Valentine Alonso

Val Alonso || 36 || Dominant Commander of the Watchmen Unclaimed [This is a mature, 18+ NSFW role-play blog that contains explicit and potentially triggering content]

[valalonso]

avacapulet:

She still looked apologetic even as she shook her head, “No, it’s alright.” She assured softly, “You weren’t being rude. I shouldn’t have just popped up on you like that.” She looked him over for a moment, feeling horrible because she could see it in his eyes how not-okay he really was. 

She felt that same awkwardness in the air, knew no matter how hard she’d try it’d just…be there. Still, she tried to look beyond it. “I think they’d look nice. Pops of color bring out a room. Brighter colors for more energy, or something more muted and dark for a warmer feel.” She shook her head at the question, giving him a little smile, “I was looking for something that Sin might like but…I’m not sure. I might just make something myself and see if he likes it enough to frame.” She bit her tongue at the questions she wanted to ask: Did he say anything to you? Do you know why? Are you okay? instead she just nodded to a random burgundy print nearby, “I feel like something like that could work for you..maybe? Anything in particular you’re looking for, Sir?”

Val shrugged. There was nothing he was looking for; he just knew he wasn’t going to leave the store without buying something. He was convinced his sanity depended on it.

“I’m sure Sin would love anything you made for him...” Val replied softly, offering her a small little smile. Seeing her was hard without Seb. He’d been like a brother to her, had talked about her often in glowing terms. “I’m, uh, just looking to buy something. Something to my apartment feel like my own. I’ve never decorated anything myself... I always assumed when we bought a place, it’d look like his...” Val couldn’t say his name, not yet. It still stung far more than he cared to admit.

[valalonso]

dylan-nobody:

Dylan rolled her eyes at the misunderstanding – though, to be fair, she could have been more clear. The girl stood up and came to the door, holding her plate. “Nope, I don’t have clean clothes,” she clarified, stepping past him to the kitchen to clean her plate, which consisted only of a squirt of soap and a quick run under hot water.

Val sighed, wondering if he’d ever be able to understand Dylan. He followed her back out to the kitchen, watching as she half-assed washed her plate. He’d rewash it later while she was out of sight, of course - but even a half-assed effort was better than none and he didn’t have the strength to argue with her.

“I have some things you can wear. Might be a little long, maybe a little big... but they should do the trick until we can get you some new clothes. We’ll wash your clothes, too, but I’d be willing to be they aren’t the clothes to wear to a job interview...”

[valalonso]

lonelyheartmontague:

“Reds and oranges are bold, vivid colors. They can bring a lot of life to a room. But it’s ok to be clueless - it gives you a lot of freedom, right?” She was hoping that at some point in the conversation she could get Val to smile at least once. Or tell her what was wrong. Whatever worked best for him. 

She glanced around for the moment before something to her right caught her eye. Taking his hand, she tugged him over to a different section, “Ooh, look at this picture!” It was another sailing picture, but that was where the similarities ended. This one looked more like a pirate ship, fighting its way through a storm. Off in one corner there was a spot of brightness reaching across the water for the ship as if it was guiding it to safety.

“Everyone does like boats. I just always like art that tells a story.”

“Freedom - that’s one way to put it,” Val muttered, small smile on his face as he allowed himself to be pulled away by Diana. He stopped in front of the ship painting, tilting his head as if it may help him to see it clearer. 

“You don’t think this would be too.... kitschy? Maybe?” Val asked, shrugging his shoulders. He knew he shouldn’t really question anyone on style; hell, he had no idea how to decorate. “It’s definitely interesting though... more than what I’ve got now.”

[valalonso]

avacapulet:

Ava thought getting some new prints for the loft would be a nice surprise for Sin, some new little decorations smattered around that gave more of her personal touch to the place. She paused when she saw Val a little ahead though. She was hurting too at the loss of Sebastian. Not at all in the way Valentine was but…still, in her own way. He was her best friend…basically her older brother, and not even getting a proper goodbye or an explanation cut deep. But still, she knew what she was feeling was nothing compared to what the other man was going through.

She thought about turning and going the other way–why would he want to see her when she could just serve as a reminder of what he’d lost? But it wasn’t in her nature to do that, especially when she could see how distant his gaze was.. So with her mind made up she cleared her through and walked over, frowning apologetically when she’d obviously startled him, “Sorry! I…I’m sorry, Sir. I just thought…” She bit her lip as she trailed off, shaking her head, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you..”

