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 Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2025 8:27 pm
Takes place directly after The Unknown is Calling. From the Queen’s office, they went to the medical bay as agreed upon. They left by way of the door, which Jet seemed to think was more polite, but they’d only taken a few steps down the hall when Aquamarine grabbed Jet by the arm and teleported them directly to their next destination.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice your ******** hand,” he said, shoving Jet at the nearest cot.
Removed from the Queen’s presence, the swearing returned like it was second nature.
With the ball of energy, the spike, and the charred piece of ceiling returned to subspace for safekeeping, Aquamarine turned his attention to Jet’s injury. He took Jet’s hand into both of his own, exerting enough pressure to stop Jet from yanking it away. Jet’s palm was singed red and blistered in spots, particularly the fleshy area of his thumb. Aquamarine made a disapproving sound and glared at Jet, dropping his hand to retrieve what supplies they’d need. One of the medics on staff approached like they might offer help, but Aquamarine shooed them away.
“Make better use of your hostage next time,” Aquamarine scowled. “He had two hands. There wasn’t any ******** reason for you to sacrifice your own, was there?”
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:02 pm
Even if Jet huffed and clicked his tongue at being manhandled by Aquamarine, he didn’t resist. He didn’t try to pull away when he grabbed his arm to teleport. He didn’t try to remain standing when he was shoved at the nearest cot, he didn’t try to pull his hand away when Aquamarine grabbed it.
Where his loyalty never waivered to the Negaverse, his trust never diminished when it came to Aquamarine. Loyalty was there as well, of course, but while he would give his life for the Negaverse, he definitely didn’t trust every agent.
Sometimes, he didn’t even trust himself. He knew he could be reckless and push aside his own well-being if it meant moving forward faster. So even if he put up a fuss about it, and while he might have resisted before, an order from the Queen solidified his acceptance.
He trusted Aquamarine, but Jet was also stubborn.
“I don’t think it had the same effect on him,” Jet frowned, daring to take a peek at his hand as Aquamarine examined it, and then winced prematurely as ointment started getting too close to the wounds.
“I’ve never known the White Moon to be able to handle energy like that. Not like we can.”
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 6:22 pm
He cleaned Jet’s hand first, dabbing at Jet’s palm with a damp cloth before patting it dry, gentle in a way he never was with anyone else. Aquamarine was many things: a hateful b***h, a raging a*****e, an uncaring b*****d, and wholly devoted to the one person who accepted those parts of him without question, who saw through it all and beneath it when no one else cared to.
“Right,” Aquamarine scoffed. He jerked Jet’s hand around by the wrist whenever he felt the need for a closer look, but never did anything to purposefully irritate the wounded flesh of Jet’s palm. “And it was so important for you to figure out what would happen. You couldn’t ******** delegate to someone less important, like… Oh, I don’t know. Ben. The other one. Me.”
He spread ointment on as gently as he’d cleaned it, careful around the blisters without avoiding them entirely. Aquamarine’s glare was harsh but his touch was tender—concern camouflaged by aggravation.
“There were enough people doing stupid s**t tonight without you adding to it,” he grumbled. “Did you miss it? Being reckless? What, did you see Kerberos and 'Murica or whatever the ******** his name was acting like brainless shits and it triggered the old impulsive streak? Yeah, let me just put my entire ******** hand against this thing I told everyone else not to ******** touch,” he continued to vent, doing a very poor imitation of Jet.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 6:41 pm
The burns to his hand were painful, but he clamped his mouth shut about most of it. He’d already winced a couple times, but it wasn’t because of anything Aquamarine was doing. He wasn’t even sure what caused the circle to heat like that, and seemingly only with his hand.
Maybe it was the combination of using pure energy and touching it?
Something happened when they touched it, there was no denying that. But what exactly triggered it, and would they need to replicate it?
“You know I’d never think of another agent as less important. Certainly not to have them be hurt instead of me. Especially not you,” he let out an exasperated sigh, watching Aquamarine’s scowl with some weariness.
The adrenaline of that night was starting to wear off, now that he was actually sitting. Fatigue was setting in. Maybe he really did need to rest.
As for if he missed being reckless… It was difficult for him to keep a straight face. Like a child caught with candy because it had stained his lips.
“You’re lucky I didn’t go down that creepy hall when everyone decided to do their own thing,” he said, unable to stop the grin from pulling at his lip, but quickly tried to smooth out his expression so Aquamarine wouldn’t get mad at him.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 8:21 pm
Aquamarine was always mad—not necessarily at Jet, Jet just happened to be the only one around most of the time, which meant he had to deal with Aquamarine’s anger more than any other. Aquamarine’s glare darkened when he caught Jet’s hastily suppressed grin, not at all fooled by Jet’s attempts to disguise it.
