Original Post Date: August 08, 2009
So, this being a BeatandRhyme kind of week (it's similar to a SamnDean week, but with less... well, not gay because of all the Joshua/Neku, and not less dead things, because they are dead things... Shit. It's the same as a SamnDean week. Huh.), have some Beat and Rhyme. (Someone should write Beat/Rhyme anthropomorfic. I mean, if someone else doesn't, I might.)
Warnings: Spoilers for the fight with Iron-face. Nothing else, unless you count an over-abundance of warm fuzzy feelings?
Pairings: Beat+Rhyme on the level of canon.
Rating: G
Notes: So, I can't have been the only one to have immediately thought Iron-face was a liar, right?
Before everyone is taken to the white room again, Beat receives a text. "It was never specified which of Rhyme's penalties was truly her entry fee. Figure it out before it's your turn."
Shiki and Neku are called into the room first, presumably returning to the realm of the living without a hitch. Beat gets called in next. He smiles for Rhyme and tells her he'll see her on the other side.
The Composer is wearing nose glasses, a samurai wig, and a sailor suit.
Beat is too nervous to laugh, his stomach doing flips and churns like there are Noise all straining to get out inside of him. He's sure he would embarrass himself thoroughly, though, in other circumstances.
"So, which is it, her love, or her happiness?" the Composer asks. His voice sounds slightly familiar, but Beat has bigger things to worry about.
Beat shrugs. "Dunno," he admits. "Iron-face said the memories were my fee."
The Composer seems to consider this, bringing a hand up to his chin. "I am unsure is Konishi should be taken at her word, especially given her betrayal at the last moment," he says at last. "Which would you prefer I return to Rhyme?"
Beat mulls this over, then shrugs. "Man, I can't pick what goes in Rhyme's head. 'S her head. You should be askin' her, not me."
The Composer smiles. "Very wise choice," he says. "I presume you wish to resume your life, as well?"
Beat nods, and light engulfs him.
Under the weight of Beat's heart and morals, the Composer could feel a deep desire for Rhyme to choose her memories.
Rhyme walks in next.
"There seems to be a discrepancy in the record-keeping for the entry fees," the Composer tells her.
Rhyme nods.
"You lost some of your memories, as well as your dreams. You have a choice of which to give up, because you ultimately lost."
Rhyme nods again. "The memories are of my brother, aren't they?" she says, at last. "He's Beat, isn't he?"
The Composer smirks. "I confess, I do not know."
Rhyme takes a deep breath. "I want the memories. Everyone used to say my dreams would change as I grew up, anyway."
The Composer smiled. "Very well." Light came down, swallowing Rhyme as memories of her brother--her Beat, returned to her. She had been right.
Warnings: Post-game, spoilers for Beat and Rhyme's fees and Day 4.
Pairings: Beat+Rhyme on the level of canon.
Rating: PG (language).
Notes: Technically companion to above, but could totally slide by on its own. Well, so long as we all assume that Iron-face could have been lying (we'll never know! *innocent whistle*) and that the Composer would leave the final decision to Rhyme, anyway. Also, I see all spontaneous resurrections as being very Capt. Jack Harkness, with the sudden breath and all.
Back in the realm of the living, Rhyme sat up in her bed, gasping for air. She looked around her room, savoring its familiarity. Then, she threw off her blankets (patterned with skulls and crossbones in a very CAT kind of design), grabbed her beanie off the night stand and ran down the hall to Beat's room, not caring that it was well into the night.
Beat was up, as well, the light from his lamp spilling out into the hallway. He was stripped down to pajama pants and a wife beater. Rhyme tackled him, clinging to his middle. "I had the worst dream," she told his chest.
Beat rubbed a hand up and down her back, in a soothing gesture. "Me, too," he said.
"I don't think it was a dream," Rhyme mumbled.
"Me, neither," he agreed.
"I'm glad I chose the memories," she said. "Dreams are easy to find."
Beat hugged her tighter. "Yeah." He didn't regret handing the decision over to her. He felt like such a fuckwad for getting his little sister killed. Twice.
