forgiveness, the enviable trait

[Sebastian Fraser]

tag: luce
time: 11pm
day: sunday
outfit: click

Sebastian had always been a fan of the rain. Almost as much as he was a big supporter of sunshine and warm weather, that is. He enjoyed the tranquility it seemed to put on the large city of London. It was like all the hectic, heated parts of life seemed to cool, to slow down. And at a time in his life like this, Seb appreciated the slow, cold day of England. He had worked through his day with such a routine that could not be harmed or bruised by any customer - one with peace, with a smooth, flowing methodical way of going. He was polite to everyone, even if they weren't so to him. He kept his temper when the usual drunks stumbled in at three that afternoon, and he made friendly conversation with Gail when he was left alone with her. He seemed calm, happy almost, but Sebastian even knew he was denying himself that much. Sure, he was content, but there was no way he was brimming with joy.

He missed his old life.

The youth had only recognized this fact, when closing time was over. When all the bar stools were turned upright, the tables wiped clean, and the chairs balancing on the tables themselves. When the bar was spick and span, and Gail had thrown him the keys to lock up for the night. When the Leaky Cauldron was finally settled, and the sound of humor and talk had faded away, so that only the sound of the persistent rain outside could be heard. It had been like this for a few days, and Seb hadn't been able to bring himself to the conclusion that his missed his apartment, the availability to fall asleep on the lounge at any given time, and the pleasure of cooking a meal for two, not one. He missed Luce, as unwilling as he was to give in to that. He knew what they were going through was stated as a 'break', but at the same time, he wondered if it was something more permanent.

The young man pondered on these feelings and thoughts, as he shut the locked back door to the pub behind him, before pulling his over coat above his head, trying to shield his shoulders and heck from the rain. He didn't bother to run along the side walk, simply going about as he would any other day. His car was parked a few blocks away, as he had needed to pick up his guitar before work, after it had been serviced at a music store reasonably near by. Sebastian sighed deeply, glancing from the ground to his path ahead.

[Luce Beauvais]

Ever since the fight between Luce and Sebastian, Luce had tried her hardest to get on with her life. Sure, it was hard, but Luce felt that she had done well, she had met someone that she felt she could call a good friend at the very least. Luce didn't know whether Sebastian had tried to do the same thing that she had, and really, Luce would have been content if she didn't ever seen him again. He may not have done much, but Luce wasn't one to stay friends with her ex's. Of course, Sebastian was a person that she'd have liked to be friends with, but she wasn't sure that her heart could take it a hit like that.

The hole may have been healed a bit, with the presence of Rollo, but Luce knew that it would take a while for her to get back to her usual self. It was nice to have a crush to take her mind off everything though. Not that she wasn't giving Rollo a chance, no, she really liked him, but Sebastian being alive in London, well, it was killing her.

Stepping out of the General store, Luce smiled a a couple of passersby. She could feel the rain on her shoulders, as she took the few steps that were needed to reach the much appreciated cover. The rain was coming down fairly heavily, but that was no reason for the girls spirits to be darkened. She had had the day off work, something that she was pleased about, and the girl was merely heading to a pub, or a nightclub, or somewhere that she could get a drink or two before she was set to go home for the night. That was another thing that made it hard not being with Sebastian, Luce had been forced to move back into her old house, and it was so damn far from everything.

Wandering past a pub that had posters all over the window, Luce stopped to read up on a new band, before turning and walking straight into the gaze of someone's that she wasn't keen on meeting. Eye-contact was dreadful, wasn't it?

top + hair + black skinny jeans

[Sebastian Fraser]

He froze, shocked by what Seb assumed to be an awful and cruel trick of his mind. Sadly, however, once he had regained his breathing after holding it for several seconds, and even after blinking several times, though without his gaze wandering, he realized it was all too horribly true. The youth didn't know whether to feel relieved that he had bumped into her after a few months of no talk what-so-ever. They had both moved out of the apartment in which they had called their home. Sebastian had found a not-too-shabby place in the inner city. On the other hand though, he could easily recognize the feeling of regret, anger, and frustration bubbling up from under his skin.

The young man was tempted to cross the street right there, running from the very sight of his ex girlfriend. But they both lived in London. They both had the same friends these days, and went to the same pubs and clubs. Heck, they even saw the same bands. Which made Sebastian internally scold himself for even initiating one of the reasons why they had broken up. Trying to take care of those girls without getting too close - sadly, they had only taken advantage of his kind nature, and Luce thought the better of it. However, with raised eye brows, the Fraser boy merely stood in the rain, ignoring the feeling of water dripping down his neck as he let his coat fall.

