#A Clockwork Knight and His Sugar-Spun Faery|Baz and Beth

[brooklynislandgirl]

What’s something your muse has done, in canon or in a thread, that just makes you Love ThemTM?

Tell Me No Questions... || Accepting I think scattered just between Baz's blog and mine and it was so hard to narrow it down to my top three, my absolute favourite wtf/I love her your honour moments between them are as follows: ~*~

III. Trying to seduce Baz by doing a play-by-play of a Shark Week documentary. || Shield Verse Why? Because WHO DOES THAT ELIZABETH?!?! And in my head, that was one hundred percent said in Riley's exasperated tones. Honest to goodness, I was cry-laughing writing that because it's so weird and so specific. Worse, she knows he can't hear but a third of what she says, on a good day, so it makes no sense whatsoever. But also...that she thinks he'd even understand if he could hear all of it. It's one of those moments when it's very much the case When Dumb Meets Oblivious. But at the same time, it's absolutely on brand and weirdly probably DID put her in a romantic mood, which kind of concerns me. But we don't get to choose our muses, do we? II. The Story she tells Baz around the campfire regarding That One Time At Doctor Camp || Avatars verse. Why? Because I have absolutely no idea if she made it up on the spot {or at least the biggest part of the story, with all of the relative details} or if it actually happened. There are three muns and six muses involved in the way she told it, and none of them are sure either. Is she trying to mess with Baz? Did it actually happen? If not, why did she go that route? If it did...did she exaggerate it, or remembers it in an entirely different way? We may never know. and currently...one of my favourite moments... I. "I know what a'tape is." || Star Wars AU Because, well. You know what children are like. Especially when they get to about the equivalent age of seven or eight, and are trying to be so adult in situations that they have no idea, and therefore tend to mimic their parent/s in such a specific way. I can, and did, see her plain as day in my head. Barely tall as Baz's waist when he's standing, as opposed to her father's six-foot-plus. That utterly imperious lift of her chin that screams 'peasant' at the top of her lungs but she thinks she's so mature, so above everything. But it also points out that her education isn't as flawless as she might think. It points out what future Keni will be like when she has to double-down on a bluff check when the stakes are so far higher than one man's opinion. It points out that only children tend to be very lonely and will use any excuse to be a part of a grown-up's world, especially one willing to give them attention. I have to give Baz huge credit for not laughing in her face and being far kinder than Rel would have, if he'd been there to witness her. She might be her father's daughter, but she's definitely going to end up dad's girl.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Have you ever been completely turned off by something your bed partner did?

A Little Light/A Little Dark || -

As is often the case when they spend time together like this, Beth was off in her own inner world, quietly working on a new needlework pattern ~butterflies flitting among wildflowers, perhaps manifesting her yearning for the start of spring, and it's growing season~ while he tinkered with something on his work bench. She doesn't really know what it is or how it's supposed to work, though she suspects that it's a part for his bike or for his truck. One of which is named after his favourite caretaker, the other after a lost love. Or at least so she thinks, and she can't really remember which is which. Sometimes details escape her just like words take more effort for him than anyone else, including her. Which is saying a lot. So maybe that's why she's surprised when he breaks the nearly hour long silence with what she knows to be a question by virtue of his voice ticking up at the end as if to punctuate it with a question mark. She's mortified to have to ask him three times to repeat himself, each subsequent request burning a hole from inside out and making the situation worse by setting off a ringing in her ears. Still, it's enough to put it together in a way she can answer. Her eyes falter from his face and back to the stitch half-finished. She gathers the thread, tucks in the linen and sets her hoop aside. Then her hands fold into her lap. She doesn't bother looking back up. "I don' have dat kine of experience," she begins slowly and she shrugs. The ringing is no longer alone because the rush of her blood sounds like the sea now, too. "But I have been out before on wha' I believe was a dat, only t' be aks where Andy is, if he gonna be late, an' so on. So I guess…if you wanna date him, den like mebbe don' make it seem like ya interest in me, yeah? S'confusin' a' best an just cruel a' worst. Why you aks?"

[brooklynislandgirl]

Name: Baz Barton

Age: 30

Do you like to cuddle?: with u? yea.

Can we make-out?: yea long as its you.

A night in or dinner out?: in

Whip cream or chocolate syrup?: chocolate

Chocolates and roses?: for you? neither ya like those hawaiian flowers i can't ever remember th'name of.

