Couronnez:

couronnez​: 

The fine Italian restaurant he has chosen for the occasion is just perfect for a date an apologetic invite to drink a cup of coffee turned dinner, the view breathtaking through the tall windows, city lights glimmering in the distance.

❝ Only every now and then. The food is excellent but I don’t have the time to eat out. ❞

If she knew more about his eating habits, she’d be devastated, he figured because Vasily doubts anyone manages to eat more junk than he does. He is lean and athletic, his build does not betray him. Broad shoulders, narrow hips, a muscular chest. The picture perfect portray of a Lantsov as his mother used to say.

❝ Please, pick whatever you’d like. The pasta is phenomenal. ❞

He returns her smile, easily summoning as much charm as he can muster while studying the menu himself. He finds himself leaning towards Seafood. Cozze? Or rather vongole? A waiter passes them by and Vasily makes a quick gesture, stopping the man in track.

❝ Could we get a bottle of Verdicchio, please? ❞

This wasn’t at all the coffee experience she expected. Is she disappointed though? Hell no! Every dish on the card looks absolutely exquisite. Even the seafood. She isn’t gonna eat any though. That would take her breath away, literally, and Vasily’s doing a great job at that already. That smile… Does he give it to all his interns? she cannot help wondering. While he asks the waiter for a bottle of wine, Ehri plunges her hand in her purse, pulling out a pill box, which she displays on the table. That way i won’t forget, she thinks. Usually, she puts an alarm on her phone but she didn’t want to disturb the date whole restaurant so she turned it off before entering the place.

❛ Absolutely. And what will we be serving you tonight to accompany such fine wine?❜ The waiter barely looks at the man. His gaze is all on the pretty brunette sitting across.  

❛ I would like a paccheri al forno, please. ❜ Ehri says, smiling at him as she puts down the card on the table. Then, she purses her lips together as she closes the menu. ❛ Um, just to be sure—— There’s no seafood in it, right? I’m allergic. I mean, it’s fine if people eat it around me, I just can’t ingest it myself. ❜ She wanted to make sure Vasily understood he could eat the seafood if he wanted, it’s just that she wouldn’t be joining him or kissing him after.

❛ No, madam. No seafood in this dish. I guarantee you it is a safe option.❜ The waiter smiles at her. The kind of smile that lets you know they are interested in knowing you, personally. That’s a bold move to do when the person you’re trying to flirt with is clearly on a date but, oh well, bold doesn’t mean wise. ❛ May i add it is a great choice. You won’t be disappointed. ❜ 

Ehri is completely oblivious. She just thinks he’s being helpful and polite, like a good waiter. ❛ Well, thank you. So far, i’m very satisfied with my experience. ❜ Another smile. A polite one. Nothing flirtatious about that but the waiter seems to read something else. Again, she’s totally oblivious. ❛ Oh! i’ll have a carafe of water as well, please. I tend to get thirsty when i’m nervous. ❜ Did she just say that last bit out loud? Yep. You did, her brain confirms as it replays the scene. Dammit. She wants to facepalm herself right now but that wouldn’t help make it less awkward. Instead, she settles for a nervous laugh while the waiter turns to Vasily, asking him his order.  

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queenofdarkestshadows​:

Zoya lips curled up into a confident yet mischievous smile. ❝I most certainly will….❞ The raven haired girl walked over to Genya and leaned in to give her a half a hug, and kissing her cheek like some close friend would do at goodbye. If it wasn’t so dramatically played, it would almost be believable. ❝…but it won’t have anything to do with faith or believe. Me, getting what I want is seal deal from the begging. There is no man..or a woman born yet to refuse my wishes. ❞ She smiled pulling away.

❝Thank you.❞ She added at least pointing at her perfectly healed skin and winked at Genya before turning away and walking out of the room with full queen supreme attitude.

