Thumb Rings and Ballet Slippers
"You have to be... No. No, she wouldn't do that, you're fucking with me."
Munkustrap had winced, Jemima barely cursed or at least barely cursed in front of him. He'd expected her to be upset, maybe even annoyed, but she sounded angry and Jemima never sounded angry. He heard her sigh, pictured the breath drifting from her parted lips and the way she'd run her hand through her always slightly messy hair.
"Sorry to have to tell you," he'd mumbled and jumped slightly at the laugh on the other side of the phone.
"Well you had to," she'd replied, her tone artificially sunny like a light bulb flickering on the border of death, "Are you okay? How are you holding up?"
"What do you mean?" Munkustrap said, feeling himself get progressively more defensive, she'd laughed at him then.
"You know what I mean."
Of course he'd known, he couldn't even contest it. Instead he gave a sigh, a sigh so heavy that from her end it sounded as though he'd just walked into a big gust of wind. The girl he spoke to rubbed her temple before continuing talking to him, choosing her words carefully as he was obviously hurting.
"There's no way I'm going to let you wallow by yourself," she said gently, "Do you want me to drop by?"
"I just, I can't stay, um..."
"Understood," Jemima replied, her tone steady, "Then why don't you come here?"
So he showed up half an hour later, looking worse for wear and a little bit broken but even so, brandishing chocolate biscuits and a small smile. She'd returned that little quirk of the lips and let him in before closing the door behind him in an attempt to lock out the brisk wind from outside and maintain the warmth of her little apartment as her companion obviously needed all the warmth he could get.
They'd sat, him on the sofa and her in her chair, with tea in their laps and chocolate biscuits on the table that they'd occasionally dip into when the feeling struck them. She'd ask him about work and he'd retell funny stories about his pupils and their excuses for late coursework, he'd sympathetically assure her that employment would come soon when she recounted her experience of being fired, they'd talk about how she used to sing and dance in the garden when she thought no one was looking and how he'd patched her up after falling out of a tree when she was younger. They spoke about anything, anything but why he was broken, how he'd been hurt.
Until finally, when they were nearing the end of the packet of biscuits and on the third cup of tea, he suddenly felt his shoulders sag and his chest felt wound up as though someone was tying knots into the crevice between his pectoral muscles. She noticed as he averted his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, plastering that all-too calm smile on his face.
"I don't know, 'Mima," he'd said, making her smile sadly at the little nickname, "Is it me? I tried to keep her away from him, I really did, but she's with him and there's nothing I can do."
"Of course it's not you," Jemima said, her voice far too serious for her elfin face as she stood slowly, made her way over to him and sat cautiously beside his hunched figure.
"Then why does she keep going back? Hell, why do I let her?" a bitter laugh escaped his lips and she decided that it didn't suit him at all.
"Because she loves him," she said flatly, "God knows why but she does and... And you're not some jealous boy and you want to see her happy."
Munkustrap had looked at her then and their eyes locked, his stare was usually comforting and secure but she saw a hint of fear flash in the blue glow of his eyes and she wanted to take it away because he wasn't meant to be scared. He was Munkustrap, he was safe and brave and he wasn't meant to be scared.
"Since when did you get so grown up?" he said teasingly but the laughter that followed fell flat, "You're right. God, you're always right, just like your damn sisters."
"I know," she said, nudging him playfully, "I just wish I got their height too."
Munkustrap had given a dry chuckle as he felt her little hand on his forearm and marked it up as another difference between her and her sisters, she was soft and far less invasive than the older two who would have already had their arms wrapped around him and their hands rubbing circles into his back.
"I have better taste, though," she said gently, "If it helps, I don't understand how she could choose him over the much superior option."
He laughed then and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, she was teasing him and he could tell by the way she smiled expectantly at him and looked a little satisfied when he scoffed. They sat like that for a while, her hand on his arm and him chuckling at her attempts of humor. Until finally, the soprano chirped again.
"In all seriousness," she'd said slowly as though she was still thinking over whether or not what she was about to say was a good idea, "You're great, Munkustrap and I have no idea how she can't see that and- and please don't beat yourself up over this, she'll come around or you'll find someone who appreciates how great you are."
He blinked at her before shrugging and felt her sigh next to him, "I don't know about that."
"Oh please," the elfin girl said, her brow furrowing slightly but a smile still on your face, "You're the most considerate person I've met and you're kind and sweet and I think everyone's just a little bit in love with you. You can ask anyone and they'll tell you the same, you're great."
He'd been shocked at the sudden praise at first. He'd felt the warmth of her dark eyes that darted over every aspect of his face, the light brushing of her thumb against his skin. He looked at her then, let himself take in the edges of her cheekbones and jawline, the thickness of her brows, the depth of her eyes. She'd grown into a beautiful young woman and it was slightly terrifying. It was like he was a teenager again, meeting her sisters for the first time and being overwhelmed by the curves of their figure and their perceptive stares, one's golden hair that flicked at the ends and the other's voluminous red curls, their smell. She wasn't the shy girl that clung to her older sister's leg and cried when she accidentally spilled milk when she was being taught by their Auntie how to make tea.
