No. I'm good. ( in answer to both, devoid of inflection. ) Just been doing a lot of reminiscing, and not the fun kind. I was here in the 80's. ( that's far more than he'd have said to anyone else in existence. feels like a terrible overshare. so, reminder: ) Wanna be distracted.
( silence, as he navigates back to that image in his texts, enlarges it. then a quiet laugh, more breath than voice. )
Your face. You look ... concerned. Or sad. You didn't think I'd your picture?
And, well, since the goal of the evening is distraction: ] I was trying to go for those puckered lip poses that women like using on dating apps. At least it's sad, not constipated. I haven't posed for a camera in decades.
[ Phew, good. Distraction is still a go. She's happy enough to oblige, especially in exchange for that information. ]
Well, it's about this girl who's small and sickly but she's been ordered to learn and undergo trials to become a dragon rider as there's a war brewing outside their kingdom. Dragons will incinerate the unworthy, though. There's a lot of romance and a lot of, uh, sex.
( that's the furthest thing from true. he never stopped worrying. he chainsmoked every day to keep from chewing his nails off. and he figured he might as well take what he could get, while he could get it. c'est la vie. )
I looked at you and thought ... I'd like to crawl up behind you in your bed, pull you up against me, and tickle you until you stop thinking so much. Then I'd have you read me a couple pages from your weird sex dragon story. And maybe I could figure out if you're wearing anything under those covers, while you're at it.
( they can, can't they? his back's propped up against the wall in a parody of relaxation. speaking of cigarettes, he could go for one, right about now. nerves. but his jacket's all the way across the room.
hearing her voice is nice. would've done wonders for morale to have the luxury of calling home, back in the day. and if anything's going to keep him from falling down the abyssal void of a rabbit hole he's staring into tonight, it's talking to her. amused at the page-turning, ) You gonna find me something juicy?
[ A precarious topic for them, all things considered. But he doesn't seem to be avoiding it this time at least, and, well, they both do a stellar job at pretending things never happened whenever it's necessary, anyway.
She finds a page and clears her throat. ] This isn't Tolkien or Wells, just so we're clear.
[ When she starts, it's not the well-practiced voice of Captain America that he hears. It's not even the tone she employs on the regular. It's lower, quieter... huskier. ]
( "tonight's special?" he doesn't appreciate that. it places what's said here on a temporal spectrum that extends into the future. ruins the immersion. regardless, halfway through her page, she'll hear his head thunk up against the wall.
this must be why people like that asmr stuff. it's less about the words she reads than the sound of her reading them, and the thought of her pretty, chaste lips forming them in that new, smoky tone. he's used to her giving wholesome inspirational speeches, throwing smartass remarks, or forgetting how to speak when somebody hits on her. this is very different. it makes him wonder if she's blushing. it makes him wonder just how much she likes her book. so, he listens, staring up at the ceiling, taking in the alto her voice has assumed ... and pulling faces at hilarious phrases like, "that sensitive bud".
the book sounds ... about as deep as a dime romance, honestly. but at least there's a pretension to wit, there. sort of? )
Yeah, no kidding, ( he drawls. this is pure porn. how many sentences of plot are there between sex scenes and characters wishing for another sex scene, he wonders. the tease is obvious in his voice. ) Never thought I'd hear you talk like that, Rogers. So, ... is that the "small and sickly" girl in this scene, getting "devoured"? ( with 'tongue and teeth, no less. )
[ A little too defensive: ] I take my job of distracting you very seriously.
[ Yeah, she's been blushing. She's not actually as prudish as most people believe she is, but reading what amounts to porn (badly written or not) out loud is embarrassing enough, let alone reading it to the person she imagines when she's reading such filth. His teasing only flusters her all the more. Why did she agree to this again?
Right, curiosity. And the chance to... have a conversation like this. One they normally wouldn't have as he's made it clear that anything other than friendship between them would be a terrible idea. ]
Yeah, Violet. The guy's Xaden, a dragon rider. Tough, competent, but emotionally distant with most people.
( what a cop out. he affects a purposefully horrendous british accent, going for as melodramatic as possible: ) "I appreciate the elevation to deity, but my government name shall suffice." And the "bud" part. "Sensitive bud."
