#connor is NOT cut from the gay cloth | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

daxwritesstories · 8 months ago

Text

College AU Part 28: Flowers

Scene 1: Modern Love

(Scene title by David Bowie)

INT. Cafeteria - Noon

Connor, Cyra, and Vir are sitting at a table together, eating lunch. Cyra nods at Connor.

CYRA: How come you're not method acting today?

Connor laughs.

CONNOR: You want me to keep cross-dressing until the play is done?

CYRA: Yes.

Vir laughs.

VIR: You're one of those people who look good in men's and women's clothing.

CONNOR: Thank you! You're one of those people too, Vir.

VIR: Mm... I don't know about that.

CONNOR: Are you kidding? I've seen you wear masculine clothing. It looks good.

Vir smiles and flicks her wrist.

VIR: Oh stop...

CYRA: It's true. Remember when we were in middle school and you had that phase where you only wore flannels and men's pants?

Vir laughs.

VIR: Of course I remember. How was I so much gayer back then?

Connor and Cyra laugh.

We cut to a shot of Leon walking through the cafeteria. He looks over at Cyra's table, hearing laughter. When he realizes who it is, he approaches them. Cyra notices him right away.

CYRA: Hey, Leon!

LEON: Hi Cyra. Mind if I sit with you guys?

VIR: Go ahead.

Leon grabs a chair and sits down.

CONNOR: Don't I know you from somewhere?

VIR: He was at Cyra's Halloween party.

CONNOR: Oh! You were dressed like a puppy.

Leon chuckles.

LEON: Yeah... Um, I'm also Jayce's roommate. I think you know him...?

Connor smiles and nods.

CONNOR: Mhm... Was he talking about me?

Connor's tone changes to something more flirtatious. Cyra immediately picks up on it.

CYRA: Wait, did you fuck Jayce?

Leon snickers.

CONNOR: What's it to you?

Cyra smacks Connor's arm.

CYRA: That's my ex-boyfriend, you whore!

CONNOR: Ex-boyfriend.

CYRA: Stop fucking my exes!

CONNOR: Hey, you didn't have a problem when you found Celia in my dorm.

CYRA: I was in a good mood that day.

VIR: Okay, stop it, you two.

Vir grabs Cyra's wrist and squeezes it to calm her down. Leon fiddles with his thumbs.

LEON: So, um... Are you, like, bi or...?

Connor smiles.

CONNOR: I like everyone. Why do you ask, cutie?

LEON: Uh... Are you all bi?

VIR: I'm gay.

CYRA: I'm like Connor, I like everything. Technically it's called pansexual but I grew up with the word bisexual so that's what I use.

CONNOR: Same. Not many people use the pansexual label in my country so I just say I'm bi.

LEON: Huh...

Leon makes a face like he's thinking hard. Cyra smiles at him.

CYRA: Learning a lot?

Leon laughs.

LEON: There weren't really any gay people in my hometown. At least, not that I knew of. So hanging out with Prince and Jayce has been pretty cool. I've never really thought about this stuff before.

CYRA: Oh! So I'm assuming Prince is the first non-binary person you've met?

LEON: Yeah.

Cyra leans forward and raises an eyebrow.

CYRA: They're hot, aren't they?

LEON: Uh, yeah. They are.

CONNOR: Oh, I see.

LEON: What?

CONNOR: You're attracted to Prince, who you've seen looking both feminine and masculine. So now you're questioning things about yourself.

Cyra nods. Leon laughs nervously and glances around to see if anyone's listening.

LEON: I guess I'm being more obvious about it than I thought.

CYRA: Prince has that effect on people. Same thing happened to Jayce.

VIR: Did you bring this up because you want our help?

Leon shrugs.

LEON: I don't know. Well... how did you all figure it out?

Cyra pokes Vir's shoulder.

CYRA: I knew because of this bitch.

Vir laughs.

CYRA: We were really close when we were kids and eventually I realized that I had feelings for her.

VIR: And for me it was a lot of different things. I was already questioning and then Cyra kinda brought it out more.

Leon nods and then looks at Connor.

LEON: What about you?

CONNOR: I had a threesome with a guy and a girl. I ended up liking the guy just as much as I liked the girl.

CYRA: Okay, that story's way more fun than mine.

VIR: Yeah, what the fuck?

CYRA: How old were you?

Connor furrows his brow, thinking.

CONNOR: 15?

CYRA: Whoa!

CONNOR: What? How old were you?

CYRA: I was 11 when we started dating. Vir was 12.

VIR: But we weren't, like, doing stuff.

CYRA: Yeah.

LEON: Does it usually happen when you're young?

Cyra shakes her head.

CYRA: Some people don't figure it out until they're older.

CONNOR: Much older.

LEON: Huh...

Leon thinks some more. Cyra and Connor exchange mischievous glances.

CYRA: Why don't you talk about it with Jayce more? You two seem pretty close.

LEON: Jayce doesn't wanna talk about it.

CYRA: Hm. I guess he still gets embarrassed about that kind of stuff.

CONNOR: He didn't seem very embarrassed when I was with him.

CYRA: I'm gonna kill you.

Vir starts laughing.

Scene 2: Man To Man

(Scene title by Dorian Electra)

EXT. Campus - Evening

Erik is leaning against one of the school buildings, smoking. The nearby doors slide open and Devin walks out. He notices Erik and casually walks over to him.

DEVIN: Hey, man. Are you alright?

Erik takes a drag of his cigarette and then looks at Devin. He points at his black eye.

ERIK: Do I look alright to you?

DEVIN: What happened?

ERIK: I got in a fight. I lost.

DEVIN: With who?

ERIK: It doesn't matter. I'm not gonna try it again.

Devin sighs and leans against the wall.

DEVIN: You've been in a pretty bad mood since the cast announcement.

Erik frowns but doesn't say anything, taking another drag instead.

DEVIN: Look, I get it. I auditioned on a dare. I didn't wanna be in the play either.

ERIK: Yeah, I figured it was something like that.

DEVIN: We should probably just make the best of it. Otherwise we're both gonna have a terrible time.

ERIK: I guess so...

The pair fall silent for a moment.

ERIK: What do you think of the music prof?

DEVIN: The one directing the play? He seems pretty cool.

ERIK: Hm.

DEVIN: I thought you two would get along. Since he used to be in a band.

ERIK: Apparently he was the frontman. Singers usually piss me off.

Devin laughs. Erik isn't amused though.

DEVIN: Why? Because they're bossy?

ERIK: They just think that everything is about them. They think they can do whatever they want.

DEVIN: Ah. I get you.

Erik stares off into space.

Scene 3: In Too Deep

(Scene title by Sum 41)

INT. Boys dorm hallway - Morning

Cyra is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She is staring forward blankly.

The door to Ace and Zayn's dorm opens and Zayn comes out. Cyra immediately scrambles to her feet.

CYRA: Zayn!

ZAYN: Uh, hey. What are you doing here?

CYRA: I wanted to talk to you but I wasn't sure if you were awake yet...

ZAYN: Oh. What did you wanna talk about?

Cyra looks like she's about to cry. She hesitates for a moment before rushing over to Zayn and wrapping her arms around him. When she speaks we can hear her crying.

CYRA: I'm so sorry!

Zayn hugs back, squeezing her around her waist.

ZAYN: What are you talking about?

CYRA: You got attacked because of me. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry I got you wrapped up in this mess.

Zayn sighs and lets go of Cyra. He puts his hands on her shoulders when he pulls away from her.

ZAYN: What gave you that idea?

CYRA: I know Phoenix was trying to get back at you and Ace for helping me.

Cyra slouches in shame.

CYRA: I lied to Axel. I told him that Phoenix never did anything to me. Maybe if I had told the truth then Phoenix would've just left us all alone.

Zayn's gaze wanders as he thinks of what to say.

ZAYN: Honestly I kind of doubt that.

CYRA: What?

ZAYN: You have nothing to apologize for, Cyra. Phoenix obviously has it out for all three of us. He was the one who attacked you. You had no control over that.

CYRA: But I let him into the dorm.

ZAYN: Because you thought he was friends with Ace, right?

Cyra looks a little surprised.

CYRA: Well... Yeah, I guess.

ZAYN: See? You didn't know. You couldn't have.

Cyra sighs, giving up arguing.

CYRA: I still feel bad...

Zayn thinks for a moment.

ZAYN: Do you have classes this afternoon?

CYRA: Um... I have rehearsal for the play, but that's not until later.

ZAYN: Could you help me with something then?

CYRA: Yeah. Anything.

Scene 4: Flowers

(Scene title by Miley Cyrus)

INT. Flower shop - Afternoon

Zayn and Cyra are walking around a flower shop together.

ZAYN: See, I thought his favorite color was pink, but he's always wearing purple.

CYRA: It has to be pink. Everything he owns is pink. I think he just wears purple a lot because it's edgier.

ZAYN: Are you sure?

CYRA: Um, well... not entirely.

Cyra thinks hard.

CYRA: He wanted the car I bought him to be pink. I had to pay extra for it.

Zayn laughs.

ZAYN: I guess that is a pretty big decision.

CYRA: And it only took him a second to decide.

ZAYN: Huh. I guess if he was that certain about it...

An employee approaches them.

EMPLOYEE: Hi there! Can I help you find anything?

Zayn and Cyra both turn around to face her. Zayn looks caught off guard.

ZAYN: Uh...

CYRA: Do you have any flowers that come in, like, hot pink?

EMPLOYEE: Certainly! Who are these for?

Cyra looks at Zayn, waiting for him to answer.

ZAYN: They're for my, um, boyfriend.

EMPLOYEE: Okay! Do you know if he has a type of flower he likes the best?

Zayn looks a little panicked so Cyra answers for him.

CYRA: He likes pretty, feminine things.

EMPLOYEE: Okay... I have a couple ideas then. Follow me, please.

Cyra and Zayn follow the employee to a different part of the shop.

We cut to a bit later. The employee is standing behind the counter, next to a few different wrapping papers.

EMPLOYEE: The azaleas will be perfect for him!

ZAYN: I hope so...

Cyra smiles at Zayn and gives him a reassuring nod.

EMPLOYEE: What kind of wrapping did we want today?

CYRA: Can we see the colors you have for ribbons?

EMPLOYEE: Sure. Ribbons cost extra. Is that alright?

CYRA: Yes.

The employee opens a drawer in the front of the desk so Cyra and Zayn can look. Cyra picks up the end of one, a hot pink one, and holds it up to compare to the wrapping. After looking closely at it, Cyra points to a clear wrapping with pink stripes.

CYRA: That matches this ribbon. And they both go with the flowers.

EMPLOYEE: Oh! Good eye! So will we take these?

CYRA: Yes, please.

The employee goes to wrap up the flowers. Zayn takes a step closer to Cyra to talk to her.

ZAYN: Did they have to match?

CYRA: Ace will notice if they don't. You've probably noticed that he has an eye for details. He notices things that other people don't.

ZAYN: That's... true.

CYRA: I'm sure he wouldn't really care if they didn't match but it's the little things that make a difference.

EXT. Street - Afternoon

Cyra and Zayn exit the flower shop together. Zayn is holding the wrapped flowers.

CYRA: So... is there, like, a special occasion?

ZAYN: Ace is taking an exam right now. With that and my injury, he's been really stressed out. I wanted to surprise him after he finished the exam.

Cyra sighs and looks down at the ground.

CYRA: That's really sweet. I had no idea he was so stressed.

ZAYN: He hides it well.

Cyra shakes her head.

CYRA: That's not it. He's been avoiding me since the other night...

ZAYN: Oh.

CYRA: I don't know if it's because he's mad at me or if he feels awkward. Did he tell you what happened when he drove us home from the hospital?

ZAYN: About you having sex in the car? Yeah, he told me.

CYRA: It was weird. He was, like, mad at me and he kept looking like he was gonna change his mind and stop.

Zayn glances at Cyra, worried.

ZAYN: How old are you again?

CYRA: 18.

Zayn sighs.

ZAYN: Emotions are weird like that sometimes. You're still a teenager so it might be hard to understand something like that.

Cyra smiles.

CYRA: I'm not a baby.

ZAYN: I know. I just don't want you to feel confused.

CYRA: I think that ship already sailed.

Zayn laughs.

ZAYN: Well, I can't say for sure how he feels about you. I just know that it's complicated.

CYRA: Yeah...

ZAYN: Why don't you come wait for him with me?

Cyra looks confused.

CYRA: But... this was your idea.

ZAYN: And you helped me a lot. It can be a gift from both of us.

Cyra thinks for a moment and then smiles.

Scene 5: If It Means A Lot To You

(Scene title by A Day To Remember)

INT. Exam room - Afternoon

Ace walks up to the desk at the front of the room and puts his exam in a small basket.

PROF: Think you did well, Ace?

ACE: I guarantee I'll get the highest score in the class.

The prof nods.

PROF: I hope you're right.

INT. Hallway - Afternoon

Ace leaves the exam room. Zayn and Cyra are waiting there for him with the flowers. Ace stops for a moment, smiling but looking confused.

ACE: What's this?

Zayn holds out the flowers and Ace takes them.

ZAYN: Just a little gift. To celebrate finishing your exams.

ACE: From... both of you?

CYRA: Nope. Just from Zayn.

ZAYN: Cyra helped me pick these out.

CYRA: No I didn't!

ZAYN: And she paid for them.

CYRA: Nuh-uh!

Ace giggles and examines the flowers. He notably runs the ribbon through his fingers.

ACE: Thank you. They're beautiful.

Ace wraps his free arm around Zayn and kisses him. Cyra watches with a conflicted expression.

When Ace pulls away, he turns to face Cyra, which seems to make her nervous. Ace gently holds her jaw, forcing her to look him in the eye.

ACE: Good job, pup.

Cyra melts from his words, staring up at him with wide eyes. Ace smiles and lets go of her.

ACE: Are you coming back to the dorm with us?

Cyra's face lights up, but it only lasts a second before her posture deflates and she sighs.

CYRA: I have to go to rehearsal. It's the last one before the winter break.

ACE: Oh. Well, that's unfortunate for you. I guess we'll see you later then.

Ace ruffles Cyra's hair and starts walking away. Zayn follows him and whispers to Cyra when he passes her.

ZAYN (whispering): Thank you.

Cyra nods and waves at the men as they leave. Once they are out of sight, she leans against the wall and lets out a frustrated noise.

#cyra’s world #cyra college au #lgbt #bisexual characters #polyamourous #Zayn and Cyra's friendship is so sweet

0 notes

semischarmed · 4 years ago

Text

Temptation

-Wednesday-

I love him so much. God I love him. And he’ll never know. Maybe it was a curse from a past life or something. To live like this, tantalizingly close to him but unable to act. I knew he didn’t see me that way, but that didn’t help any in my situation.

Take today for instance, he just came back from the gym today soaked in the lingering smell of sweat. It was probably residual perspiration on the clothes he was carrying back or some other thing in his bag. Still. The smell. Goddamn. I could have died and gone to heaven on the spot. I tried to sneak a whiff of Connor, but all I could pick up was whatever soap and cologne he used. It was earthy, woodsy. Like cut cedar and fresh rain. It’s the Connor I always smelled, since he did always keep himself quite clean, and it’s a wonderful scent in its own right, forming the basis of my idea of Connor and the scent I associated with him. But damn. This paled in comparison to the hints of musk and workout sweat I could glean from his clothing. He reeked of pure man and it’s such a shame he covered that up. God I hope he doesn’t do laundry anytime soon.

He must have picked up on something, cause not a moment later I got a “Oh dude! I’m so sorry, this stuff probably reeks haha. I’ll get it washed up so it doesn’t stink up the place” he laughed politely. Fuck.

“Sure, you do you” I stated back, mentally cursing at his propensity for cleanliness.

You’d think the ROTC guys wouldn’t give two fucks about their smell but I guess Connor was an exception. Then again I don’t really know what they did, so maybe it was normal for them. In any case, he definitely did laundry tonight, and I definitely lost out on a good jack off.

-Friday-

So, weird thing happened last night. Connor looked tired as fuck, but he went out. The man must have been running on sheer willpower alone cause he had some kind of training day earlier today too. He collapsed in his room at like 8. Yet there he was an hour later- eyes bloodshot, hair tousled. Maybe he wanted to let loose or something? Still pretty weird. I mean, the guy was practically a saint. It’s odd enough that he went out for drinks, but even odder that he went out dressed like he did. Still I could definitely get used to a more experimental Connor.

He was also a little looser when he came back. Gave me a pat on the shoulder and a wink. Something about “keeping the room safe” or something. I couldn’t concentrate enough to tell what he was actually rambling about. His breath was drenched in alcohol. I feel like I almost got drunk off the fumes alone when he spoke. No surprise when he had no recollection of any of it after he woke up from his nap.

Total guilty pleasure, but the messy look was kind of hot on him. Never seen my friend so disheveled like this, he was always so prim and proper. It’s kind of nice to see him knocked down a few pegs.

-Tuesday-

Connor let out a cute yawn before scratching his pits. He gave his scratching hand a quick sniff before settling into a satisfied smile. My dick jumped a little. I feigned ignorance when he regarded me, asking me if I saw that. “I… uh…no. Definitely not.”

“Sure dude.” Now fully aware of my stare, Connor continued scratching at himself. “You’re seeing this now though, right?” He ran a hand over his stomach, gently feeling through his defined abs. I kept replaying the event in my head, drooling the delight I just witnessed and at a little daydream of me coming up to to feel this new side of Connor with him. In my daze, I barely noticed my roommate inching closer.

Plus, did he seem… bigger? Though I can’t say I’ve ever seen the guy without a shirt on so I guess I just never noticed. Regardless, this version of Connor was fucking hot. Looks like he’s got a tat too. Hot.

“Baby if you’re gonna keep looking, you might as well have a taste.” He laughed warmly. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. In my stunned state, I couldn’t do anything beyond stare at him in disbelief as a vascular hand that seemed larger than it should be guided mine around his perky ass. God what a nice ass. I still recoiled out of the sheer absurdity in the situation. Try as I might, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea of this Connor. It’s like he was two different people. Well, I definitely liked this version of my friend more. I’m still drooling over what just happened.

“Another time, then,” he chuckled before walking to his room.

Weird. Connor never really shut his door other than to sleep. Guess he was tired or something.