What makes you a good Valentine?: i uh...m'loyal? n'i might be late n'not perfect at th'whole romance thing bu' i try best I can.

Would you cook for me?: uh...i aint good at that but i can make y'somethin' from the microwave?

Would you let me cook for you?: yea. i think yer a little better at it than me.

Where would you take me on a date?: quiet field away from th'city where there ain' nobody but us for miles. picnic dinner.

Who’s paying?: me

What did you get me for Valentine’s Day?:

Better Together || -

When Baz came in from the garage he witnessed Beth and Jay and Wanda sitting around the kitchen table, laughing as they passed the magazine between them. From the corner of her eye, she spotted the shy smile that tugged at his mouth. She doesn't know if it's because his Mother is rarely so lighthearted and joyful, or because he is vaguely confused as to the source of their mirth but is just going along with it. The latter is more likely but she doesn't interrupt the flow of him getting a snack before he retreats back to the garage. She doesn't see him again for hours. She haunts the doorway and waits until he notices her, acknowledging that by murmuring a quiet "Hey, Apps." "Howzit?" Minutes spool out from the spindle of time. She ends up explaining in drips and drabs so he can catch as much of her words as possible; that they'd been laughing over a Valentine's Application, what that even meant, some of the stories his mother and Jay talked about. When he nudges her about her own she blushes and looks away. "Don' t'ink I'm really gonna talk about you, in romantic context, wi' ya mama." The face he makes is exactly why she said that, and she's glad they're on the same page, all things considered. And when he eventually asks what the quiz asked, she settles herself on the tailgate of his truck. His first few answers are slow, and they leave a resonant pang in her chest. For all they might be alike, there is an ocean of difference between them. Where she thrives on touch to help her navigate the world around her that sometimes doesn't even feel real, all of it's too much for him but especially when it comes to other people. He's used to his mother, to his father. There are few and far between that come close, though she supposes after three years, they're coming to a point that she doesn't make his nerves crawl. And that leads her into agreeing that a dinner in would be best for everyone involved. "Good t' know," her lips twitch. She wonders why that's the choice du jur, when she tends to prefer whipped cream. Her smile actually makes an appearance and it takes moments for her to reach up and hides it behind her hand. "Is called Lei-Flower…ah…plumeria. And dey are my favourite. Hard t' find on da mainland, a' least in most flower an' garden spots. Been t'inking about trekin' back home t' pick up some seeds an' tryin' t' grow my own heah. But I dunno if it would be environmentally conscious." Her heart hurts again when he explains about being a good Valentine. It's true that they tend to have the worst timing when it comes to making plans with one another. He's often late and she has to cancel due to an emergency shift or over-long hours. Neither one of them can say they haven't honestly misstepped when it comes to trying to romance the other, and that's okay. Not everything is a story, and people aren't actors in films. Things can't really be perfect. But he isn't wrong. He is loyal. And he's sweet. And she tries to be the same way, to the best of her ability.

"Baz? In alla time we know each oddah, like when you evah see me do any kine dat isn't pullin' plates from da microwave, or out of da oven? Is because I have a hundred places in my phone, an' a house keepah an' a cook. You nevah wan me try f' cook you a meal. Even wi' your powers? Might kill you." She's serious about that and hopes he takes it as the Gospel of Beth. "But dat date sound nice. Like nature, make it easier to hear you even jus' a lil bit." And before she can make any more commentary, he turns from his bench after opening one of the larger drawers. Clearly the quiz and her asking the questions have ruined what must have been a thoughtful surprise. She feels so bad for doing so, when he lays the flowers in her lap. "Lei flower," she murmurs. "One my favourite kine, too… Penang Peach cultivar…" And while she's tracing the tender petals, coating her fingers with their sweet scent, he slips the necklace around her throat. The opals are a nice touch and she wonders when he had the time to make it for her. She turns and carefully brushes some stray locks of hair from his face. "Mahalo, Nakia." She brushes his cheek with a soft kiss.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Happy Birthday Apples

