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thegeekerynj · 4 years

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All Death Metal Review (And nothing from Sweden!)

Death Metal: Trinity Crisis One Shot

Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Francis Manapul

‘And who are YOU supposed to be? I’ve faced enough Dark Knights that no Batman scares me anymore!

Ha! Then it’s a good thing I’m not a Batman! I’m his MOTHER!’

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Sweet Christmas! That took me by surprise!

Harley kissing Jonah Hex, that was really sweet, and gods awful creepy, and kinda gross, after the exchange, and some thought…

This is it, Gentle Readers… the Beginning of the End of the Beginning of… Oh, crap, now I’m lost… This is where the story starts rockin’!

The Gang’s all together, and the Black Lantern Bat has determined what they need to do.

The plan? Split up, naturally. That AL-ways works…

When we left them in DM #3, the Lanterns are protecting the Home Base, and taking out the Crisis Energy Antennae on the Earths left in the known Universes, The Flashes are off and running through the Speed Force, trying to find Metron, and stay ahead of the Bathattan who Laughs, while the Trinity (Superman / Antilife, Black Lantern Batman and Warden Wonder Woman) along with Swamp Thing, Harley, Hex and Jarro, head for Castle Bat, to gain access to the Crisis Earths, where the Crisis Energy is being harvested for Perpetua.

**WHEW!**

Getting into the Castle involves getting past an army of Dark Knights… and we have a bunch of real winners here!

Bat Monday - Salomon Grundy in Bat ears, I could have busted a gut laughing, until I thought about what kind of weapon a zombie with Batman’s training could be, and shivered…

Kull, the daughter of Batman and Wonder Woman, corrupted by the Dark Universe…

Ark, the living embodiment of Arkham, with all of the knowledge and abilities of ALL her worst inmates…

Chiroptor, the amalgam of Batman and Chemo (Great Elder Gods!!)…

And the Pearl, Martha Wayne, in the equivalent of HellBat Armor, complete with her iconic pearl necklace.

This is a real mindscrew for Batman, and the panels depict it, most intently.

One nice thing about Scott Snyder… he is consistent about tying up loose ends. Once we are in Castle Bat, we find out what happened to Barbatos, the Big Bad from Dark Nights: Metal. Not that we were actually wondering, since we got Perpetual, and the Batman Who Laughs, but, like I said, it ties up the package nicely.

Then, we are introduced to the character I have been most happily waiting for… the Robin King, and his Utility Belt of Death!

Gentle Readers, this is the story we have been waiting for, the chapter which tells us what the Heroes Plan of Action is, and where the story has been going, for over 40 years. You see, the opening page of this book tells us where this story began… with Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Not to spoil too much, but Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis, ]well… they have all played a part in getting us to this story. It seems, the “Crisis Energy’ has fed Perpetua while she was trapped within the Source Wall, and, now, she wants it all, so she can recreate the Universes in her image.

Great job, if you can get it…

I can’t say enough good things about this story and artwork, as Snyder and Manapul have put together a really tight, hard hitting bottle / lead story, bringing us to the next step in the saga…

Jeebus on a popsicle stick, I hope no one lets me down… that will hurt!

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1

Writer: James Tynion IV Artist: Juan Gedeon

‘Mr. Rabbit?

Yes, Young Lady?

Thank you for saving me.

What a kind thing to say! It was so scary out there, and you stayed so brave. I don’t think I could have done it without your courage.

You’re really, really soft.

I use a special carrot shampoo.

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Once upon a time, about a million, bazillion years ago in cranky fat man years, somewhere around 1982, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! brought Earth-C into the DC Multiverse, the earth of anthropomorphic animals… yes, they brought Super-Hero Cartoon Animals to the Super Hero Universe.

Our introduction to this Earth was Rodney Rabbit, a comics writing and drawing hare, who created the Just’a Lotta Animals comic by day, and was Captain Carrot, a Superman-esque rabbit, who got his powers from super charged carrots, when danger struck.

But, I digress… because I got really excited!

So, we have teams on the 6 Earths, each Earth holding a tuning fork, focusing the psychic pain energy of the population to Perpetual, powering her attempts to recreate the Multiverse in her image. The Earths in play, Earth - 3 (Crime Syndicate), Earth - X (Nazi Earth), Earth - 29 (Bizarroworld), Earth - 43 (Blood League World) and Earth - 50 (Justice Lords Earth) are all worlds of pain and suffering.

Their energy is the right flavor for destroying, and creating.

The heroes, organized and led by the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814 (Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz), are working to take down the Antennae before the energy can be fed to Perpetual to power her Cosmic Undoing.

So, teamed with the Lanterns, we have Hawkgirl, Kid Flash (Earth-22), President Superman (Earth-23), Wonder Woman (Earth-6) and Captain Carrot, all hellbent on stopping the respective Antennae.

The problem… Each Earth’s inhabitants have been laced into the antennae, to directly feed the psychic energy to it..since the energy is effectively terror, well, what better way to induce some? Of course, this isn’t the only problem to be contended with…

Leave it to James Tynion IV to come up with a way to make a villain creepier than the Batman Who Laughs… How, you ask? Well, take the true polar opposite of Batman, and make him realize HE IS what Giggles says he is, and you have an interesting new ballgame.

You see, while the Batman who Laughs is the Ultimate CORRUPTED Batman, Owlman is the Anthesis of Batman, the purest EVIL to the Batman’s GOOD. And he plans to make sure that he continues to be the True Opposite…

Gedeon’s artwork is rough, but considering the story being told, and the pain portrayed by the characters, it fits, perfectly. Some times, I see Joe Staton and Nic Cuti in these pages, a little cartoony, but that’s not a complaint… The story concentrates a bunch on Guy Gardner and Cap, so, it seems to fit (and the art is reminiscent of the ‘A Guy and his G’Nort’ storyline from 1991).

All in all, a very good story, and a fantastic use of a truly underused treasure.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Speed Metal #1

Writer: Joshua Williamson Pencils: Eddy Barrow Inks: Eber Ferreira

‘Hey, Flash Family, Is it true a Flash has to die in every Crisis?!’

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And the levels of snark from the Darkest Knight have reached Epic Levels!

The first three pages of this issue give us a rehash of everything having to do with Wally West, since the beginning of the Rebirth Era, from Barry pulling Wally out of the Speed Force, to Barry and Batman finding the Comedian’s Smiley Face button embedded in the Batcave wall, to the events of Heroes in Crisis and Flash Forward.

The action picks up as Barry, Wally, Wallace and Jay leave the Batman’s Vault, in search of Metron’s Chair, with the Darkest Knight hot on their trails.

In the Speed Force.

With the Darkest Knight’s presence corrupting the Speed Force, Barry and Wally bickering the entire time, I’m reminded of why I hated the post Crisis Flash… Wally wasn’t mature enough to wear the mantle of Barry’s fame.

Sure, he had the speed, he was even faster than Barry, but he was still the same jealous little kid inside, the one who needed to be patted on the head, the one who couldn’t get on with the Titans, even though he was probably the most powerful of them.

He was just an immature kid, and here, Williamson dragged that all into the foreground once again.

All so Wally West, the King of the Redemption Arc, could have another Redemption Arc…

Sorry, that did me in.

The rest of the story is pretty good… the art is wonderful, the Jay / Barry / Wallace interplay is really kinda neat, and all the Black Flashes… well, I’m a sucker for Death icons, so a mass of Death Speedsters, well that’s fun with a CAPITAL F!

But, did we need another Wally gets to whine story?

Sorry, this wasn’t the finest arc of the Death Metal Saga.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶

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Death Metal #4 ‘Shot In The Dark’

Writer: Scott ‘Scream King’ Snyder Artist: Greg ‘The Muscle’ Capullo Inks: Jonathan ‘Bloodied’ Glapion

“So, ever wonder why you never see A Harley Who Laughs’?’

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And, that Gentle Readers, is the crux of one of those puzzles about this series… Why don’t we ever see more twisted versions of the Villains who infest Earth Prime?

The Robin King (this is the character who rates SECOND on my memorable Characters list, especially with his own One-Shot—— Who’s First?? Time, Gentle Ones in time…) puts the explanation out there, and it is very simple.

And worth the read… But, I digress.

So, Issue 4 picks up with Sergeant Rock describing what has been happening on Earth - Prime, and we finally get to see who has been carrying him around… AMBUSH BUG! Yes, the character that made the Fourth Wall more transparent than an open Anderson window has been carrying Rock around as his own personal narrator…

Which, if you know the Bug, is a joke unto itself.

So, here we go, the ride is picking up steam, and we are now following 6, count’em SIX, separate story lines. A guy could get whiplash, or Bullwhip or some other third rate character… But, I digress.

We have the Trinity storyline, the SpeedMetal storyline, Multiverse’s End, and the Lantern Storyline from the last issue, the Justice League / Legion of Doom story… am I forgetting anything?

Oh, and of course, the Robin King.

Where to start with this… I guess the simplest place to start is the artwork.

Greg Capullo’s pencils are absolutely wonderful. For anybody who it's to watch the process of drawing I want to watch so he's got a really wonderful touch I recommend Greg Capullo’s Instagram site. As he's drawing pages for these books, he posts the pencils as he finishes pieces of the process . Normally, he has six or seven photo panels showing exactly what he's been doing. In man cases, this involves crowd scenes, with extensive detail. His work is beautiful, it’s easy to see why he is such a sought after talent.

