Author's Note: For the If You Dare Challenge, prompt 358. Sister Act; for the Incest Competition and Everything But Het Competition 2, Fleur/Gabrielle; the Randomly Generated Prompt Competition, prompt demons; and for the Phobias and Character Competition, Gabrielle and gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at).

Delacour Demons

(Gabrielle wants to live in her sister's shadow, but Fleur wants her rather beautiful sister in the spotlight. Both have to face their demons. Fleur/Gabrielle. AU.)

Gabrielle wasn't the typical younger sister.

She had no problem living in her older sister's shadow.

In fact, she reveled in it. It was the perfect hiding spot. No one had to notice how shy she was, no one had to notice that she would never live up to Fleur Delacour, because they already just knew it.

The only person who was unhappy was Fleur.

She always tried to put her sister into the spotlight. And for most people, that would have made her a good sister. And she was. But Gabrielle wanted to hide.

One night, Fleur sat on her sister's bed and asked her, "Why don't you want a name for yourself?"

Gabrielle shrugged with one shoulder, eyes looking at the ground. "I can live behind yours," she said quietly.

"What's so great about mine?"

Gabrielle blushed. "What isn't great about yours? Everyone knows you're beautiful and perfect and they all love you. I can't do better than being related to you."

"Yes, you can," Fleur insisted, and shifted closer to her sister on the bed. "You're the smart one. You have that."

"I just try," said Gabrielle. "I'm not really that smart."

"You are," said Fleur. "You're a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Like kind and sweet and pretty and wonderful."

Gabrielle blushed further.

When she looked up, Fleur was leaning in to her, and then she felt her sister's lips on her own—and oh, it was wrong, but maybe Fleur was the only one who understood and it felt right at the same time, such a cliché—and then Fleur pulled back.

"Get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning," she said, and swept out of the room.

xx

They didn't talk in the morning. Neither slept that night, either.

Gabrielle worried. Did she like women? Did she like her sister?

Yes.

xx

A few sleepless nights later, they did talk. "You have to face your demons, Gabrielle," said Fleur. "You can just be afraid of people judging you, of them laughing at you—because those people don't matter."

"Then who does?" asked Gabrielle.

"The people who matter to you. I matter, don't I?"

Gabrielle nodded.

"And I won't laugh at you. Ever."

Gabrielle looked away, and for a second time, when she looked back, her sister kissed her.

Before Fleur could sweep out again, Gabrielle said, "We should probably talk about… that."

Fleur froze for a split second, and it was so unlike her sister that Gabrielle worried.

"Maybe that's—we're—one of your demons," she said.

"Look at you, talking on your own now," Fleur said with approval and still uncharacteristic timidity.

So Gabrielle continued. "You love me."

"I do."

"I love you."

There was a pause.

"So."

Fleur shrugged. "You need love for confidence."

xx

And so things continued. Fleur coached Gabrielle in getting over her fears of being judged, laughed at. Gabrielle reassured Fleur about their secret relationship. They both faced their demons. They shared the spotlight. They worked together.

Things got better.

END