they built paradise

[goldtoxicity]

WHO: Joshua Foley and YOU!
WHERE: Krakoa
WHEN: ~2019 and back
WHAT: Backdated events! Before his kidnapping.
WARNINGS: nsfw here and there!

OPEN PROMPTS.

a diplomatic visit. ~ two years ago

[ this is a necessary evil. if they want to maintain their independence then they need to be non-threatening, or at least enough of an asset that allies are willing to let them be in exchange for a few favors.

no wonder scott summers lost his mind. his life is nothing but moving parts now. so little is stable and nothing feels certain - this empire is built on sand and the slightest rumble will make it fall. all of this has given him newfound respect for the mutants who had come before him, understanding them in a way he never could have back home... but still with the determination not to repeat their mistakes. if sacrifices are to be made, he intends for them to be his.

and it doesn't leave a lot of time for himself - not when he feels like he's promising parts of his soul to people, and sacrificing what's left to maintain the balance. he's tired twenty-four seven.

and it only worsens when someone docks at their harbor. he could leave this to the rest of the council, but he's always found it better to be the first one to greet a new arrival. lest they decide to try to turn the five into a four. ]

So glad you could make it, [ he says, hoping it sounds genuine. golden hands clasp the outstretched hand, his lips curved into a smile. ] Krakoa welcomes you.

beach day. ~ a year and a half ago

[ keeping krakoa running is a full time job. most of the population is too young to really care for themselves. joshua foley has gone from a largely irresponsible mess to - well, still a mess, but a mess with a ton of responsibilities. david's technology keeps him tapped into almost the entire population of the island and their health.

but sometimes? sometimes he needs none of that. he needs quiet.

the beaches are quiet during school hours. josh is sprawled out on the sand in a pair of black swim trunks, one arm folded behind his head, his eyes shut behind a pair of stylish sunglasses. when the shadow falls across his face he groans low and turns away. ]

Oh come on. I know nobody is dead or dying. [ he pushes the glasses up his face. ] Today is me time. Did we not establish this was me time?

stress. ~ a year ago

[ he doesn't remember what set him off. an article, maybe. something small to feed into growing paranoia. realizing that there's yet another person now on krakoa that shouldn't be. something small, something that he can't catch, and he knows there's no point in having that fight because they've had that fight and he can't justify it.

and so his office is in shambles. his fingers tangled in his hair, eyes clenched shut as he breathes hard. ]

Fuck!

[ he sinks slowly down the wall, gritting his teeth. he hears the door open. ]

Not the time!

WILDCARD.

[ hit me up at minimoffs @ plurk or shoot me a dm if you'd like to plan something specific or something off krakoa! ]

Comments

[helpdesk_hero]

What am I to you, a limerick?

[Though if Josh hadn't pointed out the rhyme, David ABSOLUTELY would have. He grins and rolls onto his side as well. It good, to feel so relaxed. So free, even if it was rare between them these days. It wasn't as good as it used to be, but he still loved every minute they could steal. And he loved Josh. So it worked. It had to work.]

Your extremely hot boyfriend will absolutely pick another stretch of beach if you really want. I thought I saw some Hargreeves on another stretch about mile back. I'm sure at least one of them would keep me company.

[goldtoxicity]

A little.

[ he reaches out, letting a golden finger gently bop david on the nose. ]

Hitting me where it hurts, huh? They're all extremely ripped and I know I can't compete with that.

[helpdesk_hero]

There once was a man from Chicago
Whose boyfriend's love he could not forego
So down in the sand
Things got out of hand
In ways that would make quite a peep show

[Did he just drop a really stupid limerick? Hell yess he did. Praise him with more than a boop on the nose.]

Is this where I ask 'if I say you have a nice bod will you hold it against me'? Because I'm not sure how many cliche lines I can spout today without exploding. In one of a few ways.

[goldtoxicity]

[ he snorts - snerks, really, choking a little on the laugh. it's been a while... a while since he laughed. a while since they held each other. a far longer while since they've had the time or energy for more. ]

C'mere you. [ god ] We're not getting out of hand out here. One, beach sex sucks. Two, can you imagine the tabloids?

[helpdesk_hero]

Trust me, I'm very aware of how bad beach sex sucks. Do you know how many TIMES a single X-Man has to make that mistake before it's engraved deep enough in their brain that my mutation picked it up? Too many times.

[And yes, he judged the individual in question and no he wasn't saying who it was.]

I'm imagining the tabloids and the only negatives I can see from it is Laurie being annoyed that she wasn't here to watch or join in. So I suppose you're right. It would be rude.

[He does squirm off his blanket a little bit to be closer to Josh.]

[goldtoxicity]

The less I know about any of their sex lives the better.

[ he scoots closer, slinging an arm around david and huffing out a laugh. ]

I just don't want the outside to start pegging us as, y'know, irresponsible fuckups or something... I don't wear a suit to the Synod for nothing, you know.

CW: reference to sexual kinks

[helpdesk_hero]

Ah, to be young and naive like that. Judd won't even agree to block those parts of my knowledge out.

