thebackstage | a little kink [the It's Curtains kink meme]

GUIDELINES/RULES:

All requests- smut, fluff, gen, or otherwise (alternate murders, anyone?)- are welcome so long as it's about It's Curtains. Fic and art fills are all good.

This is for all rounds of It's Curtains. Intermingled cast requests ("what if so-so and so-so from this and that round met?") are acceptable.

Stay anon because it's funner that way.

Use proper trigger/content warnings for sensitive and/or offensive subjects, just like you would in a game proper. If you don't, it will be deleted.

This is a judge free zone; however, be mindful of character ages, esp. in regards to the younger characters.

If you do not want your character to be involved with the smut or things that make you uncomfortable please contact me. A list is being prepared to remind everyone.
Respect player wishes if they ask to not have their character be in smut, or anything out of their comfort zone. Again, comments in violation will be deleted.

Have fun, darlings! If any rules are violated please don't hesitate to to PM this account or alert one of the mods.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

After Dennys, farewells (short ones, in Hans' case) and more hugs than either of them knew what to do with, the Balladeer takes them to Paris.

He also passes out for like, a week. Narrative overload, he later calls it. Hans spends the whole week fretting over him, but Raoul is kind enough to offer them a place to stay in the meantime.

"He's barely breathing, do you think he's alright?" Raoul asks, joining Hans in the room he's given them both. There are two beds there out of courtesy, but given the Balladeer's new personhood Hans isn't sure they'll start sharing beds immediately. True love doesn't necessarily mean... well. Hans hasn't really figured out what true love means.

"I think so," Hans answers finally, placing a palm over Bal's forehead to make sure he's not warm or sick. He seems perfectly fine, his breathing and temperature are all normal, he's just... deeply asleep. (And trust me, they tried waking him with a multitude of things. Even True Love's Kiss didn't wake him up for more than a few minutes.)

Hans sighs, repeating what Bal had told him: "It wouldn't make sense for him to die again, after everything." Showrunner or not, those kinds of rules still seem to apply to the Balladeer. Raoul doesn't seem to follow quite as much, but the certainty in Hans' voice gives him hope. Hard to believe this is the same man who had been betraying everyone at the Opera. Remorse seems to suit him well, but Hans can't blame Raoul for stationing a guard outside their door. Just in case.

"He has had a very long day, saving all of us. If anyone deserves rest, it is him." The Viscount gives them some space once he's explained the basic in and outs of the mansion. Hans is lucky Bal's goodwill extends to him, because for the next week he does little more than wait by his side... and read. He figures he'll have to grow accustomed to these things, the narrative twists and rules that govern more than just the Opera. As a supporting character in the Balladeer's life, they'd sooner or later apply to him too.

"A supporting character, can you believe it?" Hans asks aloud, having picked up a particular excerpt that sounded at least somewhat like him. He can't tell if the Balladeer can even hear him, but the days pass quicker when he speaks to him.

He chuckles, none of this is funny, but the irony speaks to him just like it did when it all went wrong. "Then again, being the main character never worked for me. A change in perspective might not be so bad."

A supporting role still made the show worthwhile, after all. They were noticed. And until Hans finds some new goal, some calling to live for, there are worse things to live for than the magical man who saved his life, and who in turn had his life saved. Maybe that's true love, too. He'll figure it out, eventually.

---

----

Like clockwork, the Balladeer wakes up a week later, confused about where he is, but relieved to find Hans by his side. It's hard to tell with the reformed types, whether or not it'll stick depends a lot on the writer and the character. Sometimes people think staying true to the characters means reversing character development. He's happy to see that's not the case with Hans. After all, he's the one who showed the Balladeer that people can change. And that he's 'people' too.

"Sorry," The Balladeer blinks somewhat sheepishly. Narrators aren't supposed to just vanish like that. Plus he's got no real clue what Raoul's play is supposed to look like, so if his surroundings are supposed to be familiar, he can't tell.

One thing's for sure: Hans is still holding his hand. The Balladeer squeezes it once for reassurance but doesn't bother letting go.

"How long was I out?"

