#gem ref

[applestruda]

Shapes in the deep

[snejkha]

Apostolis reference sheet for @werepaladin // Thank you so much again//

[kotumari]

5 and 2-3(?) year old jisbon art that i evidently never posted but i'll be damned if i let mentalist fanart go unposted in these trying times

[ethosiab]

some fox etho sketches courtesy of a friends request

[crownpastelyellow]

Sticks and Skates

Went a little bit insane over Tangem with my buddy @chlmngo for the last 2 days and suddenly this was in my docs. So it was time for another sports AU oneshot by the guy who doesn't like sports!

Please make sure to check out the lovely art my buddy made over here. Helps get a better look on Gem's clothes because Tango does not have the words to describe it properly /silly

Pairing: Gem/Tango

Length: 7.2k words

Tags: THIS IS RPF, they are both idiots pining <3, high likelyhood of inaccuracies because I don't know either sport

Smut, Age Gap. Rest is pretty vanilla

Hope you enjoy!

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64829926

Normally, Gem wasn’t like this. Most days she’d be entirely focused on skating, on landing her jumps, of making the most of her practice. The training hours are expensive for this rink after all, which is a crime considering that for the first hour it is shared with one of the hockey teams.

But this is only where Gem’s dilemma starts

“You’re ogling”, Cleo teases as they slowly skate by, only to leave Gem to stew on it. She clenches her teeth, muttering to herself, “not ogling.” 

Staring? Maybe. Getting distracted? Most definitely. 

And the sigh that escapes her is certainly not helping her case, hearing someone snicker behind her.

It is getting hard to deny as well. What started out as sending an occasional glance to the hockey team; And, who can blame her? Gem is also only human. Of course she had to watch, even if hockey isn’t a sport she’s normally interested in. Heck, she doesn’t even know the rules. But there is a certain respect for other sports. Yes, that’s it. Respect.

Not the way they move over the ice in their rather bulky uniforms but still with such precision, all while focusing on the tiny puck, navigating it around the field. Or the way the group erupts in cheers whenever a goal is scored. Gem may roll her eyes at the chanting of slogans, but in a way it is endearing.

And none of this has to do with one man playing center. Absolutely not.

It isn’t even that he’s a specifically good player, none of them are, but it is strangely endearing seeing him so excited, seeing how hard he’s trying.

So Gem catches herself smiling when he hits the puck towards the goal before falling onto his knees, gliding across the ice on his protectors, watching intently until it hits the goal. What if that smile then turns into a fond grin that she quickly masks again, when he starts cheering, before a teammate helps him up and pats him on the back.

Gem will just pretend that no one saw, that her teammates aren’t rolling their eyes at her and that she doesn’t care about this guy.

She doesn’t even know his name. Barely has seen him without his helmet on. Once, maybe twice, when Gem looked over as they were leaving the rink. And maybe she keeps thinking about his scruffy beard. Not that she could see much else all across the ice.

Okay, maybe things were worse than Gem would like to admit. 

Focus. Focus, Gem. 

Not wanting to be caught staring when he gets up, Gem tears her eyes away and focuses on her own practice. 

This goes well for about all of ten minutes before the shrill sound of a whistle indicates the practice match for the hockey players as over, alongside their practice.

Gem has to skate out of the way to let the men through but decides to linger close by the exit, pretending to fix something on her skate, fastening the laces anew. It doesn’t help that she can feel at least half her team eyeing her.

Getting up again, her eyes trail over the group as they’re taking off their helmets and she can now get a much closer look than previously.

His beard has more grey hairs in it than she anticipated and the little bit of short shaved hair quickly gets hidden beneath a cap. 

What Gem really wasn’t ready for was him putting glasses on, just simple, black frames. Why does this have to affect her so much?

Preferably she’d just bury her head in her hands now but someone behind her has to of course make it worse. “He could be your dad, you know?”

Thankfully her glare is enough to get them to leave her alone. Not that it makes their words go away or any less true. He could be her dad. 

At least she can focus on her training now that the hockey team has cleared the ice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next week Gem misses practice because work kept her too busy but when she finally returns to the ice, she is in for a surprise. 

The hockey team apparently decided to finally get their own jerseys and not just use the ones for the rink. No, these all had their unique numbers on it. Numbers and… Names.

Even with her glasses she still has to squint a bit, which, despite her trying to at least wait a little, doesn’t go unnoticed. Cleo leans against the board beside her with a smile on her face. “Was wondering how long it would take you to notice. You know, you could’ve just gone and asked for his name. At this point you’re acquainted, with how much you’re staring.”

Gem gives her a glare which is met with laughter. “In case your squinting isn’t helping. His name is Tango. Skizz, the tall one over there, told me a while ago.”

Their words leave Gem with questions that she’s not entirely sure she really wants answers to. Maybe she just really wants to strangle Cleo right now, who is making the smart choice to leave to focus on actually training.

And Gem tries to focus too, but how is her brain supposed to think about jumps and spins when she just learned that Cleo has been talking to the hockey team about her. No way she’d have any other reason to talk to them.