“No, shit, sorry,” Val started, relaxing when he realized it was only Ava. “I just - I wasn’t paying attention, didn’t realize who you were... sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” He’d forgotten to even call and check on Ava after Seb left; he’d been so wrapped up in his own loss, he hadn’t thought of her own.

“I’m, uh, thinking of buying one of these,” Val replied, a bit clumsily as he tried to ignore the common thread between them. The huge elephant in the room. “You, uh, find anything interesting?”

[valalonso]

lucio-montague:

“Minimalist then? You might want to add a few pops of soft color, nothing that’ll remind you of your ex. even a light gray would do nicely to draw the eye somewhere in your space. If you like the sailboats, maybe a light teal and gray accent would work nicely. Consider adding some throws and couch pillows.”

Tilting his head, he eyed the sailboats. “They are peaceful. If they make you feel something, then buy the print. But if they don’t, bypass them. You’ll regret bringing it home and feeling nothing for it.” 

Lucio was not unaware of Sebastian’s sudden departure. Of course, he would never bring that up with Val, feeling a rare bout of empathy for the man. “If you need any assistance, I have a lot of resources that can help you with your redecorating.”

Val couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t know if there’s a way to make me more design savvy...” He looked again at the prints, supposing of all of them, the sailboats did draw him in the most, even if they were boring. Maybe he needed boring. Something soft and peaceful to ease his near-constant anxiety.

“Maybe if you have an interior designer on call... that’s the level help I probably need. But out of all of these, I think I like the sailboats the most. I could look somewhere else I guess, but, eh...” The print was there, was affordable, and Val didn’t really relish the thought of going anywhere else.

[valalonso]

dylan-nobody:

“Nope,” she spoke back, laying back down again as her empty plate sat at her side on the mattress. Dylan hated being told what to do. She might have voluntarily washed her plate had he not said anything about it, but the fact that Val said she needed to do it made her opposed to the idea.

Val rolled his eyes, huffing slightly. He couldn’t see how what he was asking was unfair - he’d bought the food, made the food, warmed up the food, served the food - all she had to do was clean a dish. It was probably a good thing a closed door separated them so she didn’t see his face. “Look, you cleaning your plate is not an unreasonable request here... I’m not saying do it right now, just... you know, sometime before morning. Now, do you have clean clothes? We’re going to try to get some interviews set up for you tomorrow...” 

[valalonso]

wesweskim:

Moving their hands from his shoulders, they brought them around his waist, giving him a tight hug as he spoke. Everything he said sounded painful like he was tugging at raw wounds on his soul, but Wes was absolutely positive it would help him to heal. “I know, I know. You’re not alone though, Val, no matter how much it may feel like you are,” They insisted, moaning softly at the kisses along their sensitive neck. “Not alone.”

“They’ll always be someone to share the weight of the world, the weight of your grief…” They could feel his sadness, his grief almost as if it were being poured into them with every kiss. It was almost enough to make them choke up (damn their empathy) and they couldn’t imagine how much more intensely broken Val must have been feeling. 

Val wasn’t so sure that was true; he’d been grieving for years, was sure it was just apart of his personality. He buried his face in the crook of Wes’s neck, trying hard to keep himself composed, but failing miserably. He felt hot tears pour down his face and he hiccuped in response, trying to keep himself steady.

“I don’t want to bring you down,” Val said, his voice muffled as he hid in their arms. “Fucking hell, I’m acting ridiculous...” He sighed and slowly moved up, sliding off of Wes to lay beside them as he wiped away his tears roughly.

[valalonso]

lucio-montague:

“Fair enough.” Lucio stepped back and looked at the prints Val had been perusing through. “Well, what kind of look are you trying to go for in your home? What’s the aesthetic? Is it warm and homey? Bohemian? Modern? Monochrome?” There were thousands more, but he wanted Val to describe it in his own words.

The question about sailboats made him smirk slightly. “Sailboats are a little boring. But there’s a time and a place for them. Are you looking to make your home less boring?” 

Val shrugged. “The aesthetic is, uh, white. My ex used all white everything, had bright orange and red and purple pillows and crap everywhere. But now that she’s not there, it’s just, uh, white. Plain.”

He ran a hand through his hair, unsure how to answer Lucio exactly. The middle of a mediocre home goods store hardly seemed the place to tell the other man that he just wanted something for himself, even if it was boring. He’d survived the death of a child, a claim dissolution, and now a boyfriend that went MIA without warning - he was fighting for control over his own life. By purchasing a painting. Val supposed his psych would have a lot to say about it.

“I just want it to make it something other than a place where I store my old furniture,” Val sighed, forgoing a long explanation. “Sailboats are supposed to be peaceful, right?”