Warnings: Spoilers for things you have to infer, given info you pick up post-Konishi battle.
Pairings: Gen
Rating: G
Notes: Tattoo parlor 'verse, but no knowledge of it is required, nor is this necessary to read to understand the rest of the 'verse.
"Did I ever want to be a starving artist?" Rhyme asked.
Beat laughed as she glared at the rack of sketchpads and colored pencils. She reached for a pack of pens off to the right, as well. "Rhyme, you wan'ed ta be an astronaut, a cop, a designer, a rock star, and a chef, but starving artist's a new one."
"Will you teach me how to draw?" she asked, finally setting on the sketchpad made of recycled paper.
"Course, I will," Beat replied. It sounded more like "Anything, Rhyme," in her head.
Rhyme grabbed the biggest pack of colored pencils and reached for Beat's hand, dragging him toward the art instruction books.
Warnings: Well, the pairing, of course, but it's not very explicit. In fact, it's Neku-centric. I suck.
Pairings: Beat/Rhyme
Rating: G.
Notes: This one's also Tattoo-parlor 'verse. All you need to know is that Neku runs a tattoo parlor and Beat and Rhyme are his employees. (Post-game.)
Neku walks in from the back door this morning, because he likes to set up shop from the inside out. The door is unlocked, meaning that Beat and Rhyme are there first, a not unusual occurrence.
Neku can hear them in the little partitioned-off area where he usually does the tattoos. Rhyme is giggling while Beat tells her some joke in a low voice. Neku sets down his bag by the door, walking toward the sound of their voices.
As he rounds the doorway to the tattoo area, Neku sees Beat pulling away from Rhyme. He doesn't see their lips actually connect, but he's pretty sure that's what happened. On the table, Neku can see their hands clasped, and Beat has a look in his eyes like love.
Neku makes to leave, come back a moment later when they aren't doing something very obviously private, and pretend he saw nothing, but Rhyme sees him. Her eyes go wide for a moment.
Beat, upon seeing her expression, follows her gaze. He manages a similar deer-in-the-headlights look.
Neku realizes it's up to him to make this okay. He looks between them, trying not to look surprised, because a three-way blank, silent freak out is just not what mornings are made for.
He opens his mouth, then closes it. Finally, he deadpans, "Beat is totally not allowed to gag when Joshua starts with the innuendo anymore." He grins, hoping to convey that it's a joke and he doesn't actually mean anything by it.
Beat looks angry for a moment, confused. Then, he starts laughing.
Rhyme sighs in relief and smiles at Neku. She pushes off the table she has been leaning against, walking toward Neku. "Sorry we didn't tell you, but."
"Yeah," Neku agrees. He ruffles her hair and starts setting up the shop.
---
After that, Neku starts noticing seemingly subtle gestures between Beat and Rhyme. Some he's sure have always been there, just with less meaning from Neku's perspective, and others they only do in the shop when it's just Neku around.
Beat ruffles Rhyme's hair a lot. Rhyme kind of leans into it, too, Neku realizes.
They go into the back room when Neku steps out to call Shiki (just to say hi), or Joshua (just to fuck with him over the phone, because he can, and because Joshua does it to him, too). Neku makes sure to come back in through the front door, so that Beat and Rhyme have the extra warning from the bell over the door.
Neku also notices that Beat hugs Rhyme a lot. He picks her up and spins her for no reason at all, sometimes. When he visits her at the front of the shop, mid-customer so that the customer has a break, he sometimes wraps his arms around her middle, leaning on her shoulder while he watches her sketch, or read, or work on her school work, because she's still the youngest of their motley crew.
Rhyme comes in wearing Beat's clothing, sometimes, too. Neku has it on good authority that most younger siblings do that (he asked Joshua once what his family had been like, and he had distracted Neku from any actual information by simply giving Neku a rant on his younger brother's clothes-stealing ways, and Neku has overheard Shiki and Eri's distress when they are unable to find a certain article of clothing, only to find out that Eri's sister has borrowed it for the day).
Rhyme wears one of Beat's hoodies to work, and keep her hands buried in the sleeves, and her face obscured by the hood, because Beat has always bought big hoodies, and Rhyme has always been small for her age.
