true colors. What she had mistaken for love had been possessiveness. But that didn’t negate the fact that Lucien had been forced on her, had not been her choice.

But maybe she could stop being practical, could decide for herself what she really wanted. She would never use Lucien, not really, but perhaps she could still have fun. She was only twenty-seven and hadn’t had a boyfriend since she was eighteen. If he was leaving in a few weeks, what was the harm in at least pretending she was young and carefree?

Elain deleted the message and typed out another.

That sounds lovely. The botanical gardens is one of my favorite places and would love to show you around. I won’t be free until Monday. I hope that works.

She exhaled when she hit send, biting her lip and staring at her screen. When several minutes passed and nothing came through, she put the phone in her pocket and sighed at herself for expecting an immediate response, walking to the front of the store to relieve her morning employee and take her place behind the register for the rest of the day.

Elain had just finished helping a client with their order when she felt a buzz in her pocket. She grabbed her phone and smiled without realizing it when she saw a text from Lucien.

Monday is perfect. See you then.

*****

Lucien smiled at his phone screen. Elain’s message had been short, but relief had hit him like a ton of bricks when she had finally texted back and agreed to their date. He loved that the botanical gardens were her favorite place. Perhaps they could keep a conversation going without the need to reveal such personal information. If he could get her to see that the differences between them weren’t insurmountable, he might just stand a chance.

The only problem, of course, was that he was going to have to wait until Monday to see her. It was only Wednesday and Monday felt too far off. He sat back on his couch and narrowed his eyes in thought. There had to be a way for him to see her sooner than that.

He smirked as an idea formed.

*****

The next afternoon, Lucien opened the door to the flower shop. He hardly noticed the flowers, his eyes immediately going to Elain behind the register. He couldn’t have kept the smile off his face if he wanted to. She looked gorgeous. She had her hair swept back into a ponytail, but after hours of work, she had an array of softly curling tendrils falling around her face and her cheeks were flushed. Her adorable mouth popped open when she saw him.

“Lucien?”

He forced himself to be calm as he sauntered up to the counter. Thankfully she had no other customers at the moment, although he certainly hoped that wasn’t the usual case, for the sake of her business.

“I heard this was the best place to purchase a flower arrangement.”

Elain’s mouth curved up for a moment before she seemed to school her expression, squaring her shoulders. “Oh? Where did you hear this?”

“Feyre told me.”

Elain hummed. “So, you’d like an arrangement?”

Lucien nodded. “Yes, but I can’t decide which flowers to pick. Perhaps you could help me?”

A mask of professionalism fell onto Elain’s face as she realized he was here to purchase flowers. “Of course. Do you know what sort of arrangement you want?”

Lucien shook his head. “What do you offer?”

Elain pulled out a book, showing him a variety of arrangements. He smiled to himself as he chose the largest size. “I think this one will be perfect.”

Elain nodded. “Ok, then next we can pick flowers.”

Lucien nodded, a finger tapping his chin as he pretended to think. “Which ones do you think would look best?”

Elain thought for a moment. “Well, it depends on the occasion, I suppose or the person you’re giving it to, as well as how much you would like to spend. Flowers such as carnations and baby’s breath are good fillers if you’d like to prevent the arrangement from exceeding your budget. Roses are of course always a good bet, and are not too expensive this time of year. If you’re looking to jazz up the look, dahlias or lilies are a good choice. Just be warned that lilies are toxic to some pets like cats, so if there will be cats around, I would suggest avoiding them.”

Lucien watched Elain describe flowers, so clearly in her element, and something fluttered in his chest. There was nothing sexier than someone talking about the things they loved and Elain clearly loved her job. Her entire face was lit with excitement as she described the different ways she could do the arrangement based on whatever his budget was. He had to mentally shake himself several times to pay attention so he didn’t get lost in her bright eyes or the luscious lips that he suddenly had a very strong desire to kiss.

When he realized Elain had stopped talking, Lucien cleared his throat, trying to recall what she had said and feeling stupid that he had been too focused on her lips to listen to what her. “I’ll leave it in your capable hands, I think. Pick whatever you think would look best.” He told her how much he wanted to spend, which was really a lie. He would have bought the most expensive arrangement of flowers possible if he didn’t think it would work against him.

“Would you like to pick it up or have it delivered? We can do either as early as tomorrow.”

Lucien pretended to think. “I think I’ll come by tomorrow and pick them up myself.”