And what kind of friend is Cleo to not tell Gem his name sooner?

It is nearly painful how slow practice passes and it frustrates Gem to no end that she is not on top of it lately. She is good at this. Really good. How can a single hockey player distract her so much? No, she needs to focus on herself for now and not how they practice guiding the puck on the other half of the ice.

Time to actually practice what she needs for the next competition in her mostly empty corner. After getting a few jumps in Gem has her confident smile back on her face.

Now for the more difficult part; She skates backwards and gets ready to jump only to feel herself crash into something. Or someone.

Gem yelps and braces herself to hit the ice, already tucking her hands in, just like she learned, to avoid any accidents but the impact doesn’t happen. Instead she feels two arms around her, holding her with apparent ease.

The clattering noise of the wooden stick landing on the ice ensures that everyone who wasn’t already looking over here most definitely is now.

And if Gem’s face wasn’t already beet red, it definitely was when she realized who caught her - and was still holding her. She sees the scruffy beard, the smile, the way his eyes squint slightly with it.

“You alright there?”, he asks, squeezing her gently as if to remind her that he’s still holding her. In fact, Gem is more than just a little aware of it. It takes her another moment to realize that he asked because he’s still holding her. Gem scrambles to her feet instantly and less gracefully than she would’ve liked but he doesn’t seem to notice.

The instant she’s standing again, they both start apologizing simultaneously. 

“I hadn’t noticed I was this far into your part of the ice, sorry about that. Did you get hurt?”

Gem can all but shake her head before getting out a quick “I’m fine. Good catch” She internally cringes at herself and they both just look at each other for one more moment before Tango gets called over again. “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck with the jumps and uh, stuff.”

Gem wanted to both kick herself, because how can she be more endeared by him from just a few words and also because she wants to reach out. Thankfully her pride gets the better of her and she skates away, trying to calm her breathing as she gives him one last smile.

The next half hour passes slowly, as Gem’s eyes trail to the large clock on the wall, over to the hockey team, while trying actively not to glance at her teammates.

When the hockey team eventually leaves the ice, Gem quickly replaces her pride with all the courage she can find in herself and skates over to where Tango gets off the ice. 

Her skates break sharply, before she can stop herself and calls out “Tango!” which raises not only his head - now without helmet and with glasses - but also that of a few others.

“Huh? Oh hi. You again.”, he gives her a warm smile before coming over, now shorter than her, now that he’s off the ice. Gem can’t help her smile. “Wait, you know my name?” Gem’s smile nearly falters.

For a moment she fumbles before saying a bit too quickly,  “The back of your shirt. Jersey. Got your name on it now.” Nice save, hopefully? But he’s laughing and Gem can see the way his nose scrunches up. No man over 40 should have the right to be cute like this.

“Right, right.”

She has to take a deep breath before she can get her next words out. “I wanted to ask if you wanna grab a coffee sometime?”, then quickly adds, “As a thank you. For catching me.” 

At least this masks her ‘little crush’ as Cleo calls it a bit. 

“Oh, it’s all fine, I was the one on the wrong side of the ice. Didn’t even do anything.”, he brushes her off and it stings just a little. 

Someone in the back groans and then a glove hits Tango on the back of his head, startling Gem. Tango’s head whips back at whoever threw it before turning back to Gem who is now chuckling nervously, about to come up with any reason to leave so she can fix her bruised ego in peace. “But… If you’d want to, I can buy you a coffee. It was on me after all.”, he rubs the back of his neck, putting his baseball cap on.

Failing to mask her enthusiasm, Gem nods. “Does Tuesday sound good? 5pm?”

He keeps smiling at her, while his teammates are already heading for the locker room. “Sounds good. We can meet outside then?” And once Gem nods he’s about to leave, giving her a short wave. “See you Tuesday then…”, he seems to have realized he never asked her name. Gem laughs softly, taking pity on him. There was enough embarrassment today already. “Gem.”

“Alright, see you Tuesday, Gem”

She really doesn’t want to talk to anyone else right now but there is still about an hour of her training left. And only about 4 days till her date.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When did you start skating?” Tango asks, a simple question, as he grabs his coffee before they head over to an empty table.

Gem sits down opposite him but he can briefly feel her leg brush against his but blames it on the table being tiny. “Oh I started quite late, when I was around 19.”

Carefully Tango tries to think how to ask her how long ago that was and Gem seems to read his mind as she casually answers, “So I’ve been at it for bit less than 9 years now.”

Her words in combination with her smile might need to get cited on Tango’s obituary. In his head he automatically does the math and… She’s 28. This might be worse than he thought.

He tries to school his expression into a soft, neutral smile as he takes a sip of his still too hot coffee. “Wow. 9 years?”, he feels like his reply falls short but how is he meant to reply when his head only supplies that she was born the year he graduated from high school. Or that when she graduated highschool he already had been working and thought about buying a house.

