storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2012-01-20 12:49 pm
storypaint) wrote2012-01-20 12:49 pm
[Chrestomanci Chronicles] keep a secret without help (Julia/Janet)
Title: keep a secret without help
Fandom: Chrestomanci Chronicles
Length: 701 words
Prompt: for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
minutia_r, Julia/Janet
Pairing: Julia/Janet from Cat's POV
Other: n/a
Excerpt: "Just don't tell my parents, will you, Cat?" Julia said anxiously, hands twisted in her skirt. Janet's hand was on the small of Julia's back, now, and somehow it seemed more intimate a gesture than the kissing had been.
Cat really wasn't sure what to think about it. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think about it. Sometimes adults kissed each other, but usually only when they were married. Or related. Or saying hello. But those things were each different than this, than finding Julia in Janet's room, their lips pressed together firmly, and he wasn't sure how to explain that. And women couldn't marry other women, he didn't think. There was something that seemed wrong about it, or maybe just strange. He was pretty sure that women needed men to have babies; this had been broadly hinted at in the process of their education, and Cat wasn't sure why men and women would get married otherwise. They were still practically different species, as far as he was concerned.
"Just don't tell my parents, will you, Cat?" Julia said anxiously, hands twisted in her skirt. Janet's hand was on the small of Julia's back, now, and somehow it seemed more intimate a gesture than the kissing had been. She looked defiant in that way that suggested to Cat that he'd better go along with whatever Julia wanted, or face the consequences. It was a very Gwendolen look, but Cat would no sooner say that than he'd jump into a pit of scorpions (Roger's newest obsession; although Cat was pretty sure that Chrestomanci would never consent to such a pet, it didn't stop Roger from reading all about them).
"All right," he agreed. It wasn't like either of them were doing something harmful, after all. He tried to picture having this conversation with Chrestomanci, mentioning that his cousin and his not-quite-sister had been kissing, and all he could think was that Chrestomanci would give him one of those condescending looks and explain it away as a common occurrence Cat had simply not noticed before. Perhaps they were practicing for when they had boyfriends. The world of romance was very broad and unintelligible to Cat right now, and he could not picture this changing, even as he grew taller and hairier.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Janet insisted, although he'd hardly hesitated. "We just don't want everyone to know. Because we're cousins."
Julia's eyes flickered. Janet barely nodded. They were communicating between themselves, somehow, but Cat didn't understand what they were saying. So he ignored it. He wanted to point out that his own parents were cousins, but then again, that had led to a host of problems, so maybe that was her point.
"Just -- you could knock next time, you know?" Julia burst out, fumbling for a knot in her handkerchief, but Janet's hand drifted up to squeeze Julia's shoulder, and Julia's hands stilled.
"I'm sure he will, won't you, Cat?" she said, much more the peacemaker than Gwendolen ever was, and he nodded so she wouldn't worry.
He spent the next week going around the castle and knocking at every door before he entered, to the quiet confusion of most of the household staff. Eventually Janet explained that she'd meant bedrooms in particular so he settled on those. He felt a little strange, especially since sometimes when Janet let him in she'd have Julia there too, although usually Julia was sitting demurely on a chair, a certain distance from Janet. But after a while, it began to feel normal, and when the secret finally came out, Cat blinked and it took him a few moments to remember that it had once been odd to him too. Now he was used to seeing Janet and Julia's hands brush at table or in the hallway. He was unsurprised when Janet's hands trailed through the ends of Julia's hair, or when they looked at each other in that burning way that left him feeling like they'd forgotten he was there.
It seemed quite normal to him now, just like any couple sneaking around the castle (a few of the maids had boyfriends, so he'd found out). He wasn't sure what all this fuss was about.
He'd just have to be careful not to fall in love with Roger, he supposed.
Fandom: Chrestomanci Chronicles
Length: 701 words
Prompt: for
minutia_r, Julia/JanetPairing: Julia/Janet from Cat's POV
Other: n/a
Excerpt: "Just don't tell my parents, will you, Cat?" Julia said anxiously, hands twisted in her skirt. Janet's hand was on the small of Julia's back, now, and somehow it seemed more intimate a gesture than the kissing had been.
Cat really wasn't sure what to think about it. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think about it. Sometimes adults kissed each other, but usually only when they were married. Or related. Or saying hello. But those things were each different than this, than finding Julia in Janet's room, their lips pressed together firmly, and he wasn't sure how to explain that. And women couldn't marry other women, he didn't think. There was something that seemed wrong about it, or maybe just strange. He was pretty sure that women needed men to have babies; this had been broadly hinted at in the process of their education, and Cat wasn't sure why men and women would get married otherwise. They were still practically different species, as far as he was concerned.
"Just don't tell my parents, will you, Cat?" Julia said anxiously, hands twisted in her skirt. Janet's hand was on the small of Julia's back, now, and somehow it seemed more intimate a gesture than the kissing had been. She looked defiant in that way that suggested to Cat that he'd better go along with whatever Julia wanted, or face the consequences. It was a very Gwendolen look, but Cat would no sooner say that than he'd jump into a pit of scorpions (Roger's newest obsession; although Cat was pretty sure that Chrestomanci would never consent to such a pet, it didn't stop Roger from reading all about them).
"All right," he agreed. It wasn't like either of them were doing something harmful, after all. He tried to picture having this conversation with Chrestomanci, mentioning that his cousin and his not-quite-sister had been kissing, and all he could think was that Chrestomanci would give him one of those condescending looks and explain it away as a common occurrence Cat had simply not noticed before. Perhaps they were practicing for when they had boyfriends. The world of romance was very broad and unintelligible to Cat right now, and he could not picture this changing, even as he grew taller and hairier.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Janet insisted, although he'd hardly hesitated. "We just don't want everyone to know. Because we're cousins."
Julia's eyes flickered. Janet barely nodded. They were communicating between themselves, somehow, but Cat didn't understand what they were saying. So he ignored it. He wanted to point out that his own parents were cousins, but then again, that had led to a host of problems, so maybe that was her point.
"Just -- you could knock next time, you know?" Julia burst out, fumbling for a knot in her handkerchief, but Janet's hand drifted up to squeeze Julia's shoulder, and Julia's hands stilled.
"I'm sure he will, won't you, Cat?" she said, much more the peacemaker than Gwendolen ever was, and he nodded so she wouldn't worry.
He spent the next week going around the castle and knocking at every door before he entered, to the quiet confusion of most of the household staff. Eventually Janet explained that she'd meant bedrooms in particular so he settled on those. He felt a little strange, especially since sometimes when Janet let him in she'd have Julia there too, although usually Julia was sitting demurely on a chair, a certain distance from Janet. But after a while, it began to feel normal, and when the secret finally came out, Cat blinked and it took him a few moments to remember that it had once been odd to him too. Now he was used to seeing Janet and Julia's hands brush at table or in the hallway. He was unsurprised when Janet's hands trailed through the ends of Julia's hair, or when they looked at each other in that burning way that left him feeling like they'd forgotten he was there.
It seemed quite normal to him now, just like any couple sneaking around the castle (a few of the maids had boyfriends, so he'd found out). He wasn't sure what all this fuss was about.
He'd just have to be careful not to fall in love with Roger, he supposed.