Elain smiled. “Wonderful. They should be ready by ten, so feel free to come any time after that. Or I can contact you after the arrangement is complete, whichever works best for you.”

Lucien swallowed hard at Elain’s smile, the way it lit up her face. Focus. He needed to focus. “I can come by after ten.”

Elain nodded, and Lucien exhaled slowly as she bent her head to write something down. After running his credit card, Elain handed it back to him and he waved goodbye.

When he exited the little shop, he inhaled deeply and then exhaled, trying to slow his racing heart. Was it the soulmate bond between them that was causing this? He had had girlfriends in the past, prior to the arrow on his hand suddenly pointing in Elain’s direction one day, but never had he felt like his heart was about to fly out of his chest when one of them smiled at him.

Even if it was the soulmate bond, he couldn’t say he minded. He was beginning to think that life without Elain was a half-life.

*****

Elain was just finishing up the last touches on the last arrangement for the day when Mandy, her employee currently watching the front, yelled back, “Elain, there’s someone here to see you.”

Elain finished tying a bow and then removed her apron and hung it up before walking to the front. She immediately smiled when she saw Lucien at the front waiting for her. Her heart skipped a beat or two when he returned her smile. “Hello. Are you here to pick up your arrangement?”

Lucien nodded. “I hope I’m not too early.”

Elain glanced at the clock on the wall and noted it was ten o’clock sharp. “Nope. I just finished the last of the arrangements. Let me get yours.”

Lucien nodded as she turned to head back into the back room. She had gone a little crazy with the arrangement, trying to keep in mind Lucien’s budget, but thoroughly enjoying being able to pick all the flowers herself. It was a beautiful arrangement, that was for sure, perhaps one of her best. All her favorite flowers were in there in every color she could cram into a single display. Perhaps some people would find the bright slash of colors garish, but she loved it. She could only hope that Lucien did as well.

When she brought the arrangement out, Lucien smiled broadly. She set the vase on the counter, nearly taking up the entire space as the flowers spilled out of the top. Elain stepped to the side so she could see him, clasping her fingers together in apprehension. “I hope this is what you were looking for. I went a little wild with all the different colors, but these are some of my favorites, and I made sure to stick within your budget, which is why there are so many of these.” She clamped her mouth shut when she realized she was rambling, watching as Lucien considered the arrangement.

Nodding, he turned to her. “These are perfect, thank you.” He picked up the flowers, turning the vase around to see the back and then nodded again and held them out to her. “These are for you.”

Elain’s mouth popped open as Mandy chuckled by the register. “What?”

Lucien held the flowers in front of him as Elain gaped at him, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, I could hardly go get flowers from another shop to give to you, could I?”

When Elain continued to gape at him, Mandy lightly shoved Elain’s shoulder, shaking her out of her shock. “You bought these for me?” she asked slowly, her mind feeling slower than molasses.

Lucien’s cheeks turned pink as he continued to hold the flowers out. “I figured working in a flower shop, you probably don’t get a lot of flowers yourself. I thought maybe you’d like some.”

“For pete’s sake, Elain, take the flowers,” Mandy said.

Elain reached out to take the vase back, staring at an arrangement filled with all her favorite flowers. Sure she had made it herself, but also, it had been so fun to have creative liberty that it hardly registered that she had essentially given herself flowers.

“They’re beautiful,” she said in a daze.

Lucien chuckled. “Of course they are. You picked all the flowers yourself.”

Elain eyed him and noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes. “This doesn’t exactly count as giving me flowers, you know.”

Lucien shrugged. “Like I said, I couldn’t exactly get flowers from your competitor.”

“I’ll be right back,” Elain said, heading toward the back room where she could set the flowers down and out of the way. She couldn’t help smiling as she stared at them, and she had to admit it was a clever way to buy her flowers. Walking back to the front, she found Lucien casually leaning against the counter and her eyes nearly went wide at how sexy the pose looked. She just barely school her expression as she nodded and smiled gently at him. “Thank you for the flowers. It was very thoughtful.”

Lucien smiled back. “I’ll see you Monday then?”

Elain bit her lip against the fluttering in her chest at that smile. “See you Monday.”

As he walked out the door, Elain couldn’t stop staring. He was certainly a sly one. Instead of waiting until Monday, he had managed to see her for two days this week. She would have to keep her eye on him. He was likely to win her over without her even realizing what he was doing.

And she was wondering now if she even minded.