Thankfully Gem’s voice distracts him before his thoughts can continue spiraling in that direction. “And you?” Gem’s smile was hidden behind the paper cup with her, for Tango’s taste, way to sweet coffee in it, her glasses fogging up slightly. Why does this make it so much harder for him to concentrate? 

“Oh, I've only been playing hockey for a few months now. Still a beginner” he laughs, trying to brush over his nervousness. He shouldn't be nervous at all. They are just grabbing coffee. This means nothing. Unless it does. Nope, not going down that train of thought again either. He spent too much time thinking about it already before they met. Whether this could be considered a date or not. Whether he should dress nicer or not. Looking at Gem he wishes he had. 

Gem is still looking at him, so he feels the need to keep talking. “I started because a friend of mine got into it a short while ago and he dragged me along.”

“Wow, for only a few months on the ice you've been really stable. Especially if you can catch a whole person” She laughs and this time Tango can't deny how fast his heart is beating. What is this woman doing to him? 

“But I'm really glad you did. I've got a competition coming up really soon and I can't afford any injury now.” Tango can't help but smile back. 

“Well, it was definitely on me. Don't worry, during the next practice I'll make sure to keep my butt on the hockey side of things” he says and is glad that it makes her laugh. 

“Is the competition a local thing?” he can't help his genuine curiosity. He's never really had an interest in figure skating before, with it not being quite his type of sport. And he knows that now it's not the sport either that caught his eye.

“Bit more than that,” Gem laughs, “a regional one. But if I do well there I can still move up.” 

Tango can't help but notice the way her eyes light up when she talks about skating, and the sight might as well be addicting. So he keeps asking, just so Gem talks more about it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lot more time than anticipated passes, Tango even got up to get them new drinks at some point, getting Gem exactly what she ordered earlier. 

After she asked him out for a coffee, Gem had been trying her hardest not to get her hopes up. She's barely ever talked to him, after all. But after having spent some time with him? He's incredibly sweet. 

Sure, some of his humor has her roll her eyes but it's fun. He is fun.

So what if she plays it up, just a little bit. Blinking up at him as he places down another cup. Asking him to talk about his nerdy hobbies. It’s too easy, when she sees him fluster, mentioning his DnD campaign.

The way he got just the slightest bit embarrassed at first but warmed up once Gem showed interest. Was he worried that she’d get up and leave? Call him a nerd? To be fair she did. But it’s not like she isn’t interested. In fact she played enough games similar to it that she can follow him more than just a bit. 

It’s just more fun hearing Tango explain it to her. Hearing the excitement in his voice as he talks about his character and it is just straight up cute. 

“But where’s the whimsy if there’s no romance? You’re playing a bard! Aren’t you meant to get it on?” Gem laughs, and when Tango’s face grows about five shades redder she can’t help but laugh more. 

“Bards do more than just flirt.” Tango retorts, shaking his head in mock-offense. 

“Well, guess you’ll just have to invite me over and show me then.” Tongue sticking out the slightest bit between her lips, gently biting down on it, watching Tango’s expressions go through all five stages of grief in quick succession. Gem has to keep herself from laughing when he finally settles on a drawn out “sure.”

She really can’t blame him for it. Which doesn’t mean she isn’t incredibly amused by his suffering.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When their date is coming to an end, Gem and Tango walk back to the ice rink, where their cars are parked. Going slower than necessary, as neither really want this to end. If it was a date for Gem.

After saying their goodbyes, Tango panics for a short moment. Should he go for a kiss? Way too early. What if he's been reading this entire thing differently. A hug instead? What if Gem would think he's some old creep? 

His brain turns off when Gem gives him a loose, friendly hug and without thinking he returns it. 

Then he feels her lips, soft, way too soft, on his cheek only for a moment. At first he thought he imagined it - wishful thinking - but Gem pulls away and he can see her bite her lips.

“Same time next week?”, she asks surprisingly quietly. 

“I'll be there ”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next time they see each other is on the ice, and Gem can’t help her timid smile as she starts skating and the way her heart pounds in her chest when she sees Tango giving her a small wave.

Before Gem can even consider anything - should she go and say hi? - that tall guy, Skizz, she thinks Cleo said, hits Tango on the back hard enough that he stumbles slightly. 

Watching their bickering for a moment, Gem chuckles to herself before she focuses on her practice. The big competition is coming up and after the past weeks have been less than productive she needs to train harder.

Surprisingly, it comes easier now. Tango is still there, on the ice and on her mind but less distracting. Maybe because she knows they’ll see each other again on Tuesday. 

Tango finishes his training with another wave to Gem and once he’s off the ice, Gem can practically feel his eyes follow her as she glides effortlessly into a spin. 

Knowing that he’s watching, Gem eases her spin into skating backwards and right into a jump - the same jump that landed her in Tango’s arms last week. Just this time she nails it. Of course she does.

And it feels better than ever before. Especially when she sees Tango’s impressed smile, all the way from across the ice.

