The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

Early Morning Pillow Talk

Setting: Night two of Caraval (not entirely accurate)
Inspired: this oneshot is inspired by a scene from the reboot of Dynasty (season 2 episode 3).

Scarlett stumbled into the tavern, slightly dishevelled. It was already night two of Caraval, and she didn't feel any closer to finding Tella. She decided that maybe she needed to relax for a minute so she would be able to concentrate.

"I'll have a... apple cider, please." Scarlett placed a coin on the counter as the bartender nodded, fetching her beverage.

She sat down on one of the bar-stools, placing her head in her hands. This was not how she imagined Caraval going. She imagined her and Tella having all sorts of fun, getting swept away in the magic of Caraval. As much as Scarlett wanted to have fun, she needed to find her sister. Though she thought she could let herself off the hook for the early morning, as there was nothing to do in the daylight but sleep and get a drink.

"So, the maiden returns," Dante's rough voice said from behind her.

Scarlett arched her eyebrow at him while accepting her drink from the bartender. She was eager to finish her cider, and head off to bed.

"Where's your fiance?" Dante pushed.

"Still out there somewhere. I decided it was time for a drink," Scarlett responded.

"Right." Dante took the stool next to her, ordering a glass of champagne.

No matter how ironic it sounded, Scarlett was not in the mood for games. She tried to down her cider as fast as she could, but it tasted absolutely divine and she wanted nothing more than to savour it.

"It's debatable that that's not a great way to start a marriage. We wouldn't want this marriage to fall apart before it even started." His voice was teasing, but she heard the harshness behind it.

"You're right, it is debatable. What isn't debatable is that it is none of your business and that I don't need your input on my personal life," Scarlett snapped, slamming her glass on the table.

Dante put his hands up mockingly, and Scarlett decided that it was time for bed. She rushed up to her room, fumbling with her keys to open the door. When she finally did open it, the sight inside flustered her.

Julian sat on the bed, unbuttoning his shirt and readying himself for sleep. His messy, dark hair curled slightly and Scarlett tried to push away the thought of how attractive it looked.

"Hello, Crimson," he said without looking up from his task.

Scarlett quickly shut the door as her eyes stayed glued to his almost-bare chest. His defined muscles and abs made heat rush to her cheeks.

"Like something you see?" he chuckled airly, throwing his shirt to the corner of the room where it would gather wrinkles by night.

Scarlett's lips parted before she recovered, "I thought it was my night." She ignored the question, knowing she wouldn't be able to answer it truthfully.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Crimson?" Julian smirked, knowing all too well what she meant.

Scarlett huffed in frustration while crossing her arms, "It's my night with the bed, Julian. Get out."

"There's enough room for the both of us." Julian patted the mattress beside him, leaning against the headboard.

"That wasn't apart of the deal," she retorted, but Julian's eyes travelled down her body. "What?"

Scarlett looked down to see her dress had shifted to a short, red, lacy dress that stopped mid-thigh and had no sleeves. It also did not help at how tight the dress hugged her body; it was like an over-sized corset.

"This stupid, magical dress!" Scarlett crossed her arms around her body more, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Push over."

Julian obliged, letting out a few laughs as she covered herself with blankets and sheets.

"You know, it's really not that funny," Scarlett grumbled as she took a few of the extra pillows to build a wall in-between them, creating a pillow barrier. She figured if he wouldn't leave the bed, there was no reason to go find a different one

"You know, it's said that your dress reflects your true feelings," Julian grinned at her, the only visible part of her body now was her head, the rest of her drowned in sheets.

"Those are false rumours."

They both laid flat on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. Scarlett's hands gripped the blanket, making sure that nothing else was revealed, while Julian's arms rested carefree underneath his head. The blackout curtains in the room made it seem as if it were nighttime, but the dim lamp that remained on provided a small amount of light.

"There's nothing wrong with that dress, I think it looks rather beautiful on you," Julian admitted, noticing how neither of them could sleep.

"My father would have gone nuts if he saw me in such a thing, therefore it's wrong," Scarlett replied quickly, still keeping her gaze on the ceiling.

"Was your father always so..." Julian trailed off, not wanting to use the wrong words.

Scarlett took a minute before responding, "No, I don't think so. He was much better when my mother was still around. I like to believe he was once good because of her, but then again... I can't and won't justify anything that he's done."

Scarlett stopped herself, realizing how deep that the conversation had gotten.

"What about your father? You have a pretty good idea of what my father was like, but I don't know anything about yours."

"My father," Julian let out a quick laugh, "my father wasn't much better than yours. He tried getting rid of me and my brother when we were little but it didn't work too well. He didn't hit us often, but I always knew he never loved us."

Scarlett's eyebrows furrowed. She never wanted anyone to have to go through what she and her sister had, but hearing that something similar happened to Julian made something stir inside her. It also meant that they had something to relate to.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Scarlett said quietly.

"I guess it's part of the reason I wanted to help you and your sister free of charge."

After a moment of silence, Scarlett decided to cut it, "You have a brother?"

"We used to be as close as you and your sister are, but... life happens. I don't talk about him often."

In other words, 'I shared something personal with you.'

"Thank you for telling me." Scarlett shifted to her side so she could look at him. She realized that he had shifted to his side too. His arm reached to remove one of the pillows in between them so they had a better view of each other.

She gazed into his caramel eyes with a softness that she hadn't had before. She had tried to deny her feelings for him, but at this point, she just didn't want to. She slowly removed the pillows that were between them and kicked them to the edge of the bed, and Julian looked at her with the same longing she felt.

Julian rolled over on the bed to her and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. Scarlett's back arched into him as their faces inched closer together. Scarlett let out a laugh at how unceremoniously he had rolled over to her. She no longer cared that the sheets weren't covering up her almost-bare figure, she only cared about him.

As if they had both ran out of patience, their lips smashed together in a kiss of lust and urgency. Julian's hands caressed her body, sending chills down her spine. Scarlett had kissed a guy before, but not like this. His tongue darted in her mouth, causing her to let out a soft moan.

"Crimson," he sighed against her mouth as they both caught their breath. He kissed her again, soft and gentle this time. His lips pressed firmly against hers like a thousand promises.

Julian slowly worked his way down to her jaw, and then her neck, peppering kisses in his trail leaving light red marks. Scarlett threw back her head in the euphoria she was experiencing.

At some point, Julian had pulled her on top of him and that is how they remained: his arms wrapped around her body with her head buried in his chest, the two of them falling asleep in pure bliss.