Lọ lem and Belle’s POV:
Lọ lem reluctantly dragged herself out of bed, praying that no one would come in when she was still naked and fumbling for her clothes on the floor. How on Earth would she explain that then? Her shoes had got Công chúa tóc mây up in Belle’s dress somehow and she looked over at the sleeping woman she had left in bed. Belle was quite peaceful on her side, and Lọ lem cast her mind back over all they had done that night and stifled a giggle at the thought that neither of their parents would approve of any of it if they knew.
And not just because they were doing it out of wedlock.
Not that, of course, there was any chance for wedlock. Same-gender relationships were frowned upon in their society, whatever stock bạn were from. Of course, that didn’t stop people from having them, but they always ended in heartbreak.
Belle kept trying to convince her that this one wouldn’t, but Lọ lem couldn’t fight the feeling that it would.
She quickly pulled her dress on and reached for the handkerchief she usually tied around her hair at work, where, of course, she would have to go right away to avoid confrontation with her stepmother and stepsisters. It was just easier that way, to give her time to think up a lie about where she had been the night before.
“Not leaving without saying goodbye, are you?” Belle asked with a yawn.
Lọ lem smiled at her, loving the sight of her naked body, hoặc what she could see of it, beneath the sheets. “Never.”
Belle brushed her fringe out of her eyes. Lọ lem wished that it could always be like this, that they could live together. Maybe one ngày they could, if they could find somewhere; they could easily just pretend that they were housemates, couldn’t they, should anyone câu hỏi two women living together; perhaps even that they were related.
But for now, well, it had to be like this.
For now.
“You’ll still come over tonight, right?” she said.
“If you’re sure your step-family won’t be back until gone midnight,” Belle replied, reaching for her blue dressing gown.
“Trust me, they always are whenever there’s a ball on,” Lọ lem replied. “For once I’m glad I’m not going. I’ve got something better planned for tonight than dancing.”
“That’s a pity,” Belle teased, leaning her body over the sheets, her dressing áo choàng opening tantalisingly to reveal her cleavage. “You are very good at dancing.”
Lọ lem kissed her, revelling in the feel of her lips on Belle’s. She couldn’t imagine ever kissing anyone else, especially not a man. She let Belle touch her a while as they kissed, until the soft touches turned into hungry ones and then she pulled away. “Stop. You’ll turn me on again, and I need to go.”
Belle just smirked at her. “Just a taster for tonight.”
Lọ lem bit back the urge to pin her girlfriend to the giường and take her again like she had done all night long. She got to her feet and stretched, teasingly sticking her breasts out for Belle’s viewing pleasure, and then reached for her cloak. “Come at about nine, they should be gone bởi then.”
Belle nodded and got to her feet. Together they snuck downstairs, hand in hand, tiptoeing past Belle’s Father’s bedroom door, and towards the front door. Belle opened it and cast a look around outside first. Her neighbour Gaston would create if he saw a girl sneaking out of their house at this time in the morning, especially since, Belle suspected, he had his eye on her himself. She found no one and ushered Lọ lem out onto the front step.
“See bạn tonight,” she whispered.
“Tonight,” Lọ lem confirmed, reaching up for another quick Kiss before hurrying down the steps. Belle waved her off and quietly shut the door. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes and thought back to the ngày they had first met.
<Flashback>
“Belle, thank God!”
Belle turned to see Mulan and Tiana running towards her; Tiana in a brown and vàng áo choàng with a matching headdress and Mulan wearing her traditional Chinese debutant costume, which was an array of pinks and purples. Tiana pulled her into a hug.
“Jeez, it’s good to see you! We’ve been going out of our minds for the last two minutes, all these strangers around!”
Belle smiled and hugged Mulan. “You look great, both of you.”
“Well, so do you,” sighed Mulan, looking her outfit up and down. “I wish I was tall enough for something like that.”
“Your Grandma would create!” Tiana laughed.
Belle glanced around the room, seeing that most of the other girls looked equally depressed. “This whole Debutante thing isn’t as fun as they make it sound.”
“I’ll say,” Mulan sighed, pointing to a girl with white-blonde hair, who was politely talking to a man with red hair and a face that Belle immediately disliked. “See that girl talking to Prince Hans? That’s Princess Elsa of Arandell.”
“Boy, does she look like she wishes she was somewhere else,” Tiana commented, and then seeing Elsa shoot a longing look in the direction of a girl in a purple and màu hồng, hồng dress with miles and miles of long blonde hair, a look that Prince Hans somehow missed, “and with someone else too.”
Mulan sighed to herself, wishing that she had the Princess’s courage.
