#robbert valerio

[onstarsandiron]

Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted To Love: Chapter 5

Ooooooh we’re almost there!! First, though, meet the gang. 

AO3 link here

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 [here] / ?

Jax

Jax sighed in satisfaction as he finally finished drying his hair. The upkeep was obnoxious, but you couldn’t argue with the results; few others could lay claim to a meter of silver hair. It felt nice to be showered, dried, and in fresh clothes. He could finally find some peace.

“Jax! Hurry up!” Ana called, banging on his door. Jax sighed again. Oh well, peace was overrated anyway.

“I’m coming!” He yelled back. Easy for her to rush him with a puppy following her around and helping her get ready. Jax tied his hair into a quick ponytail and grabbed the duffel of show-prep stuff he’d pre-packed.

He opened his door to find Di hurrying down the hallway saying, “Ana, you did not let me finish!” Maybe calling Di a puppy was harsh, but he wouldn’t if he didn’t look at Ana with those big old eyes of his.

Jax followed them down the hall and a set of stairs into the kitchen. Ana stood still for once in her life – as still as she could, anyway, a toe tapping away to some unheard song – as Di finished her braid. Ana wore her black hair in a long braid down the middle of her head, the rest of it shaved. She said it was because it was punk, but Jax knew it was for convenience’s sake. She had golden-brown eyes set into a heart-shaped face and warm bronze skin. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, which was typically a sign of either a show or trouble. Sometimes both.

Di stood behind her being the physical embodiment of all the patience Ana lacked as he carefully finished off her braid. He was pale and tall, recently grown from being gangly to actually fitting his height. His blood-red hair was currently tied in a knot, but it typically had a mind of its own, falling down around his sharp face. Paired with his dark brows and dark eyes he had a very serious look to him, but Jax had seen him cry over a video of a small robot being, “too cute,” so his reputation in that area was ruined already.

Riggs and Wick were playing a game of cards at the kitchen table. They were on the older side and rarely came to gigs – Wick’s hearing was bad enough anyway, and if Wick wasn’t going neither was Riggs – but they both always saw them off and welcomed them home. Riggs was gruff and permanently skinny with scratchy gray stubble decorating his chin. He had lost his family and his leg in a bad accident a long time ago. Once or twice he’d shown Jax a picture of his family he kept on a locket, two happy looking kids, a beautiful wife, and him. Jax didn’t know nearly as much history about Wick, dark brown skin saggy in that way old men got with gray dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail behind him, but he had all sorts of tall tales to tell and was the one to teach him guitar, so really what other history could matter?

Talle, short with black, pixie cut hair, was cleaning up some pots and pans at the sink. She wasn’t as old as Riggs and Wick, but she did have the start of crows’ feet and smile lines etched into her face.  “Hey, Jax!” she called, then pointed to a stack of plastic Tupperware in bags that held their dinners for the evening, “Can you take these out to the van?”

“Sure thing,” Jax answered, securing his duffel on his shoulder so he could hold the bags in his hands.

He was about to consider how to juggle the bags and the approaching door when the door opened itself, or rather Lenda opened it from the other side. She was a couple years older than him and squarely built with old scars from time spent in fighting rings adorning her arms like trophies well-won. Her brownish-blonde hair hung around shoulder length and framed her narrow brown eyes, and her skin was tawny with rose undertones.

“Oh, hey, let me take one of those for you,” she offered, and Jax handed her one of the bags in his hands. Before heading back out she called into the kitchen, “Hey, Ana! Siege says that if you want your drum kit, you better come and put it in the van yourself!”

“Coming!” Ana said, and the three of them walked through to the open garage and the van parked outside it currently being loaded up.

“There you are, Sparkles!” Elara greeted. She was short and curvy with short-cropped silver hair in a style that on anyone else Jax would refer to as “soccer mom” but on her simply made her black-eyeliner-and-lipstick look more dramatic. Her wide eyes were violet, and her skin was apricot compared to Jax’s too-often-mistaken-as-a-ghost white. She was helping Xu, her partner, pack up some of the equipment. Xu was tall with high cheekbones, dark eyes, and tanned skin. They kept their black hair long and didn’t typically style it except when Elara would take it upon herself to braid it this way and that. They were a quiet person for the most part, which was good since Elara talked enough for the two of them.

“’Bout time you two beauty queens got yourselves down here,” Siege said. Siege wasn’t particularly tall, but she stood in a way that made you think she was. She filled a room and commanded respect wherever she went. Her eyes were a sharp stone-green and she wore her black curly hair large and filled with pieces wrapped in golden thread.

Siege’s job was not a topic to be discussed, but if it were to be discussed it may err a bit on the, as some might put it, illegitimate side of odd jobs. The house was largely a boarding house for her crew, a group that waxed and waned as needed. Riggs and Wick had been with her and Talle for forever, Lenda and Barger were newer additions, and there were plenty of people who had stayed for as little as a night and as long as years before moving on.

It was an interesting place to grow up, especially compared to Jax’s previous living arrangements, but he thought he, Ana, and Di came out no worse for it. After all, they’re all well fed, educated – Di was studying to be a doctor for goddess’ sake – and Siege and Talle have always been there when they needed them. Like when Ana decided she wanted to start a band; Siege may have sighed about it and certainly set some ground rules, but she never missed a show, let Ana use the van, and was the one to even get her the drum set in the first place.

“Sorry, Captain,” Jax said, getting his duffel and the food into the van and then going to help the others, “But you know my good looks are he only thing keeping the fans coming.”

