#batb2

Puck refrained from growling for what had to he hundredth time as yet another little demon child jumped from his lap like he was a furry fucking Santa Claus and stepped right on his crotch on the way down. You'd think with all the fucking fabric and padding it took to make a man into a huge Beast, they'd have at least put some of that padding in the crotch area. Marley was, of course, handing it like a natural. But then, everyone who came up to her wanted to be her when they grew up. Or flirt with her, now. He /actually/ growled at a teenage douchebag dressed like Gaston, flirting with her. Luckily for him, that was considered 'in character.' Though, he he ran across that guy later, he'd be getting decked in the face. Another family approached them for their picture and Puck had to smile already because the little girl was dressed as Belle and holding a little stuffed Beast and looked to be so nervous he couldn't stand it. Fuck, he loved kids. It was sad, really, how much. The cute one's, anyway. And this little girl was looking up at Marley like she was star struck and gonna pass out from excitement. He whispered in Marls' ear, "This one's all you." then chuckled to himself.

Marley loved her job. Every single bit of it, from the parades, to the events, to just walking around in character. But really, her favorite part had to be the meet and greets with the children. They were just so adorable and always had the best looks on their faces when they got close! It was probably as close to what it would be like to be a rockstar as she would get and she definitely didn't mind it at all. Being the source of someone's smile like that just made her day. And she got to experience it many times a day, every day she worked. How could she not love it? Nodding slightly at Puck's comment, Marley stepped forward and knelt down besides the little girl, her dress flowing out around her. "Hello, what's your name?" she asked, voice spot on with the voice of Belle in the movies. "Evie" the girl responded, hiding behind her beast toy. "It's nice to meet you, Evie" Marley said. "I like your toy. Do you like the Beast?" Evie nodded, looking shyly up at where Puck was sitting. "Me too. He's my favorite prince." She turned to smile up at Puck before turning back to the girl. "Do you like to read?" she asked. "My- my mommy reads me bedtime stories and I like the ones with the princesses and the dragons!" Evie fiddled with her toy as she spoke, clearly still nervous. "Oh, those are the best. The ones about far off lands with dashing princes!" She continued to talk to Evie for another moment before their handler indicated to speed things along.

Puck nearly melted, just watching his girl interact with the little one. Every time. It got to him /every. Time/. Good thing no one could see him cheesing like an idiot from inside the suit. That was the best thing about this awful costume. He could observe while being observed and no one could the the wiser. Which came in handy when he looked to Marley as she did exactly as she always did. So comfortable and confident in herself. If there were ever a person who was the epitome of their princess, this would be it, he was sure of it. Even as the Beast, and her Prince, he was sure that neither character would look at her the way Puck did. Mostly because it was a mixture of adoration /and/ wanting to rip her clothes off and show her just what a far away land with adventures would look like. When their handler motioned for their haste, Puck helped lift the little girl into his lap for a picture, figuring she'd stand there and look to her mom's camera while holding so tightly onto Belle that it looked like her arm would fall off. That's what most of the children did, anyway. But when she turned to drape her arms around his shoulders and cuddled her head into the crook of his neck, he lost it. Again, the suit came in handy, because his eyes shot wide open and he was sure the look on his face was not at all /beastly/. It took him a second, but he eventually brought his giant paw up to rest on her back as a way to return the hug. Unable to help himself, he looked to Marley as he held the little one.

Marley stood easily and smoothed out her dress, having perfected the most graceful way to get back up over the last few months. She spent most of her time kneeling or squatting so she could get more on the children's level when she talked to them. It was killer on the knees, but essential in order to make the children feel more comfortable. Taking her place besides Puck for the picture, she smiled brightly down at Evie, expecting the usual hand holding or nuzzling into her while the camera went off. But when Evie instead buried her face into Puck's fur, Marley's heart melted completely. Her hand went up to her chest, covering her heart, and her smile grew even more. Part of her wondered what Puck's reaction was under the giant Beast head; she would love to see that. But as his hand came to rest on the little girl's back, pulling her in for a hug, Marley could feel herself falling for him even more. Sure, this was his job, but seeing him so gentle with the children definitely was part of what drew her to him in the first place. Stepping a bit closer, she turned toward the cameras and gave them her best smile, the flash going off a couple of times before it was on to the next kid. "Goodbye, Evie! It was wonderful meeting you!"