She was Jemima. She was a dependable young woman who radiated maturity beyond her years whilst still maintaining the sensitivity and indiscriminate love for everyone of a child. She was touching his arm and suddenly one of them leaned in and they were kissing.
He forgot who instigated it. He'd started to feel guilty as her nimble fingers played with the buttons on his shirt and she pulled back for reassurance, which he gave almost automatically. When his top was bare and she'd looked on his chest for as long as he felt comfortable, he kissed her again and let his hands fall uncertainly to the hem of her own shirt. She pulled back again and held her hands in the air, looking as though she was surrendering, and he pulled it over her head to reveal her bra. He was caught in the crossroads of wanting to bundle her up in a blanket, make her a cup of tea and forget it all happened and wanting to stare to assure himself that she was not a silly child any more, she was an adult and she knew what she was doing.
Then Victoria came in and Jemima scrambled to try and make the situation look as casual as possible though no one in the room believed that this was just a friendly visit. Munkustrap waved at Victoria before standing awkwardly and coughing as though to clear his throat before launching into a long speech,
"I suppose I should- I should maybe," he started, his hands clapping down on his thighs slightly.
"You should go," Jemima finished with a giggle, "I mean, if you want, you're welcome to stay of course. I'm sure it can't get any more uncomfortable than this."
Munkustrap gave a brief chuckle, "No, I should go. Thanks for that Jemima, I'll, um, I'll see you soon."
He started to walk away, smiling shyly at Victoria as he did and feeling unsure about why the blonde was laughing at him until he felt a little hand on his shoulder. The same little hand that had resided on his forearm, that had soothed him and he turned and looked down into a smile and brown eyes.
"Shirt, Munkus," she said teasingly, handing it over. He blinked at it as if it was offending him before laughing and throwing it over his shoulders.
"Yep. Good idea."
He'd left still buttoning it up and Jemima watched his retreating frame, her eyes scanning the muscles in his back and her hands itching to undo all of the knots that made it look tense. And that was that. He was gone.
Victoria was still giggling, "Shirt, Jemima."
The dark-haired girl jumped and her face flushed as she ran over to her abandoned shirt and flung it over her head before smiling apologetically to the couple stood in the doorway.
"I'm sorry, that's not a regular thing, I promise," she said hurriedly, "Tea, yeah?"
Jemima was wowed by Plato, as Victoria had hoped she would be. He'd complimented her tea, spoke about the date and laughed it off when she tried to apologise again for her appearance when he'd first come in. Victoria watched him as he spoke with as much ease as he had on their date, there was no sign of nervousness or worry and when the time came for him to leave, she walked him out.
"So that was my room mate," she said, a smile playing at the edges of her lips.
"She's nice," Plato concluded, "I didn't expect to see her topless though, I will admit."
Victoria laughed and shrugged, "I'm going to have to berate her about that."
Plato laughed a little back before looking down the street and sighed before positioning himself a little closer to her so that she had to tilt her head so she could see his face properly. Slowly, but with a slight certainty, he kissed her softly and smiled against her lips as her hand went up to brush his cheek. He pulled away slightly, grinning at the adorable doe-eyed look on her face.
"We'll do this again, right?" he whispered and she nodded with a smile, "Then I'll see you soon."
"See you soon."
She didn't watch him leave, she didn't want to seem too keen although keen was all she was feeling at that moment. She sighed before going back into the flat where an excited Jemima sat waiting for her with an expectant grin.
"He's nice," the younger sang, "Very nice, good bone structure too."
"He is, isn't he?" Victoria said excitedly, brushing a hand through her hair. She made her way over to her armchair and flopped in it, a contended smile on her pretty face and it struck Jemima that she'd not seen Victoria this happy before. Her blue eyes practically sparkled and her cheeks were pink with a lovely flush that made her healthy and radiant, her lips, if Jemima wasn't mistaken were freshly kissed and she touched them lightly with her fingers as though she was checking they were still there.
"We'll be seeing each other again soon, he gave me his number at dinner and I know it's a little silly to get so excited but I really can't wait," the blonde said with a grin.
"Did you go to the Italian place?"
"Oh God no."
Jemima giggled, her finger going around the rim of her empty mug and her eyes falling on the nearly finished packet of biscuits that lay tauntingly on the table, she didn't really see them though she could only see Munkustrap's almost pained expression as he darted out of the flat and guilt soaked her through, making her cold with realisation of what had happened. Victoria watched her inquisitively before timidly patting her lap.
"Come tell big sister Vicky all about it," she cooed, Jemima blinked up and tried to laugh it off.
"Oh God, Vic. It's nothing, really."
"Like hell is it nothing," Victoria said bluntly, her patting getting more insistent until Jemima stood and wedged herself next to Victoria on the little cramped armchair.