“Ah, yes,” Di said dryly, having followed Ana out (definitely a puppy), “The throngs of fans shouting your name. Plus, all 13 of our Instagram followers.”

“53,” Xu corrected, being the one that actually did most of the managing of the account.

“Wow, is it actually that many?” Ana asked.

“Yes,” Xu answered, “With an average of 16.3 likes and 1.8 comments per post.”

That wasn’t very much. The band they were opening for had something like 20,000 followers and, you know, enough to fans to be able to justify holding their own concert with an opener. Ana didn’t believe in small milestones, though. Anything that was forward movement counted as victory in her book. That kind of aggressively positive outlook was a big part of what made this all work. If Jax was honest, had anyone else asked him to join a band he would have simply said no. When Ana asked, though, he couldn’t imagine letting someone else play guitar in his best friend’s band. He was certainly glad for it now; it was one of the only things he looks forward to anymore.

As he helped pack, Jax went through a mental checklist of everything. Once this was all done, Siege, Talle, Di, and Ana would take the van and he would drive Lenda, Elara, Xu, and Barger in a separate vehicle – turns out a drum set and audio equipment take up passenger space, go figure.

“Has anyone figured out where the fuck Barger is?” Jax asked. He’d almost forgotten about the irritable and irritating man.

“When’s the last time you saw the old fart?” Elara asked.

“I have not seen him in three days and 20-some hours, since practice on Monday,” Di answered, always so precise.

“Me neither,” Ana chipped in.

“I think I saw him like 2 AM Tuesday?” Lenda said, “I was just up for a glass of water, don’t remember it much.” Barger technically lived with them, but he kept odd hours and went out often, so it wasn’t unusual to not see him for a few days.

“Hasn’t been responsive to Talle or I,” Siege said, the look on her face serious, “I’ve called around. With any hope he’ll show up at the venue.”

Not answering when the captain called? Jax would not like to be in Barger’s shoes. The man better be dead, else he’ll be wishing he were soon.

At this point, it was a bit late to worry about Barger showing. They were lucky to get booked as an opener and would be stupid to give up this opportunity, even if their songs would sound off without a bass. Maybe Di could save their asses with his synths or something.

Whatever happened, though, Jax was determined to have a good time. He was going to go on stage, play with his friends, get some applause – even if it was simply polite applause – and this awful day and that awful boy and his awful boss would be behind him, completely forgotten.

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 [here] / ?

[canonlgbtqcharacters]

Robbert “Robb” Valerio from Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston is gay

[onstarsandiron]

Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted To Love: Chapter 4

Your fourth installment: We’re still winding up to the real main event, but dw, it’s coming very, very soon

AO3 link here

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 [here] / 5 / ?

Robb

Private fencing on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. Private contrabass on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Private lessons in the Old Language on Fridays. Private business and accounting lessons on the weekends. Private solitary study on days ending in y. Private dinners by himself taken in his room every night. Robbert Valerio lived a very private life that ticked along like clockwork.

It was enough to make him scream.

As his language instructor packed his things, Robb made himself a timetable. It was 5 now. The show was at 8, but he should get there early to make his plan more believable. That meant leaving by 6:30. He’d stay for the show then text James for a ride. If all went well, he’d be back in his bed by 11 and no one will have missed him.

He’d already changed out of his school uniform into khakis and a loose button up, so he was plenty casual for the show. He supposed he’d just spend the remaining time as if it were a typical afternoon. Robb made his way through the maze of his home, moving through corridors of polished black stone and white walls with gold-trimmed crown molding. Black doors with gold accents lead into the seemingly endless set of rooms and made the halls look even longer than they were. No matter how many guests were invited over for galas or visits the house was never truly full. There were always rooms left untouched, save for the staff who cleaned them needlessly.

Robb opened one of the doors and entered his musical study. Eric’s musical study was towards the center of the house where his mother could keep an eye on and listen to his brother’s playing. She always loved the violin. Robb’s musical study was in the far east wing of the house and well sound proofed. He’s pretty sure his mother didn’t even dislike the contrabass before he started playing it.

Inconvenient as it may have been, Robb actually didn’t mind not being directly under his mother’s eye. If she didn’t want to hear him play, then she wouldn’t much care about what exactly he was playing, now would she? His contrabass sat in its case in its designated corner where one of the staff brought it from the car, but Robb headed for the cushioned bench underneath the room’s window. Pulling the curtain shut, he lifted the seat of the built-in bench to a small pile of old beginner music books. Moving a few books aside, however, revealed a small tab that he pulled on to open a secret compartment in the bench. There he kept his electric bass.

Kept in the padded cloth case that came with it, Robb pulled it out and treated it with care. He’d gotten bored playing only classical music, and in his spare time had fallen down a rabbit hole of modern pieces written for classical instruments. It was only natural to find even more interesting pieces for an electric bass. Plucking at his contrabass’ strings was nice and all, but the more music he listened to the more he wanted badly to have a bass guitar of his own. So, naturally, he did what anyone would do and spent the next few weeks taking out small, unnoticeable amounts of cash until he had enough to go to the store and buy himself one. He got a real beauty, too, jet black with a glossy finish, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. He kept it well polished and cared for to a religious extent.

If his mother was disappointed in him for playing a contrabass, he can’t imagine she’d be any more enthused about an electric one. He could hear her now, sounding exactly like a character from a Disney Original, “Valerios don’t play rock and roll.” What his mother didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, though.

