#just a silly au ive been spending far too much time thinking about recently

[creativly-anxious]

Lupin-Black Household, circa 1986

[vexedtonightmares]

last dance (elu ballet au) chapter neuf

Lucas is in his final year at the Paris Opera Ballet School and he’ll be damned if he lets his former friend-turned-rival Eliott steal the lead role in their production of Swan Lake.

aka- lucas and eliott are rivals who are forced to room together for their final year of ballet school before they try to enter the company. we can all see where this is going.  

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix.

ao3

**tw: mentions of past child abuse**

Samedi 9:17             

When Lucas woke up with an arm slung around his waist, he knew without opening his eyes who it belonged to. It would have been easy for him to think or pretend last night was a dream, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he pulled the arm tighter around him and settled deeper into Eliott, pressing his back against Eliott’s chest. He didn’t think Eliott was awake yet, and he didn’t want to wake him up if he was sleeping peacefully. God knew they could always do with more rest. 

Lucas hadn’t even realized he’d dozed off again, but when he woke up he found himself face to face with Eliott, Eliott’s fingers tracing lazy patterns on his cheekbones. When Eliott noticed that he was awake his face split into one of his trademark grins, the ones that had taken on a whole new meaning to Lucas since the night prior. He felt special when Eliott smiled at him like that, a smile made for him and him alone. 

“Morning sleepyhead,” Eliott said softly, finger trailing down to his lips. Lucas couldn’t formulate words to respond, choosing instead to give Eliott a smile he hoped looked as loving and sincere as the one Eliott wore. 

“Fuck,” Eliott said, closing his eyes, still grinning widely, “You’re so beautiful.”

Lucas blushed and pressed his face into Eliott’s chest. He didn’t think he would ever get used to Eliott saying things like that to him. It set Lucas’ heart on fire in a way he never knew was possible. How was it that he was allowed to feel this way for someone he’d wasted so much time hating? How was it Eliott was able to say things like that and mean them? 

Eliott’s hands were combing through his hair, hair that probably really needed to be washed given their experience with the fountain the night prior. He was sure he looked like shit, actually, and the fact that Eliott called him beautiful even considering that was more than he could take. “You shouldn’t say things like that, I might get a big head,” he murmured into Eliott’s chest. 

“But I can now,” Eliott whined, scooting back enough so he could look into Lucas’ eyes. Lucas was sure he must have looked like a hopeless puppy dog, but he didn’t care. Eliott looked a bit like a hopeless puppy dog too. 

“How long have you wanted to?” Lucas asked, and Eliott sighed, bringing his fingers to rest under Lucas’ chin. 

“As long as I’ve known you.”

Lucas rolled his eyes fondly, turning his head away. Eliott turned it right back. “I’m serious.”

“Eliott, we’ve known each other since we were, like, four years old.” Lucas still wasn’t buying it. It was sweet, but he wasn’t buying it. 

Eliott shrugged. “Well, I’ve thought you were beautiful since then.”

Lucas couldn’t resist anymore, he leaned into Eliott and closed the distance between them. Eliott accepted the kiss readily, burying his hands further into Lucas’ hair. They both had severe morning breath, but it really didn’t bother Lucas. Even Eliott’s morning breath was endearing. 

When they pulled apart Lucas was barely able to keep his words of adoration from pouring out of his mouth. “I’m really glad I got over myself,” he said.

“I’m really glad you forgave me,” Eliott countered, acknowledging Lucas’ previous feelings, validating them. “Do you want to talk about—”

Lucas knew where this was going, and he had to cut Eliott off. There would be a time to talk about those things, and Lucas wanted to talk about them with Eliott, but in that moment he just wanted to let himself be happy in Eliott’s arms. “Not right now.”

“Later?”

“Later,” Lucas agreed. 

“In the meantime…” Eliott trailed off, shifting slightly so their legs laced together under the covers. Lucas didn’t even know whose room they were in, he hadn’t bothered to take a look around, but he knew that the bed was so much more comfortable with Eliott in it beside him. 

Lucas answered Eliott with another kiss, slightly more passionate this time. The first kiss had been like a reminder that, oh, yeah, they could do this now, and this kiss was pure hunger. It was the ache of loving each other for so long without realizing it, never believing that they’d actually get to experience that love. Lucas didn’t know how long he’d secretly loved Eliott, confusing it for a hatred so harsh it burned into his soul. It was because he loved him deep down that he hated him so, the fierce, complicated emotions making a mess of his heart. 

They kissed for so long Lucas nearly forgot how to breathe without Eliott, without their lips touching or parting for a moment only be captured once again. It was a never ending cycle, a wheel of kiss, admire Eliott, kiss, run your fingers through his hair, kiss, smile, kiss, kiss, kiss. In short: it was everything. 

“What does this mean for us?” Lucas asked a bit later, while they were both lying on their backs, holding hands as they stared up at the ceiling. The cool air tickled Lucas’ bare chest but he made no move to try to find his shirt from where it was strewn somewhere across what he now knew was Eliott’s bedroom. It seemed almost silly he hadn’t realized it before, the room exuded Eliott in a way Lucas didn’t think his space would ever feel like him. There were drawings hanging up all over the walls, drawings that were better versions of the ones Eliott did as kids, always a raccoon, sometimes accompanied by other animals. Lucas hadn’t even realized Eliott still made them until he’d started spending more time with him in the recent weeks.  

Eliott answered, still looking up at the ceiling. “What do you mean?”

Lucas brought their joined hands up and rested them on his chest, placing his free hand over the two. “Not to be like that, but what are we?” 

He supposed they didn’t have to know, there was no harm in not knowing, but he had to know that Eliott felt the same way he did. Every word out of Eliott’s mouth had said nothing but the things he’d wanted to hear, but he had to be certain. He had to know if this was real, if he wasn’t getting too far ahead of himself imagining countless mornings waking up side by side. He’d never had anyone in his life who wanted him, or who wanted to stay, so he needed to know if he was just setting himself up for another heartbreak.  

