Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lune hated parties.

Well, hate is a strong word. She wasn’t exactly fond of them, let alone any social event that required her to venture out of her lab. She preferred the quiet and peaceful solitude, spending countless hours of the day immersing herself in her ongoing research.

Yet, here she was, being dragged to the Welcome Back banquet for the faculty of Université de Lumière, on a Wednesday night no less. Her friends and colleagues, Gustave and Tristan, were insistent that she come with them, much to her chagrin. She barely had any time to return to her apartment to change into something presentable and do her hair and makeup. She at least managed to put her hair up in a presentable bun and throw on the nearest formal dress she could find in her closet, along with a nice pair of high heels she saved only for special occasions.

Being one of the most prestigious universities in all of France, they went all out for the occasion. Somehow they had a ballroom, specifically for events such as these. Large round tables spread out adorned with fancy table cloths, the finest dinnerware Lune had ever seen in her life, and of course, the extravagant food and drinks.

All of this felt so excessive for someone like her. Even though her late parents were pretty renown in their field, her family wasn’t exactly wealthy. Growing up, she was lucky to have a roof over her head and food on the table, but this lavish lifestyle was foreign to her. Even working at the university the last couple of years, she still didn’t feel like she fit in. Not completely.

“Lune, you okay? You’re spacing out,” a voice jolted Lune from her thoughts. She turned her head around to face Sciel, her best friend. She was always so attentive and nurturing in her approach with her friends, it was almost motherly. She always admired that about her.

Lune turned back to the food she was picking at on her plate. “Yeah, sorry,” she murmured. “Overwhelmed.”

“Right,” Sciel noted. “Parties are not your thing.”

“They are not.”

“Well,” she continued. “Gustave and Sophie should be back any minute. Went to get more refreshments before the music performance started.”

Right, there was a guest performer this evening. She figured it was someone from the music department, but knowing how big the budget for these things were, they could’ve hired a celebrity.

While Lune was a musician herself, it was more of a hobby than a profession. Her parents often discouraged her from such things, finding them frivolous and a waste of time. She spent most of her adolescence hiding her guitar from them, looking up videos online to teach herself cords and writing her own songs. Even seven years after their deaths, she could only get herself to do the occasional bar gig and post recordings sporadically online, under a pseudonym of course.

She hoped the performance would be the one reprieve from being forced to come here, at least just to get lost in music like she always did.

“Who’s performing again?” Lune asked, turning back to Sciel. It was on the event program, but she couldn’t be bothered to look at it.

‘Uh,” Sciel reached for the program, glancing it over. “It says here it’s Verso Dessendre. He teaches piano for the music department.”

“Huh.” Verso Dessendre. Why did that name sound familiar?

Was he related to Renoir and Aline Dessendre? They were part of the Board of Directors for the University, as well as some of their big donors. Not to mention, the Dessendre family was famous in the art world, having had exceptionally talented artists in the family line for generations, mostly painters. It was strange she had never heard of him until now.

Lune took a sip of her wine, lost in thought. She didn’t even notice when the Dean announced that the performance was starting. Suddenly the lights dimmed down, a spotlight shown bright on the stage where a black grand piano rested on full display. A man in a black suit and tie with dark curly hair the fell to just above his shoulders walked onto the stage, taking a quick bow before he sat down on the bench. He straightened his posture, took a deep breath and began to play.

Immediately, Lune became mesmerized.

The way he was so intently focused on his purpose, to the precision and ease of which his fingers were hitting the piano keys made playing it look so effortless. The melody felt like it was from a dream, something ethereal that resonated from within him. The notes connected together fluidly, telling a story on it’s own without lyrics. Lune couldn’t pinpoint a specific tone, but it seemed to vary from joy, to longing, to even grief. It was hauntingly beautiful.

She felt she could listen to this for hours. She didn’t even notice when the first song slowed down to a close, and the next one began. Then the next one. Every melody felt unreal.

She was so transfixed on what was happening that she didn’t notice Gustave and Sophie had returned. Sophie sat next to Sciel, both women looking at Lune’s reaction to the performance. Absolutely amused, Sophie leaned in to whisper something to Sciel, only for the brunette-haired woman to chuckle quietly in response.

The performance had eventually came to a close. The room immediately erupted in applause, many people giving a standing ovation. Lune joined in but remained sitting, still in a daze. The song had captured her in a way she had never thought possible with music. Her ever curious mind raced. She felt like she needed to know more about this mysterious man. Who was he? Where did he come from?

Suddenly, Verso had turned his head, which was facing away from the audience up until now. Lune could get a better view of his face, and that’s when her eyes locked with his.

His silver blue eyes stared into hers with an intensity that she couldn’t quite name. His breath caught, time seeming to freeze in this one moment. She couldn’t help but stare back.

He was beautiful.

“Lune? You there?”

Sciel’s call finally brought her out of her trance. She jolted suddenly, turning away from his gaze on her to look at her friend.

“Huh?”

Sciel chuckled in amusement with a small grin, “...Nevermind.”

Lune rolled her eyes before glancing back at the stage, only to find that Verso had already vanished. The lights had turned back on. People returned to eating and chatting among themselves as if those last fleeting moments never happened. To her though, it felt like a dream she never wanted to wake up from. Her passion for music never felt more intensified than in those few minutes of song.

In that moment, Lune resolved to learn all she could about Verso Dessendre.

Chapter Text

Lune walked into the lab the next morning, coffee in hand, running on little sleep as usual. Her mind was still reeling in the events of last night. She couldn’t get him or his music out of her head. She was still so curious about him. How he learned his craft. What inspired his song. Hell, why he would even follow the path of a musician instead of an artist like others in his family.

Those would be mysteries to solve for a different time though. She needed to focus on her work for the day. She couldn’t afford distractions, after all.

She set her bag and coffee down on her desk, taking out her work laptop along with the charger. She plugged it into the nearest outlet, taking her seat and turning the laptop on. Taking out her earbuds, she pulled a random playlist from her phone, some lo-fi for today, and began to lose herself in her work.

Gustave arrived a few minutes later, setting his stuff down and getting his toolbox out. Glancing over at Lune, he chuckled. No indication that she heard him come in, so there was only one thing to do...

“Morning,” he said a bit loudly, startling her. Merde, he really is the loudest, she thought, remembering an offhand comment Sciel made one time. Lune whipped her head around, giving her friend and co-worker a death glare.

“I swear to God,” she muttered. “One of these days I’m going to kill you, Gustave.”

“Sorry,” Gustave replied, throwing his hands in the air in mock defeat. “I can’t help it sometimes. You get so focused, I don’t think there’s any other way to get your attention.”

Typical Gustave. He was incredibly kind and a goofball, but also a pain in the ass sometimes.

Lune rolled her eyes, “I have my earbuds in for a reason.”

“Right,” he said, taking a seat at his desk. “You seem very occupied this morning.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“More than usual.”

“Meaning?” Lune raised her eyebrow. Where was he going with this?

“Something’s on your mind,” Gustave noted, a smirk appeared on his face.

“It’s nothing.” Lune was quick to shut him down. She was not in the mood for this, not now and not with Gustave of all people. The last thing she needed was her friends prying into her personal affairs.

“You sure?”

“You act like you know something I don’t,” Lune said, agitation rising in her tone.

“Well,” he started. “I talked to Sophie after the banquet last night.”

“And?”

“And,” he continued, “she mentioned that you were totally staring at the pianist from the performance.”

At the mention of the pianist, Lune’s eyes widened and cheeks reddened, and then quietly cursed, “Merde.” Sophie, Gustave’s partner, was usually a sweetheart and overall a good friend, but she could be a bit of a gossip sometimes.

“Ah ha!” he teased, leaning in his chair, “Sophie was right.”

“Sophie should learn to mind her own business,” Lune shot back. “But, yes. I was.”

“Aaand?” Gustave asked, exaggerating for effect.

“And it meant nothing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to work on this project.”

She turned around, ready to be done with this conversation. She just wanted to get back to her work and not have to think about him. Not right now. She didn’t need any more distractions.

She couldn’t afford distractions.

A few moments passed, quiet settling in, until...

“I know him,” Gustave spoke suddenly. Lune spun around in her chair to face him once again, her interest piqued.

“You do?”

“Yeah,” he went on, “Verso and I go way back. He was my classmate in high school, and I tutored his little sister Mae- Alicia. Still do, actually. He’s a good guy and fucking talented in his craft. He does tend to keep to himself though, so we don’t hang out too often, but we’re friends.”

As Gustave shared more about his relationship to Verso, Lune felt herself getting more and more invested by the minute. She had so many questions. It was like whenever she discovered something new in her research. Her mind wouldn’t stop, can’t stop, until she obtained that knowledge she was seeking. “So, how is he related to the Dessendres?” she asked.

“He’s the Directors’ son. Their only son,” Gustave answered. “He’s the middle child. His older sister, Clea, is a sculpture artist, and his younger sister Alicia is still in school. She struggles a bit, but she’s sharp and smart as hell.”

“Hm,” Lune put her hand on her chin, as she often did when she was focused on her research, “Interesting. I wonder what inspired him to become a musician. It seems like he’s taken a different path from the rest of his family.”

Gustave chuckled, always amused by Lune’s insatiable curiosity. “I mean, I could let him know you’re interested.”

“Interested in what?”

“Come on, Lune. You know...” he didn’t need to say the quiet part loud as it automatically clicked for Lune. Oh, not this again…

“Gustave,” she hissed, “You know how I feel about dating people without getting to know them first.”

And she hadn’t been on a real date in years. Not since she and Gustave briefly dated for about two months, before realizing they remained better off as friends. That was five years ago, and she had sworn off relationships and dating since. The only thing that came close was occasionally having sex, both with men and women, but it didn’t lead to anything more.

Because she couldn’t afford distractions.

The engineer sighed, “I know, I know. But at the very least, you could use more friends.”

“I have plenty of friends,” Lune argued.

“Oh yeah?” he teased, “Name anyone outside of our friend group that you hang out with on a regular basis. I’ll wait.”

The researcher thought for a moment. There… really wasn’t anyone aside from the aforementioned friend group or her older siblings that she was close with. She had always kept most people at arm’s length. To this day, she didn’t know how she ended up with the friends she had, but she was grateful for them at least. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to make friends either, but she was someone who always put her work first. Before hobbies. Before friends. Even before love. Damn her parents for instilling that mindset in her.

“Alright, alright,” she sighed in defeat, “You got me there.”

“Besides, you’re always saying you want to connect with other musicians,” Gustave added, ‘which, by the way, none of us are.”

“I get it, Gustave,” Lune rolled her eyes, “I just… I’d rather admire him from afar first? If that makes sense.”

“So you mean, like, stalking?” Gustave asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“Putain, no!” Lune was taken aback at the notion of even doing such a thing, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Okay, sorry. I know you wouldn’t do that type of thing.” He sounded apologetic enough.

“The fact that you would even suggest that is… something,” Lune sighed, “but I meant being in a… common space? As musicians? I don’t know.”

Gustave leaned back in his chair, and Lune could tell he was thinking intensely. They were similar in that regard, always brainstorming endless new ideas. The minds of scientists never ceased.

“You know,” he finally spoke after pondering for several moments, “the practice rooms for the music department students are open to faculty too. Even those who work outside of the program.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm,” he continued, “And if I recall correctly, Verso is there almost every morning. You should stop by before work, even if it’s only to practice yourself. We don’t need to clock in until 9 anyway.”

Lune nodded “Good to know, thanks,” before finally turning away and getting back to work. Gustave giving her a lead was a start. At the very least, she would have a space outside of her apartment to practice her guitar. And maybe she could write some new songs too. Lune had been putting that off anyway. Her work came first, after all. It was what she was taught from birth up until her parents’ last breath. No distractions, no detours. Only finishing the work they started.

She couldn’t afford distractions, but maybe a little one wouldn’t hurt.

Lune barely slept a wink that night. For someone who had on and off insomnia and was mostly a night owl, that wouldn’t be the most unusual thing about her. However, she needed to be at he university by at least 7:30 if she was to get any time in practice room before work started at 9.

She rushed through her morning routine: taking a quick shower, putting the least amount of makeup on, and just having a small slice of toast for breakfast, which didn’t really fill her. She nearly forgot her guitar case, but grabbed it at the last second before bolting out the door. Merde, she thought. She would need to bring her guitar with her to work from now on if she wanted to utilize the practice rooms. It was extra weight she’d rather not carry, but that wasn’t a huge sacrifice.

She got to the music building on campus just in time, one minute before she anticipated to be there. The practice room had a sign-in sheet hanging next to the door, on which Lune quickly scribbled her name, her affiliation with the university, and the date and time before entering the room.

One thing she noticed right away was the grand piano towards the back, surrounded with music stands and chairs filling the space. The second thing she noticed, as the overhead lights automatically turned on, was that the room was empty.

Right, she thought, because what student would want to be here at 7:30 in the morning anyway?

With a sigh of relief that she was alone, Lune picked a chair that was close to a corner, but also facing the opposite side of the room with the piano. Placing her work bag and guitar case on the floor, she took her seat before taking out her guitar. Pulling out her phone, she found a song she was working on in her Notes app, and placed the phone on the music stand.

Minutes seemed to pass by, with no one coming in. She strummed along the notes of her song repeatedly, making sure she had it memorized for when she would record it later on. After a bit of time passed, she checked her phone: it was almost 8.

Lune frowned. One hour left until work. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed to be here by herself, even though she normally enjoyed that sort of thing. Maybe this was a bad idea.

She contemplated just packing up and going over to the on-campus cafe to get her usual morning coffee and viennoiseries, when she heard the door click open.

There he was.

Verso Dessendre stood in the doorway, coffee in one hand and a bag slung over his shoulder. His silver eyes searched around the room, immediately noticing the lights were on, until he landed on the corner where Lune was sitting. He examined her from head to toe quietly, seconds went by agonizingly slow.

Lune carefully watched his movements, but said nothing. She wasn’t sure what to say, what to do. She didn’t know if she should start playing again or stop completely. She didn’t want to seem rude either and just leave without a word. She could feel her anxiety quickly rising.

Fuck. Every singular negative thought that she could think of came rushing through her mind at once. He definitely remembers me from the other night. This was a bad idea after all. This is embarrassing. I’m so embarrassing.

She suddenly stood up from the chair. “S-sorry,” she stammered nervously, frantically starting to find her things to pack up, “I-I was told the practice rooms were open to faculty. I didn’t mean to be in the way of— I should go—”

“It’s alright. You’re welcome to stay,” he spoke. It was the first time Lune had heard him speak. His voice was smooth, and soothing, and… sexy?

The raven-haired woman felt like slapping herself just for thinking that and getting flustered so easily. Get it together, Lune. She was usually better at maintaining her composure and appearing as stoic as possible, but he was already charming his way in within the first few seconds of speaking.

“Are you sure?” she asked a bit more quietly than intended, but Verso definitely heard her.

He shook his head. “Normally, no one comes in here this early, but I wouldn’t mind sharing for a bit.”

Lune shakily sighed, settling back in the chair. “Alright.”

Verso walked over to the piano and set his things down before taking a seat on the bench. He took some papers out of his bag, straightening them a bit before putting them on the piano’s music rack. He turned to look at her, analyzing her again. She couldn’t help but feel exposed by the way he was looking at her. It was almost like he was about to interrogate her as if it were a crime scene.

“Forgive me for prying,” he cleared his throat, “but I think I recognize you.”

Lune was taken aback by his sudden forwardness, “Uh... you do?”

“Yeah, from the banquet the other day. You’re one of Gustave’s friends, aren’t you?”

She nodded, “We’re co-workers.”

He tilted his head to the side, “So, are you an engineer?”

“A researcher,” Lune clarified. “I conduct studies to help Gustave with his engineering, pretty much.”

“Ah, I see,” Verso said, intrigued, “and your name?”

“Lune.”

“Just Lune?” he raised an eyebrow.

“That’s all your getting,” Lune smirked. “For now.”

“Not really a fan of personal questions, huh?” the pianist noted.

“No, not really,” she replied, picking her guitar back up again. “And three is my limit.”

He chuckled at that, “Well alright then.” He then got up from his seat, sauntering over to her causally. “I’m Verso,” he reached out his hand for her to shake. She looked down at his hand reluctantly, before returning the gesture.

“So,” he spoke after a brief pause, “I guess I can’t ask about the guitar… since three questions is your limit?”

Lune let out a small laugh, “I’m just in here to practice. Needed a place to that wasn’t my apartment.”

“And that’s all I’m getting?”

“Yep,” she said, making a pop noise on the p for emphasis.

“Hmm,” he hummed. “And you just happen to show up here, two days after the banquet?”

“Yep,” she repeated.