Puck wanted to let the girl hold onto him forever. He could protect her. And he'd do so, gladly. His minibelle. Once he'd gotten a hold on himself, he smiled and patted her little back a few times, then helped her turn so she could face the camera. If he didn't know he wasn't a giant girl, he'd say his eyes got a little watery. But no. He was a man. A man's man. Yeah. It continued like this for about another 45 minutes. Little girls wanting to talk about books with Marley, and a few little dudes wanting high fives from the beast. Those used to be his favorite--but now it was definitely the little girl who could love the beast. Now he knew why he was so attached to Marley. She was that little girl. Scared and nervous until she got to see you up close, then just wanting to hug him and make his heart grow to 20 times it's previous size. When their handler pulled them aside and pack into one of the hidden pathways of the castle, Puck grabbed Marley's hand with his paw--regardless of being out of view and no longer needing to be in character. He still liked doing it and it /was/ kind of amusing that she had to hold a paw. "Alright. We're gonna get you two into your dress clothes, then over to Prince Adam and Belle's wedding for a private photo op. You'll have a group of about 35. Play out a little scene, and then do pictures." he started to explain, leading them back to the dressing room where Puck was once again gonna try to sneak a peek while Marley dressed. He'd gotten better at hiding it but she still always caught him.

Marley smile was bright the whole way through the rest of their meet and greet. Something about seeing Puck squeeze that girl for maybe a second or two longer than was really necessary warmed her heart completely. When their handler indicated it was time to go, she took Puck's paw willingly, unfazed by the furry, awkward shape it was, having done so many, many times within the past few months. It was nice to have physical contact with him, even if it was in character. She enjoyed being close to him so much, that she might even cuddle into him a little more than necessary for work. Nodding at what their handler was saying, she followed closely backstage to their changing room. She liked the wedding dress, even though it was very similar to the one she was already wearing, just a lighter shade of gold. Making quick work of undoing her current dress, she looked up at Puck and wagged her finger at him. "No peeking, mister." She knew it was probably futile, but she had to at least try to deter him. Once fully clothed in her other dress, she put a few more pins in her hair and turned towards Puck. "Ready?" she asked, glad she could see his face.

Puck definitely still looked as she changed. Although, he had at least done the decent thing of turning away when she'd asked and making sure he was turned away when she looked. So she could at least pretend to think he'd listened. Ignorance is Bliss, right? Part of him wondered if it could still be bliss if it was feigned ignorance, but the rest of him didn't wanna question it because he loved when he could see her hips and bare back. "As I'll ever be." he grumbled, still running his hands over his shaven face. Wearing the suit, he could forget. Because no one was looking at him and he didn't care how he looked. But out of the suit, he just felt naked without his rugged and manly scruff. He always balanced the very thin line between scruff and a beard and it was always perfect. Until Disney made him shave. But if it meant real eye contact and a real kiss with his girl (and some fresh air) he would comply. Even if he still hated letting her see him this way.Holding out his hand, he followed their handler out to the wedding hall and plastered on his prince face. It was far different from the cocky and sexy grin he normally wore, and even moreso from the cocky /grimace/ he wore. But as much shit as people gave him for not being a real character or not needing any talent to make it here, Puck could act. And he could sing, too. But he wouldn't tell anyone that who did not need to know.

Marley smiled as Puck ran his hand over his face. She liked seeing him without the scruff when he was Prince Adam; he looked so different! Admittedly, she liked the scruff more; it framed his jawline perfectly and brought out the brightness in his eyes, somehow. But even when clean shaven, there was no denying that Puck was a handsome man. Kissing his cheek once before they had to be led away, Marley's fingers laced with his. Sure, it wasn't skin on skin contact because of their gloves, but it was sure easier to hold his hand than it was those giant paws as the Beast. Walking into the wedding room with her head held high and her best princess smile on, Marley spun into Pucks hands and began to waltz over to where their meet and greets would be. Tale as old as time was playing over the speakers, after all, and she was sure the audience would love to see them dance. They always did. As the music shifted and they reached the end of the room, she turned to him and kissed him to the sound of applause from the audience behind them. Now /that/ was her favorite part, being able to kiss him at work and not get in trouble for it.

Puck kicked into gear and started to lead her in their dance once he felt her against him. He hadn't really thought they were gonna dance but he'd learned to be quick on the improv. She was the master at this, after all. The end of the stride, though... that was his favorite part. Of course, it was also the hardest. Having to keep a kiss G rated when he knew how good she was with her tongue was probably harder than keeping his hands to himself on the daily. Stupid kids and their virgin eyes. Still, he relished in the moment. Dipping her slight, both hands on her waist and head leaning down to press a kiss full to her lips. No stage kisses, here. Y'know... cuz they were professional and shit. As they separated, their crowd continued to applause as he looked down into her eyes, clearly having a hard time breaking the moment. The way he looked at her definitely earned both of their salaries. Luckily for him, it came natural. Since day one. After all, who wouldn't want to look down into those eyes for the rest of their lives?