Okay. So, for the last couple of years I kind of took a hiatus from writing (not really by choice but just because life got in the way) but lately I've been trying to make an effort to get it back. Back then I wrote exclusively for Doctor Who so this will be the first time I post something not related to that fandom. I know this one is a cartoon but something about the overarching concepts and the uniqueness of the relationships being built as helped get some creative juices flowing again so here we go! (Also I just enjoy feeling like a kid again sometimes so yay for this show)
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. Any resemblance to other stories, fictional or otherwise, are not claimed as my own. All rights to their respective owners.
Bright laughter drifted in the streets. A small group of young women giggled together as they made their way from storefront to storefront. A curious young man, haphazard and with a sketchbook clutched tightly in his hand made his way out of the coffee shop just as the girls made their way in that direction. A young woman, cutting a lovely figure, danced backward towards him. Her long blond ponytail swayed in the wind as she spoke to her friends only to run right into the young man, very nearly upturning the hot coffee held in his other hand.
"Oh my! Pardon! I'm so sorry," the woman exclaim as she turned.
The young man's eyes locked onto hers. Vivid shades of green and inviting, they seemed to know endless secrets. "Oh. Umm...it's...it's fine. No trouble. No harm done." And then she smiled and the young man was sure he felt his heart stop.
Her giggling friends broke the moment as they began to pull her away. "Come on Emilie. Let's get some coffee. It smells divine."
She smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry again." And then she disappeared through the doors leaving the young man feeling slightly off kilter. He shook himself and started to walk away, already mentally trying to decide how on earth he was going to recreate the color of her eyes.
He heard the door hinges swing behind him. "Wait! Monsieur."
He turned back to her and again found himself studying the shifting greens and golds in her eyes. She smiled brightly again. "Sorry. I didn't catch your name."
"Oh. Um. Gabriel. Agreste. Gabriel Agreste." He could feel heat rising up his neck as her mere presence made him feel weak in the knees.
"Ah. Well," she bounced on her feet and tilted her head. Her blue dress flowed around her like water and grass decided to choreograph something together. "I'm Emilie."
Gabriel smirked slightly and ducked his head. "I figured." His eyes widened. "I mean... I heard your friends...your friends called you that."
Her laughter stopped his stammering thank dieu. "Yes. I suppose my friends would call me by my name." Her eyes and nose scrunched together in an adorable teasing way and Gabriel again lost the air in his lungs. "Speaking of my friends...I should probably…" she gestured back toward the coffee shop.
"Right! Yeah." Gabriel said. She started to turn away. "Wait!' She looked over her shoulder curiously at him. "Would you...perhaps...like to, I don't know, want to...I mean. I would love...be honored I mean...if you decided to..."
She giggled in mercy again. "I would love to. I mean...be honored."
"Great. Yes. So, meet here? Maybe?" Gabriel responded.
She smiled shyly. "Yeah. This afternoon? 3pm?"
He nodded. "I'll see you then. Emilie."
The light turned soft as Gabriel and Emilie spent the late afternoon hours together. They walked several miles through the town and beyond it into fields and among trees that dotted the landscape. The conversation may have started out haltingly, but grew more comfortable as the jumped from topic to topic. Once they reached the subject of art however, there was no going back. They could discuss the nuances of paintings and literature for hours.
The art of film and photography seemed to be Emilie's favorite. Gabriel humored her and took her photograph, her bright 17 year old face looked lovely with her soft smile as she tilted her head at the camera.
Eventually, Gabriel got up the nerve to ask her, "Can I draw you?"
She agreed, and they spent the next little while sitting together as Gabriel desperately tried to capture her essence on the page. He spent the most time on her eyes, before turning his attention to the rest. He depicted her as an angelic creature, eyes wide and knowing, her dress flowing and giving her the appearance of flight.
Emilie gasped when she saw the finished project. "Oh my. I'm afraid you flatter me far too much."
"Nonsense. I didn't nearly do you justice."
She smiled at him at that. "Thank you." She turned back to the page, her fingers brushing over the dress. "This is lovely. I've never seen a garment like it. Where did you get the idea for it."
He shrugged, his hand briefly going to the back of his neck before he brought it down again. "I was trying to make something that went with your eyes. Soft. Kind. Ethereal. Captivating."
She giggled. "Oh stop stop. Now you truly do me too much flattery."
"Never."
If ever anyone asked how Gabriel Agreste decided to start designing clothing, it's safe to say that it started with Emilie's eyes. Or perhaps you could say it was his desire to see her smile when one day she opened the package he presented her with, only to find the dress that she so admired, hand stitched and dyed with painstaking precision to be the exact shade that he wanted. "You deserve nothing less than something perfect."
If Mrs. Bourgeois noticed the dress when the young actress wore it to the set the next day, one could not blame her for being curious, and no one could fault her for loving everything else that Emilie inspired Gabriel to create.