Hey, remember when we were kids, and you used to draw scenes from stuff you read?
[ It's the unexpectedness of that faux British accent that sends her laughing. She hadn't thought he was anywhere near the sort of mood that allowed one to make jokes. It's actually nice.
Though him saying "sensitive bud" and the context with which that was used in the scene... well. Good thing this conversation is only happening over the phone, so he can't see her blush. ]
Now that is distracting. [ Easier to just joke about it! ]
( snort. ) I was gonna ask if you'd ever doodled ... ( perhaps it's obvious, to someone who's known him so long, that the length of his pause indicates he's tempted to say "a sensitive bud". somehow, despite everything, his dumbass sense of humor persists. ) ... any scenes from your book.
There's that other question, too. ( as though he could forget. )
[ She was going to fill in the pause with "a sensitive bud" but found herself too embarrassed to. So she just lets him finish. ]
I've sketched some character portraits for this one. And the dragons. No scenes, though. I could do art commissions, I guess. They're popular online and I need to save up for a retirement home placement anyway.
( the suspense builds. he thinks about the rustling of her covers, how soft she looks in that picture, despite how hard she can be. it's strangely alluring, because it reminds him of how soft she used to be, how ironically delicate.
not that it's anyone's business, but that scene distracted him for another reason, too: it's been a very long damn time since he tasted a woman. he doesn't remember what it's like, in any way that's real. and thinking of rogers bare under those sheets, thinking that maybe ... she's ... wet while she reads her little book is ... something he wouldn't dwell on, any other time. )
You're a national treasure. Pretty sure your retirement plan's covered. Want to show me your sketches?
[ A pause. She's hesitating, for some reason. But then: ] Sure. Just a sec.
[ More rustling. Pages being flipped. She'd sketched them right into the book — on the margins, on pages with enough empty spaces — but doesn't have everything bookmarked. At some point she lets out a breath that could be interpreted in several ways.
Then the photos are sent his way. The first one is a line of dragons on the right-hand margin of a page, though more silhouette than anything detailed. The second is a rough sketch of a girl from the waist up, hair in a braid, a dragon's head in the background and flames on the foreground. Last is a close up of Xaden, shoulders bare, scar across his left eyebrow to his cheek. Painstakingly detailed, especially the eyes.
He... kind of looks like Bucky. ]
Now it's your turn. For the other thing. [ Is talking about what she is (or isn't) wearing really less embarrasing than owning up to the fact that she has inappropriate thoughts about him? Probably not. But it's hard to resist when he's unusually interested in her tonight. She'll take it while it lasts. ]
Edited (i realized i missed that last bit lmao) 2024-11-09 07:36 (UTC)
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( silence, as he navigates back to that image in his texts, enlarges it. then a quiet laugh, more breath than voice. )
Your face. You look ... concerned. Or sad. You didn't think I'd your picture?
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And, well, since the goal of the evening is distraction: ] I was trying to go for those puckered lip poses that women like using on dating apps. At least it's sad, not constipated. I haven't posed for a camera in decades.
[ Is her laugh convincing enough? ]
didn't think I'd like* I cannot lmao
( chuckling, chip eating, more chuckling. )
Talk to me about your weird modern book and I'll tell you what I'm thinking about, looking at you.
lmao our tags also feeling the monday spirit
[ Phew, good. Distraction is still a go. She's happy enough to oblige, especially in exchange for that information. ]
Well, it's about this girl who's small and sickly but she's been ordered to learn and undergo trials to become a dragon rider as there's a war brewing outside their kingdom. Dragons will incinerate the unworthy, though. There's a lot of romance and a lot of, uh, sex.
Yup
( wow, how unrealistic. )
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[ But, yes. Very unrealistic, very modern ideas. ]
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( not that his french girls minded. )
I didn't have to worry about being dragon-worthy, though.
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You never worried about anything.
So, your turn.
[ She doesn't really want to hear about his war exploits. ]
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I looked at you and thought ... I'd like to crawl up behind you in your bed, pull you up against me, and tickle you until you stop thinking so much. Then I'd have you read me a couple pages from your weird sex dragon story. And maybe I could figure out if you're wearing anything under those covers, while you're at it.
