#with the forming of the aurinko crime family

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Scripted Bracket — Round 2

Propaganda

Buddy Aurinko (The Penumbra Podcast: Juno Steel):

Buddy Aurinko is a smooth-talking, cool-headed lesbian crime boss with a voice like straight whiskey and a body that runs off...straight whiskey. Literally, she has organs that run off alcohol. Buddy brings a crime family together to steal a space-age cure for disease from pharmaceutical companies who would rather fight over it than release it to the public. We first meet her breaking her estranged fiance out of captivity, and watch as they mend their relationship and ultimately get married after the heist of a lifetime. She knows a bit of what's going on in everyone's head at all times, and isn't afraid to push them. I would like her to push me.

Redheaded MILF space pirate

Hera (Wolf 359):

I don't care if she's an AI with no physical form, she is HOT

my digital wife <3

[blueberrycalvaria]

It had only been a few weeks since Buddy had formed the Aurinko Crime family and things were going great, Juno felt good, better than he had in a while.

That was until he made a mistake during a mission, a happy mistake... at least he thought it was... but maybe everything was a whole lot worse.

Turn's out hiding a drug addiction on a ship the size of the Carte Blanche is hard and he is running out faster than he'd like, plus he is having to lie to everyone he cares about constantly... but its worth it... right?

***

Chapter one of my new fic is out 🥳

[one-joe-spoopy]

I posted 1,086 times in 2022

That's 1,086 more posts than 2021!

49 posts created (5%)

1,037 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@junosteellovebot

@lonely-lady-and-a-foxglove-man

@tinnedteaenthusiast

@imgonnagetkilledbynutstink

@hemaris

I tagged 322 of my posts in 2022

#the penumbra podcast - 241 posts

#peter nureyev - 97 posts

#juno steel - 55 posts

#tpp - 41 posts

#the magnus archives - 13 posts

#tma - 12 posts

#buddy aurinko - 10 posts

#jupeter - 9 posts

#vespa ilkay - 9 posts

#jonathan sims - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#but the situation on brahma gets worse and mag relocates them (also because i think he was uncomfortable with vespa pointing out that he's

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I thought of a funny/sad post-credits kind of scene thing, after WLB and the CB being abandoned, about Nureyev actually being in the vents and has absolutely no clue as to what's going on, just that someone's on board who shouldn't be on board, so he hid away with the Curemother things.

So the ship is empty. There's none of the usual sounds that accompany a place filled with people, just the soft humming of the ship's engines and thermostat. There's a faint smell of something burnt hanging in the air, familiar yet unsettling, laced with something that reminds of singed flesh and hair.

A panel on the ceiling creaks and shudders and then pops open. For a few moments, it yawns empty and dark into the ship. Then a face peeps out, a man's face with rectangular glasses and the pale skin of someone who hasn't been in sunlight for a long while. The face pulls away, and then the rest of the man drops down to the carpet soundlessly. There's a case strapped to his back, a plain wooden box just the right size for an instrument. Or several small objects.

He makes a slow, silent circuit through the empty ship, ducking into rooms and looking about as if there's someone hiding out of his view, ready to jump out and yell, fooled you! But no, there well and truly is no one around. Eventually he comes to a stop in the last room. The whole room is trashed, more than simply messy with papers and objects tossed to the ground and smashed underfoot, bedsheets thrown off and trampled by various feet. He stands in the doorway, shifting from side to side unconsciously for a long moment, then turns away.

This time his footsteps echo, loud and grating in the silence, getting faster and faster and more frantic as he flits through room after room.

47 notes - Posted September 20, 2022

#4

Juno sits at the dinner table and argues that Nureyev isn't scary at all and that they just need to trust him, and all the while Peter's just standing there all gloomy behind him with his spindly fingers on Juno's shoulders and ink-spill hair down and covering his face like some monster from a low-quality stream.

48 notes - Posted November 29, 2022

#3

One of my favorite bits about this new episode is the whole scene when Jet throws up on Juno and he sounds so nonchalant about it. Like, 'this is a daily occurrence for me'. I know it's because he's busy thinking about Ruby's real form and what it showed them, but I just think it's funny that he absentmindedly goes, "oh, oh boy, this is bad." Like, that's a disproportionate amount of calm for someone covered in someone else's sick.

48 notes - Posted November 16, 2022

#2

"identified members"?

Does this mean that Peter is counted as part of the Aurinko Crime Family but they don't know his name or anything, or is it that no one knew he was ever with them?

49 notes - Posted December 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Juno having piercings and tattoos is a top-tier headcanon and he'd look so good in any kind of facial piercing, but I was wondering: what about Peter Nureyev? What piercings would he have? Or tattoos?

(yes I realize his entire schtick is that he has no discerning features that could stand out and once he walks away from you you'd be hard-pressed to find him again, but bear with me here)

70 notes - Posted September 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

This was actually fun to see

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Ok so I finally listened to the second half of the Pellinore episode and honestly really like it (Caroline backstory!!!!)

also I feel better about the time jump. The characters felt more familiar in this episode than the first, which made it just a bit reassuring. In the past the one thing I disliked about such time jumps is that it felt like the characters I loved became entirely different people, and since the change wasn’t narrated, it always felt jarring. The best example I can think of is I watched Young Justice for a time years ago and it had a jump where the team was together and then they weren’t (Artemis and one of the flashes were living in a canon or something, for reference). It was hard to tie the new status quo with the old one I felt I lost, and soon after just lost interest entirely.

I was worried that would happen with Second Citadel, but it hasn’t. There’s been a dramatic status quo change, as well as an age change (most notable with Oglala), but it doesn’t feel jarring or that new versions of the characters I love have replaced the old. Honestly it feels like a really natural transition and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

[ratdoeswriting]

you’re useless

Summary: “Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Juno hadn’t meant to say it. He didn’t even really believe it. Maybe he would have, when he was still a PI, before he had first met Peter, but he had changed so much since then. He still had bad days, but he handled them better now. He knew when he was in the wrong.

Prompt: "You're useless." from palettes-and-prompts  

Pairings: background Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, background Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay

Warnings: implied child abuse, descriptions of violence, hidden injury, hurt/comfort

Word count: 2.6K

A/N: this is crossposted on ao3 and my main blog - ik that repeticism isnt a word but im making it one for this fic

~~~

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Juno hadn’t meant to say it. He didn’t even really believe it. Maybe he would have, when he was still a PI, before he had first met Peter, but he had changed so much since then. He still had bad days, but he handled them better now. He knew when he was in the wrong.

~~~

Rowan isn’t quite sure how they found themself on board the Carte Blanche and on the outskirts of the Aurinko crime family.

They had the typical, cliché backstory of a lone-wolf operating within the underbelly of society - a surface-perfect home life destroyed by something seemingly mundane blah blah blah, trust issues, a long line of enemies, enough friends to count on one hand, and nothing much else to show for over two decades of living.

One good thing about working alone is the need to get creative, and this is what had put them on Buddy’s radar in the first place. A few years ago, Rowan had been hired to acquire a tank of rare fish - this is about where they stopped asking questions, they didn't care as long as they got paid - and, after some very elaborate lies, an even more elaborate disguise and a rigged game of cards, they had managed to win a tank of the ugliest fish they had ever seen.

The part that caught Buddy’s attention, though, was the escape. Rowan had been found out before they had a chance to get out of the building, and had only managed to escape because they had memorised the security’s routes. It took a bit of guesswork, but they had been able to work out where the security would be coming from, found an unguarded window, clambered down a drain pipe, fish tank sloshing precariously in their bag, and landed near perfectly in a pile of rubbish bags outside the window - if you discount the broken bottle that had gouged their leg.

Buddy had picked Rowan up a few weeks after Juno and Rita, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, no matter how much anyone may have wanted it to be.

The problem wasn’t that Rowan couldn’t do their job - if that were the case they wouldn’t be here. No, the problem was that being thrown into close quarters with a bunch of strangers was… a lot. Especially for someone who had been alone for so long.