He was careful, always so careful. The door was always locked, the window’s curtain always drawn, the room was soundproof and he still played with headphones on. He kept his music sheets digitally on a tablet he bought off a kid at school that his mother didn’t know about nor track the use of. The only other person who even knew the bass guitar existed was James, who’d driven him to the store, and he doubted the man kept a small errand from five years ago in mind.

It was exhausting to always be so careful, but he’d been careless enough times in the past to know the price he’d pay. It was either carefulness or being nothing but a puppet with his mother pulling the strings. He didn’t think the world needed a second Eric.

Robb plugged the bass into one port on an amp and his headphones into another. It was a shame the amp wasn’t used properly, but it, along with the other miscellaneous musical equipment in this room, wouldn’t be seeing any action otherwise anyway. Some days he followed sheet music, some days he’d listen to songs or videos and try to recreate them by ear, some days he just messed around trying to recall music by memory or playing whatever came to mind. He felt aimless in his study of the instrument, but it was freeing to play just for the sake of playing. He didn’t play to be heard or judged or measure up to anyone or please anyone. He simply played what he wanted when he wanted how he wanted because he wanted, and it being good or bad had no repercussions either way.

Today he decided to play through a bit of sheet music he had. He played a lot of 80s and 90s rock, really pop rock. It was easy to find, and there were plenty of interesting pieces. He pulled out his tablet from a pocket of the bass’ case, set it on a music stand, and sat himself into the corner of the bench. He began to strum, and the world melted away for just a little while.

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 [here] / 5 / ?

[onstarsandiron]

Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted To Love: Chapter 3!

I’m actually going to shoot out like three chapters here -- I wanted to write all three before posting to make sure they flowed well and that I knew where they were going, lol. I know you all are waiting with baited breath, of course, so thank you so much for your patience

AO3 link here

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 [here] / 4  / 5 / ?

Jax

              The lunchroom in the office was always clean and tidy. It was pleasant and cheery, with colors that were neither too drab nor migraine-inducing; simply nice. If there was such a thing as an ideal lunchroom, this would be it. Jax entered, grabbed his lunch from the fridge, and left.

              He made his way to a very quiet supply closet in which he’d placed a chair once upon a time and took his seat, setting his lunch on the already-cleared spot of shelving. The lunchroom was an open plan and the tables left no room to hide from his boss who had a habit of wanting something the second Jax sat down. And when Deb wanted something, she wanted it now. Jax wanted thirty minutes, just thirty minutes, of his life to himself.

              He’d packed himself a simple sandwich, but when he opened his lunch, he found that somehow some carrot sticks, a baby belle cheese, and half a cookie had found their way into his bag. Jax couldn’t help but smile. He had no idea when Talle slipped all this in, but no doubt it was her. She was such a mama bear sometimes. It made him forget about his impossibly permanently coffee-stained shirt for just a minute.

              He took out his phone and took a picture of the meal, sending it to Talle with a heart and a chef emoji. She’d want to know that he actually sat down and ate, anyway. He then turned his attention to the texts he hadn’t been able to answer while he was working. Elara had sent him a meme, Di had put in the group chat the actual logistics of the night, Riggs had sent him an audio message but when he listened it was just shuffling so Jax wrote that off as Riggs still not knowing how to use his phone. Ana had texted him about ten minutes ago asking after Barger. He hadn’t responded in the chat recently and he wasn’t answering texts or calls. Jax shrugged and replied back, “Only just getting towards 2, probably not awake yet.”

              Barger, who was older than the rest of them by a few years, had a bad habit for late nights. And gambling. And drinking. And being an unpleasant person. He was tolerable, though, and, much more importantly, the only person to fill their position willingly.

              A typing bubble popped up and a moment later Ana’s reply did too. “True,” then, “If he shows up drunk again ill kill him tho”

              Jax smiled. He sent three knife emojis, so they’d show up big, followed by, “Plz do.” Yes, Barger was tolerable, but only just barely. And Ana really would kick his ass if he was stumbling around on stage like last time. If he’s that bad tonight, Jax might even help.

              Jax decided the man deserved at least a chance to be aware of his expectations and texted to Barger, “If u miss the show or come drunk, Anas going to drop kick you to the moon.” The message delivered, but Jax wouldn’t hold his breath for a read receipt. His and Barger’s text thread was not an extensive one, and Barger was known for one-word or no answers.

              He was most of his way through his sandwich and still had a good fifteen minutes until he’d force himself out of the closet (ha) and to reenter the death grips of corporate secretary work. He decided to open up YouTube and listen through a couple songs. He kept his volume down since he was, you know, hiding, but closed his eyes to try and get as much of the sound as he could. Sandwich in his right hand, he mimed the notes to play with his left.

He just had to get through the rest of the day, and tonight was going to be great.

It was more of a prayer than a belief, but it would do.

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 [here] / 4  / 5 / ?

[onstarsandiron]

Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted To Love Chapter 2

The shortness of the first few chapters means I can pop em out quick! Also, I’m currently neglecting several real-life duties :D

Chapters: 1 / 2 [here] / 3  / 4  / 5 / ?

AO3 Link here

Robb

             Robb paused to brush any dirt or debris off his uniform and ensure that he didn’t look like he had been running through town, nor that he snuck back into the Academy through a very familiar hole in the fence hidden by bushes. He tried to get his hair to slick back into order, but it was as much a losing cause as ever. Splitting his losses, he decided it wasn’t worth being even later to class than he already was and headed off towards the music building.

