Work Text:
“I know this is against the friend code of ethics, but your brother’s hot. Like… really hot,” Sophie whispers.
Francesca bristles, following Sophie’s gaze to the corner of the room where her four brothers are sitting around a table playing a spirited game of Snap. Gregory, her youngest brother, is clearly off of the table; Sophie’s not exactly known for her stellar dating choices, but Francesca knows her well enough at this point to know that she’s not interested in going after a fifteen year old. Colin, who’s sitting next to him and trying quite unsuccessfully to peek at Gregory’s cards, works part time at the library with Sophie. Surely if she was referring to him, it would’ve been by name, which only confirms Francesca’s worst suspicions: she’s talking about one of the eldest two Bridgerton siblings.
Sure enough Sophie nods in the direction of Benedict and Anthony, who are half paying attention to their younger brothers and half focusing on passing a flask back and forth beneath the table. “The older one,” Sophie whispers in Francesca’s ear, who feels her stomach drop at the same time Kate, who’s standing on the other side of her, sucks in a deep breath.
Francesca feels on the verge of throwing herself on the floor and screaming, but opts to close her eyes for a brief, steadying minute instead. This is the first time that Sophie has come to Aubrey Hall with her and Kate, which would explain why she had yet to get to fully learn the complicated history of the Bridgerton family and their acquaintances.
Sophie had transferred to King’s College at the beginning of the year and had met Francesca and Kate on the first day of tennis practice. She was an incredible player and Kate had immediately dragged her over to go meet the new girl. Sophie and Kate were both in their last year, but they still hung out with first year Francesca, which she was grateful for. Mostly.
Except for right this very minute, when Sophie was proclaiming her attraction for Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton brother. The two, along with Benedict and the younger Bridgertons, had met for the first time only five minutes before, so Francesca couldn’t fault her friend for her naivety. How was she to know that Kate and Anthony were an argument away from marriage (or that there was currently a running bet amongst the siblings as to how many more months it would take for them to finally make it official)?
“Anthony?” Francesca hisses, pulling Kate closer so she can overhear the conversation.
“I guess. There’s so many of you it’s hard to keep track.”
Francesca opens her mouth to explain how the Bridgertons are named from oldest to youngest in alphabetical order when Kate interrupts her, a hardened look overtaking her stunning features.
“I think you should go for it.”
“You do?” Francesca gasps. Sophie brightens considerably, oblivious to the utter shock of the girl standing next to her. Kate simply shrugs and stares ahead, nearly burning a hole in Anthony’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I do. He’s single, Sophie’s single. What’s the worst that could happen?
Francesca shutters. She has a feeling she’s about to find out.
—
The text from Francesca comes three days after they all arrive back to campus, Sophie’s phone singing from its place on the nightstand.
Frannie <3: okay so i set up a date with anthony for you. charlotte’s at 7 pm tuesday!
Frannie <3: i know he’s my brother, but i feel an obligation as one of your best friend’s to warn you that anthony can be… a little difficult.
Frannie <3: so have fun with that??
Francesca’s texts don’t make her feel any better about the nearly blind date and she can’t help but lament to Kate when they meet up to study on Wednesday.
“What if I hate him? And then Francesca has put this whole thing together and I have to call her and tell her her brother sucks?”
Kate’s nose scrunches as she thinks, her pen dragging back and forth as she scribbles an angry black blob into the margin of her notes. “Not to sound like a total downer, but that might honestly happen.” She raises her gaze from the paper to Sophie. “I’m totally on board, but I’m surprised Anthony is the one who peaked your interest. He’s so…” Kate trails off with a shudder. “Out of all of those wild animals, I totally would’ve thought Benedict would’ve been the one you’d go for.”
Sophie quickly shakes her head. She remembers Benedict from the day she had met him. He had been oddly uptight for someone under thirty and seemed to find enjoyment only in his youngest siblings and bickering with Kate. Definitely a hard no.
“I don’t know, Anthony just seemed so sweet,” Soohie explains. “I feel like he’s the kind of guy who has a gentle spirit hidden under his rugby jersey.”
Kate’s mouth drops open and closed like a beached fish as her brain works overtime to digest her friend’s words. She had known Anthony Bridgerton for many, many years. He was sweet and gentle and genuinely good, but most certainly not to people he had just met for the first time, especially not one of his younger sister’s college friends. Hell, she was pretty sure he hated her half the time, not that that lessened her desire to climb him like a tree.