He didn't have to put up with this. She was the one that ended it, or so he thought anyway. Looking at her again though, the young man acknowledged the reason he had fallen for her in the first place. Her classic, elegant beauty. She probably had a new boyfriend by now anyway, she was French - enough said, it was in her blood to move on and love again. Gritting his jaw, Sebastian could hardly stand another moment standing there before her, probably being judged. His eyes hadn't left hers, they were fierce, yet miserable all the same. "Excuse me." he muttered curtly, before stepping to the side and walking past her without another word. It was only when he reached the end of that slab of concrete that Sebastian stopped again, glancing back to see if she too had continued walking - or like him, needed more than this to get closure.

[Luce Beauvais]

Luce couldn't move. She wasn't sure whether she was happy that she had found Sebastian,
whether it was fate that brought them to the same place, or whether the feelings of resentment were bubbling up again. She didn't want to hate the boy, in fact, she couldn't. He was a nice person, she had never seen a bad side to him, except during the fight. He probably had a new interest, someone that fell for him in the same way that Luce did; though it saddened her to even think of that as a possibility.

There were a few reasons behind the break. Obviously there was the flirting with the girls at the club, no, that didn't do him any justice, but Luce had feelings that weren't explainable with words, not that I'm not going to try. It was the little things that frustrated Luce, the way that he was always waiting on her hand and foot, the way that he romanticized everything, even the way he looked in the morning; Luce couldn't be sure that she'd love him forever. She felt that with him trying to make it in the big world, the girl would just be loose baggage, dragging him down. Everyone changed when they hit the big time, Luce just didn't want to chance it.

Watching the boy as she stood under the small cover, the rain beating down hard on the boy. She wished that they had never broken up, but she tried to hold herself back from hitting the boy with insults, with her opinion. She wanted to jump into his arms at the same that she wanted to smack him across the face. She wanted to forgive him for everything, but she hated him, and herself for that matter, at that very moment. As the boy pushed through the awkwardness and left, Luce sighed, and took a step closer to the wall. Falling back, hearing the crumpling papers beneath her, Luce looked out into the street, a tear rolling down her cheek.

[Sebastian Fraser]

It took allot of strength to not walk away from her, like he had attempted to. But it also took allot of composition for him to stand there, though since glancing at her, Seb's eyes had returned to the ground before him. In all honesty, he had never felt so torn in his life. On the one hand, he loved Luce. He could not, and would that deny that. But on the other, she had hurt him, and he had obviously hurt her too. Quite frankly, the youth didn't know if they could go back to what they had. He wanted to get over her quickly and without pain, but he couldn't forget the most amazing months of his life. Even back then, Sebastian knew that his perfect life could hardly be true - and it was just proved that he was right about that, as one could obviously see.

Still clenching his jaw, the young man decided to swallow his pride, in attempt to try and at least heal the potential wound he was digging himself. Turning slowly on the spot, Seb watched as Luce stood close to the wall, hardly having moved from where she was before. He knew her so well, well enough to know that she was probably trying to gather herself before moving on. That and, well, she was probably crying, by the way he had so bitterly avoided even speaking to her as if he knew her. Sebastian had never been a harsh, mean, or cruel man. But, as they say, Luce just brought out the utter best, and seemingly the worst in him. But he couldn't bare this, not now, not with her standing a mere meter away from him.

"Luce," he said her full name, as opposed to calling her 'Lou' or 'Louie' as he did when they dated. Sebastian slowly approached the French girl, making it under the cover so he was facing her. Looking at her again, he could smell her familiar sent of shampoo, and took a few seconds to compose himself again. Glancing up and seeing the tear on her cheek, Sebastian just felt guilty and horrible. It was only now that the youth noted on the fact that she was without a jacket. Sighing, he shrugged out of the over coat, to reveal a gray sweater. He held it out to her, almost like a sign of a few moments of truce. It was obvious they needed to talk about it. "Please." he urged, hoping desperately that she wouldn't decline him. He was really going out on a limb here.