-Thursday-

Well shit, I totally misread all of that. Today, I thought I saw that same glint of intrigue in his eyes and decided to risk it. Conner was just sitting in his boxers eating cereal and I was just standing there, a few feet behind. I couldn’t help it. My hand instinctively reached out and the cupped the outline of his ass. Perky. It was cute and compact and plump but definitely had a bit of muscle behind it. I regretted the action immediately.

“…The fuck dude?” He gently whispered. It was more bewilderment than anything. Fuck. He was incredulous and I couldn’t blame him. Anger raged inside him, I could tell. But neither of us knew what to do in the situation. We stood there, staring at each other for what felt like hours before I relented.

In shame I could barely stammer out a shameful “s-sorry” before I slunk back to my room, bright red.

I fucked up.

-Monday-

Okay. Scratch everything I just said. Connor is fucking with me. He’s got to be. He strode around the apartment half naked, humming a quiet tune to himself. Sure. Fine, I guess. Whatever. But as soon as he noticed me on the couch working on an essay, he walked over and gave me a hug from behind. Oh my god that hug. Connor was a lean dude, but I swear his muscles were fucking bulging, like they were barely contained in his skin. He wrapped those thick pythons over my shoulders and chest and I just about melted on the spot. I’m pretty sure I moaned a little too. Who wouldn’t? Wrapped in his warm embrace, surrounded by this man- I was his for that moment. I tensed up on the spot. I knew he didn’t swing that way, so I don’t know what he was trying but there was no way I would fall for what I could only assume was some kind of trap.

He spoke in a tone laced in sex. It set me off in a way I didn’t expect. This was a side of Connor I’ve never seen, a tone of Connor I’ve never heard- an experience of Connor I’ve never had. It was a Connor I never knew I needed.

“I’ve seen the way you look at this body. You’re not very subtle.” In the faintest of whispers, he leaned in until his lips were barely touching my ear. My dick was already rock hard in anticipation- I was practically bursting at the seams and I’m sure he had a great view of it. “Just say the word and ‘Connor’ is yours”.

With a control and a willpower I never had before, I refrained from kissing this boy- from putting myself all over him on the spot. I mentally cursed at my friend. ‘What the fuck are you playing at Connor?’

His hot, damp breath caressed my ear in its own embrace as I stood my ground, unmoving like stone. “Got to hand it to you, bro, you put up a really good fight. It’s okay. I love a good fight. Makes victory taste all the more sweeter.” The feel of Connor’s thick, defined fingers running through my hair and wet, slimy tongue across my cheek. He rolled his body forward, so the pulse through his abs would be felt across the back of my neck. From this spot, he was downright imposing. His guns went in for another caress- this time wrapping across my cheeks and around my chin.

“You know I love you bro… This body’s straight as an arrow. But it’s my body- I’ll go gay for you if you want”. What the fuck. Oh god I got a bit of his sweat on my cheek too. My eyes fluttered, body entrapped in a spell of my own hormones reacting to my friend’s advances.

Connor broke me. I shivered on the spot, leaned up to the man, moaned an “Oh fuck…Connor I-I need you. I-” before he cut me off. “Well bro, kind of looks like you still got some work today- you have fun with that.” He laughed coldly. He was fucking with me.

That whole exchange was really fucking weird, cause just a few hours later, it was back to pure awkward silence between us. Like a flip of a switch, the every energy he exuded around me could only be described as “uncomfortable”. I wanted to talk to him, to speak with him about earlier, to tell him I wanted him the same way. Something about those eyes read differently though. They read the same Connor I had been used to until recently. I decided to hold my tongue. Something about this situation wasn’t adding up.

Also I’m pretty sure this kid needs to see a doctor or something. I swear the guy doesn’t sleep- he’s out every night and then I see his tired ass drag himself to class every morning. Rushing a frat? Weird drugs? Could have been a host of things.

-Tuesday-

Now 4 days since the incident last week. Thankfully he hasn’t brought it up- nor has he brought up whatever the fuck yesterday was. If it was even real. I sweat and stumble over my sentences in every conversation I make with him. I flash back to what he said to me. God, this was all too much. Every time I try to focus myself, focus on whatever he was talking to me about, I couldn’t help but think of the Connor that visited me yesterday night.

Maybe, maybe it was just a hallucination. Maybe I dreamed it all up. I was working on an essay for hours. The whole encounter could have easily been a dream. He’s been going out every night too, so it’s not like he could have been speaking to me that coherently. Still. That didn’t make it any better. Whether or not he knew it, Connor was a demon in my life.

I shamefully admit I totally jacked off to that little exchange from yesterday after he left. Grabbed some used Connor-scented garments off his hamper and exploded all over myself in a Connor-themed session. Nothing like the exquisite gym-soaked clothes from a week ago, but it was enough. It was still Connor. My eyes rolled up to the back of my head in pleasure as I took a breath, basking in the afterglow and the scent of forest and earth and faintest lingering musk of Connor in my nose. Connor was everything to me and, hallucination or not, I committed yesterday’s events to memory.

-Still Tuesday-

Shitshitshit. Definitely not a dream. I caught the son of a bitch. In the dead of night, I caught him sneaking in from a dark corner of the room. Like a figure manifest from the shadows itself. He was holding some silver figurine in his hand, reciting some odd words, before he lunged at the sleeping Connor. He gave my roommate a quick sniff before scoffing. “Bro you have to stop cleaning all your nice smells away… With that the stranger pulled at the corners of Connor’s mouth. I watched as my roommate’s skin was forced to accommodate the man’s muscular calves.

I watched as the stranger pulled Connor every further up himself. Damn, even in the dark I could tell the man was ripped. When his head finally slotted into where Connor’s skull would be, and Connor’s face was stretched being pulled, I saw the immediate change in my friend’s demeanor. This was the guy who’s been fucking with me recently. This was why Connor looked so buff lately. I couldn’t see the man who jumped inside my best friend, but I could never wipe that smug smile he wore through Connor’s face.

The smell that originated from inside Connor, the same smell I experienced a week ago. God I loved that scent. It permeated throughout the room. Best friend concentrate. Like a humid, musky, grime that clung to the very air and decorated my nostrils. I never wanted his scent out of me again. I felt like I was inhaling Connor himself, regarding a newly discovered private part of my friend.

My stomach churned in a mix of anticipation and horror. Sweat beaded at my temples. Gotta admit, this was kind of hot. I had to figure out what I was gonna do about this. Self-preservation kicked in and I fled to my room, taking special attention to ensure I did not alert the man inside Connor. Not like he’d notice anyways- dude was feeling himself up almost immediately after he slipped inside.

-Wednesday-

It’s like clockwork at this point. The “other” Connor came back early in the morning from a wild night out, before passing out on our couch as I was finally able to speak with my friend. Impossibly tired eyes looked back at me. He gave a weak grimace. “Must have passed out again….Uh.. can I help you man?” My heart sank. Could I really tell him this? My poor roommate. “No, uh.. do you want any breakfast?”.

I could tell he had meant to say yes. He motioned as much, before staring at my face and turning away. Fuck. He was definitely still put off by last week’s advance. I honestly don’t blame him. “N-no. I got it. Thanks.”

I grimaced awkwardly before shrugging and walking to fix myself some breakfast. This would complicate things. And I couldn’t do that to Connor. I needed to find a way to fix this without him knowing. Evidently, his body being used and worn out like an evening jacket was taking its toll on him. Despite whatever we were going through, he was still my friend. And I couldn’t in good faith add more to that burden.

“Hey, one of the guys from the gym’s coming over for dinner, that cool?”

“Yeah man, I’ll just order some extra pizza,” I said back, sighing internally in relief at some semblance of normalcy.

-Still Wednesday -

I met Connor’s gym friend. To be honest, already forgot his name. He gave me a wink when he shook my hand and I couldn’t stop staring all dinner. I think even Connor picked up on it. He looked almost jealous with all the attention I usually gave him being directed at the stranger. The stranger asked to use the bathroom, and I wanted to let him know how to get to it, but he seemed to already know the path.

“Hey bro, is it cool if I stay the night?“ I nodded automatically, lost in deep thought.

There’s something peculiar about the Connor’s gym friend. And I didn’t notice it until I was already in bed. Then hit me like a brick.

That fucking smirk.

-End-

If anyone knows who this guy is, please let me know… for.. uh.. research purposes.

#male skin suit #male control #male transformation

492 notes · View notes

incorrectbatfam · 5 years ago

Note

1) we stan 2) what do you headcanon other heroes as?

Previous post with the batfam here

And I’m putting this under the cut because it’s gonna get long

Wonder Woman and Aquaman are both pansexual trans deities.

Hal Jordan is a closeted gay who slowly came out with the help of a bisexual Barry Allen and sapphic Jessica Cruz. Kyle Rayner is similar—Donna Troy, a lesbian, helped him figure things out.

All Martians are genderfluid and demisexual.

Starfire is polysexual and nonbinary.

Roy, Oliver, and Dinah are all bi. Roy and Oliver are the certified Disaster Bis™ and Dinah has their brain cell. Emiko Queen is a lesbian, Mia Dearden is an HIV-positive demigirl, and Connor Hawke is an asexual homoromantic. Their arrows may be straight, but their family sure isn’t.

Ted Kord and Michael Carter are husbands.

All the Atoms are ace and they adopted Billy Batson as their Baby Ace™.

Zatanna is an out and proud lesbian with a side gig as a drag king. Likewise, Constantine is gay and is a drag queen at Z’s shows.

Like I said before, all Kryptonians are pan. I’m also gonna add that Conner Kent is a demiboy who gives gender roles the finger.

Kaldur’ahm, Eduardo Dorado Jr., Natasha Irons, and Traci 13 are all canonically gay/lesbian.

And don’t forget another canon gay: Miguel Barragan.

Wally is bisexual and Artemis is demisexual.

Later on, Jai West comes out as bi and Irey West as a chapstick lesbian.

Technically Harley and Ivy are villains/antiheroes, but it’s more than canon at this point that they are girlfriends living it up.

Bart Allen is 100% gay. And, as a future boy, he doesn’t understand gendered clothing and will wear whatever he feels like.

Beast Boy doesn’t ascribe to any labels, saying that “there’s plenty of my lovin’ to go around”. Meanwhile, Raven is demiromantic and is fine with either she/her or they/them pronouns.

Lucy Quinzel is gender-nonconforming.

Cyborg is a demi-guy who goes by he/him or they/them pronouns.

Jaime Reyes had a hard time coming to terms with his bisexuality because of his religious upbringing, but he learned to embrace his identity with a little help from his friends. Also, Khaji Da goes by literally any pronouns.

Katana is a homosexual aromantic.

The Gotham and Central City Rogues are the personification of “be gay, do crime”.

Virgil Hawkins is questioning because he accidentally developed a crush on Tim Drake.

Tye Longshadow also may or may not have a thing for Tim.

Both Jon Kent and Colin Wilkes have a crush on Damian Wayne. Neither made any effort to hide it and yet Damian still hasn’t noticed.

Maya Ducard uses “lesbian” as an umbrella term even though she experiences attraction to all kinds of people.

Throughout their teen years, Milagro Reyes had a hopeless crush on Lian Harper.

Cassie Sandsmark is ace.

#ask #anonymous #justice league #young justice #super sons #teen titans #red hood and the outlaws #arrow family #flash family #lantern family #superfamily #gotham rogues #central city rogues #wonder family #dc comics

202 notes · View notes

magiefish · 4 years ago

Text

hhhhhhhhhh guess who drew all the batim characters in prep for the comic they’re making!

yeah so it took like 4 days to draw all these guys, and it was actually pretty fun figuring out colours and designs and stuff!

(also, update on the Reveries Twisted comic, I have a plan for the first chapter but i have like, 7 tests next week and I haven’t started drawing it yet so it’s definitely not going to be coming out anytime soon sdfgsdfsj but i am still working on it!)

anyway, i felt like writing little descriptions for every character, so feel free to read these below the ‘keep reading’ line if you feel like it! My ask box is also always open, so if u have any questions feel free to ask

Bertrum Piedmont-he/him, gay/ace

-Started working as a mechanic at about 15 and worked his way up from there -Everyone in the studio @ him: why are u british -His big ego often gets in the way of things, but at his core he's a good person (doing bad shit but ultimately having good intentions is common among these guys shdgfs) -Wlw & mlm solidarity w/ Lacie, who is his most trusted confidant and friend -Actually treats his employees well, even when they do basically nothing all day, so he does a lot of work himself most of the time Linda Stein-she/her, straight as a ruler -Parents immigrated from Spain -She's very catholic and very into 'traditional family values' and that sort of stuff -She is sweet, but her strict morals and black and white ethics often make her do unintentional harm -She is also pretty oblivious to most things Jack Fain-he/him & they/them, pan/ace, OCD -Mother immigrated from China to France, and then he moved to America, it's confusing -Can play the violin really well, but is terrible at composing his own pieces -Peak friend material -Short and round and soft with a love of a good espresso -Kind and quiet but ultimately ineffective and happy to watch from the sidelines Daniel 'Buddy' Lewek-he/him, aro/ace, autistic, jewish -He is curious and observant, but very very naive -He finds it hard to pick up on social cues, and tends to daydream a lot -Never really had a father figure, and unfortunately kind of half sees Joey as one (baaaad choice), but his mother is great -Loves drawing and tends to chew on pens (and most objects really) -Too young Susie Campbell-she/her, demi -Her parents were Russian and she picked up their accent, but taught herself how to cover it up. She is now excellent at voice acting. -Has a birthmark most theatres turned her away for. But luckily voice acting gave her another chance at performance, and the music department really does not care about it. -Her dad was a butcher, so she now knows a concerning amount about how to cut up and dissect meat. -She gets easily attached to things emotionally, and has a whole pile of random bits and bops she keeps on her person because she can't throw them away. -Naive, but smart enough to know how to read and deceive people if needed. Ms Abigail Lambert-she/her, lesbian -A very gifted artist, who is quite frustrated with the business aspect of animation. -Picked up quite a few things about engineering from Lacie. -Stern, but kind. Motherly, if she likes you and you squint hard enough. -Used to fighting for things. -Giving her food is a pretty good way to get her to like you. Being an artist, she forgets to eat at the correct times a lot, so a meals always appreciated. Norman Polk-he/him, gay, albino -Knows how to fix things, knows how to fight, knows how to hide -General cool uncle vibes -He watches people a lot, and gives off some creepy vibes, but he does genuinely care about people -Knows something is up and is determined to find out what (even if he dies trying) -Fought in WW1, then worked at a cinema for a bit. Emma Lamont-she/her, heteroflexible -Keep dancing even when everything goes wrong -Bit of a 'i'm better than these fools' mentality going on -But she's pretty chill, and willing to act when needed -Basically every woman in the studio knows her on the basis that she chills in the girls bathroom. -Hates Joey, but knows those who stir up a bit too much trouble usually 'resign' Sammy Lawrence-he/him, (vocal-romantic) bi/ace, ADD -His dad sucked, so he ran away. He's also the reason he's largely abandoned his faith, but he still holds hope that there is some kind of god out there. -He and Jack are basically brothers, they've known each other for a long time. -He can compose music in his head, but can play basically every instrument. -Tall and thin and sharp with a love of black coffee. -He's actually pretty chill and nice, but the conditions of the studio (workload, noises, dreams) have left him quick to snap and a stressed out mess. -He's pretty oblivious to his own feelings and spends basically all his time thinking about music, so he usually only realises that he has a crush on someone if he hears them singing (hence the vocal-romantic joke) Johnny Hart-he/him (she/her), gay (trans), heart condition -A nervous wreck who avoids everything and everyone -Trans but doesn't realise it, he thinks this level of discomfort has something to do with his heart condition or something like that. -Speaking of which, if he gets genuinely terrified or panicked he could have a heart attack. -Hence why he's a recluse who remains in the organ room and interacts w/ literally no one. -Except Dot and Buddy (who forgets he exists and who he also has a crush on). Wally Franks-he/him, pan -Friends with literally everyone who isn't one of the older folks (and thomas) -Honorary member of the music department because he can play a harmonica and vibes with everyone there. -Tries to put a positive spin on everything, often beyond the point of reason -A mischevous, mildly selfish prankster with a heart of gold -Gossip pals with Susie and Norman The Violinist-she/her, nobody knows -Has literally never expressed an emotion ever -Seems to know things are going to happen before they happen -Just generally pretty weird -She isn't friends with Dot, they're both just vaguely interested in what the others doing -She looks a lot like Allison, but the two have never spoken and nobody knows if they're sisters Thomas Connor-they/them, gynephilia -He is just. So tired. -An actual mechanical genius who gets his work used for the wrong purposes. -Is very of the 'when you're on a path stick to it' mentality -Cold and hard exterior that vertually no one except Allison has ever managed to get through. -He can and will beat you up. Henry Stein-he/him, gay, vitiligo -Nice and hardworking. -Doesn't have many emotions other than to draw. -He's in fucking narnia he's so deep in the closest. -Feels emotions, but buries them deep down and doesn't express them too clearly. -Has difficulty setting healthy boundaries with people and represses himself far too much. Joey Drew-he/him, homoromantic/pansexual, bipolar disorder, alcohol and cigarette addictions -Chaotic, feral, short little man who lies to everyone -Charismatic as hell, but also a terrible friend and person in general -He doesn't blink enough, does not know the meaning of personal space, and hasn't aged for about 4 years, which are all very bad signs. -Doesn't understand how to run a business but does so anyway. Doesn't understand how to interact with people but does so anyway. Doesn't understand how to create life but does so anyway- -He isn't pure evil, he just gets into very bad mindsets and makes poor decisions that lead him down the wrongest way to go. -Does some self evaluation and goes 'maybe this wasn't the right way chief :/' just a bit too late Audrey Dempsey-she/her, lesbian, Borderline Personality Disorder -Feral conspiracy theorist -May or may not be related to multiple studio members -Everyone's called her crazy for years and made her feel like a burden, and she is hellbent on proving everyone wrong -Quite socially awkward, and rather sarcastic with a dark sense of humour -Works for Archgate Allison Pendle-she/her & they/them, androphilic/ace -Is forever lost in a vintage clothing store -Most people say she seems nice, but everyone just kind of subconciously registers that there is something up with her -Knows a lot about the supernatural -The person closest to Joey, which doesn't necessarily mean they're friends -Nobody has ever seen the right side of her face Dot Acciaci-she/her, pan -Her parents are Italian, and she speaks a little herself, usually using it to encrypt her private notes -Mischevious & curious, but ultimately kind -She will find out your secrets, and is very good at reading people -Great storyteller -Struggles with loneliness a lot Dr Eleanor Hackenbush-she/her, aro/ace -Science knows no bounds -Doesn't care what your motivation is, as long as you give her some cash and some experiments -Filled with nothing but utter spite Ms Reina Rodriguez-they/them, demi -Tired of everything -Although she puts up a calm exterior, Rodriguez is very attached to the studio and views it as her 'new family', having a terrible relationship with her old one -Her family drama connects to the fact they're very catholic, but she nobody knows what this drama is other than Joey Tessa Arch-she/her, straight -An absolute bitch -Trusts her husband far too much -Not very smart, but compensates for this for being good looking and rich Shawn Flynn-he/him (intersex), pan -Jovial, but gets angry quickly -Willing to do 'wrong' things if it helps someone else out, kind of like Robin Hood or something -His mother taught him how to sew and he helped her make clothes when he was younger -Found it hard to get a job because he's Irish, so despite being tired of all the bullshit of JDS, he is reluctant to look elsewhere -Friends with Lacie and Grant because they appreciate his humour Lacie Benton-She/her, lesbian, trans -Tougher than the toughies -wlw & mlm solidarity w/ Bertrum, who she views as one of the only genuinely smart people in JDS and who she has worked for for basically all of her life -Feels like something is up, but doesn't notice much if it doesn't connect to her work -Has automatophobia -Friend with Shawn and Grant because she respects their dedication to their work Grant Cohen-He/him, bi, depression, jewish -Absolute madlad at maths -Acts like he doesn't care what you think, cares far too much about what you think -Everyone wants him to just get therapy already -Doesn't have many friends, but has a weird 'we're both horribly overworked' kinship with Sammy, so they usually just chill and smoke together -Friends with Shawn and Lacie because they're actually mentally stable and he needs some rocks Nathan Arch-He/him, straight -You should hate him -You should hate him a lot -Super rich and doesn't pay his workers enough -Silver tongued -Basically a spider. Creates webs of manipulation and lies, sees a lot, and knows plenty about waiting for his prey to come to him.