This time she gives him a small wave which he returns with a silly salute with two fingers. Gem can only shake her head. Why did her heart choose this dork?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their coffee date turns into a regular thing much to Tango’s delight. He can’t even admit to himself just how much he’s been enjoying having Gem around him so much. In a way he feels younger, more energized again. Or, more likely he is just - no, he’s not even going to think it.

On Friday, after Gem’s practice ends, Tango gets a text from her. He eventually asked for her number, mumbling an excuse about what if anything comes up.

But he enjoys getting texts from Gem. Pictures of her dog. She sent him an image of her new skates. A link to a new coffee shop that opened nearby that she wanted to try next time.

Tango feels inadequate, struggling to text back, not because he doesn’t want to but because he never knows what to say.

When Gem cancels their usual Tuesday date Tango doesn’t acknowledge the miffed feeling settling in his chest. Especially not when it is because of Gem’s competition that she occasionally mentioned.

It wasn’t until Monday evening that Tango was talking to Skizz about it;

“Dude, did you… not offer to go watch her?” Skizz groans over the phone speaker.

“No? She did not invite me.”, Tango replies quietly. He may realize right now that he’s an idiot. “I should go, shouldn’t I?”

The next hour is spent researching which ice rink nearby is holding a competition tomorrow afternoon. It’s just an hour out by car. He can still get a ticket.

Without allowing himself to overthink it he reserves it. Hopefully Gem wants him there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say he was nervous was an understatement. Tango has never been good at these types of things. Starting from what to wear, to thinking whether getting her flowers would be too much. 

He settled for wearing something nice, or as nice as he owns without getting fancy. Simple pants and a button down. After shaving his beard in shape he gets in his car, with just a quick stop at a small flower shop. Just something small, not wanting to overdo it. The employee still made something beautiful, a mix of yellows and soft pinks. Hopefully Gem will like it.

Tango learns quickly, during the competition, that he knows absolutely nothing about ice skating and regrets not having looked up anything beforehand. He had never really paid attention to the sport, only to the young woman gliding over the ice.

And while Gem obviously talked about it during their dates it was nowhere near as technical as what he’s seeing on the ice right now.

All competitors are wearing these elaborate outfits but it didn’t strike Tango that he’d get to see Gem like this, not until she is on the ice, handing her jacket to her trainer, leaving her in a dress short enough that Tango feels his blood first rush to his face, then elsewhere. It is green. And sparkly. To him it is the most beautiful dress he’s seen all night but maybe he is biased from the way Gem looks in it. Her hair is crowned with antlers, making her look entirely mythical.

Her smile is radiant as her eyes wander over the ice and for a short moment Tango is convinced she looked over to him. Just in case, he gives her a thumbs up and his biggest smile.

It is harder than expected to match his applause to that of the crowd, never knowing when Gem did anything right or wrong because it all just looks so perfect. Every spin and jump, it all mesmerizes Tango.

Seeing all her practice pay off fills him with so much fondness for her. Gem trained so hard for years so she can perform like this. 

During an elaborate spins Gem holds her leg all the way above her head and Tango considers looking away but his grey eyes are glued to her.

When the music fades out Gem comes to a halt and he can see the way her labored breathing moves her whole body as she holds the pose for a few moments more. Everyone is cheering and clapping. 

Finally, just before Gem breaks the pose and bows, she spots Tango, and when her face brightens he knew it was the right choice to come here. He just wishes he bought a bigger bouquet.

The rest of the event Tango could only focus on the way his heart beats in his chest, how he can’t wait to see Gem once she’s done and congratulate her.

He barely even registers when all competitors are done and the lights focus on the podium. 

When Gem gets called out and wins the second place, Tango cheers as loud as he can, earning a raised eyebrow from the woman in the seat next to him. Not that he cares, not with the way Gem is smiling, waving as the medal gets placed around her neck, careful of the pink flowers that ornate her dress and the antlers still on her head. 

Tango can’t deny that he’s in love.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s cold outside the ice rink but that doesn’t really matter when Tango waits for Gem to come out. The sun has set a while ago, only the fluorescent light of the building behind him illuminating the pavement, some lanterns farther down the parking lot not helping. 

A bit nervously he’s bouncing on the heel of his foot, waiting for Gem to come out.

When the doors finally open again a group of people walks out, the last few of them he recognizes as Gem’s teammates, and lastly, Gem. Now in her usual training clothes, purple hoodie and 

Suddenly very aware of his age and the way he’s waiting for a much younger woman with a bouquet in hand. As if everyone hasn’t seen it yet, he quickly hides the flowers behind his back and laughs nervously.

He hears some chuckling and even Gem is giggling right until she stands right in front of him.

“Go ahead guys, I’ll be right there”, she calls out and thankfully her teammates leave them alone. “You’re here.”

“Hi. I, uh, wanted to see you. Perform. And I brought you some flowers.”, he hands her the bouquet a bit too quickly. Why does she make him so nervous? 