It was a bit silly, but having him guess about her was kind of fun. She was always one to keep her guard up upon meeting new people, and though she sought him out, this was no exception. Most of the time it was out of sense of protection that she had built up around herself. She found others hard to trust, for no fault of their own, but it had become a habit. She’d be burned before, no thanks to her overbearing parents. This time though, she also wanted him break down those walls, albeit a bit slowly. Besides, she was here to see him in action and learn about how he ticked. They could save the pleasantries for later.

Verso went back to the piano bench and took his seat once again, “You sure there aren’t any other… ulterior motives?”

Lune smirked, putting down the guitar on the floor and crossing her arms over her chest, “That’s already a lot of questions for today.”

“Okay then,” he resigned, “How about you ask me three questions this time?”

“With three follow-ups?”

“Now that’s pushing it,” he muttered. “A bit greedy, are we?”

“Well, you were pushing me. I think it’s reasonable,” she countered.

He sighed in defeat, “Fine. What do you want to know?”

She placed her hand on her chin, forming her thinking stance once again. She thought of all the questions that ran through her mind the last couple of days. She thought of the information Gustave told her the day before. She wanted to solve the enigma that was just sitting across the room from her, but how could she approach it delicately? “Well, for starters,” she began, “how long have you been playing the piano?”

“Since I was a kid,” Verso answered.

“How old?”

“I don’t know? Six?”

She couldn’t help but feel like he was being evasive in his answers, in contrast to her own, which were short but straightforward. Regardless, she continued her interrogation, “Alright, next question: Are you self-taught?’

“Yes and no,” he replied. “I was for many years, before going to the Conservatoire to learn classic piano.” Still a somewhat vague answer, but he was a bit more open than the first set of questions.

“How’d you get into the Conservatoire?”

“I… applied?” he answered with a question, somewhat amused. “How else would I have gotten in?”

Lune shrugged, “You know any other instruments?”

“A little bit of guitar,” he said, “I don’t know it as extensively as piano, but I can read notation for it at least.”

“Not enough to teach it?”

“Definitely not,” Verso laughed, “You seem like you know your stuff anyway.”

“Hmm,” Lune nodded. She saw her phone light up with a message from Gustave and saw the time. It was 8:30 already.

“Merde!” she exclaimed, jumping up from the chair and almost knocking over the music stand. “Sorry, but I have to go. I have work in a half hour.”

She scrambled to collect her things once again, Verso watching her intently the whole time. She wasn’t sure if he found her intriguing or just an overall mess of a human being. She didn’t have the time to think it over. Couldn’t let herself get too sidetracked or else she would be late, and late for her was 15 minutes before work even started. Another habit she picked up from her parents. It always led back to them.

Just as Lune was about to leave, Verso called, “Wait!”

She turned her head to face him, hand still clutching the door knob. He cleared his throat, “Are you… planning on coming back anytime soon? I’d like to hear you play.”

She shrugged playfully, “Maybe Monday? Who knows.”

As soon as she was out the door, she felt incredibly giddy, excitement building from within her. It was unlike her to look forward to mornings, but maybe... just maybe, she had found her reason for waking up early.

Chapter Text

Verso entered his room in the manor, throwing his work bag at the nearest corner. He plopped down on his bed, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. Five days full of classes, seeing new and old students and preparing them for the semester ahead took quite a toll on him. He was only twenty-six, but working as much as he did made him feel like an old man.

As soon as he laid down, his dog Monoco the Third came up on the bed to greet him, resting his head next to his. Verso reached over and gave him a scratch behind the ears. “Hey buddy. You missed me?”

The dog wagged his tail in response. Verso gave a small smile. It was a small relief to see the family dogs every time he came by the manor. He had his own place close to the university, but his parents were insistent that he stay with them on the weekends, which he begrudgingly agreed to. It seemed that every time he wanted to break away from his family and forge his own path, his parents would find some way to hold him back. He knew it was partly because they were disappointed about him not continuing the family legacy. Aline made him very aware of her disapproval the moment he told her he wanted to pursue music full-time, but he always knew that it was his true calling. They remained supportive of him regardless, but reluctantly so.

The only saving grace of being here was spending time with his sisters; Alicia was still in high school and Clea was still living at home at twenty-eight. He wanted to go check on Alicia specifically, as their last few text message exchanges seemed concerning. He knew she was having a hard time lately. Her grades were fluctuating and she was getting into constant arguments with Aline about her future plans after graduation. Verso knew all too well the pressure that his parents had put on him when it came to his career. He could handle it just fine, but seeing this thrown onto his kid sister... he couldn’t help but feel protective of her.

As he rested on the bed, his mind went back to this morning with that odd encounter with Gustave’s friend.

Lune.

The name rolled off his tongue effortlessly, and yet he had never seen nor heard of her before. He remembered her face from the banquet. She was beautiful, no doubt about that. She clearly had a strong passion for music like him. He just couldn’t wrap his head around why she would seek him out, of all the people in the department. He knew that her showing up in the practice room was deliberate, he wasn’t dense, but why? Was it to form a friendship? Or was she trying to further her own music career? He didn’t think she was the type of person to take advantage of someone in his position, knowing his status as a Dessendre. However, people had tried to use him for their own personal gain in the past. He couldn’t help but feel a bit cautious in general, even if it wasn’t her fault.

It was difficult for him to confide in anyone new nowadays. To pursue new relationships, platonic or romantic, not since…

Verso shook his head. No, he thought, don’t think about her. There’s nothing you could have done.

His mind shifted back to Lune. It was rather surprising that for as long as he had known Gustave, which had been for the better part of a decade, he had never mentioned her in conversation. It made Verso wonder if it was a sore subject for his friend, but then again most of their exchanges the past few years consisted of him gushing about his partner Sophie. Either that, or it was taking about how Alicia was doing in school or their respective careers. Maybe that was it.

Either way, he found the researcher to be particularly fascinating. He remembered when he laid his eyes on her at the banquet. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. Her onyx-colored hair and dark brown eyes. The way she looked at him after his performance was one of admiration and awe. He always had wanted his music, the music he wrote and played tirelessly, to be able to reach people’s souls. To tell stories that couldn’t be told any other way. To elicit different emotions. The way her eyes lit up was proof it worked. She understood him, or at least that’s what he hoped.

He wanted to, no, needed to know as much about her as he could.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a door slam from the hall. He knew instantly that it was Alicia. Finally getting up from the bed after his brief respite, he exited the room and walked over to hers, which was just next door.

Verso knocked on the door, only to be greeted with a grumpy “What?”

“It’s Verso,” he responded, hoping his sister would let him in. He could already tell she had gotten into yet another argument with their parents. Oh boy…

He could hear her sigh from the other side of the door, “Come in.”

Verso entered, eyes shifting towards Alicia. She laid on her stomach on her bed, legs dangling upward in the air, head upright with her auburn hair in a ponytail. She was playing on her Switch, probably as a way to calm herself down.

“You okay?” he asked softly, walking slowly over to the bed, although he already knew the answer.

“Does it look like I’m okay?” the girl muttered bitterly, eyes focused on the game she was playing.

Verso let out a small chuckle before sitting on the bed next to her, “No, but I am your brother. I’m worried about you, you know.”

“I know,” Alicia sighed, setting the Switch to the side and turning to face him.

“What happened this time?”

She shifted her gaze away from him, “I told Maman and Papa about my fencing tournament at the end of the month, and of course they’re not going because of a “business obligation”.” She made little air quotes with her hands, mockingly.

“Again?” Verso was disappointed but not surprised. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. He wasn’t sure at this point if it was on purpose, but he was beginning to think it was.

“Yeah,” Alicia said, clearly upset, “Again.”

“I’m sorry,” he offered. He knew it wasn’t enough. Aline and Renoir loved their children, at least that’s what Verso wanted to believe, but they were not perfect parents in the slightest. As Alicia became a teenager and started to rebel more, she would clash with the both of them. Renoir held a soft spot for the youngest Dessendre sibling and tried his best, but it was always Aline who would stoke the fire first.

Verso knew why.

“Not your fault,” the teenager mumbled, “I’m used to it now.”

“Still,” he put his hand on her shoulder, “they should be there for you more. Especially Maman.”

Alicia scoffed, “Yeah right. Like she would care about what I do with my life.”

“She does care about you.” Verso didn’t know if he was trying to convince her that so much as he was trying to convince himself.

“No she doesn’t,” she retorted, “I’ve seen how she was after you decided to attend the Conservatoire. I doubt she’ll let me go to New York for university.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. He knew she was right, especially after Aline had scolded him relentlessly about attending music school. He let out a resigned sigh.

Knowing his sister and not wanting to press her further, he tried to change the subject “Is Clea around?”

“She’s in London for a work trip, or something,” Alicia answered. “Left yesterday. Said she would be back in a week.”

“I see.”

Verso and Clea were close, but not as much as they used to be to talk enough every day. She had a successful career, a loving partner, and a social life. She made herself busy on purpose so she didn’t have their parents hover over her all the time, but at the cost of spending less time with him and Alicia.

An idea popped in his head, “In that case, you wanna walk the dogs in the garden with me? Could use some fresh air.”

At the suggestion, Alicia’s eyes lit up as she looked at him, “Yes!”

As the sun was setting, the two siblings walked side by side with the dogs around the garden: Verso with Monoco and Alicia with Noco. The previous conversation between them seemed to fade away as they laughed and exchanged silly jokes. They talked about how their weeks went, and what they were looking forward to as summer came to a close. The crisp September air felt light and joyful.

“Gustave showed me some of the new tech he was working on,” Alicia shared as they crossed a corner in between some hedges. “It was so cool! He’s really trying to change things for the better.”

“Sounds like Gustave,” Verso replied, though his attention trailed off at the mention of his friend’s name. Lune appeared in his mind again. Why can’t he stop thinking about her? Now he was curious if his sister knew her. She spent more time with Gustave than him as of late that the engineer basically became a second older brother to her.

“You’re thinking out loud again, Verso,” Alicia’s voice pierced through his thoughts that he didn’t even notice he had stopped walking. “Am I?” he murmured.

“Yeah, and I can tell something’s bothering you,” she said matter-of-factually, tightly gripping Noco’s leash. “You can talk to me, you know.”

Verso couldn’t even put a mask on with his sister. She saw right through him, more often than not. “Sorry, it’s just… does the name Lune sound familiar to you?”

Alicia scrunched her brow, thinking for a second, “You mean Lune Leclair? I know about her from Gustave, but we’ve never met. Why do you ask?”

So that’s her surname, he thought. He wasn’t sure how much information he wanted to divulge to his sister. They both wanted to look out for each other, that much was true, but she was still sixteen. It was only natural to want to keep some things private. “Let’s just say, I met her this morning for the first time, in one of the music rooms at the university.”

Alicia’s eyes lit up, and he could already gather she wanted him to share more. She started to get excited, “Wait, for real? I know she’s a musician. She plays guitar right? Is she good? Is she nice? Gustave told me she is but that she can also be a bit mean, in a good way though. She sounds so cool!—”

“Hey, slow down a bit, will you?” Verso motioned his hands for her to stop, overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. “I haven’t heard her play yet. She just asked me some questions about my experience with the piano, and then left. I might see her on Monday, but I’m not so sure.”

“Sounds like you have an admirer,” Alicia teased.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he agreed, then saw her expression become smug. She was going to pester him about this for awhile, wasn’t she? “Alicia,” he warned.

“Oh come on, Verso,” she throw her hands in the air, still making sure to hold onto Noco’s leash. “You gotta stop being so mopey and brooding at some point.”

“Hey, I am not brooding!” he retorted, but he knew all too well that was a lie.

Alicia snorted, unconvinced, “Sure.”

He glared daggers at his younger sister, getting annoyed by her antics, “Whatever you’re thinking, drop it. I just met her. I don’t even know if she wants to be my friend, or more than that.”

“You’re the one who brought her up,” she countered, “and I may be sixteen, but I’m not naive. I can tell that if she sought you out, she wants to get to know you. Plus, you barely hang out with anyone outside of me and Clea, and Gustave, and Simon when he isn’t making out with Cle—”

“Alicia,” he warned again. The last thing he wanted was for her to be weird about their older sister’s love life during a serious conversation.

“Okay, okay, sorry! Geez!” Alicia exclaimed before shifting her tone, “But seriously Verso, I’m worried about you. It’s been three years since Julie—”

“I know,” he interrupted. He didn’t want to talk about her. Didn’t want to think about her. He held so much regret over the accident, and he was still grieving. He put on a front for his family to pretend that he had moved on, but they could still tell it was eating away at him.

She walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort, just as he did early that day, “I just think that... you deserve to be happy, Verso. That’s all. Give Lune a chance, even if it’s just as friends.”

Verso let out a shaky sigh, “Yeah, I know. Thank you, Alicia.” She smiled at that. “And you deserve to be happy, too,” he added.

The teenager scoffed, “Yeah, well, if Maman would let me go to school in New York City or I can date girls without sneaking around, I’ll be happy. But that’ll be when pigs fly.”

“Fair point,” Verso let out a small laugh, allowing himself the small reprieve of his sister’s humor. His demeanor became serious once more, “I’ll talk to Papa about the fencing tournament, alright? Maybe he’ll lighten up and try to convince Maman to go.”

She smiled wide, “You really are the best brother I could ever ask for. Thanks.”

“Of course,” he nodded.

After awhile, they let the dogs run around and play in the gardens on their own before it got dark out, deciding to sit on a nearby bench to keep an eye on them. They sat in complete silence for a few minutes, until Alicia made a grumbling noise, her head bowed down in thought. Verso noticed and turned his head, concern washing over his face. “Alicia?”

No response was uttered for several seconds, until… “Maelle.”

“Huh?” the pianist tilted his head in confusion.

His sister gazed up at him then, resolve in her eyes, “Can you call me Maelle?”

He had absolutely no idea where she was going with this, “Why?”

“It’s a new name I’ve been using, with Gustave,” she replied. “You know I hate my real name, so I came up with it as a pen name for when I become a writer someday… but I really like it when he uses it. It feels the most like… me. And now I want you to use it. So, what do you think?”

Verso didn’t know what to expect with that answer, but it certainly wasn’t what he just heard. He adored his baby sister with all of his heart and he would do anything for her. As strange as it would be to call her by a different name, he wanted to be supportive of her. If it felt like the most affirming thing to her, who was he to say no?

“It’ll take some getting used to, and I may slip up,” he answered, as carefully as he could, “but I’ll try… Maelle.”

He could already see the tears form in her eyes as he gave her his promise. That was all she needed, and he could only guess how validating it felt for her after struggling with her place in the family for so long. My little sister is growing up way too fast for her own good.

She was crying when he wrapped his arms around her, soothing her and rubbing her back, “Hey, hey. You’re okay.”

She sniffled, “Sorry... it’s just... thank you, Verso.”

The two siblings embraced each other tightly, savoring the comfort and understanding they both felt towards one another and unbreakable bond they shared.

Verso stood outside of the enormous doors of his father’s atelier, the size of them more intimidating than usual. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He really hated confronting either of his parents, especially in recent years, but he was doing this for Alicia— no, Maelle. There was only so much she could do to defy them at her age, so it was either him or Clea who would be the one to step in and put their foot down. Although, Clea was more cut-throat and to-the-point with them than he could ever be. He didn’t know how she did it.

He knocked on the doors as loud as he could. Several seconds passed in silence, until a deep, older voice boomed, “Come in.”

He took another deep breath, then pushed the doors open. The overwhelming amount of canvases scattered around the spacious room caught Verso off-guard every time he came in here, but he immediately found Renoir as he stood in the center in front of a big canvas, a palette of paints laying on a stool next to him. He was facing away from Verso as he dabbed the canvas with a paintbrush, clearly invested in his creation.

“Hey, Papa,” Verso greeted, as he approached his father slowly. Renoir turned around at the sound of his voice, putting down the paintbrush on the easel and meeting the other man halfway.

“Ah, Verso,” he said, enveloping his son in an embrace, “Good to see you, my boy.”

“You too.” It was a half-truth.

Renoir pulled away after a few seconds, but placed his hands on Verso’s shoulders, “I trust you’ve been well? It was nice to see you at the banquet on Wednesday. You performed beautifully.”

“Thanks,” the pianist breathed, “Yeah, things have been going well. It’s been a lot of work getting the students acclimated for the new semester, though.”

“I’m sure,” Renoir hummed, but could already figure out that Verso wasn’t here for small talk. “So, what brings you here? You usually don’t come in here unless you need me for something.”

He was right, Verso rarely ventured into the atelier. He could attribute that to bad memories, mostly having to do with his short-lived days as a painter. The air started to feel more tense as he prepared himself to fight back at whatever his father had to say. Another deep breath, mask on. “Actually, it’s about Alicia.”

“Alicia? What about her?” Renoir inquired, pulling up a stool for Verso before taking a seat himself. The older man motioned for him to sit, and he obliged.

