[ so here's the thing. the layout of the bathroom, while ridiculous in its expansiveness and inclusion of a jacuzzi tub, follows the general sort of layout of any bathroom... meaning when benedict opens the door to hand kate her belongings, what lays exactly opposite said door is the large mirror that nearly stretches across the entire wall. benedict may have remained behind the door to ensure he wouldn't be able to see inside, but said door has cracked open just enough that he'd be able to catch a glimpse of the mirror...
more specifically, of kate's reflection in the mirror. of kate, standing just beyond the opposite side of that door, towel no longer wrapped around her body but instead currently being used to wring out the water from her long hair. ]
Oh — thanks!
[ she doesn't notice, innocently reaching around the door to take the clothing from benedict's hands.
and, no, it has not actually occured to kate yet just what exactly she has asked him to do. knowing kate, it won't occur to her until much later, probably not until she's pulling that lace over her legs will she realize oh. that's right. benedict has touched these as well.
by then her mortification will know no bounds, and she'll have a brief moment to contemplate actually flinging herself off the balcony. ]
[ It's no surprise that Benedict grew up with a lot of comfortable wealth surrounding him. It's certainly not a secret to Kate, who's experiencing the fruits of that first-hand. With that amount of wealth comes a certain kind of schooling, which means he's studied human anatomy from both an academic standpoint, poring over highly-detailed textbooks, and he's also taken his fair share of field medicine courses, an endeavor helped along by his own brief stint in the military.
Plus, he's grown up surrounded by women, from his mother, to his cousin who's close enough to him in age that they were often bathed together as young children, to the twins whose diapers he helped change when they were young.
All that is to say that the sight of a naked woman shouldn't be enough to fluster him. And yet...
He doesn't drop her clothes, mainly because his reflexes are too good for that, but it's a near thing. What he does, actually, is notice the expanse of honeyed skin on display in the reflection of the mirror, freeze for a half-second, then snap his eyes shut like that's going to do anything but force him to look at the after-image behind his eyelids.
If his voice is a little bit strangled when he replies, well. Hopefully she won't notice. ]
[ she notices, but attributes it to her previous fuck up and thus takes another moment to silently berate herself for her stupidity. her entire purpose here is meant to make this visit home bearable for him... the last thing he needs is having to deal with the awkwardness of the repercussions of your friend's trashfire tendencies.
she tries to dress quickly. save for the slight hiccup wherein she finally realizes she made her friend dig through her underwear (goddammit, katejamin) it goes off without a hitch, and she is soon shuffling out of the bathroom looking still damp but significantly drier.
it stands to reason that her clothes would look good on her, as no one really picks items out that are unflattering on purpose. but there's a difference between single items looking good, and an entire outfit working out. the ensemble that benedict has chosen is classy and chic, displaying a modern femininity that only highlights her worldliness. she feels oddly shy standing before him in the outfit he'd chosen, tucking a damp lock of hair behind her ear. it'll take her a while longer to shake off the embarrassment from earlier, but she's determined not to make it too obvious. ]
Did you want to take a quick shower too? I swear I didn't use up all the hot water.
[ When Kate emerges once more from the bathroom, Benedict is, for lack of a better term, puttering. The room certainly doesn't need cleaning, they've only just arrived, and he can't unpack things that were already unpacked, but he's just moving around the room keeping himself busy so it doesn't look like he's standing there waiting for her to come out.
That would be very weird, wouldn't it?
He turns his head to look at her and winds up doing just that, looking, for a second before he smiles at her. ]
You look nice. [ Her hair's still quite damp and unstyled, which he has no problem with but he suspects will be rectified by the time they go down to dinner, but he's pleased the clothes he chose for her seem to flatter her so well. ]
If you're finished with the bathroom, I might as well. [ Like he isn't also itching to get the airport smell off him. Benedict is perfectly capable of ignoring his own discomfort when it comes to smells or sweat or what have you, but if the opportunity is there, he'll leap at the chance to get clean.
Gathering his own clothes, unconsciously picking out a shirt that complements the one he chose for Kate, he slips past her and shuts himself in the bathroom, only then realizing that now he has to grapple with the fact that the room is still hot and moist and, more importantly, smells like her.
[ when benedict disappears into the fading mist of her hot shower, kate allows herself a deep breath of relief. grateful, mostly, to have made it through that without error.
left to her own devices, kate doesn't putter, but oh boy are her hands itching to pick up something, anything, and hurl it at the nearest target. back home she had had the benefit of shooting ranges and street level criminals to work out all this anxious energy on, but here across the ocean where she is meant to more or less behave... she doesn't feel trapped, certainly not because she walked into this herself, but she does feel restless. like suddenly she's a little too big for her body, ready to burst out at the seams.
she winds up doing what any other 20-something would do, and turns to her phone.
since befriending benedict, she'd done her due diligence and given into her curiosity. which is to say she googled him. there wasn't a lot about him, specifically, but there was certainly a lot to be read up on about the lancasters. she remember thinking it felt a little surreal while she was pouring over wikis and news articles, how much it seemed like he might as well have grown up in a completely different world. funny how drastically different some things can be, all because of some cultural and geographic borders.
she looks over the first few search results now, scrolling idly while she blowdries her hair by the edge of the bed. (she'd packed one herself, as is necessary when having all this hair, but there had already been one tucked into the top drawer ready for use.) the first few results were the standard wiki pages, some articles on recent business and cultural affairs the family was last mentioned in. what winds up catching her attention is a blog post, more tabloid in nature, talking about matron's infamous party scheduled for that weekend. it's an annual thing, expected to be grand as always, and anyone who's anyone in this side of the ocean is expected to come. most of the names mentioned mean nothing to kate, so she scrolls past them with slightly glazed eyes. paparazzi-style photos crop up in the middle of the article, everything from rumored decorations and menu items, to even some sneaky photos captured of the estate itself, clearly taken from behind the gate. kate's scrolling so quickly she almost misses it — but then she doubles back. stares.
there, sitting innocently between blurry shots of the hedge maze and table cloths, is an equally blurry photo of her and benedict. taken just from this afternoon, as the two of them stepped out of the car to enter the estate itself. their faces aren't really shown, but there's no real mistaking the behemoth of a man that benedict is, if you know who you're looking for. they were captured mid-step, heads ducked together, his arm settled comfortably around her shoulders. this is what everyone sees when they put on their show. looking at it now, kate can't help but feel... something.
best not to think about it too much, right?
but — hm. she hadn't realized there would be this many eyes on this event. it's probably not anything worth worrying about either — just local gossip rags about local celebrity news. she winds up closing the blog and setting her phone aside, determined not to think on it a second more. ]
[ Blissfully unaware of the paparazzi and Kate's revelations, Benedict is trying not to think about the fact that just five minutes ago, she was standing naked in this very room, using these products to wash herself. His cock seems to have no problem thinking about it, though, stirring with interest between his thighs, but he resolutely ignores it.
Kate is his friend. She's doing him a huge favor by coming along and pretending with him this weekend. He's not going to take advantage of that or twist it into something it's not just because she's a pretty girl and maybe his search history has taken a turn towards the petite brunette end of things lately.
If he brings her all this way, to his family estate, cuts her off from everyone she knows and every place she's familiar with, isolates her completely so the only person she knows and feels she can rely on is him and then tries to push for something she's not willing to give? That would make him a monster, wouldn't it. Worse than all the things people already like to say about the warriorborn.
No. He can keep it together.
Even though he no longer has the shaved head of a novitiate, or the time-crunch of a soldier, Benedict's showers are still nonetheless very quick, and it's not long before he's drying himself off in front of the giant mirror above the vanity. Peering at his reflection, he figures he can go another day without trimming his beard, and so quickly sets to getting dressed.