Jonathan Glapion’s inks on Capullo’s pencils are comparable to Austin on Byrne, and Janson over Miller, Janson over Colan… Enhancing, and not hiding the intricate detail rendered in the pencils, adding that last flash of lightning to bring it all together. The balance struck between them is almost organic, a constant growth between the two, bringing them to levels bordering on the true Classic Art teams of the last 50 years.

I do not make these comparisons lightly

Now, to the story. Scott Snyder is powering a roller coaster with a rocket sled. The coordination between the different aspects of these stories is both intricate and daring. With all the different aspects of this story spinning like plates on sticks, Snyder juggles the plot lines, and what is left to him by the myriad of writers as Emmet Kelly did in the heyday of Ringling Brothers.

His deft touch, and subtle influences are balanced by lace covered sledgehammer blows, leaving the reader reeling, and wanting so very much more.

Scott Snyder, much like Tom Taylor, has pulled out all the stops, cut the brake lines, kicked out the jams, insert favorite euphemism for creating a high speed, non-stop mad ride to Hell!

And, much to my wallet’s chagrin, I am very happy about it.

Now, as it crosses to other books, and other writers pick up the reins, I am sure Snyder will still be the whip hand driving the story, not allowing some of these writers to go too far astray (unless it’s Tom King… then, well Woo Hoooo!)

I can’t say enough good things about this story, or the team creating it. I’m beginning t feel a little biased, but, what the heck.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Robin King #1 ‘The Robin Who Would Be King’

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Artist: Riley Rossmo

‘Aw! Come on, this is the fun part!

Get up and let’s FIGHT!’

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Games, within games, within games…

So, the Batman who Laughs wasn’t infallible.

And the Robin King is going to be the bigger threat to the Darkest Knight than any combination of the Trinity, Flashes or their cohorts.

At least, that’s my takeaway from this issue.

We continue the story of the Robin King, as started in the Tales of the Dark Universe one shot. Bruce has grown up, and grown into his sociopathy, and genius. He has used the family fortune to get all the training necessary, and to accumulate all the tools, to begin his reign as the true Evil Overlord of Gotham.

Utilizing his accumulated weapons, he has taken out Commissioner Gordon, Firestorm, Animal Man, Adam Strange Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), and the Red Tornado, all in truly spectacular and extraordinarily grisly fashion.

While the Black Hole Implosion for Firestorm was a particularly well thought out death, I think, so far, the ‘Mortal Coil’ Death, for the Red Tornado was the most imaginative… making his powers totally uncontrollable, while moving him closer to his ultimate dream, to be a real person, before his form totally destroys itself from the stresses of his own speed.

Marvelous! Fantastic! Gross!

Enter the Batman who Laughs, with the proposition to make the Robin King special, one of his own…

But, he’s a Robin, so, off to the Groblin Pit he goes!

Hence, his mistake, and possibly another chink in the boiler plate of his plans… since Bruce Wayne is NO Robin!

Peter Tomasi’s scripting for this issue is simply remarkable. The creep factor he brings to this iteration of Bruce Wayne is almost eviscerating. Reading this was painful to my eyes and psyche, feeling the levels of insanity drip off the page, and scratch across my mind like a little bird’s unnaturally sharp talons.

He really hit all the horror factors.

Then, there was the artwork for this story. Riley Rossmo’s artwork set the mood for this story. His shattered pencil / inks style, which can be distracting, was integral to telling this story. It allowed the Reader to view this story as if it were playing out in Bruce’s mind, its all the fracturing being how he is viewing the world.

For me, this story has been the highlight of the series… thus far. I am anticipating this, which is near the midpoint of things, is setting up the Wednesday Night Episode…so, -

Tune In, Gentle Readers!

Same Bat-Time

Same Bat Channel!

The Best Is Yet To Come!

Did I neglect there is a B-story, with Signal, Spoiler, Orphan and Red Robin taking on Quietus, the amalgam of Batman Ras’ al Ghul and Duke Thimas, from another Dark Universe, written by Tony Patrick and drawn by Daniel Sampere?

This story brings in a plot line for ‘What’s happening for the Other Bat-Family Elements’, as they try to find their way through Castle Bat’s myriad streets…

I am guessing we will start to see more of these stories.

I am completely fine with this, rather than having to recap things later…

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

#dark nights: death metal #DC comics #Batman Who Laughs #Scott Snyder #Greg Capullo

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blackjack-15 · 4 years

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The Puzzle is Just the Italian Language — Thoughts on: The Phantom of Venice (VEN)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR, DDI, SHA, CUR, CLK, TRN, DAN, CRE, ICE, CRY

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it. Like with all of the Odd Games, there will be a section between The Intro and The Title called The Weird Stuff, where I go into what makes this game stand out as a little strange.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: VEN, RAN.

The Intro:

From the French-inspired streets of New Orleans, Nancy jumps on a plane to Venice and is caught up in international espionage, theft, a mafia ring, and a cast of hostile suspects living in the same house as her.

Sounds a bit like my first semester of college, honestly. Minus the whole “Venice” and “international espionage” parts.

Coming directly after CRY, VEN isn’t quite as thick with atmosphere, doesn’t have any of its philosophy or thematic elements, and is really only famous for being set in Italy and for the fact that they hired four voice actors for our main cast sans regular characters (Colin, voiced by our good ol’ boy Jonah Von Spreecken, counts as a returning VA), but hired 6 distinct VAs for the singing gondoliers, most of whom the average player will never hear.

Yeah, VEN is kind of that type of game.

There’s a lot that makes VEN the trippy experience that it is – more on that immediately below – but nearly none of that makes VEN as confused as it is. Nancy’s hired by a foreign government – sort of – but there’s also a love line – sort of – a roommate story – sort of – and some touristy stuff like overpaying for flowers and gelato.

Taking place overseas, VEN might have been mistaken for a Jetsetting game if it weren’t for the fact that every bit of the game is permeated with the sense that nothing was quite thought out, nothing quite flows together, and there’s no emotional response in anyone – including the player.

That’s not to say that there’s nothing enjoyable about VEN; it’s one of the most highly memed games, in fact, with a catsuit, horrific fashion choices, and little laser roombas all making up the most memorable meme material (and that’s not even touching discount Justin Timberlake and his slides of seduction). It has strongly-painted characters (even if there’s a touch of the caricature about them), the return of recurring characters, the first appearance of a semi-recurring character, poisoned chocolates…it’s almost like someone tried to do STFD, but with a sprinkling of spies and Italy thrown in for good measure.

VEN can be a lot of fun, but it’s also a grind a lot of the time; the required puzzles can be ridiculous, for example, and, in a twist for Nancy Drew games, there’s a puzzle for everyone to hate, no matter if you dislike stealth games, card games, speed-reaction games, or even language puzzles.

Which brings us to the biggest problem with The Phantom of Venice: the common puzzle thread, the thing that keeps recurring, the ‘mission statement puzzle’…it’s just the Italian language. The game hinges on the idea that the player won’t know any Italian (or any Romance language, honestly), and that’s where the majority of the difficulty in the game (barring bad hand-eye coordination) comes from. It’s not a good thing at all, and it brings the entire game down with it.

Well, it has a little help. Let’s talk about the Roomba in the museum, shall we?

The Weird Stuff:

There’s a lot of things that are weird about VEN, no getting around it. But there’s one solid thing that makes it…well, Odd in the way that the other Odd games are qualified, and that’s this one simple fact:

This is a Hardy Boys mystery, with Nancy clumsily inserted in instead of Frank and Joe.

Think about it; called in by a foreign government, espionage, nearly drowning, contacts in the government and police force, an Italian crime ring…these are all things straight out of a Hardy Boys novel, not a Nancy Drew novel. There is a Nancy Drew book titled The Phantom of Venice, true enough, but this game doesn’t bear any resemblance to it besides, well, Venice itself. You could swap out Nancy with the boys and the whole game could go on, minus the whole ‘keepsake necklace from Ned’ thing, and depending on what you ship, even that might fly under the radar.

And no, I didn’t forget the dancing in a catsuit thing. Pure comedy right there.

Nancy’s a homegrown detective; most of her cases are ‘small thing spirals into bigger thing’. It’s not that she doesn’t deal in espionage, at times in foreign places, or stumble upon a crime ring. It’s just that that’s not the type of thing Nancy’s called in for, it’s the type of thing she trips over halfway into a lower-stakes mystery.

The Hardy Boys, however, because of their father’s contacts (in the novels) and their position in ATAC (in the games) are exactly the kind of people that work with police chiefs and security experts and foreign spies and the like. It’s very nearly their bread and butter. Which is why I have a wild but not out-of-the-way wacky sorta-serious theory. Bear with me:

This game was designed as a Hardy Boys game, and Nancy really was clumsily inserted in with a few weeks to spare.

At this point in history – the far-behind time of July 2008, as the Great Recession was descending, the fury of an election year was coming to a head, and you couldn’t go to a supermarket or clothes store in America without hearing OneRepublic tell you that it was just a little too late to apologize – HER wasn’t doing badly, per se, but they certainly weren’t doing as well as they could have been. They weren’t that far from having had to majorly upgrade their engine for a rapidly changing technological world, and there seemed to be no end in sight. HER had plenty of staff change-ups coming because of new sponsors, but weren’t making enough simply with what they had.

Put simply, they needed a carrot. And what better carrot than the fan-favorite Hardy Boys?