Rowan liked Jet well enough, he was straightforward and honest but intense; Buddy’s ‘take no shit but do no harm’ attitude aligned perfectly with her unwavering morals, and this was a welcome relief from the lies and deceit Rowan had lived with for so long. Rita and Peter were surprisingly welcoming, and Rowan formed a reluctant almost-friendship with Vespa. Juno, though. He and Rowan were too alike: fiercely independent, stubborn as a mule, and they both fell back into old habits as easily as anything.

Maybe this clash of bad habits, the deceptive comfort in being who you were, even for a moment, is how this job went so spectacularly wrong.

~~~

It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out job. Rita had taken out the security cameras, Jet was waiting in the car, and Juno was sneaking down the darkened hallways with Rowan.

“I still don’t understand why we need this goddamn painting. It looks like a baby threw up crayons and then just threw up on a canvas.”

“I’ve just eaten, Juno, shush if you don’t want me to throw up too.”

“Rowan, darling, please do not do that - this painting is priceless and highly sought after, which is why, Juno, we need to swap this for the information August Reid is refusing to give us. I did mention this in our family meeting before you left.”

Vespa’s aggravated voice piped up in the background of Buddy’s comms, “He was too busy swooning all over Ransom to pay attention.”

~~~

They had gotten the painting easily, so it was just a matter of getting out again. Rowan had been tasked with studying the guards’ shift patterns and routes, and had had no problem getting them in. Apparently, their luck couldn't hold.

They crept forwards, leading Juno left, right, left again, ducking this way and that to avoid the, quite frankly excessive, number of guards patrolling the halls. And that’s when it happened.

Rowan ducked right around a corner into another corridor, one that was supposed to be empty for another six minutes at least and there, at the other end, was a guard. A guard who was looking right at them.

“Crap.”

“What? Rowan we need to kee- crap.”

Both of their comms beeped, Buddy asking them questions with thinly veiled panic in her voice, but neither of them answered, stood frozen, eyes locked with the guard. Then all hell broke loose.

Everyone took out their guns and bullets started flying, the guard was shouting and footsteps could be heard thundering closer from all directions.

A tidal wave of de ja vu crashed over Rowan, “Fuck, this way,” they shouted, turning to run, voice tinged with something Juno didn’t have time to decipher, but Juno grabbed their sleeve and dragged them in the opposite direction.

“Hell no. You are done giving directions, I am not letting you get me killed here.”

They ran back the way they had come, and Juno skidded to a stop in front of a storage cupboard.

“Get in, quickly. There’s a vent at the top we need to get through. Do you think you can manage that?”

Rowan wasn't sure - there was a searing pain in their side that sent shocks of nausea through them with each breath and black dots into their vision with each movement. But this was their fault - they had failed at the one job they had - the one thing they were supposed to be able to do, they got themself shot and had put Juno in danger. They did not need to hold the job up any longer - they just had to get out of here and they could deal with the shot later.

It was a tight squeeze, both of them were crammed awkwardly into the vents, waiting for Rita to work out where they were so she could guide them out.

“Christ, it’s cramped in here - my side is killing me.” Rowan muttered to themself.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Everything seemed to shift and sharpen, Rowan suddenly violently aware of everything around them whilst simultaneously being blurred by memories they had tried so hard to bury: Juno was trying to listen and see if they had been found, there was shouting from down the hall, the smell of musty metal was almost overwhelming and Rowan jerked as if physically struck by Juno’s words, completely at a loss for what to say. Luckily, Rita, who had been on the comms, was not quite as speechless.

“Mistah Steel! That is a horrible thing to say, how could you-”

“Goddamnit Rita, I don't have time for this - how they hell do we get out of here?”

~~~

Jet was still outside with the car, and took off at break-neck speed as soon as the doors were shut. Juno sat in the front seat, the painting on his lap, talking to Buddy about something, and Rowan was slouched in the back, trying to cover up the fact that their organs were about to fall out. Well, that was an exaggeration. Probably. Just to be safe they grabbed a jacket they had left in the car weeks ago and slipped it on, wrapping it tightly around themself to try and hide the blood and hopefully-not-organs.

Juno had gotten a bit banged up in the vents, so when they arrived back at the Carte Blanche he went straight to the medical bay to meet Buddy with the painting and then to get checked.

“Rowan, it is recommended that you also get checked out. You look very ill,” Jet said as Rowan turned away from the medical bay and towards their room.

“No worries, Jet, I just want to get changed first - these clothes are filthy.”

~~~

“It was a mistake, darling, the best of us make them.”

“Yeah, well, it ws a stupid mistake - all they had to do was make sure they knew where the guards would be and then make sure we weren’t there!”

Vespa growled at Juno, who was gesticulating wildly whilst she was trying to wrap a bandage around his arm.

“Juno, I don’t care if Rowan walked straight up to that guard and told him why you were there - we are a family, and you will not speak to any member of this family like that.”

“That’s another thing - I get why everyone is here except Rowan - you said it was some daring escape that brought them here, but after today’s performance… what exactly do they bring to the table?”

“I’m going to leave that for you to work out, Juno.” Buddy said tersely.

He deflated a little, head tipping back to stare at the ceiling. Goddamnit.

“Are we about done here, Vespa, I’ve got places to be.”

~~~

Rowan would quite like a stiff drink right about now. Partially to actually drink, but mainly because they had run out of steriliser and this wound was definitely going to get infected and it would be this whole thing and they would get ill and-

“Get it together, Rowan.” They hissed, pulling out a sterile needle and taking a deep breath as they began to stitch themself up. This was not the first time, and likely wouldn’t be the last, that Rowan has had to do this - working alone and working recklessly meant most jobs ended with soft pink staining bandages and staining baths, throat and skin burning from cheap whiskey. Tonight didn’t have to be different.

The shot had skimmed their side so, luckily, no organs were falling out, but it was still going to be a bitch to heal, likely would be ripped open a few times and leave a nasty scar. This, unfortunately, was also not uncommon.

The painful repeticism of the needle going in and out lulled Rowan into a violent comfort they tried to avoid, the panicked calm soothing them until they couldn't quite hold back the memories they had been reminded of earlier.

Raised voices, gritted teeth and finger shaped bruises. Running, up stairs, through doors, arou-

There was a knock at their door. They flinched, snapping back to reality.

“Rowan, it’s Juno. Can I- can we talk?”

They almost said yes, just called Juno in like nothing was wrong. Then their brain kicked it’s way through the fog and realised they were sitting in bloody trousers, half stitched up wound and thread fully exposed to anyone who might walk in.

“Rowan?”

They picked up the shirt closest to them - part of a matching pyjama set - and tried to tuck the needle away so they could carry on when Juno was gone, and threw the door open.

“Sorry, I was just getting changed. Just sit anywhere.” They mumbled, haphazardly shoving piles of washing off of a chair.

“Thanks. Listen, about earlier, I know that you didn’t mean for that to happen. It’s been a rough week, not that that’s an excuse for what I said- are you alright?”

Rowan had half-sat, half-fallen back onto their seat on the bed and was focusing very hard on not fainting, so much so that they couldn’t really understand what Juno was saying. Maybe this wound was worse than they had thought. They nodded and hoped for the best.

“Right… Anyways, what I actually came to say is that I'm sorry I called you useless. You made a mistake, no one died, well I don’t think anyone died. Whatever, it couldn’t have been avoided. I know that I can be abrasive,” he said with a look that meant he had been told this many, many times before, “but that doesn’t mean that- Rowan, you really look like crap.”

“Wow, thanks, Juno, you say the sweetest things,” they took a deep breath and tried not to panic at the fact that they couldn’t really feel most of their torso anymore, “I know you didn’t mean it, we’re fine. Stop looking at me like that, I’m fine, I just need a nap.” The last words were pointed, hinting sharply at Juno to leave.

“Yeah, because slurred speech and sweating and shaking all scream ‘I’m fine’,” he paused for a moment and Rowan could almost see the cogs whirring, piecing together the information - bullets flying, the unidentified something in Rowan’s voice, the jacket they hadn’t been wearing before, the sterile wrappers on the bed… Then the last piece clicked into place, “Rowan, is that blood?”

They looked down at their top - their white pyjama top - as their vision began to fade out, their head too heavy to hold up and mouth too numb to speak, “No-”

~~~

When they came to, they were in the medical wing wearing a loose sleep shirt - distinctly not soaked in blood - and shorts. They tried to get up and go but a not-so-gentle hand pushed them back to lying down.