“Hey, Apps. Happy Birthday,” he says and steps in to wrap an arm around her waist. A tiny lift that wouldn’t be noticed by anyone else raises her higher than her tip toes allow so that she can prop her chin on his shoulder. “Mahalo,” her soft voice is a little more muzzy than normal, and it’s hard to tell if she’s tired or choked up though Baz suspects it might be the latter. They’re half way down to the truck when he excuses himself from her side. Encourages her to continue down to Angie, keys in hand, and he’d be right there. She imagines he needs to use the lav, or maybe he wanted to grab a bottle of water or something. She slides into the passenger side, fastens her seat belt, and has the truck running when he returns and climbs in behind the wheel. Their first stop is a diner, on the mainland, one of those ‘60s style ones with waitresses in poodle skirts and old old rock and roll on the jukebox. The menu isn’t a throwback though and their waitress looks at her weird when she asks for bacon on her veggie burger, but Baz doesn’t seem to judge her. Then he orders a vanilla birthday cake shake for them to split, and Beth does not expect the whole slice of cake. She insists that he takes the first bite and he refuses. Says it’s her day. Like the monster she is, she takes the cherry and a healthy spoonful of the whipped cream.He never takes his eyes off of her. Sometimes she forgets his cage isn’t limited to the city. He drives through the night and they leave the lights and the people and the incessant noise of civilisation behind and before midnight, they end up in the Adirondacks. She laughs and says that it will be impossible to put up their tent in the dark and he only laughs. There’s faint orange light, a Halloween hued rave-trance as it were, and before she knows it, everything is up and comfortable and beautiful. She challenges him about not having the right things to wear. Which is when he produces the bag he packed for her when he left her on the stairs.It’s the cosiest weekend she can remember in a long time. Quiet conversations over coffee, cuddling and star gazing by campfire, and maybe the moment she hoards away the most is when he pulls back her hair and brushes the back of her neck with his breath. It’s a romantic gesture but maybe not the one she was expecting, when he slips the necklace around her and clasps it. It’s a glass apple, but this one…rather than being frosted glass like her ghost-apple is filled with the tiniest of wild flowers. She recognises them immediately as the ones in bloom the evening they spent watching fireflies, the night they shared their first real kiss. She can’t help the tears, and her hands still trembles when he offers her a turtle for comfort. She wonders if he knows the symbolism in it other than the honu being her 'aumakua. Silver, a noble metal in alchemy, has associations with Hina, the moon. Set into it is chalcedony, purple agate in this case. Her favourite colour, but also a stone that represents harmony, balance, self-confidence, and protection. Things Beth needs in her life that she doesn’t possess natively. The stone of science, the sacred stone of the astral depending on one’s philosophy, it also has associations with healing, spiritual enlightenment, and offering clarity to analytical skills. Honu as an 'aumakua is a symbol of longevity and safety, one’s personal mana. Its presence is thought to bring good luck and peace. It offers long life, wisdom and guidance. The weight of the gift is so much more than the few partial ounces on her finger. “Mahalo, Bas'jen, f’ all of dis, for ya effort an’ ya surprises, but mos'ly? For you.”

[brooklynislandgirl]

💋

Out of the Bearded Barley || Accepting

"...mean it, Apps..." Beth has no idea what it is that he means. He could have offered to drive her home, because of course he would. He wouldn't leave her stranded outside of the city with no obvious way to get home, because he's a gentleman and doesn't always remember that she can be any living thing she wants. He could be threatening to pull her apart one molecule at a time, and that might actually work toward destroying her. She's never been deconstructed down to the atomic level before and she doesn't know if her body would insist on knitting itself back together. And while that's utterly gruesome a mental image, horrific in ways other people would be shocked by, it only leaves her a little curious, and she chalks it into her mental dry erase board as Future Date Ideas. Starting small. With like a finger or a toe, something that could easily be grown back. But most likely it has something to do with the worry stone he'd been idly rubbing between his fingers while not really conversing with her. They'd gotten here, to their field, entirely too early. The dying daylight will still glow purple-gold for a while yet, which means it will take at least that long to see the first few flickers of the fireflies. And as so often happens with their various difficulties, they don't really talk much, which means neither has to strain to understand the other. She half wonders if maybe they should come up with their own language. Though that's hard too, because Baz doesn't make a lot of eye-contact either. She doesn't know what possessed her to do it, but she does. She takes it and she's hopping down from the tailgate, then is off and running. "Catch me if you can!" And she thinks she's almost gotten away with it, until the breath is somewhat gently knocked out of her when he presses her into the tree she was about to hide behind. He manages to do something that softens the blow but after the initial impact, she can feel the bark at her back. His knee between her own. One hand up near her hair, the other comes down on her hip. They stand practically nose to nose, but only because the ground is uneven. She's sure a time or two of running it through her head, that he demands her to give it back. She grins gently. "Wha' ya gimmie in return?" His knuckles graze her jaw, and orange-tinged blue seems focused on her lips. "Ba-" He lifts her jaw and presses his lips to hers. She doesn't even notice as he slips the stone into his back pocket.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Advent Calendar: Day 19 @rugini​