Their friendship had grown strong in such a short time, they'd gotten used to nudging each other with their hips if they were in the way, playing with each other's hair or sharing an armchair for a brief moment if one of them needed to talk as it was evident that Jemima definitely needed to talk, try as she may to brush it off as she always did. Platinum mixed with mahogany and Victoria threw her arm around her friend's smaller frame with a little smile.
"You told me there was nothing going on between you and Munkustrap," Victoria started, her tone was neither offended nor accusing but simply tender, prying.
"There's not," Jemima said slightly glumly, her shoulders sagged and her face crumpled for a fraction of a second, "It's stupid. I can't believe I, we-"
"Hey, don't beat yourself up," Victoria said gently, "He's hot."
Jemima made a little grunt, displaying her concurrence with the other girl before they both broke into a trail of giggles. Victoria gave her a squeeze before continuing to inquire about what she'd witnessed.
"So why was he here?" she asked. Jemima bit her lip and played with her hands and Victoria saw her eyes water and automatically wanted to cradle the younger girl. She'd seen Jemima cry plenty of times before, Jemima would cry at a good book, a film, a song, sometimes she'd even cry at the news but Victoria could handle how easily Jemima could be moved because usually she was so strong, laughing off everything and coping with a cup of tea whenever life got too stressful, she'd never cried about anything that directly affected her before. Victoria looked at her, her brows furrowed with concern and her lips pursed as Jemima took a deep breath and her shoulders sagged.
"Um, my sister," Jemima started, "The one that he's madly in love with."
"The one that lives about half an hour away and still hasn't visited you?" Victoria said with an edge of resentment, she'd never questioned Jemima's family dynamic but found herself disliking the thought of one of her sisters, the blonde one in the family photo that Jemima had framed because Victoria found it incredibly ignorant of her to not make a bus ride over to check on her little sister but she bit her tongue constantly around her room mate, not wanting to spur an argument.
"That's the one, that's Demeter" Jemima said lightly, "She rang him up earlier, she's got back with her ex."
"Oh?"
"Her ex, he's Munkustrap and Tugger's brother and he's a nasty piece of work. A really clever man, really artistic too but he has this really mean streak and we've tried so hard to convince her that he's not worth her time but she keeps going back and it's not as if he's ever done anything to her, it's just the way he is around her. Like, the way he looks at her."
"The way he looks at her?" Victoria asked, confusion prominent on her face but an obvious willing to understand in her voice.
"He looks at her like... Like she's this pretty doll that he got for Christmas one year."
"He sounds pleasant," the blonde grimaced, making Jemima shrug and play with her hands.
"Munkustrap, he's always wanted Demeter and I think he thought that this time maybe it'd actually happen but," she paused, "I guess it just didn't. So he rang me after trying to talk to Tugger about it, but Tugger being Tugger didn't answer his phone and I guess it was to tell me since Demeter wouldn't, she'd think I'd tell Bombalurina who'd go skitz. Anyway, he was sad so I invited him over and we just-"
Victoria nodded knowingly, peering at Jemima's ashen face and how the girl kept her brown eyes on the floor so she didn't have to look the blonde girl in the face.
"Jemima," Victoria tried, "Do you... Do you maybe like Munkustrap a little bit?"
Jemima sighed, her voice wavered now, "Well if I didn't, I don't think I would have... Oh God, Vicky, I'm an idiot sometimes. I really am."
"No you're not."
"He's eight years older than me, he loves my sister and I'm sure that was the last thing he needed right now," Jemima mumbled, burying her head in her hands, "I'm so stupid."
Victoria shifted so she could bring Jemima closer and play with her dark hair. It hurt to watch her so upset, Jemima was a sweet girl, always putting other's needs before her own and to see her look so sad. She looked like a wilted sunflower and Victoria didn't like it, she didn't like it one bit.
"Listen to me, Miss," Victoria said softly with a smile, "You're not stupid. You're the bravest nineteen year old I've ever met, living with a mental ballet dancer and on top of that, you make the best damn tea I've ever tasted and I won't have you thinking that you're stupid. If he didn't want to kiss you, then he wouldn't have. Whether or not something comes from this is to be decided, right? And if I ever hear you calling yourself stupid again, I'll pirouette you to death, got it?"
"With your pointe shoes?" Jemima said meekly and Victoria could hear the smile in her voice.
"You bet your arse with my pointe shoes."
Jemima giggled and looked up at her friend. She was lucky to have Victoria with her, if she'd had to sit on her own after that she didn't know what she would have done, probably just sat and sulked. It was refreshing to have the blonde there, to have a comforting ear that understood her entirely without being patronising.
"Thanks Mum," Jemima teased making the blonde nudge her playfully, "Now enough about this, it's depressing me. Tell me all about your date. Do you think he'll be your boyfriend now? Will you get married? Have children with perfectly symmetrical faces and the highest cheekbones ever to grace this planet?"
((A/N: I've been gone for a while! Sorry guys, I'm currently working as an elf for Christmas which includes twelve hour shifts, that's also on top of college work too! Ahhh! I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway! Thanks again c: ))