sebastian:
There wasn’t even a hint of flirtation in the malice of Dex’s words, and it made Sebastian curious. He’d started to tune it out, because he knew Dex was never serious, only said those things to get a reaction, and the worst thing Sebastian could do was give him one. Now though, Dex wasn’t even attempting to hide behind casual flirting. Something had changed, and Sebastian wasn’t sure what it was. Thinking back to the interaction they’d had backstage at the party was like trying to remember a faded dream, the edges eaten away at and obscured by what had happened directly after. If Dex had been involved, how could he have looked at Sebastian like he had, as if Sebastian was pulling some long-abandoned thread inside his chest and if he kept at it, Dex was going to unravel right in front him. Maybe this wasn’t the first time Sebastian was close to something Dex would rather not have him see.
“You thought I ran away.”He was surprised at just how offended he sounded, even to his own ears. “After everything I said?” Suddenly, it was impossible to keep the mask he was wearing from cracking, and he looked away, wondering why this was affecting him so much. Why had he expected Dex to listen, or to understand? They weren’t the same, Dex had said it himself, Sebastian was the only one who recognized anything in Dex. Yet still, still, Sebastian couldn’thelp but swallow around a sudden bloom of awe. “That’s the first time you’ve said my actual name.” It was nice, the way Dex said it. He wanted to hear it again.
This happened every time he was with Dex. It was always so easy to let his guard down and say things he’d regret later, as if he wanted Dex to understand. He had to quickly compose himself again, because he still hadn’t gotten a conclusive answer, and if he kept dodging all of Dex’s questions, he suspected Dex really was going to kick him out. It was time to try a different tactic. Finally, he looked back at Dex, determined. “Fine, let’s not play games.” Sebastian took another step closer, his breathing getting just a bit quicker. He had to be careful to give away just enough that if Dex didn’t know anything, he would stay that way, and if he did know something, he’d react. “I want to know why Roman was involved at all. He doesn’t have anything to do with the truce. They could have waited for him to leave to get me alone, but they didn’t. That was a huge risk to take. Why?” His hands were balled into fists at his sides, real anger slipping into his posture. All Roman was ever going to experience was pain when he was with Sebastian and that… it just wasn’t fair.
There seemed to be something behind Sebastian’s words, an edge, like Dex had insulted him somehow, called him cowardly. Maybe, in the other’s eyes, running away was. Running was necessary in Dex’s line of work, sometimes you could fight, other times it was better to take the hit. Marriage out of the blue seemed like a reason to pick flight. “Lot’s of people run away from shit like that... arranged marriages,” Dex replied, “It’s reasonable. I would of.” Though, he’d already drawn the line in the sand. They were different people, from different walks of life. Oil and water, they’d never mix, even if some part deep down wanted to keep swirling. When Sebastian mentioned Dex calling him by his name, honey in his voice like he was trying to catch flies. He looked away, face reddening. “Oh. You’ve been paying attention? You care that much?” Dex tried to sound biting, but instead it just sounded embarrassed.
It must of been hate, that made Dex feel this way. Like his lungs were on fire and his head working over dive. He wanted to come closer to size the princess up, kick and shove. Last time told him not too. Dex never had too, Sebastian came a step closer, a step towards his barrier, the line between them. His breath was gone. For a second, it felt like before. Then, of course, the princess spouted a bunch of bullshit about people he didn’t even know. “Who the fuck is Roman?” he asked, more anger than anything. Now, Dex wasn’t just confused about Sebastian, he was confused about what he was saying. “I don’t know a fucking Roman, kid. Whatever your smoking, you should probably cut down on it.” A part of him wanted to bridge the gap, grab the prince’s wrists and ask him to calm down for a fucking second and explain. It made his lungs constrict, thinking about it, having to be so close to someone like him, Romulus’ son.
“Look, I have no clue what you’re on about. I’ll let you know,” he started, hopping up to sit on the table, legs swaying ever-so slightly. “After our little talk, I took the place of Dante with an... associate of mine, to which you didn’t show up despite us calling you to the stage a few time and performed... let’s call it a magic trick.” More like a magical murder, but Dex wasn’t about to get chewed out for having a little fun. “Then they announce an engagement with you and Margaret, you never fucking show, I finish up some business with a vampire friend of mine and leave. My friend calls me the next day, says she’s fucking off for a while, so I have to keep my... business running by myself. I was running shit the last two nights. Doing books during the day.” Whatever Sebastian was insinuating, Dex didn’t want any part of it. “Quid pro quo. I told you my story, how about you tell me yours. Since you clearly think I did something.”