“A lot of them look like that,” Belle commented.
“Well, the tim, trái tim wants what it wants,” Tiana replied, wisely, “and I for one wish I was back in my phòng bếp, nhà bếp hoặc in my room; anywhere but here right now, no offence, girls.”
“None taken,” Belle and Mulan both answered together.
“Heads up, looks like there’s a Prince coming our way,” Belle muttered as a tall blonde man dressed in blue came towards them. Tiana accepted his offer of a dance our of politeness, after all, they were all supposed to be maintaining the illusion that they all actually wanted to be here. Mulan did the same a few phút later when a Prince with dark hair and a rather regal costume asked her to dance too. Left alone, Belle decided to be Công chúa tóc xù and abandon all the dancing, figuring that she wouldn’t be missed if it was only a few minutes, and besides the âm nhạc was giving her a headache.
Her yellow dress rustled as she left the room and made into the quiet corridor beyond. That was the only good thing about being a debutant, she decided, her new dress, which she had loved the một giây her Father gave it to her. Being working class stock, it had been expensive, but he told her that it had been worth it, even if she never wore it again. With matching gloves and shoes too, Belle felt thêm like a princess than a peasant.
The sound of soft hát reached her and she made her way towards it. Reaching a staircase, she glanced down and saw a girl with dâu, dâu tây blonde hair kneeling and cleaning the floor. Belle’s tim, trái tim began to race, because her voice was just beautiful, and she began to descend the staircase, slipping, however, when she reached the bottom, because the floor wasn’t completely dry yet, and she caught the banister to keep herself from falling over. Her shoes squeaked, and the girl ceased her hát and sat up in surprise.
“Oh, sorry,” she apologised, “I should have a sign up hoặc something.”
“No, that’s alright,” Belle replied, letting go of the banister. “Do bạn work here?”
“Only temporarily,” the girl replied. “Well, actually, not even that; I’m just doing this as a favour for a friend of a friend. His daughter’s debuting tonight too.”
“Oh? Which one is she?”
“Lottie LaBouffe. Her Father owns this place.”
“Big Daddy LaBouffe?” Belle smiled. “My friend Tiana knows him. I haven’t met Lottie yet, though.”
“Oh, you’ll like her,” the girl replied, tossing her cleaning cloth back into the bucket, letting up a stream of bubbles. “She’s quite excitable but very nice.”
Belle nodded and sat down on the steps. “Well, I’ll look out for her later. I’m getting a bit fed up in there actually.”
“Oh, I know, right?” the girl sighed. “I debuted last week, and I hated it. All those men asking bạn to dance when all bạn want is-”
“To just be left alone,” Belle finished.
They looked at one another, sharing a moment.
“I’m Cinderella,” the girl said, suddenly blushing.
“I’m Belle,” Belle replied, suddenly very aware that her dress had quite the low neckline.
“Are bạn royalty?” Lọ lem asked. “I mean, the dress...it’s beautiful...”
“No, I’m working class. My Father just knows a good seamstress,” Belle explained.
“You? Working class?” Lọ lem looked surprised. “You’re far too beautiful.”
She didn’t seem shy, Belle realised, she was completely sure of what she was saying, flirting.
“I could say the same for you,” she returned, equally as flirty.
Lọ lem laughed, coquettishly. “Me? Dressed like this?”
She held out the ragged váy of her dress.
“Yes,” Belle replied.
“It’s hardly a ballgown and glass slippers, though, is it?” Lọ lem asked.
Belle giggled. “Rags can’t hide your pretty face.”
Lọ lem stepped up to her. “Are bạn only here for the one night, Belle?”
Belle nodded. “Yes, why?”
In answer, Lọ lem held out her hand. Belle took it without a thought and allowed this new and very attractive girl to pull her from the room and towards a deserted corridor, away from prying eyes.
<End Flashback>
“Belle?”
Belle pulled herself back together and looked up as Maurice stumbled into the room. “Yes, Papa? I was just going to put breakfast on.”
“Smashing,” Maurice replied, smacking his lips. “And then I can get on with my automatic dish-drying machine. What are your plans?”
“I’m just going to go to town and meet the girls,” Belle replied, seeing a good opportunity to bring up the matter of tonight. “Actually, Tiana đã đưa ý kiến something about hosting some meeting hoặc something tonight; I think it might be one of those Tupperware things hoặc something. I was going to go, if that’s alright. It shouldn’t end any later than midnight.”
“Just be careful walking home,” Maurice replied, seating himself at the table. “You get some funny types down that way late at night.”
“I will, Papa,” Belle replied, dropping a Kiss on his whiskered cheek. “Thanks.”
