can you do more alengelo? Maybe kissing and 2 or 9?
Ser Caroline likes to inform Angelo that he's way too impulsive and as is most often the case, Ser Caroline is entirely correct. Angelo has never particularly seen this as a bad thing because more often than not his impulses have saved his own life or—more importantly—the lives of innocent bystanders.
In social situations this has proven less effective and less redeeming, which never much mattered while Angelo was surrounded by knights. That is to say, fellow men who act much like Angelo.
He's not among his peers anymore, now. Ser Caroline is a knight but she is not a man. Which is not to say that Angelo thinks of her as less of a knight because of that, no. She simply acts very differently from all the men in the barracks.
And then there is Quanyii, who is neither a man—most of the time—nor a knight, Olala, who is decidedly neither of those things and, of course, Ale. Ale is a man but not a knight and also not a man like any Angelo has ever met before. He doesn't care about knights or about the… comradery that used to connect Angelo to his brothers-in-arms.
He cares for things like manners and would never make a crude joke about a woman's bosom, for example. Something that Angelo never much cared for, but partook in anyway if only for the spirit of belonging.
Angelo isn't sure when his mind started running in such circles.
The fact of the matter is that he is impulsive and is trying to become less so, and that this attempt proves difficult when all his traitorous body wants to do is be one single, huge, hot-headed impulse.
By the Saints, if Damien were here, maybe he could give Angelo a lesson in becoming more thoughtful and serene. Angelo always thought that Damien took the whole thinking thing a little too far so that it turned mostly into overthinking, but perhaps if combined, their two traits could become something powerful.
"I didn't know you could play the lute, Miss Quanyii", Olala says from where she sits by the fire, her tail swishing behind her excitedly as she listens to the jaunty tunes Quanyii is playing for them as they finish dinner.
"Olala, I'll have you know I possess many artistic talents", Quanyii says, looking pleased with herself. Olala makes a little, impressed ooo-sound.
Caroline snorts.
"Don't get her started or she'll play the harmonica next", Caroline grumbles.
"What's the harmo—"
"Olala!"
"I'm sorry, Ser Caroline. I never learned to play a musical instrument and so I'm curious about these things."
"Well, let me tell you that you don't have to learn the harmonica and especially not from Quanyii", Caroline assures her.
"Babe, stop being mean to me! You never let me practice!"
Angelo lets the conversation wash over him because he gets distracted by Ale tapping his foot to the sound of the melody while he finishes the rest of his fried fish. There rarely was any dancing in the back in the Second Citadel, but while Angelo still lived with his family he used to dance with his sisters and mother all the time. As he watches the rhythmic tapping of Ale’s foot he wonders if Ale likes dancing. His movements during combat suggest that he is an excellent athlete as well as extremely elegant.
And because Angelo is who he is and once a thought has entered his mind it’s already too late to stop anything, he gets up and steps over to where Ale sits on the ground.
“May I have this dance?”, he asks.
Ale looks up at him, his beautiful face illuminated by the flickering light of their campfire. Quanyii makes a sound that turns Angelo’s cheeks into a color somewhat akin to tomato sauce and Olala claps her hand in excitement. Blessed be Ser Caroline who only rolls her eyes because she doesn’t care for any emotional outbreaks that don’t involve shouting at people.
“Didn’t know you could dance, schoolboy”, Ale says and reaches his hand out to grab Angelo’s and allow him to pull Ale up into a standing position. All of a sudden Angelo is unsure—he only ever danced with women before. Who leads now that he’s about to dance with another man? Will Ale be insulted if Angelo tries to lead? Will this suggest that Angelo doesn’t take him seriously? Will—
“Relax, alright?”, Ale says with a chuckle. He must have seen something in Angelo’s expression because his shakes his head in a way that seems almost endeared. “I’m alright with you leading.”
Angelo lets out a sigh and nods, suddenly feeling very shaky in the knees and fuzzy in the belly. He could swear that Quanyii slows her song down, which makes him sweat nervously. But Ale looks up at him with a quirked eyebrow and a smile that is half amused and half something that Angelo cannot place. He takes Ale’s hand into his and places one hand on Ale’s hip before starting to turn him around.