“Goddamnit, stop moving. You’ve already ripped your stitches once and you weren’t even awake,” Vespa growled, fussing with the bandages wrapped tight around Rowan’s middle.

“Sorry, I’ve always been lively in bed.”

“That’s cute, darling. What’s not cute is the stunt you pulled last night - if Juno hadn’t come to see you when he did... “ An uncomfortable look passed over Buddy’s face, “Let’s not dwell on that. I will want to talk about this later, but, for now, somebody else wants to see you.”

“Great,” Rowan tried to get up again, “Where are they?”

“Nice try, tough guy, but you’re staying right here until mean old Vespa lets you out.”

“Bite me, Steel.”

“No, thanks, I think I'll leave that to-” He cut himself off at Buddy's warning glance and didn't speak again until Buddy and Vespa had both left the room.

Rowan glanced at the bandage wrapped around Juno’s bicep, “Is it bad?”

“No, just a flesh wound, unlike that one you’re sporting - what was the plan? Stitch it up and hope you didn't drop dead in the middle of the next job?”

“Something like that.”

“Goddamnit. Okay, I don't know how much of what I said yesterday you heard but I'm sorry for what I said. I know we don't really… get along, but you remind me of,” he sighed, “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Juno, I really don't need a pep talk.”

“Well, here's the thing - you absolutely do because this,” he gestured to the bandages and the bed, “can’t happen again. You can't see that we care about you - you wouldn't be here if Buddy didn't think you were worth something and Rita is the best judge of character I know; she thinks you’re great. You have a goddamn family here, Rowan, stop trying to push us out.”

Rowan sighed, and Juno graciously didn't mention the tears in their eyes. “I don't know how to-” Rowan shook their head.

“We aren't going anywhere, Rowan, I know that's not what you want to hear but I don't care. For right now you need to stay here and stop ripping out your stitches. Take care of yourself for once. Then we can work on whatever complexes you’re holding onto so tight.” Juno said, squeezing Rowan’s shoulder as he stood.

Rowan didn’t say anything till he was half-way out the door, “Hey, Juno? Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

[orchidlattes]

so i think the ruby 7 will have a part in buddy’s resurrection.

hear me out—

in mega-ultrabots of cyberjustice, part two, we find out that something is up with the ruby 7. more specifically, we have this bit:

RITA And what’s the other strange thing?

JET That I only discovered today... when I opened the engine for internal repairs for the first time. (GRUNTS)

SOUND: JET PULLS OPEN THE ENGINE WITH A LOUD CREAK. A COMPUTER BEEPS RAPIDLY.

RITA Wowww. What is that?

JET I do not know. But it is not an engine.

we know the ruby 7 can repair itself. it definitely has some form of sapience. we know it’s developed more of a personality since it's joined the aurinko crime family, and yes, this car is absolutely a member of the family. the mysterious part jet discovered isn’t an engine... so what if it’s a heart?

and what if, by extension, that heart is the key to reviving buddy?

i’m not sure how it’ll play out—maybe it’ll be a literal transplant, maybe they’ll hook buddy up to the ruby 7, maybe the ruby 7 will have some component capable of restarting buddy’s heart. but we heard it from buddy herself: the curemother prime can’t help her. she needs a mechanic, not a medic.

and who knows the ruby 7 better than anyone? jet siquliak, of course. the same person buddy admits to trusting the most in the galaxy. the very same person who once sold the ruby 7 to pay for buddy’s implants.

i don’t think “the heart of it all” refers to buddy aurinko’s heart. i think it refers to the ruby developing a heart because of the family buddy aurinko built around it.

i think it is buddy aurinko’s determination to choose love in direct defiance of an uncaring galaxy—to stand up against the big, mean world and say fuck that, i’m going to eat popcorn and watch streams with the people i care about—that is going to save her life.

(much love to @inkedinserendipity, my tpp partner-in-crime!)

[ratisnotcrying]

you’re useless

Summary: “Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Juno hadn’t meant to say it. He didn’t even really believe it. Maybe he would have, when he was still a PI, before he had first met Peter, but he had changed so much since then. He still had bad days, but he handled them better now. He knew when he was in the wrong.

Prompt: "You're useless." from palettes-and-prompts

Pairings: background Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, background Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay

Warnings: implied child abuse, descriptions of violence, hidden injury, hurt/comfort

Word count: 2.6K

A/N: this is crossposted on ao3 - ik that repeticism isnt a word but im making it one for this fic 

~~~

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Juno hadn’t meant to say it. He didn’t even really believe it. Maybe he would have, when he was still a PI, before he had first met Peter, but he had changed so much since then. He still had bad days, but he handled them better now. He knew when he was in the wrong.

~~~

Rowan isn’t quite sure how they found themself on board the Carte Blanche and on the outskirts of the Aurinko crime family.

They had the typical, cliché backstory of a lone-wolf operating within the underbelly of society - a surface-perfect home life destroyed by something seemingly mundane blah blah blah, trust issues, a long line of enemies, enough friends to count on one hand, and nothing much else to show for over two decades of living.

One good thing about working alone is the need to get creative, and this is what had put them on Buddy’s radar in the first place. A few years ago, Rowan had been hired to acquire a tank of rare fish - this is about where they stopped asking questions, they didn't care as long as they got paid - and, after some very elaborate lies, an even more elaborate disguise and a rigged game of cards, they had managed to win a tank of the ugliest fish they had ever seen.

The part that caught Buddy’s attention, though, was the escape. Rowan had been found out before they had a chance to get out of the building, and had only managed to escape because they had memorised the security’s routes. It took a bit of guesswork, but they had been able to work out where the security would be coming from, found an unguarded window, clambered down a drain pipe, fish tank sloshing precariously in their bag, and landed near perfectly in a pile of rubbish bags outside the window - if you discount the broken bottle that had gouged their leg.

Buddy had picked Rowan up a few weeks after Juno and Rita, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, no matter how much anyone may have wanted it to be.

The problem wasn’t that Rowan couldn’t do their job - if that were the case they wouldn’t be here. No, the problem was that being thrown into close quarters with a bunch of strangers was… a lot. Especially for someone who had been alone for so long.

Rowan liked Jet well enough, he was straightforward and honest but intense; Buddy’s ‘take no shit but do no harm’ attitude aligned perfectly with her unwavering morals, and this was a welcome relief from the lies and deceit Rowan had lived with for so long. Rita and Peter were surprisingly welcoming, and Rowan formed a reluctant almost-friendship with Vespa. Juno, though. He and Rowan were too alike: fiercely independent, stubborn as a mule, and they both fell back into old habits as easily as anything.

Maybe this clash of bad habits, the deceptive comfort in being who you were, even for a moment, is how this job went so spectacularly wrong.

~~~

It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out job. Rita had taken out the security cameras, Jet was waiting in the car, and Juno was sneaking down the darkened hallways with Rowan.

“I still don’t understand why we need this goddamn painting. It looks like a baby threw up crayons and then just threw up on a canvas.”

“I’ve just eaten, Juno, shush if you don’t want me to throw up too.”

“Rowan, darling, please do not do that - this painting is priceless and highly sought after, which is why, Juno, we need to swap this for the information August Reid is refusing to give us. I did mention this in our family meeting before you left.”

Vespa’s aggravated voice piped up in the background of Buddy’s comms, “He was too busy swooning all over Ransom to pay attention.”