#elucien #elain x lucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #elucien fanfiction #elucien fic #elucien fanfic

27 notes · View notes

xtaketwox · 3 months

Text

Fic Rating: Explicit

Warnings: None

Chapter Length: 4739 words

Masterlist; Read on AO3

Chapter 3

Lucien watched Elain drive away and loosed a breath, his shoulders relaxing as her taillights faded away.

He couldn’t believe he got her to agree to a coffee date. Elain had spent the entire wedding and reception avoiding him. He had been certain she would say no, and couldn’t help but wonder what had changed her mind.

Maybe it wasn’t him specifically she didn’t want, as he assumed. Maybe she didn’t want anyone. Or perhaps it was an Archeron thing. Feyre had resisted Rhys when she first discovered they were soulmates, and Lucien had heard of Cassian’s own decade-long battle with Nesta.

In hindsight, asking for a dance had been a terrible idea anyway, and he was relieved she had declined. As it was, he barely felt in control of himself around Elain, and she was clearly still uncomfortable with their soulmate bond. Lucien opened the car door and sat without turning the car on, contemplating the enigma that was Elain and her hold on him even after a decade without contact.

To put it simply, she took his breath away. Perhaps it was the soulmate bond, though he doubted it. She was beautiful—he’d have to be blind not to notice—but there was more to her beauty than just her physical appearance. It was as if her general aura heightened her already gorgeous features.

It wasn’t as if he’d never been attracted to another woman, although it had been a decade now since he’d been interested in someone else. He had eyes, so he could appreciate a beautiful woman when he saw one, but it was a bit like observing art in a museum rather than attraction. He supposed the downside to having a soulmate bond was the way in which it robbed you of the desire to be with anyone else if your soulmate refused to be with you. Some people did date outside their soulmates, but it was incredibly rare. Most people simply had no attraction for anyone else, and he’d be lying if he said didn’t wish he could be one of the people who could. He didn’t enjoy the idea of being alone for the rest of his life.

Getting coffee with Elain on Monday felt like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gave Lucien some hope, but on the other hand, that hope could just as easily turn to ash if Elain continued to reject him. He wondered idly if she had only agreed to coffee because she knew he’d be gone again in a few weeks.

He had to admit, his job taking him out of the country for most of the year had been one of the reasons he had sought the job in the first place. He was good with people, good with negotiations, so he was a good ambassador. One of the best, given he had obtained one of the highly sought after countries after only a few years. The job kept him busy, but most importantly kept him from seeking out Elain.

He had agreed to give her her space until she came to him, had wanted to honor her request, but it hadn’t been easy. He wondered how Cassian had managed a decade of Nesta Archeron pushing him away. He didn’t know the specifics, but he wasn’t certain he could have done the same. He wasn’t that masochistic, nor did he desire to push himself on Elain. If she didn’t want to be with him, then he would respect that.

Lucien blew out a breath and started the car, pulling out and heading back to the Night mansion. Helion’s home was a short walk away, and Lucien had planned to stay there that evening before returning to his apartment the following day.

After dropping the car off, he started walking, his hands stuffed in his pockets against the bite of chill in the air, replaying his conversations with Elain, his heart thumping oddly in his chest as he did so. He was surprised to find his mother still awake when he came through the door. She was holding a steaming cup of tea and sitting on a settee near the fireplace in the room off the entrance. Lucien walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“How was the wedding?” she asked as he stood in front of the fireplace, warming his hands.

“It was what you’d expect from Rhys and his father.” He looked back. “Small but expensive.”

His mother chuckled as she sipped her tea. “That sounds about right. Did you enjoy yourself?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath before adding, “Elain was there.”

There was a beat of silence before his mother asked, “Did you speak with her?”

He nodded, staring at the flames of the fireplace. “I drove her back to the chapel to get her car and we’re meeting for coffee on Monday.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Lucien turned at the words, his mother’s tone betraying her worry, and sighed. “You don’t have to worry, mother. I’m not expecting anything to come of it. It’s just coffee.”

His mother set down her cup and stood, her ruby red hair—the hair he had inherited from her—glinting in the firelight as she crossed to him and put a hand on his cheek. “But you should expect something to come of it. She is your soulmate after all. It’s only natural to want her to return your affections.”

He frowned to cover the way her words pierced his heart. “I don’t have affections for her. I hardly know her. The only other time we’ve spoken has been that first day over nine years ago.”