48 notes · View notes

lovingmyselfcore · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter One

Skate Into My Heart -- Solangelo AU

It’s finally here!

In the prologue I said that sectionals came first- I’m sorry part of the internet lied to me. Regionals is first so that’s what’ll be happening here

Bryce was barreling towards him.

Clarisse attempted to take the puck and stop Bryce but today he was chock full of red-hot anger and elbowed her out of his way, swiping at her ankles with his stick.

She barely managed to skate out of his way and yelled, “Lawrence! What’s the matter with you!”

It seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

He kept the puck close to him, keeping every other player away from him.

And he just kept his course straight to the goal. Straight to Will.

It was a practice game. Didn’t he know that? What was he doing? This wasn’t a big deal.

Bryce was still skating when he shot. It seemed like it was in slow-motion. The puck soared through the air, rising off the ice.

Will dove to block it from entering the goal - which was the wrong move. It hit him square in his chest, with enough force to make Will abruptly lose his breath.

Bryce came to a halt in front of him, spraying Will with ice shards.

“Lawrence, it seemed like that had quite the pent up aggression,” Connor said, while Will caught his breath.

Bryce rolled his eyes, taking off his helmet. “Just cause Solace and the rest of you are weak pussies.”

“Pussies’?” Travis came up behind Connor. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Clarisse only snarled her agreement.

“Guys,” Jason said. “Come on, it’s just Bryce being Bryce.”

Bryce turned to face Jason. “What is that supposed to mean, Grace.”

Jason crossed his arms, his eyes flashing.

“Why was that the term you picked?” Clarisse asked, her voice low. Dangerous.

“This isn’t helping anything.” Will cut in. “Let’s just leave it. He’ll learn his lesson eventually. Someone will teach him.”

Jason seemed to steel himself, “Yeah. Let’s not fight.”

“Why?” Bryce taunted. “Are you both gay or something?” Will felt his hand twitch, almost curling itself into a fist. Surveying the team, everybody seemed to be holding themselves back.

Will was saved from answering Bryce’s (admittedly, most likely rhetorical, though it was doubtful he knew what that word meant) when he heard someone yell, “Will!”

It was Kayla standing at the edge of the rink. He skated over to her and came to a stop in front of her.

He jumped up to sit on the thick barrier and pull his skates off. “What?” He looked over to see Kayla looking at him with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for ages now. Your mom keeps calling your phone.”

Will went quiet, holding back a curse.

Kayla looked at him sympathetically despite him not saying anything.

“Alright. Thanks.” She patted him on the shoulder as he wove around her.

“Hey, mom,”

“William. Why haven’t you answered me?”

“I’ve been practicing, mom.”

“Practicing for anything in particular?” Her voice was high - too high - he knew this always meant she expected an answer he couldn’t give her.

“Hockey, mom.”

She sighed sadly and he got defensive.

“You know I’m only playing to try and somehow help me get through med school.”

“I know, honey. But still, it’s such a brutish sport, and locker rooms,” He could feel her shudder through the phone. “All the men.”

Will knew better than to probe about what that meant.

It would be easier to get through med school if you let me ask - or even talk - to dad. You and I both know he’d be willing. It is Medical School.

He didn’t say that though, it would only piss her off or make her sad and it just wouldn’t be a good situation.

After an awkward silence, he saw Jason poke his head into the narrow corridor Will was in. Jason made some frantic, but quiet (ever polite) hand motions.

Will didn’t know if he should be feeling such intense relief, considering Jason’s face was pretty panicked.

“Mom, I’ve got to know. They need me.”

“Okay,” She said hesitantly. “Make sure to study tonight. You’ve got to keep everything fresh. Always.”

He wasn’t even in school yet. (He was trying though). And she wanted him to know everything.

Will didn’t know what he hated more. His mother’s expectations, or Bryce Lawerence. Really, it was a difficult choice.

She hung up before he could say anything.

He jogged over to where Jason was. “C’mon,” Jason said.

While they were walking Jason kept glancing at Will with a concerned expression. “What,” Will said finally, lips quirking into a smile.

“You alright, man? Your facial expressions during that call didn’t seem great.”

Will shrugged dismissively, “Just my mom. You know how that is.”

Jason laughed darkly, “Don’t I.”

“So what’s up,” Will asked, remembering how frantic he’d been.

“Oh, yeah. Um.”

Will grinned, “Spit it out, Grace. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

Jason snorted. “I need someone to come with me to the figure skating Regionals tonight.”

Will tripped over his own feet but caught himself before he hit the ground.

Jason looked at him with brief worry then just burst out laughing.

“Leave me alone,” But Will was laughing too. “Why?”

“So you know, my sister Thalia,” Will nodded - everybody knew Thalia - “She’s best friends with this woman, Annabeth Chase. They’ve known each other since Annabeth was seven. Old history ya know.”

“So Annabeth’s a skater. She was going to be competing actually. But something awful happened with her boyfriend, he’s across the country. I’m unsure about the details. Thalia left to meet them earlier today, she’s also close with the boyfriend, I guess. So Thals needs me to go because apparently these tickets cost a lot and she doesn’t want them to go to waste.”

Jason’s voice got low like he was sharing a conspiracy nobody knew. “A little secret about me, I appreciate figure skaters.”

Will let out a surprised laugh and made his voice as low as Jason’s, “Me too.”

Jason smiled, “I figured. Which is why I’m inviting you. Thalia had two. One for her, and one for Grover Underwood.”

Will hummed his acknowledgment. “Yeah, dude. Of course, I’ll come. Just tell me time and place.”

Jason pumped his fist in the air.

~~~~~

Jason had told him he would pick him up, so here Will was. Waiting for Jason to arrive. He’d dressed nice (but not too nice) it was a competition after all, and despite how much he’d deny it his mother’s lessons in etiquette had stuck.

Will was texting, sitting on the couch up against the window in his small apartment. He was letting the dying sunlight filter in and light the space. The reds and oranges and yellows made Will look like some sort of deity. It haloed his hair and accentuated the sharp planes of his face. His feet were propped, knees bent, next to him.

It was a groupchat with Austin, Kayla, and himself. The only way it could be summed up is: chaos.

Kayla: Sooooo

Austin: Yes?

Kayla: Not you

Austin: How dare you

Kayla: Go play your saxophone and feel better

Austin: I will

Austin: Not because you told me to

Kayla: Oh of course not

Will: So that ‘soooo’ was for me, then?

Kayla: Oh yeah

Kayla: Any cutes boys you’ve met recently?

Will: You know that you’d know if I met anybody

Austin: Is there anybody lgbt even at the rink

Will: Oh yeah but nobody I’ve noticed I like

Kayla: :(

Will was startled by a knock on the door.

“It’s open!” He called, getting off the couch to meet Jason.

~~~ Nico

I slowly sank to a sitting position, feeling the rough brick scrape my back. I knew it would leave noticeable marks but right now, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I had been stretching and messing around with the others but suddenly my chest had felt very tight.

Hazel had seen the pained expression on my face and made some excuse, letting me slip out the backdoor.

I couldn’t do this.

Saltwater. I tasted salt water.

I couldn’t.

It trickled down my neck.

I couldn’t.

I was so fucking weak.

For so, so many reasons.

I could feel the gradually growing serpent of my anxieties building in the back.

I hadn’t practiced for this enough, and I was going to let everyone down.

The judges were going to find out my most closely guarded secret and-

No. Forget the judges. Everyone was going to find out.

Everyone.

I was probably going to mess up and embarrass myself in one of the biggest competitions of my life.

I was going to let everyone down.

Again.

I’d found a family and all because I was a fucking failure, I was going to lose them.

I knew I had enough cash in my bag to leave if I had to.

By bag I mean the one I always had:

A change of clothes

Cash for bus tickets

Bottled water and protein bars

A pocket knife.

But it wouldn’t be enough, would it?

I still wouldn’t be able to get away from the shame.

From any of the shame.

Why did I have to be this way? Why

I couldn’t breathe

I couldn’t fucking breathe.

The saltwater ran like a perverted caress down my face and neck and chest.

I shivered involuntarily

“Hey,” The voice was soft, and not familiar.

I turned so quickly half of my face scraped the wall.

We winced in sync.

It was the boy I’d seen in the rink some time ago, the hockey player.

~~~~

Will

“Hey, Jason?”

He looked at me.

We were being jostled through the crowd. There were so many people. So many.

“I need some air. Can you text me our seat numbers?”

He paused and looked at me. At how my eyes flitted around the room and my flinch every time someone ran into me.

“Yeah, of course, dude.” He made shooing motions with his hands, making me snort. He grinned but kept staring at me until I turned around and started pushing my way through the crowd.

I knew I couldn’t go outside the front door, there would be even more people there. So I did something scandalous.

I pushed open the door marked Employees Only and was ejected outside the back of the building.

I was walking along the wall when I saw movement a few feet away.

It was a boy, pressing himself against the wall like it was simultaneously all that was keeping him alive and like he wanted to fade into it.

“Hey,” I murmured like I was attempting to talk down a tiger.

He turned, scraping his face along the wall. But he didn’t seem to feel it.

He looked like some kind of ghoul, sitting there. The bad lighting from the street lamps washed out his ivory skin, making him look deathly.

Those dark eyes peered at me.

He’d look terrifying, except he appeared too small for his body.

He was shivering, tears running freely down his face.

At the angle he was sitting, it looked like his bones were almost poking out of his skin.

Some sense in me was screaming to help him, and though he looked like the opposite type to accept my help he hadn’t run away either.

I looked him up and down and saw with panic he seemed to be holding his breath, but he didn’t seem to realize it.

I didn’t know who this boy was, besides seeing him occasionally at the rink.

But we were both here and like hell was I going to leave him.

~~~~

Nico

He was looking at me with a look of sympathy. Not pity. Sympathy.

He reached out but I flinched away from him and he let his hand drop.

“Can you breathe?” His voice was serious but caring. I couldn’t really see him, the water in my eyes distorted him but I felt like he was some kind of god. He looked like pure sunlight.

I only shook my head, suddenly feeling the urge to take large gulping breaths.

“Put your head between your knees.”

He didn’t reach for me again, but his fingers twitched like he wanted to.

The surrounding world was a dull roar in my ears. The serpent, who’d been ready to devour me whole, angrily shrank back into the recesses of my brain until I could only see those slit-pupiled eyes. It was only lying in wait. Like always. When I lifted my head, my scowl was back.

Despite the rivulets of saltwater- not tears, I couldn’t call them that - I snarled at him, “Leave me alone. I didn’t ask for your help.”

He raised his hands in surrender, “I’m sorry. I’m not going to tell anyone what happened here, so you don’t have to worry about that. Nico, right?”

I just growled again but he didn’t seem to take the hint. He had a small backpack next to him and he rummaged through it and handed me some tissues and a water bottle.

I raised my eyebrows.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to cross through to go to the bathroom.”

I grudgingly accepted and started wiping at my face after dampening the tissues. He pulled out a small tube of ointment. “Put it on your face, okay? The scrape is not that bad. But it can’t hurt.”

I just stared blankly at him and he laid it next to me with a smile.

He waved, a little awkwardly, as he walked away.

As I stared at the ointment and the tissues and water I could only come up with one coherent thought:

What the fuck

~~~~ Will

His phone pinged with a message from Jason. After a few seconds of searching, he found it in his small backpack. He distractedly glanced over the text.

Jason: We’re in row A, seats 5 and 6. Thalia got us right up front.

Will: Sounds good

Will: I’ll head there now

He slipped his phone back into his bag.

He really hoped Nico was okay. He was a figure skater and most likely is competing tonight, and Will had never seen him in action but he was almost positive they would need him.

“Hey!” Jason waved to him from their seats and Will slid in next to him.

“You okay?” Jason asked after Will got settled. “You looked pretty uncomfortable.”

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah, I’m okay. I’m not normally like that but something about that environment.” He shuddered. “Anyway, everything’s good now.”

Jason nodded with a smile.

Will surveyed the rink. It was nicer than their rinks back at the studio which was saying something.

He spotted the judge's podium, on a small platform slightly above the rink. There were five judges, none of them looking like they entirely wanted to be here and all of them looking like they would throttle whoever came out.

Not only did the judges look unhappy, but about half of the crowd also did too. They were all shifting like they were here, but there was somewhere else they’d rather be. Why come then?

Will couldn’t imagine being one of the skaters in the locker rooms right now, he’d probably throw up.

“First up!” The booming voice of the announcer made Will jump slightly in his seat.

“The singles competition,” He drawled. “From Crescent City…”

Will tuned him out as he watched the woman glide out onto the ice. She was really good and kept most of the crowd entranced, but Will also had an eye on the judges. Only a few of them seemed impressed but only one seemed bored, which most likely was a good thing for her.

“From Olympus Ice,”

Jason and Will leaned forward at the same time.

“Nico Di Angelo!”

Will felt himself clapping as soon as his name was announced.

Nico seemed to magically appear on the ice, looking significantly more confident than the last time he’d seen him.

He appeared to take a deep breath and steel himself before beginning his routine. It was magic. Pure magic.

The way he flew made it look like he’d been born to do this.

It was elegant, but, in a way, suspenseful. Like he could do something unexpected at any moment.

Will was frozen, lips slightly parted as Nico made everyone believe he owned the rink.

He wove a story with his fluid movements, a story that held Will captive.

He attempted a move that never in Will’s wildest dreams could he do, everyone watched as he spun with bated breath and cheered when he landed but the skater in Will recognized that he hadn’t done it. He almost did, and he definitely caught himself, but he hadn’t done it.

And if those judges were worthy at all for their position, they would know too.

Nico finally slid to a stop in front of the judges, his arms crossed over his chest and his chin tilted upward, challenging them to mention the slip-up.

It was quite a scene. He looked almost ethereal and they were all sitting (or standing in Nico’s case) looked like something out of a painting.

Later, after the other singles and the partners and the ensembles, the audience was still, waiting for the announcement.

“The 1st place winner, and who will be going to Sectionals is…

Olympus Ice!” People burst into applause but Will was only staring at Nico who was standing with his team, a barely-there smile present on his face, but enough to make Will whisper, “Wow,”

Jason glanced at him, then at where he was staring. “Don’t do that, Will. No figure skaters. You know that.”

Will rolled his eyes and scoffed, “I would never.”

Jason sighed and smiled, “Good.”

#solangelo #will solace #nico diagelo #forbidden romance #skate into my heart au #chapter 1

20 notes · View notes

fandom-necromancer · 4 years ago

Text

A fresh start alternate part 2

This was prompted by a lovely anon! Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (Warnings: referenced childhood trauma, mentioned self-harm, self-harm-scars) [Part 1] [alternate ending to part 1] [continuation Fowler&Connor]

Gavin wouldn’t have believed it if someone would have told him how much relief talking about his problems had brought him. It felt good not being alone with it anymore and his work relationship with Nines had bettered itself too. The bot wasn’t too bad. For the first time it felt like someone really wanted to work with him. His humour was clunky, and his perfectionism could be really annoying, but all in all they slowly grew together making the perfect team. It hadn’t taken long for Gavin to hope for more. He was careful not to think too much into it, but they gradually spent more time around each other. Nines knew him better than anyone else and Gavin in turn had opened up to him. Still it took him several weeks to invite the android over to his place. From there it seemed to go faster as Nines would sometimes crash on his couch (and bed) for the whole weekends sometimes. They didn’t exactly live together yet, but they spent more time together than separated by now. And it felt nice. Not being alone. Living together with someone who appreciated him and who he adored. All his resentments against the machines had been quickly thrown out to make more room for new memories.

It helped that Nines never judged him for what he did. When a long day called for the blade, he let him do it. The only thing the android insisted on was that he was allowed to sit next to him, talk with him about it and take care of him afterwards. After some time, Gavin even noticed that that was enough already sometimes. The sneaky bastard tried to condition him into talking with him rather than cutting himself, but like hell he would ever try to stop him. Nines just wanted to help, and he was successful with his tactics. He had even managed to make Gavin feel comfortable enough around him at home to wear short sleeves or fold them back his lower arm, the scars on full display. Nines had seen them anyways already, so what would it hurt?

Gavin also rather liked the attention Nines gave them, caressing the imperfections of his skin and tracing along the lines. Just like he did now on their cosy afternoon lying on the couch. Gavin had his back against the android’s chest, the gentle vibrating hum and the warmth of the thick blanket making him feel sleepy already. Nines fingers were slowly dancing along his forearms, his steady breath in his hair. Gavin could only sigh, seeping into each and every touch. ‘What?’, the android asked amused. ‘Nothing’, Gavin hummed. No talking please. That would only ruin the moment. Nines huffed out a laugh, the expansion of his chest like a disturbance. ‘You are far too cute like this.’ ‘M not cute’, he mumbled and tensed his shoulders a little. Nines laid his head on his shoulder to whisper in his ear: ‘Then you should see yourself right now. You are adorable.’

‘Stop it’, Gavin said louder, trying to sound determined but ended up laughing through it. His hand only half-heartedly pushed Nines’ head away. ‘Never’, Nines commented, kissing his cheek. ‘Alright, well, now you woke me up again…’, the human complained. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘Nah, it’s okay. Let’s talk about something.’ ‘How about your brother?’, Nines suggested. ‘What? Nines, I said “let’s talk about something”, not “let’s ruin the whole evening”!’ ‘Why? I thought you said you never had a problem with him, only with your parents.’

Gavin sighed. ‘Yeah, that’s right.’ ‘Then why not meet up with him sometime?’ ‘Other question: Why meet up with him?’ ‘It could help you come to terms with your past, Gavin.’ ‘What is this? Therapy?’, the man complained. ‘In a way’, Nines shrugged. ‘And so far everything worked out fine.’ ‘I know, smartass. But I can still whine about it, can’t I?’ ‘Of course. That means you consider it?’ Gavin deflated. ‘Fine, we’ll do it.’

‘Phck, I don’t even know what we should talk about’, Gavin cursed and held his head in growing frustration. It was a bad idea, he knew it, but there was no going back now. They had already cleaned, set the table, and cooked and Elijah was on his way. The waiting killed him. ‘You will find something’, Nines tried to soothe him, massaging his shoulders. ‘It will be awkward as hell’, Gavin groaned. ‘In the beginning, maybe. It will work out.’ ‘You really think so?’ ‘I know it.’

Gavin really wished he had Nines’ confidence as the doorbell rang and he stood up to open it. He stared into the face of a man he had not seen in a very long time. CEO of Cyberlife, reclusive hermit and CEO of Cyberlife again. Gifted child. A man so much better than him and reason for all his problems. And still his brother who wasn’t at all to blame for any of it. ‘Hello, Gavin’, Elijah greeted him as the silence stretched for too long and held out his hand. Gavin took it. He looked sleek and Gavin doubted a normal human could afford the clothes he wore, but at least he had tried to look casual and he appreciated that. ‘Hey, Elijah. Has been a while I guess.’ ‘Too long’, the man nodded and stepped inside the house as Gavin stepped aside. ‘Nines’, the RK900 introduced himself next. ‘A pleasure to meet you.’ ‘Oh. Of course.’

Elijah lifted a brow and looked back at Gavin. ‘Hey, I never hid the fact I’m gay, okay? You just never asked’, the man got defensive. ‘Oh, no I didn’t mean that’, Elijah was quick to say as he hung up his jacket. ‘Just thought you hated androids.’ ‘I did’, Gavin nodded as he led them towards the table. ‘Things change. He’s my partner at work and…’ He looked up at the android and Nines smiled. ‘I think it is only a question of time until “good friends” fails to describe our relationship’, he politely helped out. ‘That’s… Good for you’, Elijah smiled, sitting down taken a bit off-guard by the suddenly very personal topic. ‘He helps me a lot with my… well, I got a lot of mental stuff and general… problems, I guess.’

He was about to stand up ad help Nines, but the android gestured him to stay seated and leave it to him. ‘He was also the one to suggest us meeting up.’ ‘It’s a good idea’, Elijah agreed. ‘I… Damn, we are brothers. But we lost contact when? We were both still in school, I think… It’s been too long, and I’ve been too much of a chicken shit to call you.’ ‘Hey, same’, Gavin shrugged and threw Nines a grateful look as he came with two plates for them. ‘Part of it was also that I just wanted to leave everything behind me. Start anew.’ ‘What do you think why I put everything into my androids?’, Elijah laughed. ‘Felt the same way.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Did you think I didn’t notice what was going on? Just because you are praised to the moon and back doesn’t mean you don’t see what he was doing to you. I didn’t want to have anything to do with the asshole that drove you out of our home.’

Gavin began eating and used the time to think. ‘Shit, I never thought of you noticing it.’ ‘Sure I did. Thought you’d hate me for it. Leaving you alone with them. Being the reason you had... well a shitty childhood.’ ‘Nah, I don’t hate you’, Gavin mumbled. ‘Thank god.’ Elijah sighed and immediately was embarrassed of his relief. ‘Sorry. I thought you called me to scream at me. The entire drive I was mulling over ways to apologise to you.’ Gavin grinned. ‘Shit, should’ve done that then.’ Elijah smiled too and both continued eating in comfortable silence. Gavin didn’t look up, but he would swear Nines was particularly proud of himself in that moment.

‘Okay, who of you two cooked? This is amazing’, Elijah complimented. ‘Oh, we always cook together. But Nines really is the expert, I just follow orders.’ ‘What, my little brother obeying orders?’ ‘Shut up idiot’, Gavin chuckled. ‘You want another serving?’ ‘Oh, I’d love to!’ This time Gavin was faster than Nines and walked over to take Eli’s plate. Only when he had the rim in his hand the light hit his arm and Gavin near visibly flinched. Elijah of course immediately had his hand on his wrist to get a better look. ‘Gavin. What is this?’

The man let go of the plate and jerked his arm out of his hand. ‘Hey, I said I got mental stuff, okay? None of your business.’ ‘You… are these scars from cutting yourself?’ Gavin didn’t answer. ‘Gavin, that is serious, you should be seeing a therapist. This-‘ ‘I already did!’, the Detective interrupted. ‘I did and it did nothing. But I’m getting better, Nines helps me and I don’t have the need for it quite as often!’ ‘Gavin I… I can pay it for you. The best therapist in Detroit, I can-‘ ‘I don’t need your help!’, Gavin shouted, silencing the man. ‘I don’t need it and I don’t want it. And if you say another word, you can leave.’ Nines was ready to intercept their argument, but Elijah already bowed his head. ‘Sorry. I… I’m just worried. Doesn’t it hurt?’ ‘That’s kinda the goal’, Gavin spoke, calmed down again. ‘And don’t worry. I’m far from being suicidal, it’s just a way to… well, cope. When days are really bad. But lately I tend towards talking to Nines over cutting myself. He helps me with it. I’m in good hands.’

Elijah stood up, taking Gavin’s plate from him and setting it aside before hugging him. ‘God, Gavin, if it was that bad… If I had known…’ ‘I kept it a secret, you couldn’t have known.’ ‘But I should have!’ ‘It’s fine. As I said, it was really bad when I still lived with our parents. It’s gotten better after that and now that I’m not alone anymore it gets better from day to day. Don’t think I can ever stop the urge, but I give in less.’ Eli’s grip on him tightened. ‘Shit, Gav, how can I help? We are still brothers. We haven’t talked in a while, but I still love you and care for you.’ ‘That’s already enough to help, Eli’, Gavin smiled into the man’s shoulder. ‘We could try to be real brothers again, meet more often?’

Elijah let him go again and nodded. ‘That sounds perfect. My door is always open for you.’ ‘Thank you.’ Gavin took the two plates again and resisted the urge to pull his sleeves down again to hide the scars. He was at home and save and Eli had seen them now anyways. It would be fine. He would be fine.

‘Now do you want that second plate or no?’

#detroit become human #dbh #Reed900 #RK900 #Gavin Reed #Elijah Kamski #this is now my most confusing story line with so many alternative endings and parts #but I love it #I'm glad people like this story so much #I like how Gavin is just such a vent character for me by now. Poor boy is tortured all the time #but I love him #and he has Nines and so many people out there to help him

25 notes · View notes

phcking-detective · 5 years ago

Text

consider: x-men type au

gavin has wolverine-like powers: short, angry, transgender, literally his biggest power is just that he’s too fucking angry and stupid to die. no matter what you throw at him, he just heals. he has zero fighting skills or self-preservation and he’s such a slut. still has the claws and metal bones bc we want that sweet, sweet angsty backstory of him having RAW MOLTEN METAL poured over his bones and he survived that too through pure sexual bottom energy

nines has magneto-like powers: he can control metal and he’s scary as FUCK. just for fun flavor, he also has a mild techno-affinity. like telepathy, but for machines? so not only can he control metal, but he can build and code, and also rip the iron straight out of your blood, he’s so fucking terrifying and prissy and snobbishly intellectual. everyone wants to punch him; no one dares to try

UNTIL

enter gavin, Angry Gay extraordinaire!

I don’t want to say they’re on ideologically opposing viewpoints, because this isn’t magneto x xavier, and I think gavin and nines BOTH would be super condescending and prejudiced against regular humans. gavin because he has that horrible backstory of what they did to him and how they used him as a weapon against his will, nines for basically the same reason but with some extra snobbery about how he’s literally a superior being, and also being the son of Amanda Stern has given him a lot more privilege than gavin

anyway, the fun part: Nines and Connor are twins but Gavin doesn’t know

because Connor is kind of like the opposite, in that he has really strong telepathic that let him pick shit up and basically use the force, plus a minor affinity for earth/metal. more like toph than magneto, but close enough that Nines and Connor often sub in and get switched out for each other

all gavin knows is sometimes that one tall, hot, pretty boy is snarky and mean and fun and so so terrifyingly sexy, and then sometimes he ... feels bad about that or whatever?? like, some days he’ll be NICE and try to make friends, and yeah, he’ll still rag on gavin, but it’s not the same. it’s either the sort of mild-mean between totally platonic friends and not dom-flirting OR it’s like seriously so fucking mean, like cutting straight into his psyche mean

(when Nines is a bitch, he’ll physically hold someone in place by all their metal bits in their clothing and the iron in their blood to INTIMIDATE them, but gavin’s just like “hot.” when Connor is a bitch, he’ll use his telepathy to emotionally devastate someone, and gavin is very much not into that)

to be entirely fair to Gavin, it’s hard to notice someone’s eye color when you’re always running around, fighting bad guys, blowing shit up. also, LOTS of mutants change appearance sometimes. not just because of the mutant thing, but sometimes for safety, so brown eyes one day and blue eyes the next could just be leftover from a disguise or something

he’s not stupid! he’s not ........ that stupid. anyone could have thought--listen, HE has bpd, maybe Nines just has some sort of personality disorder too!!

Tina just about literally DIES laughing on the day that Nines and Connor both show up for a mission and Gavin realizes there’s two of them

and then he has to figure out which one he’s fallen in love with

(Nines tries so hard to remain completely stoic and not give it away because he Knows gavin is in love with connor, everyone always likes connor best, connor is nice and connor understands “human emotion,” and now the only person as angry and bitter and smart as he is will choose his brother over him like everyone else)

Gavin only has to stare at them for a few seconds. the eye color thing doesn’t mean shit to him--although he does legitimately think the blue ones are prettier--but he sees His Person in the way Nines holds himself so stiffly with his hands clasped behind his back vs Connor’s perfect-posture-but-still-open stance with his hands in front

and how Nines won’t make eye contact (His Person is like a cat, and eye contact is reserved only for the most endeared of people)

and when he pops his claws and stalks forward with a growl, that weird other twin holds his hands up placatingly and speaks in a low soothing voice but His Nines immediately shifts into a fighting stance because he does Not fuck around with diplomacy

but he does allow himself to be hugged, just this once, when Gavin inexplicably chooses him

“I am so phcking glad you’re twins,” Gavin says. “‘Cause half your personality was really starting to piss me off babe.”

Connor starts to say something, but Gavin just flips him off.

“Shut up, Other-Twin.”

(Nines is stunned. He’s always been the “other twin.” Connor is the nice one, the social one, the one who can pass for allistic most of the time and hasn’t had a meltdown since he was a child and everyone loves--) Gavin nuzzles into the side of Nines’ neck and licks the skin for good measure. Gotta mark His Person with his scent. Now he’ll always be able to tell them apart

(Nines is going to keep this angry little gay honeybadger for the rest of his life.)

#reed900 #gavin reed #dbh #rk900 #connor rk900

185 notes · View notes

archadianskies · 5 years ago

Text

adage

→ on Ao3

@dbhrarepairs Sunday Day 7: Free Day; Ballet AU RK900/Simon

When the last child is safely in the care of her parents and out the door, Simon sighs and sinks back into his chair. Friday done and dusted, time to slink back home for a restorative Lush bubble bath and maybe an indulgent glass of red wine. His phone rings just as Kara’s locking up the kindergarten classroom, and he gives her a wave goodbye as she jogs over to Luther’s car.

“North?” He sandwiches the phone between his ear and shoulder, fumbling for his bus pass.

“Si, you doin’ anything tonight?”

“I mean, I’m doing what any respectable thirty year old does on a Friday night: taking a bubble bath.” Pass located, he slings his bag over the other shoulder and makes his way to the station.

“Well save it for later. I have a spare ticket to the ballet tonight because Josh bailed-”

“He didn’t bail, North, he’s down with a cold!”

“Bailed.” She repeats sternly. “Anyway, free ticket to opening night at the Detroit Opera House. They’re doing Onegin.”

“I don’t know what that is.” His tone is apologetic as he rounds the corner. “I’ve never been to a ballet before.”

“Well it’s a nice night out. I get to see my gorgeous girlfriend, you get to perve on boys in tights. Oh and did I mention it’s for free?”

“Yes, you did.” Simon laughs. “Alright I’ll come along.”

“Meet me outside the building at 6:20pm sharp.”

Onegin, Simon learns on the bus ride home, is a dramatic tale of two people falling for each other at different times in their lives. There’s duels and murders and missed opportunities, and it’s apparently an incredibly challenging ballet for both the female and male dancers. He gets to see it for free, so sure why not?

After a quick shower and a quick message to his twin, Simon changes into something neat and somewhat fancy (it’s opening night, which sounds somewhat fancy) and heads back out. He’s coming up the steps, 6:19pm sharp and there’s North in a tux sans her usual combat boots.

“Hey loser.” She greets with a grin, leaning to kiss his cheek. “Look at you all scrubbed up.”

“And you without your boots. What is the world coming to?” Simon teases as she laughs. “I had a look on their site, the show doesn’t start until seven?”

“Yeah but obviously I gotta smooch my girl and wish her luck.”

“Surely you don’t need me to do that?” He cocks a brow as she snorts back a laugh.