~~~

They had gotten the painting easily, so it was just a matter of getting out again. Rowan had been tasked with studying the guards’ shift patterns and routes, and had had no problem getting them in. Apparently, their luck couldn't hold.

They crept forwards, leading Juno left, right, left again, ducking this way and that to avoid the, quite frankly excessive, number of guards patrolling the halls. And that’s when it happened.

Rowan ducked right around a corner into another corridor, one that was supposed to be empty for another six minutes at least and there, at the other end, was a guard. A guard who was looking right at them.

“Crap.”

“What? Rowan we need to kee- crap.”

Both of their comms beeped, Buddy asking them questions with thinly veiled panic in her voice, but neither of them answered, stood frozen, eyes locked with the guard. Then all hell broke loose.

Everyone took out their guns and bullets started flying, the guard was shouting and footsteps could be heard thundering closer from all directions.

A tidal wave of de ja vu crashed over Rowan, “Fuck, this way,” they shouted, turning to run, voice tinged with something Juno didn’t have time to decipher, but Juno grabbed their sleeve and dragged them in the opposite direction.

“Hell no. You are done giving directions, I am not letting you get me killed here.”

They ran back the way they had come, and Juno skidded to a stop in front of a storage cupboard.

“Get in, quickly. There’s a vent at the top we need to get through. Do you think you can manage that?”

Rowan wasn't sure - there was a searing pain in their side that sent shocks of nausea through them with each breath and black dots into their vision with each movement. But this was their fault - they had failed at the one job they had - the one thing they were supposed to be able to do, they got themself shot and had put Juno in danger. They did not need to hold the job up any longer - they just had to get out of here and they could deal with the shot later.

It was a tight squeeze, both of them were crammed awkwardly into the vents, waiting for Rita to work out where they were so she could guide them out.

“Christ, it’s cramped in here - my side is killing me.” Rowan muttered to themself.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Everything seemed to shift and sharpen, Rowan suddenly violently aware of everything around them whilst simultaneously being blurred by memories they had tried so hard to bury: Juno was trying to listen and see if they had been found, there was shouting from down the hall, the smell of musty metal was almost overwhelming and Rowan jerked as if physically struck by Juno’s words, completely at a loss for what to say. Luckily, Rita, who had been on the comms, was not quite as speechless.

“Mistah Steel! That is a horrible thing to say, how could you-”

“Goddamnit Rita, I don't have time for this - how they hell do we get out of here?”

~~~

Jet was still outside with the car, and took off at break-neck speed as soon as the doors were shut. Juno sat in the front seat, the painting on his lap, talking to Buddy about something, and Rowan was slouched in the back, trying to cover up the fact that their organs were about to fall out. Well, that was an exaggeration. Probably. Just to be safe they grabbed a jacket they had left in the car weeks ago and slipped it on, wrapping it tightly around themself to try and hide the blood and hopefully-not-organs.

Juno had gotten a bit banged up in the vents, so when they arrived back at the Carte Blanche he went straight to the medical bay to meet Buddy with the painting and then to get checked.

“Rowan, it is recommended that you also get checked out. You look very ill,” Jet said as Rowan turned away from the medical bay and towards their room.

“No worries, Jet, I just want to get changed first - these clothes are filthy.”

~~~

“It was a mistake, darling, the best of us make them.”

“Yeah, well, it ws a stupid mistake - all they had to do was make sure they knew where the guards would be and then make sure we weren’t there!”

Vespa growled at Juno, who was gesticulating wildly whilst she was trying to wrap a bandage around his arm.

“Juno, I don’t care if Rowan walked straight up to that guard and told him why you were there - we are a family, and you will not speak to any member of this family like that.”

“That’s another thing - I get why everyone is here except Rowan - you said it was some daring escape that brought them here, but after today’s performance… what exactly do they bring to the table?”

“I’m going to leave that for you to work out, Juno.” Buddy said tersely.

He deflated a little, head tipping back to stare at the ceiling. Goddamnit.

“Are we about done here, Vespa, I’ve got places to be.”

~~~

Rowan would quite like a stiff drink right about now. Partially to actually drink, but mainly because they had run out of steriliser and this wound was definitely going to get infected and it would be this whole thing and they would get ill and-

“Get it together, Rowan.” They hissed, pulling out a sterile needle and taking a deep breath as they began to stitch themself up. This was not the first time, and likely wouldn’t be the last, that Rowan has had to do this - working alone and working recklessly meant most jobs ended with soft pink staining bandages and staining baths, throat and skin burning from cheap whiskey. Tonight didn’t have to be different.

The shot had skimmed their side so, luckily, no organs were falling out, but it was still going to be a bitch to heal, likely would be ripped open a few times and leave a nasty scar. This, unfortunately, was also not uncommon.

The painful repeticism of the needle going in and out lulled Rowan into a violent comfort they tried to avoid, the panicked calm soothing them until they couldn't quite hold back the memories they had been reminded of earlier.

Raised voices, gritted teeth and finger shaped bruises. Running, up stairs, through doors, arou-

There was a knock at their door. They flinched, snapping back to reality.

“Rowan, it’s Juno. Can I- can we talk?”

They almost said yes, just called Juno in like nothing was wrong. Then their brain kicked it’s way through the fog and realised they were sitting in bloody trousers, half stitched up wound and thread fully exposed to anyone who might walk in.

“Rowan?”

They picked up the shirt closest to them - part of a matching pyjama set - and tried to tuck the needle away so they could carry on when Juno was gone, and threw the door open.

“Sorry, I was just getting changed. Just sit anywhere.” They mumbled, haphazardly shoving piles of washing off of a chair.

“Thanks. Listen, about earlier, I know that you didn’t mean for that to happen. It’s been a rough week, not that that’s an excuse for what I said- are you alright?”

Rowan had half-sat, half-fallen back onto their seat on the bed and was focusing very hard on not fainting, so much so that they couldn’t really understand what Juno was saying. Maybe this wound was worse than they had thought. They nodded and hoped for the best.

“Right… Anyways, what I actually came to say is that I'm sorry I called you useless. You made a mistake, no one died, well I don’t think anyone died. Whatever, it couldn’t have been avoided. I know that I can be abrasive,” he said with a look that meant he had been told this many, many times before, “but that doesn’t mean that- Rowan, you really look like crap.”

“Wow, thanks, Juno, you say the sweetest things,” they took a deep breath and tried not to panic at the fact that they couldn’t really feel most of their torso anymore, “I know you didn’t mean it, we’re fine. Stop looking at me like that, I’m fine, I just need a nap.” The last words were pointed, hinting sharply at Juno to leave.

“Yeah, because slurred speech and sweating and shaking all scream ‘I’m fine’,” he paused for a moment and Rowan could almost see the cogs whirring, piecing together the information - bullets flying, the unidentified something in Rowan’s voice, the jacket they hadn’t been wearing before, the sterile wrappers on the bed… Then the last piece clicked into place, “Rowan, is that blood?”

They looked down at their top - their white pyjama top - as their vision began to fade out, their head too heavy to hold up and mouth too numb to speak, “No-”

~~~

When they came to, they were in the medical wing wearing a loose sleep shirt - distinctly not soaked in blood - and shorts. They tried to get up and go but a not-so-gentle hand pushed them back to lying down.

“Goddamnit, stop moving. You’ve already ripped your stitches once and you weren’t even awake,” Vespa growled, fussing with the bandages wrapped tight around Rowan’s middle.

“Sorry, I’ve always been lively in bed.”

“That’s cute, darling. What’s not cute is the stunt you pulled last night - if Juno hadn’t come to see you when he did... “ An uncomfortable look passed over Buddy’s face, “Let’s not dwell on that. I will want to talk about this later, but, for now, somebody else wants to see you.”

“Great,” Rowan tried to get up again, “Where are they?”

“Nice try, tough guy, but you’re staying right here until mean old Vespa lets you out.”

“Bite me, Steel.”

