FICLET FRIDAY THE TWENTY-SECOND: STILLXMYXHEART

princess (Hannah, Juliet [references to David and Seth, Hannah/Seth]), G, prompt: Jules/Han; dress shopping


"What about this one?"

Juliet looks up and raises an eyebrow at the dress Hannah's holding in her hand, not missing the mischievous smirk on the younger girl's face.

"Yeah, you wear that to your prom, your dad will kill me, then you, and then me again."

Hannah giggles and hangs the dress back on the rack. "I wouldn't want to wear that anyway. Way too –" She crinkles her nose distastefully. "Showy."

Juliet smiles as she turns her attention back to the rack in front of her. Hannah's grown up beautifully, and playing soccer the past few years has kept her in great shape, but Juliet's glad that she doesn't seem to feel the need to show off her body at every available opportunity. She knows David's grateful for this too, remembering the way he complained to her after going to pick Hannah up from school one day not long after the start of her freshman year and seeing so many of the girls stretching the limits of the dress code.

He'd been endlessly worried that Hannah's style might change, that her dresses would get shorter, her necklines lower, but the only thing that had seemed to change was that her style had become more unique and more expressive of her personality.

Juliet tugs a long fitted midnight blue dress from the rack and holds it up. "What about this?"

Hannah contemplates it for a moment, and then shakes her head.

"Why not?" Juliet asks, looking down at the dress. "It's really pretty."

"Yeah, it is, it's just... not right."

Juliet nods and puts it back, holding back a sigh. Hannah's always been picky about what she wears, but they've been looking for hours, and Juliet's patience is starting to wear thin.

Hannah dismisses several more dresses, and they're about to write off this store as a lost cause when she gasps suddenly, pulling another dress from the rack.

"Oh, Han," Juliet breathes, "that one's beautiful. You definitely have to try it on."

Hannah nods, hardly able to keep from smiling as she runs her fingers along the skirt, and she and Juliet head back to one of the fitting rooms.

A few minutes later she's staring at her reflection in a full length mirror, her smile wider as she flutters the skirt.

The dress is light pink, strapless with a fitted bodice, and the skirt is long and flowing, swirling around Hannah's legs as she moves. It sparkles in the light, though not overtly so, just enough to give the material a bit of a shimmer when it shifts.

"Sweetie, seriously, you look like a princess," Juliet murmurs, smiling fondly as she looks at Hannah.

Hannah twirls suddenly, and then giggles. "I feel like one." She runs her hands over the bodice, and then looks over at Juliet. "You think Seth will like it?"

Juliet raises her eyebrows. "If he doesn't, then you may have to break up with him, because you look gorgeous now, and on prom night, with your makeup and hair done, you're going to look stunning."

Hannah grins, looking back at her reflection and swishing the skirt again.

She pays for the dress with David's credit card, and they stash it in the trunk of Juliet's car before they head to dinner.

"Your dad's gonna love it too," Juliet murmurs as she spears a bite of asparagus with her fork.

Hannah nods, the corner of her mouth rising. "I don't want him to see until prom night though."

Juliet laughs. "Oh, so you're just going to torture him."

Hannah giggles. "Maybe a little."

Juliet's quiet a moment, remembering the way Hannah ran her hands down her body before asking if Seth would like the dress, and then she takes a breath.

"Han, I know prom night's an important night, and there might be certain – expectations, but no matter what anybody tells you, there's nothing you have to do, except have fun at your prom."

A faint flush colors Hannah's cheeks as she looks down at her plate, and then she gives a slight shake of her head.

"Seth talked about getting a – a hotel room for that night, but I'm still not ready for that yet. He was okay with it, though." She lifts her gaze to Juliet's face, a small smile curving her lips. "It'll be fine, Jules."

Juliet smiles, though her relief is slightly tempered because she knows that Hannah and Seth have done other things together, and it's only a matter of time before they cross that last line. She already suspects that Hannah's first time won't be as special as Juliet knows she wants it to be, and it makes her a little sad to think about.

She pushes her thoughts away and looks up at Hannah again.

"Sweetie, why don't you call your dad and see if he wants us to bring him something to eat? Maybe throw in a little teasing about your dress."