Hans is quick to answer, "A week," before he scoots his chair up closer to the bed and leans forward. It's easier for him to talk about these things now—feelings and fears now that he isn't always trying to hide them. But still, it helps Hans to think only Bal is watching. He's the only one he'd meant to share his feelings with at all.

"You had me really worried, Bal." There's a waver in his voice but he holds it tight. The Balladeer would have to be a fool to miss the fact that he'd been crying at some point. Fucking embarrassing, Hans. Did Raoul see?

"Hans..." Bal starts, leaning closer, lips inches away from Hans. He's still figuring out this human thing when he realizes—

"Oh." He pulls back just short of Hans' lips. Was that dramatic tension he felt? Some kind of slow build up? But to what? The Balladeer turns his attention back on Hans. Still no gloves, but by now that seemed a given. He's cleaned up a bit and put on some more period-appropriate clothing, though Bal's jacket rests comfortably on the backrest of his chair.

"'Oh,' what?" Hans obviously doesn't catch the narrative shift, he's still too relieved to see Bal awake to even complain about the half-kiss. "Are you hungry? I can show you to the kitchen. No one's awake but I could try making eggs?"

The Balladeer smiles. Eggs sound great. He can ask himself why he ended up in a fluff piece later. Right now he has a week's worth of eating to catch up on.

----

----

After some food and a few hours later, they meet with Raoul and set out to actually see Paris. They make it about halfway to the Arc de Triumph before the Balladeer finally asks Hans what he'd been doing while he was sleeping. With his new powers being so, well, all-powerful, it's eerie to think that things could still happen where he couldn't narrate them.

"You're still only human, mostly. Deus ex machina or not." Hans says it like he thinks it's obvious. Like him using narrative terms doesn't make the Balladeer's heart skip a little.

"Have you been reading literary analysis?" Bal smiles, knowing the answer before he even has to ask. Honestly, even knowing Hans had changed and decided to turn his life around, he could still surprise him from time to time. Reformed villains. Always keeping you on your toes.

"I may have," Hans replies, smooth if not for the way his ears turn red when he blushes. He's leading them down some gardens when they approach an empty table with two chairs, a bottle of wine and a rose set in a vase. They're not going to a crowded landmark at all, it seems.

"This is nice," the Balladeer says, impressed by the calm quiet atmosphere and the fact that a waiter seems to come out of nowhere to offer them wine glasses and water. Usually making things enter mid-scene is his job. "I've never been on a date before, but you even managed to time it at sunset. That's commitment."

Hans' smile fills with pride. "I know. I saw a couple meeting here earlier in the week so I got them to tell me how they did it." That seems perfectly normal. Well, except that there really doesn't seem to be anyone else around them. Were they in a private garden somehow?

"Did you... spy on someone's date, Hans?" He can't believe he has to ask this, but the Balladeer knows exactly who he's dating. He's got his... quirks.

Hans rolls his eyes into a shrug, though his smile pleads understanding. "It was for a good cause? And I made sure to ask once they were done with dessert."

"Hans, oh my god." Bal shakes his head and has to bring a hand to his face, though he can't help the chuckle that rises in his throat. It's a little funny, picturing Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, cornering some lovey couple in an alley only to ask them how to recreate their romantic dinner.

"We need to get you a new hobby." They'd succeeded in getting Hans to pass on the royal succession thing. Now maybe if they could get him to care a little more about strangers, maybe more of his plans could be plans and not scemes.

"Actually, I'm thinking of picking up a few... that I could show you" Hans reaches over, one hand on his glass and the other reaching once again for Bal's fingers. He strokes his knuckles, and it's the most obvious play in the world but Bal still sorta falls for it. He's a sucker at heart.

"Oh," the Balladeer swallows, blushing. The wine, the garden, even the sunset and the food...

"I knew this was a fluff piece," he smiles. Though if he's not careful, the rating might go up any second.

Yeah, not likely. Here's why:

"A what?" Comes Hans' simple reply. The Balladeer shakes his head and smiles. They'll have plenty of time for 'hobbies' later. Maybe if Hans quotes a few more literary terms, Bal can see what all the fuss is on this 'being human' thing.

"I'll tell you in the sequel."

cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute

a little kink [the It's Curtains kink meme]

really hope this collapses

no subject