“No, thanks, I think I'll leave that to-” He cut himself off at Buddy's warning glance and didn't speak again until Buddy and Vespa had both left the room.

Rowan glanced at the bandage wrapped around Juno’s bicep, “Is it bad?”

“No, just a flesh wound, unlike that one you’re sporting - what was the plan? Stitch it up and hope you didn't drop dead in the middle of the next job?”

“Something like that.”

“Goddamnit. Okay, I don't know how much of what I said yesterday you heard but I'm sorry for what I said. I know we don't really… get along, but you remind me of,” he sighed, “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Juno, I really don't need a pep talk.”

“Well, here's the thing - you absolutely do because this,” he gestured to the bandages and the bed, “can’t happen again. You can't see that we care about you - you wouldn't be here if Buddy didn't think you were worth something and Rita is the best judge of character I know; she thinks you’re great. You have a goddamn family here, Rowan, stop trying to push us out.”

Rowan sighed, and Juno graciously didn't mention the tears in their eyes. “I don't know how to-” Rowan shook their head.

“We aren't going anywhere, Rowan, I know that's not what you want to hear but I don't care. For right now you need to stay here and stop ripping out your stitches. Take care of yourself for once. Then we can work on whatever complexes you’re holding onto so tight.” Juno said, squeezing Rowan’s shoulder as he stood.

Rowan didn’t say anything till he was half-way out the door, “Hey, Juno? Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

[genderbinaryisforlosers]

i decided to come back to this!! gosh i love this family

[id: a digital painting of the Aurinko Crime Family from season 3 of The Penumbra Podcast. They stand against a height chart and are holding up Hyperion City PD boards with each of their names (Juno Steel, Peter Nureyev, Rita, Jet Siquliak, Vespa Ilkay, Buddy Aurinko) and one word, so that in a line they spell out “BE GAY DO CRIMES IN SPACE”. overlayed at the bottom of the image and covering almost everyone’s feet is the name Carte Blanche, followed by a list of charges: “Piracy; Grand Larceny; Conspiracy; Murder; Cybercrime; Fraud; Assault; Tax Evasion; Tresspassing; Auto Theft; Unregistered Weapon Possession; Resisting Arrest]

detailed description under the cut

[on the leftmost side is Juno, a short (5′5″), stocky black lady with short dark hair in locs, thick stubble, an eyepatch over his right eye, and several scars scattered across his skin. he is wearing a dark pink shirt with medium grey suspenders, and dark grey jeans. he has his head turned to the person next to him (Peter) with a grimace and elbowing him in the stomach. he’s holding up his HCPD board with his other hand, and his nails are painted black.

with his right elbow on Juno’s shoulder, Peter, a tall (6′1″), thin East Asian man with light skin and dark hair swept back, grins forward. he is wearing square glasses, gold droplet earrings, and a suit that consists of a white shirt, tan-coloured tie, yellow waistcoat, brown trousers, and dress shoes in matching yellow and brown. he is wearing white gloves, and the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows. his left hand is on his hip while the other holds his board.

next to him is Rita, a very short (4′8.5″) fat black woman with dark hair that tapers into a bleached afro-ponytail. she is wearing a light blue shirt with a pale pattern on the shoulders, and a dark striped blue pencil skirt, dark translucent tights, and blue shoes with small heels. she is wearing pink-framed glasses with yellow-tinted lenses and winking and smiling, holding her board with both hands, which have pink nail polish on.

on her right is Jet, a huge (6′8″) man with tan skin, dark brown eyes and messy dark grey hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and light stubble. he has some light scarring, resembling veins, on his face. he is wearing a dark brown leather jacket, dark grey fingerless gloves, a belt with pouches and a holster attached beige trousers with dark grey kneepads, and dark red boots. he is frowning forward and holding up his board with both hands.

next to him is Vespa, a slight, medium height (5′7″) South Asian woman with dark skin, heavily scarred as if from burns, and dark gold eyes. she has short-ish green hair that gets lighter at the tips and an undercut on her right side. she is wearing a dark grey hoodie, black gloves, dull green leggings with a black holster around her right thigh, and black high-tops. she is scowling forward and holding her board with both hands.

finally on the rightmost side is Buddy, a tall (5′10″) curvy black woman with dark green eyes and bright red curly hair that covers half her face. under her hair, dark grey scarring is slightly visible. she is wearing a form-fitting purple dress, a green translucent shawl, and knee-high dark pink boots. she is wearing red lipstick and looking to her right with a smile, with her left hand up by her face as her elbow rests on her right hand, which is holding her board at an angle.

all of the boards are black with dark grey horizontal lines cutting across them, and have “HYPERION CITY PD” in small lettering at the top. on the bottom row, the same size, is the name of the person holding the board. the single word on the middle row of each board is much larger than the other lettering. all of the text is slightly glowing blue, and has pixelated and abberation effects to make it appear glitchy.

/end id]

[alexandenigtscreations]

Chapters: 2/3 Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel Additional Tags: Poisoning, Poison, Heist gone wrong, Peter Nureyev has ADHD, Rita defiantly has ADHD, Nonbinary Juno Steel, crime against crime itself, No Beta, we die like the friends of Sasha Wire, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, The Penumbra Podcast, TPP, Junoverse | Juno Steel Universe Summary:

After Nureyev get's poisoned on a mission, he's determined to see it to it's completion. He and Juno make quite the team after all.

Chapter 2

Babe-" his brow knitted together as someone shook him gently. "Babe, time to wake up." The touch was so tender- and yet it set his head off hammering.  

Nureyev groaned, hiding his face in the nook of Juno’s neck. A few more minutes in bed wouldn’t hurt.

“Come on Ransom, we’re home.” There was a hand running through his hair he leaned into the touch.  Juno’s words caught up with his mind, we’re home. More importantly, they weren’t alone.

Nureyev’s eyes flew open and locked onto Jet, his expression unreadable. This was not their bedroom aboard the Carte Blanche, this was the hanger, the Ruby; and once again, he was making a scene in front of Jet. Confound it all.  

He unfurled best he could, breath catching with the unexpected wave of nausea. His hand pressed to his corset front so that he nearly fell back into Juno.  

“Babe?” Through the thick molasses of thought, Nureyev dragged his attention back to the Detective.  

“Hmm?” His voice came small and weak, even to his own ears. Still he was determined to project some semblance of normalcy. He forced leadend limbs to extricate himself from the Ruby, Juno right behind.  

“The Big Guy has something to say.” The Detective jerked his head towards Jet, his pearl earrings dancing in the light.  

“Indeed-” he turned to Nureyev, an extra crease forming in his brow “First, are you alright Ransom? You do not look well.” the Ruby whistled as if in agreement.

Nureyev hummed “Nothing a little rest won’t help-” he rubbed absently at his throat, sure that bruises had made themselves visible. “What- were you going to say?”

“Buddy set the family meeting to take place in one hour's time.” Jet explained. “As we could not hear you during the mission, there are details we require about Mx. Balsa and-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah Big Guy, we know how the Family Meetings go by now.” Juno cut in hand on hip.

“I find it beneficial to go over procedures to ensure quality performance.”

“Okay, yeah. Guess that makes sense, but-”

There was an explosion that shook the entirety of the carte blanche, nearly toppling Nureyev. Half formed thoughts of security and debt collectors flashed through his mind.    

Were they there?  We're they coming for him?

Before they could so much as ask a question, Rita started to wail and Vespa cursed loudly from the direction of the kitchen. Jet excused himself and went to investigate leaving the pair alone with the Ruby.

“The hell was that?” Juno was tense, every muscle in his being straining towards the commotion.  His goddess was ever the curious one.  The scene was enough to make Nureyev smile.

“Oh go on Juno- she may require- your services.”

Juno’s head whipped back to face him, the pearl earrings flashing in the warm light. “But what about you?”

“Me? Why I’ll be fine- Detective.”