“What do you want us to be?” Eliott asked, turning his head to look at Lucas. 

Lucas met his gaze. “I want to know your answer first.” To know I’m not the only one falling. 

“I want everything,” Eliott said simply, “I want you in whatever capacity you’ll have me.”

“Even as a boyfriend?” Lucas asked softly, so softly he almost hoped Eliott wouldn’t hear it. He did, though, Lucas could see it in the look on his face, a mix of shock and joy. 

Eliott squeezed their joined hands. “Especially as a boyfriend.”

“That’s cool,” Lucas squeaked out, pretending not to notice Eliott’s smirk. Boyfriend. How Eliott could remain so calm and cool all the time was a mystery Lucas hoped he’d someday be able to solve and replicate. 

“That’s cool,” Eliott repeated, and Lucas could hear the humor in his voice. It turned serious again as he added, “Not to freak you out, but I’m in love with you.”

Lucas wasn’t freaked out. He should have been, he really should have been, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t, because he felt the same way. It wasn’t something he could say out loud just yet, but he knew it was true. 

“I’m not freaked out.” It was the best reassurance he could give at that moment, and he knew Eliott understood. Eliott always understood these days. If only he’d understood sooner, maybe this could have been this long ago. 

“We should get up and make breakfast,” Eliott suggested, as if he hadn’t just tipped Lucas’ whole world on its axis. Lucas pulled him back down as he tried to get up. 

“Not yet,” he pouted, snuggling back into Eliott’s side. Eliott gave him an unamused glance. “I swear this isn’t an eating thing, I just want to stay here with you forever,” Lucas continued, wanting Eliott to know that he saw Eliott’s concern and was glad for it, but he also didn’t need it at the present moment. 

“Can we stay here forever?” he asked, looking up into Eliott’s eyes. 

Eliott nodded. “We can.”

And they did. 

Forever for them was measured in the amount of breaths they shared, the touches, small and big, lighting up their entire bodies with even the slightest brush of their fingers. They were able to give each other forever because they’d found that forever was nothing but an immeasurable construct, experienced only in the act of getting lost. Lost in thought, lost in each other, lost in all time and space. 

Maybe forever lasted an hour, maybe it lasted all day, but it was their forever, and they were grateful for it. The real world took its time to come calling, it stole what felt like ten thousand minutes for them, even if it was maybe only a hundred. There was absolutely no reason for either of them to be anywhere but wrapped in each other’s arms, pretending they were the last two men on Earth. For all they knew, they were. It was like one of them had unknowingly bought an extension on love, one that stretched out far beyond what they could see. 

“Someday we’ll be sitting in this same exact position and I’ll remember right now. I’ll remember every single way you’ve touched me, inside and out. Maybe we’ll have kids by then, or a dog, or maybe it’ll be just you and me, but we’ll lay together like this and I’ll know that kissing you in that fountain was the best thing I’ve ever done,” Eliott said, cheek pressed on Lucas’ back. Lucas was laying on his stomach, Eliott on top of his back, drawing idle patterns on it with one of his hands, a gentle pressure he welcomed readily. 

“Someday our kids will ask how we got together and I’ll have to tell them that I pushed you into a fountain,” Lucas teased. Our kids. The future wasn’t so scary when it was so far away, but it did make Lucas hesitate. All he’d ever considered for his future was ballet, he’d never even thought to make room for love or family. He wondered if it was the same for Eliott, but he guessed it wasn’t. Eliott was destined for greatness, that was certain, but Lucas knew that Eliott would always want someone to share that greatness with. 

“I pulled you in after me, I’m no better,” Eliott laughed, the sound of it humming up Lucas’ spine. 

Lucas shrugged to the best of his ability. “Yeah, but that’s partly how I realized I liked you a little bit more than I pretended to.”

“Just a little bit?”

“Just a little bit,” Lucas confirmed, “But don’t worry, I still like you a lot a bit.”

“Is that even proper grammar?” Eliott asked, shifting his head so he could look down at Lucas. 

Lucas scoffed. “Of course it is.”

Eliott laid his head back down. “Somehow I find that a lot a bit hard to believe.”

“I’m a ballet dancer, cut me some slack.”

“Oh, no, don’t you go talking about cutting people some slack when you revealed my poor math skills and insane ego to all of your friends plus a few random people.” Eliott rubbed his head on Lucas’ back idly and Lucas could feel the beginnings of stubble scratching across his back. 

He reddened, forgetting he’d said all those awful things the night before. “I really am sorry,” he apologized, “I don’t think any of those things about you, but I’m not the best at expressing my real thoughts most of the time.”

Eliott was quiet a moment, and Lucas worried he would rescind his forgiveness. He probably should have just kept his mouth shut and let it go. “So you don’t think I suck at math then, like, really suck?” Eliott asked, and Lucas let out a small sigh of relief. 

“No, that part was true,” Lucas admitted, and Lucas felt a small shove as Eliott buried his hand in his hair, ruffling it a few times. 

“Rude.”

“Truth hurts,” Lucas said with a faux wince, causing Eliott to move from his position on top of Lucas and flip Lucas onto his back, leaning down to pepper his face with small kisses. 

“You’re so cute when you’re mean to me,” Eliott said between kisses. 

Lucas grinned. “Obviously, that was my plan the whole time.”

Eliott’s jaw dropped in what Lucas could only see as a poor imitation of the surprised pikachu meme. “I can’t believe I thought you actually hated me.”

“I know, so weird right?” Lucas hoped he would never have to hate Eliott again, he really did. Because that was what it had been, wasn’t it? A need for someone to blame? A scapegoat for the problems he wasn’t ready to face? He’d blamed himself a lot too, more than he should have, but Eliott was so easy to blame as well, and it had almost ruined them. 

