Fic: Narcissus Under Glass for tamerterra
Title: Narcissus Under Glass
Author/Artist: lovepickle
Giftee: TamerTerra
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,292
Characters/Pairing: Bellatrix/Narcissa
Warnings: Incest and possibly infidelity, if that sort of thing bothers you.
Author's Notes: I really hope this was the open and and the no easy resolution you were looking for, and I'm sorry that the girlish squeals didn't get to play a bigger role. Either way, thank you to lazaray for betaing, and any mistakes found here are my own. I hope you enjoy!
Summary: She laughed to herself, softly, mirthlessly, stealing a glance at the gift he had sent to her only hours before. A single, perfect Narcissus flower lay delicately under glass, breathtakingly beautiful, flawless, trapped. Narcissus in chains, she mused, white blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder as she tilted her head to one side, staring down at her colorless prisoner. Just like his bri-
Such a beautiful wedding…
It was to be the social event of the season, the long-awaited binding of two souls who had been predestined for greatness, for one another. They whispered to one another, humming like insects as they sat on plush silk pillows. Such a perfect match, they said, A more beautiful bride could not have been given to him.
Meanwhile, that bride could only wait.
"Such a beautiful wedding…" she murmured to her reflection, absently playing the rosy crayons of a woman's life across her cheekbones, giving traces of color to his blank slate, her own to shape and to mold before he could ever have the chance. White. Everything around her was pure, sterile, unforgiving white, save blood red carpet that threatened to swallow her frail body whole each time she tread across it. Her dress rustled as she sat down before the vanity, setting the brush aside in favor of lipstick the color of the carpet, tracing it languidly across thin lips. She laughed to herself, softly, mirthlessly, stealing a glance at the gift he had sent to her only hours before. A single, perfect Narcissus flower lay delicately under glass, breathtakingly beautiful, perfect, trapped. Narcissus in chains, she mused, white blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder as she tilted her head to one side, staring down at her colorless prisoner. Just like his bri-
"Are you ready?"
Narcissa should have known better than to jump at the deep voice from the silence, icy eyes flicking to the reflection of the porcelain woman standing in her doorway. Even as painted lips lifted into a hint of a smile by way of response, she couldn't help the rolling in her stomach as the sharp, angled Bellatrix Lestrange stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It was with a pang of envy that she turned to watch her sister cross the burgundy beneath her. One quick confident step, another and another, and she knew. Bellatrix could never have been swallowed by the color; she could only frighten it into bowing before her feet. "Narcissus under glass," she commented venomously, staring down at Lucius' gift. "How fitting."
"Bella…" Again her stomach lurched, tiny hand curling over her breast as she turned to face the vanity once more, reaching to feverishly rake a brush through pale hair. Her eyes clenched closed as a strong grip stops her mid-stroke, can feel the other's boring into her without having to look. A whimper sounded low in her throat and she took a deep breath, shakier than she would have liked.
"I brought you something." When she opened her eyes, they fell to the tabletop, another white flower resting beside the first. Narcissa could only gaze down at it, entranced and awed as she let her sister take the brush from her hand, easing the chaos of tangles from her hair. She pulled it over one shoulder, dipping to press a kiss to one alabaster shoulder. "…Be free, little flower," she moved to whisper into Narcissa's ear, lips brushing warm skin with every word she spoke. "No, not free…"
Again, Narcissa could only stare at her reflection, the portrait of light and dark as her pale sister stooped, poised to whisper sweet poison through blonde strands as she continued to ease the tangles from the same baby fine hair she had pulled in anger, in jealousy, in lust and rapture and joy. Thin fingers crept to the flower on the desk, fingered soft white petals. They walked the same seductive path across five ivory petals, the beautiful executioner meandering among her prisoners. Stormy eyes broke their gaze to glance down at Bellatrix's fingers, lips parted as warm breath pushed impatiently past them. "Why…" she breathed, head lulling to one side with her every hypnotic touch. "Why did you come here? You said-"
"I know what I said," Bellatrix snapped, rearing back like an asp, poised to strike at any moment. True, both of them remembered only too well what she had said the night that their mother had announced their engagement, remembered the way Narcissa had moved to grab Bellatrix's hand in shock and in terror, and how she had pulled it away with a glare. "It will be such a beautiful wedding," she commented to the table, alabaster face expressionless as she asked to be excused. They remembered the day the younger had come to her elder sister, cheeks flushed pink as she told her that she and Lucius had fallen in love, only to blanch a sickly white when she screamed that they were meant to be the sort of forever that was bound by blood and heart, body and soul. They remembered how Narcissa come to her one month before they were to be wed, timidly asking for her blessing and how she had run from the room crying and clutching a cheek that stung with indignation and with her sister's resounding "no". …They remembered…
And suddenly, Bellatrix seemed to relax once more. All had not been forgiven…Narcissa knew nothing was ever forgiven with her raven-haired sister. Still, she was deathly quiet as a smile pulled at her lips, fingers stopping to turn a slow pirouette on one cool flower petal. "He loves you," she began dreamily, starting to strip the Narcissus bare one petal at a time, laughing that deep, sensuous, infuriating laugh of hers as she set the brush aside. "Or he loves you not." Another petal dropped to the table and pale fingers tangled in blonde hair. "Either way…" Narcissa winced as she pulled another petal away, head jerking backward with a sharp tug of elegant fingers. "You were never really his to begin with…" Her smile melted seamlessly into a wicked smirk as her lips began to drag down the other's throat, dark eyes watching as red lipstick stained porcelain skin. "Were you, Cissa?"
