"That you're never going to let me read. Rub it in, why don't you." Gustave hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly sheepish. "Sorry, really. I'll keep it down."
"It's fine," he presses, because it is! He would have said something sooner if it was that bothersome, and if he didn't find it cute. The last thing he wants is for Gustave to move his bedroll back to the other side of camp out of shame.
"...And I didn't say you could never read it." A shrug. "I'm just not sure it'll be to your liking." Jokingly: "They say true art is an acquired taste."
Mostly he's just going to make an effort to be less— expressive. Even if Verso finds it cute, he doubts anyone else does.
Gustave does smile a bit at the concession. He's still embarrassed, sure, but he's relaxed, at least. "When we make it back to Lumière," he says. "When I've got time to really sit with it and appreciate it. How's that?"
Verso thinks for a moment. This is his SOUL he's baring, after all, so he's somewhat reluctant to just give it away for free. "—Do I get to learn something embarrassing about you, too?" It's a fair trade.
Gustave hums, shaking his head. "No, wouldn't work. I'd find it too silly to be embarrassed about it. I could let Esquie try to teach me that dance? I've always been a 'stand still and sway' sort of guy."
"I don't know who taught him that — it definitely wasn't me." It's ridiculous but charming, like most things about Esquie. For all Verso knows, he came up with the dance all by himself. Probably made Francois watch him practice. "But all right. I'll provide the music, then."
He's not knocking Esquie's dancing! He's knocking his own!
Gustave tips his head down and laughs, because this is somehow more absurd than letting a gestral cut his hair. "How drunk am I allowed to be for this?"
"Oh, well, you know I have been eyeing Monoco. I've heard all about how warm that fur is." This is the stupidest conversation he's ever had, and his mood is so buoyant for it.
Somewhere in camp, Monoco's nonexistent ears are ringing.
"Yeah, but he kicks. And gestrals don't need sleep, so he'll talk your ear off all night." Poor Monoco really did nothing to get this criticism, but also, it's true. "Plus, you'll wake up with all that fur in your mouth."
Gustave is laughing silently again, his shoulders just trembling with it more than anything else. "Are you afraid I'll steal him away? It sounds like you're just making things up now."
Gustave has made a mistake in laughing at him, because now he doubles down in an attempt to entertain. "Putting aside the maligning of my good name," because he'd never, ever, ever make things up, "you do have me there. I'm actually terrified that you'll usurp my position as Monoco's big spoon."
Gustave waves both of his hands in front of him, very much a no, no gesture. "Don't worry, I won't be auditioning for the spot. I can't lose an arm and a foot, people will start thinking I'm doing it on purpose."
"And then he'd be able to transform into you, and I'm not sure I'm ready to contend with that."
You know, as if this isn't already weird enough. But Monoco would (probably...) never, and if anyone's good name is being maligned, it's his. Verso laughs, then throws his own hands up. "All right, fine. You've twisted my arm — I'll get you drunk and watch you try to dance like Esquie." Like it's a favor.
"Hmm. But only near the end of your trial month in Lumière." Gustave gently jabs him in the rib with an elbow. "Because there is zero chance you're still going to be attracted to me after that."
"That's one way to get rid of me," he says, not unkindly. He's still attracted to Gustave even after all of the cornball shit he says, so it's highly debatable whether a little Esquie-dancing could change that. "But you should know that I'm actually wildly attracted to bad dancing."
Gustave laughs again, because this is all so ridiculous, and then impulsively asks a question he'd meant to told onto until it was more relevant. Idly he picks up a stone, chucks it toward the lake. "If I asked you not to dance with anyone else that first month back." Well, okay, it's more of an implied question at the end of a blurted statement, but there's no going back now.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
superniceone) wrote2025-06-23 06:53 pm
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"Yeah," Gustave says, smiling a bit lopsidedly. "I've had a few late nights. It was good."
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"Don't worry about it." A shake of his head. "I was up anyway, thinking of more tormented poetry."
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"...And I didn't say you could never read it." A shrug. "I'm just not sure it'll be to your liking." Jokingly: "They say true art is an acquired taste."
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Gustave does smile a bit at the concession. He's still embarrassed, sure, but he's relaxed, at least. "When we make it back to Lumière," he says. "When I've got time to really sit with it and appreciate it. How's that?"
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"I don't know who taught him that — it definitely wasn't me." It's ridiculous but charming, like most things about Esquie. For all Verso knows, he came up with the dance all by himself. Probably made Francois watch him practice. "But all right. I'll provide the music, then."
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Gustave tips his head down and laughs, because this is somehow more absurd than letting a gestral cut his hair. "How drunk am I allowed to be for this?"
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He went off with a total stranger!!! Not to belabor the point, but Verso really could have killed him!!!
"But I'm afraid that next time you'll go off with Monoco and wake up with one less foot."
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"Yeah, but he kicks. And gestrals don't need sleep, so he'll talk your ear off all night." Poor Monoco really did nothing to get this criticism, but also, it's true. "Plus, you'll wake up with all that fur in your mouth."
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You know, as if this isn't already weird enough. But Monoco would (probably...) never, and if anyone's good name is being maligned, it's his. Verso laughs, then throws his own hands up. "All right, fine. You've twisted my arm — I'll get you drunk and watch you try to dance like Esquie." Like it's a favor.
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idk when maelle makes him old so just imagine him as a senior citizen if you want
verso showing up with a walker
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when i lock the thread again it means im too embarrassed to carry on
😠he was diagnosed with scoliosis AFFECTIONATELY
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spell it manoeuvre like a real brit
my work laptop autocorrected ton to tonne and i got so mad
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canonizing that gustave has smelled bad this whole time
it's always been canon, verso is just used noseblind after monoco
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ignore how my default icon doesn't fit the tone at all
oui oui bonjour
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mama n
i just thought it was cool slang!!!
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