By the time they make it downstairs for cocktails, his hair has dried and he's come to terms with whatever mini crisis he was having earlier, which means he's gone back to settling his arm around her back, pressing his palm against her hip in a casually possessive grip. It's a small crowd, just the guests actually staying at the house for the weekend minus a few late-comers, which means it's easy enough to give her a quick rundown of who's who.
If he has to lean down to murmur in her ear to do so, well, that's unavoidable. ]
Right, so that on there in the green polo, that's Reggie Aster. Reginald. He's a complete pompous ass, Gwen absolutely hates him and I can't say I blame her. We were all forced to go to school together because technically we're family. [ Not so's you'd notice, though. The Asters split from the Lancasters generations ago, they hardly have any claim to the land or the fortune at all. Still, it's polite to invite them to family functions. ] Next to him is Barny. Barnabas. He's much more tolerable, but still a bit of a dick. They can't help it, they're Asters.
[ putting the gossip blog out of her mind turns out to be a greater feat than she originally thought. benedict's reemergence from the bathroom is a welcome but temporary distraction (kate taking the time to return his compliment from earlier, if a little less graceful about it — hot stuff, babe — but also noting that their outfits match, in a way, prompting a smile to her lips she can't quite explain). by then it had only been a half hour more till they were expected to appear at the drawing room, the walk there comfortably quiet. she'd stuck close to his side then, only deciding to reach for his hand about midway in their journey, but by the time they arrived at the doors benedict's hand was a warm, welcome weight against her own.
still, she wishes the rest of the walk had been as easy. she couldn't help but glance at every window they passed by, wondering if any high definition cameras had managed to peek its way through. she wondered at the price tag of every courteous smile from any staff member they met along the way, if any of them had already been bought prior to the event.
it's awful thinking, but it's one she had learned to grow up with the hard way. ]
Aster, more like Ass-ter, amirite—oh, thanks.
[ what started out as a dry remark under her breath winds up pitching into a flustered response to a waiter gliding by and handing her a fresh glass to replace her currently empty one. the man hardly bats an eye and easily moves on to tend to the next attendee but kate still has the grace to give benedict a sheepish glance beside her. the lady of the house was still making her rounds to greet everyone, oddly formal for an otherwise all-family gathering, and had yet to make her way to them and so they were left more or less to themselves as the rest of the guests grew more comfortable in mingling. every now and then, kate would notice gazes drift their way, whispers low and hushed in poor attempts to be discreet. the aster boys themselves, after having been noted, glanced over as if they had heard, so kate merely smiled politely at them and raised her glass in greeting. charming, if perhaps obnoxiously friendly.
her smile doesn't fade as she shifts closer to benedict's side, dropping her voice lower to an almost intimate level. ]
How quickly do you think I could get either of them to tap out in a fight? I'm thinking three minutes.
[ ah, yes. the typical conversation between two young lovebirds. ]
[ Every time he comes home, Benedict tries to look at Lancaster House from the eyes of an outsider: that corridor isn't the long stretch of carpeting he and his cousins practiced racing each other on, it's an imposing long walk flanked by oil portraits of his ancestors; the huge oaken bannisters aren't the perfect side to slip down, whooping and hollering, when you're eight years old, it's cut purposefully too large to hold on to so you're forced to pay attention as you hold it; the marble busts tucked into alcoves aren't faces he'd mimic but instead the severe countenances of nobility from centuries ago.
It's hard, though. His childhood was a happy one, and he has many fond memories of this place. Even though being home chafes a little bit more now that he is an adult and has adult responsibilities and expectations, he still can't quite erase the rosy tint of his memories.
Even most of the staff are familiar to him, if a bit grayer around the edges and a little creakier in their movements.
He's in the middle of chuffing a little laugh at Kate's comment about Reggie when they're interrupted by a waiter appearing at their elbow to exchange their drinks. She's clearly embarrassed at being caught out making snide comments but he just grins at her, this is what he'd asked her along for, after all. After thanking the waiter — a warm Lovely to see you again, Master Sorellin, met with an equally friendly You as well, Walter, thank you, — he tugs Kate a little closer to his side and slips his arm around her again, making it easier for them to whisper sotto voce to each other and also giving her a little more support as his aunt steadily makes her way through the room.
Benedict is a closer blood-relation to her than most of the other guests gathered, but it would still be rude to ignore those who appeared before him to greet him first. He knows he'll have to wait his turn like everyone else.
Ducking his head a little closer to hers, Benedict glances over at the Asters and smirks. ]
Less than, probably. Reggie has an entirely overblown sense of his own abilities. He'll go in guns blazing right from the start. Barnabas might take a little more time to figure you out before he fully commits. He's not much of a fighter, though.
[ kate has nothing against the asters, of course. she's taking her cues from benedict himself, and despite his own frank comments he doesn't seem particularly bothered by them. she wouldn't actually fight them, nor would she derive much pleasure from introducing their faces to the ground. she's just competitive by nature. and maybe just a little too aggressive.
all this to say, the snide comment hadn't been entirely warranted, thus her embarrassment over the risk of being overheard. she's here to shock and maybe awe but she's not going to be mean without provocation. as far as she knows, the asters haven't done anything against benedict to earn her ire yet. so for now she makes a mental note to be a bit more careful. not everyone gets her dry american sense of humor after all.
the lighting in the drawing room is low and intimate, and one glass of wine was already sitting warm in her belly. she's feeling wonderfully fuzzy around the edges, so when she turns a little more towards benedict she pretends there's some errant lint on his shirt and idly brushes it away before smoothing her hand down the front of it. maybe even lets her hand linger there before finding its way back around the neck of her glass. ]
You know we never did work out our story. Who approached who? How long have we been together? Who's big spoon and little spoon?
[ The way Kate turns towards him feels so natural he almost forgets for a moment that this is all pretend. She just fits so nicely under his arm, tucked against his side, and the fact that they smell like the same soap is confusing his hindbrain into thinking that maybe it's real. Maybe, just maybe, he's found someone who sees the ridiculous opulence that surrounds him and dismisses it as less important than who he is, who knows what he is and doesn't care.
He knows Kate doesn't care that he's warriorborn, that she doesn't even really seem to get it, and he's so grateful for that he doesn't really know how to articulate it. If that's all he could ever get from their relationship, he'll be happy.
But still. Her hand trailing down his chest feels a little too comfortable. ]
I don't think anyone would believe I approached you, [ he points out with a wry little smile, one shoulder lifting in a laconic shrug. ] And if you really want to be big spoon, I'll allow it, but... [ He makes a show of pointedly looking her up and down; even with the tasteful pumps she's wearing, she just manages to crest his shoulder. ]
[ is she a little bitter about being so small? perhaps. but at the same time who wouldn't want a little pocket protector. ]
I think for consistency's sake we'll keep it as close to the truth as we can. Which means we met one night while I was... working. [ "working." kate often jokes around that her moonlighting in vigilantism is her night shift. ] It was very cute, I flirted, you were confused, and then I kept flirting, but we wound up as friends first. And then... two? Three months ago? I finally win you over with my wit and charm and now here we are.
[ here they are, two people supposedly head over heels for each other, but it seems like all they've really had to change is how many touches are shared between them. (kate tries not to think about that either.) ]
[ She's a perfectly reasonable height, there's no need to be dramatic about it. Benedict, on the other hand, has hit his head on lintels more than once, and has to get his trousers custom-tailored to make sure the inseam is long enough.
Granted, he usually wears bespoke suits anyway, but for his every day wear he's not quite so snobbish as to insist on hand-sewn trousers. Tailored off the rack is fine. ]
Now here we are.