             It was so tedious that he’d had to go all the way across town – and do it himself, no less – to get tickets to the show tonight. It couldn’t be helped, however. His usual choice for running errands meant to be kept hush-hush was James, his typical chauffer and, reportedly, his father’s favorite assistant. James, however, was booked the whole day running less hush-hush errands for his mother while Robb was “at” school. Obviously, he could have just used Ticket Master, like the rest of the world, but his phone was so bugged he was surprised it hadn’t popped antennae and legs yet. Even if his phone wasn’t bugged, his bank account was certainly monitored. It’s as if his mother didn’t trust him. How hurtful. So, he’d had to go to the ticket office on his own and buy a real paper ticket with cash.

             His mind strayed to his return trip and he double-checked his shirt for any coffee stains. Spotless. Thank god. It was common enough for him to be late – he had a true knack for entirely forgetting the time – but late with stains would be far too suspicious – he had another true knack for getting into trouble, one which the administration was thoroughly aware of. Or perhaps they were wary of it?

             His thoughts lingered on the boy on the sidewalk. Long limbs, hair so blonde it was white and kept in a long ponytail. He was dressed like any other office worker, but the way he wore a simple button up and work pants just looked somehow better. Or, rather, Robb imagined it would if the coffee stains were disregarded. It really was a shame when his clumsiness becomes a detriment to others, but he paid for the spill and he’d never see that boy again, so it really wasn’t worth dwelling on.

             Robb opened the door to the orchestra room as quietly as he could, pressing on the typically loud handlebars as gently as possible and slipping through the door as soon as it was open enough. The rest of the orchestra was seated, instruments out, though the way they adjusted in their seats and chatted quietly with each other told him that at least their teacher hadn’t started practice just yet.

             As he tip-toed his way to the back of the classroom where his instrument was, he thanked his stars for his luck, for once. Just as he finished his thanks, he felt a shadow loom over him.

             “You are late, Valerio.” Scratch that, Robb’s stars could go fuck themselves, actually.

             “Ah, Carnelian, pleasant to see you, too,” Robb said, turning around to meet his classmate. Viera was as chipper as always with a stern and disapproving look on her face. Her uniform was impeccably tidy, as was her platinum blonde hair, as always. On any other girl, he’d assume that hair was bleached at a salon, but Viera wasn’t the type to be bothered by whatever color her hair happened to be.

             “And what has caused you to become held up?” Viera asked. To be honest, it was almost refreshing to be asked such a straightforward question, no matter how hostile the tone. It was strangely hard to find those.

             “Well, it seems that though the cafeteria is graded so very highly, some of their dishes can still make one experience, err, certain discomforts best dealt with in the restrooms.” If you talk about something uncomfortable, people not only believe you, but let you off the hook without ever bringing it up again.

             “I am so sorry your sensitivities were so very unnerved,” Viera sneered, very clearly not buying any of his horseshit, as per usual, “But if you continue to find yourself delayed to rehearsals, I will see to it that you will discover discomforts far greater than that which you found today.”

             Robb gulped. They were big words coming from a very big, very capable individual. He nodded his head, the move of an individual who would like to keep it firmly on his shoulders.

             “Very good,” Viera said, a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes, “Now, get set up, we will be starting soon.” Without waiting for reply, she turned and made her way back to her own seat and instrument.

             Robb rolled his eyes. She was so uptight. Just because she was first chair and thus responsible for the whole section, as if it was like some sort of responsibility or something. Robb himself could have been first chair, too, since he and Viera were on the same level skill-wise, but apparently Viera was more “professional”, “trustworthy”, and “knew how to get to places on time, every time”. He was thus second chair.

             Robb turned back to his case and finally opened it. His bass was gorgeous, a rich dark wood that he himself kept well-polished. For an instrument chosen out of spite, he’d really grown to love how it played. Robb extracted the instrument carefully from its case, his bow already tucked neatly into the quiver attached to the tailpiece.

             He took his seat next to Viera and plucked at his strings, testing their sound. Deep notes reverberated off of them and he did a little hot-crossed-buns for his own entertainment. Seemed everything was in order. Before he could do much more the instructor tapped her stand for their attention. Robb felt a bit cheated that he hadn’t time to get properly warmed up, and then remembered that he had been late.

             He tended to be late or absent to most everything, but, despite what Viera might tell anyone, he never skipped orchestra. It was the one time of his day when all he was thinking about were the notes on his page, the position of his fingers, and rich notes from his bass. Sometimes the music was dreadfully boring to play, an undercurrent for the rest of the ensemble, but skilled conductors like the ones at The Academy knew where to find pieces that truly allowed the basses to shine. Even when it was boring, though, Robb could appreciate how every draw of his bow influenced the tone of the whole piece. The bass was powerful and expressive and at times drove the whole movement.

             Perhaps his mother didn’t fully appreciate the instrument, nor that he was only second chair in an orchestra full of other children who also had the best private instructors money could buy, but that was okay. What his mother didn’t know was something Robb could keep for himself, safe in his heart, just for him.

Chapters: 1 / 2 [here] / 3  / 4  / 5 / ?

[onstarsandiron]

Band AU Outline

Because where else am I going to put this?

[Lol I made it long, it’s under the readmore]

Scene 1 is Jax is trying to get coffee for his shitty boss and this asshole bumps into him, spills it all over him, and has the goddamn nerve to not stick around. Jax doesn’t know how he feels about the $50 bill casually thrown at him before Asshole runs off

Scene 2 is Robb arriving late to after school rehearsal and smelling faintly like coffee and his stupid brother is there and sneers at him because Eric is sooooo perfect and Eric gets to be the one that plays the violin, the instrument that everyone likes, and Robb is here playing the bass. Well fuck you, Eric, because Robb’s a damn good bass player and he actually likes how it sounds, thank you very much. If he’d gotten stuck with the viola he would have killed himself; he’d literally be second fiddle to Eric.