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She clears her throat. Then there's the rustling sound of pages being turned. ] We can do two of those things right now, actually.
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hearing her voice is nice. would've done wonders for morale to have the luxury of calling home, back in the day. and if anything's going to keep him from falling down the abyssal void of a rabbit hole he's staring into tonight, it's talking to her. amused at the page-turning, ) You gonna find me something juicy?
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[ A precarious topic for them, all things considered. But he doesn't seem to be avoiding it this time at least, and, well, they both do a stellar job at pretending things never happened whenever it's necessary, anyway.
She finds a page and clears her throat. ] This isn't Tolkien or Wells, just so we're clear.
[ When she starts, it's not the well-practiced voice of Captain America that he hears. It's not even the tone she employs on the regular. It's lower, quieter... huskier. ]
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this must be why people like that asmr stuff. it's less about the words she reads than the sound of her reading them, and the thought of her pretty, chaste lips forming them in that new, smoky tone. he's used to her giving wholesome inspirational speeches, throwing smartass remarks, or forgetting how to speak when somebody hits on her. this is very different. it makes him wonder if she's blushing. it makes him wonder just how much she likes her book. so, he listens, staring up at the ceiling, taking in the alto her voice has assumed ... and pulling faces at hilarious phrases like, "that sensitive bud".
the book sounds ... about as deep as a dime romance, honestly. but at least there's a pretension to wit, there. sort of? )
Yeah, no kidding, ( he drawls. this is pure porn. how many sentences of plot are there between sex scenes and characters wishing for another sex scene, he wonders. the tease is obvious in his voice. ) Never thought I'd hear you talk like that, Rogers. So, ... is that the "small and sickly" girl in this scene, getting "devoured"? ( with 'tongue and teeth, no less. )
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[ Yeah, she's been blushing. She's not actually as prudish as most people believe she is, but reading what amounts to porn (badly written or not) out loud is embarrassing enough, let alone reading it to the person she imagines when she's reading such filth. His teasing only flusters her all the more. Why did she agree to this again?
Right, curiosity. And the chance to... have a conversation like this. One they normally wouldn't have as he's made it clear that anything other than friendship between them would be a terrible idea. ]
Yeah, Violet. The guy's Xaden, a dragon rider. Tough, competent, but emotionally distant with most people.
[ ... ]
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[ This is the guy who reads books like The Hobbit, after all. ]
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Hey, remember when we were kids, and you used to draw scenes from stuff you read?
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Though him saying "sensitive bud" and the context with which that was used in the scene... well. Good thing this conversation is only happening over the phone, so he can't see her blush. ]
Now that is distracting. [ Easier to just joke about it! ]
Yeah, why? Got a request?
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There's that other question, too. ( as though he could forget. )
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I've sketched some character portraits for this one. And the dragons. No scenes, though. I could do art commissions, I guess. They're popular online and I need to save up for a retirement home placement anyway.
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not that it's anyone's business, but that scene distracted him for another reason, too: it's been a very long damn time since he tasted a woman. he doesn't remember what it's like, in any way that's real. and thinking of rogers bare under those sheets, thinking that maybe ... she's ... wet while she reads her little book is ... something he wouldn't dwell on, any other time. )
You're a national treasure. Pretty sure your retirement plan's covered. Want to show me your sketches?
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[ More rustling. Pages being flipped. She'd sketched them right into the book — on the margins, on pages with enough empty spaces — but doesn't have everything bookmarked. At some point she lets out a breath that could be interpreted in several ways.
Then the photos are sent his way. The first one is a line of dragons on the right-hand margin of a page, though more silhouette than anything detailed. The second is a rough sketch of a girl from the waist up, hair in a braid, a dragon's head in the background and flames on the foreground. Last is a close up of Xaden, shoulders bare, scar across his left eyebrow to his cheek. Painstakingly detailed, especially the eyes.
He... kind of looks like Bucky. ]
Now it's your turn. For the other thing. [ Is talking about what she is (or isn't) wearing really less embarrasing than owning up to the fact that she has inappropriate thoughts about him? Probably not. But it's hard to resist when he's unusually interested in her tonight. She'll take it while it lasts. ]