[ Here they are, standing slightly out of the way while Benedict's aunt rapidly approaches them. He can tell she's sizing them up; she's too well-mannered and too polished a hostess to be actively staring, but he knows he's going to get grilled about this girl he's brought home the second the opportunity presents itself. Kate herself might get interrogated, if the mood strikes. He hopes she's braced herself.
Finally, it's their turn. His aunt, a striking woman of perfectly average height but with aristocratic high cheekbones and piercingly blue eyes, steps up in front of them and opens her arms.
Benedict, darling, she says, as Benedict releases Kate from the arm he had wrapped around her so he can embrace his aunt instead, dutifully bending down far enough to kiss her cheek and let himself be kissed in return. Why must you make it so difficult for us to see you? Don't tell me I have to keep orchestrating galas like this one to coax you to come visit. It's a dreadful chore. But never mind all that, who's this?
Like she doesn't know who Kate is. He told her the moment Kate agreed that he'd be bringing his girlfriend with him, even gave her Kate's full name so she could presumably be googled. Shaking his head, Benedict smiles and lets his aunt rub at his cheek for a moment to wipe away her lipstick before stepping back so he can reach for Kate's hand and give it a little bracing squeeze. ]
Aunt Helen, this is my girlfriend Kate. [ Nice. He didn't even stumble over that one. ] Kate, my aunt.
[ in her youth, kate has met many a person of import. they're quite easy to spot, once you know how to look, and it wasn't long before young kate had been able to make out in the numerous social functions she'd been made to partake in those whose name carried actual status, and those who hoped mere association and proximity would suffice. this woman, aunt helen? she oozes status, but more notable than that is how she carries it with class. kate had grown skeptical and cynical fairly young, made to due to circumstances beyond her control, and so she'd come to quickly sort these folks into two categories: those who use their status as a shield, and those who use it as a weapon. kate hasn't yet figured out which one helen is. reading up on lady lancaster paints one picture, seeing her greet her family is another. two sides of the same coin, or so it seems.
but helen isn't an enemy, that much kate knows. and so her smile in return is genuine, as good-natured as the hand she holds out in offering. ]
It's nice to meet you. Thanks for having me on such short notice.
[ that being said, helen is one of the people they've got to truly sell this relationship to and so it wouldn't do to let her guard down. she shifts her hand in benedict's so that their fingers lace, the gesture overt enough that it would catch any critical eye. she runs her thumb over his knuckles, shifts her weight so she tips in his direction like a satellite caught in orbit. anyone looking at her right now would see she is clearly here because of and for him. and that isn't even a lie. ]
[ Lady Lancaster's eyes all but glitter as she looks Kate up and down, taking her proffered hand and shaking it neatly.
So you're Kate, she muses, as if the strange girl tucked under her nephew's arm could be anyone but. The way Kate shifts her grip on Benedict's hand gets duly noted, his aunt's eyes lingering on their interlaced fingers for a moment before she lifts them back to their faces and smiles. Benedict has told us so much about you. Based on the arched eyebrow she sends Benedict's way, that was pure sarcasm.
Benedict, from long years of practice, simply gives his aunt his best mild, unflappable smile and rubs his thumb over Kate's knuckles in return. He's learned how to not rise to the bait by being raised alongside her daughter, who is very much like her mother despite all the times she might wish for the contrary.
Turning back to Kate, she smiles, a little sharp around the edges. I simply must steal you away at some point so we can get to know each other better. It's wonderfully exciting that our Benedict has finally brought a partner home, it's just a pity that the whole family couldn't be here to meet you. Alas, for now, I must play hostess. Don't keep her hidden away from us all weekend, Benedict.
Finally, a crack in his stoic armor: he can feel a flush rising from his collar, his ears growing red. ]
Don't you have other guests to attend to, Aunt? [ he asks, somewhat desperately. Never in his life had he ever expected his aunt to comment on his sex life, however obliquely. If they could escape the room now and abandon any attempts at having dinner, he'd probably be relieved. Sadly, the main event hasn't even begun yet. ]
[ funny thing is, if they did escape the room to steal away for the rest of the evening, the comments on his sex life would only multiply. but it's to be expected either way; the combination of the novelty of a newcomer to such gatherings on top of it being benedict himself who'd brought her along is far too juicy to ignore, and thus whispers were bound to follow them around. maybe by the end of it all, the intrigue will die down... but that's a pretty slim chance.
all that being said, kate herself just barely stifles a cough when it gets brought up so casually. she's reminded vividly of just how close she'd come to being completely naked in front of her nephew not more than an hour ago.
kate can tell it's going to be a long evening. she can feel the fatigue already creeping into her bones, threatening to undo her, but she fights it off valiantly for now. not that she doesn't indulge in another sip of her wine, picking it back up after having set it aside to speak with helen.
once alone again, she turns to benedict, gives his hand a squeeze. ]
One down.
[ if she had the hand to spare, she would've given him a thumbs up but alas. ]
[ Some of the tension leeches out of him as his aunt glides off to greet another guest, and he continues to pointedly ignore the weight of everyone else's eyes on them both. He's used to being a bit of a novelty to gawk at, though the people in attendance tonight have grown so used to them he'd forgotten what it felt like in this particular group. Silly of him to think that the worst of the scrutiny would happen the night of the gala itself. ]
I would say she's the worst of the lot, but... [ He gives her a wry little smile, stroking his thumb along the edge of her hand gently when she squeezes it. ] Perhaps the most important.
[ His own parents weren't able to come, wrapped up in their business ventures in the Antipodes, his sisters are away at school — and won't they be cross to discover that not only did they miss out on seeing Benedict, but they also missed out on heckling him for having a girlfriend — and Gwen is away on deployment; of the members of his family in attendance whose opinions he actually cares about, it would indeed seem that his aunt takes precedence at the moment.
The rest of the evening goes in a very similar vein, with one friend or distant relation after another sidling up to them to make the acquaintance of Benedict's mysterious American paramour, some more polite about their curiosity than others. Thankfully, it isn't too much longer until dinner is announced, and then the only people they have to make conversation with are those directly beside and across from them. ]
[ there's some modicum of relief at hearing the most important interaction — test? — has passed. and from the looks of it, not only has it passed, but so has she. maybe even with flying colors? though it's likely too soon to tell, and far too soon to be celebrating. but if the worst is yet to come, that's fine. kate can handle worse; there's definitely far less pressure for her to achieve a certain kind of success with those.
so as far as the rest goes? it's a bit of a mixed bag. benedict does his best to give her a quick rundown of everyone who eyes them before they actually get approached, but names and faces and statuses blur after about the fifth one who'd come to shake her hand a bit too hard, as if testing her durability. (she squeezes hard back, of course, not even batting an eye.) some are pleasant, most cordial, but there are a few that were downright nasty, in a way only the snobbiest tend to be, which is passive aggressive. thinly veiled insults slid past saccharine smiles, packaged into what is meant to be curiosity or concern.
And how are you faring, dear Kate? We hope our Benedict hasn't been too much of a... handful. You know how his kind can get, I'm sure.
kate had always known benedict had suffered some prejudice back home. he needn't even have to say much. he had his little tells, his habits that stood out to kate when they'd first met, his little tendencies to try and make himself small, innocuous. invisible. but to be aware of it and to witness it firsthand are two very different things, and it's a wonder kate managed to keep her cool as much as she did.