There are two Hardy Boys games put out around this time: The Perfect Crime and The Hidden Theft. While neither one was done by Her Interactive, there was a HER Hardy Boys game in the works: the DS masterpiece Treasure on the Tracks. The audience for a Hardy Boys game was meant to be young boys/teenaged boys, but the side audience expected was fans of the Nancy Drew books and games.

So while I know logically that Phantom of Venice was just the latest in a line of ‘adulted-up’ Nancy Drew books (and games), in my head it makes much more sense to say that it was supposed to be a Hardy Boys game meant to promote Treasure on the Tracks and HER got nervous and pulled the plug, stuffing their erstwhile teen detective in instead.

The Title:

As far as a title goes, The Phantom of Venice isn’t a bad one; you can tell it comes from the ‘hotter and sexier’ Nancy Drew books, and as a collection of words, it works rather well. It’s an evocative title, giving us our location, our crime (‘phantom thieves’ are common as a type of thief), and doesn’t say too much else, so as to not spoil the mystery.

As a title for this game, however…well, so little of the actual game deals with the Phantom that it’s rather non-indicative as a title. By the time you’re 16 Scopa games deep and are wearing a sparkly red dress with a cat mask and sneakers around Italy, you’ve pretty much forgotten about the Phantom and are more worried about exactly what happened to the pigeon you used as a messenger and why exactly flowers and gelato cost so much for 2008.

The Phantom of Venice just…deserved a better, more cohesive, more…well, phantom-y game than it got. That’s all.

Now, onto the mystery!

The Mystery:

Nancy’s been called in by the Secret Italian Police because a thief has been stealing art.

No, really, I’m being serious.

Sure, Prudence Rutherford has a hand in getting her called in, but basically Nancy goes from small-time cases, sometimes getting her name in the papers, to called in by the Italian Secret Police.

Caught up at a house where no one likes her (understandable, given that she just Appears one day, forced on the Ca’s owner, Margherita Fauborg, and her residents at the Ca’), Nancy soon becomes embroiled in a mystery most foul when she discovers ties to the art thief – or thieves – right around the Ca’, poisoned sausages and message-laden chocolate boxes, and shades and shades and shades of tiles offered by the Ca’s resident nerd.

Soon, Nancy is juggling police contacts, heists, Scopa games, and the impersonation of a world-class spy just to give the Italian police a hint as to who might be stealing Venice’s greatest artworks. It gets personal, however, when the Phantom Thief himself shows up, stealing Nancy’s locket which she’s just been given by Ned.

Oh, and did I mention that the whole thing is told in media res? Yeah, very, very weird choice right there.

Honestly speaking, the mystery isn’t…bad, per se. It’s got solid bones – art theft, mysterious thieves, romantic location, interesting-seeming suspects, some spy shenanigans. The problem with VEN’s mystery, largely, is that there just isn’t any cartilage to connect those good bones. Without something to hold it all together, it just kind of falls apart – exactly like a skeleton without cartilage.

Simply put, there’s a lot of mystery, but no plot to carry the mystery along.

The Suspects:

Beginning with Margherita Fauborg, the tanning-obsessed matriarch of the Ca’ Nacosta, seems like a good place to start. Dismissive of Nancy, tourists, and Nancy being a ‘tourist’, Margherita prefers to stay on top of her house tanning the day away rather than take part in any shenanigans.

Having Margherita not be a member of the ring was almost as inspired as having Helena lead it; she’s not nice, does suspicious things, is entirely self-centered – but she’s not a villain, nor does the game really pretend that she is for more than a second. I really like characters like this in the Nancy Drew games, who are honestly just People not enamored with the teen detective, but aren’t villains just because of that.

Also, the story of her husband’s death is just incredibly hilarious.

Her half-ward, half-employee Colin Baxter, on the other hand, is anything but dismissive of Nancy. He’s part of the ‘kinda crushing on Nancy’ club, but is Far less beloved than any other member of that club. It comes from his inherent creepiness, criminal record, and love for tile slides, I think.

Colin, as a suspect…well, he’s just there to make the numbers add up. It’s a shame that his largest utility is to show Margherita’s slightly unscrupulous nature, but he should have been kept as perhaps a figure that Nancy could call to get the story, rather than an in-person suspect.

The other person staying at the Ca’ is Helena Berg, fulfilling the HER mandate for having a German villain in their European games. Having Helena be the mastermind of the ring is a pretty good plot point, honestly, as I expected the first time for her to just be part of it, and to have that be the Big Surprise.

She’s also one of the few villains who promises revenge on Nancy and/or is still out there. I know it would have been Way too soon to have Helena be the returning culprit in RAN rather than Dwayne, but honestly she was a better candidate for it. While any hope of a good ND game (and mostly any game, honestly) is pretty far from me, I always hoped one day Helena would return in all her platinum blonde glory.

Enrico Tazza is our most encountered (kind of) and outwardly suspicious suspect, but he’s not exactly…well, scary. He makes Nancy-as-Samantha play a card game with him, then disappears, despite being the Preeminent Villain Face for the first half of the game.

I do love Tazza, however, just for his presence in the game. He’s cartoony, fun, well-acted…he’s just great. And as a potential villain, he’s great too! You’re never meant to doubt that he’s a ‘baddie’, you’re just meant to go along for the ride. Excellent.

Finally, Antonio Fango is the most prominent suspect that you’ll ever completely forget the name of, due to his lack of screen time despite being the Italian Police’s favorite suspect. He has a whole convoluted backstory involving multiple colleges and degrees, but really he’s just the communication go-fer for Helena’s theft ring.

As a villain…well, Fango does his part, but due to being a nigh-unseen suspect, he’s really just not very memorable. He’s like most of the ring – necessary to establish the numbers, but other than that, a non-entity.

The Favorite:

Despite the plot holes wide enough to steer a gondola through, there are a few things that really make VEN stand out.

The first is Samantha Quick; originally a stage name suggestion from Simone in FIN, she shows up as an actual character in VEN, albeit only by phone and shadow. Her pissed-off phone call to Nancy is a highlight of the game, especially as she ends with the vaguely threatening line “say hi to Ned for me”. Her shadow at the end in Colin’s window is the final clinch to make SQ a personal favorite of mine, and her presence (and the feeling of her presence, which is sort of different) is a high point in the game.

The location of the game is another plus; not so much Venice, but the Ca’ Nacosta itself. It’s a wonderful ‘home base’ location for any Nancy Drew game, filled with light, staircases, and pretty impressive stonework given that just a few short games ago, everything looked like it was animated out of melted gummy bears.

My favorite puzzle(s) are the chess puzzles, honestly. I just kind of like chess puzzles to begin with, and it’s a nice respite from forcing pigeons to do your bidding and avoiding various foods.

My favorite moment in the game is honestly the Samantha Quick shadow, but if I had to pick another moment, it’s where Nancy implies that she’s stripping for money, and Ned just replies that he’ll be really glad when she’s back home safe in the States. It’s such a random, hilarious thing to happen, and Ned’s complete underreaction to the idea of Nancy earning money in such a way (as she makes it sound way worse than it actually is) is what really sells it.

The Un-Favorite:

There are some un-favorites as well, however, that drag down the game to the place it currently resides.

The first is…well, the location and the means used to get Nancy there. As much as I have no problem with Venice, this attempt to open up the world makes little sense when you consider that there’s no way the Italian Secret Police would hinge their hopes on a small-time 18 year old American detective, no matter how highly Prudence spoke of her.

The jumbled plot (when there is a plot, at least) is another point against VEN; the writers just didn’t know what to do with Nancy being in Venice, and so just…didn’t do anything with it.

I also dislike that this game happens in media res. There’s no real reason to do it – and it makes any actions that the player takes that’s slightly apart from the ‘main plot’ – gondola rides, ice cream, looking at slide after slide after slide – seem incredibly out of place and borderline inappropriate. At the very least, if the Hardy Boys were part of the game, they could be yelling her name as she began to drown, which would give a sense of urgency that’s missing from the confused opening.

My least favorite puzzle…well, that brings me to a huge problem: every puzzle in this game is based around the fact that it’s in Italian, and they expect no one playing this to even have an idea of Italian (or any romance language). It boils down to this: the puzzle is just the Italian language, and they have nothing else up their sleeves. I don’t have a least favorite puzzle, because apart from a select few, they’re all the same puzzle, wrapped in slightly different clothing.

The Fix:

So how would I fix The Phantom of Venice?

Coming off of CRY, we’ve now had two games with two (or three) player characters, so that’s what I’d start with doing. Include the Hardy Boys, who have been called on by the Italian Secret Police because of their work with ATAC. They’re helping the mystified police track down this ring of thieves when Nancy mentions offhand that Prudence Rutherford is recommending a stay at a Ca’ in Venice whose owner owes her a favor (as a treat/vacation). Upon hearing this, the Hardy Boys ring her up and ask her help, as they’ve stalled out. They’re not allowed to come into physical contact with Nancy (to save money on animating them/Nancy), but they want her to investigate from her end, as she won’t be suspected at all.

The real reason the Italian Police let the Hardy Boys get her involved, of course, is that they need someone to impersonate Samantha Quick, and they’re having a rough time with their Joe-in-a-wig tests. They need an American who can convincingly pull off the act, and the brothers mention Nancy’s stints undercover. Desperate enough to grasp at anything, Nancy’s officially in.