She’d driven by the house in what might have been considered an act of stalking by local law enforcement, though if Beth had a say in it, she’d say the bigger crime was the light pollution and environmental impact from the North Pole having exploded all over his patch of land: there’s strings of lights in places she swears he added just to he could decorate it, there’s wreaths on the doors and the upper windows. Six inches of snow on the ground but if she’s being fair, everyone has that. If she saw reindeer nibbling on the hedges, she wouldn’t be surprised. The one thing she doesn’t see though, is any sign of his truck. Or his bike. Neither is he at work, and maybe she gets some questionable looks from SHIELD but that could just be the felt and heavy-gauge wire antlers on the roof of her Mustang, and the red light for a nose on the front grill. It’s a choice, okay? Baz would never silently criticise her over the aesthetics ~and he is the reason she did it~ and maybe some people are just natural Grinches with hearts and other body parts several sizes too small. At a loss, because like her, Baz is a creature of habit, she finally pulls out her phone. With which she has a five minute glaring conversation with. She tells it she doesn’t really need it and not to get so full of itself because she has to use it. It stares back, impassive, unmoved by anything she has to say. The cold war continues though because she texts him. {Text: Pilikia} Marco? And then she sits there a little longer. Her phone sullen. Only reluctantly informs her she’s gotten a text back. {Apples} pizza shop in VOP. Ain't bad She stares at the words for a few seconds, having no earthly idea what he means by that. But she doesn’t ask him to translate, nor does she correct his idea of what she might have been asking, which was the standard pool game of Marco-Polo. It’s getting to be a little too late for her comfort. The dinner she has in the picnic basket is in no danger of going off, but she’d like to get inside and share it with him, so she does the only thing that makes reasonable sense to her. She drives all the way back to his house. Parks on the street, so he has plenty of room when he makes it back. Then and only then does she finally answer him. {Text: Pilikia} Pretty sure if you get home in the next 45m, Santa won’t shove a lump of coal right in your… {Text: Pilikia} …stocking. I’m sitting in your street with dinner and presents. Gonna brave your front door. Should be hot by the time you get here, if your dad helps. {Text: Pilikia} 🧡💜💋

[brooklynislandgirl]

[ Text to Apples ]    I thought ya might like a weekend outta the city. Pick ya up after work? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Beth is in the middle of her PACE review, when the text comes in. "Mrs Maldonado, age 81, described feeling a 'sharp pain' over her heart, does not radiate-" Out there where the moon hits the water "And rated an 8/10. Pain began about thirty minutes ago and-" Out there where your lips hit mine I don't know where we are Cause somebody stole the street signs I'ma take my sweet time She juggles her clipboard to retrieve her phone and hits mute. "Thinks she is having a heart attack, though she reported no history of heart disease or hypertension. Doctor Clark is signing off on..." And so it goes for nine more patients, and she doesn't seem to even remember it being her birthday, or even that she'd gotten the text by the time she gets to her locker. Finds the birthday balloon bouquet that her coworkers pitched into give her. As she's applying fresh deodorant before putting on civilian clothes, Pam glances over. "So, Cutie Mechanic got something special planned for your week off?" "I...ah...oh, oh man." She digs her phone out again and reads the text. She glances at the other nurse, and smiles. "Yeah, I...I guess he does." "When are you gonna make it official?" Beth blinks. "Because I don't think you can say you're just friends if he wants to take you away for the weekend." Beth's smile has a few too many teeth. "That's because you've never been friends with a man a day in your life." There's a little more banter before she's allowed to text back. {Text: Nakia} That sounds wonderful. Meet you out front. And she means it. What she also knows is maybe, just maybe they do need to have a talk, likely on the ride up to wherever he's got planned. She finishes dressing and grabs both her bag and her balloons. She should have known the time she's running late is the one time Baz Barton shows up on time. His orange pick-up stands out amongst the employee parking ~he gets to take a spot because she always takes the subway~ and it makes her smile. She settles against him in a hug, already starting to apologise for being late when he reaches up to tug on a lock of her hair. "Hey-hey Apps? Yeah, hi." She stands tip-toe and kisses his cheek. "Hi."