[Enjoy an arm around your hips and getting pulled closer still. Really, David is jealous of how Josh doesn't have to worry about a rash or irritated skin from being hauled over sand.]

Yeah, we need you for the balance. Because frankly Rim and Jane are often not... to the public consumption standards of presentable for high politics. Which leaves Allison and I to carry the sense of fashion. But we're not talking about the Synod or irresponsible fuck-ups or anything like that. And the word pegging should only be a word that comes up if Laurie is feeling adventurous.

But I promise the bad limerick won't hurt you.

[goldtoxicity]

[ another snort. he laughs into david's shoulder. of course he's always thinking about it. he doesn't have the luxury of assassins or armies, only the image that krakoa is a pure paradise full of innocent lives.

which he thinks could get kind of ruined if a spy happened to get a snapshot of their sex lives.

but maybe he is being too paranoid. too worked up over nothing. ]

Mmm... Dunno about that. [ he hums. ] You hurt me with it, so you'd better kiss me better.

[helpdesk_hero]

[As if David and Josh weren't an open 'secret' in White Tower. If nothing else, it would be an interesting bit of political weight, and barely even a gram there of.]

I am not a limerick, just a man talented with his tongue.

[And he suffers no complaints on that front. Though he does lean in and brush their lips together in something chaste.]

Better?

[goldtoxicity]

Mm, not quiet.

[ don't mind him chasing david's lips for another kiss, one deeper and sparking with his power. it's cheating, of course - but he's not about to apologize for it.

he breaks away with a smile. ]

Better.

[helpdesk_hero]

[Not quiet indeed. Good thing Josh is so uniquely gifted at shutting David's mouth. That kiss, touched with power, sparked such longing in him. It also, as always, left David still and breathless, his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted in the aftermath. Still and silent like all he could do was relax and bask.

Which, of course, was probably good for a day off.]

[goldtoxicity]

[ it's cute. it's his favorite part about his powers - being able to make people feel better than they did before they'd encountered them. he reaches up to brush his knuckles along david's cheek. ]

I love you.

[helpdesk_hero]

[Three words that could leave David more breathless than anything Josh could physically do. He considers and discards the Han Solo response. This sort of thing needs more than that.]

I love you too, Golden Boy.

[goldtoxicity]

I know it.

[ he does.

things are getting harder and harder as their responsibilities grow - but he knows david loves him. and he loves david. that has to be enough, right? ]

[helpdesk_hero]

[David... doesn't say that he knows it's not. That the last person to love him left him precisely because of that love. Those aren't words he wants to put into the air between them, because he doesn't want to tempt the fate the pronouncement might cause.]

You know, if I wasn't already on an island paradise, I'd suggest a nice brief vacation somewhere. You, me, Laurie. Just get away from work for two days rather than a few hours.

[goldtoxicity]

[ they couldn't. they know it. josh's smile turns a touch sadder, continuing to gently pet along david's cheek. ]

This is the closest thing to a vacation we're gonna get, babe.

[helpdesk_hero]

I'm a genius, dear. I'll find a way to get us a few days in Fiji.

[They deserved it. He would move heaven and earth for it if he could. It was a nice dream. They were made of such nice dreams. Like this moment, to unreal to be possible, where he was leaning in to the touch at his cheek.]

[goldtoxicity]

No Gates in Fiji.

[ his smile saddens just a touch. this whole wide world and they were trapped in fourteen pieces of it. he missed the ability to get up and walk away more than he thought he ever would. ]

It's not so bad here.

[helpdesk_hero]

[And no other holds they could go to that the White Tower would not see as hostile actions except for White Tower itself. Bullshit.]

Then we'll get a boat. Borrow a yacht. And go set down a few miles beyond the island. Still close enough that the Gate will sustain us.

[goldtoxicity]

Mm...

[ there might be somewhere. he isn't sure he wants to risk leaving it unattended. ]

That's an idea, yeah.

[helpdesk_hero]

You can call yourself a pirate, and be our booty boy.

[Oh come on, yield to the puns. You know you want to.]

No tech, only the three of us, me cooking, and maybe anchoring a bit closer to the shore at night for safety. Judd would have a fit if we were out of his protective range for too long.

[goldtoxicity]

[ hffff ]

You saying I'm your treasure? [ it's really not a bad idea. he likes it the more he thinks about it. ] You're gonna have to run it by Laurie. She's the boss.

CW: Horrible innuendos for male gentalia

[helpdesk_hero]

She really is. And I really am. Full of gold and jewels.

[Was that a joke about Josh's 'family jewels'? His Scepter and orbs? His trade goods? Okay, that one was too far.]

I'll talk to her.

[And he'll somehow manage to keep his hands to himself.]

[goldtoxicity]

[ that gets the loudest laugh yet. josh tucks his face against david's neck to muffle the snort. ]

I have been a terrible influence on you.

[helpdesk_hero]

The absolute worst. Don't worry. I hold it against you whenever I can.

[All sense of shame evaporated years ago, when that first massage to relieve tension in David's shoulders had turned into everything swept off of his White Tower assigned desk, with Josh looking up at him with undeniable desire.]