“I really enjoyed watching you skate. Your spins,” He can’t think about that view right now, already feeling his face grow hotter, “and your, uh…” He motions with his hands above his head for the antlers. Thankfully Gem laughs and takes the flowers from him, nudging his foot gently with hers.

“I’m glad you’re here. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to come.”, Tango realizes how close Gem is to him.

“Since we couldn’t grab coffee today. Wouldn’t want to miss out on this.”, then an idea comes to his mind. “We could still grab one. If you’re not too tired, of course”

Gem does this cute thing again where she bites down on her tongue, seemingly considering his offer. “Cleo drove me here. Let me quickly let them know that you’ll drive me home.”

And with that Gem is off.

Tango finally exhales for the first time in minutes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their usual coffee dates pick up again and Gem actually explains her routine to Tango after he seemed curious about it. She explains the differences between certain elements, between the short program and the free skate and anything else he wants to know.

In turn, Gem makes him promise to invite her to his next game and explain hockey rules to her.

It’s not like she’s ever cared about the sport before, and that hasn’t really changed. But she wants to see Tango play without having to focus on her own practice and she wants to understand when to cheer - learning from his mistakes.

A few times Gem even invites him around on her morning runs. She’s been doing this for years so she goes easy on him but it’s nice, seeing each other more, off the ice and outside their dates. Even if neither of them actually have called them that out loud yet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the day of Tango’s next game they meet up shortly beforehand to take a quick walk. The days are getting sunnier and warmer again so they slowly stroll through a nearby park until they need to head to the rink.

Before Tango has to go to the locker room, bulky gym bag in hand, Gem calls out to him. 

“Wait.” She leans the slightest bit up, feeling his beard scratch against her lips as she presses a quick kiss to his cheek. They haven’t done that since their first coffee, nearly two months ago. “For good luck. I’ll wait out here for you once you’re done.” and she turns to find her seat, leaving a mildly stunned Tango behind. Deciding to make it worse for him she calls out, “I’ll go home with the winner tonight.”, she laughs before quickly ducking through the door to find a good spot.

During the warmups on ice Gem keeps smiling over to Tango and even if she can’t see it with his helmet on, she knows by now the way his face scrunches up when he smiles back.

Then during the first period not much of note happens. The one thing Gem does notice now that everyone is here to watch the game, is that she’s practically the only woman under 30 in the entire audience, the only ones younger than her are children, their with family.

During the quick break she hopes to catch a glimpse of Tango again but in the end just settles for getting herself something warm to drink to warm her fingers on.

Things pick up in the second period. Her eyes follow Tango across the ice, admiring the way he keeps a hold of the puck, making it look easy to navigate the stick and other players while focusing on skating. 

Then, when Tango scores a goal, the first one of the entire game, Gem’s cheering alongside everyone else. She’s smiling and waving over to him as he and his team have a short celebration before it keeps going.

The third, and last period is where Gem starts to regret having promised to go home with the winner. The other team scores two goals and she can practically feel Tango deflate all the way over here. Of course he’s seemingly still having fun but her comment may have gotten to him. But it’s not like Gem hasn’t had an emergency plan ready.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She’s waiting in the foyer for Tango. 

When he finally comes out of the locker room, his jersey still on, Gem immediately walks over, her arms around his neck. 

“You scored a goal!” She tries to cheer and she’s glad to see Tango smiling.

“Didn’t win though,” the reply comes with a raised eyebrow.

But Gem just shakes her head. “You scored and that’s a win for me. If you’d want to take me home with you.”

“Moving the goalpost closer for me?” Tango teases as he holds the door open, leading her to his car before throwing the bag with his equipment into the back seat.

Gem waits with her reply until they’re both sitting in the car before she teasingly leans over, one hand coming to rest on Tango’s thigh, “You say that like you really don’t want to feel my mouth on you.” 

Maybe it was a good idea she said that before Tango started his car, with how he physically startles. “Gem,” his voice a bit higher than usual. Gem can’t wait to hear what other noises he can make.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gem’s mouth hasn’t left Tango since they closed the door to his house behind him. Despite her curiosity she had only eyes for him in the moment. The tour can wait till tomorrow morning.

She lets him lead the way to the bedroom, where he drops his bag off in a corner before Gem falls onto his bed, pulling him with her. They’re both giggling as he’s sprawled across her. “You’re crushing me”, Gem’s voice is whinier than it needs to be.

“You’re the one who pulled me down on top of you”, he laughs against her neck.

Gem lets Tango explore her, his hands crawling up under her shirt, she can feel the calluses on his fingertips brush over her sensitive sides as his mouth maps her neck, her jaw and eventually her mouth.

Her own hands feel up his arms and Gem can’t help herself but sigh into the kiss. 

Hours could pass like this before Gem decides to finally reward her winner.

The second she starts squirming beneath him, Tango leans up and lets her go, balancing on one arm and his hip alone. Gem uses that to flip them around, Tango now on his back as Gem slides off the bed and onto her knees. She knows exactly how to look up at Tango to fluster him, when he sits up. “Gem, you don’t have to.”

