Smoke and Mirrors : Royal Angels I

BONUS #3

Celebrating 300k 💛

~Xavier~

"Teach me how to draw."

Victoria was holding me at pencil-point, crossing her feet on the other side of the couch. The power had gone out an hour ago and we didn't really have much to do in the cabin.

Except, perhaps, make out.

A fact that Victoria was making her life time goal to ignore.

"How about I teach you how to paint instead?" I asked her.

She arched a brow.

"We've got no paint." She helpfully pointed out. "Or brushes. Or a canvas."

"I've got fingers." I counted them out. "And I could just use them on your skin."

"I've got a pencil." She rolled her eyes. "And I could just stab you with it."

I easily stole the thing from her, and tucked it behind my ear. Victoria managed to get it back - at the cost of tackling me on the couch.

I trapped her hands before she could get away, her hair a red curtain falling around me.

"Oh, I forgot." I said, kissing her collarbone. "Your body's a work of art already."

"Why?" She muttered. "Why can't you at least be bad at being cheesy?"

"At least?" I smiled. "So you agree I'm awesome at basically everything?"

"Well, you do sing like Kermit the Frog." She rolled her eyes. "Clearly that's awesome."

"Give me any instrument." I challenged her. "And I'll show you awesome."

Victoria groaned. "God. You're Beethoven's long lost grandson or something, aren't you?"

"I'll have you know I suck. Capital S.U.C.K." I laughed. "I'll torch a piano before I figure out what a C sharp is."

Victoria pursed her lips, looking at the guitar over the mantle.

"You want the guy who can play a girl's underwear off, his name's Daniel." I answered her unspoken question. "And while we're on the subject, he's also tried seven times now and failed miserably at teaching me chess."

Victoria's eyes were fond and she was trying not to smile.

I'll admit I was thoroughly confused when she kissed me.

"And never have I said that and turned a woman on." I mumbled, a little out of breath, as her lips hovered over mine.

She settled in beside me on the couch. I put an arm around her shoulder, shaking my head.

"You're weird." I stated for the record.

"No, but you know what is weird?" She said, eyes wide in mock realisation. "You're actually kinda hot when you're not an arrogant ässhole."

"I also got an F in trig." I said, solemnly. "And I'll tell you all about it, if the F stands for fücking you."

She hit me with her pencil.

"Enough." Victoria rolled her eyes and adamantly found me a piece of paper. "How about this? You teach me how to draw and I'll teach you how to play."

I arched a brow.

"I can play with you just fine, Shortcake." I said. "But if you want to tutor me, I can always pretend to be a bad student."

"Dear God." She muttered, her cheeks flushing. "The guitar. I meant, the fücking guitar."

I smiled, humouring her. "Fine. But don't blame me if I'm horrible at it and get too hot for you, cara."

She rolled her eyes. "Does that mean bîtch in Italian?"

"You forbid me from speaking in Italian, remember?" I said vaguely.

She looked at me in curiosity, but then she let it go.

I taught her how to draw a face slowly, going from rough circles to the features. Despite all that, Victoria did an exceptional job of drawing Mrs. Potato head.

She handed it to me, pouting.

"It isn't that bad." I tried to say something nice. "It kinda looks like Jennifer Lawrence from an angle."

I probably deserve to eat those poisoned berries for that.

Victoria sighed. "J Law should give you an Oscar for that."

For some reason I felt like a failure too, for not managing to teach her. Victoria got off the couch to keep her end of the bargain.

"I haven't played in a long time." She warned me, taking the guitar off the wall.

I gestured for her to sit on my lap. She obliged, only for the blessed fact that we had only one guitar and we had to share.

"How about you just play something?" I was a little caught up in staring at her lips now to learn anything at all. "And I promise I'll shut up?"

"I've waited for this moment for a long time." She muttered. "Deal."

She shifted over, sitting on the coffee table. I didn't miss how she was just a little nervous starting out.

Why'd she have to be so göddamn adorable?

The familiar tune of Hotel California filled the silence around me and I closed my eyes, lying back on the couch.

Why'd she have to be so göddamn badass?

The minute she set the guitar back down, I pulled her up and put on the same song on my phone. She laughed, as I put a hand around her waist and spin her around.

"I don't do dancing." She reminded me.

I smiled. "At least, we can suck at this together, cara."

We had no idea if this was dancing, but she did put her hands around my neck, and we were moving together.

"That's the Old Language, isn't it?" Victoria asked me eventually, resting her head on my chest. "The one in Haven, the one the royals still know."

Some dance to remember.

Some dance to forget.

"Yes." I whispered, kissing her hair and wishing the song wouldn't end. "In the Old language, Cara means my dearest bîtch."

***

Xavier : "Vote for the Eagles." XD