Quick Info~
Ah, I did it. I had to continue. There is just way too many things to explore with the support conversations! I hope you all liked the first oneshot/drabble, because I'm back with another one! I know that there are so many different pairs to ship in Awakening, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know! I'm always open to more ideas. For this particular piece, I'm dealing with Maribelle and Vaike's relationship. I'm a sucker for opposites attract and I think it is utterly adorable how they both want to get to know the other's lifestyle. So this is dealing with Maribelle and her gambling experience that she apparently thought would be oh-so-horrid (and she actually enjoyed herself). Also, quick note, the card game they're playing in this is called "Thirteen". It is super fun and way less complicated than Poker or other more common card games. Thank you guys for the reads/reviews/favorites/follows! I'm so excited to share these with you!
Pairing: VaikexMaribelle
Rated: T
"Deal me in, boys," Maribelle said, slapping one hand on the table while the other perched on her hip in a manner that was both perfectly sophisticated yet perfectly sassy.
Vaike watched her from the barstool as he drank beer from a cloudy glass mug. The tavern was anything but elegant and Maribelle stood out like a sore thumb. Pink bows, ruffles, and audaciously spiraled curls don't exactly match up with sweaty, tattooed, beer-bellied commoners. But despite the variety of differences, she had taken like a duck to water in a matter of minutes.
He had half expected her to go back on her word to join him the moment they walked in. Her powdered nose crinkled at the smell when Vaike first opened the door and she crossed her arms protectively over her chest - a habit he knew she had picked up whenever she was uncomfortable. Every step she took was dainty, like she was walking on eggshells, and her eyes were glued to the floor in disgust. Vaike led her over to the bar, hoping to ease her into the night with a drink, but the second she saw the 52 red and black cards she vanished from his side and joined the table.
"Yo, Vaike," one of the men at the table called. "Does this belong to you?"
Vaike walked over to Maribelle's side and scowled at the man, an unfamiliar wave of protectiveness glazing over in his eyes.
"First of all, I am not a 'this'. I am a woman. And just because I am a woman does not mean I won't annihilate you in this silly Commoner game," Maribelle said, proudly sticking her nose in the air while shooting the men a look of disdain.
"Is she for real?" another man asked.
"You're damn right she is," Vaike said, placing a hand on her shoulder protectively. Then, leaning over her ear, he whispered, "Give 'em the way ole Teach taught ya."
Maribelle shivered at the growl in his voice, but nodded anyway and proceeded to examine her cards. She smirked, immediately noticing that she had received the second highest card in the game, the Two of Diamonds. Vaike and the other men back at camp may have been complete pigs on occasion, but they knew how to play Thirteen, and Maribelle had picked up more than enough tips to know how properly strategize.
The buzz from the alcohol began to thicken in Vaike's mind as he watched the whirl of colors and suits slap down on the ever-growing pile. Maribelle's hand was dwindling the more her turn came and went. He could see beads of sweat forming on the foreheads of the once confident men. They exchanged glances of worry as Maribelle's turn rounded the corner once more.
"The Two of Diamonds," she announced, placing the card on top of the pile as daintily as she possibly could.
"Damnit!" a man with a thick mustache yelled. "I was sure playing the Two of Hearts early would'a gotten me a victory. Shoulda saved it for this wench."
"Oh boys," Maribelle said, flashing a brilliantly white smile at them. "It's about time that you learned that diamonds are a girl's best friend."
After everyone had admitted that they had no cards that could beat the Two of Diamonds, she placed down her remaining cards. A straight. She hardly paid any mind to the gaping mouths of the men as they each handed her sacks of coins. Without a mere glance behind her, she bundled the money into her arms and made her way outside into the cool night air.
"The Vaike is impressed!" Vaike said, trailing behind her.
"At least Chrom will be pleased that we have extra money for food this week. Frederick's bear meat simply isn't cutting it anymore," Maribelle said, feeling her cheeks flush against her will at his compliment.
"Aw, come on," he said, throwing his hands in the air. "You're acting like you didn't even have fun."
"I already told you that gambling is a game reserved for lowlives." She shook her head and kept her gaze focused on the dim firelight of the Shepherd's camp ahead.
"Whatever," Vaike said. "You just don't wanna admit that Teach unraveled those tightly wound curls for once." He reached over and pulled one of the blonde ringlets.
"How wound my curls are is none of your business," she scoffed, jerking her head away from him.