Lọ lem reluctantly dragged herself out of bed, praying that no one would come in when she was still naked and fumbling for her clothes on the floor. How on Earth would she explain that then? Her shoes had got Công chúa tóc mây up in Belle’s dress somehow and she looked over at the sleeping woman she had left in bed. Belle was quite peaceful on her side, and Lọ lem cast her mind back over all they had done that night and stifled a giggle at the thought that neither of their parents would approve of any of it if they knew.
And not just because they were doing it out of wedlock.
Not that, of course, there was any chance for wedlock. Same-gender relationships were frowned upon in their society, whatever stock bạn were from. Of course, that didn’t stop people from having them, but they always ended in heartbreak.
Belle kept trying to convince her that this one wouldn’t, but Lọ lem couldn’t fight the feeling that it would.
She quickly pulled her dress on and reached for the handkerchief she usually tied around her hair at work, where, of course, she would have to go right away to avoid confrontation with her stepmother and stepsisters. It was just easier that way, to give her time to think up a lie about where she had been the night before.
“Not leaving without saying goodbye, are you?” Belle asked with a yawn.
Lọ lem smiled at her, loving the sight of her naked body, hoặc what she could see of it, beneath the sheets. “Never.”
Belle brushed her fringe out of her eyes. Lọ lem wished that it could always be like this, that they could live together. Maybe one ngày they could, if they could find somewhere; they could easily just pretend that they were housemates, couldn’t they, should anyone câu hỏi two women living together; perhaps even that they were related.
But for now, well, it had to be like this.
For now.
“You’ll still come over tonight, right?” she said.
“If you’re sure your step-family won’t be back until gone midnight,” Belle replied, reaching for her blue dressing gown.
“Trust me, they always are whenever there’s a ball on,” Lọ lem replied. “For once I’m glad I’m not going. I’ve got something better planned for tonight than dancing.”
“That’s a pity,” Belle teased, leaning her body over the sheets, her dressing áo choàng opening tantalisingly to reveal her cleavage. “You are very good at dancing.”
Lọ lem kissed her, revelling in the feel of her lips on Belle’s. She couldn’t imagine ever kissing anyone else, especially not a man. She let Belle touch her a while as they kissed, until the soft touches turned into hungry ones and then she pulled away. “Stop. You’ll turn me on again, and I need to go.”
Belle just smirked at her. “Just a taster for tonight.”
Lọ lem bit back the urge to pin her girlfriend to the giường and take her again like she had done all night long. She got to her feet and stretched, teasingly sticking her breasts out for Belle’s viewing pleasure, and then reached for her cloak. “Come at about nine, they should be gone bởi then.”
Belle nodded and got to her feet. Together they snuck downstairs, hand in hand, tiptoeing past Belle’s Father’s bedroom door, and towards the front door. Belle opened it and cast a look around outside first. Her neighbour Gaston would create if he saw a girl sneaking out of their house at this time in the morning, especially since, Belle suspected, he had his eye on her himself. She found no one and ushered Lọ lem out onto the front step.
“See bạn tonight,” she whispered.
“Tonight,” Lọ lem confirmed, reaching up for another quick Kiss before hurrying down the steps. Belle waved her off and quietly shut the door. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes and thought back to the ngày they had first met.
<Flashback>
“Belle, thank God!”
Belle turned to see Mulan and Tiana running towards her; Tiana in a brown and vàng áo choàng with a matching headdress and Mulan wearing her traditional Chinese debutant costume, which was an array of pinks and purples. Tiana pulled her into a hug.
“Jeez, it’s good to see you! We’ve been going out of our minds for the last two minutes, all these strangers around!”
Belle smiled and hugged Mulan. “You look great, both of you.”
“Well, so do you,” sighed Mulan, looking her outfit up and down. “I wish I was tall enough for something like that.”
“Your Grandma would create!” Tiana laughed.
Belle glanced around the room, seeing that most of the other girls looked equally depressed. “This whole Debutante thing isn’t as fun as they make it sound.”
“I’ll say,” Mulan sighed, pointing to a girl with white-blonde hair, who was politely talking to a man with red hair and a face that Belle immediately disliked. “See that girl talking to Prince Hans? That’s Princess Elsa of Arandell.”
“Boy, does she look like she wishes she was somewhere else,” Tiana commented, and then seeing Elsa shoot a longing look in the direction of a girl in a purple and màu hồng, hồng dress with miles and miles of long blonde hair, a look that Prince Hans somehow missed, “and with someone else too.”
Mulan sighed to herself, wishing that she had the Princess’s courage.
“A lot of them look like that,” Belle commented.