His eye was large, soft and unsure. He so wanted to check on his friend and yet, was plainly reluctant to leave Nureyev’s side

“But-”

“We can play doctor later. For now- go-”

That seemed to do the trick. He flushed prettily at that, “Well, if you’re sure-”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” he turned and Nureyev could hear him muttering under his breath “Damnit Rita- If this is another one of your snacks I swear-” before disappearing from sight.  

Fine, as it turned out, may have been an overstatement.

As soon as Juno left, he realized just how unwell he felt. He'd half a mind to call the Detective back, or call Vespa-  

Vespa-

His head throbbed at the thought of having to see her in such a state. No, a good lie down should surface.

Nureyev wasn't sure how he'd managed to make it back to his room. He felt heavier and heavier with each foot fall, each movement becoming more of a labor. Pain flared at his core, tripping him up. He fell hard into the wall smacking his temple hard enough to see stars.  

Get a grip on yourself, he chastised, frustration flashing bright and hot within. He hissed as his stomach lurched, acrid saliva rushing to pool in his mouth. Reflexively, he pressed a hand flat to his stomach, trying to breathe through it. Now he was just being foolish. All that he could do was will himself to not be sick.  

Then where would you be- he shook himself glancing up. Still the corridor stretched out long and treacherous. Unyielding in it it's length and tedium.  

There was nothing for it but to tredge on.

The closer he got to his room the greater the pain in his abdomen. He leaned on his door and put in the security code with shaking hands. Sweat trickling down his face, his back, plastering the finery to skin.  

A fresh stab of pain slammed into Nureyev just as the door swooshed open. He toppled in, the world blurring in a dizzying kaleidoscope of color. It was as though he was in a Martian teleporter again, careening through space and matter, no discernable surroundings, just the fall. He flailed. An eternity later his knees hit hard into the sea of debris masking the floor.  

What just happened? He was left to wonder, face pressed into a pile of clothes. Gasping, he attempted to pull himself upright but he couldn’t manage. It didn't make sense! Arms strong enough to scale a building should not feel so weak, so very hard to support- as though bone had been replaced with cast iron.  

Nureyev shifted, trying again to sit, maybe get to his bed, his comms- pain ripped through him. This time he couldn't hold back the strangled yell as he convulsed around his middle.  

Somewhere, in the back of his mind he realized he could die like this, and there would be nothing he could do.

He sent a silent apology to Juno.

"The Thief still isn't here-" growled Vespa.

"Yeah, I know." Said Juno. It wasn't like Nureyev to be late, especially to something scheduled by the Buddy Aurinko.  

"So what could be taking him so damn long Steel."

"Well I'd say it's the sabotage plan Vespa, I hear those are pretty lengthy."

"Oh very funny!"

"Look, I know about as much as you do okay?" Juno shot back, irritation getting the better of him. Okay, so the man didn't give them a name, why the hell did they have to continue to gang up on him? "Last thing he told me before Rita's microwave mishap-"

"It said microwavable on the tin Boss!"

"Yes but you have to take it out before you- god, Okay, look, not the point! Ransom said he wasn't feeling well and wanted a nap before the meeting."

"You are thinking he fell asleep like he did in the Ruby." Jet added thoughtfully while Rita wove elaborate braids into his hair and trimmed away the singed ends.

"Mista Ransom ain't feeling well? You should give him a kiss and make him feel better Mista Steel. Oh! Like in Jovian Princess! Lights Out, where the beautiful princess is awakened from her slumber of a thousand years by the other princess from a warring kingdom! And-"

"Rita dear, you bring up a fine point." Buddy interjected smoothly, "Pete's not here and the only one who can tell us why is Pete. And seeing as he made up a significant part of the heist-"

Juno knew where this was going and was already half out of his seat "I'll get him."

"Thank you darling." Buddy smiled.  

The door to Nureyev's room was, predictably, closed. Juno knocked "Babe? You in there?"

No reply.

Frowning he tried again "Babe?"

Nothing.

"I'm coming in."

The doors swooshed open to reveal the environmental hazard that was his boyfriend's room. The bed was empty, if you didn't count crumpled paper, and mounds of equipment and clothes. Hell, the man could use a few cleaning tips-

He spotted a molded plate of- something-

Or an encyclopedia...

He cast his eye about, trying to make sence of the "I-Spy" chaos of the room, before giving up to look elsewhere when he spotted a leg in the mess.

"Nureyev!" Juno couldn't help but call out fear spiking in his chest. The man was lying on his side, curled up around his middle, racked in tremors. Tangled in the mess around him enough to be camouflaged.  "Nureyev! Hey, hey hey babe-'' he dove to his side, carefully rolling him up into his arms. He whimpered faintly, protesting the movement. "I'm here, what's wrong?"

Tenderly, Juno smoothed back the hair sticking to his clammy brow. Hell, why was he so cold?

"Ju-no-" normally, Juno loved the way Nureyev said his name. As though it were a damned love language all its own.  But now it was a small broken thing as though he'd put all his strength into it. As though he were surprised Juno was there at all. He was looking at him with those eyes again, but the brightness was…. strange- glassy. It was taking him too long to focus. "Ju-no-" his chest stuttered "I- ugh-" he collapsed further in on himself, face contorting in pain. All this took seconds, but might as well have been an eternity.  

"Nureyev! Come on babe, don't do that!" Juno's mind spun wildly. He wasn’t dealing with some mask now, not Rex Glass, or Duke Rose, not even Peter Ransom. No, this was Peter Nureyev striped bare- and he was in serious pain. The man keened in a way that was so very wrong for him. The sound was barely above a whisper yet cut Juno to his core.  

“H-hurts-”

“I-I know babe, just- just give me a sec- Just-”

That's when he saw it, the odd discoloration of Nureyev's lips. He'd missed at first because of the faint pigment that clung to his features. His words of a few hours ago came floating back 'just a tad under the weather... something I drank…'

He had told him.  

Hours ago.  

He had told him hours ago and Juno had done nothing.  

Steel you goddamned idiot! He scrambled for his comms, murmuring assurance to his thief as he went, trying to ease him back open. He couldn't squash the rising panic now.

"Steel, what the hell-"

"We need help! Vespa- please!" Nureyev stilled again, his chest working overtime, producing short, shallow bursts of air. Arm wrapped over the corsets front.  

Goddamned it! His corset!

Juno swore loudly into the comms, tossing them down on speaker, "I went looking for him, and, Christ-" his hand slipped on a fastening, slicing deep into his palm. Why were these clasps so hard do undoo? "H-h-he's sick Vespa, really sick. Dammit I- I think he was poisoned-"

“Poisoned?” Even through the fear fogging his brain he could hear the scrape of chairs and pounding feet. “What do you mean by that Steel?”

“Poisoned! You know, when something gets into your body that isn’t supposed-” Nureyev’s hand closed around his wrist, shocking him out of the pointless rant. As if trying to stop Juno from undoing more of the fastenings. “It’s gotta come off babe-”

“Nn-no-” he choked out.

"You need to breathe Ransom-" he said, easily breaking his grip. That too was wrong but there wasn't time for that. Nureyev curled with each fastener undone, gasping and trembling. It was hard for Juno to not feel like the worst girlfriend in the Galaxy.  

"Course I know what poisoning is!" Vespa snapped "what I don't know is how the hell did he manage to get himself poisoned."

At some point Nureyev had turned into Juno, a hand tangling in his shirt, the other clamped around his stomach as tightly as he could manage. The movements were odd clumsy things that lacked his usual precision, his grace.

He was quite then, an eerie silence that spoke of years of hidden spaces and dangerous places. Normally he'd be trying to be as useful to Vespa as possible, filling her in on the necessary details. But not now.  

Juno hated that more than anything else.

"The mission. There was some sort of stupid test- a-a-and he told me not to drink it! Damnit it! He told me! I-I never even thought that he might of-"

“Cool it Steel.” Vespa cut in, not unkindly. “I’m getting the Med Bay setup. You gonna bring him to us, or should I send the gurney?”

