double dare | claudia

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THE FLOWER FESTIVAL HAD SOUNDED AS LAME as it had appeared, but it beat being stuck in his dorm all day. Plus, people were notoriously easy to steal from when they were celebrating. He definitely hadn't gone because Claudia had told him she would be there. The memory of long dancers legs hooked around his hips might have helped him get out of bed, but he was going for the stuff. Or, so he told himself, sketchbook tucked in to an old bag and dressed down for once in his life.

Each booth was filled with a horde of squealing students, or laughing adults. All with loose pockets and arms filled with loot. Nate had already stolen a pouch of coins, tokens for a gnome throwing game he wouldn't play, and a cheap remembrall by the time he spotted Claudia among the throng of festivals goers. She was stood with a group of people, all raptly watching some idiot get a henna face tattoo like some war torn death eater. Nate chewed on a handful of popcorn he'd snatched from a passing cone when he sidled up beside her silently.

"You gonna get one?" He asked conversationally, chewing on the popcorn as if he'd been standing with her the entire time. "I think it'd suit you." His chin jerked towards the kid, who was crying now as he was handed a mirror to assess the damage. His friends were laughing, but he suddenly was not. After a moment of deliberation, he offered her some of his hand popcorn, quirking his brows. "I dare you." He smirked as he chewed, brows lifting and dropping quickly. She'd always seemed like the competitive type - unfortunately, so was he. 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Claudia realized it was a little off brand for her to go to the flower festival. And to admit to the fact that she would be there. But, overall, she was still a teenage girl and she did try to showcase her femininity for the most part. So flowers fit in quite nicely with that. Plus, she liked the opportunity to socialize. She liked getting out of the castle when she could. The winter festival was a favorite of hers too, she came, went ice skating with Prince Edmund, and then went back to the castle before all the excitement hit. But she was pretty sure there was no way the ministry would let anything happen to one of the festivals again.

She lingered near a booth where a man was getting a henna tattoo. Claudia had often wondered about getting a tattoo. But she never would. They were frowned upon in her line of work. Her body needed to be clean. Most of it would be visible to an audience and she didn’t feel a very strong calling to get a tattoo anywhere that her bikini would usually cover. She was caught off guard by the voice beside her. She hadn’t really been expecting to see who it belonged to at a place like this. He asked if she was gonna get one and when she shook her head, he added that he thought it would suit her. She shrugged. And then he said that he dared her. Claudia sighed, looking over at him. She was too competitive to turn it down. And she figured he knew that. “Fine. But you have to get one too.” she was half tempted to say they needed to be matching, but she’d leave that up in the air for now.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

DARING CLAUDIA, NATE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN well enough how she would respond. His nose wrinkled at the prospect of the dirty little spout defiling his skin. He had an artistic streak, but he didn't like the idea of the henna tattoos. They looked cheap on every stupid little wizard he'd seen sporting one as they passed him. But, just as he'd known Claudia would agree if he dared her, she knew he couldn't resist either.

"Fine." He shrugged easily, tossing the leftover scraps of popcorn from his hands and using the robe of the boy in front of him to wipe the residual butter from hands hastily. He didn't even stir, entranced by the idiotic display in front of him. Plus, Nate had a way of moving without being seen when he wanted to. He winked at Claudia from the corner of his eye, tonguing a kernel from his back tooth and spitting it on the ground. "You first." And he jerked his chin, as if to urge her forward. They weren't standing that close together, but he could feel the tension of the challenge snap between them. That's the part he liked, that's why he had come to the stupid festival to begin with.

Before Claudia could advance, Nate's arm darted out in the space between them and he grabbed her wrist. Skin on skin, which seared for a knowing moment as he tugged her to a stop and blinked once. "I choose the design." He said firmly. "You can choose mine." The rules almost intrinsic to the fun of it. "And I don't mean the shitty stuff they got hanging." He realised than that he still had her wrist and he let go as if it burned, turning to reach in to the bag he had hanging over his shoulder, bypassing the many items he had stolen and coming out with a small notebook. He tore a page out for her and a page out for him. "Go nuts." He said, as if it were another dare. 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Nate seemed hesitant at first but Claudia knew what he would say in the end. He’d give into her. Just like she gave into him. Plus, they would wash off in a few days, and likely could be removed faster with the help of magic. What was the harm, overall? She’d never get a real tattoo, there were looked down on in the world of elite dance. Any alterations to the aesthetic of your body were looked down on and could get you taken less seriously at auditions. He finally agreed and then said that she had to go first. She took his challenge and started walking into the little tent where the person was doing them. If there was a line forming, she had ignored it, and she really wouldn’t care.

