[paris, it turns out, isn't quite as hideous as london. it's not as if rain has never come to themyscira, not as if the occasional storm hasn't either, but it'd never occurred to her that any one place could be so constantly dreary; judging by the week she's now spent here, in paris, at least, the sun shines on more days than not. there's a certain beauty to much of the architecture, its style unfamiliar but eyecatching. she finds herself charmed by the vendors that line the streets they walk together, by the way one can seem to find music and laughter and life around almost every corner.
and the food? the food is amazing — even more so than ice cream.
(if this is what life is like when no one is fighting, diana thinks, it is nice.)
there's a certain cafe, in particular, that has fast become her favorite, one that sells this wonderful creation steve had told her is called a crêpe, which can be served in almost any way one can imagine. they have come here four mornings in a row at her request (she will not rest until she tries every possible option), but he doesn't seem to mind; in fact, she often catches him watching her with a spark of amusement in his eyes that she finds captivating, with a smile that makes her feel as warm as the sun.
now, though — now, as she sips on her cup of another wonderful concoction she has learned is called café au lait, his hand idly finds hers under the table. she turns her head from the window, glances down, and:]
I thought this is what people do only when they are 'together,' [she tells him, a small smile on her mouth and just the slightest hint of teasing in her tone.]
[He meets her gaze with a smirk, a raised eyebrow and he doesn't remove his hand.
He thought her naive when they first started on this adventure. The world wasn't as simple as killing one man to end the war. Because it wasn't always the war that made men do terrible things. It wasn't being German that made a man turn a blind eye to the horrible things around him. There was not honor and generals fighting on the battlefields with their men. There was sneaking around, living a lie, spending more than one cold night clutching a gun and catching little sleep, there was following orders even when those orders meant someone else would die.
Men are messy. Men are ugly. Men have terrible hearts sometimes. He's seen it. He's lived it. He is it.
But he fought for them anyway because that's what he believed in. Because maybe he couldn't fix everything but he could fix this one thing and somewhere, someone's life would be better for it. He'd just wanted to shake her until she realized that, until he got some common sense in her head but once it's there, once everything is said and done and the armistice is signed, he realizes-- she taught him a lesson he needed to learn as well.
Steve runs his thumb along the back of her hand. He could spend the next twenty years going to every cafe in Europe if she wanted.]
We've been getting breakfast together every day this week. Are you trying to tell me that doesn't mean anything to you?
[there is so much she's still learning, has yet to learn, about man's world. the nuances of the social hierarchy, the reasons why women are not allowed in certain places and frequently force themselves into restrictive torture devices of fabric for what etta describes as "fashion," will probably elude her for a long time. so, too, will the reasons why men can turn cruel, why so many can willingly look away from the suffering of innocents and allow lives to be lost for political gain and personal profit, all more complicated than she could've ever believed.
but she knows this for certain — there is also goodness in the hearts of men, that inspires them to sacrifice and love and believe. the proof of that is everywhere. it's sitting right in front of her.
as she studies him, lets his thumb brush her hand, her smile broadens.]
It is breakfast. [a pause, a slight shrug of her shoulder before she takes another sip of her coffee and flicks her gaze toward the window and back again, all exaggerated for effect.] We could be associates. Together but not 'together,' that's how you would say it, right?
[she's not sure when the semantics of that will stop feeling utterly ridiculous to her.]
[Sometimes he thinks she goes out of her way to be oblivious. And other times he thinks it just comes naturally because she really doesn't understand. Her island is very different from the rest of the world. For a moment, he can't tell if she really doesn't get his meaning or if she's just teasing him.
It's been an amazing week. It's been the kind of week people write stories about. A boy falls in love with a girl, they save the world, they go for crepes after. They spend every day exploring the city of Paris together and every night exploring each other and he doesn't need anything more than this. Him, her, the world at their feet. He doesn't want to own her or force her into a role that she could never really fit into.
He just-- it'd be nice to know if she were as captivated by him as he is by her.]
I was thinking something a little more official. More... committed than associates.
["committed," he says, and her demeanor shifts. she gently sets her cup down on the table and allows her teasing smile to fade into something more serious. her eyes are on him completely now, looking to meet his.
she ponders for a moment in silence after that, casting a series of words around in her mind, testing the weight of them until she lands on the one that feels right.]