“So, breakfast?” Eliott asked another bout of time later. It was easily dinnertime, but neither of them had vacated the bed long enough to do anything other than use the bathroom the entire day. It was definitely not breakfast time, but then again, they were living in their borrowed forever, and forever stopped and started at nine seventeen that morning, the minute the clock had been set to when Lucas had opened his eyes and felt the soothing weight of Eliott by his side. In their forever, it was breakfast time. 

“Breakfast sounds great,” Lucas said, and suctioned himself to Eliott like a koala until they were both in the kitchen. 

“I’ll make you my famous eggs!” Eliott said excitedly as Lucas sat down at the counter. Eliott moved in a mad frenzy, picking ingredients Lucas was sure didn’t belong in eggs, but he didn’t say anything. If Eliott was this excited to make him breakfast, he’d let him. 

The look on Eliott’s face when he presented the meal was one Lucas wanted to capture forever, and Lucas couldn’t take a bite fast enough. Even if the meal wasn’t great, there was no way Lucas could ever say so, not with Eliott looking at him like all he wanted in the world was for Lucas to love this food more than any other food he’d ever eaten. 

Besides, how bad could it really be?

Samedi 20:27

It turned out, it could be very bad. So bad, in fact, that Lucas had been retching into the sink for a good ten minutes. Eliott thought it was hilarious to the point that Lucas had convinced himself he’d made the food so terrible on purpose. But no, that was perhaps the most alarming part of it. Eliott thought it was amazing. 

Lucas, still trying to wash the taste of cinnamon out of his mouth, would have to agree to disagree.

Dimanche 16:44 

Lucas finally charged his phone letting it power up for the first time since Friday night. Eliott was lying with his head in Lucas’ lap and Lucas was playing with his hair with one hand while the other scrolled through his messages to see what he’d been ignoring. There was more than he expected, so he first decided to tackle the ones from the gang. 

GROUP: le gang

Yann: Lulu we just left the party, just wanted you to know

Yann: Back at school, your door was locked so I’m assuming you’re here but just wanted to make sure

Arthur: We came by with breakfast but no one answered when we knocked how rude my dude

Basile: Guys he’s probably asleep

Arthur: What if he’s dead tho

Yann: He isn’t reading any of these messages… 

Basile: Maybe his phone’s dead?? This isn’t the first time he’s gone radio silent after a party

Yann: That’s fair

Yann: Just text us when you charge your phone then Lulu

Arthur: So we know you’re alive

Yann: ^^

Basile: ^^

Arthur: Hey guys wanna raid area 51

Basile: Wtf is area 51

Lucas rolled his eyes and scrolled from there. There was a whole lot more meaningless messages, memes sent and discussed or Stranger Things theories that needed attention right at that moment, but every now and then Yann or Arthur would send a message inquiring into Lucas’ whereabouts and whether or not he was alive. The last message, a link to a story about raiding Area 51, whatever that meant, was sent about an hour ago, so Lucas wasn’t worried about disrupting any important conversation to check in with everyone. 

Lucas: Hey guys, I’m alive

Lucas: Sorry I was passed out basically all day yesterday and decided to take it chill today, think I might have a cold or something

Yann: HE LIVES

Yann: WE MISSED YOU BRO

Arthur: I just shed a tear, I shit u not

Basile: This is a blessed day

Lucas: Lol

Arthur: No but seriously, you sure everything’s good?

Lucas: Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better than I was yesterday no worries

Yann: Eliott not bugging you too much lol

Lucas: Haha no he’s been gone or in his room or whatever idrc

Yann: Want us to come over and make you soup or something?

Arthur: I’m quite the chef, don’t know if you’ve heard

Basile: :( you guys always hang out without me

Lucas: Slow your roll, I didn’t agree to this

Lucas: I just wanna be alone tonight if that’s ok?

Arthur: Yeah, of course

Arthur: Let us know if you need anything though?

Lucas: Will do

Yann: Feel better bro <3

Lucas: Awww a heart and everything?

Arthur: <3333

Basile: <333333

Yann: <33333333

Lucas: You guys are idiots 

Arthur: That means ‘I love you’ in Lulu language

Lucas: Rolling my eyes so hard

Arthur: <333333333333333

Lucas: …. 

Lucas: <333333

Yann: WE GOT HIM BOYS

Lucas rolled his eyes again, but couldn’t help the smile on his face. Yeah, Arthur was pretty much right on with his interpretation of Lucas’ text. They were idiots, but he did love them. 

“What’s up?” Eliott asked, looking up at him. Lucas set his phone to the side, he could look at Manon and Imane’s texts later. Imane was probably chastising him for something anyway.

Lucas resumed playing with Eliott’s hair, realizing he’d neglected to do so while he was texting. “Nothing, just the boys checking in to see why I’ve been MIA.”

“What did you tell them?” 

Lucas didn’t know if Eliott was worried he’d said something about the two of them or not. “I told them I wasn’t feeling good. I didn’t know if…” He didn’t have to finish, Eliott understood. 

Eliott lifted one of his hands up to fold into Lucas’. “It’s up to you. I don’t care either way.”

“Can we wait a little bit? Not forever, obviously… but I just don’t want it to be such a big thing, especially with the show coming up. Can we wait until after the show?” Lucas asked hesitantly. He wasn’t ashamed to be with Eliott, not at all, but he also didn’t want to be looked at differently by everyone because of it. Rumors spread like wildfire because the school was so small, and the instructors would surely hear of their relationship at some point. 

Eliott, as if sensing Lucas’ hesitation, slid his free hand up to Lucas’ neck, pulling him down into a small, soft kiss. “I get it. I don’t really want any drama either, I’m already in hot water with the director…”

“Really?” Lucas asked in confusion. Since when?