His mother gave him a look that said she knew better and patted his cheek affectionately before picking up her teacup and heading to the door. “I’m just saying that it’s only natural for you to want to see your soulmate.” She paused, a hand on the doorframe and looked back. “Be careful, my love. I don’t want you to end up hurt.”

It was on the tip of Lucien’s tongue to deny the possibility, but he knew she would only give him another knowing look. He had been unable to hide his devastation from her at Elain’s first rejection. She had no reason to believe this time would be any different, and truth be told, he wasn’t sure it was any different.

He shook his head as she left. Leave it to his mother to make him feel like a teenager instead of a grown man. She had an uncanny way of doing that. He headed out the door and up the staircase to the room Helion had given him. Rooms, really. Beron had had six other sons, and regardless of the fact the house was still a mansion, by the time Lucien had arrived, all the best rooms had been taken. Helion had given him the biggest suite of rooms outside of the one he shared with Lucien’s mother. He had practically an entire wing to himself.

The suite had a sitting room that was bigger than some apartments, two separate bedrooms on either side, each with their own ensuite bathroom, and even a powder room for guests, should he have them. He had told Helion it was too much, but Helion had insisted. He supposed Helion felt guilty for not being there for him when he was younger, so he had decided it wasn’t worth the argument, especially given he was hardly ever in the country anyway.

Lucien walked into the bedroom to the right, the one he had decided would be his the first time he had stayed, and into the bathroom, shedding his clothes as he went. He preferred showering at night, to wash the day away. Helion had supplied Lucien with a full set of tailored clothes and a dresser full of pajamas, claiming it would be easier if Lucien didn’t have to lug clothes over every time he came to stay. Lucien hadn’t bothered to argue over that either, despite the whole thing making him uncomfortable.

It was clear Helion wished to make up for the years that he hadn’t been aware that Lucien was his son, no matter how many times Lucien told him it wasn’t necessary. Some part of Lucien lamented the fact that he had grown up with Beron’s abuse instead of Helion’s abundance, but he was also an adult and he didn’t really need a father at this point. He had learned to live without one a long time ago.

Still, Lucien could understand why Helion went to such lengths and decided he would just let him. He could take the discomfort if only because Helion made his mother so happy.

Once showered, his hair toweled dry, he dropped into bed, not bothering with clothes. He knew he’d be dealing with a rat’s nest in the morning sleeping on wet hair, but didn’t care. He’d just braid it.

He turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He was going to see Elain again. He took a deep breath and held it against the rising tide of anxiety and excitement. He reminded himself yet again that a coffee date didn’t mean anything. He couldn’t allow himself to hope that it would lead to anything more. He should be happy that she had agreed to coffee and leave it to that.

But Lucien couldn’t stop the hope that swelled in the dark. Maybe this time he should fight for her instead of letting her slip away from him. He wondered yet again why exactly she had avoided him for so long. Did she find him abhorrent? Confidence in his appearance wasn’t an issue, enough women gave him appreciative looks for him not to think Elain found him unattractive. Elain had given him an appreciative look at the wedding, though he wasn’t sure if she had realized the way she looked at him.

Perhaps she didn’t want to be attached to anyone, not just him. The soulmate bond didn’t exactly care if you wanted a romantic partner. No one knew why the bonds happened, only that they did and that usually the couples were compatible. Perhaps Elain preferred to work in her flower shop and leave love to other people.

Lucien threw an arm over his eyes. Sleep was going to be impossible when his thoughts were full of Elain. Had she even realized what she did to him this evening? Watching her dance with Azriel had been a special kind of torture, even though he himself had danced with Morrigan. Mor, however, had just about as much interest in him as he had in her, so it had been much like dancing with his own cousin. Azriel was hard to read, but how could he not have wanted Elain?

How could anyone not want Elain, especially in that dress, the way it had hugged her curves, the front dipping low enough to reveal the swell of her breasts. It hadn’t been skin tight the way Mor’s dress had been, but it had been tight enough to make him shift in his seat the moment he saw her.

He rubbed his eyes, frustration like a stone on his chest. He needed to get a grip on himself before coffee with Elain or he might say or do something to scare her away. He was usually good at reading people; he had to be good at reading people to be good at his job. But Elain was difficult for him to read. He supposed it could be because he was too close to the situation, too emotionally involved in the outcome to assess things the way he might usually do. Or perhaps the Mother had chosen to give him a soulmate who would challenge him.