Partners? [it's a term they'd also had on themyscira — not like men's strange concept of "marriage," but used to refer to a type of commitment all the same. above all, the bond between partners is built on trust. they fight side by side without hesitation, watch each other's backs in battle. they stand together through life's trials, stronger than any single individual is alone.
she and steve have already fought through darkness together. he has already had her back, and she his. she would not trade the days and nights they have spent in each other's company for anything in the world, and wants to experience as many of them as she can. partner seems like a perfectly logical thing to call him.]
[She has this way of looking at him where he swears she can see into his soul and see every little goddamn thing about him and it's terrifying and arousing at the same time (he understands you so well, Sammy, my friend) and for the life of him-- he can't figure out if she likes what she sees.
He thinks she must or else she would have abandoned him by now. She doesn't strike him as the kind of woman who would stick by a guy just because she's saved his life a couple of times now.]
Does partners mean the same thing on Themyscira as it does here?
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and the food? the food is amazing — even more so than ice cream.
(if this is what life is like when no one is fighting, diana thinks, it is nice.)
there's a certain cafe, in particular, that has fast become her favorite, one that sells this wonderful creation steve had told her is called a crêpe, which can be served in almost any way one can imagine. they have come here four mornings in a row at her request (she will not rest until she tries every possible option), but he doesn't seem to mind; in fact, she often catches him watching her with a spark of amusement in his eyes that she finds captivating, with a smile that makes her feel as warm as the sun.
now, though — now, as she sips on her cup of another wonderful concoction she has learned is called café au lait, his hand idly finds hers under the table. she turns her head from the window, glances down, and:]
I thought this is what people do only when they are 'together,' [she tells him, a small smile on her mouth and just the slightest hint of teasing in her tone.]
no subject
He thought her naive when they first started on this adventure. The world wasn't as simple as killing one man to end the war. Because it wasn't always the war that made men do terrible things. It wasn't being German that made a man turn a blind eye to the horrible things around him. There was not honor and generals fighting on the battlefields with their men. There was sneaking around, living a lie, spending more than one cold night clutching a gun and catching little sleep, there was following orders even when those orders meant someone else would die.
Men are messy. Men are ugly. Men have terrible hearts sometimes. He's seen it. He's lived it. He is it.
But he fought for them anyway because that's what he believed in. Because maybe he couldn't fix everything but he could fix this one thing and somewhere, someone's life would be better for it. He'd just wanted to shake her until she realized that, until he got some common sense in her head but once it's there, once everything is said and done and the armistice is signed, he realizes-- she taught him a lesson he needed to learn as well.
Steve runs his thumb along the back of her hand. He could spend the next twenty years going to every cafe in Europe if she wanted.]
We've been getting breakfast together every day this week. Are you trying to tell me that doesn't mean anything to you?
no subject
but she knows this for certain — there is also goodness in the hearts of men, that inspires them to sacrifice and love and believe. the proof of that is everywhere. it's sitting right in front of her.
as she studies him, lets his thumb brush her hand, her smile broadens.]
It is breakfast. [a pause, a slight shrug of her shoulder before she takes another sip of her coffee and flicks her gaze toward the window and back again, all exaggerated for effect.] We could be associates. Together but not 'together,' that's how you would say it, right?
[she's not sure when the semantics of that will stop feeling utterly ridiculous to her.]
no subject
It's been an amazing week. It's been the kind of week people write stories about. A boy falls in love with a girl, they save the world, they go for crepes after. They spend every day exploring the city of Paris together and every night exploring each other and he doesn't need anything more than this. Him, her, the world at their feet. He doesn't want to own her or force her into a role that she could never really fit into.
He just-- it'd be nice to know if she were as captivated by him as he is by her.]
I was thinking something a little more official. More... committed than associates.
no subject
she ponders for a moment in silence after that, casting a series of words around in her mind, testing the weight of them until she lands on the one that feels right.]
Partners? [it's a term they'd also had on themyscira — not like men's strange concept of "marriage," but used to refer to a type of commitment all the same. above all, the bond between partners is built on trust. they fight side by side without hesitation, watch each other's backs in battle. they stand together through life's trials, stronger than any single individual is alone.
she and steve have already fought through darkness together. he has already had her back, and she his. she would not trade the days and nights they have spent in each other's company for anything in the world, and wants to experience as many of them as she can. partner seems like a perfectly logical thing to call him.]
no subject
He thinks she must or else she would have abandoned him by now. She doesn't strike him as the kind of woman who would stick by a guy just because she's saved his life a couple of times now.]
Does partners mean the same thing on Themyscira as it does here?