Genya stiffens as Zoya embraces her. To say the gesture stunned her is an understatement. A hug. Saints! She hasn’t gotten a real one since Nikolai left for the army years ago. He’d hugged her like he was scared he might break her while she hugged him like she could’ve crushed his bones as he promised he’d come back. He never did. She’d even learned of Dominik’s demise over letters. Now, the Lantsov was supposedly studying engineering at the University of Ketterdam. He didn’t bother to write so Genya had given up trying to reach him pretty quickly. Perhaps he wasn’t even there to begin with. Perhaps he’d gone off the rails like Vasily did, with kvas and games. War did change a man. It changed everyone. Even once sweet gentle Genya. Perhaps Nikolai had also forgotten they were once like siblings, perhaps he was still mad she’d fessed up to Vasily about him leaving the Palace to go see Dominik on his parents’ farm. The latter wouldn’t have been part of the First Army draft if he hadn’t been disgraced and barred from the Palace. He would still be alive. Maybe. Maybe not. You cannot be sure. What she was sure of though was that Little Genya didn’t mean to send Dominik to his death, she was just jealous and afraid to lose yet another brother. She knows it’s no use to feel guilty about it now and yet—— 

Once the shock is gone, she manages to pat Zoya’s back, awkwardly, feeling the heat rush to her pale cheeks. Saints, she whispers inwardly. She knows that Zoya did it on purpose, like she always does anything, but she cannot help but lean into it, into the touch, for a second. Then, Zoya pulls back and thanks her (another shocker). The once well-spoken redhead just has time to blurt out a ❛You’re welcome.❜ before the stormy eyes beauty ultimately leaves, leaving her there, completely bewildered by what has just gone down.

  David walks just a few moments after, giving her a concerned glance. She waves the matter off and they resume back to their unsuspected date where they mostly talk about everything else but how they truly feel about each other.

couronnez​:

Vasily’s glance flicks to the pill box before her on the table, surprised at how casually she was handling the situation. If he would have to take any kind of medication, he’d likely feel ashamed like no other. He admires her for it. It’s brave. It’s probably just a normal task for her but he finds himself drawn to her more and more as he thinks about it. This smile is reserved for her and her only, no one else has ever seen him this charming before. He isn’t Nikolai but he knowns his way around such situations. He grew up with him after all. That’s why he notices the waiter’s stares, too. He was looking at her like he had done too the first time he’d met. All hearts in his eyes. Jealously rises in him quietly, feeling offended that the other man would even dare to gaze at his date in such an affectionate way. His attention switches back to her as she orders, deciding to ignore the waiter for now, not wanting to get into an argument on his first time taking out someone in a long time. Seafood. She’s allergic to seafood. Just like that he knows what he is going to avoid from now on.

Vasily is just short from lashing out as he watches the waiter continue to sweet talk, glad beyond measure that she doesn’t seem to realize the vain attempts of his.

She’s here because of you.

He thinks and knows that it’s the truth. He could offer the world and if not all of it, he had Russia. That ought to be enough.

I tend to get thirsty when I’m nervous.

Vasily melts at those words. Just like that he’s gone. Smiling. His bright blue eyes afire, brimming with enthusiasm.

❝ I’ll have the same. ❞

No thank you. No please. Vasily only has eyes for Ehri and when the waiter is finally gone, he leans forward slightly to talk to her.

❝ I think I am gonna have some of that water, too. ❞

An attempt to make her feel at ease. Show her safety. Show her a bit of the vulnerability he rarely ever allows himself to wear.

❝ At least a bit of healthiness because I don’t like salads.❞

Vasily has been called a silly toddler by Nikolai several times because he’s the person to pick the greens out of his food. If there’s a remotely vegetable looking shape on it, he will not eat it. Blame his upbringing for it but his father had done it the same way.

He gifts Ehri another one of his smile’s and settles back into his chair.