[Luce Beauvais]

Wiping the tear that was running down the girls face, which, apart from the crying, was absent and emotionless, Luce attempted to change the subject that her mind was currently running through. She didn't want to relive the memories that she had with Sebastian; asgood as they were, it was too hard to think that it was never going to happen again. Even if Luce got somewhere with Rollo, it wouldn't be the same. Sebastian was so different to the guys that Luce usually went for, excepting the gorgeous looks, of course.

The reason that Luce had fallen so hard for Sebastian was right there in that very sentence. He was different, in a good way of course. He made Luce smile, just by looking for him, and as he walked away, Luce felt like she'd never smile again. She just wanted to be friends; Sebastian was level headed, almost trustworthy and just plain great to be around. Trying not to look at the boy, refusing to make eey contact as he walked towards her, Luce counted the raindrops that splashed up onto her feet.

It wasn't until he said her name (the sound of him actually calling her 'Luce' made cringe; she loved it when he used her nicknames) that she looked up into his eyes, to see him holdingtout his jacket. Returning her gaze to the floor, as a tear dropped down like the many raindrops that were splashing her, Luce looked up again, and shook her head. She didn't need his hospitality, she need apology, and his forgiveness. She didn't want to seem rude, but she couldn't take it, it just wasn't that easy.

[Sebastian Fraser]

Seb studied Luce's face for another few moments, the silence between them growing thicker with every second. He wanted to reach out and hug her. To comfort her. To drop back into the old habit that he had grown so fond of two months ago, of being at ease with a girl such as herself. She was gorgeous, no matter how angry or sad she was. But he had to pull his head in. She wasn't interested in a relationship like that anymore, and he was going to have to deal with that. But i didn't mean that Sebastian didn't still care about her, from any way of a friend, or even as a gentleman. After all, it was just in his nature to care for others, Luce or not.

He sighed again, a smile touching the corners of his mouth. She had always been stubborn. But he went ahead anyway, to step closer to her, flipping the jacket around so it covered sher shoulders and arms. Seb had always been allot bigger and broader than the French lass, so though his jacket was big on her, at least it was keeping her covered from the rain. Once he stepped back again, his hands still on the from seams of the jacket, pulling them closer over Luce's body. Finally, he let them drop, back into his pockets, as the young man studied the ground below his feet.

"If you want me to walk away now, I will. But I need you to first know, without us jumping down each others throats, that I never meant to hurt you. Ever. You were the best thing that happened to me, and I guess I didn't realize I took that for granted. You deserve a guy who is perfect for you. You're amazing, don't doubt yourself of that. And don't think for a minute that what happened was your fault - you were more than brilliant to me. You're a fit girl, and I'll miss what we had, but I understand your reasons. I'm taking responsibility for my lack of judgment and my mistakes. I don't expect or need you to forgive me, I can hack that. But I am sorry, Lou."

The boy had looked up when he started speaking, and his bright blue eyes didn't leave the girls own, even if she looked away. He was sincere in the biggest way, each word was careful and deliberate, and he actually meant everything that he said. If she simply nodded and walked off, he could live with that. Just as long as she knew that he had said his part, he could now get closure on this entire deal. Sebastian was making the first steps to moving on, even if he wasn't at all over her yet. He would simply learn to live with it. All their plans of a future, all their ideas to travel and make a life. All their memories and dreams - he could let that go, just as long as she knew he was sorry, and one day, could hopefully forgive him.

[Luce Beauvais]

The temptation to forgive Sebastian, jump on him and hug him was incredibly hard to resist. Luce had fallen for SEbastian, hard, and she had only just began to loosen the knots to climb freely up the mountain. Of course, Rollo had helped immensely with that, he had made her feel like she was the only person in the world, that she was an angel, but she knew that neither of those things were true. When she was around the boy, everything was like make-believe; after the break up, Luce felt like she would never smile again. But lo and behold, she did. A lot.

Even though she liked Rollo, Luce had this nagging feeling at the back of her mind. What if Sebastian had moved on? What if he had fallen in love, just like he said he did with her. Luce wasn't sure how the boy would react when she told him there was something else, but hypocritcally, she hoped that he still loved her like she loved him. Luce was always a firm believer of the saying that each person was put on the earth to find just one other person; their soul mate. It may take a couple of tries, but there is someone out there suited for everyone, whereever they are, and fate will bring those two together.