In public, they are much more subtle; standing a calculated distance apart, and acting as if they are no more romantically close to one another than Joshua is to Eri.
Warnings: Spoilers for the fight with Iron-face. Nothing else, unless you count an over-abundance of warm fuzzy feelings?
Pairings: Beat+Rhyme on the level of canon.
Rating: G
Notes: So, I can't have been the only one to have immediately thought Iron-face was a liar, right?
Before everyone is taken to the white room again, Beat receives a text. "It was never specified which of Rhyme's penalties was truly her entry fee. Figure it out before it's your turn."
Shiki and Neku are called into the room first, presumably returning to the realm of the living without a hitch. Beat gets called in next. He smiles for Rhyme and tells her he'll see her on the other side.
The Composer is wearing nose glasses, a samurai wig, and a sailor suit.
Beat is too nervous to laugh, his stomach doing flips and churns like there are Noise all straining to get out inside of him. He's sure he would embarrass himself thoroughly, though, in other circumstances.
"So, which is it, her love, or her happiness?" the Composer asks. His voice sounds slightly familiar, but Beat has bigger things to worry about.
Beat shrugs. "Dunno," he admits. "Iron-face said the memories were my fee."
The Composer seems to consider this, bringing a hand up to his chin. "I am unsure is Konishi should be taken at her word, especially given her betrayal at the last moment," he says at last. "Which would you prefer I return to Rhyme?"
Beat mulls this over, then shrugs. "Man, I can't pick what goes in Rhyme's head. 'S her head. You should be askin' her, not me."
The Composer smiles. "Very wise choice," he says. "I presume you wish to resume your life, as well?"
Beat nods, and light engulfs him.
Under the weight of Beat's heart and morals, the Composer could feel a deep desire for Rhyme to choose her memories.
Rhyme walks in next.
"There seems to be a discrepancy in the record-keeping for the entry fees," the Composer tells her.
Rhyme nods.
"You lost some of your memories, as well as your dreams. You have a choice of which to give up, because you ultimately lost."
Rhyme nods again. "The memories are of my brother, aren't they?" she says, at last. "He's Beat, isn't he?"
The Composer smirks. "I confess, I do not know."
Rhyme takes a deep breath. "I want the memories. Everyone used to say my dreams would change as I grew up, anyway."
The Composer smiled. "Very well." Light came down, swallowing Rhyme as memories of her brother--her Beat, returned to her. She had been right.
Warnings: Post-game, spoilers for Beat and Rhyme's fees and Day 4.
Pairings: Beat+Rhyme on the level of canon.
Rating: PG (language).
Notes: Technically companion to above, but could totally slide by on its own. Well, so long as we all assume that Iron-face could have been lying (we'll never know! *innocent whistle*) and that the Composer would leave the final decision to Rhyme, anyway. Also, I see all spontaneous resurrections as being very Capt. Jack Harkness, with the sudden breath and all.
Back in the realm of the living, Rhyme sat up in her bed, gasping for air. She looked around her room, savoring its familiarity. Then, she threw off her blankets (patterned with skulls and crossbones in a very CAT kind of design), grabbed her beanie off the night stand and ran down the hall to Beat's room, not caring that it was well into the night.
Beat was up, as well, the light from his lamp spilling out into the hallway. He was stripped down to pajama pants and a wife beater. Rhyme tackled him, clinging to his middle. "I had the worst dream," she told his chest.
Beat rubbed a hand up and down her back, in a soothing gesture. "Me, too," he said.
"I don't think it was a dream," Rhyme mumbled.
"Me, neither," he agreed.
"I'm glad I chose the memories," she said. "Dreams are easy to find."
Beat hugged her tighter. "Yeah." He didn't regret handing the decision over to her. He felt like such a fuckwad for getting his little sister killed. Twice.
Warnings: Spoilers for things you have to infer, given info you pick up post-Konishi battle.
Pairings: Gen
Rating: G
Notes: Tattoo parlor 'verse, but no knowledge of it is required, nor is this necessary to read to understand the rest of the 'verse.