He had to admit that not being able to easily read Elain did keep things interesting, if not equally frustrating. If he succeeded in getting her to agree to a relationship, he would certainly be counting it as a hard-won victory.

Sighing again, he turned onto his side and shut off the bedside lamp, hoping he could get to sleep soon.

~~~~~~~~

Elain pulled down the mirror in her car to check her appearance again, stalling from having to get out of the car and walk into the coffee shop. She had typed out and then deleted a message canceling coffee more than once between Friday evening and today, but something always stopped her from pushing send.

She glanced at the clock. She was already five minutes late and she hated not being punctual, so she flipped her mirror back up, pulled on her gloves, grabbed her purse, and exited her car. She could do this. It was just coffee. It’s not like they were going on an actual date.

Elain pulled open the door to the coffee shop, her eyes drawn like a magnet to the flash of red hair. Her heart did a funny little skip as Lucien smiled at her and walked over. He looked relieved, and she wondered if he thought she wouldn’t show. She couldn’t help but notice how good he looked. His clothes looked tailored and expensive.

“Hello.”

“Hi.” Elain winced at how breathless she sounded and cleared her throat. She turned toward the line before she could see Lucien’s response to her breathless response, fiddling with the edge of her gloves as she tried to calm her racing heart. She hoped he didn’t read anything into it.

After they procured their coffees in silence, Lucien led them over to a table set back in a quiet corner. It was by the window with a ficus next to it. She had never been to this particular place before and looked around as Lucien sat across from her. The space wasn’t very large, which she enjoyed as it meant it was quieter than other cafes she’d been to. The atmosphere was very calm and friendly, which she appreciated. She took a sip of her coffee and hummed in appreciation.

“This is delicious,” she said, peering into her mug—another thing she enjoyed, real mugs.

Lucien took a sip of his own coffee and nodded. “It’s one of my favorite places to get coffee when I’m in town.”

Elain took another sip and then made herself set her cup down. She didn’t want to finish the coffee too quickly. She needed it to help fill any awkward moments. “How did you find it?” she asked, glancing up from her mug.

He shrugged. “I’ve been coming here for so long, I’m not even sure. The owners are great, if you ever have a chance to meet them. The very definition of Mom and Pop coffee shop owners.”

“Oh?” The conversation was hardly intriguing but at least they were conversing.

Lucien nodded, wrapping his hands around his mug. “Yeah. I met them several years back and now they make a point of saying hi anytime I come in when they’re here.”

Elain looked toward the counter. “Are they here today?”

Lucien shook his head. “I got here about fifteen minutes early and haven’t seen them.”

Elain bit her lip. “Sorry I was a little late.”

Lucien blinked. “Were you late?”

“I was about five minutes late.”

A corner of his mouth tipped up. “That’s hardly worth apologizing for.”

Elain straightened, raising her chin even as she felt her cheeks turning red. “Five minutes is still late.”

Lucien lifted his cup. “In that case, I accept your apology.”

“Good.”

They lapsed into silence and Elain looked down at her coffee, tapping her finger on the side of the cup as she tried to think of something, anything to talk about. She hated awkward silences and prided herself in being able to dispel them, but it was as if her mind had completely emptied of all thought around Lucien.

“How was the flower shop this weekend?”

Elain exhaled, grateful that at least one of them had come up with something to say. “It was good.” She paused and then added, “I had a lot of orders so I was pretty busy.”

Lucien nodded and then took another sip of his coffee as they both lapsed back into silence.

This was awful. Just awful. Why couldn’t she think of anything to say? Conversation was her specialty.

Lucien eyed her, then took a deep breath and said, “You wouldn’t happen to know why it’s so hard to hold a conversation would you?”

Elain laughed as relief flooded through her. “No, but this is horrible.”

Lucien’s eyes sparkled as he nodded, taking a sip from his mug. “The worst conversation I’ve had in a long time.”

“The very worst.” Elain straightened and then said primly, “It must be you. I am normally a wonderful conversationalist.”

Lucien’s mouth quirked up. “I don’t think so. I literally have conversations for a living, so clearly I’m an expert.”

Elain hummed. “I can’t believe you still have a job, because your conversation skills are sorely lacking. Clearly.”

Lucien’s eyebrows rose. “Yes, clearly I would be the one at fault here.”

“I’m glad we’re in agreement.”

Lucien snorted into his coffee, but his eyes were lit with amusement. “So tell me, wonderful conversationalist, what should we do to fix this problem?”

Elain chewed her lip as she thought. “Well, we could take turns stating facts about ourselves?”