That along would help beef up the plot, as suddenly we have an actual police plotline with the Hardy Boys (playing as one or the other, it doesn’t matter, or maybe both with different ‘jobs’ to do as one or the other). Diving the suspects is a good idea too; Nancy would take Helena and Tazza as her primary suspects (of course, only Tazza would be the ‘primary’ at the beginning), while the Hardy Boys handled Fango and his side of the ring.

The final puzzle (with the flashlights and such), especially, makes more sense as a Hardy Boys sort of thing. Nancy can snoop around the market and the Ca’, discovering clues as to Helena’s guilt and such. The Hardy Boys take down the ring, but Nancy takes down Helena.

I would also give Nancy a better reason to be undercover at the dance club. It’s a weird little minigame to be sure, but if it’s gonna exist in the game, there should be a better reason. Even better, take it out and have her solve puzzles – something other than the Italian Language, mind you – in order to get money from the police or something.

(Even better, take out the money thing, as someone helping the Police and pretending to be a spy should not be or appear to be short on funds.)

The last big change I’d do is to take Ned out (sorry, Ned, but there’s really no reason for you to be in this game) and swap him for Carson. Carson really should be in a few more games than he is as it stands, and this is a great way to bring in the fact that…well, Carson can’t be entirely Comfortable with the direction that Nancy’s life is going, even if he is proud of her.

Most of the time, Nancy’s family and friends are just used to say “and she’s ‘normal’ and loved and supported even though she’s never home”, and I think using them to establish her character and the stakes is a far better use of these pre-existing characters.

#nancy drew #clue crew #nancy drew games #VEN #phantom of venice #video games #nancy drew meta #long post #my meta

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tyrustrash · 4 years

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Eyes Locked, Hands Locked

At Cyrus’ first Christmas get together, the group exchanges gifts. However, things take a turn when a secret about TJ is revealed. Later that night during guy’s night, the boys play truth or dare, which leads to a confession from Cyrus. The night ends with TJ and Cyrus sharing a special moment that can impact their relationship.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Everything is alright, which is what he keeps telling himself. It all had to be perfect, why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like today is anything important, only their first Christmas as an official couple. Maybe Cyrus is fine, or maybe he’s completely losing it while keeping a calm expression. Can anyone blame him? He finally gets his first boyfriend, in which they are in their fifth month together which is longer than he expected, and with an older boy. Well only a year older but it still counts. Ever since they made it official on that bench, Cyrus had been trying his best to make sure everything is perfect, because TJ’s perfect. The boy is great with kids, an amazing athlete, and is improving his math grade thanks to Cyrus’ tutoring. It amazes Cyrus that TJ would want to be with him for this long, even after meeting his family and fully seeing what his life is outside of school. However, Cyrus has had moments where he paranoid himself with the thought of TJ dumping him due to being too boring and excessive with his planning. Heck, even today might push TJ to the limit and decide to end things. The only thing keeping Cyrus calm is the concept of Christmas is suppose to be about the spectacle, and thinking that TJ isn’t capable of breaking up with him on Christmas, but perhaps the next day.

Cyrus is currently finishing decorating the living room of his father’s house since it is his weekend with him. Some might say it’s sad he can’t spend the holiday with all his parents, but he didn’t really mind, since they don’t even usually celebrate it. Although it took a lot of convincing, his father agreed to let him put up a Christmas tree and other items because he knows how much TJ means to him. What he didn’t know was how expensive Christmas is. From ornaments, tinsel, lights, to even presents, Christmas has to be one of the most expensive holidays. To help cover the cost of the goods, Cyrus had extra Bar Mitzvah money saved up to help pay. Cyrus didn’t mind spending what he would have spent on college because college can wait, love can’t.

Placing the last few ornaments on the tree, Cyrus takes a step back to admire his work. He smiles simply realizing why people overhype this holiday above the others. It’s about the creativity, the beauty, the sense of accomplishment after spending hours setting up decorations and wrapping presents. He takes a looking at the specialized ornaments he either bought or made for his friends. A yin yang symbol for Andi, lightning bolt for Jonah, a basketball with the female symbol for Buffy, Marty gets a salt shaker, Amber got a roller skate one, and finally for the best boyfriend ever a piano with a rainbow keyboard. The tree itself is filled up with lights that are in rainbow order, Jewish themed ornaments, and the tree topper is Baby Yoda holding the LGBT flag. He then recounts the presents making sure each friend has one under the tree. He nearly chokes when he sees that the most important one is missing, which is TJ’s. He frantically, yet carefully, tosses the others to the side to check in the very back. Still not there. He stands back up and calms himself before he totally losses it. The last thing he needs is to lose his cool before the most important moment of his relationship, so he uses the tips his parents uses on their clients to revert to his normal state. He doesn’t want today to be ruined, and also stress doesn’t go with his outfit.

Moments later a knock on the front door rings throughout the house, followed by the loud chatter from outside. Cyrus, finally reverted back to his calm yet nervous state of mind, runs to the door and practically breaks the hinges from his strength. He sees all his friends gathered around on the front porch, each holding a sack of gifts. Cyrus invites them all inside and tells them to seat themselves anywhere in the living room.

TJ is the last one of the group. He stops in the middle of the door frame, barely four inches away from Cyrus. He takes his hand and places it on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He rubs it down until he reaches his hand, which he then holds. He uses his other hand to brush Cyrus’ hair out of his eyes and push it to the side. He smiles the says, “Merry Christmas, Muffin. Or should I say Happy Hanukkah? What about Feliz Christmukkah? I don’t know what to do, maybe I should stop talking.”

Cyrus giggles and blushes. He looks up at TJ, who has a confused expression and is smacking his head with his free hand. Cyrus grabs his hand and brings it down to the other. “No, keep talking. You’re adorable when you’re trying to figure things out. And don’t worry about what to say. This is just as confusing to me as it is to you.”

“You think I’m adorable.” TJ says in his most flirtatious yet charming voice. “Because I think you’re adorabler.”

“I like it when you make up words.”

“Then you should come visit me in English class.”

“Oh yeah? If I do that, then you have to come to my biology class.”

“And do what?”

At that, they both begin blushing so hard that their cheeks could be tomatoes. TJ rubs the back of his neck as Cyrus shuffles his feet. It isn’t until Buffy comes back to get them back to normal. She grabs them both by the collar of their shirt, well Cyrus’ shirt and TJ’s hoodie, which is light blue with a penguin drinking hot chocolate.

“Come on already.” Buffy says as she practically drags the boys to the living room. “We all want to open presents. Marty is getting antsy and Amber is trying her best to keep him in his seat so he doesn’t rip open the gifts.”

Entering the living room, Cyrus nearly faints at the sight. Marty straining to reach the pile of gifts on the table as Amber sits on top of him, while managing to hold Andi’s hand. Jonah has a bowl of popcorn in his lap and is throwing pieces of it in the air to try to catch in his mouth, but of course he’s bad and pieces go all over the couch and floor. Cyrus’ head twitches at the idea of TJ thinking this was a bad idea and wanting to end things. Before he can dissolve the situation, TJ steps forward and clears his throat. It’s time, Cyrus thinks, it’s all over.

TJ plants his feet into the ground and places his hands on his hips while sticking his hip out to be a little sassy. “Marty, boy, you can wait five minutes. I know you’re excited, so am I, but Cyrus wants this to be perfect and you acting like a child isn’t part of being perfect. Jonah, just eat it like normal. You’re making a mess and I don’t want Cyrus to be busy cleaning up after you when the mess could have been avoided. Amber, sweetie, no need to sit on him. If you want to sit on someone, sit in your girlfriend’s lap. Please, everyone, let’s have ourselves a good Christmukkah.”

“A what?” The others ask in unison.

TJ doesn’t respond, but rather turns to Cyrus, wraps his arms around his waist, and pulls him in to a hug. He rubs his back to try to sooth him. “Don’t worry your pretty little head. Everything will be perfect, because you’re perfect.”

As the others either clean up or straighten themselves, Cyrus looks up at TJ and gives him the softest smile. He reaches up and places a hand on the back of TJ’s head. The fluffiness of it makes it feels as soft as marshmallows. He can tell TJ has been using the new green apple scented shampoo he got him for his birthday, mainly because the scent is strong enough to fill the room.

Cyrus pulls TJ’s head close to his own and presses their foreheads together. They glare into each other’s eyes as if they were looking at the starry sky. If they look long enough, they swear they can see a twinkle. They push closer until their noses touch, then they rub them together and giggle. This is the most physically romantic thing they have done so far; they haven’t even kissed yet, primarily because Cyrus doesn’t want to rush things and possibly make TJ want to break up with him. He also thinks that TJ has probably had better kissing experiences, which makes Cyrus even more hesitant.

Jonah stands from the couch that he was sitting on and slowly steps forward to the couple. He clears his throat, causing the two to look at him. “Um, how about them presents now? I like it when you two act like the cute couple that you are, but we’re waiting.”

TJ and Cyrus chuckle as they break apart, but making sure to hold hands since it’s their thing. They sit on the couch Jonah was on, joining him as Buffy sits on the recliner. They all begin passing out the gifts and open them, while Marty does. The rest wait until all the presents are distributed.

At the end, Cyrus smiles as he walks to the tree and gathers the gifts he had picked for them. After giving them out he sat back down and waited for the happiness to begin.

