(no subject)

[handfulofsapphires]

Nicaise was looking up septum rings on his phone. Ever since he'd seen Agatha's he'd been a little obsessed. It wasn't an uncommon piercing back home, in fact, in hindsight it was probably surprising he didn't already have one. Perhaps the Regent hadn't preferred them. Only his ears were pierced, though he rarely wore earrings in Darrow. It wasn't the fashion for men, and the more feminine he appeared the more shit the jocks at school were liable to throw at him.

If only he were older. Magnus had his ears pierced, he wore face paint and fine clothes and no one seemed to say a thing about it. Magnus was allowed to be beautiful while Nicaise's one prized attribute felt more like a curse.

Nose rings, however, seemed to be more gender neutral. And besides, he was a little tired of playing by everyone else's rules.

Agatha said her father had to come with her, as with most things in Darrow there were age limits, so Nicaise approached Laurent after he came home.

"Laurent?" he called, tapping at his bedroom door. "Are you busy?"

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[cast_iron_bitch]

Laurent had never truly cared for a child before Darrow, but taking Nicaise as his ward had proved educational. For one, no normal child knocked before entering a room. For another, no child asked if one was busy when they did not want something.

'No,' Laurent decided, placing a ribbon in his book to mark its place. 'What is it?'

[handfulofsapphires]

Nicaise peeked inside to double check that Laurent wasn't busy, and then came into the room with his phone. He climbed onto the bed, scooting up until he was lying on his stomach next to Laurent.

"I think I'd like to get a piercing," he said, showing Laurent the photos he'd pulled up. Though the phone had been a mystery when he first came to Darrow, he'd mastered it quickly. "But I need you to come with me."

[cast_iron_bitch]

While he would accept it from few others, the warmth of Nicaise's slighter body was welcome as he leaned against Laurent's side. Even with their heater dialed to full, it was difficult to keep warm in the winter months. Perhaps a move would soon be in order, thought Laurent, should the gym's good business continue.

He gazed down at the image in Nicaise's hand. 'To hold your hand?'

[handfulofsapphires]

Nicaise looked up at Laurent and rolled his eyes. He'd never had anyone hold his hand through anything, he certainly wasn't going to start for something as innocuous as this.

"They have an age limit here, as with everything else," he said dryly, his distaste for Darrow's rules apparent. If the city brought people from all cultures, it should take them into account. "I'll need parental permission."

[cast_iron_bitch]

'Very well.' Laurent glanced down at the photographs again, making a wager with himself as to what sort of adornment Nicaise might choose. Simple steel, gold, or perhaps one of the most sculpted rings? He decided on the latter.

'Do you think one would suit me?'

[handfulofsapphires]

Nicaise looked Laurent over, like he might see someone new there. But, of course, it was the same buttoned up man as always.

"I don't think so," he answered honestly, turning on his side to peer at Laurent's closest earlobe. There was a small indent, but Nicaise doubted the reality of it. "Do you even have your ears pierced?"

[cast_iron_bitch]

'Yes,' answered Laurent. It had not been his preference, but he had followed the suggestion his uncle made long ago. Now he only wore an earring when absolutely necessary, a blessed rarity.

He tugged on one pale lobe to make the hole appear. 'I wore your sapphires once.'

[handfulofsapphires]

"Really, when?" Nicaise asked, surprised to hear it. Not only that Laurent had kept the earrings, but it was also difficult to imagine Laurent in such showy jewelry. They'd been made to stand out. He would have looked good in them, though, Nicaise had no doubt.

[cast_iron_bitch]

'On a mission to undermine my Uncle's plans,' answered Laurent. 'We were at an inn, and it was far easier to swallow that I might be Damen's pet instead of the reverse. Your earring completed the deception.'

He was quiet for a moment. 'I believe that journey is when my perception of him began to change.'

[handfulofsapphires]

"You pretended to be a pet?" Nicaise asked, his voice going almost shrill as he shot up, bracing himself on his elbow. He laughed, something undignified, part awe, part horror.

His smile dimmed and he rolled his eyes at the quiet admission, dismissive of the romance between the two of them. Not because it involved Damen, but of romance in general.

"He played a good master, I assume?" Nicaise smirked.