Lumiere reached into the fireplace to light it with his hand. Cogsworth crossed his arms. ‘Is it really necessary to make them meet every night?’ he asked.
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‘But it is going so well, Cogsworth.’ Lumiere turned his back to the burning fireplace and held his candles up with pride. ‘Love is in the air.’
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‘There is no way these two men will-’
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‘Ah, but in Paris-’
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‘I don’t want to hear about Paris, you glorified tinderbox! Paris this, Paris that. We’re not there, and I doubt Paris is actually like that. Do you really think the master would be the type to fall for that oaf?’
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‘Why do you always doubt me, Cogsworth?’ Lumiere snapped, leaning closer to Cogsworth and holding one candle before him as a gentle reminder of his capability.
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Cogsworth leaned in even closer, murder in his eyes. ‘Because you’re wasting time with these flights of fancy when we should be looking for a lady who can break the spell before the final rose petal falls!’
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Less than two centimetres of air separated the two servants. ‘If the Beast comes to love Gaston and he loves him in turn, we can be human again!’
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As Cogsworth stood closer while pointing at him, Lumiere’s pointy nose poked his. ‘And we’ll never be human again if you don’t quit acting like a naive… imbecile!’
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Lumiere cast his long eyelashes down as he stared at Cogsworth’s lips. The flames in his candles burned brighter. They illuminated the face he had grown accustomed to as a form of beauty after years of finding it strange. The clock began ticking faster, his pendulum swinging back and forth with the speed of a rattle in a bratty child’s hand. Concern painted itself on Lumiere’s face.
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Cogsworth pushed Lumiere away. ‘Go back to your feather duster,’ he grumbled, crossing his arms again until the ticking slowed. He groaned and reached behind to wind the key and fix the time.
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Lumiere’s lights went out and he dropped his hands, his entire body drooping. For the first time in a long time, he said nothing in response to Cogsworth’s words.
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A few days later, Gaston and the Beast strolled to the archery range for more practice. Gaston grabbed a different bow this time, a simple yew longbow.
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A bird had abandoned a nest on one of the targets. When Gaston saw a baby bird peeking out from the nest, He aimed his bow at it. Just as he was about to release the arrow, the Beast pushed the bow to the side, causing the arrow to hit the snow right next to them. He then raced to the nest to pick it up.
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‘Have you never hunted a bird before?’ Gaston asked incredulously.
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‘Baby birds are different,’ the Beast mumbled.
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Gaston was going to retort with some insult against the Beast’s masculinity, but the baby birds in his hands were kind of adorable in an odd, ugly, misshapen way.
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Additionally, the image of a big, bulky, hairy monster holding a nest of baby birds as if they were his own children was certainly a striking one. Not that Gaston was going to verbalise that thought.
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The Beast lifted the nest to a nearby tree. Gaston gulped a gasp when he wrapped his arms around him and lifted him towards the nest, presumably trying to convince him to pet the birds.
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With a sigh, Gaston did so. His expression softened. The feathers were wet and rough. Still, it wasn’t the worst sensation in the world.
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Honestly, the feeling of fur around his tight-covered legs was closer to being in the running for that oh-so prestigious title. Not because of the sensation itself, but the way it stamped Gaston’s face with a heavy blush.
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‘Put me down!’ he squeaked. As soon as that sound left his mouth, the blush got stronger. Heroes didn’t sound like that.
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The Beast laughed with no trace of derision, plopping Gaston down. Gaston wound up laughing too. In the process of putting Gaston down, the Beast held the other man’s hand for a moment. The Beast’s heart lifted when Gaston didn’t shudder at his paw. While they took back their positions in front of the targets, Lumiere and Cogsworth watched them from behind a tree.
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Lumiere pointed to them. Cogsworth finally nodded in agreement, subtly reaching for the candelabra’s unlit hand.
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‘Oh, Lumiere, where are you?’ The female voice’s accent rivalled Lumiere’s. Lumiere pulled his hands away from Cogsworth as he sauntered to Fifi, the feather duster.
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Cogsworth sank into the snow and buried himself in it for a moment.
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His ticking sped up when he heard a loud thud next to him. He frantically pushed and kicked through the snow until he saw the Beast sitting next to him.
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‘Yes, Master? Are you in need of anything?’
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The Beast shook his head. He watched Gaston swivel towards him after a good shot and lift his bow in victory, accompanied by a bright smile.
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‘I… I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Do you think I have a chance?’
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Thinking back to the events of a few seconds ago, Cogsworth was highly tempted to answer with a firm, bitter no. But he held his tongue for a moment to think.
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‘Why don’t you invite him for dinner?’
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‘That didn’t work out last time.’
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‘Well, y-you see, Master…’ Cogsworth shut his eyes as if that would protect him. ‘...You didn’t exactly… ask last time.’ He opened one eye and saw not a fierce and ferocious creature but a furry man nodding while in thought.
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When Lumiere returned, the Beast grabbed him and held him to eye level. ‘Lumiere, ask Gaston if he wants to attend dinner with me.’
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‘You should ask him yourself,’ Lumier replied, shooing him forward with his hands.
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The Beast bit his lip, lowered Lumiere and sat there for a minute. Finally, he stood up and walked towards Gaston.
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‘I thought you said you were tired,’ Gaston said. ‘I guess I must be stronger than you, huh?’
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The Beast’s laughter was herky-jerky as he rubbed the back of his neck. ‘So I was thinking…’
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‘A dangerous pastime.’
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‘Gaston, would you be serious?’ the Beast roared. He coughed and looked down, silent for a moment before continuing. ‘Would you like to have dinner… with me… in the ballroom dining room?’ When the Beast looked up, his eyes shining with hope, he saw a confused expression on Gaston’s face.
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‘Don’t you already have a place to eat? What’s special about the ballroom?’
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‘Well, uh…’ The Beast rolled his head towards Lumiere and Cogsworth, his eyes a cry for help that went unanswered. ‘We could dance in the ballroom… together.’
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A laugh left Gaston’s lips. ‘Why would you want to do something like…?’ Once he finally understood the Beast’s intentions, he took a step back.
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‘I… I understand,’ the Beast mumbled. ‘It’s an odd request from one man to another.’
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Gaston was about to point out that the Beast was hardly a man, but then he looked into those blue eyes that looked like an ocean about to spill onto the land.
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The Beast turned around but Gaston grabbed him by the shoulder. ‘One night. We can dance for one night.’
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The Beast kept his back against Gaston but swung his head back towards him. ‘I’ll see you tonight.’ His voice was the softest Gaston had heard from him.397Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyd0bMwReK