If Jet saw beneath the surface of Aquamarine to all the hidden pieces disguised by his anger and hostility, Aquamarine still saw the reckless boy beneath the pragmatic man Jet had become.
“I’m sure you would’ve gotten around to it if we weren’t zapped from the ******** room,” he said.
Aquamarine still felt keyed up and out of sorts. He didn’t like being whisked away and unceremoniously dumped into a strange place. He didn’t like the idea that they may be in a fight against time for survival. He didn’t like that they might have to rely on their enemies for information or solutions. He didn’t like that Jet had been hurt. He didn’t like that he felt powerless in the face of it all. He’d done what was necessary while they were there, heeding Jet’s orders as always, and he’d kept it together through the drafting of their reports and their meeting with the Queen, but Aquamarine found it difficult to quell the restless edge fraying his nerves now that they had time to breathe.
He bandaged the worst of Jet’s hand but left the rest of it exposed so Jet still had use of it if he needed it. Aquamarine released a heavy breath once he was done, leaning forward to drop his head onto Jet’s shoulder.
“You’re ******** hot when you get demanding,” he mumbled. “The hostage taking was a nice touch. More of that, less of the reckless bullshit.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 5:29 am
Just as he held back the grin that threatened his expression, Jet also held back the ’probably’ that danced on the tip of his tongue at Aquamarine’s suggestion that he would’ve gotten around to it.
The thought definitely crossed his mind. There were a lot of things that he would have liked to explore, but things worked out differently.
As Aquamarine leaned forward with his head on his shoulder, Jet lifted his arms. One went around Aquamarine’s back, while he used his other to tug at Aquamarine’s leg, coaxing him to follow him onto the decently comfortable cot as he tilted sideways to lay down with enough space for Aquamarine.
He laughed softly, amused by what Aquamarine thought to be attractive things. He didn’t think he was doing anything out of the ordinary, but he was at least grateful that he had Aquamarine on his side.
“I don’t know, I thought taking a hostage was pretty reckless,” he hummed in amusement. Maybe things would have been different if everyone wasn’t in a strange place, trying to uncover things they had no idea about. He was lucky things went so smoothly with Kerberos.
Although the thought of the traitor Senshi made him groan.
“Except now I have to talk to him again,” he sighed, pressing his lips to Aquamarine’s hair as he held him. That was fine. He would talk to the traitor in hopes he could get more information. He didn’t know what, but he hoped it was useful. For the sake of the world, if not just Kerberos.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 9:27 am
Aquamarine grumbled nonsensically as Jet coaxed him onto the cot, huffing and clicking his tongue and muttering a few swears while making no real effort to pull away. He settled as comfortably as he could, which, given the limited space, wasn’t comfortable at all once the two of them had filled it. They’d both worn their full uniforms while meeting the Queen; the tangle of capes and cords and belts offered little in the way of convenience. Aquamarine only didn’t have his rapier and dagger on him because they were in the Dark Kingdom, otherwise they would have been attached to him at all times.
Until they were whisked away to who the ******** knew where again, at least, without access to most of their usual abilities.
“I doubt you’ll have too much trouble,” Aquamarine said, tucking himself beneath Jet’s chin where he could search for peace and quiet and pretend there wasn’t a medic around somewhere standing there twiddling their thumbs like a useless fool. “He seemed forthcoming enough, and the rest of them couldn’t be assed to care when he was in danger. Not that I expect any less from the White Moon. They’re all so ******** self-absorbed.”
Once, Aquamarine had given their enemies the respect of assuming they could pose a danger. That time was over now.
Maybe it was arrogance, having captured a Princess and watched Jet’s rise to General King. Maybe it was experience teaching him what to expect. The White Moon was a fractured force, their attention torn between the Earth and the stars. They cared more for themselves than they cared for any greater purpose, despite what flowery bullshit they liked to spew in their quest to save as many as they could. When they had the chance, they fumbled it.
“Then again, some of our own aren't any better,” he muttered.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 10:31 am
Aquamarine wasn’t wrong. Over the years, they’d dealt with countless people, on all sides of the war. Many were more interested in themselves than the greater good. Even now, Jet was wary of those who were more interested in the stars and past lives than the lives they led now, on Earth. Their home. And one that Metallia protected with her mere presence.