“Relax Si, I’m sneaking you backstage for a VIP tour.” North shrugs, looping her arm through his and tugging him into the building. There’s people in various degrees of fancy clothing from ‘somewhat’ to ‘not at all’ to ‘very fancy’ but North steers him away from the crowd and down a corridor. There’s a few ‘hi North’s and ‘she’s down the hall’s said in passing as North leads Simon through a field of floaty dresses and white tights and then they’re approaching a dressing room just as it opens. A petite blonde ballerina steps out, dressed in period costume. Her face lights up when she sees North, and she’s quick to close the distance between them.

“Hey cutie.” North grins, squeezing her close as Chloe giggles.

“You’re not meant to be here!”

“Can’t your girl wish you luck?”

“Very quickly.” Chloe concedes, leaning up for a kiss. “Now sneak away back to your seat before Eli catches you!”

“Kamski’s stalking around?” North looks over her shoulder as if expecting him to materialise.

“You’re not the only one wishing us dancers luck on opening night.” Chloe laughs, poking her cheek. “And unlike you, he’s the director of the company and has a right to be here.”

Simon stands back at a polite distance, admiring their exchange. They haven’t been dating long enough for Simon to have met Chloe yet, though their work schedules played a large factor in the delay too; when everyone’s working full time and they’re all a bunch of thirty-somethings, social schedules are hard to negotiate. Not that Simon negotiates much; he’s never been a social butterfly and there’s comfort in staying in the nest he’s built with his twin brother.

He averts his eyes when they kiss, trying to allow them privacy, and distracts himself by checking his surroundings. There’s other ballerinas in lovely period costumes, and- what was the word for a male dancer? Ballerino? Dans ...something French. Handsome boys in coats and cravats and tights that look like the dancers were dipped in body paint rather than wearing something sewn from material. A dancer exits the dressing room on his right, and Simon accidentally catches his gaze. He’s tall, taller than the other male dancers, with a cut jawline and sharp cheekbones and dark hair that’s been artfully swept from his face. His costume looks fancier than the others, and he holds himself with the air of a leading man. Simon belatedly realises he’s still staring and quickly looks away, feeling his cheeks grow hot.

“This is Si.” North loops her arms through his, startling him, and he looks over to see Chloe’s smiling face.

“It’s so good to meet you in person at last, Simon.” She shakes his hand, and Simon can see why North is so smitten with her and those big blue eyes and that joyous smile.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ms Chloe.” He can’t help but smile in return, and it tickles him that North looks at her with unabashed adoration; there’s joy to be had in the joy of others.

“Chloe, curtain’s up in fifteen.” A deep accented voice interrupts, and there’s that looming leading man only up close now, close enough if Simon reached out he could touch him and confirm he’s real and not some fever dream fantasy.

“Alright Ronan.” Chloe’s smile turns apologetic. “I’m going to have to shoo you both away now.”

“Good luck with the performance.” Simon clasps her hand again and North steals another kiss before they leave. When he looks over his shoulder, he catches Ronan’s eyes again, the dancer looking at him with mild curiosity and Simon hastily drops his gaze. North gives him a wicked grin.

“His name is Ronan Stern and as far as Chloe knows he’s single.”

“Shut up.”

Objectively he knows what ballet is, and even though he’s never attended a live performance he’s seen clips and movies and gifs and photos. It really is different sitting in a fancy theatre and watching it unfold in person, though. The orchestra is right there, the dancers are right there, and it’s all so tangible in a way he’s never experienced.

Ronan plays Onegin himself, and Simon wonders how it is that a human being of flesh and blood and bone just like him has somehow honed his body into an instrument like that. Surely humans aren’t made to leap that far and jump that high and hoist up ballerinas like they weigh nothing more than a doll? He dances with power, with purpose, and there’s an intensity to him that Simon’s drawn to. Chloe’s petite stature is dwarfed further by his build and the way he holds her and carries her makes their size difference so obviously delightful. She’s dainty and demure and he’s commanding and calculated and somehow it’s a beautiful match and Simon can’t take his eyes off of them.

Onegin is a man ruined by his own pride, and in doing so ruins the lives of others. There is no redemption for him, and Tatiana holds no love for him anymore when they reunite years later. The story ends and it isn’t happy, it’s just and rightful and Simon thinks distantly it’s somehow different from Swan Lake because this time the woman lives and she’s safe and loved. He likes this one better.

“You haven’t said a single word.” North pokes his cheek once everyone takes their final bow and the applause has died down and the lights come on again. “You liked it?”

“Holy shit?” Simon breathes, and North bursts out laughing.

“Uh huh.” She nods. “Yeah, holy shit. You hooked?”

“God is it always like that?”

“Pretty much.” She laughs again, slinging an arm around his waist as they shuffle towards the nearest exit along with the throng. “I’m a convert. Never thought much about ballet but there’s something almost magical about it isn’t there?”

“They can’t be mere mortals like us.” Simon sighs dramatically. “Not when they can move like that and spend two hours on their toes or carrying the entire weight of another person.”

They exit the opera house and before Simon can step away, North tightens her hold around his waist.

“Come on, I’m picking Chloe up by the stage door.”

“You don’t need me around to do that.”

“Yeah but between the two of us I’m the gay that can drive, so I’ll give you a lift home.”

“...You sure?” Simon resists when she tries to tug him away. “I mean, I don’t want to come between you two. I’m sure she’s tired and would rather go home right away.”

“You’re one of my besties, Si.” North rolls her eyes. “I want to see you home safe and not taking the goddamn bus at this hour. Chloe’s gonna be cool with that.”

“If- if you’re sure …”

“I’m sure.” North declares, all but dragging him to follow.

There’s a small crowd at the stage door, family members and partners Simon guesses, collecting their talented dancers and congratulating them. Chloe emerges in a long cream coat with a fluffy fur collar and North picks her up and spins her around.

“Congrats babes, you were perfect.” She grins, peppering her face with kisses as Chloe giggles brightly.

“Ready to go home kiddo?” A gruff voice by his ear asks, and a middle aged man brushes passed him to reach out and clap Ronan on the shoulder.

“Dad? I didn’t know you were coming.” Ronan blinks in surprise, a small smile spreading on his face as he embraces him tightly.

“I managed to convince him.” Another voice pipes up, belonging to a young man not dissimilar to Ronan though without the accent. “Not that dad needed much convincing- this is your debut on home soil after all. And what an amazing debut it was, Ronan.”

“Come on.” The father of the pair jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Connor cleaned up his room and everything. I’m not letting you go back to your apartment on opening night; you’re spending that with your family and not with Reed. I already spend enough time with that grumpy dumbass at work I know what you’re in for.”

“We have agreed to a truce because of the cats.” Ronan grins, adjusting his grip on his bag as his brother helps shoulder his way through the crowd. Simon watches them leave and Ronan looks over his shoulder, their eyes catching again briefly before Simon looks away in panic.

“C’mon Si, let’s get you home.” North snaps his attention back to the present, flicking his temple.

“He’s single.” Chloe pipes up, and Simon feels his cheeks heat. “And likes boys too.”

“Will you two stop it?!”

In the car he takes the back seat so Chloe can sit up front.

“He just moved back from London.” She continues despite his exasperated sigh. “He was accepted into the Royal Ballet program when he was nine and is the youngest danseur to be promoted to Principal Dancer in recent history.”

“But he gave that all up?” Now he’s curious. “Why would he then step down from that and move back to Detroit? We don’t exactly have the most thriving ballet scene in comparison.”

“I’m not sure either. I spent a year as the guest ballerina with the Royal Ballet, he’s an absolute dream to dance with.” She catches his eyes in the rearview mirror and smiles. “He’s the perfect gentleman, and everything I could ever ask for in a partner. When the season ended he told me he wanted to come back to Detroit. Elijah was more than happy to offer him a position.”

“Maybe he got homesick? Connor’s pretty glad to have him back.” North shrugs as they idle at a red light. “Saves him from travelling to London all the time to visit.”

“If he marries a nice boy in Detroit then he’ll never even think of going back to London either.” Chloe giggles slyly and Simon groans, slumping in his seat.

“Okay listen, I appreciate you two arranging a marriage for me but-”

“Simon, I don’t know how to break this to you but your future spouse is not just going to materialise in your home.” North sniggers. “At least let us try and meddle a little.”

“North told me about your ex and-”

“North!” Simon protests and North cuts in.

“No, shut up, Gideon was an asshole Simon I’m still mad about him. Okay I ranted to Chloe even though you told me not to tell anyone, but I was going to explode if I didn’t tell anyone.” She stands her ground, muttering under breath. “Murder is illegal, anyway.”

“Ronan is a lovely gentleman, at least give him a chance?” Chloe smiles encouragingly.

“He’s like the 2005 Pride and Prejudice Mr Darcy only in tights.” North adds, and Chloe bursts out laughing as the car pulls up at the apartment block. “Okay Si, goodnight.”

“Thank you for coming to watch us.” Chloe turns back in her seat so she can hold his hands. “It’s really lovely to meet you. I hope we can hang out soon.”

“It was absolutely magical, thank you Chloe.” Simon squeezes her hands, smile ernest. He flashes North a grateful smile. “And thanks for the lift, North.”

Danny’s already asleep when he tiptoes into the apartment, so he makes sure to make as little noise as possible. Slipping into his room, he flops onto his bed and pulls out his phone. Wrestling against the temptation only lasts all of five seconds before Simon is typing ‘Ronan Stern’ into google and diving into articles and accolades. No Facebook, no Twitter but he does have an Instagram, and he’s also featured in the Royal Ballet’s Instagram account often. Or, well, used to as stated in one of the posts from six months ago showing a farewell post.

He’s...infuriatingly attractive, like the way Markus is infuriatingly attractive but in a different kind of way. Simon’s crushed on Markus for so long, so he knows how this story goes; he’s going to pine away, absolutely ache for him and wear his heart on his sleeve and they will be friends and Ronan will have no romantic interest for him the way Markus sees him as a good friend and nothing more. Simon is used to the heartache, really. It’s also why he ends up in shitty controlling relationships with shitty controlling men because he’s bad at speaking his mind and he’s bad at saying no.

Sighing, he follows a link to Youtube and watches an excerpt from some sort of modern ballet Ronan performed last year with Chloe. It’s fast paced and dizzying and powerful, and his heart catches in his throat a few times when Chloe throws herself into leaps and jumps, Ronan always there to catch her and fling her and flip her. They’re a blur of wild movement and perfect partnership. Youtube recommends more clips, and it’s midnight but he has no self-control so he’s clicking those too, watching Ronan in other ballets, some clips even just sneakily filmed footage taken by an audience member.

He ends up watching interviews too, watching Ronan without the makeup and the costumes. He speaks like someone not used to giving interviews, and Simon finds it endearing that for a man with such a commanding presence he speaks almost shyly. The accent helps too. Simon shoves his phone away some time nearing 1am, barely remembering to brush his teeth before he falls asleep with a smile.

“Si?” Someone’s shaking him awake, and Simon groans. “Si, get up.” He cracks open an eye and promptly rolls over.

“Go ‘way Danny it’s Saturday. Let me sleep in.”

“North’s here.” He turns back over.

“What?”

“SI GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED OR WE’LL BE LATE!” He hears her call from presumably the front door.

“Late for what?” He pulls his pillow over his face as Danny laughs.

“That’s entirely your problem.” He’s poked in the side, and he yelps, squirming away from the torture. “Anyway I’m off. I’ll bring you any cookies if we have leftovers by the end of the day.”

“Bye Danny.” Simon pulls the pillow off and smiles sleepily at his brother, who gives a wave as he departs.

“Simon! C’mon!” North appears in the doorway of his bedroom looking unimpressed.

“What are you doing here? It’s-” he fumbles for his phone, “fuck it’s 7am on a Saturday!”

“Yeah and class starts at 8am and we still gotta pass by Starbucks on the way!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Up!” She dives forward and yanks the quilt from the bed and he curls up immediately, shrieking in protest. “Up up!”

“North-”

“Just come with me Si, please? Just trust me on this one. I’ll even buy you lunch.” There’s a pause as he considers the offer.

“...Burgers at the Chicken Feed?” He peeks over at her as she rolls her eyes.

“Okay, yes, burgers at the Chicken Feed.”

“Deal.”

He’s not awake enough for this, and his eyes feel like burning coals in his head as he tries to keep them open. They stop at a Starbucks and North orders four coffees, not two, and carefully hands them to him. Keeping his hands on the little cardboard holder, he sets them on his lap and the warmth provides a little comfort on this bizarre mysterious trip.

“Are we going to Josh’s? Is this to pep him up for his thesis, since he’s down with a cold?” He asks as North makes a turn, and he spares a glance at the coffees, making sure he’s holding onto them securely.

“Nah, his boyfriend’s coming by today to take care of him. Josh didn’t want you to come over in case you got sick and since you work with kiddies that’d be pretty shitty.” She explains, making another turn. They’re entering the back of some large building that sort of looks a bit familiar. “Okay cool, we’re pretty much on time for them to arrive.”

“Them-?”

“I’ll get the door for you, hang on.” She parks the car and hops out, rounding the vehicle so she can open his door and temporarily hold the coffees.

“I still don’t know where you’ve taken me.”

“It’s not like you were going to do anything else this morning.”

“Excuse me, I was going to sleep in and then I was going to put the laundry on and curl up on the couch watching Netflix.” Simon huffs, accepting the coffees back.

“Uh huh.” North rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry, this’ll be pretty relaxing too.”

It feels a lot like sneaking into somewhere they’re not meant to. Simon may be sleep deprived but he’s alert enough to realise they’re not meant to be here. They’re coming through some back door, through a long hallway and North is uncharacteristically quiet. There’s a hush in the atmosphere, tension and baited breath, and even in the elevator North says nothing. Anxiety coils in his chest as he trails her, scarcely daring to breathe before she looks over her shoulder and gives a triumphant grin.

“Okay, we’re here!” She opens a nondescript door and they’re in some beautiful open room with an entire wall of glass overlooking Detroit. One of the other walls is entirely covered in mirrors and there are a handful of people in various combinations of gym gear and tights and-

“Oh my god.” Simon feels his stomach drop and he doesn’t know whether to be angry or embarrassed. “We can’t be here!”

“We totally can, I do this every Saturday.” North grins, scanning the room before waving. “Babe!”

“North!” Chloe skips over to them, laughing when North picks her up and spins her around, a customary greeting Simon surmises. “Oh! And a wild Simon appears!”

“Not by choice.” He huffs, glaring at North before he holds out the tray of coffees. “I’m going to assume one of these is yours?”

“It’s the almond chai with honey, thank you.” She selects the cup and plucks it out, tipping up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Well, we still have about fifteen minutes before class begins. Which one is the soy latte with a triple shot and caramel?”

“This one.” Simon taps.

“Excellent.” Chloe nods, before turning. “Ronan? Coffee!”

He’s going to murder North. He tries to convey his murderous intent and his best friend smiles innocently back at him in response.

“Coffee?” Ronan walks into view wearing a plain white shirt and a pair of robin's egg blue tights that hide absolutely nothing.

“This is Simon.” Chloe introduces with a bright smile. “North’s bestie.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” He murmurs softly, shaking his hand. His hand is warm, his grip firm and Simon’s sure his cheeks are bright red. “Thank you for bringing us coffee, especially so early in the morning and on a weekend no less.”

“I-it’s nothing. Wasn’t really going to do much today anyway.”

“Oh, Markus! Good morning!” Chloe calls out as the door opens, and yes, there he is, there’s Markus Manfred looking incredibly stylish like no one has the right to be this early in the morning.

“Hey everyone, hey Simon.” Markus grins, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “What are you doing here?”

“North dragged me here.” He glares over at her and North only grins back unrepentantly. “What are you doing here?”

“I play the piano for morning class every Saturday.” He smiles one of his thousand kilowatt charming smiles and Simon still aches for him even though he knows the ache will never be soothed by Markus.

“You two know each other?” Ronan asks curiously, looking between them.

“Yeah, Simon’s one of my good friends.” Markus grins at him. “And so is North. I gotta go warm up and I bet you guys need to too. Take a seat by the piano, Simon. You and North can chill in that corner, I promise no one minds.”

He hopes he’s conveying enough Murder on his face when he looks at North as they curl up in the corner. North smooches his cheek with a wink and he sighs because he knows he’s not really mad, just incredibly shy and self-conscious.

“These are ours.” She taps the remaining coffee cups. “Now sit and relax a little Si. Just enjoy it.”

Markus runs his fingers along the keys, up and down the scales before tapping out brief snippets of various songs. An older woman enters the room and the dancers greet her respectfully and then class begins.

Simon’s still not sure he can quite comprehend how ballet is possible; it’s incredibly complex and beautiful and demands so much of the human body. He watches them go through familiar motions he’s sure they can repeat with their eyes closed, gradually increasing in difficulty until they’re leaping and bounding across the studio. The dancers shed some of their layers as the class progresses and their bodyheat rises from exertion, and Simon’s not beyond admitting (to himself, at least) that he’s enjoying this display of bodies in peak physical form in incredibly tight fitting clothing.

He’s inevitably drawn to the way Ronan moves, to the way he’s so confident and sure of every step, every sweeping gesture in time to the jaunty sprightly tunes Markus plays. He does as he’s bid, following every instruction called out by their teacher with the intensity of a soldier obeying orders. It’s a mesmerising display of elegance and power that reminds Simon of how his twice a week yoga classes really don’t hold a candle to the strict regimen these dancers must adhere to in order to keep their bodies in their prime. The hour passes and only as they’re saying goodbyes does Simon realise he hasn’t even looked at Markus once.

“So what did North want?” Danny slumps on the opposite end of the couch, making a show of flopping his legs over Simon’s.

“Hm?” He looks up from the Royal Ballet instagram account, distracted.

“North. This morning at 7am when she stormed into our house.”

“Oh she uh, dragged me off to the ballet studio to deliver coffee to her girlfriend and watch her morning class.” Simon quickly exits the app and wriggles into a more comfortable position.

“Why would she need you to do that?” Danny frowns.

“To get me out of the house so I wouldn’t just stay inside and watch Netflix and do laundry.” Simon laughs, completely avoiding mentioning Ronan at all. “It’s ok she bribed me with Chicken Feed burgers for lunch, and paid for the Starbucks.”

“Well, I guess I’ll have to thank her for single-handedly dragging you kicking and screaming into having a social life.” His twin teases with a grin, and Simon kicks him with an exasperated groan. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a cute boy there.”

He meets said cute boy again, completely by accident the very next day. Actually, what happens is he sees a very large Saint Bernard dog waiting patiently beside a tall pair of legs in the queue at Starbucks, before he realises who the tall pair of legs are connected to.

“Heeeey, who’s a good doggo hm?” Simon chuckles as the dog sniffs his hand and pushes its very large head against it, obviously expecting pats.

“Sumo would hope it’s him.” Says a deep, accented voice that’s become rather familiar to him recently.

“Oh, Ronan h-hi.” Simon freezes, eyes wide when he looks up to see Ronan’s handsome face wearing an amused smile.

“Good morning Simon.”

“How was class?”

“Class was fine.” They shuffle towards the counter, and Simon tries not to stare at the sharp figure Ronan cuts in a long navy woolen coat and fancy plaid scarf. “I have a performance tonight so I’m resting for now, but I thought I’d take Sumo for his morning walk.”

“He’s very cute.” He can’t help but pat the dog again, the Saint Bernard giving a happy booming chuff in approval. “Your dad’s dog?”