But it was clear that there was nothing in the cards for Kate and Anthony, but there could be for Sophie and Anthony, no matter how oddly matched that pair seemed to be.
“Hey, I’ll tell you what. I’ll come over before your dinner and help you get ready. Hair, makeup, clothes, personal protection,” Kate smiles as Sophie giggles at the image of the girl stuffing a taser in her purse. “Whatever you need, I’m there.”
“You’re the best, you know that?” Sophie places a gentle hand over Kate’s, giving her a comforting squeeze. Kate had been her friend when everyone else had walked by like she was invisible. It was worth the wait, though; being friends with Kate was like spending time with the sun.
“I try,” Kate replies, giving a gentle shrug of her shoulders. “Now we better finish this assignment for Danbury before she threatens to behead us in front of the class. I know she says it’s fake, but that guillotine just looks so real.”
True to her word, Kate’s at her door at 5 PM, a large bag of cosmetic products in one hand and an even larger bottle of wine in the other. “I wasn’t sure which one you were gonna need more, so I settled for both.”
Sophie cringes, sidestepping to let Kate into her apartment. She follows her willowy frame as it walks down the hallway to Sophie’s bedroom, where it looks as if an avalanche of clothing has tumbled out of her closet. Kate turns to her with a pitying look, giving her a gentle pat on the arm, before settling on the floor next to the mess where Sophie joins her.
“So what exactly are we looking for?”
Kate’s eyes widen in surprise as she looks at the girl sitting across from her. Why would Sophie be implying that she knows what Anthony likes… she does, but that’s far beside the point.
“I just figured you’ve known him longer. You must have seen the kind of girls he brings around, what he’s interested in, you know?”
She most certainly hadn’t seen the types of girls Anthony brought around, mostly because he never did. He was a strict one and done kind of man and since she had met him four years ago, Kate didn’t think she had ever heard of even the mention of anyone who made it past a weekend hookup.
What he was interested in… that was a different story. Her brain reeled as she remembered Daphne’s birthday party last year, the heavy weight of Anthony’s eyes dragging over her as she had entered the room wearing a lilac dress far shorter and far tighter than what would generally be approved of for a function with twelve year olds in attendance. She had been simultaneously annoyed at his utter disregard for subtly as he had stared at her, but had been set completely on fire everywhere his eyes landed. Kate had settled for flipping him off from across the room and Anthony’s eyes had only seemed to darken in response.
It would’ve been easy to make her way across the room to him, spend the next hour arguing, and land in his bed that night. He probably would’ve even let her stay the whole weekend. But spending a night or two and nothing more with Anthony Bridgerton would surely consume Kate from the inside and out and for that, she mustered up all of the dignity she had every time she saw him and stayed away.
Which was why now, as she hands Sophie a little black dress with such a deep V neck that she’s surprised her friend even has it, as she evens out the girl’s eyeliner and curls her hair, she ignores the ugly roots of jealousy blooming in her belly that after only meeting with Sophie, Anthony had agreed to a date.
Sophie is many things, but she most certainly is not an idiot, which was why after spending an hour in Kate’s presence, she finally burst out a frantic “Kate, I really don’t have to go!”
Kate pauses, the lip gloss wand in her hand hovering dramatically in the air. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you whacked me in the leg with a heel when you threw it towards me and I’m pretty sure you were about two seconds away from burning a curl of my hair off and - oh, don’t make that face, Kathani!” Sophie scolds as she watches her face fall. “We both know you would never hurt me, or anyone, on purpose, so don’t even go down that road. My only point was that you seem distracted and absolutely miserable and if it has anything to do with this date tonight, then I won’t go!”
Sophie’s gesturing wildly with her hands as she talks, a clear indicator that she’s feeling panicky, and Kate immediately leans down and wraps the girl in a tight hug. Her friend, who seems from her seated position to be about seven feet smaller than Kate, is warm and smells like vanilla and jasmine and when she wraps her arms even tighter around her in return, it brings a sense of calm over Kate.
“I just want you to be happy,” Kate murmurs.
“Well, I just want you to be happy,” Sophie insists. “No Bridgerton is worth more than that. Not even one that sexy.”
Kate gags and Sophie giggles and whatever tension once hung in the air is now broken. Kate finishes getting her ready before handing her her bag, wrapping Sophie in a coat, and practically pushing her out the door.