Was he aware that the Negaverse did some unscrupulous things? Of course. He’d helped abduct Senshi and Knights early on in his career as an officer. He’d fought countless enemies, more often than not to the detriment of his own health in the pursuit of finding out what their magic or weapons did.
He still believed that Earth was safer with Metallia. At least Earth still had a thriving population, unlike every other known world.
Although maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe the serpent was drawn to energy. They had a lot on Earth. And the murals depicted the serpent attacking inhabited worlds, rather than empty husks.
“I can’t make anybody care,” Jet lamented with a sigh. “I’ll do whatever it takes. By myself if I have to. But it would be easier with you helping me.”
He rubbed his hand down Aquamarine’s back, making sure he wouldn’t roll off the cot with the little room that they had.
“I know some people might think I’m a fool. I know they don’t respect me. I don’t care if they do. I never did any of this for respect for myself. All I want is for every agent to see the value in themselves, and how protecting the Earth will benefit them, even if they’re self-absorbed.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 11:14 am
Aquamarine frowned, nose at Jet’s collar. Jet smelled of ozone and old, musty rooms and a hint of sweat. He felt overwarm, wrapped in layers of uniform. He looked stretched thin—not quite like Axinite in a frenzy, but treading toward something like it, all limp curls and dark smudges coming in beneath the eyes.
Jet might not care whether he was respected or not, but Aquamarine did. For ten years Jet had done nothing but work for the betterment of the Negaverse, sacrificing himself whenever the need arose, and he asked for nothing in return except for the chance to keep doing so. Were it not for the Queen, Jet would be out there now, meeting with aliens he didn’t care for or hunting down a traitor he would rather see dead in the hopes that he might have information, all to save a planet that hadn’t even been kind to him for a large portion of his life.
“When haven’t I helped you?” Aquamarine asked.
He pushed himself up, first onto an elbow, then higher, rising to sit beside Jet rather than risk drifting off in the medical bay. He looked into Jet’s face, saw the stress building there despite Jet’s show of nonchalance, and turned to sit along the edge of the cot, hands tight along the bedding, warding off his own frustration.
Their first year as Lieutenants, he and Jet had competed with one another. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago. In the end, Aquamarine hadn’t stood a chance anyway. Jet had always had the more noble cause.
“I thought I’d made it ******** obvious that everything I’ve done has been for you,” he said. “Ever since—”
They’d been so young once, stumbling through it all. They’d been so stupid, so full of themselves in their own ways. Aquamarine had done everything that was required of him, and more that hadn’t been, to ensure Jet’s survival, to give Jet what he needed to be what he wanted, whether or not it benefited Aquamarine to do so.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 11:40 am
Jet didn’t try to pull Aquamarine back to him when he pushed himself up. It was best to let Aquamarine sort things out for himself. At least for a little while. He wouldn’t let Aquamarine fester in his own thoughts forever, but sometimes trying to talk to him when he was in a mood was like tossing gasoline into fire.
So he hummed thoughtfully, shifting onto his side so he could push Aquamarine’s cape aside enough so he could find the small of his back. And then his hip. There was nothing too intentional with the touch. Mostly just for the contact. Maybe his hand shifted down a little before back up every now and then.
“Ever since you gave me that ring?” he quietly suggested, watching to see how Aquamarine reacted.
“Or maybe ever since you broke into my apartment and rescued me from the White Moon? Or before that when you took an attack from a Princess to save me. Or when I would throw rocks at your window and you’d let me hide out in your room. Or before that when you would let me borrow your suits for recitals. Or when you joined the Negaverse with me.”
He didn’t think what he said would have prompted Aquamarine to think that he didn’t fully anticipate Aquamarine being by his side. Maybe he was trying to give him the opportunity to back out if he really wanted to, but it would have been a surprise if he had.
“Love, I know everything you’ve done has been for me. For better or worse. You help me to see reason when all I want is blood. Or, you know… not so dramatic. Like harassing me into taking a nap.”
Would things be different if he didn’t have Aquamarine? Yes. He knew that. With Aquamarine, he had someone he could confide in completely. He could be cautious for fear of disappointing Aquamarine by getting hurt. He could weigh the odds better when he knew he’d have Aquamarine’s wrath to deal with. Or praise.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 6:10 pm
Aquamarine would insist he wasn’t in a mood. He wasn’t angry, per se. He wasn’t even annoyed, really, except that this s**t kept happening and they kept getting caught up in it, saving the world and all that nonsense—s**t he wouldn’t have cared about at all if not for Jet. Aquamarine was tired and on edge, sure; waiting was never easy, but that was all they could do now: wait and gather whatever information they were able to find from whomever might have it.
