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It felt sort of strange to see Aventurine without a handful of playing cards or smugly bossing around lowly IPC members. He had quite the reputation for playing games of questionable merit, on the table or within the organization. His old habits carried over to his casual ways, and it still felt as if untold secrets still lay behind those peacock-feather eyes of his. He had the gaze of a prize hunter and the smile of a trickster, though you wondered why he would keep up such an act when there would be no chips to wager.
Laying down beside him, however, you felt as if you were seeing a completely different side of him. He wasn’t eyeing up his competition, relishing the moment he would reveal his hand to claim his prize from the poor souls who thought they had a chance against him. The only thing he took control of were the few strands of your hair that he toyed with in his fingers.
It still felt as if there was something that Aventurine was aiming for. Whatever that may be, he had yet to make an allusion to it, as he remained rather silent the majority of the evening. For a man who had a way with words, it felt almost uncanny to not hear his frequent snide remarks. It was refreshing to allow him to drop his act and reveal some of his hidden softness, even if it was ever so slightly showing through the cracks in his act.
“It seems like there’s something you want to tell me,” you said to him.
Aventurine laughed a little and rolled onto his back, strands of your hair still intertwined with his fingers.
“Haha, why do you think that, dear?” he said, readjusting his glasses. “I’m not always aiming for a prize, you know.”
“You have that look. And I know that look,” you said, referring to that glint of desire still present in him.
“Ah, you really do know me all too well. There is perhaps, one thing that I could ask for just a little more of.”
“A little more of?”
“You,” he said, turning his head to look at you and no longer twirling your hair in his fingers. “I want more of you.”
“More of…me? As in- ”
Before you could finish your thought, Aventurine sat himself up on the bed for a brief moment, before turning his body around to plant his hands on the pillow beside both sides of your head and loom over you. His rose-tinted glasses were awkwardly hanging onto his face, but he could care less about them as he was now fiercely fixated upon you. He smiled at you, with a certain desire to be discerned, though a sense of yearning was not so well hidden beneath his pride.
“As in you. All of you.”
He glared at you with a passion you had not seen in him prior. You were the entirety of his focus, the greatest of his spoils, and he had absolutely no intention of forfeiting these “winnings” of his any time soon.
It was not a look of pure possession, however. Behind those dastardly eyes was a man truly happy to have someone he could call his own. No amount of chips or cards could score him a lover as genuine as you, but he had a bit of trouble communicating his feelings as being on the hunt for a win was all that he was truly familiar with. You were his, in a sense that he didn’t claim your entire being, but rather, in the fact that you see him as a beloved partner of yours, and not some manipulator with deep pockets.
You were open to accepting what Aventurine had to show for his love, but before he could utter another word, you reached your hand up and began stroking the side of his face. For a brief moment, he held his stands, but the gentleness of your touch threw him off guard, and not a trace of smugness could be seen on his face.
“You’re more beautiful than your namesake, Aventurine,” you said, gently stroking the side of his face with your thumb.
At this moment, his arrogant guise seemingly crumbled before your very eyes, as his head gently relaxed into the palm of your hand. He was reluctant to be so easily accepting of such tender care from someone he suddenly pinned to the bed moments prior, but your insistence eventually led to him surrendering completely. His hands still remained planted firmly on the pillow, but he was no longer filled with desires akin to a wild animal. Aventurine became weaker by the moment, almost struggling to retain his position above.
He was embarrassed by his vulnerability, and seemed to be attempting to remain his composure despite how at ease he was now feeling with your touch. To free him of his struggles, you laid your free hand on top of his back and pushed him down on you ever so gently. He resisted a little, perhaps out of a hidden guilt, or simply not knowing how to react, but Aventurine eventually succumbed to your hold. His head was laying awkwardly on your chest, but you slid his glasses off to allow him to find a more comfortable position.
His heart rate felt fast, and he was taking deep breaths to keep himself relaxed. Aventurine was nervous, as he wasn’t quite sure what to make of your affection, but you wanted to reassure him that he could let down his guard and relax. He turned his head a little to look at you with confused, questioning eyes, blinking softly. Perhaps this is what he had craved the entire time, yet had trouble finding the words to express his innermost feelings.
You wrapped your arms around his back and held him even closer. Now, you could feel his body finally starting to relax on top of yours. The tension dissipated from his muscles, his breathing became regular, and the beating of his heart slowed to match yours.
It was a surprisingly tranquil side of Aventurine that you did not exactly expect from him. The flirtatious, sly bastard you were well acquainted with had a hidden side desiring nothing but genuine love. All it took to expose this secret of his was nothing more than treating him like a person so dear to your heart, and not as a hunter seeking his prize.
Eventually, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber, comfortably resting on top of your body. Shortly after, you succumbed to the comfort of his presence, falling asleep with Aventurine still at peace on top of you.
After some time, perhaps many hours, you finally woke, though Aventurine was still sleeping. While still half asleep, you played with his soft, blond hair, careful as to not wake him. Eventually, he began to rise himself, and so you steadied him so that he would not accidentally tumble off of your body. Once he had a moment to process his surroundings, he slid to what would’ve been his side of the bed and grabbed his glasses. Still half asleep, he adjusted him very lazily before he stood up.
“Y’know,” he said, still standing by the bed, “I thought I blew the one chance I had with ya.”
“Blew your chance? That doesn’t sound like the Aventurine I know,” you said as you sat up on the bed.
“Hey, gimmie a break!” he said, flustered and frantically attempting to put his hat back on straight. “This is just…a bit outside of my skill area.”
“I thought you were good at playing all sorts of games.”
“I am! Just…not games of the heart.”
“Oh, I wasn’t playing a game with you, Aventurine. There was absolutely nothing to be lost.”
“Eh?” he said, confused by your words.
“My love for you isn’t a game I’m playing just to pass the time. I mean it, every single thing I’ve done for you is because I care.”
“Ah…” Aventurine said, with his face once again turning red, “I still think I’m the loser in this after all.”
“How so?”
“You didn’t even let me use my trump card,” he said, sliding a playing card down from his sleeve. He held the card up by his face and turned it around to reveal the ace of hearts.
“You had the key to victory with you all along, Aventurine. I’m not sure why you still claim to be the loser.”
“Never once did I play the ace around you, though.”
“I wasn’t talking about the card, you idiot,” you said, getting up from the bed. You pushed his arm aside to wrap yours around him, resting your head on his shoulders. Aventurine was taken aback at first, but he did return your gesture of affection, wrapping his arms around you with the ace of hearts still in hand.
“I was talking about you. I want you more than any silly card tricks that you have to offer.”
“I guess I can say the same in return,” he said, resting his head on your shoulder.