“Well, the tim, trái tim wants what it wants,” Tiana replied, wisely, “and I for one wish I was back in my phòng bếp, nhà bếp hoặc in my room; anywhere but here right now, no offence, girls.”
“None taken,” Belle and Mulan both answered together.
“Heads up, looks like there’s a Prince coming our way,” Belle muttered as a tall blonde man dressed in blue came towards them. Tiana accepted his offer of a dance our of politeness, after all, they were all supposed to be maintaining the illusion that they all actually wanted to be here. Mulan did the same a few phút later when a Prince with dark hair and a rather regal costume asked her to dance too. Left alone, Belle decided to be Công chúa tóc xù and abandon all the dancing, figuring that she wouldn’t be missed if it was only a few minutes, and besides the âm nhạc was giving her a headache.
Her yellow dress rustled as she left the room and made into the quiet corridor beyond. That was the only good thing about being a debutant, she decided, her new dress, which she had loved the một giây her Father gave it to her. Being working class stock, it had been expensive, but he told her that it had been worth it, even if she never wore it again. With matching gloves and shoes too, Belle felt thêm like a princess than a peasant.
The sound of soft hát reached her and she made her way towards it. Reaching a staircase, she glanced down and saw a girl with dâu, dâu tây blonde hair kneeling and cleaning the floor. Belle’s tim, trái tim began to race, because her voice was just beautiful, and she began to descend the staircase, slipping, however, when she reached the bottom, because the floor wasn’t completely dry yet, and she caught the banister to keep herself from falling over. Her shoes squeaked, and the girl ceased her hát and sat up in surprise.
“Oh, sorry,” she apologised, “I should have a sign up hoặc something.”
“No, that’s alright,” Belle replied, letting go of the banister. “Do bạn work here?”
“Only temporarily,” the girl replied. “Well, actually, not even that; I’m just doing this as a favour for a friend of a friend. His daughter’s debuting tonight too.”
“Oh? Which one is she?”
“Lottie LaBouffe. Her Father owns this place.”
“Big Daddy LaBouffe?” Belle smiled. “My friend Tiana knows him. I haven’t met Lottie yet, though.”
“Oh, you’ll like her,” the girl replied, tossing her cleaning cloth back into the bucket, letting up a stream of bubbles. “She’s quite excitable but very nice.”
Belle nodded and sat down on the steps. “Well, I’ll look out for her later. I’m getting a bit fed up in there actually.”
“Oh, I know, right?” the girl sighed. “I debuted last week, and I hated it. All those men asking bạn to dance when all bạn want is-”
“To just be left alone,” Belle finished.
They looked at one another, sharing a moment.
“I’m Cinderella,” the girl said, suddenly blushing.
“I’m Belle,” Belle replied, suddenly very aware that her dress had quite the low neckline.
“Are bạn royalty?” Lọ lem asked. “I mean, the dress...it’s beautiful...”
“No, I’m working class. My Father just knows a good seamstress,” Belle explained.
“You? Working class?” Lọ lem looked surprised. “You’re far too beautiful.”
She didn’t seem shy, Belle realised, she was completely sure of what she was saying, flirting.
“I could say the same for you,” she returned, equally as flirty.
Lọ lem laughed, coquettishly. “Me? Dressed like this?”
She held out the ragged váy of her dress.
“Yes,” Belle replied.
“It’s hardly a ballgown and glass slippers, though, is it?” Lọ lem asked.
Belle giggled. “Rags can’t hide your pretty face.”
Lọ lem stepped up to her. “Are bạn only here for the one night, Belle?”
Belle nodded. “Yes, why?”
In answer, Lọ lem held out her hand. Belle took it without a thought and allowed this new and very attractive girl to pull her from the room and towards a deserted corridor, away from prying eyes.
<End Flashback>
“Belle?”
Belle pulled herself back together and looked up as Maurice stumbled into the room. “Yes, Papa? I was just going to put breakfast on.”
“Smashing,” Maurice replied, smacking his lips. “And then I can get on with my automatic dish-drying machine. What are your plans?”
“I’m just going to go to town and meet the girls,” Belle replied, seeing a good opportunity to bring up the matter of tonight. “Actually, Tiana đã đưa ý kiến something about hosting some meeting hoặc something tonight; I think it might be one of those Tupperware things hoặc something. I was going to go, if that’s alright. It shouldn’t end any later than midnight.”
“Just be careful walking home,” Maurice replied, seating himself at the table. “You get some funny types down that way late at night.”
“I will, Papa,” Belle replied, dropping a Kiss on his whiskered cheek. “Thanks.”