Maybe this was fate playing its part, bringing Luce and Sebastian to the same place at the same time. Luce could have kicked herself just for thinking that. Sebastian wasn't her soul mate, he was someone that she could eventually call a friend. Looking into his blue eyes, which seemed happy even though she was obviously not, Luce fought back a smile to match the boys own. It wasn't that easy, his smile, as god-like as it was, it was not a correct apology. And then the boy began to speak, after wrapping her in his jacket.

It was an apology to be proud of, if anything. It was something that came from the heart, that almost made her want to forget the last two months and marry the boy. But no, Luce knew that wouldn't be the best way to end the night; someone would get hurt. Dropping her gaze to the floor, before looking up into his eyes once more, Luce grabbed the shirt over the boys chest, and nearly collapsed into his shoulder, her hands still gripping at the material. Resting her forehead on the boys shoulder, Luce sobbed, hoping that she could overlook everything and just be friends.

[Sebastian Fraser]

In the moments between when Seb gutted himself in front of the girl, and when Luce looked up to him from the ground seemed to feel like forever. He knew he shouldn't have been holding his breathe for anything. Why would she forgive him so quickly, anyway? There were many parts of him that just wanted her to yell at him, and straighten him back into line. So he could make up excuses for why he should be angry at her, or avoid seeing the girl. He knew it was ultimately be easier if he didn't ever have to see her again - but that wasn't what he wanted. He loved Luce, he knew she had been something special. He wanted to be her friend, if that was all they could be, as long as she was in his life somehow. He just couldn't leave them in the situation they were living through. It was hell, and who was Sebastian to put a girl through that, when he could admit that he was wrong, and potentially fix things up? Luce was too good a person to give up on without a fight, no matter what the reason.

However, when the French girl did make a move, his stomach seemed to drop. How stupid Seb felt, when she grabbed his shirt, and he actually thought she was going to kiss him. He mentally kicked himself as her head ducked under his chin, her face resting on his shoulder. The boy sighed gently, dipping his head so that his cheek lay against her wet blond hair. "Oh, Louie." he mumbled softly, before enclosing the girl in his arms, like it had so many times before. But it wasn't like before, was it? Seb was no longer her boyfriend, the boy she ran to for refuge from the world. He was merely a friend, helping her through the tough times - that ironically, were caused by himself. With his strong arms wrapping around her smaller body, the young man felt Luce sobbing against his body.

He pulled her closer to him, if not for her own comforting, but for his own too. He needed this as much as she did. It wasn't an ego thing when Sebastian refused to let a tear shed, but he didn't want to upset the girl more. He could the dampness of her tears under his neck, and he tightened his grip to secure around her shaking body. "Hey, it's okay. We can work this out..." he mumbled against her hair, raising one of his hands and brushing it gently over her shoulder blade. "Look at me," he said gently, moving his hand from her shoulder and lifting up her face.

"I don't want you to hate me, because I certainly don't want to hate you forever. I hate seeing you upset," he paused for a moment to study her face, while a half smile crept to his face. "As a friend, that is." he said convincingly. Luce would have never been able to find the connection, but he was trying to make her feel better. He wasn't over her, but the girl didn't need to know that, if they were trying to move onto better things. After another minute of holding her close, the boy let his grip slacken around her slightly. "Are you okay?" he questioned softly, watching her eyes again, for any sign of doubt or such.

[Luce Beauvais]

Tucking her nose under a fold in the boys sweater, Luce's sobbing slowly subsided. The smell of the boy, the feeling of his arms around her, she felt safe. Luce wasn't sure whether it was an 'I-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-hugging-you' kind of safe or an 'I-look-up-to-you-like-an-older-brother' kind of way. And to be honest, Luce wasn't in any rush to find out. She could have stood there for another century, considering it had felt like a century had passed since she first held onto him.

Smiling slightly as the boy referred to him by her nickname, Luce drifted back into her day dreaming state, still subconciously sobbing into the boys shoulder. She was remembering a day that she got home from work before him, and fell asleep waiting for him to return. Half an hour later, Sebastian returned, with flowers that were prettier than a diamond, or the sky in the middle of the night. That was the moment that Luce had thought that her and Seb would be together forever, that the romance would last an eternity.

Coming to again, with the sound of Sebastian's voice echoing through her mind, Luce kept her eyes shut, as if preserving this moment. If one was to judge at that moment, it probably looked like more than it was. Luce was just glad that no one she knew was here, watching on; some people more than others.