“I skipped a whole week of classes, remember?” Eliott pointed out. Oh yeah. Lucas honestly hadn’t thought that the director had cared much, loving Eliott enough that he gave him leeway when no one else got it. 

Lucas stopped running his fingers through Eliott’s hair, not looking Eliott in the eye as he asked, “Eliott? Why did you skip a whole week of classes?”

“I don’t know,” Eliott answered, and Lucas raised his eyebrows, finally meeting his eyes. “I swear!” Eliott continued, “I don’t know, I just couldn’t do it, you know?”

Lucas didn’t know. Nothing could keep him from ballet, especially not something he couldn’t explain. “Not really,” he admitted. 

Eliott looked away, biting his bottom lip. “I don’t know how to explain either, then. Can we talk about this later? Right now I just want to forget about everything other than you, not that I don’t already do that most of the time.”

“We can,” Lucas agreed. He didn’t want to push Eliott into talking about something he wasn’t comfortable talking about, especially when Eliott had been so supportive in Lucas opening up at his own pace. “Maybe we can move this to my room?” he asked, raising one eyebrow suggestively. 

Eliott hopped up faster than Lucas would have thought possible, given their lethargy over the past two days. Lucas giggled to himself at Eliott’s enthusiasm, picking himself up off the couch as well, just not quite as fast. 

He checked his last two messages while he walked to his room after Eliott. Imane was asking about booking extra studio time to practice one of their duets, which he agreed to, receiving a scathing message in return for not responding quickly enough. Manon’s messages were more curious, not what he’d expected. 

Manon: Hey Lucas, can we talk?

Manon: That sounded weird, sorry

Manon: I just meant like those days over the summer holidays when we could talk about whatever was on our minds with no judgement from the other person

Manon: Let me know

Manon: Just got in touch with Yann, he said you’re sick?

Manon: Hope everything’s ok… 

Manon: You and Eliott really got into it on Friday

Manon: Well, you did, at least

Manon: Anyway, talk to you soon then? It can wait, but I’d really like to talk

Manon: Just let me know

Lucas: So sorry Manon, I wasn’t ignoring you I swear

Lucas: Lunch tomorrow?

Manon: No worries, that sounds great

Lucas: See you for class x_x

Manon: Hahah, see you <3

“Lucas!” 

Lucas looked up to see Eliott sprawled across his bed, wide, toothy grin covering every inch of his face. He was almost certain his own smile was just as bright. “What?” Lucas asked in faux confusion, walking over to the bed. 

Eliott sat up and grabbed Lucas by the waist, unceremoniously dumping him onto the bed. Lucas screeched in indignation, but they both knew he was nowhere near being mad. Eliott hovered above him, a soft, awestruck look overtaking his face. Almost like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“What?” Lucas asked again, this time coming out in no more than a whisper. 

Eliott leaned a bit closer to his face. “Just wanted to take another look at you,” he said in a horrible impression of Bradley Cooper. They’d watched A Star is Born the night before at Eliott’s request and Lucas had spent the entire time making fun of that line even though Eliott claimed it was iconic and mostly used to tie this version to the older versions of the movie. Lucas didn’t care how iconic it was, it was stupid. 

“You’re an idiot,” Lucas laughed, wrapping one hand around the back of Eliott’s neck. 

“Your idiot.”

Lucas hummed softly, not bothering to disagree. “It’s why you love me,” Eliott continued, leaning closer still. It wasn’t the only reason, but it was true. Lucas didn’t confirm the statement, but his silence spoke volumes. He might not have been able to verbalize all the feelings in his heart, but he knew Eliott heard them loud and clear, especially as he closed the distance between the two of them and let their lips come together as fireworks exploded in his head.  

It was hard to tell whether they were moving too fast or catching up on lost time. Maybe both. They could figure it out later. 

Lundi 13:11

Manon looked as sick as Lucas had pretended to be. She’d always struggled with some anxiety and Lucas immediately felt horrible for being unavailable to her when she felt this way. She’d reassured him the whole time they walked to a café near the school for lunch that everything was fine, but he could tell it wasn’t. 

She didn’t want to talk until she’d eaten a bit of her lunch, so the two of them ate their sandwiches in silence for a little while, exchanging a few words every now and again. Finally, when she looked too sick to continue eating, she spoke up. “I think I’m in love,” she said.

Lucas blinked once, wondering if they’d entered some sort of Twilight Zone. Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be saying this right now? He didn’t say anything, letting her continue at her own pace. 

“I think I’m in love, but I don’t think it will ever work,” she sighed, opening her mouth again as if to say more, then closing it with a huff. 

“Can I ask who you’re in love with?” Lucas prompted and she shook her head. Fair enough. If he had to guess, it was probably Charles. “Why can’t you be together?”

She shook her head again. “It’s not that we can’t be together, I just don’t think we should be. It won’t end well for either of us.”

“Well, how do you know that it will end?” Lucas asked matter-of-factly. Some people were just meant for each other and that was that. If it was Charles, like Lucas suspected, maybe they kept coming back to one another for a reason. 

Manon looked at him like he’d grown a third head. “Who are you and what have you done with romance hating, cynical, realist Lucas Lallemant?”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Shut up. I’m just saying, some people are worth fighting for.”

“And what would you know about that?” she asked casually. He knew that she could read him like a book, but if she wasn’t giving up any more information, he wasn’t going to either. 

“Nothing,” he shrugged, “But I spend quite a bit of time with Yann, Arthur, and Basile. Yann’s a lover, Arthur’s an idealist, and Basile has no shame. Maybe they’re rubbing off on me.” He knew who was really rubbing off on him, a lover and idealist in his own right. 