I'm doing great, thanks for asking. It's more the altitude here that I'm not used to. You're all so very admirable for managing with so little oxygen going to one's brain.
dinner finally arrives. by then kate is famished, but she isn't sure if the desire to eat is more due to a way to work out her aggression or actual hunger. idle chatter starts up across the long dinner table as everyone is served their plate, but despite feeling ravenous kate pauses to look her meal over... then glances at benedict's. the plate itself is full of a proper full course meal. and yet.
quietly, without so much as a word or a look, kate carefully cuts her steak in half and places one onto benedict's plate. ]
[ He doesn't hold her hand the entire lead up to dinner, mainly because she's got her glass in the other, and she's polite enough to shake hands with those who offer theirs to her. But when Benedict isn't holding Kate's hand, he's got his placed low on her back, both to offer her moral support and also so he can press his fingertips into her spine when he feels her tense up against him.
It's sweet of her to take offense to the things people say about him, but this is hardly the rudest comment he's had to fend off from those around him, and at least he takes a small modicum of comfort out of the knowledge that he wouldn't trade lives with the majority of those rude enough to comment to his face, even with everything all considered.
His life may not be perfect, but it's certainly better than it could be. He knows that he's lucky, in the grand scheme of things.
Luckier still for having friends like Kate, who will stand by him and make snide comments right back, who sits at his left like she belongs there and wordlessly slides half her food onto his plate when his attention is turned away.
Bizarrely, for a moment, he wonders when Gwen told her to do that for him; then he realizes she's probably pieced together the fact that he's always ravenous no matter how recently they've eaten all on her own, just because of the amount of time they spend together. It's easier to ignore the impulse to pretend to be normal the further he is from home, one of the reasons he moved to America in the first place, and after their experience at the dim sum restaurant all those months ago she'd have to be blind to not realize that his appetite is greater than a regular human's.
Yet one more mark in the pros column of having Kate in his life. She's always looking out for him in little ways.
The impulse to reach out is strong and for a change he decides not to fight it, settling his hand on her thigh and stroking his thumb over the denim of her jeans in a grateful little caress. He doesn't want to draw too much attention to the gesture for fear of cheapening it somehow, and he knows if he interrupts Great Aunt Edith he'll never hear the end of it, but Kate deserves to know he appreciates her.
When her eyes meet his, he gives her a little smile and a quick wink before turning back to the conversation he'd been drawn into on his right. He's slow to withdraw his hand. ]
[ for all of benedict's anxieties about the farce, he seems to be slipping into the role of a doting boyfriend quite perfectly. the light, lingering touches. the comfortable way he carries himself around kate. it helps, of course, that they're so naturally comfortable with each other already, but this added layer of intimacy is definitely new. strange, in how easy it is.
it's what clouds kate's mind when his hand falls to her thigh, when his thumb rubs a spot there she suddenly realizes is just a little ticklish. their eyes meet, and he smiles that smile and winks that wink and thank god he turns away when he does because the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks would have been far too embarrassing to explain. she looks away quickly, looks to her food, looks around. no one had seen except — she blinks, finding one of the aster boys looking right at her with interest, a knowing smile on his lips. feeling caught, somehow, kate turns her full attention back to her food, ears pink.
after that, the rest of dinner pretty much goes off without a hitch. a few idle questions are thrown her way, their dinnermates curious about her and her life in america, but no one is either rude or prying.
now it was just the two of them again, tucked away in their room, their own little corner of this wild, luxurious world benedict had grown up in. kate had long since changed into a more comfortable set of clothes — an old oversize t-shirt that had the fading words DON'T WORRY, BE NAPPY stamped across it and a pair of running shorts that had definitely seen better days. she's perched on the low stool set in front of the large vanity in the room, directly opposite the foot of the bed, running a hairbrush through her long hair to begin the process of unwinding from a long, long day. ]
All in all I'd say that went over pretty well. I don't think anyone's close to suspecting, anyway.
[ she points her hairbrush towards him, brandishing it like a microphone up towards his mouth and adopting her best news reporter voice, ]
Sources say we make a pretty good team, Mr. Sorellin-Lancaster. What do you have to say to that?
[ Being at her side for nearly two full days now, sharing the same soap as her, spending all evening touching and focusing on her has left Benedict finely attuned to Kate, more so than normal. He can't smell her emotions, that would be ridiculous, but the sound of her heart beat shifts as he pulls his hand from her thigh and a strange stickiness to the air around them that he has to assume comes from her makes him turn his attention back to her, curious and only just starting to be alarmed.
She looks perfectly normal, focusing on her plate, but the same way she could sense someone staring at her, so can he, and he looks across the table to try and find the culprit, only to find Reggie still looking at her with a smug look on his face. He doesn't even have the decency to be sheepish when his eyes finally slide over to meet Benedict's; if anything, he looks even more smug.
Perhaps it's having grown up more or less together, forced to share a dormitory since they were eleven until Benedict left for the Temple, but he finds himself vacillating wildly between an almost pitying indifference and a nearly white-hot rage where Reginald is concerned.
Insulting him is one thing. Benedict's long ago grown used to ignoring the stupid shit that comes out of Reggie's mouth. But if he goes after Kate...
It's much harder to focus on the long, meandering story that Great Aunt Edith is telling after that. If he didn't need both hands to eat his meal, he might be tempted to put one back on Kate's leg just to make himself feel better, if for no other reason. (He doesn't question why touching her would make him feel better. He's just certain it would.)
By the time they're allowed to make their excuses and escape to their room, he's more than a little exhausted. Still, he politely stands at the french doors with his back to the room while Kate changes — would it have been easier to wait in the bathroom? maybe — and scrolls through some work emails he's pointedly not going to respond to until he returns to America. By the time she's settled in at the vanity and has started what he assumes is her nightly routine to get ready for bed, all Benedict has done to unwind is to take off his shoes and roll up his shirt sleeves, a few buttons undone at his throat. Perching on the mattress at the end of the bed with his long legs outstretched in front of him, crossed at the ankle and very nearly touching the stool Kate is sitting on, he's allowing himself to watch her, a small smile curling his lips. ]
I think your sources have the right of it. [ Is it possible for his voice to go even posher? Because somehow it has, leaving him also sounding like he should be on the news, a BBC royal family correspondent or something equally preposterous. ] It seems to me that day one was a smashing success.
[ it's testament to how off her game kate is that she'd completely missed that interaction between reginald and benedict. she's usually much more shrewd, much more observant. it shouldn't have escaped her notice that brief crackle of tension between distant relatives, and yet all she'd known that moment was the color of her roasted vegetables.
even now, she's none the wiser, her expression going dry at benedict's uncanny impression. ]
Because we're on your soil you're exempt from any teasing I may have given you over actually saying "smashing."
[ she withdraws her brush, resuming its methodical path through her hair. she had rushed through changing, all too aware of benedict's presence in the room, despite the fact the man hadn't dared to turn until she told him it was all clear. she feels only a little awkward being the only one as dressed down, though she had to admit she didn't mind the picture benedict painted at the moment. despite still being in his dinner clothes, he looked relaxed, comfortable. positively dashing with his bared throat and forearms. there were times he's so posh and proper, kate wouldn't have been surprised if he slept in a full three-piece suit.
brushing done, she sets her brush aside and starts to draw the thick stands up into a high, messy bun. her expression softens a little, matching the tenderness of her tone when she asks, ]
And let me waste my impeccable Nigel Thornberry impression? [ He scoffs, shaking his head. ] Missed opportunity, Katie.
[ She turns away from him and goes back to sorting out her hair, allowing him the opportunity to watch her without feeling strange about it. Their eyes meet in the mirror, and he finds himself responding honestly when she asks what she does instead of coming up with a politely dismissive response like he usually would have done. ]
It hurts less every time. [ Which is probably helped along by the fact that his parents and his sisters aren't here; it feels less real when his immediate family isn't present. ] The worst homecoming was when I left the Temple. I wasn't used to being a disappointment and a social pariah, it was definitely a new experience for me.