"Did I ever want to be a starving artist?" Rhyme asked.
Beat laughed as she glared at the rack of sketchpads and colored pencils. She reached for a pack of pens off to the right, as well. "Rhyme, you wan'ed ta be an astronaut, a cop, a designer, a rock star, and a chef, but starving artist's a new one."
"Will you teach me how to draw?" she asked, finally setting on the sketchpad made of recycled paper.
"Course, I will," Beat replied. It sounded more like "Anything, Rhyme," in her head.
Rhyme grabbed the biggest pack of colored pencils and reached for Beat's hand, dragging him toward the art instruction books.
Warnings: Well, the pairing, of course, but it's not very explicit. In fact, it's Neku-centric. I suck.
Pairings: Beat/Rhyme
Rating: G.
Notes: This one's also Tattoo-parlor 'verse. All you need to know is that Neku runs a tattoo parlor and Beat and Rhyme are his employees. (Post-game.)
Neku walks in from the back door this morning, because he likes to set up shop from the inside out. The door is unlocked, meaning that Beat and Rhyme are there first, a not unusual occurrence.
Neku can hear them in the little partitioned-off area where he usually does the tattoos. Rhyme is giggling while Beat tells her some joke in a low voice. Neku sets down his bag by the door, walking toward the sound of their voices.
As he rounds the doorway to the tattoo area, Neku sees Beat pulling away from Rhyme. He doesn't see their lips actually connect, but he's pretty sure that's what happened. On the table, Neku can see their hands clasped, and Beat has a look in his eyes like love.
Neku makes to leave, come back a moment later when they aren't doing something very obviously private, and pretend he saw nothing, but Rhyme sees him. Her eyes go wide for a moment.
Beat, upon seeing her expression, follows her gaze. He manages a similar deer-in-the-headlights look.
Neku realizes it's up to him to make this okay. He looks between them, trying not to look surprised, because a three-way blank, silent freak out is just not what mornings are made for.
He opens his mouth, then closes it. Finally, he deadpans, "Beat is totally not allowed to gag when Joshua starts with the innuendo anymore." He grins, hoping to convey that it's a joke and he doesn't actually mean anything by it.
Beat looks angry for a moment, confused. Then, he starts laughing.
Rhyme sighs in relief and smiles at Neku. She pushes off the table she has been leaning against, walking toward Neku. "Sorry we didn't tell you, but."
"Yeah," Neku agrees. He ruffles her hair and starts setting up the shop.
---
After that, Neku starts noticing seemingly subtle gestures between Beat and Rhyme. Some he's sure have always been there, just with less meaning from Neku's perspective, and others they only do in the shop when it's just Neku around.
Beat ruffles Rhyme's hair a lot. Rhyme kind of leans into it, too, Neku realizes.
They go into the back room when Neku steps out to call Shiki (just to say hi), or Joshua (just to fuck with him over the phone, because he can, and because Joshua does it to him, too). Neku makes sure to come back in through the front door, so that Beat and Rhyme have the extra warning from the bell over the door.
Neku also notices that Beat hugs Rhyme a lot. He picks her up and spins her for no reason at all, sometimes. When he visits her at the front of the shop, mid-customer so that the customer has a break, he sometimes wraps his arms around her middle, leaning on her shoulder while he watches her sketch, or read, or work on her school work, because she's still the youngest of their motley crew.
Rhyme comes in wearing Beat's clothing, sometimes, too. Neku has it on good authority that most younger siblings do that (he asked Joshua once what his family had been like, and he had distracted Neku from any actual information by simply giving Neku a rant on his younger brother's clothes-stealing ways, and Neku has overheard Shiki and Eri's distress when they are unable to find a certain article of clothing, only to find out that Eri's sister has borrowed it for the day).
Rhyme wears one of Beat's hoodies to work, and keep her hands buried in the sleeves, and her face obscured by the hood, because Beat has always bought big hoodies, and Rhyme has always been small for her age.
In public, they are much more subtle; standing a calculated distance apart, and acting as if they are no more romantically close to one another than Joshua is to Eri.