“Like two truths and a lie?”

Elain rolled her eyes. “We’re not in high school.” Lucien chuckled at that. “Just a fact. If the other person has any followup questions, then we can answer those and keep the conversation rolling.”

Lucien nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Who wants to go first?”

Elain took a deep breath. “I can go.”

He gestured for her to continue, and she chewed her lip as she tried to think of a fact to share. She had so few life experiences that seemed worth sharing, and as for sharing her feelings on things that really mattered, she wasn’t sure she was ready to do that. Eventually she went with, “Gardening is my favorite hobby.”

Lucien raised his eyebrows, but didn’t comment that her fact was something he likely already suspected, given she owned a flower shop. “What do you like about gardening?”

Elain took a sip of her coffee and stared at the ficus behind Lucien’s head as she thought. “I enjoy the sunshine, the way you can nurture a seed into something beautiful, like a flower, or into something you can use to feed your family. Sometimes I like to imagine how gratifying it would have been to be able to feed your entire family from the produce you grew yourself. Imagine never having a grocery store to go to, only relying on the gods favor with the weather and your own two hands. I can’t imagine living in that world, but when I have my hands in the dirt, when I pluck weeds, when I prune branches, I feel the most at home, the most like myself.”

She looked back to Lucien who was watching her with his lips parted. Her face heated as she realized she had been rambling. “Sorry. That was probably more than you were looking for.”

Lucien shook his head, looking slightly dazed. “No. That was exactly what I was looking for.” He dipped his head. “Thank you for telling me.”

Elain cleared her throat and nodded to him. “Your turn.”

Lucien looked to the ceiling for a moment before saying, “I’m still not used to being the sole heir for Helion and sometimes feel like I’m living someone else’s life.”

Elain blinked, surprised he had shared something so personal. “Why does it feel like someone else’s life?” she asked quietly.

He lifted a shoulder, likely trying to look nonchalant, but only succeeding in looking vulnerable. “I was the youngest of seven children. I always got whatever was left after everyone else took. I had the smallest bedroom, I opened presents last on Solstice, you get the idea. I’m an adult, so it’s not like I need anything from Helion, but it is a lot to suddenly be getting first pick. My room at Helion’s mansion is an entire suite of rooms that are bigger than the average apartment.”

Elain’s heart hurt at the thought that Lucien had ever felt less than deserving, and felt something like shame wind its way through her mind at the realization that she had inadvertently done the same thing to him. “I’m sorry you ever felt that way.” She nearly apologized for what she had said nine years ago, but stopped herself before she could. She wasn’t sure that she was sorry and the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was only apologizing out of pity.

Lucien shrugged again. “It’s ok. I’m just happy my mother’s happy.”

“Do you ever see your brothers?” Elain asked, hoping she wasn’t prying.

“Not often. They never really liked me when we were growing up, and now I know it’s because they were all aware I wasn’t Beron’s son. I was the last one to know.” He took a deep breath. “Eris has reached out a couple times, but he and I are too different to ever be close. As for the others, I think they’re just happy they won’t have to share the inheritance with me, although I doubt Beron ever planned to leave me anything anyway.” He cleared his throat. “I believe it’s your turn.”

Discussion closed. Elain nodded. “Um…” Perhaps since Lucien had given such personal details, she could reciprocate. Taking a deep breath she said, “My mother didn’t like me.”

Lucien blinked several times. “What do you mean?”

Elain gripped the coffee mug as the pain of what she had known since she was little waffled through her. “She never said it to my face, of course, but it was the little things. She used to say things like my beauty was my best feature, or that it was a good thing that I was pretty because I wasn’t smart.”

Lucien’s eyes widened, and then shock turned to burning anger. “That’s a horrible thing to say to anyone, let alone your own child.”

Elain nodded, but looked down at her coffee, unable to stop the embarrassment that came with admitting her mother thought she was just a pretty airhead.

After several minutes of tense silence, during which she cursed herself for revealing something so personal, Lucien said, “For what it’s worth, Elain, I have always known you’re worth more than your looks.”

Elain’s head snapped up, finding Lucien gripping his mug in a white-knuckled grip as he stared fiercely at her. “You don’t know anything about me,” she countered.