Nodding as the boy gave another of his heartfelt speeches, Luce attempted to look up at the boy. Opening her mouth as if to say something, Luce pursed her lips, before wiping away the tears on her cheek with the back of her hand, in a somewhat childish manner. Nodding, as the boy loosened his grip, Luce forced a smile, and rested the side of her head on her chest, willing to embrace the serenity that the moment was producing, after having such an awkward, hard beginning.

[Sebastian Fraser]

Sebastian couldn't help but smile at the sight of the girl, looking up at him and wiping the cheeks from her face. He hadn't noticed, but the rain around them was falling heavier, but he didn't mind. Slowly and carefully, the young man reached up the had that had been lifting up her chin, to wipe away a stray tear that she had missed. Her skin felt the same as it always had, soft, gentle, smooth, and unbelievably warm, even in such weather at a low temperature. As Luce tucked herself back into him, Seb instantly pulled both his arms back around her tender, delicate frame, angling his chin so his cheek touched the top of her head again.

The boy's hands moved apart, in a sort of soothing way, sliding in opposite directions from the small of her back, to the bottom of her shoulder blades. And like this, Seb knew he didn't have to say anything more for the past. No more apologies, or explanations for what he had said or done. No more regrets about that night, as he knew his conscious was somewhat clear, as opposed to what it had been a month ago. He felt relieved, as well as anxious, knowing that in this point in time, Luce and himself were just friends, and that was the first steps to beginning their lives over, in a different way, yet together all the same.

He didn't speak another word, and was simply content on holding her against him, feeling secure, safe and at one with the world. In Seb's mind, it was one of the best feelings in the world. He loved her, he wouldn't deny that, and this was probably the closest thing the young man would get to being with her again. This moment of utter peace and tranquility. Sebastian didn't know how many minutes passed as he stood there, eyes shut, holding Luce to him. Nor did he care how many people passed, and assumed differently to what was really going on. Northing else mattered at that point, and he was just glad to have her back in one way or another.

[Luce Beauvais]

Although this moment was nice, being with Sebastian, being able to think that they could be friends now, Luce was still sobbing. Not incredibly heavily, just slightly. She didn't know whether the boy was hating on her for doing this, thinking that this stupid woman better get off me, but that was okay. Luce had been alone for quite some time now, she didn't have anyone to comfort her. She had moved out of Sebastian, whether or not he still lived there, and her parents had moved back to Bescançon. She just needed someone to hug her and tell her that everythings alright, that she's safe.

It was childish, but no matter how old Luce got, she knew that she could never grow up. She could never miss the consolation of a hug, she needed someone to reassure her from time to time. All of her brothers and sisters were in France, not that she got along with them anyway, and all other family that she'd ever met were also back in France. Luce liked the idea of having Sebastian as her go to guy, a big brother figure, someone she could depend on to make everything alright.

Pushing on Sebastian's chest, so she could look up at him, Luce smiled. "Do you want to go somewhere? 'Ave a coffee, catch up." She offered, knowing that she didn't want her night to end just yet, and that there was an open late cafe just down the road that she was sure wouldn't mind a couple more people. Luce wanted to get to know Sebastian as a friend, not as a boyfriend, she wanted their friendship to be new, to start over.

[Sebastian Fraser]

"Do you want to go somewhere? 'Ave a coffee, catch up."

Sebastian was broken from his trance-like state, as he looked down at Luce. A smile continued to creep onto his features, as he nodded slowly, giving very little time to think about that as a matter. It couldn't hurt, obviously, to go out with her just as friends and grab a cup of coffee. Merlin knows, he needed it. He looked down at her for a few moments before answering. "I'd love to. Do you wanna head down to that old late night cafe' we used to go to sometimes? It won't be shutting 'til later, at least we'll have a couple of hours on us." he said in a gentle tone, knowing full well that Luce would know which place he was speaking about - heck, she had probably been thinking it herself.

Slowly, the boy unwrapped his arms from around her, however he couldn't part totally from her warmth. Seb still let his arm drape around her waist, gently though, nothing too sexual, just in a friendly, comforting sort of way. He prompted her slowly, leading the girl into the rain again, though he was more at ease with his jacket around her shoulders now. It didn't take long for them to reach the quaint little place. However, once they reached the awning, the young man stopped, looking into the store, then back to Luce. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know. It's okay." he admitted shyly, still giving her an understanding smile that hopefully wouldn't vary her choice in decisions.