But then he reached out and grabbed her wrist, her eyes locked onto his and he explained the rules and her mouth twisted up into a smirk. This was what she liked about Nate. He made the rules. And she was happy to follow most of them. Especially these ones, since they were fun and the stakes weren’t serious. “Fine. Get to it then, looks like I'm next.” there was a person still in the chair, but Claudia had already made her intent known. She didn’t suspect there would be much time. She took her paper and began to think… what would be the best to hate Nate get as a tattoo?

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE HAD NEVER SEEN THE POINT OF A SMILE, but he felt his lips quirk in time with Claudia's. His hand cinched around her bird-bone wrist, flexing slightly as she silently agreed. He knew she would, she had a thing for letting him lead. But, only on her terms. He fished the scraps of paper out, handing her one with a red quick ink quill he'd stolen. It had the initials J.B engraved on one side, but he didn't care as he pulled out a matching black one and twirled it between his fingers.

Claudia marched ahead with purpose, Nate close enough at her back that he jabbed a finger in to her side in jest for rushing him. He had about two minutes to scribble a rough sketch that would surprise her. His tongue dashing out over his bottom lip before he flattened the paper on her shoulder and began to roughly sketch an outline. It was a ballet dancer, like the kind found in old music boxes. One slippered foot and an exaggerated tutu. A basic outline of a thin, sculpted face with a harsh bun. And then he made it flip the bird, the hand and arm the most detailed part of it.

Holding his head back to examine the product, he briefly reached around to palm Claudia's cheek when he thought she was about to peek, turning it away from him. "Don't look." He grumbled roughly, sniffing once before he added a lace ribbon up the single leg, twirling it in the design of a single name; Simon. He snickered once before pulling away, folding it twice and handing it to her. "Better tell him to let the wand do this one..." He quirked his brow at the greasy haired artist. "Wouldn't want him to fuck it up." And then he pressed his knuckles in to the soft knob at the base of her spine, breath ruffling the fine hair at the her neck before he finally stepped out of her space. 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

The design that Nate did for her was far from what she would have expected from him, but at the same time, she wasn’t quite sure what it was that she had expected from him. She liked that about him, she liked that she didn’t have any idea what was going to come next with him. He kept her on her toes. He handed her the folded paper, after snapping at her a few times, and then told her, well, actually he told the artist, to let his magical wand do it and not risk letting the artist mess it up, or take his own artistic spin on it, she supposed.

Claudia took a seat in the chair when the artist waved her forward and presented him her upper arm for the tattoo, since Nate had not given her an exact location to have it done. She handed the artist the paper without unfolding it, and, taking Nate’s advice, he got his wand to work on the design while Claudia scribbled her own design with her free hand and the paper on her lap, waiting for him to finish.

“It’s done.” the artist told her after about 10 minutes of the wand drawing away on her skin. Claudia stood up and walked over to Nate, presenting him her arm before she even had a chance to look at it herself. “How’s it look?” she asked before handing him her own folded up paper, which featured a simple heart, with an arrow going through it, and her own name Claudia, curved around the top, and her last name, Watkins, curved around the bottom. “I think you’re next.” she bit her lip.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

CLAUDIA WENT TO THE CHAIR EASILY. THAT familiar assured smirk on her face as she pulled her arm free and pointed out where she wanted it. Nate watched, hands tucked under his arms as the harried looking artist took a wand out, casting Nate a derisive look before the wand set to work. She didn't speak, or even really look at him. Nate watched his drawing come to life on her arm and felt something possessive curl tight in his chest. He shouldn't care, it was just a stupid henna drawing, but he did.

"It'd look better if it was real." Nate muttered with a flat expression, shrugging his shoulders once as he accepted her own folded piece of paper without much interest. He didn't even try to look as he handed it over, the artist plucking it from between his two fingers and looking at it briefly. From his expression, the shrewd little smirk and a sigh, Nate knew it would be good. He didn't expect anything less. If he thought she was capable of anything more elaborate than a stick figure, he'd have guessed it would be her face. Or, maybe her tits. He pulled the collar of his shirt down and pointed at the expanse of skin at the front of his shoulder, right above where his heart would be if he had one. He patted it twice, mockingly. 