[ His family had been as kind to him as they could have been, given the circumstances, always willing to support him no matter what he chose to do with himself, but he knows they were disappointed that he gave up his place at the monastery. It had been a safe place for him, cloistered, sheltering him away from the harsh reality of the outside world, all the more seductive because of that promise of quiet privacy. But it hadn't been the right place for him. He's still not quite sure what is the right place for him, but he does know he's more content with his lot in life now than he has been for many long years. ]
[ it is an impeccable impression, and kate would devote a little more time to being suitably impressed were it not for the sober turn of their conversation. not that she's complaining; she was the one to ask, after all. ]
They say time heals everything, [ she offers around a shrug of her shoulders. she's not entirely sure how much of that she personally believes. she hasn't yet taken the leap to test it out herself, after all, if all those unopened voicemails from her father are of any indication.
of course, kate isn't so egotistical as to believe that her presence has made much of a difference this time around, but she does hope she's been something of a buffer, if nothing else. she turns back on her seat, leaning forward so that when her legs swing out, her feet come to rest right as the tips of his shoes where they've come to cross at his ankles. ]
I know the big party is happening tomorrow night. Are we expected for anything else before that?
[ Benedict isn't exactly a closed book, mysterious and standoffish, but he's also not really in the habit of divulging his personal problems to all and sundry. Most of the time, he's sure the people around him would considering him laid-back and affable, the kind of person who doesn't really have all that many problems in his life, helped along by his good looks and his family money.
Funny, how even those with all those barriers smoothed out of the way, he can still have existential difficulties that he doesn't talk about much.
At least he knows Kate will understand. ]
I suppose we'll see about that. [ Maybe there will be a time that he comes home and he doesn't spare even a passing thought to how he will be welcomed. It's a nice dream.
Kate's presence has made a difference this time around, even after just one day. For one thing, he's distracted much of the time from his own worries by making sure she's comfortable and looked-after, and for another, she's a bit more of a novelty for those around him and it takes some of the attention off him. He's very grateful for her being here, which is why he smiles at her and tips his foot against hers when she turns around and faces him. ]
There'll be breakfast served at eight, but that's very come-if-you're-awake, and a light lunch served around noon, neither of which are mandatory as far as attendance. We could go explore the grounds, or I could probably borrow one of the cars if you wanted to go a bit further afield, see the surrounding countryside or go into town.
[ if there's one thing kate understands, it's a complicated relationship with one's family. having lost her mother when she was still quite young, kate only had her father and older sister to lean on. but since deciding to take up the bow and arrow, doing what she does, she has found herself at odds with both. susan, because she doesn't understand why kate doesn't think simply donating annually to a handful of charities feels like enough. and derek... well. derek is one of the kinds of people kate works hard to fight against, the kind that care only for themselves, their wealth, and their status, no matter who they have to step on along the way.
she hasn't spoken to him for a very long time. ]
A drive sounds nice. When was the last time you were back here and got to really appreciate the area, hm?
[ of course, her intentions aren't entirely altruistic. there's a mischievous glint in her eye as she leans forward, the wide collar of her sleepshirt slipping down one shoulder, showing a flash of a plum-colored strap. almost as if on purpose. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-10-12 09:57 pm (UTC)more specifically, of kate's reflection in the mirror. of kate, standing just beyond the opposite side of that door, towel no longer wrapped around her body but instead currently being used to wring out the water from her long hair. ]
Oh — thanks!
[ she doesn't notice, innocently reaching around the door to take the clothing from benedict's hands.
and, no, it has not actually occured to kate yet just what exactly she has asked him to do. knowing kate, it won't occur to her until much later, probably not until she's pulling that lace over her legs will she realize oh. that's right. benedict has touched these as well.
by then her mortification will know no bounds, and she'll have a brief moment to contemplate actually flinging herself off the balcony. ]
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Date: 2021-10-12 10:12 pm (UTC)Plus, he's grown up surrounded by women, from his mother, to his cousin who's close enough to him in age that they were often bathed together as young children, to the twins whose diapers he helped change when they were young.
All that is to say that the sight of a naked woman shouldn't be enough to fluster him. And yet...
He doesn't drop her clothes, mainly because his reflexes are too good for that, but it's a near thing. What he does, actually, is notice the expanse of honeyed skin on display in the reflection of the mirror, freeze for a half-second, then snap his eyes shut like that's going to do anything but force him to look at the after-image behind his eyelids.
If his voice is a little bit strangled when he replies, well. Hopefully she won't notice. ]
It's no problem.
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Date: 2021-10-13 05:52 am (UTC)she tries to dress quickly. save for the slight hiccup wherein she finally realizes she made her friend dig through her underwear (goddammit, katejamin) it goes off without a hitch, and she is soon shuffling out of the bathroom looking still damp but significantly drier.
it stands to reason that her clothes would look good on her, as no one really picks items out that are unflattering on purpose. but there's a difference between single items looking good, and an entire outfit working out. the ensemble that benedict has chosen is classy and chic, displaying a modern femininity that only highlights her worldliness. she feels oddly shy standing before him in the outfit he'd chosen, tucking a damp lock of hair behind her ear. it'll take her a while longer to shake off the embarrassment from earlier, but she's determined not to make it too obvious. ]
Did you want to take a quick shower too? I swear I didn't use up all the hot water.
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Date: 2021-10-13 12:46 pm (UTC)That would be very weird, wouldn't it?
He turns his head to look at her and winds up doing just that, looking, for a second before he smiles at her. ]
You look nice. [ Her hair's still quite damp and unstyled, which he has no problem with but he suspects will be rectified by the time they go down to dinner, but he's pleased the clothes he chose for her seem to flatter her so well. ]
If you're finished with the bathroom, I might as well. [ Like he isn't also itching to get the airport smell off him. Benedict is perfectly capable of ignoring his own discomfort when it comes to smells or sweat or what have you, but if the opportunity is there, he'll leap at the chance to get clean.
Gathering his own clothes, unconsciously picking out a shirt that complements the one he chose for Kate, he slips past her and shuts himself in the bathroom, only then realizing that now he has to grapple with the fact that the room is still hot and moist and, more importantly, smells like her.
A lot. ]
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Date: 2021-10-13 01:08 pm (UTC)left to her own devices, kate doesn't putter, but oh boy are her hands itching to pick up something, anything, and hurl it at the nearest target. back home she had had the benefit of shooting ranges and street level criminals to work out all this anxious energy on, but here across the ocean where she is meant to more or less behave... she doesn't feel trapped, certainly not because she walked into this herself, but she does feel restless. like suddenly she's a little too big for her body, ready to burst out at the seams.
she winds up doing what any other 20-something would do, and turns to her phone.
since befriending benedict, she'd done her due diligence and given into her curiosity. which is to say she googled him. there wasn't a lot about him, specifically, but there was certainly a lot to be read up on about the lancasters. she remember thinking it felt a little surreal while she was pouring over wikis and news articles, how much it seemed like he might as well have grown up in a completely different world. funny how drastically different some things can be, all because of some cultural and geographic borders.
she looks over the first few search results now, scrolling idly while she blowdries her hair by the edge of the bed. (she'd packed one herself, as is necessary when having all this hair, but there had already been one tucked into the top drawer ready for use.) the first few results were the standard wiki pages, some articles on recent business and cultural affairs the family was last mentioned in. what winds up catching her attention is a blog post, more tabloid in nature, talking about matron's infamous party scheduled for that weekend. it's an annual thing, expected to be grand as always, and anyone who's anyone in this side of the ocean is expected to come. most of the names mentioned mean nothing to kate, so she scrolls past them with slightly glazed eyes. paparazzi-style photos crop up in the middle of the article, everything from rumored decorations and menu items, to even some sneaky photos captured of the estate itself, clearly taken from behind the gate. kate's scrolling so quickly she almost misses it — but then she doubles back. stares.
there, sitting innocently between blurry shots of the hedge maze and table cloths, is an equally blurry photo of her and benedict. taken just from this afternoon, as the two of them stepped out of the car to enter the estate itself. their faces aren't really shown, but there's no real mistaking the behemoth of a man that benedict is, if you know who you're looking for. they were captured mid-step, heads ducked together, his arm settled comfortably around her shoulders. this is what everyone sees when they put on their show. looking at it now, kate can't help but feel... something.
best not to think about it too much, right?
but — hm. she hadn't realized there would be this many eyes on this event. it's probably not anything worth worrying about either — just local gossip rags about local celebrity news. she winds up closing the blog and setting her phone aside, determined not to think on it a second more. ]
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Date: 2021-10-13 01:49 pm (UTC)Kate is his friend. She's doing him a huge favor by coming along and pretending with him this weekend. He's not going to take advantage of that or twist it into something it's not just because she's a pretty girl and maybe his search history has taken a turn towards the petite brunette end of things lately.