Scene 3 is Jax on his lunch break talking to Ana about their bassist or something I think? 

Scene 4 is Robb secretly practicing his electric bass in a quiet part of the mansion, like he always does, playing along with youtube videos and learning whatever he feels like

Scene 5 is Jax arriving at the venue and finally feeling the stress of the day wash off a little

Scene 6 is Robb arriving at the venue; he’s got a genuine ticket, but he brought his electric bass to try and say he’s part of the opening act or something and get backstage to try and get an autograph (maybe got dared to get one?) This goes, of course, wrong when the stage runner insists on personally seeing him to the correct dressing room saying they’ve been looking for their goddamn bassist all over the place, where the fuck have you been? and just shoves him in 

Queue: “YOU!” “Me?” Robb studied the other’s face, looking for where he’d know those features from. Suddenly it came to him. Oh. Oh no. Coffee boy. “Oh no,” Rob said, unable to help it, “Me.” 

Robb fucking OWES Jax for that bullshit, he may have payed for replacement coffee, but you can’t pay for replacement dignity, and that was his FAVORITE sweater. What’s that instrument he has? A bass? Fucking good because Barger is a no-show and they’re on in 15. 

Ana’s drums, Di does keyboard and synth, Jax is lead (only) guitar and lead (only) singer -- Di cannot carry a note to save the galaxy and Ana gets too excited and just ends up screaming more than singing (you physically cannot stop her from doing this, mind you, so mostly Jax just doesn’t give her a mic. It helps only so very much. To be fair, it is Ana’s band, so she has a certain right to do whatever she wants) They are the Dossier [Idk if I wanna include Xu and Elara in here yet; if I do, Elara’s a techie and Xu is additional tech support + Social media manager/marketing/gig booking/etc]

Queue the gang tearing up Robb’s pretty boy outfit to get grungier bc if you believe Ana started some kinda new wave bullshit band full of crooners you’re goddamn wrong. They do loud hard rock and you can die made about it. Also Jax applies Robb’s eyeliner and Robb has never had a more intimate moment with an individual without actually touching one another in his life. 

Then there’s the show. Lucky for Robb they’re playing all covers and it’s stuff that he knows. unluckily for Robb, it’s completely different to playing quietly in his tucked away chamber to youtube videos. He makes do, though. 

He’s kind of mouthing along to the words he knows and then he’s singing them quietly and then he’s singing them outright and then Jax notices and somehow there’s now been a mic placed in front of him and he’s become backup vocals now and if he believed in fake things he’d think Jax was actually pleased about this. Wow, performing sure makes your heart beat hard.

Then they’re taking a bow and off the stage before he even knows it. He thinks now he’ll be shooed off, but actually they let him watch the actual concert with them and then there’s like an after party and they let him tag along and actually he has a really good time (He gets that autograph he wanted too lol)

Like a week later he gets a call from Ana -- Di had made him sign a goddamn liability waiver including personal and emergency contact info -- and turns out that Barger skipped town for reasons which are genuinely undisclosed but 99% probably because he has a gambling problem. They need a new bassist. He worked out well in a pinch, does he think he can make practices monday at 7? 

So that’s how Robb starts sneaking around to be in this band and play little gigs here and there and it isn’t the sort of places anyone from his circle would be involved in and it isn’t so big that he’s so very worried about an internet presence (he does “”Shyly”” hide behind his hand when Di tries to get pictures for their social media). Robb like tells his mom he’s doing some extracurricular thing and turns his phone off and pays off his chauffeur to say nothing

There’s probably some cute scenes or clips of outings or something. They go thrift shopping to get Robb some actual stage clothes, they hang out with Ana’s moms, they don’t talk about Jax’s parents ever and don’t mention that Jax pretty much lives with Ana or the rotating cast of personnel through the house, there’s heart-to-hearts, there’s laughs, there’s drama, there’s friendship blossoming, walls breaking, truly incredible stuff

Then comes the inevitable. The day of the Big School Concert is also the day of the big Battle of The Bands or something. It’s some sort of contest where they play some songs and then they play one they were like assigned and they were assigned Space Oddity and one thing is that the judges are really looking for those strings but Di’s synths just aren’t cutting it; they’re timing and intonation just aren’t right. So Robb is like “Okay, you can’t ask any questions, and I’m going to be like on the wire BUT I will be there and I will bring strings. You have to trust me.” 

And then it’s Robb’s concert, and bananas things happen and he gets out of there with the bass and we’re switching back and forth between everyone being antsy and worrying and Robb booking it with this big ass piece of shit on his back and he’s in the back of the car fucking up his $300 suit. Maybe there’s a run-in with Eric? I kinda really want him to show up a little worse for ware for Jax to fuss over. 

And Jax and Ana and Di are like Bass??? Suit???? Hair half slicked back??? Are those LOAFERS??? Is that a BLACK EYE?? [one of the judges later asks the same thing and Robb just replies “We are a grunge band, ma’am]  But there’s no time to fuss! Because he rolls up literally like two minutes from going on stage!

They rush out and they play their song and it’s magical and fucking gay and Di’s going fucking ham on the piano and the whole room is vibing. Then they play a couple more songs or something idk I don’t want to like ruin this emotional high but I do need to justify the electric base being there for the next bit which issss

Di and Ana shove Robb and Jax into the dressing room and they FINALLY make out. And it’s amazing and heavy and full of emotional and physical catharsis and it’s just exactly what everyone -- robb, jax, the reader -- needs. 

