The Gold and the Lead

[lovessweetbait]

♡ It's ♥ Valentine's ♥ Day~! ♡

But this year, no cards, no flowers, no candy, no Hallmark moments.
This year, it's being celebrated the old-fashioned way.

1. Flip a coin for the Gold or the Lead.
2. Decide whether you've been hit or the person tagging you has been hit.
(Or have you both gotten lucky?)
3. RNG for a love-type from Gold or Lead

Comments

Rachel || House of Cards + AUs

[thediamondqueen]

[OOC: Available in bitty/Tesla (for schoolyard, at least), Ace, Queen, Hollywood, Good!H/V!, Evil!H/V! and Spades.]

Gold-4. But. Would you rather suddenly-King! or all-male-Diamonds-Ace!Cadogan. :|

[diemwnt]

Coin flip says all-male-Diamonds. Certain threadstalkers will be glad. :P

[thediamondqueen]

[OOC: Also shall both be affected for maximum fluff? :|]

[For the longest time, she'd believed that it would only ever be Edgar that she would love-- any other men she met afterwards paled in comparison.

But as time went on and she suddenly found herself surrounded by male Face Cards (and incredulous departure from The Plan,) she began to realize that, once she stopped comparing, it was considerably easier to find good, deserving men out there.

And it seemed-- or so her heart told her-- that her Ace was one of them.]

Double arrow ftw~

[diemwnt]

[There will never be another woman like Aisling. He tries his hardest not to compare other women to her. They don't deserve the bad name she gives the gender.

It's impossible, at first, not to compare his Queen to the woman who'd smashed his heart on a back alley sidewalk. The slow realization as he climbed the ranks, as he finally rose before her an Ace, was that the comparison was entirely in her favour.

Rachel is wonderful where Aisling was life-shattering.

And if that means he starts to shadow her footsteps more often than is strictly necessary for an Ace. It's just diligence. It's just devotion.

It's just service to the Suit.]

:D

[thediamondqueen]

[Of course it is. Because clearly being out late at night when she is, stargazing, is just a precautionary measure, nothing more. Not a chance to take advantage of the silent calm around them, not a chance to speak (in a sense of the word) freely without prying eyes.

Clearly it's just a chance to make sure that the Queen remains safe and sound.

Clearly.]

[diemwnt]

[She does need to take breaks. She does need time alone, away from Adrien and Isaac and a Suit of Cards who need her hard and sharp and cutting.

And he does need to stick almost against her side, watchful, protective. Everyone already knows the Queen of this Suit rules with an Ace up her sleeve, has since time immemorial, since even before Cadogan assumed the role.

He also needs to kiss her in the darkness. Which is wrong.

His lips find her temple anyway.]

[thediamondqueen]

[It's wrong. It's right. It's something in between, treading the line, the disastrous, delicate balance that the Spades found themselves on not too long ago.

But the Diamonds are not Spades, and while Adrien may be her King, Rachel's heart lies with that of her Ace, and while most will not say anything of it, they know.

So she won't protest as she feels the brush of his lips against her skin. Instead, she reaches to press a returning kiss on his jaw, barely noticeable.]

[diemwnt]

[He can't help that his heart stops, suddenly beats faster, at the light touch of her lips. It's a good thing it's so dark. No one, not even Rachel, will see the way his ears flush, his cheeks begin to burn.

What Rachel will see, if only for a moment before his lips brush curiously against hers, is his smile.]

[thediamondqueen]

[His smile is a brilliant white against the darkness of the night, and it's met with a fainter one of hers before their lips tentatively meet.

She can't quite help the quiet hum of happiness that escapes her as they do.]

[diemwnt]

[They're not the Spades. He's not digging in against a happy marriage to her King. They're not breaking Adrien's heart by stealing this moment of lips meeting lips in the darkness.

It's so easy to catch her hips, pull her just a little closer. Push his lips to hers just a little longer.]

[thediamondqueen]

[Before Cadogan, she had forgotten how to understand Love, had only really known how to understand Lonely. It had been that way since her mother's death, although Edgar had helped temper it, only to have it worsen again with his loss.

But now? After Cadogan? It's almost difficult to remember Lonely as she wraps her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.]

[diemwnt]

[He can't murmur devotions against her lips. He can't tell her she's perfect, she's everything, she's his Reason these days with her eyes closed. He can only push back fervently, earnestly, hope that she'll understand his kisses as they're meant to be, with an avid devotion and deep exhaustive love he's never had the words to express.

If they only have moments like this, away from the eyes of the Court, it's no hardship. Not when he can dip her just very slightly, bask in being allowed to finally, finally be this close to her.]

[thediamondqueen]

[She understands. Sometimes she thinks she understands him better because he doesn't have the words-- it forces a genuineness out of him. It's far more difficult to lie through action and expression than it is through words alone.

That's especially clear here in the darkness where they don't have to be concerned with Diamond demeanor or detachment. Where they can be honest with themselves and each other about how much they care.]

[diemwnt]

[Letting go of her is hard. His breath comes a touch shakily as he pulls his lips from hers, forces his fingers to release the fabric of her coat.

It's hard to be a Diamond in love. It's hard to be an Ace and a Queen. It's hard to know they'll have to go back and be something other than Rachel and Cadogan.

Resting his forehead briefly against hers might help.]

[thediamondqueen]

[It does, just like reaching down to take his hand helps. Just like offering three gentle hand squeezes helps communicate that which they never say aloud.

Three squeezes. I love you.

Better to speak with actions than words.]

[diemwnt]

[Smiling is safer in the darkness.

Her hand in his. Three squeeze from her, three back from him, the last light brush of his lips to her skin before making himself pull back to the Distance an Ace is supposed to live at.

They'd have to wait before coming out here again. It would be difficult. But being allowed to lean on her wall while she worked, bring her his reports, finish his day with a moment bent over her shoulder to read something and smell her hair, would be enough.]