Of course Marty is the first one to unwrap his, and he isn’t hesitant to let out a screech as he sees the new running shows. Andi takes out the 150 piece art set from the bag and thanks her friend. Amber already is wearing the necklace she got. Buffy smiles upon seeing her new custom-made jersey. Jonah seems to like his new pride themed skateboard that he gives Cyrus the biggest bro hug he had ever given.

Looking around, TJ seems confused as his gift hadn’t been brought out. He looks over at Cyrus and raises an eyebrow. Cyrus gives him a devious smirk as he walks back to the tree and grabs a sizable box from the very back. Walking back, TJ gets up and meets him halfway. He helps him carry the box and place it on the table. They both get down on their knees, just staring at the box. TJ glances at Cyrus, who simply nods.

TJ slowly unwraps the box, making sure to not make a mess. He straightens the unwrapped paper flat across the table and opens the plain white box. Once he peeks inside, he lets out the loudest gasp and covers his mouth.

“Is this real?” He asks. He reaches inside the box but pulls away before he could touch what’s inside. “Cyrus, is this for real?”

“Yeah. It was easier to get than I thought.”

“What is it?” Andi asks as she brushes Amber’s hair. Amber returns the favor by adjusting Andi’s headband.

TJ finally grabs the contents inside the box and pulls it out. He is too speechless to say anything. He simply shows the basketball signed by LeBron James to his friends. They all gasp, especially Buffy who nods in admiration.

“I was easy to get.” Cyrus says. “I went to one of his games and waited outside the locker room and asked him to sign it.”

“Cy-Cyrus.” TJ stutters, still in shock. “Th-this is perfect.”

“Only the best for the best boyfriend ever.”

TJ carefully places the basketball back in the box before he leans over to give Cyrus the biggest and tightest hug ever. “I love you so much. I’m sorry I gave you that crappy gift.”

Cyrus pats his back. “That crappy gift is just fine. I love that history book about Jewish culture. I was planning on getting it anyway.”

The two hug each other for a few more seconds until Marty decides to say something. “Why just a hug? With a gift like that I would’ve given my partner one big of a kiss.”

TJ and Cyrus pull apart. TJ looks at Marty with the sincerest look he could give without giving away the fact that he wants to smack the boy across the head. “Cyrus doesn’t want to kiss just yet.”

“You’ve been dating for five months and you two haven’t kissed yet?” Amber asks. “What’s the hold up?”

“We’re waiting for the right time.” Cyrus quickly responds.

“Waiting for the right time never stopped TJ.”

At this, TJ stands up and walks over to his sister. Amber stands too and the siblings stare at each other. “Amber, please stop talking.”

“I thought you were going to be honest from now on. Doesn’t your boyfriend know about all the people you’ve kissed? Especially ones that were on the first date?”

Cyrus stands too, but a little away from TJ. “How many guys have you kissed?”

“Cyrus, baby.” TJ says as he takes a step to his boyfriend, but Cyrus steps back. “It was before I met you.”

“How many?”

“Five.”

Amber crosses her arms. “Now tell him how many girls.”

“What!” The group shouts in unison. They all have their mouths wide open in shock.

Jonah shakes his head. “Bro, I thought you’re gay? No issue if you are or aren’t, but bro, really? Girls?”

Cyrus also shakes his head. “Yeah, what about the girls?”

TJ groans. “Only three. But none of those kisses never meant anything.”

“Then why did you kiss them.”

“Because I’m young and dumb. The reason I’m waiting to kiss you is because I care about you and I actually want this one to mean something. To be as special as you are.”

The girls let out a collective awe. Cyrus blushes. “Ok, I forgive you. But wait. Aren’t you gay?”

“I wasn’t sure back then. Now I know and you’re the one.”

The girls awe again. Cyrus walks over to TJ and gives him another hug. The clock on the wall chimes. Everyone checks the time and groans.

Andi stands and grabs her stuff. “Well, today has been interesting for a lack of a better word.”

Buffy joins her and Amber by the door. “See you guys later.”

The girls leave. The four guys look at each other before Marty jumps in the air and shouts “Guy’s night!”

The boys run down to the basement where it had been turned into a hangout space. The room has a huge couch, a flat screen tv, a ping pong table, a bar area, and fridge. Marty jumps onto the couch as Jonah sets up the table for a game of truth or dare. TJ and Cyrus reach the bottom of the steps, still holding hands.

As Jonah finishes setting up the game, the other three join him by sitting around the table. Marty begins the game by choosing a dare, which wasn’t a shock to anyone. But what was a shock was the dare itself, which would require him to run across the neighborhood in only his underwear. What also wasn’t a shock was his immediate response to the dare by running out of the house while taking of his clothes. Cyrus made sure to cover his, and TJ’s, eyes as soon as he saw Marty in only his boxer briefs.

Upon returning to the house faster than what the others thought, they went back downstairs. Marty had a smirk on his face knowing he would never back out of a dare, especially one that showcased his skills of running.

Cyrus’ turn is next. He chooses a truth card, which leads to groans coming from the others. They all expected him to pick truth on the first round, and on every round. As Cyrus looks at the card, his face turns to a scared expression. He places the card back on the bottom on the deck, causing the others to be excited.

“No no no.” Jonah says. “You can’t change the card once you’ve picked it. Unless you want to pick a dare.”

Cyrus gulps at the thought of doing a dare. But he also doesn’t want to say what the truth card wanted him to reveal. He thinks for a second about lying, but that would be breaking the rules and he couldn’t do that. The longer he waits to say something, the more the others get excited.

“It can’t be that bad.” Marty tells him. He grabs the card and tries to look at it before Cyrus snatches it from him.

TJ places a hand on Cyrus’ shoulder. “It’s okay. Whatever it is, we promise we won’t tell anyone. What happens in the basement, stays in the basement.”

Cyrus hesitates for a second before he takes a deep breath. He slowly lifts the card and reads it. “Who was your first kiss?”

Jonah lets out a sigh. “Boy, that’s what got you worked up? Just say Iris and let’s move on.”

“Who’s Iris?” TJ asks. The others look at him. Cyrus gulps realizing he never told TJ about her.

“His ex-girlfriend.” Marty tells him while eating some of the pretzels from the bowl.

TJ looks at his boyfriend in confusion. “You had a girlfriend? And kissed her?”

“Twice actually.” Cyrus says with a hint of embarrassment. “And it was before I met you.”

“Why were you afraid to answer? I don’t care.”

“But I do. And I don’t even care about those kisses because they were with someone I wasn’t in love with. I don’t consider that my real first kiss. And the reason I haven’t wanted us to kiss yet is because I wanted to make sure you were the one, and now I know that you are. I’ve been waiting for the right time.”

The others are silent. TJ stands and offers his hand to Cyrus, which he accepts. TJ helps him stand up then he leads him upstairs.

The couple walks to the window in the living room. They stand where the night light shines through the window and lights up the room. The light hits their bodies to where it creates an aurora around them.

With the help of TJ’s hand on his chin, Cyrus’ head is lifted up to where their eyes meet. Cyrus places his hand around TJ’s waist. “TJ, why are you doing this. Why did you bring me up here?”

“To do this.”

TJ moves his hand to behind Cyrus and places it on his neck. He pulls him in closer and tilts his head. TJ moves down and connects their lips, which causes that special spark people always talk about when they know they’re kissing the one. TJ’s lips are as soft as cotton candy, which Cyrus likes. Kissing Iris never felt like this. This is more passionate, more caring, more like the entire world has stopped just for this. The only thing that brings Cyrus out of his daze is TJ pulling away.

“How was that for a first real kiss?” TJ asks as he gives Cyrus the dopiest smile.

Cyrus doesn’t know what to say. That kiss was the most perfect thing he has ever experienced. Better than his Bar Mitzvah, which was nearly perfect. Although Iris is the only comparable kiss he has, he knows this one is the best he’ll ever have because it was with the only person he wants to be with. Without responding with words, Cyrus only leans forwards gives him a kiss in return.

#andi mack #tyrus #fanfiction #lgbt #gay #cyrus goodman #tj kippen

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lovingsiriusoswald · 5 years

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“First and Last Love” [Luka Clemence x MC]

Prompt: “Don’t cry.” (not mentioned at the ask, so I randomly chose one!)

Word count: 1365 words

Warnings: Angst, may trigger anxiety or self-doubt.

Requested by: @leisel-oswald18, I hope you like this fic! Sending love your way (⺣◡⺣)♡*

Prompt List here!

******

He was as beautiful as a porcelain doll — eyes glimmering like gold underneath the sunlight, long locks of plum hair, and the sweetest angelic smile. No doubt anyone would fall for him the moment they lay their eyes on him. He shone just as bright as his brother in the ballroom, but all you could ever see is how the noblewomen of the Red Territory was fawning over his shyness. You can't deny how beautiful all of them looked, they had statuses higher than you could imagine, riches and titles that you could never have, enchanting beauty that almost made you look like a peasant if you stood beside them.

It pained you, seeing how Luka could easily be paired with one of them and they would look absolutely perfect. Not to mention the many gifts that you wanted to buy for him could be easily purchased by these women with one word. He deserved the world more than anything and you can only do so much as an average citizen.

You regretted attending the ball that the ever prestigious Clemence family had organized. Luka asked you to come with him, telling you how much your presence can make him feel at ease, knowing how he would be unable to tolerate his brother's pestering and all the unbearable fancy formalities. Of all the times Jonah's overprotective side went haywire, you wished it was right now, this moment. Right when that gorgeous woman wrapped her arms around his while smiling up at his eyes, the action completely flustering Luka.