“Tell Anthony I said hello. Or that I hope he ends up in a ditch somewhere. Either one works.”
She’s smiling as she says it, but Sophie’s face still wrinkles in confusion. “Huh,” she shrugs her shoulders as she starts to open the door. “I thought you guys got along rather well, but I’ll certainly relay the message.”
And then she’s gone and Kate is blinking in befuddlement because no one in the history of the universe has ever said that her and Anthony got along rather well. She stands there for far too long, staring at the closed door trying to make sense of the comment, when it all seems to crash down on her with startling clarity.
Francesca - and really, Sophie - has made an intensely and abundantly grave error regarding tonight’s date.
–
Sophie gets to the restaurant right at seven and she rises up on her tiptoes to try to see if she can spot Anthony anywhere. She doesn’t and it makes her bristle because really, how hard is it to show up on time? But when she tells her name to the hostess, she nods in acknowledgement and takes her to a secluded table in the back of the restaurant. Sophie stops in her tracks as soon as they arrive because sitting there under the shadowy and sensual lighting is Benedict Bridgerton.
She’s beyond confused as she slides into her chair, but as she gets a closer look at him, she realizes he doesn’t look too happy to be there either. Her face must betray her emotions, however, because Benedict looks at her with a rather pained expression and opens his mouth.
“Don’t bother,” Sophie immediately cuts him off. His eyes widen in surprise, not expecting her outburst, and honestly, she wasn’t either. All she knows is that this is most definitely not the Bridgerton brother she had hoped to find at the other end of this table, but is most certainly the one that had spent the entire day following Kate around like a persistent little puppy. The whole thing is so irritating to her, that he would even have the audacity to show up here after being so blatantly interested in her friend, that she can’t keep the annoyance out of her tone. “I think there’s been a mistake.”
Benedict flounders for a minute before deciding on taking a rather large sip of wine. He doesn’t even want to be here, is only doing it because Francesca had begged him on the phone not to break her friend’s heart, and if anything in the world was going to convince him to do something he most certainly does not want to, it’s the sound of his sister’s panicked tears.
“I told Francesca that I was interested in her oldest brother,” Benedict’s brows crease in confusion, but he lets her keep going without interruptions. “And certainly not the one who is so blatantly interested in one of my best friends that he tripped over a Pall Mall wicket trying to stand next to her.” He flushes at that, the memory of literally falling at Kate’s feet still beyond embarrassing.
“Well, Sophie, the thing is, I am the oldest brother. We only met one time, but I assure you that I am Anthony Bridgerton.”
And that’s when it all hits her and a hazy memory of Francesca telling her in a game of Two Truths and a Lie the first day of tennis practice that her eight siblings were all named in alphabetical order. From oldest to youngest.
“Oh, fuck!” Sophie moans, her head falling into her hands. “This is so embarrassing!”
For the first time since he sat down, Benedict, no, Anthony breaks out into a grin. He pats her arm in a gentle manner and Sophie peaks out from behind her hands to see the oddly joyous expression on his face.
“This honestly works out better, I think. Because you’re right, I am rather fond of Kate. That’s honestly why I agreed to come. Francesca was worried I would hurt your feelings if I didn’t, but I thought you deserved to know the truth.” Sophie nods in understanding, her lips turning into a gentle smile. “Besides, Benedict has been rather mopey since he found out about this date… think he might have a little crush on you.”
Sophie brightens considerably at that, butterflies starting to take flight in her belly. She knows that Colin is the third oldest, which means if the man across from her is actually the first born son, then Benedict is the man she was hoping to meet here tonight.
The conversation flows quite easily between the two of them after the truth all comes out. They agree to finish dinner because the bottle of wine Anthony ordered is expensive as hell and Sophie finds quickly that she actually enjoys his company. He’s charming and intelligent, but most certainly not docile, and she can’t help but think how nice of a pair he and Kate will make when they’re not too busy yelling at each other.
He’s walking her to her car the first time her name comes up again. Sophie’s scrolling through her phone when she sees the seven texts and two missed calls Kate had tried getting to her over the course of her evening with Anthony. His eyes go dark at the mention of Kate’s name and he hungrily asks if he can read her messages.
Kate 💜: SOPHIE ABORT MISSION!!!!
Kate 💜: YOU HAVE THE WRONG BROTHER!!!
Kate 💜: I should’ve known the minute you said Anthony was nice because who tf calls that man nice, but how the hell did you mix up brothers that bad???