“Yes, um…” Verso trailed off, not sure how to best approach the subject. Every compromise with his parents was an uphill battle, and their word was final. The perks of being a Dessendre. “She told me you can’t make it to her fencing tournament later this month.”

Renoir blinked for a second in surprise, then cleared his throat, “Yes, you’d be correct. Your mother and I have business with the Painters’ Association that needs attending to. We’ll be away that week. Unfortunate timing, really.”

Verso was astonished at his father’s lax response. Are you kidding me? He thought. That’s all he has to say? He could already feel his anger slowly fuming. Oh, how he wanted to throw things, to scream at him until his lungs gave out, but he had to hold back. For Maelle. “Papa, I understand, but it would mean a lot to her if you and Maman could attend—”

“Verso, we can’t,” Renoir interjected, “you know our position in the Association. We can’t just rearranged everyone’s schedules just to watch Alicia play sports for a few hours.”

He was expecting Renoir to say no, but not for him to be this cold. It sounded like it had already been rehearsed. He could slowly but surely feel something snap in him. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold back, “You can’t be serious.”

His father sighed, “I understand you’re trying to look out for her, but there’s nothing we can do. It’s mandatory for us to be there. I’m sorry, son. We’ll try to make it to her next tournament—”

“That’s not good enough,” Verso barked as he suddenly stood up, finally starting to lose his temper. “This is what, like, the third... fourth time you two have done this?”

“Verso,” Renoir seethed a warning. “Watch your tone.”

He ignored his father and continued, “And I can tell you’re doing this on purpose. It’s hurting her, Papa. She’s only sixteen. Clea and I can’t keep being replacements for you two just because Maman doesn’t want anything to do with Alic—”

“Verso!” Renoir raised his voice, booming throughout the atelier, “That’s enough! We cannot go, and that is final. Your mother’s position on the council cannot be put in jeopardy, or we will face the consequences. Do you understand?”

He slowly nodded in resignation as he sat back down. I’m sorry, Maelle. I tried.

“Good,” his father said as if nothing just happened, immediately ready to move onto the next subject. “And I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about something your mother and I have been discussing.”

He tilted his head, “What is it?”

Renoir cleared his throat before continuing, “We would like to arrange for you to go on a date. She’s the daughter of someone in the Association, around your age.”

Oh.

Of course it was an arranged date. It wasn’t the first time this was brought up either. His parents had made the suggestion about a year after the accident, when he clearly wasn’t ready. He didn’t react well, to say the least. Now with it coming up on three years, Verso was starting to feel his parents’ pressure for him to move on. It was why he initially moved out. He had to persuade them so they could help him with his rent, in exchange for staying at the manor on the weekends. Even though his salary was more than enough to cover his rent now, they still didn’t relent. It was the same song and dance as when he took the position at the university, because it was the only way they would approve of him to continue his music career. He wish he could just live the life he wanted to without everything having to be a compromise.

And now they wanted to play matchmaker once again. He could never win. ‘No.”

“No?”

“I just… I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

“Verso, it’s been so long already,” his father shook his head. “Surely, you want to move on, right?”

“I do, Papa, really,” he replied, trying to find a way out of this discussion, “but I’d rather focus on my career for the time being.”

“Which you’ve been doing, and we’re both proud of you for that,” Renoir said sincerely, “but son, I haven’t seen you make any new connections these last few years. That isn’t healthy.”

Verso let out a shaky sigh, “I... I need more time, is all.”

“Is three years not enough time?” Renoir questioned, agitation evident. “You cannot be stagnant forever, Verso. We understood how much Julie meant to you, and we wanted to give you the space to grieve, but it’s time to move on.”

“But Papa—”

“—and as Dessendres, we need to keep up appearances. It would look good if you finally decided to settle down.”

Of course it was about reputation, Verso thought bitterly. He knew his father did care about his well being and what he was saying was coming from a place of genuine concern, but it felt connected and disconnected at the same time. “Appearances? Really?”

“Hate me if you want for seeing it that way, but that’s the reality of the matter,” Renoir smoothed his trousers, looking at his son directly in the eye. “We do want you to be happy, truly, but it comes at the price of our status.”

“I wish it didn’t,” Verso muttered. “I should be able to live my life how I want.”

He was ready for this conversation to be over. He had predicted that things would go wrong with talking about Maelle, but his father drudging up his trauma with losing her was another blow entirely. He stood up then, still maintaining eye contact with Renoir, “I won’t go on the date, but I’ll try to find someone on my own if you and Maman promise to stay out of it.”

Renoir sighed, “Fine, but we want to see progress. We’re not asking you to marry, but at least try to find a suitable partner. You have a year to do so, or we will intervene. Understood?”

“Yes, Papa,” Verso relented. He began to make his exit, “I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Alright,” Renoir called. “Goodnight, Verso.”

“Goodnight.”

As soon as he was back in his room, he closed the door slowly, before pounding his fist on the adjacent wall. “Putain,” he hissed, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

This was going to be a long year.

Chapter Text

The streets of Paris were lively with people going about their business, finding moments of leisure during a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Groups of teenagers shopping at boutiques, friends eating out at restaurants, children playing in the nearby park. It seemed like the most perfectly peaceful day.

Lune gazed out into the streets from a table outside of a cafe, not too far from the Eiffel Tower. She was normally not a people-watcher, she’d rather bury herself in a book or do work on her computer, but she was on the lookout for Sciel, who was running a bit late for their lunch date.

After several minutes of staring out into the street, she was starting to get a bit restless. Taking another sip of her latte, she pulled out her phone and decided to scroll through social media instead.

She opened Instagram, one of the very few apps she used. Swiping down on the page, she saw photos and videos of her friends from the past few weeks, not having checked it in awhile. Gustave posted a cute selfie of himself and Sophie at the banquet, followed by one of him, Tristan, and Lucien having a night out at a bar. Sciel had a photo of herself and Pierre enjoying a picnic, the caption stated it was their dating anniversary with a red heart emoji at the end. Her older sister Stella posted a notice about the opening night of her upcoming art show, which Lune was already planning to attend. Same stuff as always.

A thought popped into her head: Should I check if he’s on socials? It took her one second to contemplate the idea, before she shook her head in disgust. She hated the idea of looking up people online. It felt invasive, even if it was just to check their profile briefly. She even kept her own private, the very few she had. However…

It couldn’t hurt to look for a teensy second, right?

Lune let her curiosity win and typed in Verso’s full name into the search bar, the first result that came up was a profile that definitely looked like him. She tapped on it, only to discover it was locked.

She grumbled in disappointment. I figured as much. Guess that’s the end of that.

Before she could put her phone away, she heard a voice call, “Sorry I’m late! The Metro was running really slow—”

Her head shot up to see Sciel standing there, out of breath with a large binder in her arms. The brunette glanced at Lune, who still had her phone in her hand, Verso’s profile on full display on the brightly-lit screen.

Oh.

Fuck.

She hastily shut the screen off and put the phone away in her purse, but it was already too late. Sciel cheekily grinned as she sat down on the opposite side of the table, “Care to explain?”

Lune’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment, “I…” she started, before closing her mouth. She didn’t have to explain. Her friend had already connected the dots.

“I knew it!” Sciel exclaimed. “You’re totally crushing on that pianist!”

She glared at her, quickly growing defensive. “It’s not a crush. You know I have no time for that.”

“Uh huh,” her friend nodded, not even convinced. “So why did I hear from Gustave that you went to the music building on campus yesterday, just to meet him?”

Damn it, Gustave. You and your big mouth. “When are you all going to stop gossiping about me and what I do in my free time?”

“Oh, the “free time” you claim to have so little of?” Sciel shot back. “You’re not denying it, Lune.”

There really was no point in denying it now anyway. It would only be a matter of time before word got around in the friend group. “It doesn’t mean anything, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Lune rolled her eyes in annoyance, crossing her arms. “I was just there to learn, from one musician to another.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Sciel giggled, still unconvinced, but then realized Lune wanted to drop the subject, “Okay, if you insist.” She picked up a menu from the table, “Did you order yet?”

“Just something to drink,” Lune replied. “I was waiting on you for food.”

“Alright, I’ll call for a server then.”

The lunch date carried on as they ordered their food, which arrived rather quickly. In between, they were chatting casually, mostly some small talk and to go over the wedding planning for today. Currently, the two women sat in comfortable silence as they ate their lunch. Lune was somewhat relieved that her best friend didn’t bring up Verso again. She was already embarrassed to talk about it as is.

After all, she was here to help out with planning Sciel’s wedding, not discussing her own love life, or lack thereof.

After awhile, Sciel cleared her throat, “So… what do you think of Verso?”

Well that didn’t last long.

The researcher groaned, “Sciel, please.”

“Oh come on, Lune.” Sciel smirked. “You can’t keep avoiding it forever. I know he’s all you’ve been thinking about the past few days.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because, I was the same way when I met Pierre. I spent weeks in denial over my feelings for him before I made a move. It ate me alive.” Sciel answered.

“You’re not letting this go, are you?” Lune asked, desperately hoping she would move onto something else to talk about.

“Nope.” Sciel said simply. “Now, spill.”

Merde. “...Fine.” Lune sighed as she leaned into the table a little. “He was… nice.”

“Just nice?” Sciel raised an eyebrow.

“And… mysterious,” she continued. “I asked him some questions about his experiences as a musician. He was a little bit evasive, but I managed to get some answers out of him. He attended the Conservatoire, for one.”

The brunette woman stared at her in bewilderment, her green eyes widening, “The Conservatoire? That’s even more prestigious than our own music program.”

“I mean, he is a Dessendre,” Lune retorted. “So, it makes sense, though he did say he applied. Knowing his skills, I doubt he’s lying about that.”

“Fair enough,” Sciel said. “So… when are you going to see him again?”

“Monday… maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I don’t know,” Lune answered quickly. She didn’t feel this hesitant yesterday, but being put on the spot was not helping. “I’m not sure if I should go back.”

Sciel furrowed her brow in disappointment, “Why not?”

“I just…” she broke eye contact, and in that moment that was all she needed to do to get her point across. For the first time, in a long time, she was afraid. Afraid of what she felt. Afraid of how she felt. She barely just met him, but she feared she would only set herself up for heartbreak if she continued down this path. She usually chose logic over emotion when it came to her decision making. Emotions are just distractions, her father would often say. It took a bit of time in therapy to try to get that out of her head, but sometimes her parents’ voices still lingered. She couldn’t silence them completely.

She couldn’t admit her fears out loud. Not to Sciel. Not to anyone. So the only thing she could say was, “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Sciel sighed, evidently concerned for her friend. She reached out and clasped both of Lune’s hands with her own, squeezing them as a way to ground her. “Lune,” she spoke gently. “For once in your life, when are you going to listen to your heart instead of your head?”

She blinked at her question, then frowned. “My heart is only a distraction.”

Sciel rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you that friends are not distractions? Or that love isn’t a distraction? How many times over the years I’ve known you?”

“Too many,” Lune laughed. “Enough to beat it into my head with a hammer.”

“And yet you never listen to me.”

She snorted at that. “You know me. I’m too stubborn for my own good.”

“Hey, being stubborn can be a good trait,” Sciel countered. “But it can also be a detriment.” Still holding onto Lune’s hands, she took a deep breath. “I think it wouldn’t hurt to try though, Lune. You’ve been through a lot the past several years. You owe it to yourself to find some happiness in your life.”

She was about to speak, when Sciel intercepted first. “Yes, I know what you’re about to say. Your work satisfies you enough. I believe that, but I also know how your parents treated you. I saw it firsthand. I understand your need to continue their work, I do. I just can’t forgive them for the years of trauma you’ve had to endure, that you’re still unpacking even though they died. It’s not fair.”

Lune remained silent, her gaze shifting away.

Sciel continued, “If you want to be tied to their legacy, who am I to stop you? I just believe… you would be a lot happier if you found something, or someone, in your life that wasn’t tied to them.”

She looked uneasy in that moment, but other woman gave her a small smile. “You should pursue your heart, Lune… if you want. It’s up to you.”

Lune let out a shaky breath, one she didn’t realized she was holding. “I do want to. More than anything.”

“So what’s stopping you?” Sciel asked. When Lune didn’t answer, she huffed. “Just think about it, okay? You don’t have to do anything right away. Go at your own pace with your feelings. I just would hate to see you live with the regret of not giving it a chance if it becomes too late.”

A pause. “...I’ll try.”

“Fantastic.” She finally let go of Lune’s hands, knowing she was ready to move on from the topic. “Now, help me pick a color palette for the wedding, yeah? I’ve got to show you the mood boards Sophie and I came up with!”

Sciel pulled out the binder she had brought with her, pushing their finished plates to the side for the server to collect, and put it on the table. Lune did a flip-through of the mood boards, which looked like they were hastily put together from photos on Pinterest. “If I’m being honest,” she said bluntly. “I hate all of these.”

“You just hate fun and whimsy.” Sciel pouted.

“I wouldn’t call neutrals “fun and whimsical.” It’s boring.”

Sciel scoffed. “Lune, it’s a wedding, not a kids birthday party.”

“Ugh,” Lune leaned back in her chair. “This is why Sophie is the Maid of Honor and not me.”

“Not my fault she was busy today,” Sciel laughed, flipping a page in the binder. “And I have a deadline to reach, so I’m stuck with you for now.”

“Mmhm.” Lune smirked.

As the two friends continued to plan for the wedding, it seemed like the troubles plaguing Lune’s mind melted away, if only for a moment.

The warmth of sunlight was the only thing keeping Lune calm on an otherwise chilly Monday morning. As she got closer to the music building, the calm washed away and excitement started to rise. She didn’t remember being this thrilled to have someone hear her play, but the feeling wasn’t unwelcome.

When she entered the practice room, she didn’t expect to find Verso already there. He was sitting by the piano, hunched over and writing down something on a notebook. He seemed so concentrated on what he was working on that he didn’t even acknowledge Lune coming in. She smiled and cleared her throat.

Verso’s head jerked up to meet her gaze. He straightened his back and smiled softy, “Morning.”

“Good morning,” Lune greeted back as she took the same seat she sat in on Friday. Moving her things to the side, she put her guitar case on the floor to open it and take out the wooden instrument. She began tuning her guitar absentmindedly.

She wasn’t looking, but could feel him observe her as she was setting things up. “How was your weekend?” he asked.

“It was fine,” she said simply, still tuning the guitar. She hated small talk with new people because it always felt awkward, but she could sense he was trying to connect with her. For once, she didn’t mind it. “Yours?”

“Also fine.” he responded, though his tone sounded unconvincing to her, like he was masking his true feelings. She didn’t press him further. It didn’t feel right to.

“I... uh...” Lune said after several moments. “I brought some of my songs to play... if you’d like to hear them.”

Verso nodded, his voice soft and quiet. “I would.”

With that confirmation, she grabbed a sheet of music from her work bag, and put it on the music stand in front of her. Looking at the notes on the page, she started to strum, her finger delicate as if she was being careful not to break the strings. She was used to playing for crowds of strangers at bars when she had the time, but playing for a guy she just met where it was just the two of them brought out some nerves. She tried to shake them off so it wouldn’t affect the flow of the song.

It was something she wrote right after her parents had passed on. Her way of processing grief and pushing forward. She was grappling with her purpose in life; whether or not she wanted to find her own footing or stay on the path her parents laid out for her. She had almost quit her program during university to try to pursue music full-time… until she was informed about her parents’ will.

And then she was stuck.

Part of her hoped the tone of the song was apparent. Part of her wanted Verso to have no clue. She didn’t look at him the whole time she played the song, instead keeping her eyes on the music sheet even though she had the song fully memorized.

She finished playing the last few notes of the song, the room growing quiet once again. She looked up at Verso, his expression unreadable.

“So?” Lune asked hesitantly. “How was that?”

Verso blinked, forming a small grin. “It was good. You’re... really good.”

She wasn’t convinced by his admission. “Just good?”

“Well, okay. Maybe “good” is an understatement,” Verso corrected. “It was… beautiful.”

Lune blushed, but mentally scolded herself for reacting that way. “Uh thanks.”

“It sounded personal.” He concluded.

“It was.”

“Do you, uh, want to talk about it?” he asked genuinely, before realizing what he just said. “Right, sorry. Not a fan of personal questions.”

“You’re fine,” Lune reassured him. “And you’re still allowed three for today.”

Verso laughed softy. “Okay, well… what was the song about?”

“My parents,” Lune answered. “They, um… died when I was nineteen.”

His eyes widened for a split second before forming a frown. “Oh… I… I’m so sorry,” he offered.

“It’s alright. It was ages ago.” Lune couldn’t really feel thankful for any condolences. She didn’t feel that way when it happened, and she still didn’t feel that way now, but she didn’t want to seem ungrateful either.

“It sounded sad, but also angry,” Verso observed, placing his hand on his chin.