You gulped, throat dry and tight as you watched them interact. "Why are you moping?" You let out a breathy sigh when Jonah walks towards you, a disapproving frown on his doll-like features. "This is a party, for goodness sake, you should be enjoying yourself."

"Thanks for the warm welcome, appreciate it." You mutter quietly under your breath as you take a sip from the lovely red wine that was offered to you since you first came. You didn't need his harsh criticism of your etiquettes and behaviour, he didn't need to add more fuel to the flame that burned your heart to ashes.

Jonah notices that you weren't your usual self — the sassy, joyous, child-like attitude he remembers disliking you for. He followed the direction of your gaze and finally sees the distasteful women who threw themselves off his little brother's feet. He was about to speak his mind when you suddenly stood, a quiet huff escaping your lips. "Excuse me, I'll go get some fresh air."

He watched you leave the ballroom, his features softening to worry and he immediately understood what was bothering you. He sighs, admitting a thought to himself despite his dislikes. I'd prefer my dear Luka to be with her, rather than these snobbish, title-glory women.

He made his way towards him, determined to help you in hopes of being able to get closer to his beloved brother. A path parted in his direction, men and women alike bowing in front of him and praising him as the Queen of Hearts. Luka notices this and the noblewomen that once surrounded him makes their way in front of Jonah, the disgust growing apparent on his face. "Leave my sight." He says with authority, catching the ladies off guard.

"But, we would love to talk to you, Queen Jonah—" A noblewoman starts but he pushes himself past them and Luka's frown meets his gaze. Jonah's face melts to a loving smile as he reaches out to hold the shoulder of his brother, but he swats his hand off before he could.

"I told you, I never wanted to be in this party." He mutters under his breath. "They're always like this." He glances over the women who were in a safe distance from them, talking amongst themselves.

"Why don't you get some fresh air outside?" He suggests, hoping he would listen to him. "Alice is outside thinking.. bad thoughts. You should go help her." Jonah found it difficult to say what he wanted to say, he still disliked you after all, but you meant the world to Luka, and he was more than willing to help the woman who promised to make him happy forever.

Luka's eyes grow wide and his feet had already taken a few steps away from Jonah, but he stopped and turned to him. He was frowning and his cheeks had a faint tint of pink, "Thanks for letting me know." He muttered.

Jonah was internally screaming in joy when Luka left the ballroom.

Luka knew exactly how you thought, the same thoughts would whirl in his mind when you're too close with another soldier or gentleman. He knew how you felt and you knew his. It was a match made in heaven, as they would often say about them. You knew exactly how to ease his thoughts and how to make him feel better, but he was a few feet away from you when he suddenly realized, how can I make her feel better?

You were startled when someone leans against the terrace beside you. You meet the gorgeous amber eyes that held so much love for you, it almost didn't feel real. "Surprisingly, Jonah told me you were here." He smiles down at you, but you were already in too deep in your thoughts, you only looked away.

"I love you." He whispers gently and slowly near your ear when he leaned in. The words startle you and your sadness starts to spill from your eyes, your brave facade finally breaking from the long, dreadful night. "Don't cry, darling." His thumbs wipe away the tears that stained your cheeks. "You are my first and last love. You can never compare to them." You finally look at him and he had the most angelic smile that radiated warmth through your cold heart. He pulls you towards him to a warm embrace, gently swaying the both of you as you clutch onto his coat jacket.

"I didn't get to say it enough, but you look absolutely gorgeous. I'm sorry for not showing how much I adore you, its difficult sometimes — the words get all tied up in the air." He chuckles, the vibrations on his chest comfort you to listen to his words. "When you first went out of your room with this lovely gown on, I was so close to losing control of myself. Your lovely hair was styled so elegantly and clean, I could see your beautiful face so clearly. Your gorgeous smile was so bright and beautiful as well, outshining the necklace you're wearing tonight. God, I don't think I could properly describe just how lovely you are." His hands ghosts over the bare skin of your shoulders, sending shivers down your spine. He places a gentle kiss on top of your head, raking his long fingers down your hair. He slightly pulls away from you, his index finger placing itself underneath your chin and he softly tugs it upwards, making you look at the golden eyes that only looked at you with passion, desire, and love.

"I know I say this a lot, but you're such an amazing woman. I still don't know how your heart could choose someone like me, but I'm grateful to be the man that gets to take care of you. I would never dare trade it for anything or anyone. You're.. you're worth so much more than the titles and riches the women inside could ever have. You're my world, and I love you more than you could imagine."

You pull him to another tight hug, hiding your sobbing mess against his chest as he holds you close. You adore him, he was an angel blessed upon you and he saved you from the whirlwind of chaotic insecurities that almost clouded your judgement. His mere presence was enough reassurance that you needed, and it completely swept you off of your feet when he speaks about his thoughts and love for you. He was yours, and you were his — you were sure now. Nothing could ever drift you two apart from each other. "I love you so much, Luka." You say in between sobs, your anxieties finally melting away.

******

Luka is an angel and I love him more than anything, his sweet and loving personality would save me effortlessly when things get too dark (T⌓T)♡

Requests are still open btw! ♡

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dcbicki · 7 years

Text

“You’re Gonna See it Someday; It’s Affection Always” - Chapter 6

Fandom: Veep Characters: Dan Egan, Amy Brookheimer Pairing: Dan/Amy Rating: Explicit content In which Amy’s pregnant, and Dan already has a plan mapped out for them.

If she’s in this for the long haul then he will be, too. If she’s keeping this baby (his baby), then he’s keeping her close by.

If she’s ready for this, for change, for restless nights and shitty diapers at two o'clock in the fucking morning, then he’ll join her.

They fucked, and now they’re fucked.

"If you don't like it, well... that's tough shit."

"Honest, at least." She raises her brows, eyes the ring skeptically.

It's a silver band, and it's simple enough. The diamond isn't huge, but it isn't exactly discreet either. The diamond is square and, while she doesn't want to know how many carats it is, it's just so fucking him.

It's just what she's never wanted, mainly because she's never wanted a ring.

It's pretty, and it's nice, and it's small, and it's practically fucking perfect in every way.

(But if it's perfect - in her own words - then doesn't that make it perfect for her?)

He doesn't make a show of it, doesn't drop some grand proposal (she'd been half expecting it, in all seriousness, because he's fake when he wants to be).

He doesn't get down on one knee, and he doesn't hold the box open and wait for her to gasp.

He just gives her the little navy box (shut), and she's grateful.

She makes a necklace with the silver chain from an old pendant, slides the ring onto it before clasping it shut.

It hangs loosely around her neck, the silver band hanging just above her breasts.

"It's heavy as all fuck. What, you couldn't find a smaller rock to drill into?"

"No need to be ungrateful, Amy." He mumbles through gritted teeth, glancing down at her beside him. She just rolls her eyes, yawns when he mentions something about the cost.

They'd - no, she had - decided that it'd be better to wear it around her neck rather than on her finger.

He'd made a shitty joke about her having two engagements rings within a little over a year. She'd slapped him on the arm (hard, twice).

"Chill the fuck out. It's not like you're the one having to wear it."

"You didn't even try it."

"I didn't need to. You can have it back in a few months anyway." She informs him, scowl present, "Then you can pass it along the next floozy you fuck and fuck over."

"Oh, Amy, you're not a floozy." He quips, "Just a bit of a slut when I'm around."

Yeah. Sure. Maybe that's because your fucking spastic sperm infected me.

"I need to pack later."

They can't move in to their apartment yet because they're heading to Iowa tomorrow to set up the new campaign offices. So, in the meantime, her place is a bit of a danger zone, and his house looks like the sight of a bomb explosion.

There are clothes everywhere, books and journals and papers and empty coffee mugs scattered over every table or any available flat surface.

"You know, we could just head to the airport together."

"Nope."

She picks up her keys, tries to ignore the fucking diamond hanging around her neck like a tag, a stamp.

It's like he fucking owns her. That thought makes her sick. Fuck this plan.

"Fine." Dan slips on his coat, "You ready for brunch with Lurch?"

"If it isn't Frankenstein's monster himself."

There's an easily read expression etching itself onto Amy's face as the seconds go by, one that says: 'I would give my left tit to be anywhere else right now.'

She sits down in the seat directly opposite Jonah, crosses her legs below the shabby little table he's chosen, folds her hands together above the sticky surface, sharp elbows pressing into the wood.

"Amy," He greets, and she's already annoyed, "Sperm Danny... I mean, donor."

It's crap, lazy. Even by his standards.

"Jonad."

The old nickname comes back into play, Dan resting his coat over the back of his seat. He slides the chair out next to Amy, keeps some distance between them, between himself and the table as though he's gonna get up and walk away any minute (already).

The taller guy stabs his cheek with his tongue, lets a grin decorate his assface, "How's it going, guys?" He asks, "Amy, you feeling sick? I told the waitress to bring us a bucket incase you feel like you're gonna throw up all over the fucking table."

Fuck.

"Believe me, if I was going to, I'd projectile in your face, Jonah." She closes her eyes for a brief moment, can already feel a sigh rising, "We're only here because Selina suggested it, alright?"

"You still taking orders from that batshit hag?" His brows raise and he looks gormless (because, of course).