“But I want to. If you let me.” Her smile is innocent, even if her words aren’t. Taking the strangled noise as confirmation, her hands slowly move up, over his thighs, she can feel the muscles beneath her palms through the fabric, all the way up to the hem of his pants.

Looking up again, looking for permission to keep going, she only sees Tango nod. Gem can’t help her smile, relishing in the feeling that he’s already speechless.

The second her lips are on him, Gem can feel him tense up. With a quick glance she can see his head tilted backwards, obviously trying to keep it together.

Nearly in a comforting way she rests a hand on his hip, but also to slightly pull his jersey up, exposing his soft stomach to her, including the patch of her that trails all the way down to where her other hand comes to rest.

Her pace is slow and she makes sure to get all the spit she can onto him before her hand starts to move in time with her tongue. Above her Tango groans, quiet whispers of her name leaving his lips like a prayer that only serve to spur Gem on more.

His one hand helps him keep balance, the other lands on her shoulder, gently rubbing over her skin with his thumb, as if to ground himself.

Gem is ready to give it her all. She didn’t go into this night with any plans or expectations other than making Tango feel good. Loved.

So when Tango tries to pull back she only stops but doesn’t pull off.

“Gem.”, Tango’s plea is met with a devious lick over his tip, causing him to shiver.

“Gem. I want to taste you.”, he practically begs her, looking down with furrowed brows, the grip on her shoulder tenser now.

Despite him catching her so effortlessly on the ice, Gem had not expected Tango to just lift her onto the back, her back hitting the mattress, her red hair splaying out across the pillows.

Before a single noise escapes her, his lips are on hers, his beard scratching slightly on her cheeks and she can’t wait to feel the same scratch on her thighs.

They only part long enough for Tango to pull Gem’s sweater over her head, his glasses placed onto the nightstand, then his lips crash against her again with an endearing amount of enthusiasm.

She helps him kick off her skirt and underpants in swift motions leaving her only in her bra for now.

The exposed feeling doesn’t last long when Tango firmly plants one hand on her hip, the other trailing lower, stopping just short, earning him a frustrated whine.

“You sure you want this?” Tango asks, making sure. Like he always does, with everything.

“I thought you wanted to return the favor.” Gem’s words are teasing but her voice wavers just a slight bit. “God yes, I want this, Tango”

Not needing any further invitation his hand travels lower, thumb brushing over her clit, already taking in every hitch of her breath, every noise Gem lets through.

At least they are both impatient, as Tango can’t keep the slow pace up. He lowers his head, kissing her stomach, all the way down while his free hand slowly inserts a finger. 

Tango’s mouth finds her clit, tongue brushing over her in slow laps.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she notices the gentle burn of his beard as it scratches the sensitive skin on her thighs but it only adds to the pleasure.

Her body twitches sensitively as Tango works her. “Please, more.” 

The pleasure is already building, as Tango replaces his fingers with his tongue and Gem has to keep herself from wrapping her legs tightly around his head, only to feel more of him.

Instead her hands needily grab at Tango, holding onto the sleeves of his jersey before needing to pull him closer, feel more of him.

Since she can’t move her hips she opts for placing a hand on his head, feeling his warm skin and the soft stubble of the short shaved hair under her palm as she pulls him closer. The muffled groan against her only makes her moan louder.

“Tango. Please”, Gem moans and even the firm hand on her hip can’t stop her from grinding herself down on his tongue as the pleasure crashes over her body.

Gem is still shuddering as Tango’s tongue stills slowly, letting her lead through this.

When the pull of her hand eases on the back of his head, Tango pulls away and Gem can see him take a deep breath. She can also see how the entire lower half of his face is covered in her slick. God she needs this man to bend her over immediately.

But first she greedily leans forward, stealing a kiss from him, tasting herself on his tongue. Tango kisses her back with the force of a starving man. 

“I need you. Please. Fuck me.” Hearing Gem beg so directly kicks Tango into action immediately. 

“How do you want it?” And before Gem can even find the words to reply, she moves onto her hands and knees. Without any further words, Tango understands. He kicks the rest of his pants off, from where they were hanging at his knees, before he is immediately behind Gem, his back pressed against hers.

“Get your legs a bit further apart for me”, he requests and Gem obliges. A moment later she feels him slowly push in, her slick and his spit more than enough.

Both groan and Gem feels Tango push a bit more of his weight onto her back, just for a moment as he adjusts to the feeling of her. He is warm behind her, soft hair on his chest tickling against her back ever so slightly.

“Can I move?” Tango asks,his mouth close enough to her ear so she can feel his breath. Gem can definitely feel his beard against her neck and shoulder. 

“Yeah”, her voice comes out strained with need.

Tango’s thrusts are slow but firm, his one arm wrapping around her waist, as if to hold her closer, while the other supports himself. After a few moments the hand moves from her stomach down to her clit. Gem can hear his breath hitch every time she clenches around him. Her moans only encourage him further.

Every groan in her ear matches his movements and she can already feel his pace picking up, his thrusts getting harder, deeper.