[valalonso]

dylan-nobody:

Dylan didn’t know what staying at a hotel was like, but she imagined it was something like this. She didn’t even bother unpacking her few belongings; there wasn’t much to unpack. She just laid out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The last time she had her own “room” – a proper room – was in the orphanage, and that was always shared with at least one other person who she would invariably end up fighting with. 

When Val came to the door, she brought her head up, staring back at him. “Yeah” was her only response. Dylan stood up, walked herself over to the kitchen, retrieved the plate, and brought it back into her new room, shutting the door behind her.

Val had the kitchen island ready for them, two plates laid out with soda. He’d expected to have someone to sit with while he ate, but Dylan came to get her food and stalked back to her room. For a moment, Val thought of calling after her, telling her that she needed to eat with him in the kitchen, but he doubted he’d get anything out of her even if he did. So, he ate alone, which wasn’t a terribly unfamiliar feeling.

Once he was finished, he washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen before walking down the hall to Dylan’s room. He knocked on the door lightly but kept it closed, talking through it instead. “Hey, when you’re done, you need to bring your plate to the kitchen and wash it, put it up. You got clean clothes for tomorrow?”

[valalonso]

wesweskim:

“You will, sir, no matter what you think. The state isn’t permanent unless you allow it to be. Sure it’ll take time to snap out of, and you can’t blame yourself for that, but you will. Especially if you let out your feelings, no matter how embarrassing you think they are.” They replied, placing a chaste kiss on Val’s lips before peppering his cheeks with them. 

“Well you did, get involved, that is. It’s not my place to say whether or not you should’ve, but you did. Now you need to focus on the present. Regrets are the worst.” Wes wasn’t really thinking through what was coming out of their mouth, hell - they were just trying to make Val feel better. To remind him that this wasn’t the end and that he’d be able to persevere. 

Val hummed, closing his eyes as Wes kissed him. He turned slightly to catch their lips in a not-so-chaste kiss, gently moving Wes down on the bed. “I was falling for him,” he admitted, saying it out loud for the first time to someone other than Sebastian. “I’d only felt that way for one other person before and she’s gone too...”

He paused, ignoring the lump forming in the back of his throat as he kissed Wes’s neck, trying to ignore the twisting in his stomach. “I hate being alone. I got used to it, but now that I wasn’t alone for a bit, I remembered how much I fucking hate it.”

[valalonso]

dylan-nobody:

Dylan tilted her head inquisitively at the pictures, picking one of Violetta to dust off and get a better look at. She was tempted to ask where the girls were, but thought better of it. She could be rude, but she wasn’t cruel. Clearly something had gone wrong, if she wasn’t off to college or something. She set it back down in its place and continued her stroll through the apartment, eventually stumbling upon the room where she would presumably be staying. 

Val watched her wander off down the hall but said nothing, figuring she’d find the bedroom on her own. He’d left the door to it open, had made sure she had fresh sheets and the guest bathroom was stocked with toiletries. The only other bedroom on that end of the apartment was where Violetta’s nursery had once been; the room itself was completely empty now, but Val always kept the door closed.

He waited until he’d finished warming up some leftover pasta to come and get her. Gently, he knocked on the door jamb to get her attention. “Food’s ready, if you’re hungry...”

[valalonso]

wesweskim:

“Not at all,” They whispered, leaning into his touch comfortingly. “Life is hard to navigate and sometimes you get stuck in some kind of jello state where up is down and you have no clue whether your past choices were as good as you thought they were. Fear, sadness, shit gets in the way.” Wes was no therapist but they tried their best to make the people the saw feel better, feel like they had some kind of grasp on their life. It was why they took the job in the first place, to help people in the only way they really knew they could. 

“That’s okay,” They shushed, bringing their hands to rest on his shoulders, rubbing soothing circles into the skin there with the pads of their thumbs. 

Val relaxed under Wes’s soothing touch, tension noticeably leaving his body. “I feel like I’ve been in a jello state for five years now. I’m so ready to get out of it,” he lamented with a sigh. 

It felt nice to be taken care of again, even if it was only going to be for a couple of hours. “It’s not okay. I’m a grown man acting like some lovesick teenager... I should be over it by now - really, I never should’ve gotten involved period.”

[valalonso]

wesweskim:

“No use thinking about the past now, Val, especially since it can’t be changed. We’re here right now and you have complete control. Whatever you want, you know my limits.” They continued, perching themselves on the edge of the bed next to the Commander, a soft smile pulling their face from the previous expression of concern. Of course, they were still dreadfully concerned, but it was Val time and if he didn’t want to talk about it, they weren’t going to push. 