“You don’t have to go over our whole disgusting history,” he grumbled.
Faint color pooled in his cheeks. Aquamarine glared into the middle distance until it faded away.
He sighed and tipped his head from side to side, easing some of the tension from his neck. It wound through his shoulders and stiffened his back. Aquamarine glanced at Jet over his shoulder, his usual severe frown back in place. The eyes, though, always gave him away. They softened a bit, drifting over Jet’s handsome face—the freckle by his eye, and the scar that nearly cut through it.
“I do what I do because I—” Love you “—believe in you. You’re the only thing that matters in all this ******** up s**t. I know I was out of line tonight,” Aquamarine said, more matter of fact than repentant, “but I’m not sorry for it and I won’t be apologizing. I’ve kept my mouth shut about enough s**t and done my ******** job for people who don’t even deserve my ******** help, all because you’ve asked me to, and I’ll keep doing it as long as you want.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 6:38 pm
Carefully, so he wouldn’t knock Aquamarine off the cot, Jet pushed himself up to sit, crossing a leg so he could rest somewhat comfortably behind Aquamarine.
He wrapped both arms around him, and rested his chin against his shoulder. Any medic that might have been lingering around had already scurried off to tend to other things.
“I never asked you to apologize,” Jet hummed. “I think you’re pretty cute when you’re worked up like that.”
Maybe he was teasing a little, but he also didn’t think Aquamarine was as out of line as he thought he might have been. Nothing he said was wrong, and Jet had been very disappointed in how the others handled the situation. He didn’t appreciate how his support was turned into something negative.
Besides, at least Aquamarine was capable of following orders.
“I don’t want to make you do things you don’t want to,” he sighed, purposely messing with the buttons of Aquamarine’s jacket. “I'll try to not put you in that position if I can help it."
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 7:28 pm
“Pretty cute,” Aquamarine scoffed, like he thought he deserved more than that.
He leaned back against Jet, golden hair tangling with rich brown curls. Aquamarine let himself enjoy the attention, though the frown never left his face.
“Not putting me in that position would require you sticking to desk work,” he said, “which we both know you won’t do. And you shouldn’t, to be totally ******** honest with you, if you still think you can get these incompetent ******** into some sort of functional state. Good ******** luck with that. I think some of them revel in their incompetence.”
They bitched and moaned and whined and never showed an ounce of appreciation, nevermind that Aquamarine wouldn’t or couldn’t specify who they actually were. Everyone was suspect in his eyes. No one was worthy of his care and devotion, except Jet.
Aquamarine took the hand fiddling with his buttons and laced their fingers together.
“I’m just complaining to complain,” he sighed. “I could b***h about all of it, but it won’t ******** matter. Nobody but you gives a s**t anyway.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 8:00 pm
“I think a lot of people need more time to see the value in themselves. Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone like you by their side,” he insisted, allowing Aquamarine to lace their fingers together. He was being careful with his injured hand, of course. He didn’t want to be nagged at for hurting himself further.
“I think some of them just need to realize that they have the support they might not believe they have. I don’t care if everyone likes me, but I do want to make sure they get their best chance. Being in the Negaverse changed my life for the better. I know it wasn’t really your decision, nor Jericho’s, but I’m grateful that you’ve always been with me. Now? I just want to make sure we keep the Earth from being eaten by some dumb space monster,” he groaned.
He knew some would think he was naive or too idealistic, but he was afforded a chance at having a better life, and he only thought it was fair that others had the same chance.
Jet leaned up some to kiss Aquamarine’s cheek.
“We should head home and shower. But for the record, I could listen to you complain and b***h all day and night. I like your voice, Love.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2025 5:14 pm
“You’re disgusting,” Aquamarine said.
He scowled because that’s what he did about everything—he scowled and sneered and glared and bitched without much end in sight—but his eyes softened again, just a little. He squeezed Jet’s hand, fingers locked so tight together they almost hurt.
He accepted the kiss, and the closeness, and the affection. The name went without comment. Aquamarine didn’t advertise who he was out of uniform, but he doubted anyone who might overheard would assume a term of endearment to be his real name.
“Disgusting,” he said again, in case Jet didn’t hear him the first time. “And full of s**t. You think if you say enough gross s**t you’ll finally get me to shut the ******** up.” Aquamarine nudged Jet with an elbow, only half serious. He knew by now that Jet always meant the things he said. “I’m not so easily distracted.”
Except he proved himself to be exactly that. With a sigh, Aquamarine untangled all but his hand. He rose from the cot and urged Jet to follow.
“Come on. Like hell am I giving you the chance to change your mind.”
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