And then there’s a knock on the door. Followed by “Robbert, darling, are you in there?” 

And Robb’s blood goes cold. Because of course Eric told his mother. Of course he forgot to turn his phone off. Of course, just as he finally has the things he wants, what he’s been craving for all his life, here comes his mother reminding him of what he is supposed to be. 

“What’s wrong?” Jax asks, “Who’s that?” But Robb can’t bear to say a word. It’ll all become obvious in a minute anyway. All he can do is hope that the sadness on his face shows, for once he wants his stupid face to show his goddamn emotion to the one person, and that Jax will know that’s how he really feels and won’t take this next part too personally. 

His parting words are to hand his electric bass to Jax and say, “Here, can you keep this safe for me? Valerios aren’t supposed to play these sorts of things.” 

And before Jax can say anything Robb turns away and makes his face a mask and replies, “Yes, Mother.” 

The door opens and there stands his mother, graying hair pulled into an elegant bun, still in the dress from the recital. Eric stands there too with his sharp suit, looking as if their tussle had never happened and like he didn’t need to wash blood off his rings. There were also a couple of men in suits, some of his mother’s assistants. One entered unceremoniously and silently took the bass from the room. 

“My dearest, whatever are you here for? I believe we agreed to a dinner at your favorite restaurant for your recital tonight,” it was Eric’s favorite, Robb hated the place, “This event was not on my itinerary.” 

“I apologize for the delay, Mother,” Robb said, as if he’d made them wait five minutes instead of running off across town and surely ruining their evening, “I owed a debt, and as you know that cannot be outstanding.” 

The barest hint of anger flashed over her face; she absolutely hated when he threw Valerio Family Names items back at her. He must have been hanging around with Ana too much, because he found himself relishing in having made her mad. The flash was gone almost before it was there, though, and her face was cool once more. 

“And what, pray tell, did you owe to these... people,” his mother said, eyeing Jax in a way that made Robb so angry he could feel the white hot rage in the center of his chest. But he was a Valerio, and he knew better than to show it like Ana was allowed to. 

“Did you not catch the show, Mother?” Robb asked, protectively stepping between her gaze and Jax and praying that it didn’t show his cards too thoroughly, “They required some strings accompaniment. I lent them some. Our transaction is done, I have no more business here.” 

He had so much more business here. He had results to hear. An after party to go to. Pizza to eat. Jokes to laugh at. A boy to kiss. 

But now all that business is done for. Who wants to hear results for a song played by a liar? Who wants to go to an after party or eat pizza or tell jokes with a Valerio? Who would want to kiss him after seeing who he really is: a spineless wimp who is doomed to live and die by his mother’s whims. This whole arrangement was doomed from the start, and he always knew it. He was just too happy to let himself know that. 

His mother was clearly displeased with him, but what was new? “So I see,” She said at last, “Well then, come along, no need to tarry in this... venue.” 

“Of course, Mother,” Robb said. A cool nothingness washed over him. He knew his lines. He knew his place. This was who he was. 

Robb left the room, not sparing Jax a single look over his shoulder. He told himself it was because his mother would certainly notice, and she would, but really he couldn’t bear to see whatever expression Jax was wearing -- betrayal, shock, anger? It would only break his heart further. 

As he left the room he now saw that Di and Ana were looking on in shock. Apparently they hadn’t stepped too far away. “Hey!” Ana yelled, “What’s going on?” 

“Did you not hear the entire conversation about what’s ‘going on’?” Erik asked, and Robb wanted to punch him again. Apparently Ana wanted to too, because Di instinctively reached to hold her back just as she began forward. 

“And who is this, Robbert?” his mother asked, as if they were at the zoo and she was asking which animal was in this enclosure. It was so hard for Robb to see Ana riled up without getting riled up too. 

“The leader of the band, Mother,” Robb said, carefully not naming her. She was nondescript, hard to track down by description alone. Hopefully more trouble than his mother thought worth it. He never wanted any of this night to come back to hurt the band. 

“Well, as you’ve heard, his debt is payed, so he is leaving. Say goodbye, Robbert.” 

“Goodbye,” Robb said, feeling like a dog, “Thank you for the experience.” That was as close as he could get to what he wanted to say. Thank you for being his friend, for being there for him, for letting him be dumb and clumsy, for a thousand things Ana has done for him. Her and Di and Jax. And all he can say is, “Thank you for the experience.” He makes him sick. 

And like that he turns with his mother and brother, because he is nothing but their dog. A spare for if something goes wrong. An extra to be married off for a good business deal once he’s ripe. That’s all he is and all he will ever be. 

He can hear Ana yelling after them, struggling against Di’s hold. He can picture Di’s face as he struggles between holding Ana back for her own good and letting her go because he knows she’ll at least land a hit. He tries not to picture Jax at all. 

But don’t worry because I hate sad endings but idk exactly what I want to happen but basically a few hours pass and then either Siege or Ana is like “So, when are we going?” and Jax is like “? Going where?” “To break your boyfriend out.” and idk, but it works out in the end. 

[onstarsandiron]

Robb, who looks exactly like if you copy/pasted Cynthia’s eyes onto Mercer’s face: My last name is... Aragon!

Siege, one of Mercer’s best friends and one of the only surviving Aragons: 

[onstarsandiron]

Okay, I don’t think Poston had fully decided on which one -- Mercer or Cynthia -- was going to be Valerio-born. Obviously, they can’t both be, because they got married and had kids. Robb says that he and Ana are cousins because his mother is Ana’s mother’s sister, and it’s stated that the Valerios are related to the Armoravs by marriage, which would be consistent with Robb’s statement. 