"It better be good, Watkins." He said with a flashing, toothy grin, his eyes crinkling momentarily as he kept his t-shirt pulled down over one pale shoulder and let the artist get to work. He used the wand again, probably so he didn't have to get too close to Nate and his acidic personality. That suited him fine. Chin tilted up, he caught Claudia's eye and darted his tongue over his bottom lip, leaving it wet. There was a crackling tension between them, the only kind that Nate liked other than anger. "Or, you lose." He drawled out slowly, the cool ink making goosebumps rise on the back of his neck. He hated the feeling.

It took the wand less than ten minutes this time around, the last swipe hasty. Nate didn't even realise he was done until he cleared his throat. "Sorry, mate." He said with an unapologetic shrug. Nate curled his lip and rolled his eyes away. "Don't be." He snapped back, keeping his shirt pulled down so that the neck stretched and he vacated the chair and went to meet Claudia halfway. Then, when he knew she was looking, he looked at it. Her name shone freshly, the heart a little crude but entirely apt for the design. Nate had been right, it was the next step down from her face.

Uncharacteristically, he laughed, a low huff of breath that jerked his chest unnaturally. "Okay, Watkins." He shook his head, dashing his thumb under his nose before he reached forward and snatched her hand, turning to tug her away from the tent and towards the high hedges of the maze. "Let's test out my new undying loyalty." He cast her an up and down look from over his shoulder. "Before the ink dries." He tugged hard on her hand so that she was walking beside him, rather than behind him. "What about yours...?" He asked after a second, tongue prodding at his cheek. "Do you like it?" 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

The whole interaction with the artist and the time Nate spent in the chair was a bit of a blur, she focused mostly on not looking at or touching the magical ink on her arm while it dried. And she didn’t want to ruin the surprise for herself. She had no idea what it was, but a few girls that she vaguely knew who were in her year giggled when they saw it. She rolled her eyes. She forsaw herself wearing a lot of sweaters in the coming weeks until she could get it to wash off.

But before she knew it he was done and he got out of the chair and made his way back over to her before looking at his design. She bit her lip as she watched him and then offered him a wink when he looked back up to her. She might as well have put her name on him, and if he slept with anyone else in the next little bit, they’d have an interesting conversation when they saw the ink. It was a power move for sure, one he seemed to almost respect. He grabbed her hand and whisked her away, towards the rose maze. He asked if she liked hers. “I haven’t looked at it yet.” she admitted. She turned her arm so she could see the design and instantly scoffed. “What does it say about you that you would put his name on me?” she teased, cocking her head at him. "I figured you'd want to mark your property." but it also confirmed that Nate knew about her and Simon. And since they were all friends, she'd bet Simon knew about her and Nate as well.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THE LACK OF SPECTACULAR REACTION FROM HER might have disappointed him. But, her taunting reply was just enough to keep him sated. His tongue running over the inside of his top teeth, sharpening his canines as he looked at her, releasing her hand suddenly, as if in answer. "What do you mean?" He said slowly, as if he were playing dumb. He wasn't. The mouth of the maze loomed forward and Nate turned, walking backwards so that he could look Claudia in the eye.

"Why would I need to mark something I already know that I own?" Nate shrugged, his hands loose in his pockets, like any good thief. "I'd mark you if I thought I was going to lose." This was said carefully and confidently. Nate's thoughts flashing back to Simon's pained expression, the barely contained frustration. He cared. And Nate didn't, or so he told himself. Every day, just in case he forgot. Claudia liked the chase, he'd always known that. He'd only make it interesting by getting noticeably possessive.

"You want someone to piss up your leg, Watkin's?" His nostrils flared as he look at her dully, that derisive flat expression that he used like a weapon. Still walking backwards, just a half step away from her personal space. If he reached out he could grab her again. He slowed though, still all of a sudden. "I think I seen Si over by the flower crowns." He tilted his head, jerking his chin in the imagined direction. He hadn't seen Simon at all, he'd only looked for Claudia - pausing only to swipe his favourite finds.