“Not gonna last long like this. Can you-” another groan. “Can you ride me? I wanna see your face when I cum.” His voice is hoarse, maybe from eating her out, maybe from restraint. Either way she can’t say no to him like this, so she nods.

After a few more thrusts, Gem pushing back into him, Tango pulls out. The second Gem turns around he pulls her close, having her straddle his lap as he sits on the bed.

Before she can lower herself down, he stops her. Tango’s hand moves slowly up and down, stroking himself as he stares at her, his mouth hanging slightly open, his breathing heavy. “Your bra… Please.”

He doesn’t even need to say more, Gem’s hands already opening the clasp and removing the last bit of fabric. Another groan, this one higher in pitch, escapes him, brows furrowed as he reaches out, stopping just short of touching her breast.

Gem laughs. “You can touch me. I want you to touch me”

She makes sure Tango can hear the way her breath hitches when he brushes his thumb over her nipple. “You’re so beautiful.“

Gem leans down to kiss him and finally he pulls her forwards with ease, so she can lower herself down onto his member. Again they both groan as Gem fully lowers herself and their hips meet. 

As if he can’t wait for her to move, his hands guide her, once they find her hips again, even if Gem doesn’t need the help, her daily morning runs have prepared her for this moment.

The feeling of his palms is nice though.

They kiss again, both moaning into it with every move. Gem’s hands wrap around Tango’s shoulders, not letting him pull away the first time, only when he tries again a few seconds later. “‘m close.” His words come out mumbled. “Can I cum inside of you?” The plea is broken by a groan.

Gem takes in his face, his eyes lidded, barely open enough to see her. His lips are parted as he’s breathing heavily, groaning. His eyes rake over her entire body, her hips where they meet his, her soft but trained stomach. The swell of her breasts and the way they bounce with every bit of movement.

“Cum inside me”, half command, half request and she can just see Tango break. The hands on her grip just a bit tighter as she feels him twitch inside her. 

Tango kisses her again, making her swallow all his noises as he spills himself into her.

When they part, both are panting. Gem is smiling, letting herself sink against Tango whose arms wrap around her, pulling her off himself and into the bed.

Endearingly, he peppers her face with kisses while Gem catches her breath. “Cuddles or cleaning up first?” He asks, immediately ready to make sure Gem is comfortable.

“I don’t think I want to move any time soon.” She laughs softly, turning towards Tango, trying to ignore the stickiness between her legs and the way it pools onto the bed.

Tango brushes a strand of hair out of her face before asking, “Anything else? Water? A towel?” But Gem just pulls him closer. 

“I want you to shut up and just cuddle me.” Her words lack any bite with the smile on her face. He pulls her closer, letting her head rest against his chest.

Gem stays the night.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been a bit over a month since the night of Tango’s game and after grabbing their usual Tuesday coffee, they planned to head to their usual ice rink.

They’ve been doing a lot of small activities like that. Two weeks ago they went and played minigolf, and despite Tango mentioning that he has played golf before, Gem did beat him by a margin.

“More of a different sport than you thought, huh?”, she teases him with a victorious smile.

But today they just want to take it easy, so ice skating it is.

Neither of them can help themselves though when Gem leans in close and quietly challenges him, “I bet you I’m faster. From here to the board.”

Tango’s grey eyes meet her gaze and he smiles, dramatically pulling the cap lower into his face. “You’re on. Loser buys drinks?”

She counts them down and a few seconds later Gem cheers herself on in victory as she breaks only inches away from the wall.

Tango joins her there, just a second or so later. He’s getting better at this. “Might eventually outpace me”, Gem notes but of course he only shakes his head.

“Only if you let me win. Alright, drinks. Coffee?” Tango is smiling and leaves when Gem nods.

Turning around, arms resting on the board, she looks at his back, walking over to the small stall selling fast food and drinks, still in his skates.

There is a fond fluttering in her chest as she watches him. A feeling that hasn’t gone away in the last few months since they got closer.

When he returns he hands her the cup, shorter than her like this, not on the ice. With the few inches she has on him, Gem leans down and her lips meet his.

[freakinator]

new s6 zam ref

so his fit was originally a lazily-worn yukata (inspired by gintoki sawada) but unfortunately 1. his belt is seen all the way around which isnt really possible for that style and 2. idt it really fits his character all that well

i couldnt really think of any other fit that fit him at the time tho so i just kinda dealt with it but then i remembered these things exist so i decided to change it

translation:

step 1: tapis (wrap [clothing])

step 2: malong (long cylindrical fabric that can be used as a dress or skirt)

step 3: tie the malong (so it wont drag on the dirt/ground)

step 4: cloth belt (tie at the back)

step 5: copper belt with rope

step 6: put on the jewellery

[raindropren]

Canon overall patches,,, i'm so happy :D

A target(confusing) and some pastel traffic light hearts(classic) <3

cuute :]

[bnyukani]

Today I offer you Semi-Chibi sebek.. tomorrow who knows

Kind of brainstorming for Ramshackle uniform and how different Students and Dorm leaders fit would be? Like end of the day dorm leader uniforms are just little bit different versions of the regular uniform (expect Riddles but thats cuz riddle modified it)

The basic insp for the Ramshackle uniform is foulfellow/honest john with his fancy clothes(that are patched) but instead I wanted it to be raincoat themed because ramshackle is well.. ramshackled there must be a roof leak somewhere haha, Other insps were ramshackles ghosts and lil bit of crowley..

