#jastella

[myfanfictiongarden]

Thick As Thiefs- Cruella fan fic

Jasper doesn’t especially like Cruella. Not really.

With Estella it’s a completely different story.

The moment they met he knew there was something special about her, and it wasn’t the hair- although he liked that instantly too. It was that glimmer in her eyes whenever some new idea was about to see the light of day. And she had plenty of those. Like a natural she fit right into the role of “distraction” while he and Horace pocketed what they could get, which didn’t mean she didn’t soon master the fine art of taking other peoples wallets as well, her nimble fingers just as elegantly pickpocketing as they were sewing. The little needle box she bought herself after her first catch a treasured possession for the longest while until they could get their hands on a real sewing machine. The machine and her talent eventually opened them a whole new world of possibilities, a bit of yarn and second-hand clothes the key to many successful scoops. It were fine times, but he always wished more for her then a lifelong game of hide-and-seek. But to achieve that Estella had to make place for another her. “Cruella gets things done.” Estella had said. 

And now they were here, in this lavish mansion and enough pocket money to stop pocketing all together. He sure didn’t mean to complain about that. 

The rain is falling and blowing against the windows, the sound of the sewing machine familiar yet distant echoing through the building, static on the television interrupting the rugby game every few minutes. Horace has long ago fallen asleep in the armchair on the other side, a half finished bottle of ale still in his hand. Footsteps approach and he realises the sewing machine must have stopped a while ago. At that moment there she is, plumping herself on the other end of the couch he sits. She takes off her high-heels with a wince and throws them away like she is expecting that one of the dogs will catch them, while only managing to hit the opposite wall with one and barely miss Horace head with the other. The game has finished and some American movie was plying now with a detective that is afraid of heights. 

Time passes with them just sitting in silence, her siping her whisky and him finishing his smoke, when out of the corner of his eye he can see her black clade shape moving closer until she’s leaning on his shoulder, her legs drawn close to her on the couch while one hand still holds the whiskey glass. There is this air of familiarity and for a moment one could fancy the three of them back in their hideout enjoying the evening in front of their shabby telly like so often instead of being in one of the many rooms of a small palace. She is snuggling even closer and by now he usually would have put his arm around her like so often, yet for some reason he doesn’t. 

The truth is, he doesn’t completely trust Cruella.

That Estella had a wild side he knew the moment they met, back when they were still kids, and it was a side to her he always liked. Yet, the number of times wild turned into unhinged recently, with Cruella´s growing obsession with fashion or the next big scoop was a different matter. He wasn’t sure if at times she scared him or if he was scared for her.

“What do you want?” he hears himself finally asking. The detective in the movie meanwhile is tasked to investigate a woman who seems to have developed a second personality.

“Why? Can’t a lady enjoy a simple evening?”

“Only if you count as evening short before midnight.” Taking the glass out of her hand he finishes the last sip before placing the now empty glass on the side table at his right.

“Have I said something wrong?” She moves her head a bit to face him, a slightly puzzled look on her face but he can’t make out if it's honest or from the alcohol.

“No, it's not that. But ain’t you overworking yourself a bit?”

“Oh, absolutely not, or… maybe. I just have so many ideas.” She lays her head back down and he takes a better look at her, face practically hidden by the white and black masses of hair. On the telly the detective saved the blond woman after she jumps into the water.

“Can’t we-, can we pretend like things are as before?” Her voice is quiet, barely audible as she says that, he had actually taken she had fallen asleep with the sunny images of California on screen. Her voice is little more than a whisper but it is the one he came to like the most.

“Can’t see why we can’t.” He answers while putting his arm around her like so many times in the past, drawing her closer to him. He is glad he can see a bit of that glimmer in her eyes as she looks at him, a smile tugging in the corner of her lips.

Jasper doesn’t especially like Cruella. Not really.

But for Estella’s sake he doesn’t mind trying.