Kate 💜: You’re gonna be a kindergarten teacher, so you really need to know the alphabet!
Kate 💜: It’s 7:30 which means you’re definitely already there and you’re way too polite to take your phone out on a date even if it sucks which means you’re literally on a date with Anthony Bridgerton right now.
Kate 💜: Okay it’s almost nine and I haven’t heard from you and I’m getting worried!! Did you fuck him??? DID HE KIDNAP YOU??
Kate 💜: Sophie, I’ll literally kill him if he pulls anything with you.
Anthony is giddy with the evidence of the sheer amount of real estate that he clearly takes up in Kate’s mind. He’s pulling Sophie to his side and snapping a picture of them before she can even say anything, a mischievous glint in his eye as he types out a text to accompany it that says something about having enjoyed their evening together.
“Oh, you’re absolutely terrible,” Sophie scolds, but with a delighted grin on her face.
“I know,” Anthony shrugs. “But Kate likes that.”
The way Sophie’s phone dings in succession twelve times not even thirty seconds later confirms as much.
–
“I’m gonna kick your ass, Anthony!” Sophie shrieks, running through the grass of Aubrey Hall’s backyard as she struggles to push her much shorter legs fast enough to keep up with him. Before she can make it very far, she’s scooped up in a pair of arms that twirl her around, soft kisses peppering her neck and cheeks.
“Benedict!” she laughs, turning to wrap her arms tightly around her boyfriend. He’d had to come in a day later than her because of work, Sophie reluctantly leaving him at the apartment they now shared to catch her train. But now he was here and holding her in his warm arms and even though it had only been a day, she had missed him.
“Sorry to interrupt your besting of Anthony,” Benedict murmurs into her ear.
Sophie giggles as she turns once again in his arms, her back pressed securely against his front as she watches the scene unfolding in front of her. “I think Kate has taken care of it.”
Anthony had been running towards the center of the grass towards the Pall Mall mallet when he had been intercepted by Kate, who snatched his preferred Mallet of Death out of the container before he could reach it. He had howled in indignation, waving his arms around as his face contorted in irritation, before Kate fisted her hand in his shirt and yanked his mouth onto hers. They were kissing in a manor that was far too passionate for present company, Anthony’s hand sneaking suspiciously close to Kate’s ass, but everyone averted their eyes in fake annoyance at the couple’s display of affection (except for Colin, who whistles rather loudly when Anthony’s hand did, in fact, finally find their way to squeezing his girlfriend’s ass).
“Can you believe you went on a date with him?” Benedict teases, swaying gently back and forth with Sophie in his arms.
She shakes her head with a giggle, something she had been doing increasingly more since her and Benedict had become official. It had taken less than a week for the two to finally be put in proper contact with each other and from the minute she had walked into Charlotte’s for the second time and seen those puppy dog eyes staring happily up at her, Sophie had known instantly that she had found the right Bridgerton brother.
“Most of the time, no,” Sophie says, ignoring Benedict’s gasp at the suggestion that there were times she thought about dating Anthony. “But I’m always glad I did. Because otherwise I never would have gotten to meet the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“And that’s me, right?” Benedict asks as he turns his girlfriend back around to face him, a crooked smile and bright eyes making her melt.
“You know it is.”
The words had barely fallen out of Sophie’s mouth before Benedict was kissing her. His lips were soft, but insistent against hers, one of his big hands coming up to cup her jaw while the other wrapped around her waist. She had kissed Benedict more times than she could count, but each time felt as perfect as the first. It simply felt like coming home.
The back door to Aubrey Hall swung upon as Francesca steps outside, groaning immediately at the sight awaiting her. Kate and Anthony and Sophie and Benedict were making out in the middle of the grass, Eloise and Daphne were bickering about a Jane Austen novel, Colin was busy stuffing a muffin into his mouth, and Hyacinth and Gregory were trying to hit each other with Pall Mall mallets.
Francesca takes the steps two at a time as she descends towards the chaos, walking past Benedict and Sophie’s embrace with a roll of her eyes. She loved her friends, she really did, but did both Kate and Sophie have to end up with one of her brothers?
She shouldn’t complain though. After the whole fiasco with Anthony and Sophie’s date set-up, she thought she never would’ve heard the end of it. Though really, it was Sophie’s fault. Who mixed up brothers just because the younger one was the tallest?