He held her gaze and she felt ensnared by the rage in his eyes—rage on her behalf. “You were fierce the first time we met. I could see the fire in you, and listening to you just now describe why you like gardening, are you kidding me? You are more passionate, more thoughtful about gardening than most people are about anything, and that passion is worth something. If people want to boil you down to your looks, that’s their problem, but believe me when I say this Elain, while I would be a fool to claim that your beauty means nothing to me, it is the last on what is turning into a long list of reasons why I want to get to know you better.”

Elain knew her eyes were wide, her lips parted as she sucked in a shaky breath at Lucien’s heated proclamation. “I—”

She didn’t know what to say. Her heart was beating so fast that she was starting to feel faint and she couldn’t seem to get a grip on what emotions she was feeling. They were flying by too quickly for her to grasp on to any of them. Embarrassment, joy, and panic seemed to be the strongest out of all the emotions however.

Lucien reached forward like he wanted to grab her hand, but then pulled it back. “I’m sorry if I came on too strong. I just…I guess I’m a little sensitive when it comes to parents treating their children poorly.”

Elain swallowed, latching on to the lifeline Lucien was giving her. “Because of Beron?”

He nodded, his knuckles going white on his mug. “Because of Beron.”

She wanted to know more, but knew it would be rude to ask, so instead she said quietly, shoving down her emotions to be examined at a later time, “Your turn.”

Lucien nodded. “Ok. Let’s see.”

Elain took the moment he was thinking to shove the last of her emotions down, to compose herself.

“I just barely had a GPA high enough to graduate college.”

“How on earth? You seem intelligent.”

Lucien outright laughed and Elain bit her lip against her own smile at the amusement on his face. Lucien should laugh more often.

“It wasn’t because I’m not intelligent, but it was because I am stupid. I spent too much of my time partying in the first couple semesters, happy to be out of Beron’s house I guess, and nearly flunked out. I think it might have been Beron’s donation money that kept them from kicking me, to be honest. After that, I stopped fucking around and picked a major. But it’s much more difficult to raise a GPA than it is to tank it.”

Elain sipped her coffee. “I’m surprised Beron did anything to help.”

Lucien snorted. “Believe me, it was only to save himself from embarrassment.”

“So you went from barely graduating to being an ambassador before you turned thirty?”

“I guess technically. I was twenty-nine, so that’s close enough to thirty right?”

Elain narrowed her eyes playfully. “Is nepotism to blame?”

Lucien frowned and Elain suspected she just hit a touchy subject. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” she sighed. “I’m sorry.”

He looked away. “You’re not wrong, but it’s also not entirely accurate. By the time I graduated, Helion and my mother were already married. It was Helion that got me that first job, but I was the one who earned the position of ambassador by working my ass off.”

Elain took in his tight shoulders and white knuckles and felt an immediate swell of regret. “Of course you did. I’m sorry I implied otherwise.” She looked out the window. “I suppose I’m just not used to your world and made a tactless joke.”

Lucien was silent for several long moments before saying, “My world?”

Elain looked back at him to find his eyebrows raised. She gestured vaguely. “Yes well…You know. I didn’t grow up with wealth. I don’t really understand what it’s like, I suppose.”

Lucien considered her for another moment. “Does the fact that I grew up wealthy bother you?”

Elain blinked at him as she considered the question. She certainly had spent half her life struggling to make ends meet, had missed out on the usual things such as attending college, had only been able to own her business because her former bosses liked her and allowed her to pay them directly rather than go through a bank. Her business was a little bit like rent-to-own in that regard. Her mother had died when she was little, her father withered away to a shell of his former self and had died a scant two years prior, and she and Feyre had each been working since they were fourteen. Perhaps, she did have some resentment for people who didn’t have to struggle the way that she had struggled.

She looked back at him. “I suppose it does, but I think I’ve earned the right.”

Lucien didn’t seem offended, which she supposed was a good thing, but then he frowned. “What do you mean, you’ve earned the right?”

Elain looked away. “I’d rather not get into the details, but while you were partying in college on Beron’s dime and good graces, I was going to high school and working as many hours as I legally could to make ends meet.”

They lapsed into silence, Lucien clearly at a loss for how to respond. Eventually, Elain drained the rest of her coffee and then stood, feeling a bit foolish and vulnerable for what she had shared.

“Thank you for the coffee, but I should get going.”

Lucien didn’t respond other than to nod at her before she turned and walked away.

#elucien #elain x lucien #elucien fanfiction #elucien fic #elucien fanfic #elain archeron #lucien vanserra

26 notes · View notes