Manon’s eyes widened like she’d come to some sort of conclusion. That couldn’t be good. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you listening to what I’m saying or trying to analyze my entire life based on the state of the wrinkles in my clothes?”

“Hilarious,” she deadpanned, “But maybe you’re right. I’ll never know if I don’t try, right?”

“Right. If it helps, I’m rooting for you and your mystery man,” he said with a smile. 

She bit her lip worriedly and Lucas got nervous. “Wait, it’s not Yann, is it? Because Emma’s my friend too, and I hate drama.”

“No, of course not!” She seemed so offended at the suggestion that Lucas nearly laughed. Yann was great, and she’d be lucky to have him, really, but he’d already dated enough girls at the ballet school. Hopefully when he found his next girlfriend, she would be so far removed from the dance world that Lucas didn’t have to worry about dealing with the drama that followed “accidentally” stealing your best friend’s boyfriend, as was the case with Emma and Ingrid and Yann. 

“Ok…” Lucas believed her, but he was still suspicious. They had to get back to rehearsals, so his suspicions could wait for another day, but he would get to the bottom of this. Maybe Alex would know, Lucas was pretty sure he and Charles were friends. If worse came to worse, he could ask Daphné or Imane. They lived with Manon, they’d have to know something, or Emma, she was Manon’s best friend. 

They didn’t talk anymore about it on their way back to school, but he could tell that they both had the other on their minds. Lucas didn’t really want to know whatever Manon thought she’d figured out about him, but it was a bit unnerving to have her thinking so loud he swore he could hear it beside him. She would probably catch on to what was going on with him and Eliott before anyone else, and he just hoped she would keep it to herself. The only thing worse than having to deal with drama surrounding their relationship would be having to deal with drama surrounding their relationship because it had gotten out that there was a relationship without either of them consenting to the reveal of that knowledge.

Mercredi 19:36              

Lucas was playing piano again. This time, Eliott was sitting beside him as he played, and Lucas was comforted rather than startled by his presence. He wasn’t playing anything interesting, just mixing together different melodies he remembered until they flowed seamlessly, letting his emotions pour from his fingertips. 

Hiding their relationship had been easier than expected so far. It was a good thing they roomed together, otherwise they probably would have had more of an issue. Lucas always felt like he slept better with Eliott tucked into his side, so they’d switched off where they slept the past few nights, bouncing room to room but always together. 

Lucas mostly just went back to ignoring Eliott in class, partly for his own sanity. All the things that used to drive him crazy still did, but in a completely different way. When Eliott looked at him too long he became a few seconds away from the situation turning very problematic, especially in tights, so they’d decided looking at each other, except when strictly necessary, was to be limited. 

Manon was still looking at him weirdly in class, but at least she didn’t seem to be paying extra attention to Eliott and where his attention was. Imane was mostly just glad that Lucas was out of his funk, and he was too. Their partnering was back to its usual seamless chemistry and they were looking as good dancing together as Eliott and Manon, in their humble opinions. 

Lucas had gotten dinner with Yann and Arthur the night before, not able to brush them off any longer without it seeming weird, so Eliott had used the time to catch up with Sofiane. It was strange how the things that took them away from one another were now such a burden when a year ago Lucas would have been so grateful for anything that kept Eliott as far away as possible. They hadn’t even been together for a week— whatever “together” meant, really— and Lucas already felt like a part of him was missing without Eliott. 

“Is it later?” Eliott asked softly, resting his head on Lucas’ shoulder as he played. 

Lucas melted into a soft pile of mush, looking down at Eliott’s head. “Later?” 

“‘We’ll talk about this later’ later?” Eliott explained. Lucas stopped playing abruptly. Was it later? He’d been thankful that Eliott had been so patient with him, and he did want to talk about it, but he didn’t quite know how to. 

Lucas dropped his hands from the keys and rested his head on top of Eliott’s. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Just… tell me all the things I missed, so I know not to miss them again,” Eliott said, and Lucas did. 

He told Eliott about the first time his father had taken out his anger on him, when he’d been sitting at the piano like he was at that moment, how his mother was beautiful and kind and good, but nothing she could do could change the fact that Lucas was scared to be at home. That’s why Lucas was always with Eliott, probably to the point that Eliott thought he was being weird and clingy. School was a reprieve in some ways, because the bruises could heal, but he was never good enough there either. If he wasn’t good enough, he wouldn’t be able to come back the next year, and he’d have to live his life in fear that one day his dad might stop taking his anger out on him and move on to his mom along with living in fear of his dad taking his anger out on him. 

He was right about that, actually, his dad had taken it out on his mom, just in a different way. He’d had her committed, even though she was getting better. She was taking her medication, going to therapy, taking the steps she needed to take to feel more like herself, but he still sent her away. That was the last straw for Lucas, he couldn’t do it anymore after that. He’d come home at the end of last school year for his mother’s birthday only to find that she was gone without a trace and he knew that if he returned to that house over the summer he would leave it so broken, inside and out, that he would probably never even make it to his final year of school. 

Manon had been a godsend after that. He’d initially tried to call Yann to ask if he could stay with him, but Yann hadn’t picked up, so he’d run all the way back to school as fast as he could, not even realizing he’d gotten there until he woke up on Manon’s bed and she told him that he’d had a severe panic attack at her door the night before. She wouldn’t let him leave until he explained, and she told him that the flatshare she lived in over the summers had an extra room to fill that her parents would continue to pay for, no questions asked. He’d nearly had another panic attack right then, accepting her proposal in a heartbeat. 

It didn’t explain away everything, all the disses Lucas sent Eliott’s way or how he’d been so disgusted to be in Eliott’s presence for years, but it helped some things make more sense. It was hard for Lucas to be himself when he was never able to reconcile who he was with the version of himself he had to pretend to be around everyone else. 