An audible whimper accompanied the muffled sound of the last petal falling, punctuated by a sudden burst of motion and sound, a zipper falling, a corset ripping, a throaty laugh and an "I'm sure we can fix that later." The pair tumbled to the floor and before Narcissa could think or breathe, she was being touched and kissed and consumed by that blood red carpet and the other woman's words. She could not speak when the dress was finally lifted away, leaving the Narcissus bare save virginal white lingerie, which was lifted away all too soon. The silence gave way to sighs gave way to moans gave way to unabashed screams for the other to touch and taste and be and for a moment, everything was as it was when they were girls. They were young and in hiding, all-knowing and all-seeing.
Two pale bodies clung to one another, long, slender bodies contrasting starkly with the carpet that had swallowed them whole. One last time, Bellatrix's fingers ran through the same baby-blonde hair, her laughter having grown softer, safer, as she pressed a kiss to the other's forehead. The pair of them glanced at the wedding gown lying crumpled on the floor, and her laughter grew louder; Narcissa laughed along through a sudden rolling nausea and Bellatrix truly believed she had won.
"…Miss Black?" A curt rapping at the door and she froze, felt the embrace around her middle growing tighter. "They're waiting for you." A glance between lovers, a glance between sisters, a glance between a bride-to-be and the woman she is leaving behind, and Bellatrix finally spoke, letting go of four sarcastic words that hold on them a barbed, poisonous choice. Four words that take the stripped Narcissus from the table and place it with its companion beneath the glass no matter what she should happen to say.
"...Such a beautiful wedding…"
Author/Artist: lovepickle
Giftee: TamerTerra
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,292
Characters/Pairing: Bellatrix/Narcissa
Warnings: Incest and possibly infidelity, if that sort of thing bothers you.
Author's Notes: I really hope this was the open and and the no easy resolution you were looking for, and I'm sorry that the girlish squeals didn't get to play a bigger role. Either way, thank you to lazaray for betaing, and any mistakes found here are my own. I hope you enjoy!
Summary: She laughed to herself, softly, mirthlessly, stealing a glance at the gift he had sent to her only hours before. A single, perfect Narcissus flower lay delicately under glass, breathtakingly beautiful, flawless, trapped. Narcissus in chains, she mused, white blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder as she tilted her head to one side, staring down at her colorless prisoner. Just like his bri-
Such a beautiful wedding…
It was to be the social event of the season, the long-awaited binding of two souls who had been predestined for greatness, for one another. They whispered to one another, humming like insects as they sat on plush silk pillows. Such a perfect match, they said, A more beautiful bride could not have been given to him.
Meanwhile, that bride could only wait.
"Such a beautiful wedding…" she murmured to her reflection, absently playing the rosy crayons of a woman's life across her cheekbones, giving traces of color to his blank slate, her own to shape and to mold before he could ever have the chance. White. Everything around her was pure, sterile, unforgiving white, save blood red carpet that threatened to swallow her frail body whole each time she tread across it. Her dress rustled as she sat down before the vanity, setting the brush aside in favor of lipstick the color of the carpet, tracing it languidly across thin lips. She laughed to herself, softly, mirthlessly, stealing a glance at the gift he had sent to her only hours before. A single, perfect Narcissus flower lay delicately under glass, breathtakingly beautiful, perfect, trapped. Narcissus in chains, she mused, white blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder as she tilted her head to one side, staring down at her colorless prisoner. Just like his bri-
"Are you ready?"
Narcissa should have known better than to jump at the deep voice from the silence, icy eyes flicking to the reflection of the porcelain woman standing in her doorway. Even as painted lips lifted into a hint of a smile by way of response, she couldn't help the rolling in her stomach as the sharp, angled Bellatrix Lestrange stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It was with a pang of envy that she turned to watch her sister cross the burgundy beneath her. One quick confident step, another and another, and she knew. Bellatrix could never have been swallowed by the color; she could only frighten it into bowing before her feet. "Narcissus under glass," she commented venomously, staring down at Lucius' gift. "How fitting."