But then Robb’s father is described as, “...thick beard and blue eyes and a lightsword on his back." (HoI, I: Iron Thief, Robb) but blue eyes are very much supposed to be a Valerio thing -- not that nobody else can have them, it would just seem sloppy to me to have an important character have this often-mentioned trait that’s better known as belonging to a family he married into. Finally, the graffiti at the tomb -- which was written when Mercer, Di, Nicholi, Meri, Selena, and Cynthia were all at the Academy and thus Mercer and Cynthia were betrothed but not yet married -- reads MV, Mercer Valerio, which would be a weird thing to do when you weren’t yet a Valerio. 

I think there was a time during the writing process where Cynthia was intended to have been born to the Malachite family -- an Ironblood family mentioned in passing, but also her and Erik’s middle name as announced at the pre-coronation ball (Erik’s middle name is retconned to Mercer at his funeral, but that’s besides the point). This would make plenty of sense as characterizing Cynthia as someone who married to a higher status. 

I think it was definitely more interesting, however, to do what Poston -- mostly -- ended up doing, which was having Cynthia being Valerio-born. It makes her idolization of the family name and motto make more sense as something she was raised on rather than married into. I also think it’s really cool to have Robb, the otherwise spitting image of his father, have a very prominent and unmistakable trait from his mother -- which matches his brother -- because that adds another layer to Robb’s relationship with his identity as a Valerio and as his parents’ son and as an overall person.

[onstarsandiron]

Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted To Love Chapter 1

AO3 link here

Chapters: 1 [here] / 2  / 3  / 4  / 5 / ?

Jax has a shitty day job that makes him want to curl into a corner and just stop. But it's fine because he can make it through the work week so long as he gets to let loose with his friends in their band on the weekends.

Now if only their bassist hadn't skipped town.

Maybe this rich kid who owes Jax a favor can stand in until they find someone better.

My Robb/Jax rockband au! I’m really excited to start this project and I really hope I follow it through to the end, even if it’s going to probably take a really long time, lol. Still, I’m super excited with the ideas I have for this, and I hope you like it too!

Jax

         Venti peppermint mocha, nonfat milk, iced; venti blonde, black, hot; grande vanilla soy latte, hot; trenta soy chai latte, iced; decaf grande skinny vanilla latte with just a splash of half and half, hot; grande nonfat white mocha, no whip, iced. All present, accounted for, and weighing Jax down as he made his way from the Starbucks back to the office.

         Were any of these orders for Jax? No. Jax got to drink the operator coffee from the coffee machine that was built the same year the wheel was invented and which he has to filter through his teeth. But that’s fine because he needed that much raw caffeine in his system to get up at 4 to get to the office at 5 so his boss can come in at “9” (9:45) and leave at “5” (4) and then Jax can scrape to be out of there by 6. That’s what happens when you think the health insurance is worth being salaried instead of hourly; it’s wasn’t even good health insurance!

             Jax measured his frustration. He should have been glad that he was able to get this salaried position since he’d decided strongly against college. The secretary work itself wasn’t even actually difficult, just boring, soul sucking, and tedious. Oh, and it felt like ass to be the goffer, which, by the way, wasn’t actually in the job description. Sometimes he thought he should be at the community college with Di; he wasn’t actually a bad student, it’s just that nothing interested him enough to bankrupt himself for the rest of his life. Ana was in her last year of high school, she still had options to weigh, though he had a suspicion based on the fact that she tells him basically everything that she’s probably going to take a gap year.

             There was no time for his regrets here, though. It was okay to run the rat race so long as he ultimately did get the ability to do things he liked outside of work. He was just going to take this leaning tower of coffee the last block to the office and then later that night, he, Di, and Ana would get to—

             “Ak’va!” Jax exclaimed as he collided with a solid mass from out of nowhere.

             As if in slow motion, Jax watched as the world around him tipped and the drinks in his hands floated for just a moment, a couple of lids already yielding. He had enough time to think that actually sunlight through sloshing chai was kind of pretty. Then, in a second, he was on his ass on the sidewalk covered in every shade of brown imaginable, ice in his lap, and burning liquid on his shirt.

             “Oh, shit,” said a voice from above him. Jax looked up at the brick wall he ran into to find bright blue eyes looking down at him. It was a boy about his age, but he was short where Jax was tall and broad shouldered where Jax was slim. He had an undercut with rich, brown curly hair spilling out, warm, olive-toned skin, and somehow the exact cut of his strong jaw just… annoyed every bone in Jax’s body. He wore a uniform for the nearby private school, and Jax felt revulsed on instinct.  

             “I’m, uh, I’m really sorry,” the boy said, but he looked anxiously down the street in the direction he’d been apparently headed instead of at Jax, so it felt a lot more like he was sorry for himself to have bumped into someone than for the fact that someone was on the ground because of him. “Sorry, I’m running late, but here you go, hope this helps!”

             Before Jax could get out a single word he was watching him run off as a $50 bill fluttered to the ground comically in front of him. Jax picked up the bill. He looked at the mess he was on the street with passer byes walking around him rather than a single one offering to help him up. It finally registered that even the asshole who’d bumped into him hadn’t helped him up, just threw money at him and ran off.