If he brings her all this way, to his family estate, cuts her off from everyone she knows and every place she's familiar with, isolates her completely so the only person she knows and feels she can rely on is him and then tries to push for something she's not willing to give? That would make him a monster, wouldn't it. Worse than all the things people already like to say about the warriorborn.
No. He can keep it together.
Even though he no longer has the shaved head of a novitiate, or the time-crunch of a soldier, Benedict's showers are still nonetheless very quick, and it's not long before he's drying himself off in front of the giant mirror above the vanity. Peering at his reflection, he figures he can go another day without trimming his beard, and so quickly sets to getting dressed.
By the time they make it downstairs for cocktails, his hair has dried and he's come to terms with whatever mini crisis he was having earlier, which means he's gone back to settling his arm around her back, pressing his palm against her hip in a casually possessive grip. It's a small crowd, just the guests actually staying at the house for the weekend minus a few late-comers, which means it's easy enough to give her a quick rundown of who's who.
If he has to lean down to murmur in her ear to do so, well, that's unavoidable. ]
Right, so that on there in the green polo, that's Reggie Aster. Reginald. He's a complete pompous ass, Gwen absolutely hates him and I can't say I blame her. We were all forced to go to school together because technically we're family. [ Not so's you'd notice, though. The Asters split from the Lancasters generations ago, they hardly have any claim to the land or the fortune at all. Still, it's polite to invite them to family functions. ] Next to him is Barny. Barnabas. He's much more tolerable, but still a bit of a dick. They can't help it, they're Asters.
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Date: 2021-10-13 03:08 pm (UTC)still, she wishes the rest of the walk had been as easy. she couldn't help but glance at every window they passed by, wondering if any high definition cameras had managed to peek its way through. she wondered at the price tag of every courteous smile from any staff member they met along the way, if any of them had already been bought prior to the event.
it's awful thinking, but it's one she had learned to grow up with the hard way. ]
Aster, more like Ass-ter, amirite—oh, thanks.
[ what started out as a dry remark under her breath winds up pitching into a flustered response to a waiter gliding by and handing her a fresh glass to replace her currently empty one. the man hardly bats an eye and easily moves on to tend to the next attendee but kate still has the grace to give benedict a sheepish glance beside her. the lady of the house was still making her rounds to greet everyone, oddly formal for an otherwise all-family gathering, and had yet to make her way to them and so they were left more or less to themselves as the rest of the guests grew more comfortable in mingling. every now and then, kate would notice gazes drift their way, whispers low and hushed in poor attempts to be discreet. the aster boys themselves, after having been noted, glanced over as if they had heard, so kate merely smiled politely at them and raised her glass in greeting. charming, if perhaps obnoxiously friendly.
her smile doesn't fade as she shifts closer to benedict's side, dropping her voice lower to an almost intimate level. ]
How quickly do you think I could get either of them to tap out in a fight? I'm thinking three minutes.
[ ah, yes. the typical conversation between two young lovebirds. ]
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Date: 2021-10-13 03:26 pm (UTC)It's hard, though. His childhood was a happy one, and he has many fond memories of this place. Even though being home chafes a little bit more now that he is an adult and has adult responsibilities and expectations, he still can't quite erase the rosy tint of his memories.
Even most of the staff are familiar to him, if a bit grayer around the edges and a little creakier in their movements.
He's in the middle of chuffing a little laugh at Kate's comment about Reggie when they're interrupted by a waiter appearing at their elbow to exchange their drinks. She's clearly embarrassed at being caught out making snide comments but he just grins at her, this is what he'd asked her along for, after all. After thanking the waiter — a warm Lovely to see you again, Master Sorellin, met with an equally friendly You as well, Walter, thank you, — he tugs Kate a little closer to his side and slips his arm around her again, making it easier for them to whisper sotto voce to each other and also giving her a little more support as his aunt steadily makes her way through the room.
Benedict is a closer blood-relation to her than most of the other guests gathered, but it would still be rude to ignore those who appeared before him to greet him first. He knows he'll have to wait his turn like everyone else.
Ducking his head a little closer to hers, Benedict glances over at the Asters and smirks. ]
Less than, probably. Reggie has an entirely overblown sense of his own abilities. He'll go in guns blazing right from the start. Barnabas might take a little more time to figure you out before he fully commits. He's not much of a fighter, though.
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Date: 2021-10-13 04:39 pm (UTC)[ kate has nothing against the asters, of course. she's taking her cues from benedict himself, and despite his own frank comments he doesn't seem particularly bothered by them. she wouldn't actually fight them, nor would she derive much pleasure from introducing their faces to the ground. she's just competitive by nature. and maybe just a little too aggressive.
all this to say, the snide comment hadn't been entirely warranted, thus her embarrassment over the risk of being overheard. she's here to shock and maybe awe but she's not going to be mean without provocation. as far as she knows, the asters haven't done anything against benedict to earn her ire yet. so for now she makes a mental note to be a bit more careful. not everyone gets her dry american sense of humor after all.
the lighting in the drawing room is low and intimate, and one glass of wine was already sitting warm in her belly. she's feeling wonderfully fuzzy around the edges, so when she turns a little more towards benedict she pretends there's some errant lint on his shirt and idly brushes it away before smoothing her hand down the front of it. maybe even lets her hand linger there before finding its way back around the neck of her glass. ]
You know we never did work out our story. Who approached who? How long have we been together? Who's big spoon and little spoon?
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Date: 2021-10-13 04:52 pm (UTC)He knows Kate doesn't care that he's warriorborn, that she doesn't even really seem to get it, and he's so grateful for that he doesn't really know how to articulate it. If that's all he could ever get from their relationship, he'll be happy.
But still. Her hand trailing down his chest feels a little too comfortable. ]
I don't think anyone would believe I approached you, [ he points out with a wry little smile, one shoulder lifting in a laconic shrug. ] And if you really want to be big spoon, I'll allow it, but... [ He makes a show of pointedly looking her up and down; even with the tasteful pumps she's wearing, she just manages to crest his shoulder. ]
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Date: 2021-10-13 05:18 pm (UTC)[ is she a little bitter about being so small? perhaps. but at the same time who wouldn't want a little pocket protector. ]
I think for consistency's sake we'll keep it as close to the truth as we can. Which means we met one night while I was... working. [ "working." kate often jokes around that her moonlighting in vigilantism is her night shift. ] It was very cute, I flirted, you were confused, and then I kept flirting, but we wound up as friends first. And then... two? Three months ago? I finally win you over with my wit and charm and now here we are.