The waitress appears at Dan's side of the table then, ratty little notebook in hand, apron on an angle because she was probably fucking the cook in the back alley during her fifteen minute break.

Trust Jonah to choose a shitty diner, just to fuck with them. At least there aren't any baskets full of bread rolls, Dan gazes of into the distance at the thought.

"Oh, they won't be eating." Jonah interrupts before she can take their order, looking down at his own plate; an omelette and two fried eggs on the side. What the fuck-?

Amy gives the woman a half-hearted glare then, and she seems to get the message because she hurries off, mumbling to herself under her breath.

"Look, we know it was you."

"Me? Me, what?" He holds up his hands, palms visible to the pair, "Oh, you mean me who planted a spy?"

"A spy? Jesus Christ, we're not in the fucking mob." Amy rolls her eyes, glancing down at her watch, "Let's just cut the crap-"

Dan interrupts then, sliding one hand over the table, tapping two fingers on a ring mark, "Selina wants you to shut the fuck up from now on."

"Why the hell would I do that?" He haunches his shoulders, "That bitch thinks she's gonna be president, she's not another thing coming. She made my life hell."

"You made your own life hell, Jonah." Amy clarifies, with one nod of the head, "By being born."

"Yeah, well... If she's my competition then I'm sure as shit gonna have to think two steps ahead of her. Aren't I, Amy?" He tests, "I know all your secrets. I worked with you guys for years."

"You worked for us, you tool. We were never equals."

Jonah points a finger, "Correction, Daniel. You worked for me back in New Hampshire-"

"Because I fucking told him to." Amy points out, breathing in heavily, feeling her face form a frown, "You think you could win an election without any of us? Please." She scoffs, pulling her phone from her purse, resigning from the discussion.

"Yeah, never mind the fuckin' presidency." Dan grins, watches Amy's phone screen for a second as she scrolls through her mail. This conversation's already dead. "You really think you can win?"

"Oh, I'm going to win." He tells them, like it's fact, "And you're both gonna be sat at home with your fucking dog and your fucking baby in your matching bathrobes watching me win." He stabs a finger against his own chest, ignores Dan's laugh, "Nice ring, Amy."

He's looking at the necklace around her neck, the silver band tucked safely in the cleavage, hidden behind the first button of her blouse.

"Get your fucking eyes off me." She warns, pulls her bag closer up her lap, turns her body sideways (slightly) until she's facing the entrance to the restaurant.

He leers, looks over her shoulder down her front, "Come on, show it to me."

"Seriously, man, fuck off."

"What, are you going to hit me, Dan?" He whines, challenges, "We're in a public space. You'd get thrown out of here in no time."

Dan smirks, clasps his hands together, leaning back into the wooden seat, "I would enjoy nothing more." He informs him with a shake of the head, eyes almost daring, corners of his mouth curled upward.

"You know what, I'm done here." Amy stands suddenly, looking back and forth between the two men, fastening the buttons of her coat, "I'm gonna trust that you can shut him the fuck up, permanently if necessary, because I have work to do." She looks at Dan, forcing him to break his stare-down. "And you?" She turns to Jonah, "Look at my tits one more time and I will behead you with the fucking umbilical cord this little bastard is clinging onto."

"What, no goodbye kiss?" Jonah's smile only widens when she walks out the door, and he leans back in his seat, all long limbs and shit-eating grin, "Dan, already in the doghouse!"

"Just shut the fuck up." Dan groans, rolling his head back, eyes shut. "God, you know, if you were just a little less of a human error, you wouldn't be so aggravating. You're like a robot the developer never finished, trained to spew shit and verbally assault women."

"Says you? You knock Amy up and now you're gonna marry her?"

"What, you jealous you couldn't get in there?" He smirks, but it's masked and Jonah is too oblivious to read through it.

"God, Dan, it's the twenty-first century."

What does that-?

"We're not getting married, jack-hole."

A slip of the tongue, and he's just given away their game. Already. If word got out that they were faking before they even started-

Eyes wide, he gulps, wags a finger in Jonah's face, "You didn't fuckin' hear that."

"Oh, but I did." He's fucking beaming, "Wait 'til the press gets wind of this, that you guys are fake-fucking for attention. Jesus, is it even your kid?"

Dan ignores that comment, licks his lips after a pause. Fuck!

"What's it gonna take for you to shut your mouth about this?"

"Well..."

"He wants access."

"Access to what?"

"Your schedule, meetings, etcetera, etcetera." Dan folds one leg over the other, pushes back against the cushions of Selina's cushions, "I told him I would."

"And I assume you're gonna lie?" Amy questions from her space across the room, one hand extended as Selina signs some papers.

Dan grins, proud, "Of course." He shrugs, "We'll change some dates, change some names. He wants to be two steps ahead so we'll just push him five steps back."

Selina nods, "I like it." She clicks her tongue, points at Amy, "And while we're at it, Ame, you're still heading down to Iowa tonight ahead of us, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What?" He perks up then, "Why are you-"

We didn't talk about this.

"For fuck's sake, Dan, let her breathe."

Amy nods, glances from Selina to him and back again, "I've just gotta set up the office, make sure everything's up and ready for when the team arrives on Thursday." She smiles, brushes a strand of hair behind her ear with her hand clutching her phone.

Dan stands, takes two steps closer, "Well, then, I think I should be there."

"Uh, you're not fucking going anywhere. Yet." Selina frowns with a shake of her head, a wave of her hands, "I need you here." She points out.

Did she hire BKD as a consultancy firm, or did they take her on as a candidate? He gets confused sometimes, truthfully.

"You're my wise guy, my witty little writer." She offers, and then nods her head toward Amy, whose eyebrows rise up at the gesture, "It's Iowa, for Christ's sakes. Who lives there? Old white people and their three-legged pets? She'll be fine." Selina brushes it off, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, Dan," Amy takes her cue to leave then, retrieving the signed file from her boss, brushing past the man on her way out of the office, cocky smile on her face, "I'll be fine. Chill." She lifts a brow, teases him.

"You see?" Selina tilts her head, waits until the door has slammed shut before continuing, "You need to calm the fuck down."

"I am calm." He argues, hands sliding into his trouser pockets, shoulders stiff, "She just didn't tell me she was leaving-"

"She doesn't need to tell you jackshit. She's a grown ass woman." Selina reminds him, eyeing him carefully, "You're not together. Hell, you're barely even friends. You just fucked one time and got stuck with the world's worst hangover." She shrugs, almost careless.

"Not one time, per se." Dan rubs at his face, scratches at his brow as he glances off.

Selina pulls a face, half-disgust, half-annoyance, "Whatever the fuck, I don't care." She purses her lips, "Go find Kent, he called looking for you earlier."

"He didn't fuckin' call me." Dan mutters, childlike.

"I'm just saying, we're probably gonna have to start-"

Ben groans, loud, "We're not fucking polling everything, Kent. Jesus, do you poll your sex life? Have mapped out your girlfriend's orgasm frequency on a fucking graph?"

Dan would laugh if it wasn't within the realms the possibility, so he just grins, continues to sip on his coffee.

"We are at a crossroads here." Kent holds up his pen, "If we don't get her here," he points to a some pink coloured blob on his handmade map of the United States, "then we don't get her here." He circles D.C. then, scraping the lid of his marker along the whiteboard.

"She's going, it's in the books, it's on the cards." Ben points out, eyes wide, "Chill the fuck out."

How in the ever loving name of the fuck did Dan manage to go into business with these two?

"Hey, hot stuff."

He snaps back to reality then, blinking quickly to collect himself, "Yeah?"

"You with us? Or have we lost you already?" Ben leans up from his slouched position, stares Dan down, "Don't you dare fucking run off to the land of the fairies. We're not fucking changing the name of this place already."

"Nah, I'm good." He sighs, forces a deep breath, "Just tired."

"Amy keeping you up?"

"What? No." He answers, a little too quickly for even his own liking. "No."

Kent feels the need to interject then, finger scratching at his temple with squinting eyes, "I have no personal experience in this... field, but I think perhaps this fatigue you're experiencing is actually worry."

What, because Amy is probably on a flight right about-

"What?" The colour would drain from his face if he weren't so pale in the first place.

"Yeah, you know what? That makes sense." Ben nods, confirms, and Dan honestly can't tell if he's being fucked with. "I had the same thing happen to me-"

"You fuckin' hate your kids."

"This kinda shit still happens, you polished jizz-stick! It's a side-effect... or some shit." The older man clarifies, scrunching up his face, "Whether you like it or not, you're feeling something."

"No. No." He shakes his head, stands to stretch his legs and stand his ground, "No. I do not have feelings. About anything." His pearly whites flash and his brows raise (high), "I'm fucking stone cold, alright?"

"Sure thing." Ben chuckles, disbelieving, "We'll see if you're still stone cold when she has that baby. Even I'm not that fucking dark."

She arrives at the hotel sometime past one o'clock, when the sky is still quite dark and people are no doubt still partying it up only blocks away.

The cab driver helps her with her bags, and she's checked in long before she'd expected to be. It's a small hotel, but it's still perfect for the team to stay while they work.

She inquires about room service, makes sure nobody can have food delivered to someone else's room. Thankfully, much to Dan's dismay (she's sure), they don't do that.

She asks about the conference room, and the lady at the reception desk gives her a brochure as though she's some kind of fucking tourist. The brochure is in the trashcan the minute she makes it back up to her room for a shower. She'd pulled her hair up, slipped on the first thing out of her case that wasn't a skirt or dress.