Lune laughed dryly. “I have a lot of… complicated feelings on the matter.” And none she was willing to divulge with him. Not yet, anyway.

“Family can be complicated,” Verso said. It was as if he spoke from experience, but didn’t elaborate further. He changed the subject. “I’ve been wondering, how did you learn to play?”

“Self-taught,” Lune replied, now mindlessly plucking at the guitar strings. “I mostly learned from watching tutorials or artists I like online, but I picked up a few things on my own.”

He grinned at that, “Impressive.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she remarked modestly. “I would’ve benefited from a proper education.”

“You don’t really need an education to be a musician,” Verso inferred. “Plenty of people get into the industry who are self-taught. Especially with the internet. It does help though, speaking from experience.”

“Hmm.”

His next question caught her a bit off guard, “If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you study music?”

Lune didn’t know how to respond to that. Or at least, how to approach the subject of her parents influencing every choice she made with her life, even from beyond the grave. She wanted so desperately to tell him, to get him to understand her better, but it was still a sore subject for her. It would take time, and patience from him, to be able to speak on it further.

She could sense that Verso noticed her discomfort. “Putain,” he swore. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to say anything if you’re not comfortable—”

“No, no,” Lune threw her hands up. “It’s okay. Let’s just say, I didn’t really have a choice in my career path, so I never pursued it.” It wasn’t a lie, but it was as much as she was comfortable sharing.

“I see…” his voice trailed off. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue.

Lune glanced at the notebook that Verso was still holding, “Were you writing music when I came in?”

The pianist looked down at the book, “Actually, I was writing poetry.”

That took her by surprise. “Hm, I didn’t peg you as the poet type.”

“And how can you be certain I’m not?” Verso asked playfully. “We just met.”

Lune shrugged. He chuckled at her response. “Well, writing lyrics to a song is like writing poetry, in a way, so the two go hand-in-hand, I guess.” He started to subconsciously flip through the pages. “It’s also a way for me to bond with my little sister,” he mused. “She wants to be a writer, so we share our poems every so often.”

That definitely took her by surprise. Was he finally starting to get comfortable to share more about himself? She could only hope. “That’s sweet,” Lune smiled. She was about to ask another question, when her phone buzzed: a message from Gustave.

Gustave: Where are you???

Huh?

She looked at the time on her phone: 9:05 AM

Fuck.

She quickly typed a message back to him.

Lune: Sorry! Lost track of time. Omw

“Shit,” she muttered. “I’m late for work.”

Verso frowned. He got up and walked over to where she was sitting as she was flimsily putting things away. “You need any help with that? It’ll make things faster—”

“I’ve got it, than—” She didn’t even notice that Verso extended his arm out to try to help that her hand had brushed his.

She felt a spark there and then. Her eyes shot up to his. Time slowed down for several moments. Both of their mouths were open as if trying to speak, but being caught in the throat. A blush crept up on both of their faces. Lune couldn’t tell if hers or Verso’s was more red.

And then, in a bold move, he took her hand in his, threading their fingers together.

Lune didn’t pull away.

His hold was firm, but not forceful. His touch was warm and inviting, like he wanted to take her on a journey far away from everything they knew, leaving all of their worries and burdens behind.

It felt like home.

Her gazed never wavered from his. She was searching for something in his silver eyes. She saw desperation, hope…

Desire? Longing? She wasn’t sure.

He released her hand moments later, and the world shifted back to normal.

Whatever “normal” was.

“I…” he started, but looked away. He was still blushing

“I should go,” Lune whispered. She slung her work bag over her shoulder and picked up the guitar case. Verso said nothing. He just watched her.

She was about to leave, when she turned around with a small smile. “See you tomorrow?”

His grin was big. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

The local tavern nearby the university was filled with both students and facility, spending the evening drinking away their stress and worries to end their Thursday. Verso sighed as he nursed a glass of whiskey, sitting on a stool at the bar area. Gustave had invited him out for drinks, just the two of them. It was something the they did when their schedules allowed, although Verso’s was always more open than he was letting on.

It had been that way for the past three years. Since the accident, he stopped going out as much as he used to, preferring to spend his free time at his piano. His only solace to cope with losing her. He felt terrible for pushing people away, but he didn’t want to be a bother. At least Gustave was rather persuasive to get him out this time.

He needed a break and a drink, really badly. The new semester was starting out stressful. He had more students than usual this time around, and fitting them in for lessons was not easy in the slightest. It wasn’t the only thing on his mind though...

He also couldn’t stop thinking about Lune and how he held her hand. He didn’t know what came over him that day, but he felt something shift within him when he stared into her eyes. However, neither of them had spoken about it since. Verso wanted to bring it up numerous times, but he didn’t want to make things more awkward.

Despite what had occurred that day, Lune had kept her word and stopped by the practice room every day the last two weeks. They spent the short time they had playing their respective instruments, and just talking. He had learned quite a bit more about her interest in music, including her favorite artists and genres. He was surprised to find they shared similar tastes in that regard. They both withheld on sharing any more personal information about themselves, especially about their pasts, which Verso found relief in.

Needless to say, he really liked where things were going with her, a little too much.

Gustave sat right next to him at the bar, opting for a glass of white wine. Verso knew his friend was a social drinker and preferred alcohol on the lighter side, so it was fitting. The two sat in comfortable silence ever since they received their drinks, which was going on several minutes now.

He could talk about his newfound friendship with Lune. Gustave knew the two of them met and were hanging out. However, it still felt too early to bring up, so he decided to go for something they regularly discussed.

He cleared his throat after awhile, “So, how’s the tutoring going with Maelle?”

Gustave turned his head to face him, eyes widening in surprise that he had mentioned his sister’s new name. “She’s got you using that name now, too?”

The pianist let out a small chuckle, staring at the drink in front of him. “Yeah. As long as it makes her happy, though I need to be careful using it around my parents. They’re…” he trailed off, unsure of how to articulate his thought without sounding too angry.

“Yeah, I know how they can be,” Gustave frowned briefly, sensing his friend’s distress. “But I agree. I like seeing her happy too.”

Verso took another sip of his whiskey. Gustave continued. “As far as her tutoring is concerned… she’s getting better at math and science. Her grades are still not great, though that’s more of the teacher’s fault than hers. I’ve seen some of the quizzes she’s gotten back, and they’re always graded unfairly.”

As Gustave mentioned her teachers, Verso recalled Maelle complaining about her math teacher in particular at the start of the school year. On the first day, she had described her as an “old boomer bitch,” which made him laugh hysterically at the time.

“Writing has always been her passion,” Verso noted. “I’m sure she’s doing well there?”

“You’d be correct,” Gustave replied, smiling brightly with admiration. “She excels at writing and literature the most. She doesn’t need my help with that at all. Plus… I’m not great in those subjects either, if I’m being honest.”

“Can’t be good at everything, I suppose,” the pianist remarked. “But I’m glad she has you to help her.”

Gustave laughed, still smiling. “She’s a bright kid. It’s just a shame Aline seems to disapprove at everything she does.”

“She was the same with me when I quit painting,” Verso pointed out. “I was always her favorite, so I get the disappointment. I just didn’t think she would go after Maelle too.”

“Anything to keep the Dessendre name afloat,” Gustave sighed bitterly as he drank his wine. He had to tolerate Aline and Renoir constantly for the sake of Maelle’s schooling, but he was also doing it to look out for her (and for Verso to an extent). The two of them meant a great deal to him. Verso was eternally grateful to have Gustave as a friend.

Verso’s thoughts shifted to the conversation he had with Renoir just two weeks prior, coincidentally the same day he met Lune. He couldn’t shake off the anger he felt after marching out of his father’s atelier. How could his parents be so insensitive to his own feelings and desires? He had put up with a lot of their bullshit over the years, but threatening to arrange a marriage for him if he didn’t find someone first was a new low, even for them.

They just wanted him to be the perfect son he was never going to be. Merde.

“Hey,” Gustave placed a hand on Verso’s shoulder, bringing him back to reality. “Something’s on your mind.” It wasn’t phrased as a question.

Verso exhaled slowly as he leaned forward, his elbows on the counter-top. “My father… he gave me an ultimatum.”

“An ultimatum?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “My parents... they want me to find a partner within a year, or they’ll arrange a marriage for me.”

“What?!” Gustave exclaimed in disbelief, withdrawing his hand. “Is this because of Julie?”

Verso nodded, eyes closed with his head facing down. “No matter how much I tell them I’m not ready for another relationship, they won’t listen.”

“Fucking hell,” Gustave muttered, his expression livid. “I’m sorry, Verso. I didn’t expect much from them, but this is really…”

“I know.”

“And why put such an arbitrary, archaic expectation on you?” The engineer’s hand clenched into a fist.

Verso chuckled dryly, “As you said: anything to keep the Dessendre name afloat.”

“What are you planning to do?” Gustave asked sincerely. “Or—let me rephrase that—what do you want to do?”

“I...I don’t know, Gustave,” he replied truthfully.

Verso was always certain of what he wanted in life, whether that would be being a musician, or traveling the world, or even gaining full independence away from his overbearing parents.

For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do.

What did he want?

How could he continue?

He glanced over at Gustave, who looked deep in thought. The engineer exhaled sharply and turned his head toward him. “This is going to sound bad at first, but just bear with me here.”

“What is it?” Verso asked, somewhat anxiously.

Gustave looked him dead in the face and stated, “You’ve been hanging out with Lune. Maybe...”

“Absolutely not,” Verso shut him down immediately. “We’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks.”

“But you’ve been seeing each other almost every day,” Gustave countered. “And I know Lune. She doesn’t date people right away. She’d rather get to know a person first.”

“Even so,” Verso argued. “I don’t want to feel like I’m using her. I barely know her, but she doesn’t deserve that.”

“Then take things slow,” Gustave suggested. “Get to know each other like you’ve been doing. I know you’re not fully ready for another relationship, but you clearly have a thing for her.”

“I don’t,” Verso immediately interjected. Gustave gave him a smug look, and he realized there was no point in denying it. “Okay, fine. I’m… attracted to her. And I’ve liked spending time with her so far.”

And who was he kidding? He hadn’t known her for long, but Lune had already left a lasting impression on him. She was smart, beautiful, stubborn, passionate, and—underneath a front she tried to put up—she was caring and kind.

It made him wonder why someone hadn’t stolen her heart already.

He did want her, that he could admit, but was he fully ready to move forward?

And did Lune want the same thing? Her boundaries and feelings were important as well.

Then there was the part of him that was afraid of hurting another partner again that it would lead to their demise, like…

No, stop blaming yourself, Verso thought. The accident was not your fault.

But he couldn’t help but blame himself, no matter how many times he would try to drill it into his head.

“Verso?”

Gustave’s voice cut through his thoughts. He turned his head to look at his friend, who had a worried expression on his face. Verso realized he had completely spaced out.

He shook his head, “Sorry, was just thinking.”

“Hmmm,” Gustave hummed as he finished the last of his wine, setting the glass down on the counter. “Anyway, take things at your own pace with her. Don’t force things. Just… don’t mention that deadline your parents gave you.”

Verso raised a brow, “So you’re saying I should lie?” He was perplexed Gustave of all people would even suggestion lying, or at least omission by lying.

“No, no,” Gustave protested. “Sorry. I mean... just tell her when the time is right. It wouldn’t be fair to keep her in the dark, yes, but you’ll only hurt your chances if you bring it up now.”

“I don’t know if there will ever be a “right time”.”

“There may never be,” Gustave admitted. “But I think it’s still better to build off of what you have now than putting her in a position she might not want to be in.”

It still felt wrong. All of this felt wrong, but he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He sighed, feeling defeated. He couldn’t be mad at Gustave for trying to help, but driving a wedge in between his and Lune’s budding friendship was the last thing he wanted.

Damn his parents for thrusting this on him. Damn being a Dessendre.

Damn it all.

“You’re right,” he finally said, placing a hand on Gustave’s shoulder. “Thanks, mon ami.”

The engineer gave a small smile in return, “Anytime.” He cleared his throat, knowing Verso was ready to move to a different topic. “Now, are you ready to hear about the latest advancements in adaptive technology?”

“Fire away,” Verso chuckled, knowing he wasn’t going to understand most of what his friend was about to share, but he paid it no mind.

The rest of their evening continued with Gustave chewing Verso’s ear off about his work for hours. Even if he couldn’t comprehend the technical terms the engineer was using, he was just content to be in the company of one of his oldest friends.

Lune felt restless as she paced back and forth in front of the science building. Normally she would’ve gone home by now as it was Friday evening and work for the week had ended, but she was waiting for Verso. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers yet, so he had to inform her through Gustave that he had a last-minute staff meeting with the music department this morning, and asked her to meet him outside after work. She had no idea why, but there was obviously a surprise involved.

It had been two weeks since that faithful day they met in the practice room, and she gone there every weekday since. With that streak broken, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She opted to hang out at the on-campus cafe until work started, but it felt like torture. In fact, the whole day felt like torture just waiting to meet up with Verso. Maybe she would actually remember to get his cell number this time so Gustave didn’t have to act as a messenger all the time. She could tell he was started to get sick of it.

She was stubborn to admit it, but spending time with him was the happiest she had felt in… a very long time. In these short two weeks, they had gotten quite comfortable around each other. There wasn’t a day that went by without either of them playing for the other, but sometimes they’d just talk about music, or bounce ideas off for songwriting. It was apparent Verso’s education shaped him as a skilled songwriter and composer, so it was often Lune relying on him for ideas. She had hoped that they could write a song together one day, but that was wishful thinking at best.

She still remembered the day he held her hand and the unbridled warmth it brought her. It was hard to forget. For Lune, it proved that she was falling into dangerous territory with him. Her fears of acting on her feelings were slowly being realized. It was hard not to resist his charm. The way he spoke passionately about his craft. His boyish smile every time he glanced her way. His graceful and delicate approach to playing the piano.

She feared what this meant and where it would lead her. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and never this quickly either.

And the worst part? She didn’t know if he felt the same. She was not prepared for the heartbreak if he didn’t.

Lune felt a hand tap her shoulder. She jolted and spun around to find Verso standing there, in his work clothes with his work bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled softly. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Lune replied, still reeling in from that sudden touch. “You nearly scared me just now. You could’ve just called my name.”

Verso chuckled, “Sorry! It looked like you were deep in thought. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“I… get restless easily,” she admitted, clutching her work bag for security. “A habit with having ADHD, I suppose.”

“I understand,” he said. “It can affect me too.. in different ways.”

Lune found comfort in that affirmation. She often felt out of place for being one of the only neurodivergent friends in her circle, so it was nice to know she wasn’t alone in that regard.

Remembering why they were meeting up, she asked curiously, “So, where exactly are you taking me?”

Verso smirked, “You’ll see.”

“Oh, come on. Not even a hint?” Lune pouted playfully.

“No hints,” he answered firmly. “It’ll ruin the surprise.” He extended his hand out to her. “Now, shall we?”

Lune blinked twice to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Her cheeks suddenly turned red.

Is… is he really…? She thought. No. He’s just being kind. He probably wants to make sure I don’t get lost. It doesn’t mean anything.

She took his hand in hers, feeling that same spark she felt the first time their hands touched. She couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Lune?”

His soft voice was enough to get her to gaze up at him slightly, trying to hide how red in the face she was.

“I’m okay,” she tried to reassure him, albeit not very convincingly. “Let’s go.”

They strolled hand and hand along the Parisian streets, Verso leading the way. It was rather awkward leaving campus as Lune noticed people were staring at them. He was rather popular with both students and faculty at the university for his talent and looks, something she didn’t learn about until after they met. She really hoped people wouldn’t spread rumors, but it was only inevitable. The last thing she wanted was to cause a commotion.

It also occurred to her that it was the first time they were out in public together. For the last two weeks, all of their interactions had been confined to the music room. It was pure luck that no one had walked in on them, even with Verso’s constant reassurance that students didn’t bother practicing in the early mornings. Lune took relief in those quiet moments together.

They spent several minutes of walking through the bustling streets, weaving around people getting home in the evening rush or making their way towards nightly activities. Lune couldn’t tell how far away they were from the university at this point. She looked towards Verso the entire time, hands never separating. It was enough time to get used to the feel of his palm; rough and calloused from playing his piano, but firm and strong. It put her at ease.

When they rounded a corner on one of the side streets, Verso had slowed down to a wooden door. He release her hand from his, which Lune already missed the feeling of, and pulled out a set of keys from his jacket pocket.

“We’re here,” he announced, unlocking the door to a narrow hall with a set of stairs. He stood aside and motioned for Lune to go in first, “After you, mademoiselle.”

Lune smirked, teasingly, “Such a gentleman.”

She entered inside, starting to ascend the stairs. She heard Verso softly shut the door behind her. In that moment, realization hit her that in any other scenario, this would be rather dangerous to be alone with a man she barely knew, in a building that appeared unoccupied. But she had a gut feeling she could trust him, and of course she had Gustave’s approval as one of his oldest friends, so she quickly shook it off.