“Yes, he’s getting up there in years but Connor and I still love him to pieces.” There’s a wistful expression on his face, his smile fond. “Both he and our dad work at the DPD, so Sumo stays home a lot. We try and make sure he goes for long walks in the mornings and evenings to make up for it.”

“Chloe said you moved back to Detroit recently?”

“Yes, about six months ago. I went straight into rehearsals for the season after only two weeks. Mr Kamski was keen to have me start.” The person ahead of them finishes paying and heads to the end of the counter. “Venti soy latte with a triple shot and caramel and a grande soy hazelnut latte please.”

“Oh, are you meeting someone?” The question is out of his mouth before he can stop himself.

“No it’s for you. I read the other coffee cup yesterday, I know North’s usual, and I didn’t recognise the other one so it must’ve been yours.” Ronan’s smile is a little hesitant and Simon hopes his absolutely red cheeks signify he doesn’t mind one bit. “Now we’re even.”

“Excellent work, detective.” Simon tries to quip as Ronan taps his phone to pay for both coffees.

“My brother’s the detective, not me.” He laughs, shaking his head. “Though I suppose I won’t deny being called observant.”

“Well you’re used to noticing minute body cues.” Simon points out as they wait for their coffees. “Your partner depends on it. The way Chloe just...throws herself in your general direction without hesitating, and knows that you’ll catch her. It means she trusts in your abilities, in your partnership.”

Ronan looks at him eyes wide and lips slightly parted, and Simon feels stupid stupid stupid until he notices the faint rosiness to his cheeks, and the way Ronan averts his gaze after a moment too long. His heart skips a beat, his heart does that stupid thing where it throws itself in the general direction of a pointless crush without hesitating, without knowing if the other person will catch it. It does this every time, every single time, and sets Simon up for nothing but heartache later.

“That’s very kind of you to say, Simon. I’m glad that comes across when I dance.” Ronan says quietly, almost murmuring it into his scarf as if too shy to say it any louder. Simon knows this will go nowhere, just like his love for Markus but he’s always been unable to control his heart’s desires.

“I mean, I know nothing about ballet but I think that just lets me have a different perspective.” Simon rambles because he doesn’t know how to control any part of himself, apparently. “Critics know all the terminology, all the moves, all the stories of the ballets so they’d pick it all apart but since I know nothing I get to just enjoy it. Be in awe of the fact you’re human like me but somehow you can make your body do those things; dance like you can almost fly.”

“Simon, I-”

“Order for Ronan?” The barista calls out, and Simon is blessedly grateful for the interruption, looking at Sumo instead because he suddenly can’t face looking into those startling grey eyes a second longer.

“Here, Simon.” The large cup is held out to him, and Simon can’t help but let their fingers brush when he takes it because if he’s going to get his heart broken all over again the least he can do is indulge in the illusion of happiness for a little while.

“Thank you.”

“Would you- would you like to come along for a walk?” Ronan stammers hesitatingly and he’s ever so endeared. “I usually take Sumo for two laps around the park and then head home.”

“I’d really like that, if you wouldn’t mind the company?”

“I would like your company very much.”

The park is starting to turn into hues of sepia as Detroit eases into Autumn, and it’s Simon’s favourite season. It means cosy sweater weather and staying inside. Sumo trots happily ahead and Simon sips on his coffee and darts Ronan glances every now and then.

“I um, I wanted to ask you why your surname is Stern?” He catches his gaze briefly before focusing on Sumo again. “You said your brother Connor is a detective, and I realised North’s friend is Detective Connor Anderson at central station.”

“Oh I-” a thoughtful frown. “We’re both adopted. We were in the system for a while, and Lieutenant Hank Anderson fostered us. I got into ballet through the Abraham Kamski arts outreach program. Before the adoption process was complete, I was accepted by the Royal Ballet on scholarship when I was nine.”

Simon tries to imagine what that would’ve been like, to have one’s whole world change at the age of nine.

“Professor Amanda Stern became my legal guardian, so I became a Stern too.” Ronan explains, brows furrowed. “She wasn’t a mother figure. I felt like a student constantly under her tutelage, but she was never unkind. Just...intense. She believed in discipline and order and structure and pushed me to do my best. She taught- still teaches, advanced robotics in London though she came from Detroit too. She once taught Elijah Kamski, our current director and son of Abraham Kamski. That’s how it all came full circle- me moving from Detroit to London under her care and then back under now under Mr Kamski’s.”

“You spent all those years by yourself in London, without seeing your brother?” Simon tries to imagine what that would’ve been like too, but the pain is too great. “I have a twin brother, Daniel. He’s only older by a few minutes but the way he acts you’d swear we were years apart. He’s so over protective of me but I guess that’s because we’ve only had each other for so long.”

Ronan raises his brows curiously, and Simon tries to keep his emotions reigned in.

“We had a pretty ordinary if conservative upbringing in the suburbs but um, we got disowned when we were outed- well, I was outed by a classmate. Danny outed himself too, the moment our parents started yelling at me and we were out on the streets at seventeen. I don’t know if I could’ve spent so many years away from him, the way you were apart from Connor. I think I would’ve fallen to pieces.”

Ronan is quiet for a moment, before he reaches out and gently squeezes his shoulder.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“I’m sorry you had to grow up without Connor. And he grew up without you.”

“I had ballet and he had the police academy. We stayed connected via social media, it wasn’t too bad. When we were old enough we could fly to visit each other during breaks, if we managed to have enough money saved.” Ronan sighs, shaking his head. “You’re right though, some nights I would feel so lonely I thought I was falling to pieces.”

“Is that why you came back? Why you gave up such a prestigious position at the Royal Ballet?” Simon pries a little, hoping he’s not being presumptuous.

“Yes.” He answers with barely any pause for thought. “I wanted to be where Connor was, and that’s here in Detroit.”

“I imagine that decision didn’t make many people happy.” Simon winces as Ronan sighs heavily.

“No, but it was the right one. I don’t regret coming back to Detroit. I don’t regret giving all that up to be with my brother again. Well. Sort of. I don’t live with them since there’s no room and I have a housemate I’d rather kill but he has cats that like me and I like them more than I like him so I guess he gets to live for now.”

He says it so seriously, face deadpan, that Simon laughs loudly, startling Sumo. When he manages to recover, Ronan is smiling and Simon finds himself smiling too.

The working week passes in a blur and all Simon can do is stalk Ronan on social media and soak up what the internet has to offer and try his very best not to be so outwardly in love though it fails because Danny always knows how to read him.

“It’s the cute boy at the ballet, huh?” His twin grins, kicking his shin under the dinner table. Simon winces, kicking him back.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh okay, so I guess the ticket North dropped off for the finale performance of Onegin was meant for me?” Danny pulls out an envelope with a dramatic flourish and Simon lunges over the table to try and grab it.

“Give me that!”

“No, it’s not meant for you, you have no idea what I’m talking about!” Danny laughs, holding it out of reach. Simon whines in frustration, trying to reach for it in vain.

“Dannnnyyyy!”

“What’s his name?”

“Danny give it!”

“Not until you tell me who it is!”

“It’s Ronan.” He slumps in his seat, burying his face in his hands.

“Oh the hotshot from London?” Danny laughs, tossing the envelope over to him. “Yeah alright he’s pretty cute I guess. What? I looked through the program you left on the kitchen counter. He sounds way more impressive than Markus.”

“Markus is plenty impressive.” Simon mutters, snatching the envelope.

“North told me he has a Louis Vuitton pencil case for his charcoal sticks.” Danny cocks a brow. “His charcoal sticks , Simon. Anyway, full international scholarship at nine years old? Youngest dancer to be promoted to principal dancer? That’s way more impressive.”

When he looks at his brother, there’s something more than fond teasing to be found in his expression, so Simon opens up a little.

“Y-you think so? This isn’t...stupid, is it?”

“It’s not stupid, Si. I mean, your heart can be plenty stupid but that’s how you are.” The teasing is gone, replaced entirely by infinite kindness. “You love so openly, so intensely. I’m here because of that. You’re friends with North and Josh and yeah, even Markus because of that. You look after kids all day and you love your job and you love them and that’s why you’re so good at it. That’s why you’re such a good person.”

The tears fill his eyes and he feels stupid, but loved too and Danny’s wobbly smile tells him his brother feels the same. “That’s why you deserve to date an accomplished hotshot from London in incredibly tight tights.”

“Danny!”

It’s Friday and he’s coming up the steps, 6:19pm sharp and there’s North in an oxblood leather jacket over a jumpsuit and her usual combat boots.

“Hey loser.” She greets with a grin, leaning to kiss his cheek.

“Hey yourself.” He elbows her lightly before crooking his arm as she hugs it. She’s leading him down a corridor and he knows the way now. When Chloe slips out from her dressing room and into North’s arms, Simon sidesteps them politely and heads for the room down the hall, knocking on the door.

“Simon.” Ronan blinks in surprise, and he’s Eugene Onegin again, sculpted cheekbones and artfully swept hair. “Hello.”

“Hi.” His heart’s pounding, thudding so loud it might as well be the beat for them to dance to. “Good luck.” Tangling their fingers together, he tips up slightly on his toes and presses his lips to his and there’s a moment of surprise before Ronan circles an arm around his waist and pulls him in so they’re pressed together. They part for but a second before Ronan kisses him, and he kisses the way he dances; commanding and intense and powerful- the kiss of a leading man that sweeps his costar off their feet. It leaves Simon panting and dizzy and starstruck, and he knows he’s never been kissed like that all his life. Ronan seems a little self-conscious, a little embarrassed as if afraid he’s overstepped and Simon huffs a laugh, wrapping his arms around him.

“I’ll see you after the show.” He cups a palm against his cheek, pulling him to lean down and bump their brows together.

“And many more times after that, I hope?”

“Yes.” He laughs brightly, stealing another kiss. “And many more times after that.”

#rk900 #dbh simon #dbh north #dbh chloe #Detroit: Become Human #norchloe #dbhrarepairsweek #annie writes: dbh

12 notes · View notes

halstudandruz · 6 years ago

Text

Alone Time

*Not my gif*

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: Yes

Prompt: Will moves in during a rough patch with Natalie

Warnings: None

A/N: Yes, I am here for Rhodestead

Even though you lived in a different state than your family now you were still very close with them, and had always thought family was important. So, whenever Will came to Jay asking to stay with you guys since he and Natalie were going through a rough patch you were quick to convince Jay that it would be okay. You always got along with Will so you didn’t see any problems arising. However, Will didn’t seem to have any concept of “alone time.” You didn’t mind him crashing your movie nights that wasn’t a big deal, but he seemed to be stealing Jay away from you more and more dragging him to Blackhawks games and taking him out to Molly’s every night. Not to mention interrupting every single time Jay and you would get even close to sex. Normally you wouldn’t mind Jay going out and having fun, and it wasn’t that you didn’t want him to do that, or that you didn’t want him to spend time with his brother, but you knew that once he got into a big case you wouldn’t see him as much. Those movie nights and occasional mornings in the shower would be few and far between for a few weeks. So, whenever you do get to spend time with him you appreciate it. However, you did not know how to go about it. Will was going through a really rough time, and the fact that he was getting out and getting to spend time with Jay was important, but your annoyance was building each day. Again, you loved Will and did not want to upset him or Jay so you kept it all to yourself, and were planning on keeping it that way until Will interrupted you two in the shower this morning. It wasn’t like it was on purpose or anything, but you kind of lost it.

“Jay, I love him. I really do. You know that, but I am going to lose my mind.” You sighed getting dressed.

“Babe, I don’t know what you want me to do. He’s my brother. We can’t kick him out on the street.” He answered clearly frustrated.

“I don’t want to kick him out. All I want is a night alone with you. We haven’t had one in weeks. You would think he would get the hint.” You whined stepping into Jay wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I know baby. I’ll talk to him. Promise.” Jay sighed leaning down to capture your lips.

“I’ll make it worth it.” You winked at him smirk on your face as you walked towards the door causing Jay to chuckle and shake his head. You headed off to work going about your normal day. As you walked into your apartment after work you found Will walking around throwing stuff into a duffle bag. You threw Jay a weird look as he was obviously annoyed.

“Thank god. Will you please tell him he is exaggerating?” Jay sighed following Will into the guest room.

“What’s going on?” You asked walking in behind them.

“Jay wants me to leave. So, I am.” Will shrugged. “Seriously Will? I asked you for one night alone, and you take that as I want you to leave?” Jay practically yelled getting more frustrated by the second. Will stood up straight going to yell back before you stepped in between them. “Alright, tough guys tell me what is going on.” You looked between both of them. Jay decided to break the silence.

“I told him that we wanted to have a date night alone, and he took that as I want him to leave completely.” Jay explained. You turned to Will crossing your arms as he looked down at you.

“You are a 30 year old doctor. Stop acting like a child.” You huffed looking up at him.

“I am not-” He began to fight back before you jumped in.

“Where exactly do you plan to go?” You asked.

“Connor’s.” Will mumbled causing you to break out in a smile.

“On second thought-” You began before Jay cut you off.

“Call Connor. Have him go to Molly’s with you. Have fun. If you need me to come get you call, but stop being so immature.” Jay lectured him starting to unpack the clothes out of his bag causing Will to roll his eyes giving in.

“Go get laid. Lord knows you need it.” You joked.

“Jay, would you please tell your girlfriend for the thousandth time. I am not gay.” Will gave you a look small grin on his face.

“I was actually referring to you getting laid by a girl, but yep. You keep telling yourself that Halstead. Rhodestead for life.” You yelled walking out of the room as you heard Jay’s laugh fill the apartment.

#chicago pd imagine #jayhalsteadxreader #jay halstead x reader #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead #chicago pd #chicago pd x reader #rhodestead

398 notes · View notes

connorandersons-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Family Reunion

Rating: mature

Ship: Connor/Gavin

Word count: 5,010

Chapter: 2/5

Summary: Gavin is going to a family reunion, but he doesn't have a date. Of course, he has to ask the android he's been pining for. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: Trans Gavin, fake/pretend Relationship, mutal pining, bi Connor, ace connor, gay Gavin, Ken Doll Android Anatomy

--------------------------

The day comes quickly as Connor double checks his suitcase. He is bringing clothes but also supplies just in case he gets injured for some reason. Gavin had told him that they could get thirium there, and they'd already had plenty of stuff, but he brought it anyway.

He had also stayed up all night baking things. Gavin had said they'd be leaving early in the morning and he wanted to bring something to give as a gift to Gavin's family.

Hank knocked on his doorframe and Connor looked up with a small smile. "You sure you don't wanna back out of this, son?"

"I'm sure. I already committed to it, and who else would Gavin be able to take, especially on such short notice." He closed up his suitcase and duffle bag, placing the suitcase on the ground. Gavin should be here any minute.

"Hm, well I'll come get you if you need me. If you need anything actually, I don't care how long the drive is." Hank glared at the wall. He couldn't really blame him. He knew that Gavin and Hank had a strained relationship, though neither would tell him why.

Connor smiled and shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm sure I'll be fine. Gavin may be an ass but he'll stop if I say no." He knew he would. He trusted him enough for him to.

They both turn when they wear the knock on the door. Connor can't help the small smile as he slings the duffle bag over his shoulder and goes to the kitchen, calling out that the door is open.

Connor grabs the goodies he's made (he was originally just going to make one, but he stress bakes) and walks towards the door.

He looks over and Hank has his arms crossed, staring Gavin down. He's never seen Gavin pull in on himself like this, making himself look small.

Connor doesn't say anything as he watches the two stare at each other. It takes a full one minute and twenty-five seconds until Gavin looks down at the floor.

Hank grins and nods to himself before moving away. Connor isn't really sure what just happened so he shrugs and walks over.

He hands Gavin a cup of coffee and holds out the first tray of goodies. Inside is a mixture of donuts of different kinds, and muffins. He had blueberry, chocolate, banana, apple, and plain for the muffins.

Gavin's eyes widen at the coffee and food, looking between Hank, Connor and the tray. Hank just rolls his eyes and shrugs. Gavin looks at each muffin and donut before taking a chocolate one.

"Thanks," he mumbled before taking a bite. His eyes roll back and he hums happily, scarfing down the rest of it and eagerly taking a sip of the coffee.

Connor feels pride bloom in his chest at the response. He could have learned to cook by downloading a program but has chosen to learn the human way. He was immensely glad that he had.

"Fuck, this is good." Gavin sided, grinning just slightly.

Connor smiled and looked to Hank who was just squinting at the two. "Hank, I left you some of the food I made, don't eat it all at once. Also, don't forget the recipes I taught you. I don't want to hear that you got take-out every night." He points an accusing finger at Hank.

Hank sighs and puts his hands up in surrender. "Yeah, yeah. Be safe." He then turns to Gavin, "you fuck with him I cut your dick off."

Gavin's face paled just slightly and he nodded. He had no doubt that Hank would follow through with his threat. That man may now love his job again, but Connor was like a son to him. He'd cut off anyone's dick if they hurt him.

"Alright, I'm ready if you are," Connor said. Gavin nodded and moved back out the door. Connor gave Sumo a pat on the head before walking out.

Hank stood at the doorway watching as Gavin opened up his trunk for Connor. Connor slid his suitcase in and placed his duffle bag in too before shutting it.

He walked around and opened the back door and put the two trays of food in the seat. He then walked to the passenger side and opened the door. He looked back at Hank and gave him a small wave before getting in.

Gavin slides in on the other side and starts up the car, glancing over at Connor before pulling out and into the road.

The first thirty minutes are silent as they get onto the highway. Gavin has music playing in the back, but it wouldn't be loud enough to obstruct speaking.

"Alright, so some more things about me. I do a morning routine that lasts about ten minutes. I also take a morning jog, feel free to come with. I normally wake up around seven." Gavin starts up randomly.

Connor nods along, once again taking notes. The list was becoming longer and longer and he was glad once again that he had perfect memory.

"I also try to work out at least once every other day if I don't do any hard fieldwork. Again, feel free to join. By the way, I didn't tell my family who I was bringing, so it's gonna be a surprise for them too. They just know you're a dude."

"Tina agreed to look after my cats while I'm gone. While we’re on that topic, time for you to learn about them. A friend of mine from academy had ragdolls and they had kittens, that's where I got Sig. I found Fae on the street. Sig is pretty standoffish, though I'm sure you two would get along. Fae is an attention whore. She can give you hugs, which I didn't teach by the way. She meows a lot, and can be the sweetest cat ever."

It's adorable to picture Gavin curled up with two cats. He really hoped that he'll actually get to meet them someday soon.

"So, what about you? Anything I should know?" Gavin asks, quickly glancing over before looking back at the rode. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the music.

"I consider Hank a father, and as you know we have Sumo. I also really love fish. I like to bake, and clean though Hank doesn't like it if I clean too much. He said he doesn't want me to feel like a cleaning android." He found cleaning calming, so he often cleaned when Hank was asleep.

"Right, my stepmom will adore you then. She could never get most of us to clean. My room was always a mess." Gavin snorted. "Now I have to keep everything neat."