“I haven’t been ok in a long time, I think, and I’ve never really been sure of anything I’ve ever done with the exception of three things,” Lucas said. He and Eliott were still sitting in the same position, one head on top of the other. “One, that I wanted to do ballet for the rest of my life, two, moving in with Manon and getting away from my dad, and three, how I feel about you now.”

Eliott moved his head abruptly, so quick that Lucas barely had a moment to react. Eliott’s vibrant eyes were burning into his with an intensity so strong Lucas almost felt like Eliott was daring him to look away. He didn’t look away, he’d meant what he said. “Sorry it took me so long to realize it,” Lucas said, barely a breath out of his mouth, words lost to the thumping of his beating heart. 

“Don’t apologize for that, don’t ever apologize for that. We’re here now, right?” Eliott’s eyes softened, like he was allowing himself to believe that this thing between them might actually be real, not just a dream.

They pressed their foreheads together, not quite leaning in for a kiss just yet, simply existing in each other’s space. “Maybe in a parallel universe we found each other sooner,” Lucas sighed. 

Eliott’s nose scrunched up in confusion and he leaned back slightly. “Parallel universe?”

“Yeah, you know,” Lucas began nervously, “Like, the multiverse theory? Every decision we make splits off into a different reality, creating infinite versions of ourselves?” He’d never really talked about it with anyone before, but parallel universes fascinated him to no end. 

“I’m not quite sure I believe in that,” Eliott admitted, “I’m more of the mind that every decision we make has two paths and we’ll never know what we missed by not taking the other one. It drives me crazy, wondering how things might have been different if I’d just changed one thing.”

Lucas widened his eyes. “That’s why I like parallel universes. This way, in all the universes, I’ve tried everything. Some other Lucas is doing what this Lucas decided not to do, and instead of regretting it, I just let it happen. I’ve ended up at exactly the place I was meant to end up.”

Eliott blushed, and Lucas had to bite the inside of his cheek to hide a smile. He never thought he’d be the one making Eliott blush. “Ok,” Eliott conceded, “Then how many of your parallel Lucases and Eliotts are where we are, right now?”

“Well, none of them. It wouldn’t be a parallel universe if it was the same as ours.” 

Eliott leveled him with a stare. “How many Lucases and Eliotts are together, then?”

“A lot,” he decided, lacing their hands together. “Not all of them, not yet, because Lucas is a stubborn dumbass in most universes, and Eliott can sometimes be a little bit oblivious.”

Eliott scoffed, but Lucas cut him off before he could say anything. “In one universe, Lucas and Eliott are at Hogwarts, studying magic or whatever.” Lucas was a big Harry Potter fan, but he tried to downplay his knowledge of the world just in case Eliott wasn’t anymore. They’d read the books together growing up, but it had been a long time since then. “In another, maybe Lucas is Spiderman or something, and Eliott is his damsel in distress.”

“Shut up,” Eliott laughed, squeezing his hand once and leaning in for a small kiss. “Any universes that don’t involve superpowers?”

“Of course, the ones with superpowers are just more fun than the ones without,” Lucas explained. 

“Fair enough.”

“I bet there’s an Eliott and Lucas who met for the first time during their second or third year of lycée. They don’t go to a ballet school, would never consider going to a ballet school, but they met at a bus stop, and the rest is history.” Sure, he liked to think about superhero Lucas, or wizard Eliott, or whatever, but his favorite was always regular Lucas and Eliott. The ones just like them, but with average lives. Maybe that Eliott liked to paint, or that Lucas was a science student. Maybe they would attend university together, growing up into jobs in research labs and art studios. Maybe they would go to the ballet during their anniversary and watch the dancers carefully, wondering if, in another life, that was them up there on that stage. 

“Ok, I believe in your parallel universes.” Eliott pressed his forehead back against Lucas’, eyes fluttering shut with a bright smile.

“We should finish up in here,” he said, looking at the clock on the wall. It was getting pretty late. Lucas hummed absently, not quite ready to close up the piano and return to the real world, even if the real world only existed in the time it took them to walk down the hall back to their suite.

Eliott spoke again, voice a soft, sweet melody. “Can you play me one more song before we go?”

Lucas broke into a grin, nodding as he rested his hands back on the keys. He’d already played all of his favorite pieces, but he wanted to impress Eliott further, if he could. He decided to improvise, let his fingers take the song wherever they wanted it to go. There were a few moments that the melody didn’t sound quite right, but it was overall everything he’d wanted to express, an ode to them in every universe. 

“Wow,” Eliott said when he finished. “What song was that?”

“Um, nothing, actually,” Lucas admitted. Eliott furrowed his brows and Lucas rolled his eyes. “I made it up, like, improv, or whatever.”

“You just… improvised that?” Eliott looked incredulous and Lucas couldn’t tell if he was impressed or revolted. 

“Yes?”

“Ok, that’s it,” Eliott said, hopping up off the bench. 

Lucas closed the piano lid gently and followed suit. “What’s it? Did I do something wrong?”

“Wrong? Are you kidding me? That was the most beautiful piece of music I’ve ever heard. And you’re the most beautiful and talented person I’ve ever known.”

“Ha ha.” He rolled his eyes again. “Thanks, I guess.”

Eliott leaned forward and grabbed his hands. “I’m serious! That was— I don’t even know what to call it. It was ethereal, otherworldly.”

“Thanks?”

“Will you compose for Polaris?” Eliott’s eyes widened, like the words slipped out before he was ready for them to. 

Lucas blinked a few times in shock. “Will I what?”

Eliott seemed to compose himself a bit, pulling Lucas closer. “Will you write the music for Polaris?”