[ here they are, two people supposedly head over heels for each other, but it seems like all they've really had to change is how many touches are shared between them. (kate tries not to think about that either.) ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-13 05:59 pm (UTC)Granted, he usually wears bespoke suits anyway, but for his every day wear he's not quite so snobbish as to insist on hand-sewn trousers. Tailored off the rack is fine. ]
Now here we are.
[ Here they are, standing slightly out of the way while Benedict's aunt rapidly approaches them. He can tell she's sizing them up; she's too well-mannered and too polished a hostess to be actively staring, but he knows he's going to get grilled about this girl he's brought home the second the opportunity presents itself. Kate herself might get interrogated, if the mood strikes. He hopes she's braced herself.
Finally, it's their turn. His aunt, a striking woman of perfectly average height but with aristocratic high cheekbones and piercingly blue eyes, steps up in front of them and opens her arms.
Benedict, darling, she says, as Benedict releases Kate from the arm he had wrapped around her so he can embrace his aunt instead, dutifully bending down far enough to kiss her cheek and let himself be kissed in return. Why must you make it so difficult for us to see you? Don't tell me I have to keep orchestrating galas like this one to coax you to come visit. It's a dreadful chore. But never mind all that, who's this?
Like she doesn't know who Kate is. He told her the moment Kate agreed that he'd be bringing his girlfriend with him, even gave her Kate's full name so she could presumably be googled. Shaking his head, Benedict smiles and lets his aunt rub at his cheek for a moment to wipe away her lipstick before stepping back so he can reach for Kate's hand and give it a little bracing squeeze. ]
Aunt Helen, this is my girlfriend Kate. [ Nice. He didn't even stumble over that one. ] Kate, my aunt.
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Date: 2021-10-13 06:24 pm (UTC)but helen isn't an enemy, that much kate knows. and so her smile in return is genuine, as good-natured as the hand she holds out in offering. ]
It's nice to meet you. Thanks for having me on such short notice.
[ that being said, helen is one of the people they've got to truly sell this relationship to and so it wouldn't do to let her guard down. she shifts her hand in benedict's so that their fingers lace, the gesture overt enough that it would catch any critical eye. she runs her thumb over his knuckles, shifts her weight so she tips in his direction like a satellite caught in orbit. anyone looking at her right now would see she is clearly here because of and for him. and that isn't even a lie. ]
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Date: 2021-10-14 01:16 am (UTC)So you're Kate, she muses, as if the strange girl tucked under her nephew's arm could be anyone but. The way Kate shifts her grip on Benedict's hand gets duly noted, his aunt's eyes lingering on their interlaced fingers for a moment before she lifts them back to their faces and smiles. Benedict has told us so much about you. Based on the arched eyebrow she sends Benedict's way, that was pure sarcasm.
Benedict, from long years of practice, simply gives his aunt his best mild, unflappable smile and rubs his thumb over Kate's knuckles in return. He's learned how to not rise to the bait by being raised alongside her daughter, who is very much like her mother despite all the times she might wish for the contrary.
Turning back to Kate, she smiles, a little sharp around the edges. I simply must steal you away at some point so we can get to know each other better. It's wonderfully exciting that our Benedict has finally brought a partner home, it's just a pity that the whole family couldn't be here to meet you. Alas, for now, I must play hostess. Don't keep her hidden away from us all weekend, Benedict.
Finally, a crack in his stoic armor: he can feel a flush rising from his collar, his ears growing red. ]
Don't you have other guests to attend to, Aunt? [ he asks, somewhat desperately. Never in his life had he ever expected his aunt to comment on his sex life, however obliquely. If they could escape the room now and abandon any attempts at having dinner, he'd probably be relieved. Sadly, the main event hasn't even begun yet. ]
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Date: 2021-10-14 01:34 am (UTC)all that being said, kate herself just barely stifles a cough when it gets brought up so casually. she's reminded vividly of just how close she'd come to being completely naked in front of her nephew not more than an hour ago.
kate can tell it's going to be a long evening. she can feel the fatigue already creeping into her bones, threatening to undo her, but she fights it off valiantly for now. not that she doesn't indulge in another sip of her wine, picking it back up after having set it aside to speak with helen.
once alone again, she turns to benedict, gives his hand a squeeze. ]
One down.
[ if she had the hand to spare, she would've given him a thumbs up but alas. ]
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Date: 2021-10-14 01:43 am (UTC)I would say she's the worst of the lot, but... [ He gives her a wry little smile, stroking his thumb along the edge of her hand gently when she squeezes it. ] Perhaps the most important.
[ His own parents weren't able to come, wrapped up in their business ventures in the Antipodes, his sisters are away at school — and won't they be cross to discover that not only did they miss out on seeing Benedict, but they also missed out on heckling him for having a girlfriend — and Gwen is away on deployment; of the members of his family in attendance whose opinions he actually cares about, it would indeed seem that his aunt takes precedence at the moment.
The rest of the evening goes in a very similar vein, with one friend or distant relation after another sidling up to them to make the acquaintance of Benedict's mysterious American paramour, some more polite about their curiosity than others. Thankfully, it isn't too much longer until dinner is announced, and then the only people they have to make conversation with are those directly beside and across from them. ]
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Date: 2021-10-14 06:12 pm (UTC)so as far as the rest goes? it's a bit of a mixed bag. benedict does his best to give her a quick rundown of everyone who eyes them before they actually get approached, but names and faces and statuses blur after about the fifth one who'd come to shake her hand a bit too hard, as if testing her durability. (she squeezes hard back, of course, not even batting an eye.) some are pleasant, most cordial, but there are a few that were downright nasty, in a way only the snobbiest tend to be, which is passive aggressive. thinly veiled insults slid past saccharine smiles, packaged into what is meant to be curiosity or concern.
And how are you faring, dear Kate? We hope our Benedict hasn't been too much of a... handful. You know how his kind can get, I'm sure.
kate had always known benedict had suffered some prejudice back home. he needn't even have to say much. he had his little tells, his habits that stood out to kate when they'd first met, his little tendencies to try and make himself small, innocuous. invisible. but to be aware of it and to witness it firsthand are two very different things, and it's a wonder kate managed to keep her cool as much as she did.
I'm doing great, thanks for asking. It's more the altitude here that I'm not used to. You're all so very admirable for managing with so little oxygen going to one's brain.
dinner finally arrives. by then kate is famished, but she isn't sure if the desire to eat is more due to a way to work out her aggression or actual hunger. idle chatter starts up across the long dinner table as everyone is served their plate, but despite feeling ravenous kate pauses to look her meal over... then glances at benedict's. the plate itself is full of a proper full course meal. and yet.
quietly, without so much as a word or a look, kate carefully cuts her steak in half and places one onto benedict's plate. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-14 08:12 pm (UTC)It's sweet of her to take offense to the things people say about him, but this is hardly the rudest comment he's had to fend off from those around him, and at least he takes a small modicum of comfort out of the knowledge that he wouldn't trade lives with the majority of those rude enough to comment to his face, even with everything all considered.
His life may not be perfect, but it's certainly better than it could be. He knows that he's lucky, in the grand scheme of things.
Luckier still for having friends like Kate, who will stand by him and make snide comments right back, who sits at his left like she belongs there and wordlessly slides half her food onto his plate when his attention is turned away.
Bizarrely, for a moment, he wonders when Gwen told her to do that for him; then he realizes she's probably pieced together the fact that he's always ravenous no matter how recently they've eaten all on her own, just because of the amount of time they spend together. It's easier to ignore the impulse to pretend to be normal the further he is from home, one of the reasons he moved to America in the first place, and after their experience at the dim sum restaurant all those months ago she'd have to be blind to not realize that his appetite is greater than a regular human's.
Yet one more mark in the pros column of having Kate in his life. She's always looking out for him in little ways.