As they reached the top of the stairs, there was another door with a glass panel around the frame. She peered into it and let out a gasp.

There were two rooms: one with a desk that had a computer and three monitors, chairs, and audio equipment. The walls were covered with records, posters, and plaques of different kinds. The other room was separated by another glass panel and a door. She couldn’t see everything in there, but there appeared to be a piano—similar to the grand piano in the music room—along with a microphone, and some soundproof foam on the walls.

Lune knew what this place was.

“This is a… recording studio.”

She slowly turned her head towards Verso, who nodded with a grin on his face. “You can go in.”

Her smile was wide when she pushed the door open. She gazed at her surroundings in awe. She never thought she would be in an actual studio. The university had one, but it had student-grade equipment and was small compared to this.

It felt unreal.

She turned around towards Verso once again, his arms crossed and grinning, “How…?”

“My buddy Simon’s an audio engineer,” Verso explained. “This is one of the studios he works at, so I pulled a few strings. We have a few hours to ourselves here.”

“That’s…” Lune trailed off, unsure of how to react. No one had ever gone to such lengths to do something like this for her. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” he shook his head. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I appreciate your friendship, Lune. This is my way of showing it.”

She couldn’t hide how bashful she was in that moment. This all seemed excessive to show appreciation for a newly-formed friendship. Or maybe she wasn’t used to people being this generous to her. She felt like a fraud. “I haven’t done much of anything to warrant this, Verso,” she pointed to a random spot in the studio.

“You didn’t have to,” he sauntered over to her, making the distance between them smaller. “Your presence these last few weeks has been enough.”

If she wasn’t feeling bashful then, she was definitely feeling it now. “Yours too.”

She tilted her head up slowly, just noticing how close they were. Enough to…

Lune mentally chased the thought out of her head. No, don’t ruin this.

The closeness was short-lived anyway, as Verso had other ideas. He walked over to the door which lead to the room with the instruments, opening it. Lune dropped her work bag on a chair, and followed suit. The obscured view she had earlier only showed the piano and microphone, but now she could see there were others. There was a drum set, an electric guitar, and a bass with amplifiers and music stands spread out. An entire band could fit in there.

She felt like a kid in a candy store. She could hear Verso chuckle as she looked around in excitement.

The guitar immediately caught her attention, its mint green and beige color scheme standing out the most. She slowly made her way to it, afraid to touch, but staring at it in admiration. She glanced towards Verso, as if asking him for permission.

He let out a small laugh, “You’re allowed to touch it. Just be careful.”

Lune nodded, her hand extended out. She could feel the smoothness of the painted wood as her fingers ran down the guitar’s body. She wanted to play with the strings, but feared how fragile they were to the point of breaking, so she refrained.

She could feel Verso’s amused smirk from across the room, “You’ve never seen an electric guitar before?”

“Not this close,” she answered. “And only ever at concerts. I only know how to play acoustic.”

“Right.”

She pressed her hand on the guitar, examining it for several moments more. She heard some shuffling, and spun around to find Verso sitting on the piano bench, slowly lifting the lid.

Lune giggled, “Do you just play every piano you find out in the open?”

Verso gave a small shrug, “They’re just begging to be played, I guess.”

“Touché.”

He smiled briefly before his brow furrowed in concentration, stretching out his hands before placing them on the keys. He began to play.

After the first few notes, Lune instantly recognized the song.

It was the first one he had played at the banquet. The one that carried emotions of longing and loss. The melancholic melody filled the room, despite the acoustics not being as strong as the ballroom’s due to the soundproofing.

The song was just as mesmerizing now as it was those few weeks ago.

Lune didn’t realize she had wandered all the way over to the piano until she was standing inches away from Verso. He continued to play as she slowly took a seat next to him on the bench, shoulders just barely touching as she watched him. Seeing him up close gave her a new perspective on his prowess. Every time he played for her in the practice room, she was sitting in her usual spot, far away enough that she couldn’t see his hands. Now, she could observe the way his fingers hit the keys; gentle like they were the most fragile things in the world, but with an ease and precision of a master of his craft.

It filled her with awe and wonder.

His playing eventually came to a close, paying no mind to how close Lune was to him now. After several quiet moments, she spoke softly, “You played that song at the banquet.”

Verso swerved his head in her direction, “Yeah, I did.”

Lune kept her gaze down. “I never got to tell you before, but...” she clasped her hands together nervously, “I thought it was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.”

She didn’t look up, but she could imagine Verso’s face turning red. “T-thank you,” she heard him say.

Now she was curious. “Is it about something important to you?” she asked genuinely.

“Someone,” Verso corrected. “Someone I loved dearly. I lost them a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

He said nothing in response. Lune could sense he wasn’t ready to talk about it further, but asked anyway. “Are you comfortable sharing anything about them?”

Verso’s sigh was hefty. “Not yet. Maybe someday I’ll feel more ready, but… it’s still heavy.”

She finally tilted her head up to gaze at him, his silver eyes showing hints of sadness. “I understand. Grieving takes time.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Thank you, Lune.”

She slowly nodded. The next thing she did surprised even herself.

On impulse, she kissed him on the cheek. It was brief, but she felt that same spark as when they held hands. A tiny thrill ran down her spine.

When she pulled back, Verso was stunned, his eyes wide. He didn’t speak.

She looked away quickly, too embarrassed by her hasty decision-making. However, she felt a hand tip her chin up, her eyes meeting his once again. Before she could process what was happening, Verso had leaned in, eyes shut, his nose brushing hers.

Lune froze. Her mind screamed at her. Pull away, you idiot.

But she didn’t.

She could feel his breath on her lips. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered, his voice raw. He pushed stray strands of raven hair from her face.

Lune tried to speak, but no words came out as if something was lodged in her throat. A few moments later, she felt his lips finally press against hers.

She closed her eyes, feeling herself shiver at his touch. His hands cupped her face as the kiss deepened, tilting their heads at an angle. She felt the room melt away until it was just the two of them, nothing else standing in their way. The spark had ignited tenfold, bringing a new wave of emotions between the two musicians.

Everything about this felt so right… and that was what scared Lune the most.

Her mind kept screaming at her. Pull away now, Lune.

Pull away.

You are only setting yourself up for heartbreak.

It’s only a distraction.

Pull. Away.

So she did. She jerked her head back, standing up and almost stumbling in the process as she backed away.

Verso appeared taken aback, eyes wide and mouth agape. “L-lune? What are you—?”

“—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean… I have to go.”

Without looking back, she crossed over to the other room, grabbing her bag quickly and making her way to the exit. She could hear Verso following her. Could feel his gaze on her from her backside.

“Lune, wait—!”

She didn’t even acknowledge him as she ran out of the building and into the Parisian streets, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Chapter Text

When the new week started, Lune didn’t return to the practice room.

On Monday, she overslept and just barely arrived to work on time. Gustave didn’t question it. The day proceeded as normal.

This trend continued throughout the week. Her thoughts were loud at night. No matter how much she tried to suppress it, he couldn’t leave her head. That kiss, his touch that felt like home to her, it wouldn’t go away. It replayed in her head over and over again. Sleep eluded her—even for an insomniac—which led to oversleeping. Which led to her whole routine being thrown off.

And yet, somehow, she saw glimpses of Verso on campus throughout the week. For someone who Lune never saw around up until two weeks ago—because she lived in the lab most of the time—he somehow became on thorn on her side without him even knowing.

On Tuesday, he was sitting on a bench outside, scrolling on his phone. Lune had to force herself to face straight ahead while walking to the science building.

On Wednesday, he was at the on-campus cafe during lunch time. She ducked out after grabbing a coffee and sandwich while he was on the line waiting to order.

On Thursday, she saw him exit the gym, which was near the science building. That time she was quick to look away.

It rained on Friday, so she barely left the lab. She didn’t see him then.

Lune could’ve sworn she heard him call out to her a few times. If he did, she chose to ignore it. To drown him out. Maybe it was cowardice to avoid him, but she couldn’t face him. Not after that kiss.

She’d rather live with the regret of stopping now than let her feelings get too deep that the eventual heartbreak would hurt badly.

She figured it was better this way. Keeping people at arms length is what she did best.

“Have you been feeling okay?” Gustave asked her on Friday right as they were about to clock out for the weekend. “You’ve been almost late to work every day this week.”

“I’m fine.” Lune dismissed his concern.

“You sure?”

“Just seasonal allergies,” she made an excuse while packing up her work bag. “Fucks up my sleep schedule.”

Gustave wasn’t buying it. “Does this have anything to do with Verso?”

“No.”

She was about to exit out the door.

“Whatever happened between you two—”

“Gustave,” Lune seethed, cutting him a glare. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s going on. Just drop it.”

“Lune…” he tried to reach out. It wasn’t with malicious intent. She knew more than anything he was trying to help. That he wanted to help.

But Lune pushed him away. “Gustave,” her breath came out shaky, like she was trying to hold back tears. “Please, just leave it be.”

The engineer sighed in defeat, picking up his bag. “Alright. See you on Monday, Lune.”

“See you.” Lune managed to reply.

That night, she laid in bed, wide awake for hours.

After tossing and turning for who-knows-how-long, Lune eventually fell asleep, waking up in the late afternoon. As she came to, she glanced at her calendar on the wall next to her bed. Her eyes shot open as it dawned on her what day it was…

The opening of her sister’s art show was tonight.

And she totally forgot about it.

And she only had an hour to get ready if she were to make it on time.

Merde. She felt terrible, physically and mentally. Spending an entire week moping over a boy resulted in her almost missing an important event for her sibling. Lune scolded herself, “Get it together. This isn’t like you.”

Nothing she could do about it now.

She scrambled to look presentable, taking a quick shower and grabbing any clothes she could find in her closet. She knew the event wasn’t super formal, but she still wanted to look nice. She put on a black jumpsuit with a red belt around the waist, with a studded black leather jacket, and red flats. She kept her wavy shoulder-length hair as is, and only applied basic makeup with red lip stick. Nothing too fancy, but it made her feel pretty.

Lune made it right on time to the venue, having called a cab at the last minute. As soon as she was inside, she immediately felt overwhelmed by the amount of people there, drinking and chatting away. There was also loud music playing, but nothing that could drown out conversations. She hated how overstimulating these sorts of social settings were for her. She could barely go to bars without it being a sensory overload, and those were tame compared to this.

She did find some relief in seeing Stella’s work in every corner of the room. She was a mixed media artist; working in traditional and digital art, printmaking, and graphic design. Her art primarily focused on feminism and other forms of activism. She had a big online following, several of her pieces going viral and making headlines on the news. Lune always thought that she was the sibling who could change the world with science, Stella could change the world with art. Sol was just the supportive older brother, working in finance and doing his best.

She loved both of her siblings dearly, but she was always going to be envious that they were able to pursue careers of their choosing. While she liked the work she did, it was still something her parents forced her to do.

Being the youngest was always the worst.

“Lune!” She heard a feminine voice call out to her. She spun around to see Stella and Sol with drinks in hand. Lune beamed and ran over to them, pulling them both into a tight embrace.

“Whoa!” Sol exclaimed. “Easy there, sis. You almost made me spill my drink.”

Lune pulled back, chuckling. “Sorry! It’s just good to see you guys.”

“Rough week?” Stella asked, worry laced in her voice. “You’re never usually this affectionate.”

Lune huffed. “You have no idea.” She placed her hand on Stella’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Stella!”

Her sister blushed. “Aw shucks, you do care!” She said jokingly. Lune playfully slapped her arm in response. “Kidding, kidding!”

Sol let out a small laugh watching his sisters interact. “You two have fun. I’m going to go check on Emma. I think she might be a bit lonely.”

“Cool, catch you later.” Stella said, waving him a goodbye as he left. She turned to face Lune, now looking distraught. “Are you sure you’re alright? You seem a bit off.”

“Stella, I’m fine,” Lune replied, not really in the mood to talk about… literally anything going on in her life right now. “I just overslept today. That’s all.”

Her sister tilted her head, “Have you been overworking again? I know you have sleep problems, so maybe you should see a specialist—“

“You think I haven’t already?” Lune asked in irritation. “They just prescribe me meds that barely work.”

When Stella said nothing in defense, Lune continued “Look, I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be fine. I’m here for you tonight, remember​?”

Stella sighed in defeat, “Okay.” She took a quick sip of wine, a smile forming on her lips once again as she added, “Seriously though, thank you for coming. I am glad you’re here.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Lune grinned back. “I’m just impressed you were able to get your first solo show so soon.”

Stella let out a soft giggle. “Honestly, this wouldn’t have been possible without a good friend of mine. She’s the one who sponsored the show.”

“She?” Lune asked curiously.

“Yeah, she’s here tonight for support.” Stella explained. “She kind of reminds me of you, in a way.”

“That’s not exactly a winning endorsement,” Lune tried to argue.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. You’ll like her, trust me,” her sister reassured her, then proceeded to scan her eyes around the room for this friend. “I’ll introduce you.”

Lune laughed. “Let me just go get a drink first. I could use some wine.” She wasn’t in the mood to converse with new people, but being a little drunk to entertain her sister was better than nothing.

Stella scoffed. “Of course the first thing you think about is wine, Lu.”

“Hey! It’s the only way for me to enjoy parties,” Lune countered cheekily.

Stella rolled her eyes, then pointed to the back of the room. “There’s an open bar by the bathrooms over there. Knock yourself out.”

Lune nodded before making her way to the back of the room. She got herself a glass of red wine, not being able to identify what brand it was, but she couldn’t care less. She felt the need to calm her nerves that came with events like these, and quite frankly, she needed a drink after the week she had, no thanks to her own overthinking making things worse.

Rather than going back to where she left Stella, Lune took a detour to look at the different pieces of art on display whilst drinking her wine. She had seen plenty of these already, mostly on social media, but seeing them in-person was entirely different. They were simply beautiful to gaze at, each piece having a story to tell. Some pieces were even up for auction, the funds being donated to various different charities.

Lune never felt more proud of her sister than when she was using her gifts for good.

By the time she finished looking around and the last of her drink, she returned to where Stella was, only to find her talking to a woman with long, wavy auburn hair with bangs. She wore a navy blue headband and sleeveless dress. Her silver eyes fell on Lune as if they were searing into her soul. Her eyes almost looked similar to...

Wait…

“Ah, Lune!” Stella called, pointing to the other woman. “This is my friend, Clea Dessendre. She’s my sponsor for the show. Clea, this is my little sister, Lune.”

Lune’s eyes widened.

Clea?

Dessendre?

Oh. Oh no.

This is awkward.

Lune tried to remain as composed as possible throughout this revelation. How did her sister know Clea? They were both artists, yes, but how on earth did she not put two and two together earlier?

Clea reached out to shake Lune’s hand. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

The researcher obliged, not breaking eye contact. The look Clea gave her was one of scrutiny, like her every move was being judged under a microscope. It made her feel uneasy.

“Her sculptures are amazing!” Stella praised her friend. “She has an art gallery not too far from here. You should stop by sometime.”

“Oh Stella, you flatter me.” Clea remarked. “It’s a very modest space, mind you. Aline and Renoir may be loaded, but they are stingy as hell.”

Lune couldn’t verbalize anything in that moment. She kept staring at the eldest Dessendre sibling, still astonished by this unprecedented turn of events. It was like the universe wanted to throw every curveball her way for the past week, and it kept getting worse.

Clea’s voice cut through Lune’s trance, annoyance evident. “It’s very rude to stare, you know. Don’t you talk?”

Lune blinked. “Uh, s-sorry.”

“Clea, be nice.” Stella chastised her friend, then glanced toward her sister. “Sorry, Lu. She can be a bit blunt.”

“No, it’s fine.” Lune whispered, not wanting to cause any conflicts. “I was being rude.”

Seeing the small tension between the two other women, Stella pointed to Lune excitedly, “My sister here is quite the musician.”

“Stella,” Lune hissed a warning.

“A musician, eh?” Clea crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, looking Lune up and down. “What instrument?”

“Guitar.”

“Hmm,” Clea nodded. “My brother knows a bit of guitar himself, though he primarily plays the piano.”

And I’m well aware of that. Lune thought, although she almost said it out loud.

“In fact,” Clea continued, swerving her head around. “He should be around here somewhere. I practically had to drag him away from his piano so he could socialize for a few hours. He keeps himself locked in that damned studio too much.”

At that instant, everything froze.

He’s here?!

Lune felt her heart stop for a second before it began to pound loudly in her chest. Her fingers started to feel numb.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

This night was becoming more of a disaster by the minute.

“Ah, there he is,” she barely heard Clea call through the ringing in her ears. “Verso! Come over here!”

She could feel heart practically hammering in her chest now, her eyes scanning the room for a way out. She needed air. Needed space. Unfortunately, as she turned her head, her eyes landed on his.