He had seen how sparse and organized Gavin's desk always was. It was like that even with-no, especially if- he had a big case. It was nice to see compared to other desks (cough, cough, Hank's).

"Speaking of, family history time. Bio mom and dad were together for about three years. Then, bio mom and dad got divorced when I was uh… ten. Dad met stepmom and they got married when I was twelve." Gavin says, squinting slightly when he has to think about when it happened.

He knew that Hank and his ex-wife had gotten a divorce before she died. Hank had said that they stayed friends even after and when she was diagnosed with cancer he did everything he could to help.

He didn't say anything, just nodded. "Also, I use to smoke. I quit before you showed up, but you probably would have seen me struggle with that if we were actually close."

The words actually send a pang through his heart. He knew they weren't close, far from it, but it hurt to hear.

"If you do ever need help with that, please let me know. I've been helping Hank with his alcohol problem." Connor suggests.

Gavin hums and nods his head. "Yeah, I did notice that. Also, thanks. Tina was the one that finally got me to quit. Said if I didn't then she'd start smoking. Then she proceeded to kick my ass until I did."

He could imagine that. Tina was very headstrong and didn't put up with anyone's shit, including Connor's.

They continued to talk, sharing small things about themselves. It wasn't much, but he still learned more in those three hours than he had in the year he'd known Gavin.

He watches as his stress levels slowly climb as they get closer and closer. He learned a lot, but he still didn't know much about each family member.

So when they arrive at the house his stress levels are at 54%.

From the outside, this house looks magnificent. It has been built with walnut wood and has red pine wooden decorations. Tall, rounded windows add to the overall style of the house and have been added to the house in a mostly symmetric way.

The building is shaped like a squared ‘S’. The two extensions extend into stylish gardens to each side.

The second floor is smaller than the first, which allowed for several balconies on the sides of the house. This floor has a slightly different style than the floor below.

The roof is high and square-shaped and is covered with wood shingles. One small chimney pokes out the center of the roof. There are no windows on the roof.

The house itself is surrounded by a modest garden,mostly grass, with a few flower patches and a children's playground. He can also see a large lake in the distance behind the house. There are three cars already parked.

There are no other houses around for at least a mile, which is impressive. The land must have been expensive to buy. Gavin shuts off the car and Connor glances over.

His eyes seem bright but his smile is tight. He fiddles with his keys before glancing over at Connor. "You ready? It seems my oldest brother and youngest are already here."

Connor nods and gives a reassuring smile to Gavin. If anyone should need reassurance it's Connor, but he doesn't seek it out. Instead, he climbs out of the car and grabs the goodies first, then his bags.

Gavin grabs his own and their hands brush just slightly. Connor quickly pulled his hand away as it tingles just slightly.

Gavin freezes for only a second before shutting the trunk. They walk up the driveway and to the door, Gavin knocking on it once before walking it.

Connor walks in behind and shuts the door softly. It has crisp white walls, timber floors, and high ceilings. A large staircase goes up to the second floor. Even with it being so neat and tidy it still has a sense of home to it.

"Gav, honey, is that you?" A woman calls out. She rounds the corner and Connor scans her. She must be Gavin's stepmom.

She has a round heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes, and a dominant forehead. The width around her temples is wide, with her face becoming narrower towards the chin. Her smile makes her cheekbones and nose more pronounced.

Standing short and solidly-built, this woman has a warm feeling about her. She has alert and light brown eyes, and her hip-length, curly, black hair is styled with a fade.

She rushes over and pulls Gavin into a hug, which he reciprocates, dropping his stuff on the ground.

When she pulls back and looks over Connor, she doesn't seem to hesitate over his LED. He was definitely caught off guard when she wraps her arms around him. It's a bit awkward and Gavin grabs the trays from between them so she could hug him fully.

"It's so good to meet you; call me Shona. I hope you're doing well. We all saw what happened on TV and I must say- It was very impressive what you did, and I'm proud of you. I also know that that was dangerous as fuck and if you die before you two can get married I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself." She says as she steps back.

He… honestly has no idea what to do or think. He wasn't expecting this at all. It was nice to be accepted so easily, but still shocking.

"It's… it's a pleasure to meet you. Gavin has told me a lot about you, but I'm very glad to finally meet you in person." He says, smiling. Gavin takes a step closer to Connor and puts an arm around him.

"Mom, can we at least put our stuff down? Also, Connor made these for you guys. If you don't eat it, I will." He said, holding out the trays.

Shona gasps and takes them, smiling up at Connor. "Oh, you sweet boy. I like you even more. Gavin, you know where your room is. Go put your stuff down then come say hi to your siblings," she says, shooing them off.

Gavin chuckles but does as he's told, leading them up to his room. He opens the door and lets Connor in before closing it with a small sigh.

He has a bed with black sheets and red pillows. There is a dresser with a PS4 and a tv on it, and some NCIS and Criminal Minds FunkoPops.

He has a framed written out copy of the Miranda rights, several Marvel posters, DPD Calendar, a picture of him and Lieutenant Fowler with signed 'See you after academy Reed!', and a rainbow flag with a burnt corner.

Connor then looked at the corner bookshelf with different trophies on it- mostly second place in track and first place in various dance competitions, and also photos from plays he was in.

What is noticeable is that there is only one bed. That was fine with Connor as he didn't actually need to sleep, but he'd probably end up at least sitting beside Gavin.

He places his suitcase down on the ground in front of the bed, and the duffle on it. "Alright, guess it's time for you to meet them," Gavin says.

Gavin doesn't even look at Connor as he takes his hand, leading him out and back down the stairs.

He leads them into a square living room that has mismatched metal furniture. He notes the seating is plush and looks very comfortable. The floor is wood and the walls are painted and decorated with a wallpaper border.

The whole room is done in warm colors and overall has an elegant look. He scans the faces and stops on one, going rigid.

"Ah, Connor. What a pleasant surprise. It's been a while since I've seen you last. Congratulations on the successful revolution, you all exceeded my expectations." Kamski says, standing and stepping forward.

Connor's really glad he's holding onto Gavin's hand already. If he wasn't he definitely would have grabbed it and he wouldn't have known how to explain himself

"Kamski. I- I had no idea you were related to Gavin. He mentioned you, but never by name." He hears Gavin sigh, but he squeezes Connor's hand just slightly.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to have been able to see your reaction. Deviants are so fascinating. I wonder what else we'll learn about each other." Kamski takes another step forward towards them.

Gavin rolls his eyes and uses his free hand to slap the back of his brother's head. "Stop being so damn cryptic. He's here as my date. Speaking of, where the hell is Chloe?"

There's a rustling from where he assumes is the kitchen then Chloe quickly walking in and saving. "Sorry, sorry. Was helping with some prep. Gavin, you look well." She said, stepping up to give him a half hug.

She turns to Connor and her eyebrows raise. Connor still remembers the feel of Kamski's hand as he pointed a gun at another Chloe. She wasn't the same one, but it still brought the memory back.

"Connor, thank you for helping free our people." She says with a warm smile. He scans her and has to blink a few times. She's the first one. She's the original Chloe. It shouldn't surprise him that much, and he looks at where Kamski has a protective arm around her and his eyebrows raise.

So Kamski was with Chloe. He didn't know for how long, but that was definitely interesting. Had she always been deviant? Did Kamski plan for the revolution?

He then turned when a young woman made herself known. She has a square face with a pointed chin, a small nose, small ears, and small lips. Her blue eyes are prominent, and she has thin eyebrows.

Her hair is black, dip-dyed almost the full length with shades of green is medium-length- thick and un-styled.

She also has pierced her right nostril with a shiny green gem in it. There’s also a tribal tattoo across her chest that he can see behind her strapless spring dress.

She nodded to Connor before walking up and flipping off Gavin. Gavin just flips her off in return with a grin. "Sup, fucker. And nice to meet you, Connor, I'm Kassia but just call me Kas." She holds out her hand to shake, which Connor does.

"Right! I'm glad you all met. Be nice to each other or else." Shona says sending a glare at each before turning away and walking back to the kitchen.

It's slightly awkward just standing there, and thankfully Gavin takes the lead. He pulls Connor into the couch, sitting so close he's practically on top of him.

Kamski and Chloe sit close together and Kas sits on the rocking chair, pulling out her phone.

"So, Connor, the last time I saw you you were still denying your deviancy. Obviously, you got past that, how have you been?" Kamski asks. Chloe huffs beside him and flicks his cheek.

Connor can't help the small smile at seeing the two interact. It was so different than how he had treated the Chloes at his house, that must have been somewhat of an act.

"I've been well. After the revolution, Gavin and I got together. He's helped me quite a lot with discovering new emotions." He smiles and glances at Gavin, giving him a wink before turning back to Kamski.

Kamski is staring at the two of them like he's trying to solve a puzzle.

[Probability of family finding out the truth: 47%]

"Right. Well, I'm happy for you. You did eventually find Jericho, without my help. I'd say congratulations on that, but we both know you didn't originally go there with the purest intentions." For that Chloe smacks him on the back of his head just like Gavin had done.

Kamski rubs his head and sighs, "I didn't mean it like that. I know he wasn't in control, obviously. Just trying to make conversation."

"Well, you’re shit at it." Gavin and Kas say at the same time. They both shot each other a glance before snickering.

"So mean, you see what I have to deal with? Maybe now that you're here someone will finally appreciate me." Kamski sighs dramatically. Chloe just playfully glares at Kamski. "Also, call me Elijah, Connor."

That will definitely be hard. This is the man that created him, creates his whole species. He may have even created deviancy. Calling him by his first name just seemed… odd.

But, he would do it anyway, "alright, Elijah."

Connor is momentarily distracted when Gavin leans his head on Connor's shoulder, playing with their intertwined fingers. Connor watches then turns and places a kiss onto Gavin's head.

Gavin looks up, slightly surprised before smiling. He leans up and presses a quick kiss to Connor's cheek.

He feels his core start to heat up and takes a few slow breaths. "Fucking hell, you two are sappier than Elijah and Chloe." Kas gripes from her chair.

Connor flushed and tried to hide his face, which just brings him closer to Gavin. That definitely doesn't help his blush, at all.

"If you two start having sex on the couch I will leave." Kas whines.

"I would watch if you weren't fucking my brother." Another slap to the head from Chloe.

Connor turned even more blue, trying to get smaller. He had expected a lot of things. Hearing his creator say he'd watch him have sex with someone wasn't one of them.

"Fucking ow. He's pretty, you can't deny that. Gavin got a good one. Actually, the highest advanced model there currently is." Kamski says, pouting at Chloe.

Gavin growled and clung to Connor even more, glaring at Kamski. "Calm down, Gavinator I'm not gonna steal your boyfriend."

[Probability of family finding out the truth: 45%]

"Fucking koala." Kas mumbles. Gavin flips her off again and she does the same right back.

Gavin nuzzles into the crook of Connor's neck and he has to control himself from reacting.

He is ace, but he still would react when touched in a typically sexual manner. So he clamps his mouth shut and gently strokes Gavin's hair.

"You're really warm," Gavin mumbles, looking up at him with slightly wide eyes.

Connor couldn't help but chuckle, "of course I am, you know that." He tries to get his point across and it seems to work. Gavin's eyes got wider and he glanced at Kamski.

He's thankfully distracted by braiding Chloe's hair. It still shocked Connor to see Kamski so… human, as ironic as that is.

Chloe, however, was paying attention and she just subtly tilted her head at him.

‘He doesn't know, does he?’ He hears her voice in his head ask.

He glances down at Gavin, then back to Chloe, shaking his head just enough for the other to see. ‘No. He lied and said he had a boyfriend, but didn't. Then asked if I would pretend to be his.’

It wasn't like he could lie now, somehow she had figured it out. That was even more frustrating than he anticipated. He was supposed to be the most advanced model, yet he was found out within the hour from the first android.

‘You should tell him. Neither one of you is good at hiding it.’ He honestly wasn't sure what that meant. Could she see that Gavin didn't actually like him? It hurt, it hurt so much, but he had to keep a straight face.

That completely flew out the window when Gavin pressed a quick kiss to his neck. He jolted and grabbed Gavin's hips, sending him a glare.

Gavin just looked up at him with an innocent smile, like he hadn't done anything wrong.

His neck and the around his thirium pump were extra sensitive, though he wasn't sure why. He did have more wires there, so maybe that was it.

"Mom! Connor and Gavin are gonna have sex on the couch!" Kas calls out.

Shona pokes her head around the corner and points at them with a spoon. "None of that. Want to do that, find a hotel or at least do it quietly in your room."

"Sorry, Ma'am," Connor says right as Gavin also speaks.

"Right, sorry Mom."

"Connor, it's Shona or Mom, don't call me that ma'am bullshit." He was slightly surprised how similar Gavin's stepmom was to Gavin. She also reminded him, somewhat, of Hank.

Connor nodded quickly, and she smiled at him before going back into the kitchen.

"Kas, I know a lot about Kams-Elijah, but not much about you. What do you do for a living?" He could pull up her file, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"Lawyer. Yeah, shocking. I liked arguing so much I made it my job." Kamski snorts at that. "Shut it, Eli. Anyway, I've got my own firm and everything. I mostly work the big cases, but recently I focused on helping out androids. It's not much, but I try."

Connor felt like hugging her. He hadn't expected any of Gavin's family to be so supportive, but he was glad to see they were. Not too surprising since Kamski was the one who made them.

"That's very sweet of you, and if you're willing- I can tell Markus and I'm sure he'd appreciate the help." They had android lawyers, but it could help to have a human one.

Kas smiled and nodded her head quickly. "Yes! I'd love that! Thank you."

Connor nodded and already started writing a message to Markus. He and Markus had gotten close after the revolution, so it wasn't odd for the two of them to message each other throughout the day.

"Gav… grandma will be here tomorrow, just wanted to warn you." Someone says. Connor jumps slightly and looks over.

He scans him and comes back with a name: Frank L. Reed. Standing 5' 5" tall, he has a serious feel about him. He has an oval face, a narrow nose, and narrow lips. His pale grey eyes are hooded and he has thick eyebrows. He has short, greasy, brown hair and a receding hairline.

He feels Gavin stiffen and looks down at him. He looks around and sees that Kas, Kamski, and Chloe are all sitting up straight.

They didn't seem afraid, it seemed more like habit, though they did all scowl at the mention of their grandmother.

"Right, thanks," Gavin says, giving a small nod to his dad. Frank looks around and Connor and see a very small smile on his face as he looks over his children.

His smile drops when he looks at Chloe, then Connor. "Chloe, and Connor? Good for you to both come." His voice is clipped but Connor can tell he won't pick a fight. Good enough for him.

"I'm glad to be here. It's an honor to meet you, sir." Connor says, trying to be as open as possible with Gavin clinging to him like his life depended on it.

Frank hums, then turns his attention to Kamski, "Shona in the kitchen?" Kamski nods and the smile is back on Frank's face as he heads towards the kitchen.

Once he's out of earshot everyone goes back to how they were before, Gavin being completely slumped against Connor.

"He's not the fondest of androids being alive. I think it's just… well, he sees things very black and white. It's hard for him to think of a machine as alive." Kas sighs.

Not surprising, but he did seem like a good man. He didn't have a criminal record either. "That's fine. I'm just glad he didn't kick me out," he chuckled. "Or try to shoot me," he mumbled.

Gavin tensed but looked up with a worried expression. Connor rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. He really didn't blame Gavin for that. He was actually glad he tried to stop him as he had found it helped lead him to deviate.

"There's definitely a story there. Gavin, did you try to actually kill Connor? I bet he used his… negotiation skills quite well." Kamski snickered.

Chloe turned and glared at Kamski before sighing and letting it go. "I wasn't actually deviant yet, though I had tendencies. Gavin had come to stop me while I was attempting to find Jericho. It ended with him on the ground, and not in the fun way."

Kas snorted and smiled at Connor. "Hell yeah. Sucks he had to do that, but good job at fucking him up. Wait… fuck, not like that. Ugh!" Kas dropped her phone and started scrubbing at her eyes. "I did not need that mental image."

Gavin snorted and rolled his eyes at his sister. "You're the one that said it. And yeah, he did fuck me up. And then later he very mercilessly fucked me up."

Kas's face pulled like she just ate a lemon, which he didn't blame her for. He was blushing at the implications and he knew that if he had a brother he wouldn't want to hear about his sex life. He didn't even want to hear about his own pretend sex life.

"Gavin!" He scolded, pinching at the skin where his arm held him. Gavin yelped then started crackling.

It was probably one of the cutest things he's ever heard. It wasn’t soft or angelic, but gruff and unrestrained. He'd heard Gavin chuckle and scoff before, but it was never like this, so open.

Gavin's laughter was infectious and soon Connor started snorting then full-on laughing with him. This caused him to curl slightly into himself, squeezing Gavin.

Kas then started snickering and Kamski rolled his eyes but smiled at them.

There was this… warm feeling in his chest. He felt it before, with Hank and Sumo, but it was still jarring. He knew nothing was wrong, and his temperature didn't even go up. So, it was an emotion.

He'd brought it up to Markus one night after it had gotten almost overwhelming.

Hank, him and Sumo had decided to visit Jericho. They had sat together and laughed, and surprisingly North and Hank got along well. Well, better than well. It was actually very amusing to watch.

He had watched and felt that warmth bubble up, and at the end of the night, he had to pull Markus aside. Markus had always said that he could come to him with any questions. So he asked.

Markus had nodded and smiled softly before pulling Connor into a hug. "Family and belonging." Was all he had said.

It made sense, he thought of all of them as a family and he no longer feared not being accepted. The people of Jericho made it quite clear that they accepted and forgave him.

So he currently felt that warmth and he hadn't realized he stopped laughing when he noticed Gavin's had died out.

He knew he must look stupid with the fond stare he was giving Gavin, just holding him. He also worried that Gavin would be able to tell that this wasn't fake. Androids could do a lot of things, but they could never fake love.

15 notes · View notes

mobius-prime · 5 years ago

Text

129. Knuckles the Echidna #26

The First Date (Part One of Three): She Loves You… (And You Know That Can't Be Bad!)

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Chris Allan Colors: Frank Gagliardo

So this arc is kind of… eh, awkward and dull. There's really no action, and it's all centered around love and dating and whatnot like we're suddenly watching a bad will-they-won't-they sitcom. Everything is extremely heteronormative - like look, I get this is the 90s, but everything is about "boys and girls" and just ends up sounding really juvenile as a result - and everyone is really out of character, too. I mean, do Knuckles or Julie-Su seem like the types to wander around all lovesick like shallow high schoolers? Not to mention the Chaotix, especially Vector, are… well… ugh, let's just jump into this and get it over with.

The Chaotix are hanging around in their usual burger joint, when Espio mentions that recently he's heard some surprising news about Prince Charmy - namely, that he's gotten engaged!