“Eliott, I don’t know how to—”

“Yes you do. I literally just watched you do it.” He released Lucas’ hands, only to cup his underneath Lucas’ chin. “Please? We can use this as an excuse to spend more time together…”

“I don’t need an excuse for that, Eli,” Lucas scoffed. The nickname had just slipped out, but it brightened Eliott’s face even further. From the moment the name had slipped from his lips, Lucas and Eliott had both known that Lucas would say yes. 

“So you’ll do it?” Lucas could have sworn it was nighttime, but with Eliott smiling that big it was like the sun had come to invade their shared universe. 

“Yes,” Lucas agreed, “Yes, I’ll do it.”

Eliott pulled him in for another kiss, twirling him around the room as a way to show his excitement. Lucas laughed as Eliott dragged him along, stopping only when their eyes met with a deep intensity fueled by desire. 

Without another word, they were out of the studio, giggling as they ran down the hall back to their suite. Once inside Eliott wasted no time at all, pushing Lucas up against the door and kissing him so hard there were stars in his eyes. 

If this was really his life now, he didn’t ever want to get used to it, lest he appreciate it any less. If this was really his life now… fuck, he loved it.

[pickalilywrites]

I recently re-read ur Eren/Annie and Falco fics And was reminded of how much I love that AU. How about a Christmas-y continuation where E and A are watching Falco while his parents are at a company Christmas party or smth like that and they get snowed in. Maybe Annie’s also got a “special” gift for Eren regarding her feelings on having kids *wink* :D

always thankful to @arcanelucario and @ilselani for coming up w/ a beautiful au and being kind to me about writing them. i cannot thank them enough and hope the both of them (as well as you, anon) had a beautiful xmas and a wonderful new year xoxo 

A Not-Christmas At the EreAni Not-Household

EreAni. Falco Grice. Babysitting AU. 

Part i | ii | iii | iv

2057 words. 

Buy me a ko-fi!

“Is it really alright? You don’t mind me being here?” Falco asks as he shuffles into Eren and Annie’s apartment. It doesn’t matter that Eren and Annie have agreed to look after him many times – picking him up after extracurricular activities, taking him out for short trips, or just looking after him on the weekend when the Grice parents were out – Falco always asks if he’s a bother even though he never is. “Nah,” Eren says, ruffling Falco’s blond hair. He puts a hand on Falco’s back as he leads the boy into the apartment. He guides them into the kitchen where Annie is busy making dinner. “Annie’s making our Christmas feast as we speak!” “Not a Christmas feast, a regular feast. It’s not Christmas yet. It’s only December 18th,” Annie says, wiping her hands on a towel. She looks over and smiles at Falco. “Hey, Falco. It’s good to see you again.” 

“It’s good to see you too, Miss Annie,” Falco says shyly. Even though she’s babysat him multiple times and told him to just call her “Annie,” he’s still as polite as ever. “Dinner smells delicious.” 

