The Eloquence

Sebastian could pose for professional mug shots.
He’s had enough practise.
He knew to hold still and not to smile. His muscles knew how high to raise the sign. His rights were memorized and his one phone call was on speed dial.
It was a clockwork waltz between him and Elo. He sidesteps and Elo follows; he leans into a dip and Elo’s arms are there. Elo pretends he is the lead in this dance, but it is a necessary lie. For all the independence in which Elo bathes, their lives are too intertwined for either one to stop the dance.
***
Gemma is surprised when a ringing comes from Elo’s pocket. He said phones were useless; no one ever called him and if he wanted to talk, he’d rather it be in person.
Elo’s face registered a flash of anxiety before melting into his usual clean lines. He raised an eyebrow to mirror Gemma’s questioning face, but turned it into a smirk as he cradled the phone to his ear.
“Same amount to the same place?” He hadn’t even let the other party speak first. There was a pause and Gemma fruitlessly tried to read his expression. Nothing. He gave an imperceptible nod and answered “Of course” and that was the end of the call.
“Elo, who-” she started.
He stood up, buttoning his jacket and strode to the door.
“Elo, seriously!?” She ran after him, worried now. He turned as he pulled the door open, holding her gaze. There was something like pain in his eyes and she slowed to a stop.
“So dear of you to worry, but I will be back in time for dinner.”
She sighed. “Are you expecting me to cook? I thought it was your turn.”
“It is. I’m picking something up. Just set the table for three.”
And with that he closed the door and Gemma was left alone, eyebrows drawn together over the mystery that was ‘three’.

10 Feb
6:13 pm

247 ♥

Seb had his highs and lows, as Elo was very aware. When he hit withdrawal, he hit it like an steel wall, hard and fast and frictionless as he slid farther and farther down into shaky, desperate pure need. He’d fall and fall until he picked up a syringe again.
But when he was in a high, teetering on that unspoken brink of fine-not-fine, a big smile on his face and stifled turmoil in his heart, he would cook. Elo would let him crash at his place (it wasn’t really crashing. He had given his cousin a spare key a while back) and Seb would use up all those fancy ingredients Gemma kept stocking in the kitchen. He’d throw things together, wild laughter and glinting eyes, and come up with combinations that sounded horrible but tasted like heaven.
In those moments Elo was so comfortable calling him ‘Kid’ again.

“Hey, Kid. Whatcha cooking tonight?”

It was nice while it lasted. But like all addicts, Seb would crash again.
And Elo would call him. And he wouldn’t pick up the phone.

9 Jul
12:01 am

1291 ♥

I am interested in language because it wounds or seduces me.
—Roland Barthes, The Pleasure of the Text (via que-so)

7 Jul
1:13 am

1 ♥

A very short chapter (2. Enchanté)

2. Enchanté

Prologue and Chapter 1 (and bonus later chapter hints)

—-Le Prologue sur mesure—-

Their lives began with a suit: an always impeccable suit.

On Frenchmen Trying to Steal Your Ex

Eloquence: To be honest? I have my reservations.
Ricky: Can I ask you to be more specific?
Eloquence: Well. You both have such ridiculous accents. I'm afraid your children are never going to learn to speak properly.
... It's not a laughing matter, Enrique. The children. Think of the children.
Ricky: I will. I will give plenty of thoughts to the children.
Eloquence: Thought, Ricky. No 's'.
Ricky: But say, for a moment, we were thinking about me.
Eloquence: Thinking about you, mm? I think... you could do worse. Because you have done worse.
Ricky: Please do not make this about yourself.
Eloquence: You're right. I'm sorry.
Ricky: That is the first time I have ever heard you say that.
Eloquence: Then I guess I'm apologizing for a lot of things.
Ricky: So about Jean...
Eloquence: You know him better than I do. But from what I can tell... he's a man who knows what he wants. And I can respect that. Because let's be honest. He has excellent taste.

3:47 am

3 ♥

ZQeloquence

to be added to the full fic later, but for now… a tad PG13 for… thoughts

On Disinterested Journalists

Eloquence: Is this what it feels like to be rejected?
Temptress: You can't mean to imply you've never been rejected before.
Eloquence: I haven't! Not once.
Temptress: Christina?
Eloquence: Mmm. Miss Hendricks does not count. She has not rejected me. We've merely had... a longer courtship period then most.
Temptress: You mean she's been cockblocking you for the past four years?
Eloquence: ...If you must be so crude, I suppose that's one way of putting it.

1 Apr
11:02 pm

93 ♥

Jules-

JULES LOOK. GUESS WHO IS HOLDING THE WHIP. GUESS.