Ehri has no shame regarding her illness. When you spend years thinking you were fine only for your own heart to let you down, you learn a thing or two about vulnerability. When you’re forced to slow down, be anchored to a bed and look Death in the eyes, suddenly there’s no room for playing pretend anymore. You just get to be utterly vulnerable, utterly yourself. At first, it is terrifying, paralyzing. To let people see you that way. Pale as death, struggling to even breathe. You can do nothing else than stare at the ceiling and think. Think about all the time you’ve wasted pretending your life away. About how many times you said i’m fine, thank you but never meant any of it. When you have to rely on people for your basic needs, you eventually learn to accept the help of others, to welcome it. Ehri won’t pretend anymore, not when it comes to her health. She can pretend she likes Business Management and Economics until she’s done with college, until she manages to gain some independence. This internship is her very first job since her days as a model. And she’d like to believe her impeccable grades got her this position but she’s also aware Tatiana Lantsov and her mom Keyen Kir-Taban have been talking. Talking marriage and grandkids. The other day she was supposed to have a date with Nikolai Lantsov at the Lantsov mansion. Date he canceled (thank god!) because of a family emergency, something about his cousin Rasmus falling down a staircase. And now—— Well, now, she was sitting at a table in a fine Italian restaurant on a date with Vasily Lantsov, CEO of Lantsov Corp AND Nikolai’s brother. What a weird funny universe she had just walked in. She wasn’t complaining though. 

He’ll have the same, he says. No please. No thank you. She would’ve thought it was rude of him—— if she didn’t see his blue eyes afire like that. Damn. She catches her breath. Am i doing this? I—— I haven’t done anything. I’m not even trying. He’ll take some of that water. She smiles at that, understanding that’s his way of saying he’s nervous, too. Adorable.  ❛ Maybe we should’ve order two then. ❜ She teases, feeling more at ease already. She wonders if he really likes the paccheri al forno or if he was just too wonderstruck by her just  e x i s t i n g  that he couldn’t come up with another order. She also notes that he didn’t take seafood either, like he was planning to at first. Because he wants to be safe. Because he wants ME to be safe. And she smiles at that too. Out of the blue. Because that thought alone makes her all fuzzy inside. And, just like that, she forgets she’s an intern and he’s the CEO. They’re just two nervous people on a date sharing a meal together and getting to know each other. He says he doesn’t like salads and she’s genuinely curious. ❛ Well, i cannot blame you for that. Lettuce on its own is pretty boring. There’s various types of cold dishes you might like though, if you’re willing to try. You just have to find the right fit for you. ❜ Her voice is soft and her tone not at all moralizing or patronizing. She isn’t there to turn him into a veggies lover. She just lets him know that the options are there and he can explore if he wishes to. No pressure. ❛ I’ve been on various diets in the past. Some of them I'm not really proud of…❜ She pauses, fiddling with the corner of her napkin. Being a model isn’t as glamorous as the magazines made it out to be. The industry is slowly killing its people with drug usage and insane diets and poisoning the youth with unrealistic beauty standards. She got rid of those habits though. The meal skipping thing, the eating disorder. She didn’t have the choice. With her health condition, it would’ve killed her. That’s a great wake up call there. Death. At least, for her, it was enough. You don’t want to die before your twenties. Especially if there’s a way you can avoid it. ❛ But i’ve learned from those experiences. And i’ve found that the best diet is eating what you love. One shouldn’t look at their plate and think ugh not again or ugh disgusting. I know i won’t be thinking that when i see my plate. And i won’t be feeling guilty about ALL THAT CHEESE either.❜ She giggles, toffee eyes gleaming with pure joy. 

Yes, Mayu whispers inwardly. Yes, it would. They can’t afford distraction while someone’s life literally depends on her. But he doesn’t know that and probably never will. Because they won’t open up. Opening up means being vulnerable, it means letting people see you, really see you, and she doesn’t want to be seen. She chooses to be someone else’s shadow, be the reason they are still breathing because that’s the only way she manages to get through it all. Work, obligations, duty. Anything to keep their mind busy. Take that away and she collapses.

i’d let you break my heart if it meant one kiss.

They almost huff at that but do not withdraw despite the fact Benjamin is clearly getting closer. ❛ I’ve broken plenty of hearts without permission. ❜ She replies, as a matter of fact. It is true after all. They never meant to hurt anyone though. Unrequited feelings happen. That’s life. And she doesn’t get why people go for them. She’s not soft nor sweet. Hell! They’re everything but.