Around the fire they twirl and step, Ale following his lead which makes Angelo feel all sorts of things. For an irrational moment he wishes this moment could last forever, that they could turn and twirl around this campfire until the end of all days without having to worry about evil magics and murderous deserters and the bad that is in this world.
Angelo’s heart far surpasses the beat of the music in speed as he turns Ale around and then turns him again and Ale laughs a little breathless laugh that makes Angelo’s heart stumble and his soul soar. Ale is happy. He is having fun. When Ale raises his one arm to twirl Angelo around Angelo can feel his face blush even more and a smile breaks over his face—a wild, reckless and joyous thing that he can feel reverberate through his entire body and soul.
“You are as excellent a dancer as you are a fighter”, Angelo says and his voice sounds as if he’s been shouting drills at new recruits for five hours.
Ale laughs.
“Thanks, schoolboy. So are you. Always good for a surprise”, he answers with a twinkle in his eye. Angelo has the sudden need to stand up as straight as he can and put a fist onto his chest. As the music comes to a halt Angelo turns Ale one last time and then steps back without letting go of his hand. His mind is filled with warmth and happiness and the second the thought of kissing Ale enters his brain, it was already too late to stop the impulse.
He leans down and lifts Ale’s hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the soft, dark skin on the back of Ale’s hand. When he looks up Ale’s eyes are bright and his lips are slightly parted. Angelo thinks he really must be the strongest knight in the Citadel to be able to withstand the impulse to kiss Ale firmly on the mouth.
“Thank you for indulging me, Ale”, he says and only reluctantly lets go of Ale’s hand. There is a pause during which Ale seems to consider something and before Angelo can start getting nervous again—truly, nothing has ever gotten him nervous until he met Ale—Ale reaches down to take one of Angelo’s hands in his.
Angelo is pretty sure that his soul leaves his body the moment that Ale’s lips, warm and soft and a little dry, press against the back of his hand. For more than one insane second Angelo thinks that he might never bathe again just to preserve the tingling feeling on his hand. When Ale pulls back and lets go of his hand he throws him another one of his lopsided smiles.
“Next time you let me lead”, he says. Angelo swallows three times before he finds his voice.
“That sounds like an excellent deal.”
“Quanyii, I changed my mind”, Angelo hears Caroline’s voice from seemingly far, far away. “You should definitely play the harmonica before anyone else decides to dance.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
butterfly in my stomach, wasp in my gut
Peter Nureyev finally allows himself to collapse, heaving as he kneels on the tile floor.
“You’re okay. Just breathe through it, babe, you’re gonna be okay.”
“Wh—Juno? I thought—love, what are you doing?” There is an icepack on his neck, a hand on his stomach, and a detective on his shoulder, and he is unsure about how any of those things got there.
Juno’s eyebrows wrinkle. “Uh, making sure you’re okay? You looked like you were about to hurl when we were playing Kanagawa-opoly. And, I mean, honestly I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but—”
Nureyev wishes he could listen to Juno ramble until Sol explodes, but his stomach has other ideas.
...
Nureyev has always had a sensitive stomach.
a series of vignettes exploring nureyev's chronic nausea.
rated E | 4/? chapters | 49k+
archive warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Peter Nureyev, private eye, had a chance encounter with a brilliant, beautiful lady who left his head spinning. Nothing prepared him to face the lady down again, nor the catastrophe that could follow. He had to admit, though: he wouldn't trade it for all of Mars.
My current biggest project, the Reverse AU! Detective Nureyev meets Juno Steel, a mysterious lady from beyond the planet that has been his home for 30 years. Currently in progress.
author's note: Sex scene is optional and can be skipped while following the plot. Fic would be rated T if not for explicit content.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Hey so. The Penumbra Podcast huh. I've written over 70k words for it in the past month and show no sign of stopping, so I decided to make a masterpost here. My AO3 is alwaysyourqueen and you can find all of my work there. There will be blurbs/summaries under the cut here to avoid spam. Always mind the content warnings!