They stared at each other for the briefest moment. As soon as she looked at him, she could see his expression of... concern? Hurt? She couldn’t tell. She just needed to leave.

“Lune?” she could make out her sister reaching out to her. Lune shook her head, barely able to speak, “Excuse me. I need some air.”

Before Stella could say anything else, Lune bolted out of the venue quickly, feeling the breeze of the evening air hit her face. She didn’t think twice and rounded the corner of the alleyway in-between buildings. She braced herself against the cool brick wall, breathing heavily. She needed to ground herself.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, feeling her heart rate go down little by little. The ringing in her ears quieted down. The feeling in her fingers slowly returned. Breathe Lune, breathe. She kept telling herself.

It wasn’t her first anxiety attack. She had plenty of them during her childhood. Lune thought she had learned to suppress them; it was a form of weakness in front of her parents, after all. She didn’t expect them to come back tenfold, over someone she had barely known for a few weeks no less.

As she finally felt herself calm down, the realization hit her that she ran out of her sister’s art show unceremoniously, probably making a scene. Stella didn’t deserve that kind of treatment, especially from her. She felt awful. “Merde…” Lune whispered. “What’s wrong with me? I need to go back in there and apologize.”

She lingered there for several moments longer, making sure she was fully ready before going back inside. As she was about to leave, she heard a deep voice she instantly recognized. “Lune?”

Lune turned her head around slowly, her brown eyes locking onto his silver. His expression was worn out and worried.

“Lune,” Verso breathed. “Can we talk?”

Chapter Text

Verso was having trouble wrapping his head around what had just transpired.

One moment he and Lune were locked in eye contact with each other, then she ran out the door the next. He was puzzled as to why she was at this event, but he after seeing her, he hoped maybe they could talk about that day. Talk about the kiss.

That kiss.

Verso was so certain he wasn’t ready to commit to another relationship. By all accounts, he was still mourning. It had gotten manageable overtime, but there were days it was still too unbearable. Given his parents’ wish for him to eventually settle down, he was being pulled in various different directions of how to move forward.

And then Lune kissed him. On the cheek, but it did still count. It made him believe that maybe there was a chance to find a new beginning. A new love. It’s why he kissed her back. And she reciprocated.

But only briefly.

After she ran out of the studio, he sat there alone for awhile. Confusion and hurt were the two emotions that came to mind in that moment. He didn’t remember much happening the rest of that night as he was drinking, taking refuge in a local bar for several hours. He arrived back at the manor after everyone had gone to bed, except for Clea. She scolded him, rightfully so, before helping him sober up.

For the past week, Verso stayed at the manor. When he wasn’t at work or having a meal with the family, he was in his room, opting to play in his music room. As much as he despised living in the manor, that room was his safe space where he could just focus on his compositions.

The Dessendres all reacted differently to him taking up residence in his old room, even if It was temporary. His parents were more than thrilled that he was at home for once. Maelle could tell something was wrong, but knew he didn’t want to be disturbed. Clea made a snide remark here and there about his withdrawal from the family, which Verso would promptly tell her to “fuck off” in response.

He saw Lune on campus a few times, but she was purposefully avoiding him. He would call her name, and she would either ignore him or turn around and run. Her behavior further added to the confusion and hurt he was feeling. Truth be told, Verso hated confrontation. It was why he had such a strained relationship with his parents.

Something about Lune made him want to try, though. He didn’t want to give up on her. Not yet.

But he was starting to think that maybe he should.

Until tonight.

Clea had found him a few hours ago, in his music room where he had been hiding for the last several days. Her expression was unreadable, hands on her hips. “Verso, get changed,” she demanded. “We’re leaving soon.”

He abruptly stopped playing at the sound of her voice, turning his head around to face her. “Where are you taking me?”

“Out,” Clea said simply, not bothering to elaborate. “You’ve been in here, sulking like a brokenhearted teenager for the past week. It’s frankly depressing.”

“Well maybe I want to sulk,” he shot back. He loved Clea, but he did not want to put up with her attitude and snarky comments at the moment.

“Oh boo hoo,” Clea rolled her eyes. “Aline and Renoir may not seem to care, since all they want is for you to be home. God knows why. But Alicia and I have noticed. You haven’t been yourself.”

“When was the last time I was ever truly myself?” Verso questioned her.

His older sister scoffed. “Do you think I keep track of that? All I know is that you came home, drunk off your ass in the middle of the night last Friday, and you’ve locked yourself in here since. And I know you’re not going to tell my why, so I’m not going to bother asking, but I’m taking you out. You need to be around people and some fresh air.”

“Clea—“

“Be ready in an hour, Verso,” was all she said before shutting the door behind her.

And now he was here.

And Lune was here too, but she ran away. Again.

He walked over to Clea and her friend Stella, the one who was the featured artist of the show. There was another man he didn’t recognize standing next to Stella. The two’s resemblance to Lune was so strikingly similar that it made him wonder if or how they were related. They both looked distraught as they were deep in conversation.

“Putain. What’s gotten into her tonight?” Stella muttered. “This is so unlike her.”

“Should we call an ambulance?” The man asked. “Maybe she’s unwell.”

Stella shook her head, “That was my first thought, but she kept insisting she was fine. Besides, I think we should give her some space for a bit.”

“But what if she needs medical attention—“

“Sol, calm yourself.” Stella interjected sternly. “I know our sister. Give her space. If she doesn’t come back soon, we’ll look for her.”

So these are her siblings. Verso thought.

The man, named Sol, grumbled in resignation. Verso stepped in, seeing an opportunity, “I can check on her now, if you’d like.”

Sol and Stella immediately turned towards him, clearly caught off-guard. “Your Clea’s brother, right?” Stella asked.

He nodded. Clea looked at him skeptically. “Verso, what the hell are you doing?” she hissed.

Verso ignored his sister. “Lune’s my friend,” he explained. “We work at the same university.”

“Funny,” Sol eyed him with suspicion. “She’s never mentioned you before.”

“We only just met at the beginning of the semester, at the Welcome Back banquet,” the pianist further explained, though part of it was a half-truth as he didn’t have time to fully elaborate. “We’ve played music together a few times since then.”

Stella turned to Clea, looking for her approval, “Clea…?”

The elder Dessendre sibling crossed her arms and huffed. “Verso doesn’t tell me anything about what’s going on in his life, but you can trust him. You have my word.”

“Alright,” Stella relented, albeit reluctantly. She turned to Verso, “Please, go make sure she’s okay.”

Verso silently thanked his sister for vouching for him. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, before turning around and exiting the venue.

He didn’t have to go far, as he found Lune in an alleyway leaning against the wall of the venue. Her head was bowed down, eyes staring at the ground.

“Lune?”

She slowly gazed up at him, her face looking rather pale and her expression unreadable.

“Lune,” he breathed. “Can we talk?”

Lune stared for several seconds, before shifting her eyes away in shame. “I…”

Verso noticed her shaking a little as he approached her carefully. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Lune muttered, still not meeting his gaze.

He shook his head, “You’re clearly not fine. You look ill.”

“Thank you for noticing,” she replied sarcastically, finally looking him in the eye. “I feel like shit, alright? Is that what you want to hear? Now, leave me alone.”

Verso instinctively flinched at her words. Somehow, it reminded him of the first year after the accident. He had refused help from almost anyone, until Clea knocked some sense into him. Told him to get his act together, because he was unintentionally dragging people down with him in his own despair.

He stood firm. He was not going to let the same thing happen to a friend. “I’m not leaving you alone, Lune. I’m worried about you. I want to help.”

“Well, I don’t need your help,” she barked. “Go away, Verso.”

But Verso persisted. “Lune, please. Don’t do this. Don’t push me away.”

She remained silent, just staring at him. He still couldn’t read her expression.

He sighed, “At least come back inside with me, please. Your siblings are worried sick about you.”

Lune opened her mouth is if she was about to say something, but she suddenly brought her hand up like something had caught in her throat.

Because in the next moment, she retched… all over her and Verso’s shoes.

Well, fuck.

Verso looked down, then back up at Lune, who was taking deep breaths now, tears welling in her eyes.

“Putain,” she whispered. “I-I’m so sorry, I…”

Seeing how vulnerable she was, he put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It happens. Why don’t we go back inside and get you cleaned up, yeah?”

Lune shook her head, “I can’t go back in there like this. And Stella... I ruined her big night.”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” he reassured her. “She was worried about you. Sol too. They sent me to come get you.”

Lune didn’t say anything. Verso could smell the alcohol on her. He asked quietly, “Lune, how much have you had to drink?”

She looked away sheepishly, “Just a glass of wine.”

“And, have you had anything to eat today?”

“I didn’t wake up until a few hours ago, so no.” she replied, still not facing him. She was definitely embarrassed.

Merde, what am I going to do with her? “Lune, that’s dangerous.”

“I know,” she hugged herself as she fought back tears. “I know… I just...”

Verso sighed. “I’m going to get you something to eat,” he declared. “And then I’m gonna take you home. Is that alright?”

“Verso, I can’t just leave,” Lune protested. “My sister—“

“She’ll understand,” he insisted. “Now, come on. Let’s go let her know we’re leaving.”

Lune nodded slowly. Verso took her hand in his, as they walked back inside together. They found Sol, Stella, and Clea where they were before, their heads turned in the pair’s direction as soon as they approached.

“There you are!” Sol exclaimed in relief. “Are you okay, Lu?”

“Yeah,” Lune breathed. “Just was feeling nauseous, is all. I’m sorry for running out like that and worrying you all.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Stella said. “You should go home and rest, though. You look like you need it.”

“But Stella, your show—”

“Don’t worry about it, okay?” her sister patted her on the shoulder. “I’m glad you were able to come, even for a little bit. Now, please go home. And get a second opinion from another sleep specialist while you’re at it.”

Lune rolled her eyes, “Fine.”

Verso smiled as he stepped forward, still holding Lune’s hand, “I’m gonna take Lune home. Get her something to eat too.”

Stella smiled, “We appreciate that. Thank you, Verso.” She turned back to Lune, “Just don’t forget to text us when you’re back home, okay?”

“Yes, Maman,” Lune responded playfully.

Clea eyed her brother, crossing her arms, “You know our parents are going to have a fit that you’re coming home late again, right dear brother?” He was keenly aware that she was looking at the way he was holding Lune’s hand.

“They can deal with it. I’m a grown adult,” he brushed her off. “I’ll face their wrath in the morning, if I have to.”

Clea huffed, “Suit yourself. It’s your funeral.” She leaned closer to whisper into his ear, “If I don’t see you tomorrow, don’t forget about Alicia’s tournament this week. Got it?”

“What makes you think I won’t see you tomorrow?” he whispered back. Clea wiggled her eyebrows in response, her eyes still on his and Lune’s entwined hands. “Cut it out,” he hissed. “She’s just a friend.”

“Sure,” Clea smirked as she pulled away, the gesture reminding him of Maelle. They didn’t want to admit it, but sometimes the two sisters could be alike... in different ways.

Verso turned to Lune, “Shall we?”

“Yeah,” Lune nodded. She waved her siblings goodbye as they stepped back out into the bustling streets of Paris.

It didn’t take long to find something for Lune to eat. There was a local fast food restaurant near the venue, so she got a burger with fries. Verso had insisted to pay for it despite her reservations. He could tell she still felt guilty for everything that happened tonight, but she eventually gave in. The two sat in silence as they ate. Verso couldn’t help but be relieved, seeing the color returning to her face as she sobered up, which didn’t take long. He was thankful she didn’t get too drunk.

They took a cab back to Lune’s apartment, her building being in one of the more quiet parts of the city. The pair walked up about four flights of stairs until they reached her door. She fiddled with the lock, muttering about how the landlord refuses to fix anything in the building, before finally getting the door to open. Lune stepped inside first, turning on the lights and throwing her purse to the side. She turned around once she realized Verso hadn’t moved. “Aren’t you coming in?”

He was taken aback by her question, “I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not,” she said. “Besides, you need to wash up too.”

“Right,” he agreed as he finally stepped inside, allowing Lune to shut the door behind him. He was able to get a glimpse of her apartment. It was decently-sized studio that had a living area with a couch and TV, a bedroom area with a bed, dresser, and desk with what looked like a gaming PC, and a full kitchen with a counter and stools. There were a couple of closets throughout and the bathroom was next to the kitchen area.

It was fitting for someone like her who spent most of her time working.

“Nice place,” he remarked.

“For the rent I pay, it better be,” Lune muttered as she went over to the kitchen. “My landlord is a crook.”

“Aren’t they all?”

She laughed at that, “And what would you know about that, Monsieur Dessendre?”

“Hey, I have my own place,” he shot back playfully. “I live by the university. I just stay with my family on the weekends… not by choice.”

“Hm, helicopter parents?” Lune asked. Verso didn’t answer, but his sour expression was enough to get the picture. “Trust me, I know. Having obsessive researchers for parents does that to you.”

Now he was curious. “Is that how you became a researcher?”

“You could say that,” she replied, not explaining further. She walked over to the fridge. “Would you like something to drink? I don’t have a lot except for coffee, tea, or wine.”

“Just water is fine,” he replied, sitting on one of the stools by the counter. “You should drink some, too.”

“I know,” she spoke softy. She got two glasses out of the cupboard, pouring water into them. She pushed one in Verso’s direction. He took it, sipping on it slowly as she drank hers.

After several moments of silence, Verso spoke, “Lune, we really should talk.”

She glanced away. “I know,” she repeated, exhaling shakily. “Just let me take a shower first. I still reek of vomit.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” he said. “I’ll clean up after.”

Lune hummed in response. She went over to the dresser and grabbed a large t-shirt and pajama pants, before going into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. The sound of running water indicated she was in the shower.

Verso took a deep breath. Now that he had time to himself, he replayed the past few hours in his head. It was strange. He went from starting to give up on salvaging his friendship with Lune earlier today to taking her back home after she puked on him. It dawned on him how unpredictable things were with her, and surprisingly, that didn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, he found it kind of thrilling.

The next thing he needed to do was establish what they were to each other. He would be fine with settling for being “just friends,” as long as he didn’t lose having her in his life.

But he also didn’t know how long it could stay like that. He wasn’t one for keeping things casual. He preferred romantic intimacy. That’s not to say he didn’t like casual sex in the past. Before his last relationship, it was something he enjoyed plenty, but he couldn’t say the same now. And Lune’s boundaries were just as important as his.

Verso would try for her sake, but he didn’t know how long he could keep his feelings in check.

And there was also the ultimatum his parents gave him. That was another obstacle entirely.

After finishing his water, he stood up to take a look around her apartment. He noticed a few posters on the walls; some anime and video games, and some bands he recognized. From what he remembered during their conversations in the practice room, she was into a variety of genres from Kpop to Gothic metal. That fact about her had always amused him—it was a broad spectrum of tastes—but she had told him she found something she enjoyed in almost every genre of music. He didn’t think she could get any more intriguing as a person, but she proved him wrong every time.

A particular poster caught his eye; a limited edition autographed holographic one from the band, the Gestrals. That was one of the artists he and Lune bonded over early on in their friendship. They were a fusion jazz metal band of guys wearing masks, based on the fairy tale creatures from a beloved children’s book series. Verso couldn’t help but feel envious that she had it in her hands.

“That one was so hard to find online.”

Verso spun around to find Lune, fresh out of the shower and in her pajamas with her hair tied back in a small ponytail. His cheeks turned red. Even when she was dressed in loungewear, she still looked beautiful. She crossed her arms, smirking.

He chuckled. “I’m jealous. I missed out on getting the preorder for that.”

“I also have the vinyl somewhere,” she said proudly. “I don’t have a record player, so it’s stored away in a box in one of these closets.”

“Now I’m really jealous.”

“Good,” Lune smirked. “You should be.” She sauntered over to the couch, plopping herself down. “Bathroom’s all yours.”

Verso nodded. He entered the bathroom, turning on the sink and splashing cold water onto his face. There wasn’t really much he could do since he didn’t have a change of clothes, so he tried to scrub out whatever he could. It was a shame that his shoes got ruined, but it wasn’t a huge loss. Making sure Lune was safe and okay was his priority tonight. He could think about replacing his clothes later.

When he was done, he found Lune on the same spot on the couch. She was typing on her phone, probably letting her siblings know she had made it home safe. As soon as Verso approached, she gazed up at him, smiling softly while she set her phone aside on the coffee table. She patted the empty space on the couch, “Have a seat.”

Verso obliged, making sure to keep his distance as he took his seat. After staring at each other for a long moment in awkward silence, he cleared his throat, “So…”

“So?”

Verso took a deep breath, getting straight to the point, “Do you regret it? That kiss?”

A pause. “...No” she answered truthfully. “I don’t.”

That provided some relief. He still needed more answers though. “So then,” he continued. “Why did you push me away? Why have you been avoiding me all week?”