Nureyev was long, lean and wiry. Not the easiest person to move around but Juno managed it before. Admittedly, those were more entertaining moments, but the presidents still stands.

“I’ll bring him.”

“Great. Move the thief, and I’ll be ready for you.” at any other time that may have sounded like a threat, but now it sounded like the most reassuring thing he’s ever heard.  

All he had to do was move Nureyev, he could do that.  

Juno glanced down at the man holding onto him like a lifeline, his face tucked into the popped collar of his coat. He hadn’t even taken it off. God-

Carefully, Juno shifted him, Nureyev hissed, pressing closer.  

What was he supposed to do with that? Juno took a deep steading breath of his own, running his fingers through Nureyev’s damp locks in what he hoped to be a comforting manor.  

“Okay babe, we’re going to have to move you” perhaps telling him would make it easier. He tried again, sweeping his arm behind his shoulders and lifting. Only for his foot to catch on the coat trane, he tripped shaking the nameless thief something fierce-

Nureyev cried out at the jostling- folding so that his gangly form nearly slipped through Juno's grasp. They just made it to the bed before his hold broke. The Thief spilled onto the unmade covers, holding his stomach, eyes squeezed shut. Breathing, just, breathing.  

Juno knew that look. And Dammit he was the one that put that look there. After he swore to himself that he’d never hurt him again.  

Nope, no, ugh-ah, no way in hell could he do this- He’d have to call for a stretcher after all.

“You comin some time this century, Steel?”

How long had they been there? “I- it’s hurting him.”

“Jesus Steel! Better pain than death!”

"But-" his brain caught up to his mouth, "yeah-" what the hell was wrong with him? He'd try again but first the coat had to go.

The Detective essed an arm over his shoulders before gathering the rest of the thief. Long limbs sitting strangely in the Lady's hold. There was a lot to manage, but manage, Juno did. It got easier after the hell scape of Nureyev's room.  

Nureyev's head lolled against Juno's neck, as though he couldn't support its weight.

"Hang on babe." Juno wheezed "just- for me, please-"

His lungs were tight and his legs burned, his burden heavier with each step, but it hardly mattered, they were nearly there now-

"Vespa!" He shouted, he'd forgotten the comms, "I got him!"

"Bout damn time! A Rengian sea slug could of moved faster!" She said, all the same indicating the operating table.

Juno had to raise up on tip toe to clear Nureyev onto the bedding. The man fell away with a piteous groan, fingers digging into the ruined shirt front.

"I know Babe, I know- We are having you looked at though."

That didn't seem to calm him down, if anything he became more distressed. Tried to raise himself up, move his legs, only to collapse back.

"Babe- babe come on-"” at a loss, Juno cupped Nureyev’s face in one hand, while the other was planted firmly on the man’s chest, mirroring the frantic dance of his own crappy lungs. “Ransom- babe, you’re- okay now”

“Jun-no- I don' feel- well-” it looked like it was hard for him to say, and not just because the words came out heavily accented and slurred.

“I know babe, Vespa is on it.”

"Vess-pa?" He glanced over, eyes widening at the acid green.

"Yeah Ransom, it's me."

Was it his imagination? Or did Nureyev seem to recoil? Shrinking in on himself as though trying to protect vitals.  

"Ransom, hey hey hey-" he tried to refocus him.  

"Hold 'im steady, I need a blood sample."

"Rr-right." He said, pressing Nureyev back into the covers. The man offered no resistance and Juno was left anxiously thumbing his cheek while the deed was done.

Vespa pushed him out of the way after that, cursing at her inspection of the thief and kept barking questions Juno's direction like:

"When did he get poisoned?” and “How much did he take?” and “What symptoms did the thief present?”

There were only a few questions Juno was equipped to answer. The mounting unknowns were only adding to his pile of worry. God, if Nureyev dies because he wasn’t paying attention- dies because he hadn't watched him more? Or at the very least got him checked out after puking his guts out in an ally.  

The man had been poisoned right in front of him and Juno hadn’t noticed.  

The man had been poisoned right in front of him and hadn’t thought to tell Juno-

Juno couldn't help but wonder why?  

Vespa cut away Nureyev's shirt, exposing the narrow muscled frame and the delicate criss cross of scars.  The ones he didn't bother remove.

Weren't they partners?  

She attached wireless monitors over his heart, his pulse points. Getting Juno to help clear away the rags.

Did he still not trust him?  

There was more swearing as their resident doc looked at the blood readings, already plugging something into the system. Christ, he was useless with computers, but even he knew that heartbeat was weak.

He couldn't help feel as though he were useless to Nureyev too-

Then he noticed it- Nureyev's chest had stopped moving.  

"Vespa!" He called out fear clawing at his insides. To her credit, she saw it right away.

"Goddamn it thief! I'm not done with you yet!" Rather than trying to get his lungs working again, she tore into her supplies with the care and ferocity of a sewer rabbit navigating it's tunnels. Everything remained impeccably organized, if a little man handled. The monitor started to sound urgently.

"There-" she said in triumph, holding out a large vial.

He couldn't understand what the big deal was-. Too preoccupied with the still form Infront of him.  "Vespa, he's not-"

"It's liquid oxygen moron," she said, filling a syringe "this way we have time to intubate."

"Intubate?" That was- serious- hell, Juno had it done before and the weeks of respiratory therapy were enough of a deterrent to avoid a third encounter-

Well, as much as someone in his line of work could-

The needle was worked into Nureyev's arm, and the contents released. The monitor began to calm down, but Vespa didn't slow.  

"You need to leave Steel." She growled. "Now."

He looked at her incredulous, how the hell did she think that he could leave at a time like this? He was about to say as much too when she elaborated

"You don't want to see this."

"But"

"I Said Out! I can't babysit you both!"

It might as well have been a knife to the gut. Juno took one glance more at Nureyev, frozen on the table, and walked out.

(Thank you for reading <3  Reblogs and likes are greatly appreciated)

[gaytypo]

Peter this Aurinko crime family that it's all well and good but like what form is the Penumbra

[gayforthegays]

Ok random headcanon for tpp/showerthought

So Nureyev wears a different pair of shades that goes impeccably *chef's kiss* with his outfits every single time he goes on a mission under a different alias because he's the galaxy's most fashionable™ thief and has to coordinate EVERYTHING, right? WRONG

So my initial canon was he keeps track of every single one of his aliases in huge file cabinets and when he needs to be them for that mission he just takes one file out of the thousands of cabinets he has stored on a completely remote planet

Ok but NOW, this is my new hc: what if he doesn't have file cabinets bc he travels all around the Galaxy™ and probably needs a new alias every other day so it's difficult to travel to said remote planet since it's REMOTE yidiyada

Instead! He has thousands and thousand pairs of shades stored in a carry-on case that goes everywhere with him and he just grabs a new pair of shades every time he needs to be a different person bc the shades stores EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING, from outfits, accessories, weapons specifically for that alias, back stories, IDs, you name it. He's got it stored in one single pair of shades fit for that alias. So instead of file cabinets, he's got cool ass shades that can completely transform his appearance like *that*.

So everytime he's on a mission, he's got a different pair of shades on. So like with the Aurinko Crime Family, he still got them shades on bc he's “Peter Ransom”

BUT the only time he takes off his shades is when he's ALONE with Juno bc Juno KNOWS and FINALLY Peter can simply be PETER NUREYEV in front of the love of his life and not be one of his aliases

-

So basically imagine a superhero's mask, they put that tiny ass mask on and for some reason NO ONE knows their civilian persona, but in shades form. That's what Nureyev's shades do for him.