Hannah snorts laughter and nods as she pulls her phone from her purse.






batman is awesome (Hannah, Chris, Eli [Hannah/Eli]), G, prompt: Chris/Han; Remember that old shirt/The one you let me wear/It has a hole growing at the seams/And a stain from the county fair (first part is pre-Eli)


"Stupid tree branch," Hannah grumbles, staring forlornly at her shirt and poking at the large rip down the front.

Chris laughs and gives her shoulder a squeeze. "Sorry, Hannie. Mother Nature can be a bitch sometimes."

She arches an eyebrow as she looks up at him. "Yeah, you don't have to tell me that, Christopher."

He snorts and shakes his head. "Okay, not what I was talking about."

She grins as they come to a stop by his car, and he pulls open the back door, leaning inside and stretching across the seat.

"Lucky for you, though, I happen to have an extra t-shirt in here."

He snags the shirt and holds it up with a flourish.

She giggles as she takes it from him. "You're sacrificing a Batman t-shirt to me. I'm touched."

He gives a dramatic sigh. "It's tough, but my Hannie's worth it."

She rolls her eyes, the corner of her mouth lifting, and then tells Chris to turn around so she can switch shirts.

He obeys, glancing around to check that the small parking area is still empty, and then catches a glimpse of Hannah reflected in the door window. His breath hitches at the split second sight of her in just her bra before she tugs his shirt down over her head, and he tears his eyes away, shaking his head at himself.

She pats his back a moment later, telling him he can turn around again, and he does, grinning when she holds her arms out.

"How do I look?"

He grins back. "Like a cute little geek."

"Superheroes are not geeky," she says, poking his chest with her finger. "Superheroes are awesome."

"This is very true. But you're still cute. And little."

She snorts and swats at his stomach before she turns to toss her ruined shirt into the car.

He glances at his watch. "Okay, I think I've had enough of nature today. Let's go get lunch."

She laughs and nods, slipping into the passenger seat as he walks around to the driver's side.





"Hey, Chris, come on in," Eli says, holding the door open wider. "I'm almost ready."

He hurries up the stairs, and Chris closes the front door before moving to sit on the couch.

Hannah wanders from the kitchen a moment later, dressed in a grey Batman t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants, and smiles. "Hey, Chris."

"Hey, Hannie. You look comfy."

She grins as she settles into an armchair, lifting a spoonful of cereal from the bowl in her hand to her mouth. "Maddie's gonna come over and keep me company while you boys are out being stupid."

Chris snorts. "You have so little faith in us."

She arches an eyebrow at him. "My boyfriend almost always comes home drunk after being out with you. I think that speaks for itself."

Chris snickers, and then holds up his hand. "Okay, tonight I promise I will not encourage him to keep drinking."

She points her spoon at him. "I'm holding you to that."

"I promise," he repeats, and she smiles as she dips her spoon back into her cereal.

His gaze falls to her t-shirt, and he stares at it a moment before realization dawns.

"Hey, that's mine!"

She looks up in surprise, and then follows his gaze to her shirt, a short laugh escaping when she realizes what he's talking about.

"Yeah, you let me borrow it a couple years ago when my shirt tore while we were hiking, and I just... never gave it back. I like wearing it on my lazy days; it's so soft and comfy. Plus it makes me think of you."

Chris stares at her, surprised that she's held on to the shirt for this long, and still wears it, and inexplicably touched that it makes her think of him.

She frowns a little. "Do you want it back?"

"No!" he says quickly. "No, I'm just surprised that you still have it, is all."

She smiles. "I like it. And Batman's awesome."

He grins and nods in agreement just as Eli comes back downstairs.

"Okay, I'm ready." He crosses the living room to drop a kiss to Hannah's lips. "I'll see you later, babe."

"Have fun, and be careful." She turns her gaze to Chris. "And you keep your promise."

"What promise?" Eli says, his expression curious as he looks at Chris too.

"I told her I wouldn't let you get too wasted tonight."

Eli snorts and nods as he looks back at Hannah. "You and Maddie have fun. Though, you know, not too much."

He gives her a significant look that Chris doesn't quite understand, and then laughs when she smacks his arm before shoving him away.

"Leave already."

Eli grins and steps back over to give her one more kiss. "Love you, babe."

"Love you too. Bye, Christopher."

"Bye, Hannie."

They leave with a wave, the door snapping closed behind them, and Hannah pulls her phone from her pocket to call Madison and find out where she is.