“I…” she trailed off, clasping her hands together. “It’s not that simple for me to say.”

He could sense that she was struggling, so he took one of her hands in both of his. It got her to look up at him again, her brown eyes searching in his. For what, he wasn’t sure.

“Lune,” Verso breathed her name like it was his lifeline. “Talk to me, please.”

Her gaze was sharp, focused now. It was like his voice had sparked a deep resolution in her. She took a steady breath. “I’m terrified, Verso.”

Verso was even more confused now. “Of me?”

“No!” Lune raised her voice without realizing. She quickly cleared her throat. “No, never of you. I’m terrified of what, no, how I feel for you. It just… it happened so fast. I figured it was better to quit while I was ahead before…”

“Before?”

“Before… I fell too deep,” she finished, seemingly careful with her words as if she wanted to say something else entirely, but chose not to. “It was the logical choice for me, in the long run.”

“What do you mean by that?” Verso asked genuinely.

Lune paused for a long moment. “My parents,” she said those words with so much venom as if it was the root of every problem in her life. “It was what I was taught growing up. They believed acting on emotions was a distraction. Their— my work always came first, so I’ve kept my distance from most people in my life. I even avoided my best friend because of them. We didn’t speak for an entire year after they passed. I kept telling myself cutting her out wasn’t personal, but it killed me.”

Verso wondered if there was more to that story, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

She continued, “I’ve never been a romantic person. I’ve tried, and failed. It made me swear off relationships for good. And then I met you, and maybe that’s why…”

It was the first time she was truly opening up about herself. He never wanted to press her for details on her parents or her upbringing. It was a deeply personal topic for her and he respected that. Nevertheless, from the way she spoke about them, he could gather there was a lot of trauma she still needed to unpack, but that was up to her to decide whether or not to share that with him.

“Lune…”

“I never wanted to push you away,” she said, her voice breaking. “I still don’t, but I can’t get these voices out of my head. The ones that belonged to my parents. I can still hear them. Every reprimand for every time I did something wrong or when it didn’t match their ideas of perfection. Every time they expressed their disapproval of anything I did that wasn’t related to their work... I’ve tried for so long to silence them. Even if I ran away, I’ll always hear them.”

He took in her words, realizing that he could relate to her plight. Even if he didn’t yet know the full story of what she had gone through with her parents, he understood her in some way or another. The constant pressure to be perfect in his family. Being forced into a path of life that he did not want. A life that was not meant for him.

For the first time since they’ve met, he felt like was finally and truly getting to know her.

Verso rubbed his thumb on her knuckles as if to say he was here. To offer his support to her. “Lune, it’s your head. Their your voices. Not your parents. They’ve been gone for years. And if they weren’t, we have to let the voices in our head be our own.”

She sat there, stunned. He too was perplexed at his own words, not knowing how they had come out of his mouth. Maybe he needed to hear it as much as she did. Maybe it was the voices in his head that had kept him from moving forward.

He would always hear the taunting. The constant blame that he was the cause of the accident, but was it his own voice or…?

He would figure that out later.

After a long silence lingered in the air, Lune spoke, “What about you? Are the voices in your head yours, Verso?”

“It’s… complicated,” he answered as honestly as he could. “But… I’m getting there.”

She chuckled lightly, “Then I guess we’re both just complicated messes.”

“I guess so,” he laughed in return, a smile creeping up on his face.

The two sat there, just taking in each other’s presence with a newfound understanding and comfort in each other. He broke the quiet stillness, returning to a serious tone. “I don’t regret it, either.”

She tilted her head. “Huh?”

“Kissing you,” he clarified.

“Oh.” Suddenly, she was blushing. “That’s… good to know.”

“Yeah.”

The next moment caught him by surprise.

Lune leaned in and kissed him on the lips, briefly, before pulling back seconds later. The small amount of contact brought back the spark that he craved so much, that made him want more of her. He wasn’t certain if he should go in for a deeper kiss, but when she finally withdrew her hand out of his, he refrained.

He already missed her touch.

She gazed at him with a type of boldness that wasn’t there before.

“I think,” Lune said softly. “We should take this slow, for now.”

“Did the voices in your head tell you that?” he asked jokingly, trying his best to hide the little bit of disappointment he was feeling.

She laughed with a playful shrug, “Maybe. I just know that I like what we have now. I don’t want to rush into things.”

Verso nodded. “I understand. I do too.”

She took a deep breath, “And I’m sorry for how I treated you, Verso. I should have talked to you, instead of pushing you away.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” he murmured. “You were scared. I get it.”

“But still, it wasn’t fair—“

“Lune,” Verso interrupted. “It’s okay. We’re good.”

Lune shook her head. “Okay.”

Seeing that she still wasn’t fully convinced, Verso leaned forward, pulling her into a warm embrace. He could feel the breath that she’d been holding finally release as she circled her arms around his torso. He rubbed small circles in her back while feeling her head lean into the crook of his neck.

It was the most comfort he felt in another person in a long time. Being in her arms felt like the safest place in the world.

After holding each other that for while, Lune pulled back, a small smile on her face. “So…”

“So?”

“Do you… have some time to kill before you have to head back?”

Verso raised an eyebrow, curious. “What did you have in mind?”

She re-positioned herself on the couch, straightening her back. “Well, we haven’t a had real chance to actually hang out yet.”

“Wait, was what we were doing before not hanging out?” he chuckled at the her odd phrasing.

“No— ugh yes, but I mean,” Lune groaned. “I don’t know, like, watch a movie? Listen to music? Play video games?”

“Wow, you really don’t go out much, do you?” he teased.

“Oh, come on. Don’t make fun of me!” she grumbled in annoyance. “Plus, your sister told me you don’t leave your studio much, so we’re even.”

Dammit Clea. “Okay, okay, you got me there,” he relented. “Besides, I was only teasing.”

Lune crossed her arms and leaned back on the couch, sighing. “Just pick something before I change my mind.”

Verso thought for a moment, before he spotted a lone game controller on the coffee table and picking it up. “Got any multiplayer games?”

She grinned. “I should have some on my Switch.”

Her grin was so infectious that he couldn’t help but smile back. “Games it is, then.”

The next few hours flew by as the two friends became immersed in playing games together. It was the most fun Verso had in what felt like ages. As it turns out, Lune could get incredibly competitive when it came to gaming, which he often ended up teasing her for, much to her dismay. However, she did get her revenge whenever he lost a game. It was the most animated and enthusiastic he had ever seen her become since meeting her, which was a treat to for him to see with his own eyes.

After awhile, they got bored of playing games, so they turned on a low-budget action movie to watch. Neither of them were fully paying attention to it, as they slowly became drowsy not very far in. Eventually, Verso felt something bump on his shoulder, only to discover that Lune had fallen asleep. He smiled softly as he felt her deep breathing, indicating her dreams were relatively peaceful. The sight was so serene, it made his heart flutter.

Verso contemplated whether or not to get up, knowing his parents wanted him home soon, before he too drifted into a deep slumber. The thought slipped from his mind as he subconsciously leaned his head against Lune’s. The movie continued to play at low volume as they both fell into the most restful sleep either of them have had in a lifetime.

Chapter Text

“Glad to see you made it back in one piece, brother,” Clea remarked as Verso entered the library in the Manor. His older sister was sitting on one of the sofas, a book in hand. Maelle, who was laying down on the other, turned to face him at the mention of him entering the room, forming a small grin.

Verso hummed in response. It was the morning after the art show fiasco. He woke up as soon as dawn broke, careful not to wake up Lune, who was still deep in slumber. Leaving her a note with his phone number on it—as he kept forgetting to exchange numbers with her—he ran back to his apartment to take a quick shower and change clothes before coming back to the Manor.

Thankfully, his parents didn’t attempt to contact him, which was the one thing he was worried about. He could only assume Clea must have covered for him after realizing he wasn’t coming back.

“Be lucky Renoir and Aline didn’t press me for information regarding your whereabouts,” Clea continued, as if reading his mind. “I told them you were out with a friend and wouldn’t be back until late. Surprisingly, they didn’t question it. They seemed content, for once.”

“Huh.”

“Yes, astonishing, really,” Clea said. “But don’t expect me to cover for you again anytime soon. God only knows how much more I can put up with their bitching and moaning.”

Verso chuckled as he settled in an armchair. “Noted. Thanks, Clea.”

“Oh, don’t thank me,” she said with a bit of snark in her voice. “It was only a matter of time before you went and got laid again.”

His eyes widened at his older sister’s remark. Maelle burst out into hysterical laughter.

“Clea!” he snarled. “Could you not? And in front of Alicia?!”

“Hey!” Maelle protested. “I’m sixteen! I’m old enough to understand this stuff.”

Verso glared at her, “Even if you are, it isn’t any of your business.” Maelle playfully pouted in response, though he was certain she wanted more information, even if he wasn’t willing to give it to her. He turned back to Clea. “For the record, I went back to my place as soon as I dropped her home. It was closer by anyway.”

That was a lie, but he would rather lie than tell his sisters what actually happened. Even if Clea already met her, however briefly, introducing Lune to them was something he wanted to do on his own volition.

“Uh huh,” Clea murmured, unconvinced, while turning a page in her book. “If I’m being honest, I don’t understand what you see in her, Verso.”

“As I’ve told you before, we’re just friends,” Verso said defensively, although that line was starting to become blurry, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that. “And, what do you mean by that? What do you know about her?”

“Only from what Stella has told me,” Clea spoke plainly. “That she works too much. She doesn’t have many friends. She’s s recluse. Stella also tells me we’re alike, but I don’t see it.”

Verso let out an exasperated sigh. Leave it to his older sister to focus only on the flaws of others. He highly doubted Lune’s siblings spoke like that about her, at least in a condescending way.

“She’s also intelligent, passionate, and a talented musician,” he argued. “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover, Clea.”

“You forget, brother, that I tend to judge everyone that way,” Clea said as closed the book she was reading, putting it down on the coffee table. “Call it a bad habit, I suppose.”

Verso grumbled in annoyance.

“I don’t know,” Maelle spoke up. “Lune sounds cool to me. Gustave’s said a lot of nice things about her.”

“Of course he has,” Clea scoffed. “Gustave is too nice for his own good.”

You also don’t like Gustave, Verso wanted to add, but held his tongue.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Maelle noted, frowning.

Clea sighed, “Sweet, sweet Alicia. When you get to be my age, you become more jaded and guarded around people. Better you learn that now then when Aline—“

“What about me, Clea?”

The Dessendre siblings turned their heads towards their mother, who was standing in the doorway of the library with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.

Verso immediately felt uneasy as a tension in the air arose.

“And in this house, you will refer to me as Maman, and Maman only.” Aline declared. “I don’t know how many more times I have to make myself clear.”

“I’ll address you as you wish, as soon as you grant me the same courtesy you did with Verso and allow me to move out,” Clea fought back. “Simon and I have been together long enough that it’s well overdue.”

“Don’t rope me into this again,” Verso muttered. Out of all of the Dessendres, Clea and Aline got along the least, though Maelle was catching up with her sister as she got more outspoken in her teenage years.

“Clea, it’s too early in the morning to be butting heads. Do not test me,” their mother warned, then added, “And it’s still out of the question, by the way. You know your place in this family, as well as in the Association.”

Clea huffed and crossed her arms. It was clear she wanted to push Aline’s buttons more, but held back for her siblings’ sake.

Aline turned to Maelle next. “Alicia, get your feet off the sofa,” she chastised.

The teenager mumbled something inaudible as she did what she was told. She didn’t even receive a “thank you” from her mother. It seemed like every move she made lately was scrutinized, even breathing the same air as Aline.

Sensing the tension only getting worse, Clea spoke up, “Alicia, don’t you have homework that’s due tomorrow?”

“Huh?” Maelle was confused. “I’m pretty sure I did it—“

Clea cut her off with an incoherent noise while pointing in the direction to the east wing of the Manor, almost as if to give her a reprieve from Aline’s wrath. The realization of what she was doing dawned on the youngest sibling.

“Oh yeah, homework!” Maelle went along with Clea’s scheme. “Yeah, uh, that’s… something I gotta do. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She mouthed a “thank you” to her older sister, before exiting the library.

With Maelle gone, Aline’s gaze was on Verso, her expression becoming softer, calmer. “Verso, darling. Good morning.”

He met his mother’s eyes at the mention of his name. “Morning, Maman.”

“We missed you at breakfast,” Aline stated as if it were the first time this had occurred. Of course it wasn’t, but the sentiment was there.

“Sorry,” Verso offered, a mask of sincerity in his voice. “It got too late for me to come back here, so I stayed at my place last night.”

Aline smiled, “That’s alright, dear. You have been staying here this past week, so I’m sure you’ve gotten sick of us by now. You can at least join us for dinner before your father and I left for our trip tomorrow.”

Oh yes, the trip that you’re missing Maelle’s fencing tournament for, Verso thought bitterly. He hated the way his parents would find ways to guilt trip him into being around more, when he had his own life to live. His mother was patient with him at times, because despite his reservations with her, he was still her favorite, but that just made the whole ordeal worse.

Verso also just hated the idea of his parents having a favorite child anyway. It wasn’t fair. He made a mental note that if he ever had children in the future, he would love them all equally.

If he even wanted them in the first place...

When he didn’t respond back, clearly lost in thought, Aline cleared her throat. “So, Clea told me you were out with a friend last night? After the art show?”

Of course she brought that up. It was only a matter of time before she gave him an interrogation. “Yeah, I ran into a friend there.”

“Hm, I see,” Aline murmured. “Do I know them?”

Verso rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh… no. We just met a few weeks ago. She’s Gustave’s co-worker, actually.”

“She?” Suddenly his mother’s interest was piqued, eyes wide open. “So you’ve been hanging out with a girl?”

Clea giggled quietly at Aline’s absurd question. Verso cut his sister a glare as if to tell her to shut up, before addressing the Dessendre matriarch. “It’s not uncommon for people of different genders to hang out, Maman. It’s the 21^st century.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Aline remarked, rolling her eyes. “It’s just been a while since you’ve shown interest in making friends, especially with a girl.”

He knew where she was going with this, and he wasn’t going to entertain it. Even if he still had that ridiculous deal with his parents, he wasn’t going to let them push him into this.

Verso needed to do this on his own.

“She’s just a friend,” he stated, like he had done so multiple times with different people. “And she’s not interested in dating.” That part wasn’t entirely untrue, but the last thing he desired was explaining the timeline of his friendship with Lune to his overbearing mother.

Aline sighed in defeat, a soft smile forming, “Well, alright then. But at the very least, do bring her to our upcoming dinner party in two weeks. She’s invited.”

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Verso opened his mouth as if he was about to protest, but Clea interjected. “Really, Aline? Did you not listen to a word he just said?”

“I did,” Aline answered, unbothered by her daughter’s brashness. “Regardless of whether or not Verso sees this as a date, I want to meet this new friend of his.”

Verso inhaled sharply, “Maman, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. She might not be comfortable—”

“We’ll make her feel right at home, I promise,” Aline reassured him, patting him on the shoulder. “Will I see you for supper tonight?”

He nodded slowly.

“Good,” his mother said simply, before she spun around and made her way upstairs, the sound of footfalls fading by distance, leaving the two siblings to themselves.

He exhaled slowly as slumped in the armchair. “Putain de merde.”

“Make her feel right at home,” Clea muttered, mocking her mother. “My foot! This family is too damn dysfunctional to make anyone feel right at home. She wouldn’t survive.”

Verso raised an eyebrow, “Oh, so now you’re starting to care about her?”

“I wasn’t implying I did,” Clea quickly shot back. “But you and I both know the burdens of being a Dessendre. I wouldn’t even wish that on my worst enemy.”

She was right about that, even if he were stubborn to admit it. He had gotten this far without sharing the details of his family dynamics to Lune. Verso would rather stay as far away from the Dessendre legacy as possible, so it would be all but a surname to him. Nevertheless, if they were to ever get closer, it was something she was going to have to learn about him eventually.

He just didn’t think it would be this soon.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out, the number was one he didn’t recognize, but the message indicated who it was:

Unknown: hey, it’s Lune. Did you make it to yours parents place safe?

Verso smiled seeing her message, and quickly added her to his contacts before replying back.

Verso: Yeah, made it back safe and sound

Lune: Good.

Lune: I had fun last night btw

That admission from her made his heart flutter.

Verso: Me too

Lune: See you tomorrow?

Verso: Absolutely

“What’s got you smiling?” Clea asked, breaking Verso out of his trance. She had been observing him this entire time.

He put his phone back in his pocket, suddenly becoming bashful. “Nothing.”

“Mmhm,” his sister mumbled. She definitely saw right through him, but he couldn’t be bothered to care.

Eventually, Clea returned to the book she was reading as he stared at the high ceiling of the library, allowing himself to feel the overwhelming sense of both joy and dread in his heart.

