Drabble: “Your precious cupcake.” Jareth’s words traced frost in their wake, setting the air between us alight with fanciful, bitterly cold curlicues that would frostburn your skin right off if they touched you. “Your main squeeze. Your…sugar woogums.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “What of it?”
He closed his eyes briefly as his jaw clenched. “Can you enlighten me as to why these…descriptors appeared in public?”
“Appeared in public? Whatever do you mean?”
He held up an invitation pinched between his thumb and forefinger as if it were a poisonous snake. The invitation fluttered and shimmered sweetly, doing its best to nuzzle him. He shook it to get it to stop. “This went throughout the realm, did it not?”
My lips twitched ever so slightly.
“Did it not, Sarah?”
“It did.”
“I would consider an invitation sent throughout the realm to be public.”
“Well, when you put it like that—“
“—particularly when said invitation invites all recipients to a celebration at the castle in honor of my birthday.”
“You don’t want a birthday celebration? Tsk, how grumpy of you.”
He put a hand across his eyes. “What did I do to affront you so? Just tell me.”
“You want the truth?”
“If you would be so kind.” His eyes telegraphed dire doom in my general direction.
I shrugged it off. I was immune after so many years of marriage. “You’ve been a dour bastard miring in his own broody thoughts for far too long. My smaller efforts to roust you had no effect. The realm was suffering, and you didn’t care. So I figured I’d give you something concrete to sulk about.”
“Sulk?”
“And bonus points if it cheered up your long-suffering subjects at the same time.”
“I don’t sulk.”
“No, you just do a brilliant job pretending to.”
“Sarah…”
“Consider yourself fortunate that only a few choice pet names were involved. I could have been more creative, you know.”
“You truly do hate me.”
“I truly do love you, you insufferable man. But you have a responsibility to your subjects not to lock them in perpetual gloom, and you apparently needed a bit of help on that front. My wondrous sugar woogums.”
He shook his head slowly. “Who’s insufferable now?”
I shrugged. “Learned from the best.” I held out a hand. “Come on. Is that a drop of sunlight I see piercing the clouds outside? Why don’t we enjoy it, hmmm?”
He stared at my hand for a long moment, and then captured it in his with a graceful, predatory motion. “And how do you propose we enjoy it…cupcake?”
I grinned. “I’m sure we can be….creative. I have such faith in you.”
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ninetydegrees
no subject
2022-04-07 21:50 (UTC)Drabble:
“Your precious cupcake.” Jareth’s words traced frost in their wake, setting the air between us alight with fanciful, bitterly cold curlicues that would frostburn your skin right off if they touched you. “Your main squeeze. Your…sugar woogums.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “What of it?”
He closed his eyes briefly as his jaw clenched. “Can you enlighten me as to why these…descriptors appeared in public?”
“Appeared in public? Whatever do you mean?”
He held up an invitation pinched between his thumb and forefinger as if it were a poisonous snake. The invitation fluttered and shimmered sweetly, doing its best to nuzzle him. He shook it to get it to stop. “This went throughout the realm, did it not?”
My lips twitched ever so slightly.
“Did it not, Sarah?”
“It did.”
“I would consider an invitation sent throughout the realm to be public.”
“Well, when you put it like that—“
“—particularly when said invitation invites all recipients to a celebration at the castle in honor of my birthday.”
“You don’t want a birthday celebration? Tsk, how grumpy of you.”
He put a hand across his eyes. “What did I do to affront you so? Just tell me.”
“You want the truth?”
“If you would be so kind.” His eyes telegraphed dire doom in my general direction.
I shrugged it off. I was immune after so many years of marriage. “You’ve been a dour bastard miring in his own broody thoughts for far too long. My smaller efforts to roust you had no effect. The realm was suffering, and you didn’t care. So I figured I’d give you something concrete to sulk about.”
“Sulk?”
“And bonus points if it cheered up your long-suffering subjects at the same time.”
“I don’t sulk.”
“No, you just do a brilliant job pretending to.”
“Sarah…”
“Consider yourself fortunate that only a few choice pet names were involved. I could have been more creative, you know.”
“You truly do hate me.”
“I truly do love you, you insufferable man. But you have a responsibility to your subjects not to lock them in perpetual gloom, and you apparently needed a bit of help on that front. My wondrous sugar woogums.”
He shook his head slowly. “Who’s insufferable now?”
I shrugged. “Learned from the best.” I held out a hand. “Come on. Is that a drop of sunlight I see piercing the clouds outside? Why don’t we enjoy it, hmmm?”
He stared at my hand for a long moment, and then captured it in his with a graceful, predatory motion. “And how do you propose we enjoy it…cupcake?”
I grinned. “I’m sure we can be….creative. I have such faith in you.”
“You do know just the things to say, don’t you?”
“As I said, learned from the best.”