"Bella…" Again her stomach lurched, tiny hand curling over her breast as she turned to face the vanity once more, reaching to feverishly rake a brush through pale hair. Her eyes clenched closed as a strong grip stops her mid-stroke, can feel the other's boring into her without having to look. A whimper sounded low in her throat and she took a deep breath, shakier than she would have liked.
"I brought you something." When she opened her eyes, they fell to the tabletop, another white flower resting beside the first. Narcissa could only gaze down at it, entranced and awed as she let her sister take the brush from her hand, easing the chaos of tangles from her hair. She pulled it over one shoulder, dipping to press a kiss to one alabaster shoulder. "…Be free, little flower," she moved to whisper into Narcissa's ear, lips brushing warm skin with every word she spoke. "No, not free…"
Again, Narcissa could only stare at her reflection, the portrait of light and dark as her pale sister stooped, poised to whisper sweet poison through blonde strands as she continued to ease the tangles from the same baby fine hair she had pulled in anger, in jealousy, in lust and rapture and joy. Thin fingers crept to the flower on the desk, fingered soft white petals. They walked the same seductive path across five ivory petals, the beautiful executioner meandering among her prisoners. Stormy eyes broke their gaze to glance down at Bellatrix's fingers, lips parted as warm breath pushed impatiently past them. "Why…" she breathed, head lulling to one side with her every hypnotic touch. "Why did you come here? You said-"
"I know what I said," Bellatrix snapped, rearing back like an asp, poised to strike at any moment. True, both of them remembered only too well what she had said the night that their mother had announced their engagement, remembered the way Narcissa had moved to grab Bellatrix's hand in shock and in terror, and how she had pulled it away with a glare. "It will be such a beautiful wedding," she commented to the table, alabaster face expressionless as she asked to be excused. They remembered the day the younger had come to her elder sister, cheeks flushed pink as she told her that she and Lucius had fallen in love, only to blanch a sickly white when she screamed that they were meant to be the sort of forever that was bound by blood and heart, body and soul. They remembered how Narcissa come to her one month before they were to be wed, timidly asking for her blessing and how she had run from the room crying and clutching a cheek that stung with indignation and with her sister's resounding "no". …They remembered…
And suddenly, Bellatrix seemed to relax once more. All had not been forgiven…Narcissa knew nothing was ever forgiven with her raven-haired sister. Still, she was deathly quiet as a smile pulled at her lips, fingers stopping to turn a slow pirouette on one cool flower petal. "He loves you," she began dreamily, starting to strip the Narcissus bare one petal at a time, laughing that deep, sensuous, infuriating laugh of hers as she set the brush aside. "Or he loves you not." Another petal dropped to the table and pale fingers tangled in blonde hair. "Either way…" Narcissa winced as she pulled another petal away, head jerking backward with a sharp tug of elegant fingers. "You were never really his to begin with…" Her smile melted seamlessly into a wicked smirk as her lips began to drag down the other's throat, dark eyes watching as red lipstick stained porcelain skin. "Were you, Cissa?"
An audible whimper accompanied the muffled sound of the last petal falling, punctuated by a sudden burst of motion and sound, a zipper falling, a corset ripping, a throaty laugh and an "I'm sure we can fix that later." The pair tumbled to the floor and before Narcissa could think or breathe, she was being touched and kissed and consumed by that blood red carpet and the other woman's words. She could not speak when the dress was finally lifted away, leaving the Narcissus bare save virginal white lingerie, which was lifted away all too soon. The silence gave way to sighs gave way to moans gave way to unabashed screams for the other to touch and taste and be and for a moment, everything was as it was when they were girls. They were young and in hiding, all-knowing and all-seeing.
Two pale bodies clung to one another, long, slender bodies contrasting starkly with the carpet that had swallowed them whole. One last time, Bellatrix's fingers ran through the same baby-blonde hair, her laughter having grown softer, safer, as she pressed a kiss to the other's forehead. The pair of them glanced at the wedding gown lying crumpled on the floor, and her laughter grew louder; Narcissa laughed along through a sudden rolling nausea and Bellatrix truly believed she had won.
"…Miss Black?" A curt rapping at the door and she froze, felt the embrace around her middle growing tighter. "They're waiting for you." A glance between lovers, a glance between sisters, a glance between a bride-to-be and the woman she is leaving behind, and Bellatrix finally spoke, letting go of four sarcastic words that hold on them a barbed, poisonous choice. Four words that take the stripped Narcissus from the table and place it with its companion beneath the glass no matter what she should happen to say.
"...Such a beautiful wedding…"