“  would it really be so bad to give it a shot?  ”    benjamin licks his lips,   shuffling a little closer.   eyes of brown locked on the other,   breath hitching in his throat.   he can’t exactly explain the science behind his thought process right now,   perhaps he didn’t even have one.   all he knew is he wanted to kiss them.    “  i’d let you break my heart if it meant one kiss.  ”

muse:    benjamin ‘benny’ harte.   student, part time worker, and artist on the struggle.   pure baby energy. based on:    benny wanna kith your muse.   he down BAD.   a SIMP

couronnez​:

❝ Maybe we should have. ❞

He laughs, a sound that slips so very easily over his lips. It hasn’t, in a long time, he missed it. Just .. living. Being himself and unapologetically so. The food is long forgotten, a minuscule thing on an evening like this, with her sitting vis-à-vis from him. Her presence was mesmerizing. Otherworldly capturing. A moment spent in quiet, with him just taking in her sight, the beauty of her face and then -

❝I have yet to find something I truly like. But … ❞

He leans forward, conspiratorially, his smile widening so easily, it was clear he was no stranger to doing so. Mischief gleams in his eyes. A desire. He wants her to like him. To meet the TRUE Vasily Lanstov. Not the CEO of Lantsov Corporation.

❝ Perhaps, you could show me? ❞

She might, she might not. It doesn’t matter. He is not keen on finding out whether he likes salad or not - as long as it is made by her he will eat it. That’s the whole deal. Flirting and flirting shamelessly but hiding it away with an expertise previously unknown to him.

Then the conversation turns serious again. It’s about her past. Her modeling career. Vasily understands the struggles, the pain. He knows what she must have been through, starving herself to stay thin. To stay photogenic. What nonsense. Vasily thinks he has never seen a prettier woman in his life before.

❝ You shouldn’t. Absolutely not. You’re perfect … ❞

HE DID NOT. He didn’t just say that, did he? Those few words. Vasily holds her glance despite it all. Feverishly. His blue orbs filled with desire. Need. Longing.

❝ Your- … your looks I mean. Impeccable.❞

He smiles, hides it insecurity behind a layer of charm. Suddenly he wishes for nothing more but his wine. To calm his nerves. His heart is racing behind his sternum, his chest aching with the stress of it all but he doesn’t care. Cannot care. Not when he is so mesmerized by the woman sitting across from him.

❝ Anyway … may I ask … what those pills are for? ❞

That laugh. It had startled her. In the right way. It was beautiful, genuine. Nothing she’d had expected from the all famous Vasily Lantsov who’d gotten so drunk years ago he’d spilled his drink on her sister Makhi who was his date at the time. I have yet to find something I truly like, he’d said. She’d thought it was sad at first, sad that he hadn’t yet found something he truly enjoyed. But then he had leaned forward as if to share a secret with her. Perhaps, you could show me? he had said. And she had known he wasn’t just talking about salads. She’d looked down, shyly, as a smile spread across her pink lips. ❛ Perhaps i will. ❜ She had uttered, fiddling with the corner of her napkin before she’d talked about her past. 

Toffee eyes were locked with blue ones. You’re perfect. Those are dangerous words. She slightly shifted on her seat, a nervous laugh escaping her. She didn’t know what to say or how to reply to this. Honestly, she didn’t think she was perfect. And didn’t aspire to be either. Not anymore. She knew he meant it well but something still stirred inside of her. It’s a compliment, the little voice whispered. Just take it and move on. ❛ Thanks. Many say the same about you, Mister Elected Most Eligible Bachelor of Russia. ❜ She ends up saying, hoping the smile and the teasing would dissipate her discomfort. He didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Get over it!  But she can’t. Lips part again and she’s about to open up about the situation but he suddenly wonders about the pills. ❛ Oh. ❜ She says, picking up the little pill box. She’s relieved. This is something she can talk about without tiptoeing. ❛ Those are Plavix. Well, blood thinners. I take them to prevent heart diseases. I’ve had issues with my heart in the past and had surgery to fix it. ❜ She explains. She is totally open about it. No shame, no discomfort. She’s at ease. ❛ I’m okay now though. Well, i still need to be careful but with the medication i can pretty much live my life as fully as before. ❜ She smiles. A reassuring one. She wants to reassure him. Let him know that she’s alright now and won’t die on him or anything, since she knows a lot of people get scared off whenever she speaks up about it.