(also 100% inspired by the thief of hearts livestream the cast did bc everyone kept screaming FACEBLIND when Juno couldn't tell Duke Rose was Nureyev. Ok so WHAT IF IT'S NOT JUNO'S FAULT. MAYBE HE REALLY CAN'T TELL THAT'S REX GLASS BC OF THE WHOLE MAGICAL SHADES THING)

[hopeless-eccentric]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel Characters: Juno Steel, Peter Nureyev, Aurinko Crime Family (Penumbra Podcast) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Stardust Fusion, for those wondering it's a neil gaiman book/movie and it slaps, i wrote this to be accessible for everyone though!!, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Thief Peter Nureyev, Literal Celestial Body Juno Steel, he's a star that is also a person bear with me, Dancing, Ballroom Dancing, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Fluff, Identity, Waltzing, just some fluffy fluffy learning to dance, in a cool ass fantasy setting, Canon Non-Binary Character, Nonbinary Juno Steel Series: Part 10 of (Free! That's right! Free!) Penumbra Commissions Summary:

It was the kind of world where clouds stood solid and boats navigated the skies and stars fell in human form and somewhere, a million miles below, there was a price on that particular star’s head.

Peter Nureyev had elected to ignore that last part for the time being, most notably because that star was guiding him through a waltz across the deck of a sky-sailing pirate ship, all but glowing with laughter every time Nureyev stepped on his feet.

(Free!) Commission for @loopyhoopyfrood on tumblr!!

[thewolvesrunwild]

Someone talk to me about my tpp junoverse Old Guard au featuring: immortal Aurinko Crime Family (+ Benten) (- Rita who is there, but just hasn't died so we can't say for certain she not immortal too)

Buddy and Vespa both broke into the same place to steal the same thing and ended up killing each other thinking they were guards. Buddy died second after bleeding out from Vespa's knife, realizing the woman she just killed wasn't a guard. Vespa in turn awakes first, and realizes the same. Buddy wakes up and the two of them escape without the item they came for and spend the next few millennia figuring out their new situation, stealing things together, and falling in love. Both are older than commercial space travel.

Jet Sikuliaq and M'tendere are a little more than a thousand years younger than Buddy and Vespa. The two of them meet up several times during their lives, but don't make a habit of sticking together for more than a few years at a time. After Buddy and Vespa find Jet, they search for M'tendere as well, hoping to form something of a family. They spend a couple of centuries together until one day M'tendere's wounds just stop healing and the group finally learns that their immortality has a limit.

Things only fall apart further after that. Vespa gets taken and for all their skill and resources, Buddy and Jet can't find her again. They learn that eternal separation is worse than death.

At age 18, Benten's mother shoots him in the chest thinking he's his sibling. He dies quickly; before Juno even leaves to visit the house. He wakes up in a morge hours later, and Juno almost kills him again with the suffocating hug he gives him upon entering his sibling's apartment. They don't tell anyone about his recovery, and Ben and Juno act as one unit until it becomes clear that Benten isn't aging and his healing only gets faster. They move around every few years after that, doing good where they can. Juno takes the teasing of "old lady" because it means he can play the "born first" card with more weight later. Juno's 35 when he gets killed for the first time. Both siblings are relieved that at least the curse affects them both.

While on Mars they meet Rita, an amazing hacker who wants to help them on their mission to put a little good back in the galexy. She helps them find the jobs they want to take and keeps them as off the radar as one can be in the overwhelming digital age. (And with Rita they're basically ghosts) Benten and Juno have both died to keep their mortal friend safe the few times she's actually been out in the field with them. Benten tends to stick with Rita however while Juno will go off on his own more. This leads to him working and flirting with Rex Glass/Duke Rose/Peter Nureyev or whatever else he's going by these days. The last time he sees Nureyev, Juno gets shot through the right eye and by the time he comes back any trace of him is gone. (Another time off on his own he gets stabbed by a green haired woman he's seen in his dreams but he's less upset about her disappearing without a trace.)

One day a job goes so wrong it leaves Juno stranded without any way to contact Benten or Rita. Jet finds him dying for the third time in the middle of the Martin desert and brings him back to his and Buddy's safe house. They offer him a spot with them. Juno says he'll think about it and discuss it with his team. Rita and Benten are relieved when Juno gets home and happy to join up with the other two immortals.

The five of them talk and Juno and Benten learn about M'tendere and how one day their immortality will just run out without warning. They also talk about the dreams they've have of the others. Juno's the only one who's met all the other imortals and therefore no longer has the dreams. He had recognized Vespa the moment he fought with her briefly. But he hadn't realized he'd met the sharp smiled man until weeks afterwards when the dreams of him stopped but Benten kept having them. Strangely, neither Buddy nor Jet had dreamed of Peter in a long while either.

With the renewed hope of Vespa being alive, and the help of Rita's unparalleled hacking skills, the newly reformed Aurinko Crime Family sets out to find their missing member (and maybe collect one more along the way).

(Peter Nureyev had been a revolutionary upstart for many years until one day his disappearing act doesn't work and he's captured, tortured, and killed. When he wakes up again, the group realizes he can be of further use to them. Peter dreams of others like him out there, but when he tries to seek them out and escape, he only succeeds in getting one of them captured. He meets Juno by chance and is determined to not allow the same thing to happen to him. He's grateful that head wounds take so much longer to heal. Through the dreams he still has of Juno's younger brother, he knows the group is searching for Vespa. He will not allow himself to hope they are searching for him too.)

[genderbinaryisforlosers]

family portrait.png

[id: three images, two of which are halves of the third, which is whole. the third is a lineup of Buddy’s “crime family” from season three of The Penumbra Podcast.]

detailed description under the cut

[on the leftmost side is Juno, a short (5′5″), stocky black lady with short dark hair in locs, thick stubble, an eyepatch over his right eye, and several scars scattered across his skin. he is wearing a dark pink shirt with medium grey suspenders, dark grey jeans, and dark purple boots. he has his head turned to the person next to him (Peter) with a grimace and elbowing him in the stomach. he’s holding up a black board with white lettering in his other hand

with his right elbow on Juno’s shoulder, Peter, a tall (6′1″), thin East Asian man with mid-toned skin and dark hair swept back, grins forward. he is wearing square glasses, gold droplet earrings, and a suit that consists of a white shirt, tan-coloured tie, yellow waistcoat with dark grey-lined tail, brown trousers, and dress shoes in matching yellow and brown. the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows, and his left hand on his hip with the other holding his own board.

next to him is Rita, a very short (4′8.5″) fat black woman with dark hair that tapers into a bright blue afro-texture ponytail. she is wearing a pastel pink shirt and a medium grey pencil skirt, dark tights, and pink shoes with small heels. her eyes are closed behind her pink-rimmed glasses and she’s smiling, holding her board with both hands.

on her right is Jet, a huge (6′8″) man with tan skin, dark brown eyes and messy dark grey hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and light stubble. he has some light scarring, resembling veins, on his face. he is wearing a dark brown leather jacket, dark grey fingerless gloves, a belt with pouches and a holster attached beige trousers with dark grey kneepads, and dark red boots. he is frowning forward and holding up his board with both hands.

next to him is Vespa, a slight, medium height (5′7″) South Asian woman with dark skin, heavily scarred as if from burns, and dark gold eyes. she has short-ish green hair that gets lighter at the tips. she is wearing a dark grey hoodie, black gloves, dull green leggings with a black holster around her right thigh, and black high-tops. she is scowling forward and holding her board with both hands.

finally on the rightmost side is Buddy, a tall (5′10″) curvy black woman with dark green eyes and bright red bushy hair that covers half her face, on which side there is also a grey streak running through it. under her hair, dark grey scarring is slightly visible. she is wearing a form-fitting purple dress, light grey elblow-length gloves, and knee-high dark pink boots. she is wearing red lipstick and looking to her right with a smile, with her left hand up by her face as her elbow rests on her right hand, which is holding her board at an angle.

all of the boards are black with dark grey horizontal lines cutting across them, and have the words “HYPERION CITY PD” at the top. on the bottom row is the name of the person holding the board, so; Juno Steel, Peter Nureyev, “Rita”, Jet Siquliak, Vespa Aurinko, Buddy Aurinko. each board has a single word in the middle row, and in a line they spell out: “BE GAY DO CRIMES IN SPACE”

/end id]