When Monday came, Lune had finally returned to the practice room. Verso was obviously elated, and the two proceeded with things as if their little misunderstanding was a distant memory. They continued to play music for each other, using the time in between to chat about small things going on with them. She spoke more openly about the work she was doing with Gustave, and Verso talked about how his students were doing with their progress of learning the piano.

Much to Lune’s surprise and delight, the time they spent together went beyond their mornings. Aside from having lunch together a few times throughout the week, Verso had invited her over to his place for dinner on Wednesday night. His apartment was a nice one-bedroom much bigger than her own studio. He had cooked her dinner and they shared a bottle of wine. Lune was surprised to learn he was a very good cook. When she had made a comment about the food tasting good, he laughed and said it was a hobby he enjoyed doing that was completely unrelated to music. It also proved to be an unknown turn-on for her. His outfit of choice while cooking didn’t help either: a form-fitting t-shirt and jeans that showed off his physique a little too clearly. Nor did his voice, his smile…

Merde.

Spending more time with him was lovely, but she was starting to feel selfish for allowing herself to feel even an ounce of happiness. He must have had other places to be and people to see. Yet, he chose to spend his time with her.

The butterflies in her stomach intensified just thinking about it.

It was now Friday, and he would be going to sister’s fencing tournament later today. He had a lot on his plate, so they couldn’t meet as per usual, much to her disappointment. Thankfully, Sciel and Sophie were both free from their busy schedules of teaching, so the three decided to meet up on their lunch break. They sat at a round table outside of the on-campus cafe.

“What are you daydreaming about, Lune?”

Sciel’s voice cut through Lune’s trance, making her jolt in her seat. She dropped the fork she was using to absentmindedly pick at the salad she was eating.

She had spaced out. Again.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Lune denied quietly, picking the fork back up and eating a piece of salad.

“You’ve been staring at your lunch for the past five minutes,” Sophie noted. “It was getting a bit scary.”

“I was?”

“Oh, don’t play coy with us,” Sciel said, obviously not phased by Lune’s evasiveness. “We know you were thinking about Verso again.”

She was right. Lune was stubborn, but even she knew that he was constantly on her mind. Reconciling with him this past weekend felt like a fever dream. She made it clear she wanted to take things slow in their friendship, but the past few days proved that it was more difficult to do so than she thought.

“I…” Lune averted her gaze. “… might’ve been, yeah.”

Her two friends grinned wide at her admission.

“Look at you, admitting to it!” Sciel beamed with pride. “Character development.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Sciel chuckled while drinking her latte. “I know you well enough by now that you’ll start denying it again in a minute.”

Lune huffed. “Am I really that predictable?”

“Lune, we’ve known each other for ten years,” the brunette pointed out. “You underestimate how perceptive I can be.”

Technically nine years if she didn’t count the time she and Lune were not on speaking terms. The night after her parents’ deaths, the researcher had found comfort in her best friend, and naturally, one thing lead to another. Sciel’s father had recently passed away from cancer, something she was prepared for. Lune, however, was not prepared for both of her parents to die suddenly in a car accident. They needed each other in the moment, but after that night, Lune became distant…

It was, by far, the worst year of her life. She regretted every second of every day that she had cut Sciel out of her life. She was thankful that Gustave was the one who reconnected them in the first place, but the regret burned deeper when she had learned about her relationship with Pierre...

Sciel was not only her best friend, but the first person she ever loved. Even if it hurt, she’d rather have her in her life than not at all.

At least the pain lessened over time. And maybe the scars of the past would heal too, if she found a new love.

If only...

“So what’s the story with you and Verso?” Sophie asked curiously. “Are you two dating, or…?”

“We’re not dating,” Lune was quick to answer. “We’re just good friends, is all.”

“Hm,” she hummed, not even remotely convinced. “You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with him lately.”

“You forget that I avoided him for over a week,” Lune retorted. “We only just made up a few days ago.”

“Yes, but you immediately went back to spending every day with him as soon as you two made up,” Sciel pointed out. “Speaking of, why were you avoiding him in the first place? You never told us.”

Lune glanced away at her friend’s question. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that she had already broken her promise to her: the promise of pursuing her heart. Maybe now that she and Verso were taking things slow, she could actually fulfill it. It was better to do that than dwell on her past mistakes.

“Does it matter?” Lune asked finally, hoping to not open a sore wound by reliving the past couple of weeks again.

The other two women turned to each other for a long moment, expressions of concern etched on their faces.

Sciel returned her attention to Lune, frowning, “Lune, we can’t help but worry about you sometimes. Gustave told us you were almost late to work multiple times last week, and that it looked like you were severely sleep deprived.”

“We also heard from Emma that you ran out of your sister’s art show on Saturday,” Sophie chimed in. “She was there as Sol’s date.”

Oh, so they knew. Normally, she would be livid about her friends prying into her personal matters, but she had not been in a good state at the time. She could admit their concerns were warranted this time around.

She couldn’t meet their gazes. She was too ashamed. “I...”

Sciel continued. “We’re happy you and Verso made up, really. I think your friendship with him has been good for you. And maybe it’ll lead to something more, I don’t know. But Lune… we wish you could have at least reached out to us. We could’ve given you some much-needed support.”

“I… I didn’t want to be a bother. You already have a lot going on with planning your wedding—“

“How many times do I have to tell you that I will always, always make time for you?” Sciel interjected. “I love Pierre dearly, but he can stand to have a break from my constant prattling about table placements and catering.”

“Or you flinging every moodboard you find online at him,” Sophie added.

“Oh, c’mon! I don’t fling every moodboard at him,” the brunette shot back.

“You’re on Pinterest almost every day at this point, Sciel. It’s like you live there.”

Lune couldn’t help but giggle at the two’s friendly bickering. It had been ages since the three of them spent this amount of time together, laughing and joking around. She missed this.

“Ah!” Sciel pointed at her. “I see a giggle!”

The researcher hastily closed her mouth, forming a neutral facial expression. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But she knew the two women already caught her in the act.

“Mhm,” Sciel crossed her arms with a satisfied grin. “I will take that as a win.” She basked in her triumph for a moment before her tone became serious again. “You don’t have tell us what happened. It’s clearly in the past. Just remember that we’re here for you. You don’t have to go through everything alone, Lune. You can always talk to us, whenever you need to.”

Sophie nodded in agreement.

“I know,” Lune exhaled. “I’m sorry, Sciel. I’ll try to be better about that.”

“Good,” Sciel said, accepting her best friend’s apology. “That’s all we’re asking for.”

A silence fell over the three of them, savoring the borrowed time they got to spend together. In that moment, Lune was reminded why she would never let Sciel go as a friend ever again. No one had been this attentive towards her, or treated her with the kindness and respect that she never got from her parents.

Even if she wasn’t hers romantically, Sciel was still one of the most important people in her life.

Suddenly, the peaceful moment had come to an end as a flash of red hair whipped past them before it’s owner stopped to a grinding halt. A girl, no older than sixteen, stood in front of the three women, a skateboard in hand. She examined the three of them with silver-blue eyes of curiosity, eventually landing on Lune, lighting up at the sight of her.

A thousand questions started to form in her head as Lune stared back at the girl. She felt familiar, but how? Where did she recognize her from? And why was she so fixated on her?

Surprisingly, Sophie was the one who greeted the girl first. “Hi, Alicia! Not that I’m glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”

Alicia instantly turned her attention to the short-haired woman, “Oh, hey Sophie! I’m here with my brother until he takes me to my fencing tournament. We’re leaving soon.”

Well, that answered that question. This was definitely Verso’s little sister. Lune found it strange how she ended up meeting his siblings in the most peculiar circumstances. Although, her and Verso’s first meeting was peculiar as well. The Dessendres were just an overall peculiar family, she concluded.

“Oh, I heard about that from Gustave!” Sophie said. “Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do great.”

The teenager beamed, “Thanks! Been practicing really hard for it, so I’m confident we’ll be kicking some ass.”

Lune lightly chuckled at Alicia’s determined demeanor. This girl was about as fiery as Stella could get sometimes.

“Oh!” Sophie spoke up again, pointing to the two other women. “Where are my manners? Alicia, these are my friends, Sciel and Lune.”

“Enchanté,” Sciel greeted.

“Nice to meet you,” Lune waved.

As soon as Lune spoke, Alicia spun her head towards her, a look of awe spreading across her face. Her eyes lit up again. “Wait... you’re THE Lune?” the girl asked excitedly.

What... the fuck?

Lune darted her eyes back and forth, unsure of what to say. She was not used to someone being so openly excited to meet her. It felt like a fan meeting their idol. “Uh… yes?”

“I knew it!” she squealed, almost too enthusiastically, grabbing one of Lune’s hands and shaking it roughly in her own. “Whoa, hey!” the researcher exclaimed.

Alicia ignored her, continuing to gush. “I’ve heard so much about you from Gustave! You always seemed so cool! And now you’re dating my brother—“

Lune’s eyes shot open at that comment. Oh. Oh no. What had Verso been telling her? “Wait, hold on a moment! We’re not—“

“Alicia, I thought I told you to slow down on the skateboard,” a familiar voice called.

Speak of the devil...

Verso sprinted into view, clutching his work bag and out of breath. His dark curly hair was unkempt from running across campus, stray strands framing his face. Lune’s breath caught, her heart fluttering in her chest at the sight of him.

Damn, he looks cute today. Lune thought, before shaking her head as if to suppress it. Tone it down. Friends, remember?

“Oh come on, Verso,” Alicia frowned. “You know I don’t get to do this at home. Maman would freak out if I ruined her precious gardens.” She said the word “precious” in a mocking tone. Lune wondered why.

“I know, but this is a university campus. You’re going to hurt someone, or yourself, if you’re not careful.”

The young girl pouted, “You’re no fun sometimes.”

“And you’re a handful,” he sighed, before forming a small smile. “I’ll take you to the skatepark over the weekend,” he promised, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Just… take it slow here, yeah?”

Alicia bowed her head in defeat. “Okay.” She then glanced back at Lune, realization dawning on her face. She leaned in and whispered to Verso, a little too loudly that the researcher could hear. “Hey, doofus. Turn around.”

“Huh?” Verso looked confused at first, before doing as he was told, only to lock eyes with Lune. She had been watching the two siblings the whole time in utter amusement, a smirk appearing on her face.

His cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “Oh... hey, Lune.”

“Hello, Verso,” Lune chuckled lightly.

The pianist glanced back and forth between her and his younger sister. “So, you two finally met, huh?”

“Yep!” Alicia said, the high energy radiating in her voice. “And she’s as cool as you and Gustave say she is!”

Now it was Lune’s turn to blush, looking away slightly. Whatever Verso did tell his sister, it was definitely positive, but where did she get the idea that the two of them were dating? “I… I wouldn’t go that far…”

“I don’t know,” he said with a smile, staring directly at her. “I think you are really, really cool.”

Oh that did it.

She met his gaze, smiling back at him. For several moments, it seemed as if time was suspended for them and only them.

A harsh clearing of someone’s throat broke their spell. Lune turned to the source, Sciel, whose eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, utterly intrigued. “Lune, are you going to introduce us, or what?” she teased.

Merde, they were watching us the whole time. “I… um…” Lune mumbled, having trouble hiding her embarrassment. She took a few moments to regain her composure. “Sciel, this is Verso Dessendre. Verso, this is my best friend, Sciel.”

“A pleasure,” Verso extended his hand to the brunette.

“Likewise,” Sciel returned his handshake.

“And you probably already know Sophie,” Lune said, pointing towards said woman sitting next to Sciel.

Sophie giggled, “Yes, we’ve met before. It’s good to see you again, Verso.”

“You as well, Sophie,” the pianist replied.

After the introductions, the atmosphere felt significantly less awkward, though there was silence for a long moment. Lune restlessly tapped her foot under the table, wondering who was going to speak first.

Verso was the one to break it. “Oh, that reminds me,” he spoke, turning his attention back to her. “Lune, do you have a quick moment?”

“Uh…” the researcher glanced back at her friends, both of them nodding their heads in approval. She saw Sciel briefly wiggle her eyebrows, causing her to roll her eyes at her before she returned her gaze to Verso. “Yeah, I should.”

“Perfect,” he breathed. He then reached into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out some money and handing it to his little sister. “Alicia, why don’t you go into the cafe and get yourself a snack for car ride?”

“But, I’m not hungry,” the girl protested. “I ate literally an hour ago.”

Verso huffed. “Okay, fine. Get me something then, please. I haven’t had lunch yet.”

Alicia eyed him suspiciously, before immediately recognizing that her brother and Lune needed this moment alone. She relented. “Alright.” And with that, she took the money and made her way into the cafe.

Lune got up from her seat, looking towards her friends, “Be right back.” She followed Verso over to a nearby tree, not too far from where she was sitting, but enough distance that prying ears wouldn’t hear. “What is it?” she asked.

Verso scanned around, as if to make sure the coast was clear, before clearing his throat. “Are you free next Saturday?”

“I should be,” Lune replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Uh…” Verso gave a sideways glance. “My family is having this dinner party thing, and my mother… wants to invite you.”

Oh. So his mother knew about her. Probably his father too. Now she was curious if he had said something to his parents that had implied they were in a relationship.

“She knows about me?” she questioned, coming off a little more accusatory than she meant to. “How much have you told her about us?”

“Just that you exist,” he answered truthfully. “I haven’t told her anything beyond that, I swear. She’s just… very enthusiastic that I have a new friend, who also happens to be a girl.”

Lune snorted. “Does she not know people of different genders can be friends without it being romantic?”

“Unfortunately, both of my parents are, shall we say, old-fashioned,” he laughed lightly. “I haven’t even told them about the men I’ve been with.”

“Hm, fair enough. My parents were like that too, before they… you know...”

“Yeah,” Verso said, before shifting back to the topic at hand. “Anyway, if you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to go. I’ll just let my parents know you’re busy—“

“No, no,” Lune interjected. “I’ll go.”

He looked taken aback. “Really? You’re sure?”

She nodded. “I’ll just stick with you the whole time. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“N-no,” Verso stammered. “It shouldn’t.”

“Plus,” she continued with a crooked smile. “I like spending time with you anyway, so I’ll take any excuse I can to do so.”

A blush briefly crept up on his face. He smirked. “I’m surprised you’re not sick of me already, considering we see each other almost every day of the week.”

“Hm,” Lune said playfully. “I’ll give it another month or two to determine that.”

“A month?” he exclaimed in mock surprise. “Now I’m offended.”

She laughed, “Hey, you were the one suggesting it. Not me.”

“Fair point.”

The two took a moment just to look at each other, a comfortable stillness falling between them.

Lune realized, in that moment, that the world felt a little brighter when they were together, no matter where they were or what they were doing.

She felt safe and appreciated, in a way she didn’t feel with anyone else.

“Verso, come on! We gotta get going, or I’ll be late!” a voice called. Lune looked over her shoulder to find Alicia, still holding her skateboard with a paper bag in the other hand. She held the bag out. “I got your food, by the way, while you two lovebirds were flirting—“

“Alicia,” Verso cut her a glare, taking the bag in his hand. “How many times do I have to tell you Lune is just my friend? We’re not dating.”

“Not yet, anyway,” his sister said smugly, wiggling her eyebrows.

He sighed, “Just get in the car and wait for me there. I’ll be there soon.”

“Fine,” Alicia huffed in annoyance. She turned to Lune briefly. “Nice meeting you!” She waved and sprinted to the parking lot.

“Sorry about my sister,” Verso said, facing Lune again. “I love her, but that girl has a very vivid imagination. She’s been wanting to meet you for a while, you know?”

She scoffed playfully, “Oh, she made that very clear earlier. And it’s no problem. Teenagers can be a handful.”

“Yeah…” he agreed. “I should get going. I’m chauffeuring her to her tournament. Talk later?”

“Okay,” Lune said. “Sounds good.”

He nodded before following Alicia, leaving Lune alone by the tree. She looked up at the branches, reaching out to catch any falling leaves. The autumn air felt refreshing as it brushed her face. She took a deep, steady breath as she reflected on their conversation.

She was going to meet Verso’s parents in a week’s time. It felt strange, and maybe it would be an awkward mess of an evening, but somehow she couldn’t help but feel excited to be included. To see where he grew up. Maybe he would finally open up about his past. It was the perfect opportunity to do so.

She couldn’t stop running every possible scenario in her head. She wanted, no— had to make a good first impression on his family.

She hurried back to the table where Sciel and Sophie were still sitting, though it looked like they were getting ready to leave. Sciel spotted Lune as she approached. “Finally! I was starting to think you were never coming back,” she said jokingly. “What took you so long?”

Lune didn’t answer, instead looking at her best friend with eyes of resolve. “Sciel?”

“Yes?”

She exhaled. “I’m going to need your help with something.”