The impulse to reach out is strong and for a change he decides not to fight it, settling his hand on her thigh and stroking his thumb over the denim of her jeans in a grateful little caress. He doesn't want to draw too much attention to the gesture for fear of cheapening it somehow, and he knows if he interrupts Great Aunt Edith he'll never hear the end of it, but Kate deserves to know he appreciates her.
When her eyes meet his, he gives her a little smile and a quick wink before turning back to the conversation he'd been drawn into on his right. He's slow to withdraw his hand. ]
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Date: 2021-10-15 12:44 am (UTC)it's what clouds kate's mind when his hand falls to her thigh, when his thumb rubs a spot there she suddenly realizes is just a little ticklish. their eyes meet, and he smiles that smile and winks that wink and thank god he turns away when he does because the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks would have been far too embarrassing to explain. she looks away quickly, looks to her food, looks around. no one had seen except — she blinks, finding one of the aster boys looking right at her with interest, a knowing smile on his lips. feeling caught, somehow, kate turns her full attention back to her food, ears pink.
after that, the rest of dinner pretty much goes off without a hitch. a few idle questions are thrown her way, their dinnermates curious about her and her life in america, but no one is either rude or prying.
now it was just the two of them again, tucked away in their room, their own little corner of this wild, luxurious world benedict had grown up in. kate had long since changed into a more comfortable set of clothes — an old oversize t-shirt that had the fading words DON'T WORRY, BE NAPPY stamped across it and a pair of running shorts that had definitely seen better days. she's perched on the low stool set in front of the large vanity in the room, directly opposite the foot of the bed, running a hairbrush through her long hair to begin the process of unwinding from a long, long day. ]
All in all I'd say that went over pretty well. I don't think anyone's close to suspecting, anyway.
[ she points her hairbrush towards him, brandishing it like a microphone up towards his mouth and adopting her best news reporter voice, ]
Sources say we make a pretty good team, Mr. Sorellin-Lancaster. What do you have to say to that?
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Date: 2021-10-15 01:48 am (UTC)She looks perfectly normal, focusing on her plate, but the same way she could sense someone staring at her, so can he, and he looks across the table to try and find the culprit, only to find Reggie still looking at her with a smug look on his face. He doesn't even have the decency to be sheepish when his eyes finally slide over to meet Benedict's; if anything, he looks even more smug.
Perhaps it's having grown up more or less together, forced to share a dormitory since they were eleven until Benedict left for the Temple, but he finds himself vacillating wildly between an almost pitying indifference and a nearly white-hot rage where Reginald is concerned.
Insulting him is one thing. Benedict's long ago grown used to ignoring the stupid shit that comes out of Reggie's mouth. But if he goes after Kate...
It's much harder to focus on the long, meandering story that Great Aunt Edith is telling after that. If he didn't need both hands to eat his meal, he might be tempted to put one back on Kate's leg just to make himself feel better, if for no other reason. (He doesn't question why touching her would make him feel better. He's just certain it would.)
By the time they're allowed to make their excuses and escape to their room, he's more than a little exhausted. Still, he politely stands at the french doors with his back to the room while Kate changes — would it have been easier to wait in the bathroom? maybe — and scrolls through some work emails he's pointedly not going to respond to until he returns to America. By the time she's settled in at the vanity and has started what he assumes is her nightly routine to get ready for bed, all Benedict has done to unwind is to take off his shoes and roll up his shirt sleeves, a few buttons undone at his throat. Perching on the mattress at the end of the bed with his long legs outstretched in front of him, crossed at the ankle and very nearly touching the stool Kate is sitting on, he's allowing himself to watch her, a small smile curling his lips. ]
I think your sources have the right of it. [ Is it possible for his voice to go even posher? Because somehow it has, leaving him also sounding like he should be on the news, a BBC royal family correspondent or something equally preposterous. ] It seems to me that day one was a smashing success.
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Date: 2021-10-15 04:44 pm (UTC)even now, she's none the wiser, her expression going dry at benedict's uncanny impression. ]
Because we're on your soil you're exempt from any teasing I may have given you over actually saying "smashing."
[ she withdraws her brush, resuming its methodical path through her hair. she had rushed through changing, all too aware of benedict's presence in the room, despite the fact the man hadn't dared to turn until she told him it was all clear. she feels only a little awkward being the only one as dressed down, though she had to admit she didn't mind the picture benedict painted at the moment. despite still being in his dinner clothes, he looked relaxed, comfortable. positively dashing with his bared throat and forearms. there were times he's so posh and proper, kate wouldn't have been surprised if he slept in a full three-piece suit.
brushing done, she sets her brush aside and starts to draw the thick stands up into a high, messy bun. her expression softens a little, matching the tenderness of her tone when she asks, ]
How was it? Seeing them all again, I mean.
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Date: 2021-10-15 08:55 pm (UTC)[ She turns away from him and goes back to sorting out her hair, allowing him the opportunity to watch her without feeling strange about it. Their eyes meet in the mirror, and he finds himself responding honestly when she asks what she does instead of coming up with a politely dismissive response like he usually would have done. ]
It hurts less every time. [ Which is probably helped along by the fact that his parents and his sisters aren't here; it feels less real when his immediate family isn't present. ] The worst homecoming was when I left the Temple. I wasn't used to being a disappointment and a social pariah, it was definitely a new experience for me.
[ His family had been as kind to him as they could have been, given the circumstances, always willing to support him no matter what he chose to do with himself, but he knows they were disappointed that he gave up his place at the monastery. It had been a safe place for him, cloistered, sheltering him away from the harsh reality of the outside world, all the more seductive because of that promise of quiet privacy. But it hadn't been the right place for him. He's still not quite sure what is the right place for him, but he does know he's more content with his lot in life now than he has been for many long years. ]
Now it's not so bad.
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Date: 2021-10-18 11:29 pm (UTC)They say time heals everything, [ she offers around a shrug of her shoulders. she's not entirely sure how much of that she personally believes. she hasn't yet taken the leap to test it out herself, after all, if all those unopened voicemails from her father are of any indication.
of course, kate isn't so egotistical as to believe that her presence has made much of a difference this time around, but she does hope she's been something of a buffer, if nothing else. she turns back on her seat, leaning forward so that when her legs swing out, her feet come to rest right as the tips of his shoes where they've come to cross at his ankles. ]
I know the big party is happening tomorrow night. Are we expected for anything else before that?
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Date: 2021-10-19 02:00 am (UTC)Funny, how even those with all those barriers smoothed out of the way, he can still have existential difficulties that he doesn't talk about much.
At least he knows Kate will understand. ]
I suppose we'll see about that. [ Maybe there will be a time that he comes home and he doesn't spare even a passing thought to how he will be welcomed. It's a nice dream.
Kate's presence has made a difference this time around, even after just one day. For one thing, he's distracted much of the time from his own worries by making sure she's comfortable and looked-after, and for another, she's a bit more of a novelty for those around him and it takes some of the attention off him. He's very grateful for her being here, which is why he smiles at her and tips his foot against hers when she turns around and faces him. ]
There'll be breakfast served at eight, but that's very come-if-you're-awake, and a light lunch served around noon, neither of which are mandatory as far as attendance. We could go explore the grounds, or I could probably borrow one of the cars if you wanted to go a bit further afield, see the surrounding countryside or go into town.
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Date: 2021-10-19 03:32 pm (UTC)she hasn't spoken to him for a very long time. ]
A drive sounds nice. When was the last time you were back here and got to really appreciate the area, hm?
[ of course, her intentions aren't entirely altruistic. there's a mischievous glint in her eye as she leans forward, the wide collar of her sleepshirt slipping down one shoulder, showing a flash of a plum-colored strap. almost as if on purpose. ]
Now what's it gonna take for you to let me drive?
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