Before Claudia could decide to leave him, Nate reached forward and pulled her hand again, tugging her around the first bend of the maze. Tall hedges blooming with flowers and thorns, it almost shut out the blinding sun. Nate didn't care to complete it, he was looking for a dead end as he blindly pulled. When he found one, just two turns in, he turned to face Claudia, determination dropping to a smouldering intention. "I'm not worried about Si," He told her, perhaps one too many times. "Even if you want me to be." And before she could confirm what he already knew, Nate leaned in and kissed her, backing her in to a thicket of leaves until they began to creak and snap. This was the only kind of mark Nate cared to leave. 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Claudia rolled her eyes when he played dumb, they both knew exactly what she was talking about. He turned and started walking backwards, still towards the maze. She followed, interested in where he was going with all this. He asked why he would need to mark something that he already owned and she raised her eyebrows. “So you think i’m yours then?” she cocked her head at him, yes, she had been the one to call herself his property, but she wasn’t entirely expecting him to agree.

The thing was, Claudia didn’t see anything serious with Nate, so she didn’t mind joking about this sort of thing. With Simon, she felt different. And that scared her, and she felt like she needed to overcompensate with him and avoid any conversation about her belonging to him or wanting to belong to him. The way that Nate was talking now was starting to make her wonder if he was starting to feel more for her than she was currently allowing herself to feel for anyone. But she didn’t want to lose the good thing they had going by making it too real or too serious. She swallowed her fear and asked, “What makes you think you’re not going to lose?” in a casual, playful tone, trying to pry a little into what he might know, while staying in the moment. He was right, she did like the chase. And something about the idea of him being possessive turned her on.

Claudia rolled her eyes when he said he thought he had seen Simon. “Do you think you mention him and I go running? I think you know me a little better than that, Forrester…” she likely would have said more, he decided to take matters into his own hands and grab her, pulling her fully into the maze. She wasn’t exactly sure where he was taking her, but she had a decent idea that he wanted to find a spot to be alone with her. He pulled her into an obvious dead end and turned to face her, intensity in his eye. He said he wasn’t worried about Simon, even if she wanted him to be. And he kissed her, backing her into the bushes. She heard the twigs snap but couldn’t help but think the force was kind of sexy. “Who said you even have anything to be worried about?” she asked between sessions, letting her hand explore his neck and his smooth hairline, wrapping her fingers around his soft strands.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THERE WAS A CERTAIN QUESTION IN CLAUDIA'S tone, like she was thinking about something. Nate simply shrugged his shoulders, denying any attempt to delve further than the very surface of what they had. It was the same with Simon, the way he'd looked in that tower. Like it hurt to even talk about it. Nate wouldn't be that person, couldn't be. But, he could have fun with it. "Yeah." He answered succinctly, hoping it would surprise her. "When we're together, you're mine." A part of him wanted her to challenge him on it, make it a fight. So he could see what all the fuss was about.

At the end of the day, Nate never really took a bet he thought he might lose. He was, as Jessie Meadow's had once put it, a sore loser. So, he avoided the possibility for the most part. But, learning Simon was fucking the same girl he was, it was the first time he'd ever found himself in a grey area. He'd discovered it was sort of fun. He had the upper hand, being in the position where he didn't have serious feelings for Claudia yet beyond the superficial kind that got him off. It made him morbidly curious, like pressing on a purple bruise to see if it would hurt. "Because I don't care." He said simply, expression flat as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, watching Claudia's face carefully. "And I think you like that about me."

Challenging her about Si had just been a bit of fun, if she'd actually took him up on it, he'd have pulled her back. The fact that she took it as a taunt instead worked out better for him, it meant she didn't leave. So he grinned and held out his hands, almost in surrender. "I think I know you better than Si does." Nate retorted, lifting his brows as if she might disagree with him. Pulling her in to the maze with one singular intention in mind. It was, after all, why he'd come. He hadn't come for the sparkling conversation about his friend and her fuck buddy. Or, maybe he had. He didn't know these days. 

Pressing her in to the hedge, Nate's hand slid up her arm from where he'd had her hand, his thumb digging in to the barely dry design he'd given her. So, maybe he was a little possessive after all. Her bottom lip cradled between his as he chased her mouth, teeth clacking before she pulled away to speak. He sighed in frustration, kissing a path down the slope of her neck, his other hand coming up to slip under the collar of her shirt, fingers spanning across the bird bone jut of her collarbone, before settling at the thrumming pulse at her neck. He didn't answer straight away, sucking a hickey in to the apex instead.