Val nodded, his mouth going a bit dry. He reached up to cup Wes’s face, running his thumb along their cheek. “Is it bad I don’t know what I want...?” Val was so used to being in control of himself, of his mind and body, and now? He was torn between needing to cry and needing to fuck someone.

“The last time I tried this with someone else besides him, I couldn’t even get hard...” Val sighed, leaning in to press a kiss to Wes’s neck. He wanted to warn them, let them know it wouldn’t be their fault if wasn’t up to the task.

[valalonso]

dylan-nobody:

Dylan knew she was flirting with prison when she decided to give the Commander false (or more accurately, outdated) information. As much emotional sense as it made to throw her group under the bus entirely, something stubborn in her prevented her from doing that. So she gave him the locations of long or recently abandoned areas, omitting the last names of those people she mentioned. And that was easy, as none of them had last names; or if they did, they were never used in the context of Phoenix. Even her own last name, Nessuno – meaning ‘nobody’ – was nothing more than a jab at the idea of her legal status in Verona.

She held her hands on the straps of her backback as she stepped through the door of Val’s apartment, glancing around instinctively. “Damn, what do they even pay you to be the Commander of the Watch…” If this is what selling your soul at a ‘real job’ landed you, she couldn’t imagine who would make that deal voluntarily, though of course she would have to find something tolerable as part of their agreement. Dylan ignored his question, wandering through the apartment on her own, stopping to stare at particular pictures she found in frames around the place.   

“I make enough,” Val countered, heading toward the kitchen to pull out some leftovers and drinks for them. He certainly wasn’t the richest man in Verona, nor would he ever be. But he had plenty of money saved that he could decorate or even find a better place if he ever got the notion to do so.

The few pictures he had scattered around were the only glimpses that he’d had a life outside of work. A couple of baby pictures of Violetta were set about in the built-in bookcase that framed the TV. There was one of himself and his ex-claim taken just on the balcony off of the living room with the sunset in the background; it’d been taken soon after they moved in, reflecting a much happier time.They were all dusty and had clearly been untouched for a while. A newer picture in a red picture frame was set on an end table, one of himself and Sebastian at the tree lighting ceremony only a few months before. 

Val watched her from the kitchen as she looked around. “You can watch TV, if you want. This place is as much yours as it is mine for now...”

[valalonso]

wesweskim:

“Why’re you apologizing? This isn’t a required thing, you come when you need it and I’m here to help,” They responded, furrowing their brow in confusion and worry. They’d been almost certain Val and his lover were on their way to becoming one of Verona’s  newest claims, but Val showing up seemed to contradict that completely. Wes couldn’t deny they were extremely curious and just as concerned for the man they’d come to care for. 

“You look dead, handsome, anything I can do to wake you up?” 

Val shrugged, lips curling a half-smile. “Would’ve made life easier if I’d never stopped coming,” he said simply. If only he’d made clear boundaries between him and Seb from the start, so much would’ve been different, probably for the better. 

“I don’t know. Sex seems like a good way to forget about things right now...” Val sighed, very aware of the last time he’d tried to use sex to forget Sebastian. But he was lonely and irritable and a night in Wes’s bed had cured all ills once before.

[valalonso]

lucio-montague:

Lucio didn’t know why he came here. He was always hoping to find something inspiring, but nothing every seemed to suit his standards. He liked art as much as anyone else, but nothing sold in places like this ever made him feel anything. 

He was interested, however, when he saw the commander of the Watchmen doing the same thing he was, looking at art prints with a confused look on his face. Deciding to offer his assistance, he approached the man and accidentally startled him. “Apologies. I didn’t realize it was possible to sneak up on the commander of the Watchmen. I was just wondering if you needed help. You look a bit lost.” 

Val sighed, relaxing a bit. “Right now I’m not Commander. I’m a civilian like everyone else when I’m off work...” He looked back at the prints, shrugging. “I’m just picking something out for my place... not sure what I like.”

The sailboats were a safe option, the one he gravitated toward the most. But it seemed... boring. And given that Val liked it well enough, there was a safe bet that it was boring. He needed something to make his space feel different than the sad bachelor pad it’d become. “Are sailboats boring?” he asked, turning toward him again.

[valalonso]

It was strange to be back in the brothel. Val had gotten so used to not going that it almost felt almost unreal to be sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Wes, although he had several times in the past. He offered them a small, half-smile when they came in - a smile that certainly didn’t reach his eyes.

“Hey...” Val said softly. “Sorry, I know it’s been a while since I was here last...”

@wesweskim