Phone in hand, she settles into bed with the good intention of getting at least eight hours of sleep. She needs it, as of late.

But there are twelve text messages and three missed calls, and one missed FaceTime call.

Fuck off, Dan.

Granted, five of the texts are from Gary. He asks for random shit, shit that only Selina could want. Amy's not sure why he would think she was the right person to ask about herbal teas.

No, I don't know where the fucking sweeteners are, Gary.

And, granted, two of the missed calls are from Richard. She calls back, and he tells her that he must have butt-dialled her by mistake. She believes it, and hangs up on him when he starts talking about the latest addition to his jeans' collection.

The rest? The rest are Dan.

Dan and his never-fucking-ending need to be there.

"What?"

"Hello to you, too."

"I was with you all morning." She points out, brings her legs up, resting her chin on her right knee, "What do you want?"

"I just," he pauses, and she can hear him sigh. Great. "Are you wearing it?"

Amy grins, glancing down, "I might be."

Her hair is long enough that some strands slips free from her ponytail, and she has half a mind to hunt down a pair of scissors just to cut it herself. It sends shivers down her spine, and she trembles at the feather-like sensation crawling down her neck. Fucking hormones. Literally anything will set her off.

"Does it fit?"

She decides she likes fucking with him, "Like a glove." Her brows knit at his quiet, and she wants to clear her throat to break the silence. Did he seriously call to just check-

"Good." If he could see her, he'd complain about her frown, say her face will probably just stick like that one day. If he could see her, he would see her wearing it. "Take it off."

Her leg drops then, and she folds them beneath her, suddenly all ears, "What?"

"Take it off."

"Why the fuck would I do that?"

"Because I told you to."

"Well, I don't want to."

"Well, I bought it."

"So, what, you own me?" Amy sighs, half-tempted to hang up on him, too. "Fuck you, it's mine now."

She can tell he's only fucking with her by the tone of his voice, all whiny and boyish. Fuck, she can practically see the smirk on his face. "You know, if I was there, I could take it off you."

"As if I'd let you." She snorts, "Besides, you're not here so... Tough luck, asshole."

"Please."

He almost sounds desperate, drained, and she almost feels bad. So what if he's tired, if he's stressed? She's the one carrying around an extra human being, for crying out loud.

"No."

"Amy."

She takes a sip of water from the glass beside the bed, puts the phone on speaker as she reaches for the hotel's alarm clock, configuring it. "Give me one good reason why I should."

Dan takes a moment to reply, and she can hear him rummaging through something, probably shoving his hand down his pants, possibly pulling another beer from the fridge. His voice is loud and clear after a second though, "Whatever. I'm gonna video-call you."

"What, so you can watch?" She grimaces, placing the clock back down with a thud. She draws her legs back up under her, stretches out her arms and neck above her head, eyes closed, "You're such a fucking perv." Despite herself, despite her better judgment, she giggles.

Fucking hormones.

She cranes her neck to the side (first left, then right), waits for it to click, drops her hands to her lap, toying with the hem of the shirt, running a finger over the bottom, daring herself to raise it. God.

"Wait..." There's a pause on his end, a breath, "What?"

"What?" Her hand stills, midway up her thigh, fingers splayed.

"What?"

Oh.

"Dan?" She closes one eye, glancing up at the ceiling with parted lips, "What were you talking about?"

He grunts something, and she can hear the rumble of his throat before he talks, "The... ring."

"Ah." Her mouth hangs open, and she is just so fucking stupid.

"Why?" He's gonna laugh, she can feel it. "What were you talking about, Amy?"

There it is.

That smug tone of voice that just lets her know how fucking amused he is right now, how fucking amusing he finds her.

"Nothing."

"Amy."

"Your shirt." She chews at her bottom lip, feels her nostrils flare as her eyes drift to a heavy close, "I kind of just... packed it and put it on, didn't even pay attention." Shit. Worst fucking mistake ever, "I thought you'd noticed it was gone or something. It's not my fault you leave your fucking clothes everywhere."

"Why do you have one of my shirts, Amy?"

He uses her name to taunt her, says it in a sing-song voice that she now fucking loathes. Yeah, she's gonna hang up on him any second now, she's decided. Any second now...

"What were you... doing?" He sucks in his lower lip and she can hear it, hear the breathy little noise, "Jesus, did you think I was trying to get you to have phone sex? Fuck, even I'm a little classier than that, Ames."

He laughs - laughs - and she's honestly never felt so goddamn embarrassed. Not even when- And she'd fucking giggled.

Fuck!

"But, hey, listen, if you're down-"

"Shut the fuck up." Amy huffs, shoulders tensing as she eyes the duvet longingly, cold, "This never happened. I'm going to sleep now."

"Seriously?" He whines, "No, come on." Dan does something and then his voice lowers, and she's fucking dreading seeing him tomorrow. "Come on, take your- Take my top off."

He wants to laugh, she can feel it. "You're an asshole."

"I'm just trying to get you off because apparently that's what you're after." Jesus, she can just picture him; on his couch, warm beer in one hand, limp dick is his other, shaped brows raised like a complete prick. "Amy."

And she has to live with this asshole now. Christ!

"What?" She snaps, and she only half meant to.

"You know you can hang up if you want to."

"I know." God, just... Fuck him! She would - hang up, fuck him - because she wants to. She just doesn't want to (hang up) that much. "My battery's low."

"I can be quick."

"And you thought I was the horny one?" It's her turn to laugh (because fuck him), "Wow, Dan. How ever could I refuse such an offer?"

It's amazing, honestly, how she so willingly, easily fell into a pattern with him, fell into a fucking routine.

We'll just fuck on the semi regular, maybe.

"What, you mean you don't want a quick phone fuck?" The smirk is just so obvious, "It was your idea."

"I thought you were initiating it." She reasons, "I wasn't fucking suggesting it."

"Okay, well, I will forsake my standards and engage in phone sex with you, if that's what you'd like."

"That's surprisingly sweet."

"I know, it's this new thing I'm trying. Hasn't been working so far."

"It's probably your face. You just look like someone who deserves a broken nose."

"That's surprisingly soft, coming from you."

"I know, it's this new thing I'm trying. It seems to be working." She smirks, lets the silence linger without it becoming awkward. She fucking enjoys it, in her own way. "I'm only being nice because you're not here, you know."

"Same." He copies, agrees. "Back to our regular programming tomorrow then?"

"Obviously." She sighs, lowers her eyes until they rest on her stomach. Sometimes, she just forgets. Forgets how they came to be, forgets how they ended up this way. Sometimes, she just forgets. "I read an article earlier."

"About what?" Does he sound tired? Jesus, fuck, are they actually having one of those late-night phone calls she has been dreading having since she was in her late teens? Fuck that.

"It said your dick might shrink in size once the baby comes."

"Fuck off. No, it didn't." Dan snorts.

She lies back then, one hand on her pelvis, the other holding the phone up to her ear. "Imagine if it did though. You'd have no dick left."

"I thought you were trying to be nice."

"No, that's you." She reminds him, licks her lips, "I'm practicing to be soft, and... motherly." Fuck, she wants to vomit.

He groans, sounds resigned, "Fuck."

"Do you want me to hang up?"

"Well, if we're not gonna do it then I'm sure as shit not gonna keep you awake."

"We can't do it, over the phone. It's like... you do you, I do me."

He laughs, but it's fine this time. She doesn't mind. "Yeah, thanks for the clarification, Amy. Because you're an expert or something."

"What, you think I'm a complete prude unless it involves you?" God, she wants to laugh in his face. "Your head's so far up your own."

"Well, I would happily have my head all up in your-"

"Okay."

"Yeah. Tomorrow?"

"No. No." She scowls, uselessly, "Okay, as in... OK. As in, I think we're done here. I have to get up early to head to the offices and Selina's got me running a bunch of errands."

"How the fuck did we hitch our wagon to her star? It lost all glimmer like three fuckin' elections ago."

"She understands us. She's a mess, too. She's had more breakdowns than all of us combined."

"Well, to my count, I've only had one-"

"London?" She frowns, feels a smile dance along her lips, "Did I ever tell you the truth about that one?"

"What truth?" He sounds confused, completely out of the know. And there's another pause. "It was Jonah and his fucking Mar-"

"Horny Mary Poppins?" She continues, trails off, accent in full swing.

Pause.

Silence.

"The fuck?" He doesn't sound mad, or angry, rather just... Stunned. "The fuck!"

"You stole my job."

"Yeah, well..." He swallows, and she can practically hear his breath, "Now I wanna phone fuck."

"Why am I not surprised that my trying to destroy you just turned you on? So twisted."

"So?" Dan asks, and she hears his fucking fly unzip, "Come on."

"Are you fucking kidding me? No." She shakes her head, face flushed despite herself, "Take care of that one yourself, asshole." Amy brushes hair behind her ear, yawns when she can't hold it back any longer.

"I'll be thinking of you."

"So gross. Whatever. I'm going to bed."

"Sweet wet dreams," Jesus, fuck, his breathing is heavy, "of me."

"Yeah, dream the fuck on, Dan."

"Oh, I will."

#veep #dan x amy #amy brookheimer #dan egan #veep fic #fic*#ship: dan x amy #ch: amy brookheimer #ch: dan egan #iaa*

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