Canon and/or Self-Contained
not very good company at the moment
rated T | 1/1 chapters | 6.5k
archive warnings: none
Always use protection, kids.
Peter Nureyev is freaked out by his body's rebellion, and what that could mean for a future for him. Vespa Ilkay has to look out for her least favorite patient. Juno Steel solves a mystery he really didn't want to have to solve.
Juno Steel and the Ransoms
rated T | 1/? chapters | 5k
archive warnings: none
Juno Steel is not prepared for two mysteries wrapped in sharp teeth and intrigue to show up in his life. Then again, he's never been prepared for anything, so why should this be any different?
The Carte Blanche crew has seven members — Juno Steel, Buddy Aurinko, Vespa Ilkay, Rita!, Jet Sikuliaq, Peter Ransom, and Liana Ransom.
Ponder the Manner of Things
rated G | 2/2 chapters | 9.5k
archive warnings: none
Juno is rather suddenly ripped from his day-to-day when a piece of his past quite literally walks up to him. It turns out that he's not quite done with Diamond Hijikata — or her daughter.
Take Me Away (From This Shitty Planet)
rated T | 1/1 chapters | 2.6k
archive warnings: none
In the age of Jedi and the Republic, one former Jedi is trying to leave Coruscant. He employs a smuggler to do so.
Detective Nureyev and Con Artist Juno
(AKA Role Reverse AU)
never got over that dame
rated E | 4/? chapters | 49k+
archive warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Peter Nureyev, private eye, had a chance encounter with a brilliant, beautiful lady who left his head spinning. Nothing prepared him to face the lady down again, nor the catastrophe that could follow. He had to admit, though: he wouldn't trade it for all of Mars.
author's note: Sex scene is optional, fic would be rated T if not for explicit content.
Spider-Juno and Black Cat Nureyev
(AKA Spider-Man AU)
You Can Be Their Super Steel
rated T | 1/1 chapters | 3.4k
archive warnings: Major Character Death
Juno's life changed when he became Spider-Man. He didn't realize just how much it could change after that.
Juno Steel and the Black Cat
rated T | 2/? chapters | 10k+
archive warnings: Major Character Death
The people of Hyperion City refer to the thief as the Black Cat. It’s a cute enough moniker, though he doesn’t wear cat ears or even claim to have a name.
Spider-Man calls him many things, when they’re next to one another. Lips next to ears, masks pulled partially away, other things pulled more away.
A name, a spider, a cat. A whole lot of messy, messy feelings.
Acrobatics
rated E | 1/1 chapters | 1.3k
archive warnings: none
No one goes into the superhero or other costumed personality business because they don't love an edge of danger. Spider-Man and the Black Cat decide to add a little something special to one of their acrobatics practices.
Dahlia Rose and his Duke
(AKA Dahlia and Duke Rose are cover names for organized crime)
Heavy is the Head
rated T | 1/1 chapters | 2.6k
archive warnings: none
Dahlia Rose protects his investment. His Duke, his newest right hand. To the rest of the world, his love.
Deny It To A King?
rated E | 1/1 chapters | 3k
archive warnings: none
Duke takes Dahlia in his office.
Very early in life, Peter Nureyev learns what it is to lose: to lose family, to lose the warmth of another, and to lose his very own existence. The cold has clung to Nureyev’s bones for decades. In a futile attempt to escape the chill, he buries his identity, and Peter Nureyev becomes that of the past.
Peter Nureyev is meant to be dead, but with the newly found warmth of another, Juno Steel, followed by a group of criminals on a high-steaks heist, his glacier begins to melt, and the boy beneath awakens.
multi-chapter - 65k - teen and up
---
hello! this is my fic for the 2023 penumbra bang! I'm very excited to share this with you all, i hope you enjoy it! :D
special thanks to @koscheib for drawing the beautiful artwork in this fic, to the @penumbra bang team for helping me out all through the process, and to @prydon for beta reading - i could not have done it without you all!!