             Jax crumpled the bill in his hand, anger and indignation burning under his skin, rivaling the coffee burning on top of his skin. He wanted to scream and tear up the note. But he couldn’t. Because he was sitting in a pile of his boss’ coffee. And he needed to now pick himself off the sidewalk, walk his ass back to Starbucks, order again, wait for it to be ready again, walk himself back down the sidewalk, no doubt past the stain of his current situation, and then get yelled at by his boss for taking so long. Oh, and spend the rest of the day with wet socks.

             If he ever saw that guy again, Jax swore that he was going to rip his head clean off.

Chapters: 1 [here] / 2  / 3  / 4  / 5 / ?

[onstarsandiron]

Quick reminder that Captain Siege responded to an SOS out in the middle of nowhere and that’s how she learned 1) Most of her childhood friends were murdered in an intentional fire, 2) The childhood friend that escaped the fire didn’t escape the ship he escaped to, and 3) She was now holding her 10-year old cousin once-removed

Also, she knew for a fact that Mercer Valerio was dead when she was questioning Robb and didn’t let that slip once

[onstarsandiron]

(Partial) Royal Bloodline

Pretty self explanatory, description under the cut!

[Image: A family tree describing some of the royal bloodline of the Heart of Iron universe. It is a web of boxes containing names with three distinct rows, the top row of boxes being burgundy, the middle green, and the bottom blue. The boxes are connected by various lines indicating how certain characters are related. In the top row, there’s boxes indicating Gregori Rasovant, The Grand Duchess (Aragon Armorov), and Nicholii Armorov I. The Grand Duchess and Nicholii I are connected by marriage. In the second row there is Dmitri Rasovant, Siege (Marigold Aragon), Nicholii Armorov II, Selena Valerio Armorov, Cynthia Valerio, and Mercer [Maiden Name] Valerio. Dmitri and Gregori are connected as child/parent. Siege and The Grand Duchess are connected as aunt/niece, Nicholii II is connected to The Grand Duchess and Nicholii I as child/parents. Nicholii II and Selena are connected via marriage. Selena and Cynthia are connected as siblings. Cynthia and Mercer are connected via marriage. The third row contains Ana (Ananke Armorov), Tobias Armorov, Wylan Armorov, Rhys Armorov, Robbert Valerio, and Eric Valerio. Ana, Tobias, Wylan, and Rhys are all connected to Nicholii II and Selena as children/parents. Ana is connected to Siege via adoption. Robb and Eric are both connected to Cynthia and Mercer as children/parents. End Description]

[onstarsandiron]

Cannon Character Full Names

Or, at least, as full as I can find them, for all of your name-related needs; may be updated as I re-read and find new names. Let me know if there are some I should add!

Main cast:

Ana of the Dossier

-Born Ananke Armorov

-Nicknamed “Princess“ by Elara

Robbert Mercer Valerio

-Called Robb

-Later just Robbert of nothing

-Later still Robbert Aragon

-Nicknamed “Smolder” by Elara

Jaxander Taizu

-Called Jax

-Note: Siege calls him by Jaxander a couple of times, but I think he tried to keep his last name a secret from her (no cannon support either way, mind you, and she clearly knew who he was by how she was able to quickly call into Zenteli, as if she’d had this worst-case contingency plan already prepared)

-Nicknamed “Sparkles” by Elara

D09

-Later, just Di (of the Dossier)

-Later (earlier?) Dmitri Rasovant

Elara Vath’aka

-Vath’aka is, “a name given to Solani with no birthright.” We later learn that her parents were caught studying the ark in the valley of Zenteli, which is forbidden. We aren’t given her original last name, nor the fate of her parents.

-Went by “Starbright” when contacting Ana for the first time

Xu

Malifare

-Presumably she could go by Malifare Rasovant, but she wouldn’t have in the palace as it would have been very conspicuous 

Dossier’s Crew:

Captain Siege 

-Born Marigold Aragon

--Mari to her friends :)

-Nicknamed “Sunshine” by Talle

Talle 

-Nicknamed “Starlight” by Siege

Barger

Lenda

Riggs

Wick

Nobles:

Cynthia Malachite Valerio

Mercer Valerio

-Mercer took Cynthia’s last name, no particular reason is given, but it would be reasonable for it to be due to Valerios having higher status than Mercer’s family name. Mercer’s maiden name is unknown, as he was apparently using Valerio even at the academy when they were simply betrothed

Erik Malachite Valerio

-Malachite was Erik’s middle name in the first book, as announced when he accompanied his mother to the pre-coronation ball. However, during the funeral of the second book, he was celebrated as “Erik Mercer Valerio”. 

Celene/Selena Valerio 

-Unless Cynthia has two sisters and the Selena at the tomb with the boys and Mari was that second sister, the spellings of Ana’s mother’s name are inconsistent between HoI and SoS

-Cynthia’s sister, Ana’s mother, married Emperor Nicolii

-Thus presumably later Selena Valerio Armorov

Nicholii Armorov

Rhys Armorov

Wylan Armorov

Tobias Armorov

Gregori Rasovant

Wynn Wysteria

Quintin Machiavalle

Viera Carnelian

-Robb, at one point, curses his luck that “Viera Bastard-Born Carnelian was the Grand Duchess’s Royal Captain.”

Vermion Carnelian

The Grand Duchess is Aragon born, and married into the Armorov family

-I feel like her first name is in there somewhere, but where I could not find.

Misc (mostly other pirates/out-laws)

Mokuba

Redbeard

-Captain of the Illumine

Cullen

-Captain of the Prospero

Cavorn

The leader of the Red Dawn

-I think that’s just how they like to be referred to, similar to the artist formally known as Prince