“It does,” Eren agrees. He rubs his hands together, licking his lips hungrily as he looks at the chicken frying on the pan. “Do you want us to help?” “No,” Annie says when she remembers the last time Eren had tried to cook with Falco in the kitchen. It took forever to get the spaghetti of the ceiling. Once it sticks, it really sticks. She rolls her eyes when she sees Eren pout. “Go show Falco the tree we got, and we can make cookies later, alright?” “Oh, right!” Eren says, eyes lighting up when he remembers the tree they had purchased from the tree lot the other day. Excited, he starts pushing Falco towards the living room where the tiny tree sits on a stand. “Come on, come on! It’s a great tree! You’re going to love it, Falco.” Eren presents his small tree to Falco, his chest puffed out in pride. The small thing only has a few ornaments on it because any more would break its delicate branches. Little ribbons of gold and red are wrapped around it, and tiny silver orbs are placed here and there. At the very tip sits the smallest star. It’s pretty amazing that there’s a tree so small, but Falco finds it a bit…underwhelming. Still, he smiles politely and nods as Eren points out all the amazing things about the tree. “It’s really nice,” Falco says. He struggles to find a compliment that wouldn’t force him to lie outright. Finally, he says, “It’s very…fragrant for a tree its size.” “Isn’t it?” Eren says, nodding in agreement. He leans in towards Falco, a smile on his face as if he has a secret. “But do you know what the best part about this tree is, Falco?” “Eren, if you tell him it’s bigger than your future, I’m going to throw out your dinner,” Annie calls from the kitchen. “I won’t!” Eren shouts back. He frowns and whispers to Falco, “She has really good ears.” Falco nods. “Okay, but what I was going to say was that this tree right here? It’s a miracle tree, Falco?” Eren says. Falco thinks that Eren’s joking at first, but his expression is far too serious for that. Eren doesn’t seem to notice Falco’s skeptical look because he continues like he’s telling a story. “This baby was just a frail little thing when we brought it home. After nursing it for a few nights, I woke up and found it just like this! Amazing, right?” Falco looks over at Annie, but the woman only shakes her head and rolls her eyes. Eren doesn’t see it because he’s too busy admiring the tree. “Wow, that’s really great,” Falco says, hoping that Eren doesn’t notice how strained his smile is. Hoping to find a quick escape, Falco turns back to the kitchen and asks, “Miss Annie, is dinner ready yet?” “Just about,” Annie tells him. She pops her head out briefly. “Do you want to set the table, Falco?” “Sure!” Falco says, eager to get away from Eren at the moment. He scurries into the kitchen and grabs the utensils from the drying rack while Eren follows behind, opening the cupboards that Falco can’t (and that Annie can barely) reach and pulls out the plates for dinner. “Ah, what a lovely Christmas meal,” Eren says, breathing in the smell of freshly fried chicken mixed with rosemary and thyme. He scoops a heap of rice on each dish, passing them out to each person. “It’s December 18th,” Annie reminds him, but Falco can tell she isn’t really angry even when she sighs in exasperation as Eren continues to insist otherwise. He really likes spending time with them, but he likes to watch them the most. There’s something about them that makes it feel as if he’s with his own family. Hadn’t people also mistook these two as his parents at one point? Well, he wouldn’t mind if they really were. Eren’s always taking him to fun places and always has the best games to play, and Miss Annie is really nice and has good taste in food, especially sweets. As Falco munches on a piece of his chicken, he wonders if the two of them will get married sometime soon. “What a satisfying Christmas dinner,” Eren says, ignoring Annie when she grumbles about the holiday being a week away. He leans towards Falco, his elbow resting on the table. “Are you ready to make cookies, Falco?” “I’m making cookies with Falco,” Annie says, wiping her mouth delicately with a napkin. She folds it up and puts it on her plate along with the rest of her silverware. She gets up from the table, motioning for Falco to do the same. “You’re doing the dishes, Eren.” “What?” Eren says with a frown. He sits there looking betrayed as even Falco leaves him to follow Annie to the kitchen. “Why don’t I get to bake cookies?” “You lost your kitchen privileges with Falco when you stuck noodles to the ceiling,” Annie tells him without looking back. She undoes her bun, shaking out her hair only to tie it up again. “You can help us if you finish washing the dishes.” “Alright!” Eren says, rolling up his sleeves. He picks up his dirty dishes, giving Falco a grin as he makes his way to the sink. Pulling on the rubber gloves and turning on the sink, Eren says, “Just you watch, Falco! I’m going to get these done in record time!” It’s so strange how much this feels like home, Falco thinks as he helps Annie gather the ingredients. He watches as Annie teaches him how to crack the eggs, how to measure everything, and how to mix everything together but not overmix. He smiles when he hears Eren complain about missing all the fun. It’s not as if he dislikes his own family – he understands that his parents are busy with work, especially when it comes close to the holidays – but he’s always grateful that he’s able to spend time with Eren and Annie when his parents are away. Truthfully, he likes spending time with them better than Zeke, who is a great deal older than him and doesn’t always know how to spend time with a kid Falco’s age. There’s also something nice about just watching Eren and Annie together. He likes seeing Eren’s eyes light up when he sees Annie and Annie’s lips subtly turn upward when Eren reaches for her hand. They’ve been with each other for such a long time, Falco knows, but he sometimes wonders how long they’ve been together. They get along so well that it seems like they’ve known each other forever. It makes him wonder if he’ll ever be able to like someone so wholeheartedly. “Stop eating the gingerbread men,” Annie says, swatting her boyfriend’s hand away from the freshly iced cookies. “Falco needs to bring them home.”  “I’m not eating all of them,” Eren says, chomping on another cookie that he managed to snatch from the other baking pan. “Just the heads.” His grin grows wider when Annie scowls at him. “It’s okay if we don’t bring any home,” Falco tells Annie. “We have a lot of cookies already because my parents’ coworkers keep giving them to us.” And besides, being with Eren and Annie is enough for him already. “Don’t be silly,” Annie says. She whisks the pans away, but she realizes she has no place to put them. Being fairly short, wherever she places them, Eren will be sure to reach them easily and eat them. She turns back to Eren and glares at him. “Give me your word you won’t eat any more of these.” “I promise,” Eren says, but Falco notices that his fingers are crossed behind his back.“Good,” Annie says. She places the cookies onto the counter away from Eren to cool. Wiping her hands on a towel, she looks over at Eren, who is glancing hungrily at the cookies. Hurriedly, she ushers the two of them into the living room. “How about we watch a movie?” “That’s a great idea!” Eren says, forgetting the cookies entirely. He doesn’t even bother leading Falco to the TV, already sitting himself down in front of the DVDs and flipping through them. “Ah, this one is a classic, Falco!” Eren says, pulling out a copy of Gremlins.“God, I hate that stupid movie,” Annie mumbles under her breath, but she joins Eren and Falco at the couch anyway. Even though she hates the movie, she doesn’t speak. Actually, it’s Eren who won’t shut up about the movie. Even when the title credits appear on the screen, Eren can’t seem to help whisper to Falco about the ingenuity of the entire movie, the design of the gremlins, and how this movie is able to capture the spirit of Christmas while delivering some great laughs along the way. She and Falco have to tell Eren to be quiet multiple times while the movie is playing, and Annie miraculously sits through the entire movie without bursting into flames at the sight of the horrific furby-looking things. She still hates the movie – she’s sure that she’ll always hate it – but she doesn’t hate sitting there and watching it with these two. She’ll never admit it, but she could probably watch every terrible Christmas movie with Eren and Falco if they wanted to. She thinks about it at night – being with Eren and Falco and how much it feels more like home with them than it ever has when she was with her own family. She doesn’t think she would mind having something like that. “Hey, Eren,” Annie says when they’re lying in bed that night, Falco long gone after getting picked up by his parents an hour ago. She watches Eren’s silhouette stir beside her in the dark room. “Do you ever think about having kids?” “I thought you said you didn’t want kids,” Eren says groggily. He’s only been in bed for a half hour but already his hair’s a mess. He yawns, not bothering to cover his mouth. “Well, I’m thinking about it now,” Annie tells him a little defensively. “I guess it can’t be helped then,” Eren says. He shifts in bed, and Annie thinks that he’s about to get up to turn on the lights or get a glass of water before they continue the conversation any further, but he puts his weight on top of her.“What are you doing?” Annie hisses, but she melts when she feels his lips press up against her neck. She puts her hands up against his chest, about to push him back, but she forgets about it when his hand snakes its way under her shirt. “I didn’t mean now now,” she says breathlessly.“A little too late for that now,” Eren says, already having taken off his shirt. She doesn’t need the light on to know that he’s grinning. She’s about to protest some more, but he silences her with a kiss. It’s not as if it’s that time-sensitive anyway, she thinks as she fumbles with her shirt. They can talk about it tomorrow.