It’s only logical Temptress would get ZQ’s foil. Universal balance must be upheld.

Universal balance? Hmmmm….

HEADCANON TIME cause my brain is whirring.

I feel like Gemma has a thing for The Suit too, but not in such a way like ZQ. Like, she likes the limitless-ness of it, the abilities and knowledge, the sheer power of it. She is like a bibliophile who was just given a card to the largest library in the world. The Eloquence is a flirt, a player, pretty much shameless in many senses. She is just his PR and public face. Gemma knew she’d never be more, especially not after ZQ. And Christina. And Molly. And Adrian. And who knows who else. And Gemma likes a chase, but not too long, not too exhausting. The Eloquence is always in it for the challenge, always chasing, and he will always have that Christina in the back of his mind, reminding him, tantalizing him.

And Gemma met Bene. Sad and sweet Bene, with this strange haunting look behind his eyes. She mostly dealt with Bene, as The Eloquence was usually pacing Alan’s mansion/workshop surveying everything, mentally documenting everything. Gemma was the first to catch those off-the-cuff scathing remarks and that odd tone Alan sometimes used on his son. And when Alan died, she was the first to notice that something died in Bene too. Not just the fact he lost a father, that would have been normal. But a whole aspect of his being, his laughter and smile, it was all a different color and a different tone. His voice even changed slightly, becoming more drawn out and deliberate. The Eloquence might have noticed, he mentioned it briefly, but Gemma was sure.

When she found out about The Suit 1.0 inside of Bene, it made sense. It all clicked into place and like a clockmaker, she wanted to hear him tick. Not so unlike ZQ she was, wanting desperately to understand how people work. Her desperation came from survival instincts and years of communications training. Understanding is how you learn your enemy and your friend. Understanding is how you manipulate. But Bene, she wanted to fix. His clock was too loud, deafening deep bells that blacked out what was once a soft chime.

Gemma wanted to fix him.

But the Temptress was assigned a job.

The Temptress needed to get close to Bene in order to install the override program in the hopes of shutting down Suit 1.0 (the corrupted, slightly malicious Suit 1.0 thanks to ZQ’s meddling).

The Temptress was all whip and business, whilst Gemma bit her tongue and prayed the bells would stop tolling and the windchimes would return.

Yes. Yesssss. So much perfectly delicious head canon.

I also like that I didn’t have to tell you the Eloquence sleeps with essentially everyone he meets. Gemma obviously didn’t do a good enough job warning Molly about him…

8:43 pm

1 ♥

ZQ could totes be a sexy rebellious nerd weapons manufacturer type and like really lusting after The Suit and its technology

I mean… Yes

Lusting. Just wanting to rip that suit right off of The Eloquence and get his hands all over it… ZQ slowly glides his hands across the expanse of the Suit’s chest and gently but quickly unbutton the Suit so he can admire its inner mechanics. And he leans in impossibly close, scarcely breathing, trying to observe everything he can without having to break the Suit apart (because that is what he does, he breaks things so he can learn them, understand them, and then he carefully puts them back together). But it’s not enough. He wants to know more, know every tiny secret, every classified bit of information he is not cleared to know. He runs his hands roughly across the Suit’s side and down the pant legs, forgetting civility in his thirst for more.He doesn’t care how many international laws he has to break, but he needs the Suit and he will do whatever it takes to get it on his body. Because damn. That Suit would look so good on him.

And he looks up. Oh. The Eloquence. Yes, he is still standing here. The Suit on his back, looking down with a bemused smile, reading his face easily. ZQ with his lustblown eyes and hands still clutching at the pinstriped fabric around his calves.

Shit.

Aw. Our first ZQ/Eloquence slash drabble. <3

Actually, I kind of like the suggestion you had before about ZQ being Nemesis’ son. And if we work that in with your suggestion that Nemesis had something to do with Alan’s death/wants control of Alan’s company it could open interesting possibilities.

Like a “Daddy’s Little Prince” angle. His son wants access to the Suit technology? Okay. Just take over the company. It will probably come in handy anyways. His son comes to want the man behind the Suit… well…

Jules- YES

HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING

YES. ZQ is like the complete foil to Benedict then, like the pampered son vs. the ignored son WORKS SO WELL.

Also, ALSO, can I just point out: “he breaks things so he can learn them, understand them, and then he carefully puts them back together.”

Uh, can I get a BEAUTIFULLY TOXIC RELATIONSHIP AMEN? Just imagine the possibilities when he tries that same method of approach with Eloquence.

Remember that bit where he has the full force of a supportive and immensely powerful father behind him?