"I don't." He told her throat, lips shining wetly when he pulled away to look at her, no hand free of a section of her soft, warm skin. It's the only feeling he wanted, not this talking part, the kind that made him think more than he wished to at that moment. He ran his hand up to cup her chin firmly, turning it to look at him dead in the eye, both glazed and flushed with wanting. "If I was worried, Claudia." He tongued the corner of his mouth, tasting her there, tasting her everywhere. "I wouldn't be here." He promised her, leaning in to kiss her quiet. 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He was possessive of her and it sent a thrill through her body. He told her strictly that when they were together, she was his. She liked the feeling that he wanted her, at least some of the time. And that he didn’t want to think about her being anyone else's, even when he had been the first one to bring Simon up. Maybe possessions was a decent substitute for being loved and actually wanted. At least she was able to get that when she wanted it. “Whatever you say.” she smirked in reply. She’d be his in these moments if he wanted her to be. He said he wouldn’t lose because he didn’t care. Claudia had a hard time believing that was true, but at the same time, there wasn’t really anything to lose.

It wasn’t as if she was looking for a boyfriend and would have to pick someone to be monogamous with. Simon knew they weren’t dating. She barely gave him any emotion. It was almost easier to be vulnerable with Nate than it was with Simon. She knew that if she slipped with Simon, he’d be quick to jump on it and she’d be admitting far too much than she wanted to. Nate wouldn’t let her get away with it. Which was why he might have been right, maybe he did know her better than Simon did. “I think you’re right about that.” she admitted quietly and it kind of broke her heart, but he kissed her back into the moment, and she forgot all about it. He told her if he was worried he wouldn’t be here and then kissed her again before she could reply.

Claudia had never done something this intimate with anyone in public like this, and it was both thrilling and terrifying. It was the same reason that she didn’t want to kiss Simon in public, she didn’t like the idea of other people being in her business and she liked everyone knowing her as the ballet girl. The one who was focused and didn’t let herself get distracted. She had slipped her focus this year and she knew she’d be paying the price in training this summer. “what if someone walks over here?” she asked.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THE SIMPLY HALF-HEARTED AGREEMENT WAS JUST enough to ease the tension in Nate's chest. A part of him was disappointed. Wanted the bite of her daring disagreement, anything to cause a rift. But their talents lay in other areas and he didn't dwell on that for long enough to let it settle. Pushing it aside with a simple, "I do." Before they moved on to why they were both really there. Nate didn't like to beat around the bush, he'd always been the type to head straight in to the meat of things. Plus, he was tired of talking about Simon fucking Svendesen.

Maybe when all was said and done, Nate would think about the far away look on Claudia's face right before he kissed her. How she'd agreed with him, but it didn't make her happy. He'd think about whether or not she liked the version of her Nate knew, and it would make him angry. Because the parts of Claudia he liked the best were the parts of her that were also reflected in him. Her bold attitude, her competitive nature. Her eagerness for a fight. How every interaction of theirs was like a battle in and of itself.

He took out his frustrations on her mouth and the sweet, untouched slope of her neck. Leaving a red mark that would soon turn purple, his tongue running over the spotted bloom and absently wondering if Simon would see. It quirked one corner of his mouth when he moved back to her lips, kissing the corner just as it moved in time with her speech. He rolled his eyes, almost choosing to ignore her before he pulled away, one hand framing her heart-shaped face. "Is that really what you're thinking about right now?" He leaned in to her, gusting a short laugh through his nose as he leaned in to her, his knee pressing between her legs. "Because, honestly I don't fucking care." 

@claudia

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He snapped at her in reply but Claudia did think two thoughts about it. She was used to him acting that way. And he didn’t seem to notice her temporary zone out, which she was grateful for. She didn’t want to get into her emotions right now, and she had a suspicion that he didn’t really care anyway, which was a blessing in itself. Nate wasn’t the talker. Simon was. And the whole reason she was with Nate right now was to distract herself from the confusion she felt from Simon.

He seemed annoyed when she asked what if anyone saw them and said he didn’t really care about that. She cared. A great deal. But the idea that someone might walk right up to them and see it all happening kind of made it hotter for her. It was dangerous and the ballerina was far from dangerous. “Fine. Whatever.” she whimpered, moaning as he marked up her neck.

Nathaniel David Forrester
(you can fade it out )