[me-gems]

Hello tumblr, I come bearing Perry fusion concepts. Names might not be final.

Prehnite: Lilac Pearl and Perry fusion. A little morose, a little tsundere. Did a version with tights and one with socks, but I like the socks one better I think (since Lilac and Perry both have tights, it makes sense to give Prehnite tights too, but the idea that one of their tights translated to shorts and the other's translated to socks is a cute idea. Plus I think it just looks better.) Might curl her hair just a bit more in the final version.

Variscite: Turquoise and Perry fusion. Very indignant, and pretty arrogant; holier-than-thou, even. Perry's annoyance towards Turquoise brings out both his components' sets of eyes, lol. Has scientist vibes. Might make the colours a tad more blue in the final version.

Diopside: Plum Spinel and Perry fusion. I imagine them being like a radical 80s/90s cartoon. Very loud and proud. They've got sharp teeth, lots of freckles, and sick shades. I forgot to incorporate Plum's pigtails somehow, but maybe they just disappear for this fusion. The design is pretty busy already...

[yupphire]

falsesymmetry crumbs for gemcyt; lore in tags

[stygiansauce]

the hockey rpf fandom in ranchers hockey au has got to be feral and insane (maybe thats too meta, but you talked about their twitter fanbase not expecting their rivalry to be gay, and i just looked at my hockey-rpf-writing mutual's posts and thought...well maybe not the *twitter* stans, but...)

-🐦‍⬛

Hi Crow anon! (my emojis are being odd so either hi crow, or hi birdie, or hi new friend black bird?)

the RPF stans in the sports community are doing more than I could ever try to do. I have a level of respect for them for being able to thrive in those conditions. I will take their name in some form of honor and portray them in hockey au.

I like the idea of there being an rpf stan war about whether or not the ranchers are gay for eachother or not. Jimmy doesn't hide who he likes but its also never been explicitly said that he likes dudes. and Tango doesn't tell the media shit about himself other than where he got his degree and what his weigh in was before a game. Half of the media (the sports magazines that dont really know what theyre talking about) think Tango is with Gem (very tired, very gay, media agent) and call it a day. Gem laughs at this because like, no? thats one of her many dads on this team? her dads that she has to monitor their facebooks posts and make sure don't dox themselves? the guys that don't have any media training outside of "talk about the game"? thats sooo funny, no shes not dating Tango. and when Gem gets a better job offer with the southland canaries, and is urged by her many dads to take it, she becomes the new media manager across town. and she meets THAT shit show a team, that actually use their media and she has to basically put parental locks on Jimmy's twitter. She's so exited for her new job and she smiles at this new team and opens her preliminary file from the last media agent and is in awe. what do you mean Jimmy has three stan accounts? Martyn has tumblr and uses it regularly to terrorize the fans? Grian please explain the "why mumbo is the worst ref" public groupchat with over four thousand people????? She has her work cut out for her.

[theeldritchgemsau]

Another question about Pink’s gem, if we can see it though his back, does that mean it’s flat in front? Usually, in other AUs and such, the pink gem sticks out a little bit in front and we can’t see it through their back. It’s kind of hard to explain without a visual but hopefully you can get what I’m trying to say.

I think I just realized that after all of these years, I never POSTED Eckhart, White, and Pink's model reference sheets! AHHHHHH-

I'm redoing them anyway, but I'm posting these because of the lore section- The discord server had a frenzy trying to decode/guess everything when I posted them there. They were quite successful!

Now its a little outdated with some current lore, but you guys will get the jist of it.

If you look at all of my content- I loooove to hide messages and stuff in the backgrounds.

I'll post a screenshot of the X-ray board from the HAY MEME animation I did years ago now.

[sand-stinger]

do what she says.

[pyrolizard413]

A little piece of the small-town Wild Life AU I've been brewing✨ The town of "historic" Willdale Cliffs, a backwater logging and mining town— that nearly every resident has abandoned. Even tourists don't stop for a break, advised by locals in the surrounding cities to never leave their car, not even for gas. Strangely, the remaining residents of Willdale seem friendly! They're good-natured and cheerful, if a little eccentric— and there's talk of an amusement park being built within town limits to try and revitalize the place. It can't be that bad! All that nonsense about "curses" and "hauntings" is just superstitious bullshit. Probably.

[jaypilledsquared]

"I wouldn't wanna cross paths with her" -my design teacher watching me draw this

[blizzardtheartisticfox]

I Drew Etho With Abs Because Gem Told Me To