Work Text:
“In the Mortal World, some would say you’re…”
Jude stopped talking, wondering if it was worth saying and if Cardan really would understand the meaning of what she was about to say. She blushed, embarrassed to have such a thought. It was like judging someone by appearance alone.
“That I am what?”
Cardan raised an eyebrow and waited for the answer, looking straight at her. Jude blushed even more and he broke into his notorious evil smile.
He was wearing his usual colorful clothes. A floral robe tied around the waist loosely, too many earrings in his ear and kohl in his eyes. Fatal. Beautiful.
Jude liked to tease him, and to hurt him sometimes. She had a sickly delighted in this, knowing that she had power over him. But sometimes there was a limit to what she could or could not say without being very mean.
“Forget it” she said, shrugging and turning to continue taking off the jewelry she'd worn at the revel.
He approached anyway, light footsteps across the room. Cardan got very close to her, the way knew would drove her crazy and made her want to punch him or kiss him.
“Speak it” he whispered in her ear, making Jude shiver.
Whether it was because of proximity or the order he gave her, she didn't know. Jude turned away from him, walking across the room. She began to remove the hairpins so she wouldn't have to look at him as she spoke.
“In the Mortal World, boys that…” she stopped, struggling to find the right words. “Boys that wear colorful clothes and makeup and jewelry like you do… People usually think they would rather enjoy the company of other boys”.
She looked up at him and saw Cardan's smile widen. He leaned against the wall facing her and took a sip from his wineglass without taking his eyes off Jude.
The look he gave her was like a candle lighting her body. Jude felt all her skin burn. Desire or shame, it didn't matter at that moment. Cardan approached her, and as he took the final steps, he again whispered:
“And who said I don’t?”