Quand la nuit nous sépare

“I always get the boy or girl in my dreams so I think I’m doing something right,” he mused with a grin. He let out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Merlin, I guess you found me out. I was just saying…you know it’s cold…perfect cuddling weather.”

“Well at least you’re successful in your dreams, it’s a shame you have to wake up.” Étienne joked, joining Hunter in laughing. “Hunter, are you trying to ask me to cuddle? Because you know I’ve got a dog at home who I can cuddle and he doesn’t talk. Or insist on terrible pick up lines.”

“Hmm, maybe then I’m asleep?” he answered, scratching his head. He hummed, “But body heat would warm you up faster. I mean, we could both get in my jacket.”

“I do not believe that at all, I can sadly only imagine what awful lines you use in your dreams.” Étienne almost groaned, unsure if it was the image of Hunter using terrible pick up lines in his dreams or the next line. “Hunter how do we both fit into your jacket?... What are you trying to get out of this, skip your lines and try getting to the point. Blame my Frenchness for me not understanding.”

Lottie had been leaving the bakery and on her way to the sanctuary when she all but bumped into him. In his defense, she hadn’t been at all paying attention to where she was going, but had her focus on sending one of her interns a text on ho to take care of their newest litter of crups. “Oh, honey, no. You’re fine. I should have been looking where I was goin’.” She smiled and tucked her phone away. “Busy? I was about to go spend the rest of the day with a bunch of animals if you wanna come.”

Étienne was definitely thankful that the person he’d collided with was a familiar face, even more so that it was Lottie. She wasn’t someone who knew him well enough to worry about what was actually going on but perceptive enough to pick up that he might need some help. “We both should have been I guess.” The mention of the animals definitely brightened his mood, a smile growing on his face. “I’m never too busy for the animals, you know that. What’s on the agenda for today?”

“If you’re that cold, I could always warm you up,” he said with a smile. “What do you say?”

“Hunter what’s the longest you have ever went without dropping a terrible pick up line?” Étienne rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath in French about how he really had to make better life decisions than getting swept up in this man’s foolishness. “What do I say? I say give me your jacket and keep your hands to yourself.”

Étienne found Julien after having taken some time to explore on his own. He hadn’t disliked the evening so far but he wasn’t exactly loving being outside in the middle of a November’s evening in London to look at fashion that really didn’t appeal to him at all. “What did you think?” He asked Julien, his tone clear that he was decidedly unsure himself.

“We both know my face is making you cry because I’m so pretty,” Julien spoke teasingly and booped Étienne’s nose. His smile fell a little when he started talking about his late grandmother. but he hoped his face didn’t let it show that he was just worried about Étienne. “Well,” he mused, biting his tongue from saying that if he had left him and Alpheus take care of his father, he wouldn’t have to deal with the man at the present moment. “If you want, I can teach you how to bake them? And then we can make them whenever you want to,” he offered with a smile.

“I don’t know who keeps lying to you about your beauty Julien but they’re really doing you a disservice.” Étienne answered, his expression turning to a smile as Julien worked his magic to bring his spirits back up. “Do you really want to try teaching me to bake again? But lets do it - who needs a meméré when you have a Julien right?”

Julien wasn’t even surprised when he heard his cookies were marvellous. He knew they were – sometimes the simplest things were always the best choice. Just like with these cookies. He let out an excited laugh and pulled the sleep mask off of Étienne’s face and he was about to say something but stopped when he noticed how glassy the other’s eyes looked. “Oh my God, I don’t think any of my desserts have made you cry before,” he spoke, furrowing his brow a little. “You all right? Should I be offended or happy about it?”

-

Étienne hadn’t expected the mask to be ripped away from him so suddenly and he quickly brought his hands up to his eyes, rubbing away the tears that had started to build up there. “Normally it’s just your face that makes me cry.” He answered, his voice still a little shaky but laced with jest. “I told you that it was marvellous Julien, of course you shouldn’t be offended. It just tasted exactly like something my Mémére would bake with me and I guess I miss her. I thought I was getting to a better place with the loss but my father drawing all this out again is making it hard. I promise that they were wonderful.”

Molly chuckled at his original comment, stopping when he seemingly shot her down before she could even suggest anything. “I was not even thinking about that!” She exclaimed. “Well- now I am.” 

“Molly Weasley, if you come anywhere near my mouth I will not be held responsible for my actions. I am not afraid to beat you up I mean it.” Étienne giggled as he brought a hand to his mouth, covering it from her. “Do you know anyone, someone that might be able to help? Until I have someone who understands most of this I’m just circling the drain and my father and all his money will beat me easily.”

“Okay, open your mouth,” Julien instructed Éti, who currently had his eyes covered with a sleep mask. “Tell me, what do you taste?” he asked as he fed the other with his newest creation and just needed someone to tell him their opinion on it. Not that he didn’t know it was excellent already. @etienneclavel​

Étienne hadn’t had a chance to say anything before Julian had his eyes covered by the sleep mask. It wasn’t anything new, his friend often talked to him about the importance of judging the food on it’s flavour without using their eyes. Something about how the senses worked but he never really understood that part. He took a bite of the treat and the sense of memory was instantaneous. The flavour was almost identical to the small cookies his grandmother used to make - the chocolate laced with hints of orange. Against his better judgement his eyes started to well up under the mask. “Julien these are marvellous.”

“Hey, I was just offering my services as a friend,” he said. “If your mind took it to the horny place that’s not on me,” he mused with a smirk. “That’s a fine compromise,” he said, getting up to sit behind Etienne. “Who passed away?”

“Hunter you might have the whole cute thing going on but you are about as innocent as a murderer.” Étienne answered, rolling his eyes but smiling none the less. “My grandmother died a month or so ago. We went to France and dealt with everything, or so I thought. She left me everything, her little cottage. Her money. Everyone was fine but something has changed and my father is currently contesting it. I know they don’t need the money and I know that they would just sell the cottage... I don’t know why they’re doing this but I’m trying to fight it best I can. I thought I would have the money to do so but then I remembered it means all the money is frozen.. I am back to barely owning anything which is fun...” Étiienne sighed, unsure why he’d just unloaded everything onto Hunter like that.

“Maybe you should take a break,” he said, leaning forward to rest his chin on the palms of his hand. “I give great massages you know. That ought to take your mind off things for a while.”

“I can’t look at another legal contract again tonight or I think I might have a breakdown.” Étienne answered. dropping his head into his hands as he took a deep breath. “Hunter do you know that you have a problem?” He laughed as he looked back up at the other. “You can massage my shoulders while I contemplate what I need to do before I go back to France.”

Molly looked at him, eyebrows raised for a moment. “Yeah that sounds about as fun as having your teeth ripped out.” 

“I think at this point I would rather someone ripped my teeth out...” Étienne closed his eyes but suddenly snapped them open again, staring at Molly. “No you can’t rip my teeth out before you even think about asking.”