Now, you remember how a while back when the Chaotix were first introduced I had to clarify that unlike in the games, where he's six years old, in the comics he's sixteen? This is one of those moments that completely threw me when I first read the comics, because I had been operating under the assumption all this time that he was six. Now, obviously sixteen is still pretty damn young to be getting engaged, but I was sitting here with my eyebrows furrowed wondering why Charmy's friends didn't seem more concerned that this six year old child suddenly had a fiancée. I thought that his parents had arranged his marriage to Saffron (for whatever reason her name is misspelled in this issue, with only one F) and that by going back to his role as a prince he'd basically doomed himself to having his love life strictly controlled. But no, I guess somehow in the short time since he left the group and went back home, he got into a serious enough relationship with Saffron that he proposed (or hell, maybe she proposed, who knows). It's possible there was still pressure from his parents considering his heritage, but for now we can only assume that it was a totally voluntary action on his part to get engaged to Saffron, which is just… really, really weird.

Now Vector is very displeased to hear this. Vector is, in fact, something of a gigantic sexist douchebag in this issue, talking big about how no woman could handle him, prompting Espio and Mighty to joke that Julie-Su is more than his match if they were to go head to head in a fight. We then cut to Julie-Su angrily and viciously firing her blaster while shouting about Knuckles "running out on her."

Geez, man. You think her insurance covers blaster burn marks on the walls? She's mostly angry because she wants to talk to Knuckles one on one, but he's not there with her right now. He's with his father, in some kind of apartment-like space within Haven (it's not really clear, but I'm assuming Haven given we're talking about Locke here) as his father makes him breakfast. Out of nowhere, Knuckles asks his father about "why boys and girls get together," prompting Locke to immediately spit out his coffee. Knuckles, unfazed by the sudden brown-colored backwash all over the table, starts going on about how whenever he's around Julie-Su, he feels "weird."

This is maybe my least favorite part of Kenders' worldbuilding in the comic. Apparently, the Soultouch is an instant romantic attraction between two members of the opposite sex amongst echidnas, essentially love at first sight. It's not outright stated, but in case you haven't guessed, this is why Julie-Su so abruptly left the Dark Legion when she first spotted Knuckles many issues ago, feeling like she "had to find him" but didn't know why. Knuckles asks that if the Soultouch is accurate, why Locke and Lara-Le ended up splitting up, to which Locke shrugs and says that he doesn't know, but even the best of relationships require a lot of work, which is maybe the most accurate thing written in this entire arc. Knuckles then utterly hilariously, and completely accidentally, makes his case for homosexuality by saying he thinks things would be easier if guys stuck with guys and girls stuck with girls, noting that he gets along way easier with his male friends and "doesn’t even think about other girls." Kenders clearly wasn't meaning to characterize Knuckles as a closeted gay, but that's how it comes across and it's amazing. Let Knuckles be gay if he wants, man!

Meanwhile, out on the street, Espio and Mighty start challenging Vector's flippant attitude toward women, taunting him that he probably doesn't even have the backbone to ask a girl out on a date right now. Vector, his fragile masculinity sufficiently rattled, stomps away and begins casing out the women in the area in perhaps the most uncomfortably out of character series of panels I've ever seen.

*sigh* Kenders… why in the unholy hell… did you think this was okay? Remember the sweet but clueless Vector in Sonic X who did his utmost to help Vanilla out and give her nice things because he had a crush on her, not caring about how "hot" she was or that she was a single mother with a little kid? Yeah, this isn't him. Ugh.

Julie-Su, meanwhile, has had enough of moping around in her apartment and takes a walk outside, trying to think of ways she can improve herself and become more confident. She happens to pass by a clothing boutique and glance inside, and as she muses to herself that perhaps she needs to stop being so serious all the time and learn to have a little fun - probably a good idea, considering she was part of a technological military group for so long - a passing echidna suggests to her that she go inside and try out the hat she was absentmindedly staring at. She's startled, but allows herself to be led inside by the echidna and an attendant of the store.

I very much disagree that it's "so her" - I feel like Sarah-Connor-style badass tank tops and combat boots are more her aesthetic - but regardless, the echidna encourages her and then invites her out for lunch. Fun to contrast his polite and complimentary approach towards Vector's more misogynistic one, huh? Back in Haven, while Locke is out of the room, Knuckles' musings are interrupted by Archimedes poofing in and immediately noticing his lovesick state. Upon hearing that Locke was rather awkward in trying to explain the source of his feelings, Archimedes offers his own advice for Knuckles' problem which basically boils down to "you'll never know if you don't take the plunge." Knuckles, encouraged, stands up and has Archimedes poof them away, and a second later Locke walks back in, surprised to see the room empty. Back in the streets, Vector is still trying to "score" to prove himself to Espio and Mighty…

That is the most uncomfortably-drawn swan I've ever seen. Like… why in the world does she have boobs? She's a bird! Birds don't need boobs! Argh! Archimedes poofs Knuckles straight into a restaurant, apparently having homed directly in on Julie-Su, because there she is, out to lunch with Raynor the echidna who asked her out, and to Knuckles' shock, she's holding his hand… better make a move fast, man, cause this polite dude is gonna win her over first!

Friend in Need

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Barry Grossman

So I think this is actually the first KtE arc that has a secondary story at the end of each issue - previously, they've all had one story taking up the full span of the pages. This story follows Mighty, in which he is approached by Nicolette the Weasel, who prefers to go by Nic due to her full name "not sounding tough enough for a bounty hunter," and who is Nack's previously-unmentioned sister (and looks exactly like him but with eyelashes and a crop top, because girl). She gives Mighty a red collar, which in shock he realizes used to belong to Ray the Flying Squirrel, whom he used to know. He agrees to come with Nic on her latest treasure hunting venture, providing the brawn she needs in exchange for his chance to look for what happened to Ray. While they're flying to their destination, Mighty becomes lost in memories of how he met Ray, leading to one of the most jarring character revelations next to "Charmy is a prince" - all we've ever known about Mighty up till now is that he has super strength and likes hanging around on the Floating Island, but apparently, six or seven years ago he was captured by Robotnik's forces and taken to a goddamn slave labor camp, where he found himself on a prisoner transport cart along with Ray. Ray had a very bad stutter, most likely due to fear and trauma, but was still kind to those around him, and Mighty began to look after him even though he was shackled due to his strength. But unexpectedly, one of the other prisoners on board this cart was Sonic! Keep in mind, we're talking about a cart full of eight year old children that Robotnik was shipping off. Mighty was skeptical of Sonic's confident attitude, with Sonic claiming that he was there to break everyone out, and that Robotnik didn't suspect him since he was only a child and up until recently adults had been carrying on the fight. However, with recent losses, the Freedom Fighters formed by Sally in the Sonic Kids special started taking up arms against Robotnik as well.

Let that sink in, man. This is why the leading members of the resistance against Robotnik were children and young teens. All the adults were dead or roboticized. Anyone who could have fought was gone. These children had no one else to stand up for their freedom; circumstance forced them to step forward and take the lead instead. Remember what I was talking about a while back, about Sonic having trouble settling down after Robotnik's death and how he was so used to war as essentially a child soldier that even in peacetime he found himself unable to relax? This is the true horror of the war against Robotnik. King Acorn's abrupt disbanding of the Freedom Fighters several issues ago may have seemed dismissive and uncaring, but in the end, his point of view does make sense - he doesn't want literal children robbed of their chance to, well, be children. Just think of how many main characters, and hell, even side characters, thought for so long that they were orphans until their family members started turning up after the war. Think about how many are still orphans for all their know - where are Amadeus and Rosemary Prower? Where's Bunnie's parents? Antoine's mother? Amy's parents? That is what the war against Robotnik cost society. It's actually kind of chilling.

Anyway, Nic wakes Mighty up from his train of thought as they land at the site of the now-deserted labor camp. Mighty is a little jumpy, still reluctant to trust Nic fully, but suddenly an unexpected face makes her appearance…

Fiona? As in, the robot that Tails supposedly fell in love with right before his solo adventure? She's a real person? And Mighty somehow knows her? Oh boy, there's a lot to cover here…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #kte 26 #writer: ken penders #pencils: chris allan #colors: frank gagliardo #pencils: manny galan #colors: barry grossman

12 notes · View notes

rockettransman · 5 years ago

Text

Rocketman Watch #4 Thoughts

i have so many MORE thoughts can you believe it wow here we go

(i wrote these as i watched it so they’re in order im p sure)

man, his intro monologue during group therapy is just as gripping as it was when I first watched it. And the transition to the bitch is back is so fuckin good. My palms are sweating.

There’s some commentary about forgiving and loving your inner/past child, but I don’t have the words for it at this moment. In the beginning he’s staring down, confused and scowling at his child self, but at the end, he embraces him in a way his father and loved ones never did.

Was he in therapy/rehab WHILE touring and doing music? Stomping into the room in his regalia would have me believe so. I know group therapy was a medium for storytelling. Was it just signaling the very beginning of his story, because we go through different stages through his actions and clothing changes?

Lmao I imagine it must take some pretty cool parents to allow their, like, six or seven year old child to be in this movie. He said bitch so many times.

Took me a hot second to realize the orchestra he’s conducting is playing Rocket Man. The violins are so pretty. Imagine being picked to be in the orchestra on set and getting smile up at the tiny little kid who played Elton. My heart would absolutely swell seeing a little kid being so fantastic at this really intense job.

Kit Connor did amazing in his role. He’s fifteen and he’s already done so much! Imagine growing up knowing you played Elton John as a kid. Getting to work alongside him and his husband and the dozens of incredible actors. Wowie. I’d never shut up about it.

I LOVE how 12 year old Elton is playing the piano SO HARD and is trying to rock out as hard as he can while playing classical music. The boy wanna ROCK dammit.

HE GLANCED UP THE TINIEST BIT WHEN THE MAN ASKED IF ANYONE HAD A FAG (slang for cigarette)

SATURDAY NIGHTS ALRIGHT GIVES ME CONSTANT CHILLS FROM THE START TO FINISH

WOOOW SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD ELTON IS CUTE AS HEEELLLL. The hair, glasses, and front tooth gap fit Taron so well. Goddamn I hope I look like 17 year old Elton some day.

The choreography for this number is absolutely breathtaking. You have to get that many people all in sync! We followed Elton running through the crowd and AAHHH it was a lot! The athleticism! And they did it in the rain! Wow I’m blow away.

Elton is JAMMIN in the back of the stage. It’s really sweet to see his smile and enthusiasm and his brain thinking and working.

That guy in the back peed a LOT lmao

I was wondering where thank you for all of your loving came in.

Charlie Rowe plays Ray Williams, and he also plays LEO ROTH from Red Band Society!!! The first time I watched the movie, I KNEW him from somewhere, but I couldn’t place it and it was driving me nuts. Man. RBS was a big crutch during the worst lows of my ED. Had no idea he was English.

Love to see how shy Elton was as a teenager. It’s a hot ass mood. Also, those silk scarves? Ascots? idk but they’re a LOOK.

“One frothy coffee, no froth.”

The acquaintances-to-best-friends montage set to Border Song *chefs kiss*

Rock And Roll Madonna Is A Perfect Song Send Tweet

Lmao Elton is NOT phased at all when he gets accused of being gay. He’s just like. “Nah. I’m like. Not.” Not overly defensive and surprised, like I’m sure other people would be lmaooo

STUMBLING HOME DRUNK WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND IS A MILESTONE IN TEENAGEHOOD!!!!!!!

“You are a ssSSHHIIIITT HOT piano player—”

So delicate of Bernie the way he politely denied a kiss from him. It wasn’t weird or tense at all. Just a gentle “love you, but not that way. It’s okay” Some people may not be able to handle it that well even today.

Taron’s got nice thighs. That robe & underwear getup is a nice look.

Love love LOVE hearing him experiment with Your Song on the piano to find a melody that worked.

Honestly what the shit do these songs even mean. Bernie sometimes these words don’t make any sense. Don’t worry, they still slap. “See I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue” like what

AMOREENA IS A PERFECT SONG SEND TWEET

Doug flirting with Bernie makes me snort every time. “Oh, really? That’s.. cool.”

THE TROUBADOUR OUTFIT IS GOOD AS SHIT!!!!!!!!

“NO, BERNIE. YOU ARE UNDERREACTING.”

Taron was right. The overalls do make his ass look massive.

A week ago before this movie I was sick and fuckin TIRED of crocodile rock but now I can’t get enough of it. The movie transformed a lot of old songs I was sick of for me.

Imagine being a kind of shy, nervous kid, terrified to go on stage, but two and a half minutes later the entire venue is LOSING IT because they love the jam YOU WROTE. how cool for Elton.

I want a best friend platonic cheek kiss :(

Hmmmmm I’m wondering if they used the studio recordings that went on the album for the movie or have different movie-specific recordings. Tiny Dancer sounds a teeny bit different in the movie version.

Goddamn I sure hope Taron got to keep that jacket.

“So you liked the song, then?” “Not as much as the singer” *Elton glances away in gay panic*

LMFAO John said some weird colorful words to Elton that barely made sense and he was like OH FUCK GOTTA KISS HIM GOTTA KISS HIM

I’ve talked so much about the sex scene I don’t need to go on about it here. Go search the rocketman tag on my blog for my extensive gay thoughts about it.

Now I know glasses come OFF during sex

oh oh oh I was wondering where Hercules fell in the movie. I love how the songs he’s writing or getting notoriety for is played over the transition scenes.

Elton’s hand on his hip, knowing smirk as John enters the studio. “Hello.”

Bernie is like “HELLO are we RECORDING or are y’all gonna FUCK in the CLOSET?”

*vibrating* Honky Cat Honky Cat Honky Cat Honky Cat

Damn, the flowy white button down with the red pants really is a LOOK

The gestures, staring up at each other, leaning into each other, hands on each other’s chests, damn it makes me feel some typa way. Maybe their love WAS good and fun and exciting while they rode the high of everything before it all went so so bad.

Elton searching John’s gaze while he’s talking and looking like he’s not really paying attention, just looking for a kiss on the couch.. GOD I remember the honeymoon phase of my relationships. So much fun.

His dad going “N-Not really my thing.” That was a metaphor for his SEXUALITY TOO, huh.

Damn. He went to his dad’s to come out to him and he never even got to get to that part. He was just like “....nice shoes....” and even after all this time, didn’t show any interest in his music. If he never was into what he did, how could he even talk about being gay? I’m sure during that scene there were a lot of metaphors to sexuality but I didn’t bother to think much about them.

The eyebrow quirk after his dad says “ah—no. Could you make it out to Arthur?” DAMN Elton was like .. “really. This is what’s happening? Okay. Awesome.”

“What do you have to do to get a fucking drink around here, eh?” *cuts to Elton drinking straight from a bottle*

“Elton—” “Elton!”

John saying “don’t you ever put your hands on me” when he was the one who yanked him from the phone booth AND directly after punching him... woof man. What a shitty dude.

Damn, just noticed John talking very quietly and closely to another man right before he goes on and plays Pinball Wizard. Was this the first sign of him having fun with other men when Elton was indisposed?

Pinball Wizard is absolutely intense and loud and fun, but it DOES carry the tone of “god im SO miserable” under it all. You knew Elton wasn’t having fun.

“It is next week.” Jeezus.

LMAO I just caught the “mom, you’re ON my GOWN” when he reluctantly complies to give the Anderson’s a tour.

Damn, flowy, loose dress shirts with the first few buttons undone is a LOOOOK.

How did they do the overdose scene, you think? Surely the pills Taron took had to be like. Empty. Or placebo affect drugs? Idk. He did take a big drink directly after stuffing his mouth with them. I don’t think he spit them out.

God, there is SOMETHING symbolic about how he meets his child self at the bottom of the pool. Rock bottom? Apologizing? Wishing he could be better? Telling him he’ll never be better?

OH I watched a behind the scenes cut about the pool scene, and none of it was CGI. Taron was weighted under his robe and a SCUBA diver was on standby to provide oxygen. The singing and bubbles coming out of his mouth and stuff underwater was all real.

Dying to know about the choreography around the second chorus, about the undressing and twirling and dressing and injection and handing off of the bat and stuff. That sequence was incredible.

Bennie and the Jets. Damn. It fucks. I listened to it almost the entire time on my run today. (Five miles; I felt like garbage the entire time but it was good anyway.) The scene is wild. He’s in the middle of a drug induced haze orgy. He SHOULD be having the time of his life but he’s so goddamn miserable. (Also, the juxtaposition between Chris Fleming’s Bennie and the Jets is so funny.)

Part of the problem was that John never understood Elton. But, Elton broke it off with John, not the other way around like he said it was. He wasn’t the victim in that regard. John did treat him like shit though.

Victim of Love plays right after that lmao

Renate and he aren’t even close when they do the duet to don’t let the sun go down on me. They’re separated in different rooms, mirroring literally how closed off their relationship was.

The shot with them waking up in different rooms.. damn

His shirt is so LOUD I’m going crazy

Watching Taron down that orange juice made me a little nauseous I gotta say

“Not really I’m gAy”

It’s CRAZY to watch Elton and his mom interact at the dinner scene. He gets accosted and accused of so much by his mom, claiming SHE’S the victim of his actions, making it all about HER and then he turns around and does and says the exact same shit to Bernie.

He yells “Oh, don’t be so dramatic!” at Bernie as he gets into a taxi. THE PROJECTION!! THE DEFLECTION!!!!

I know there’s only so much they can put in two hours, but I wish they showed more of Elton’s eating issues. He had bulimia for sixteen years before he got help. It’s Absolutely the Man With Anorexia in me, but seeing that even men deal with eating disorders quells the lonely aching something in me. I feel that much less alone, you know. Eating disorders aren’t a “woman’s disease.”

How do you think they did his hair? A wig adds more hair, not take it away. He didn’t get his hair cut for it did he?

Seeing Elton’s first love fall apart because John was such a selfish, heartless prick in reality makes me sad.

Elton hugs his inner child when he reconciled with everyone in his past. Goddamn. He found peace and forgiveness for himself, who he was, even after all that time.

When Elton asks him not to go, Bernie refuses, saying this is something he had to do on his own. Healing comes from within alone. No one can help you do it. People can guide you, but you have to work at it. It’s fucking lonely sometimes, but it’s so, so worth it.

I used to loathe I’m Still Standing since i heard it so much at work, but the movie changed my entire perspective on it. I love the slow build up as he exits the rehab center. You don’t get thrown into something so happy and fast paced and fun after a cathartic climax you need to drink in. And the pan to his hat with the rainbow stripe to his smile. I get chills every time. Elton feels so right and secure and happy in himself. At first I thought it was a bit cheesy, but accepting your sexuality, especially after all the hell he went through during his life, grappling with unresolved trauma and fear of abandonment, he absolutely should wear it loud and proud. It’s easy to think times are much easier now being gay, and it shouldn’t be such a big deal. Relative to 1975, it is easier. But it doesn’t mean it’s not such a rough personal thing to work through if you’ve been spit on and resented all your life. Being gay, coming out, and accepting and being comfortable with that fact must’ve been such a HUGE milestone in Elton’s recovery and self-esteem.

Love me again after I’m still standing is perfect. The credits make me tear up every time. Jeez. What a good movie. What a good movie. Hit me up if you wanna talk about Rocketman because I absolutely will with you.

#like if you read pls #noah.txt #rocketman #elton john #rocket man #bernie taupin #richard madden #john reid

23 notes · View notes