Vaike stepped in front of her and stopped abruptly, causing her to crash into his chest unexpectedly. She dropped the bags of coins on the ground out of sheer surprise of the impact and Vaike held her against his chest. She could feel his heart beat steadily increasing and she wondered if he could hear hers, too. She was pretty sure the entire world could hear her heartbeat.
"I won't let go until you admit you had fun," he said, one of his large hands resting on the small of her back while the other tucked in underneath her curls.
"You still smell like the tavern," she said, her voice muffled against his toned chest.
"Just admit it," he said.
"Hmph, I'd rather eat Frederick's bear meat."
Vaike tipped her chin up with his thumb, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I'll kiss you if you don't admit that you had fun."
Maribelle's breath caught in her throat. He was smiling coyly at her and through the dim moonlight she swore she could see that he was blushing, too. She crinkled her nose at him and stuck out her tongue, ignoring the feeling of warmth begin to pool in her stomach.
She was a perfect high-class member of society. She was friends with royalty, for gods sake. It would only be natural for her to marry Chrom or Frederick or even Stahl. A knight, a Prince, someone with honor. Vaike swung an axe around like it was a toy and his grammar…she didn't even want to get started on his word choice and 3rd person preference.
But it was more about the way that he looked at her. The way that he had been there ever since they were children. He looked at her in every way that a woman ought to be looked at. He wanted her to loosen up and for her to get to know him. Now that she had, she was sure that the feelings bubbling up inside of her were going to erupt if she couldn't bottle them quickly enough.
"Fine," she breathed, ignoring the pang of disappointment in her chest at the missed opportunity for a kiss. "I guess that I sort of…perhaps…maybe had the smallest amount of fun."
Vaike released his hand from her chin and spun in a circle, whooping and hollering. He punched her in the shoulder playfully and then proceeded to drape his arm around her, placing the bags of coins back in her arms.
"I knew it," he said. "Nothin' gets past Teach!"
"Ever the scholar," Maribelle muttered.
He walked her back to camp and they stopped in front of the entrance to the tent she was sharing with Lissa and Robin. He picked at the piece of torn fabric holding back his wild hair as Maribelle stared at her shoes.
"Thank you for tonight," she said, her eyes never leaving the ground.
"O-of course," he answered.
She looked up at him suddenly, a mischievous glint glimmering in her eyes. "You know that you now have to cross over to my side, right?"
"What are you talkin' about?"
"You have to spend one night in high society with me when we get back to the city. It's only fair. Don't you think…Teach?" She batted her eyelashes at him as her bottom lip began to protrude into a small pout.
Vaike thought about it for a moment before sighing. "I guess you're right. That's fair."
Maribelle giggled at his reluctance and began to open the piece of fabric to her tent. "Very well. Thank you again and, umm, goodnight."
He let out a single, nervous chuckle. "Yeah, err, goodnight."
As he began to walk away, Maribelle lingered at the tent's entrance. She felt the cap holding in her bottle of feelings begin to twist open and, as her heart pounded, she found herself doing something she had never done before. She stopped listening, for a split second, to the prim and proper side of her brain.
"Vaike, wait!" she called, welcoming the flood of butterflies into her stomach and the burning pink flush to her cheeks.
"Hmm?" He walked back to her even quicker than he had walked away, a confused expression plastered on his face.
"There is one custom in high society that you should probably practice now. It's kind of hard to get the hang of with you being so used to slumming," she said, her big, brown eyes peering up at him.
"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her in an almost flirtatious manner.
"You must give your lady a kiss goodnight," she said.
"I think the Vaike can learn this custom," he said, his voice dropping to the same low growl he used to whisper in her ear back at the tavern.
Maribelle allowed her eyes to flutter shut as she felt his hands touch her upper arms gingerly. His breath was hot on her cheeks after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. She felt his lips press gently against her cheek, only for a moment, before he pulled away.
She blinked, slightly confused and looked up at him.
"Goodnight, m'lady," he said, squeezing her hand before turning and walking away.
Maribelle reached up and touched her cheek with trembling fingers. He didn't kiss her lips, even though she had given him permission. She felt her lips break into a small smile at the sentiment. In his own way, Vaike had managed to turn a kiss on the cheek into a more intimate experience than a kiss on the lips ever could've been.
She walked back inside the tent with the burlap sacks of her gambling winnings and placed them beside her bed. Lissa and Robin were sound asleep and as much as Maribelle wanted to join them, her heart was still fluttering too fast and her head was still spinning too much. And it was all over a boy that she thought she was too good for.