#pthalo blue my beloved

[halfhumanhalfasleep]

hey y'all have some art

[puddimilk]

pthalo blue my beloved  💕

[dragonstoravens]

Babylon Vol. 1: Accidents Happen, Never Too Late for a Disaster

[ID: a blue patterned banner with text reading “BABYLON.” End ID.]

(These are the final two chapters of Babylon book 1! After this we’re going to take a break until after the new year, and pick up posting book 2 then. Keep an eye out for updates, enjoy any holidays you may celebrate and whatever time off you may get either way, and I hope you enjoy the culmination of One Entire Book Of Dumbasses.)

Taglist (ask to be added or removed!): @charlottedotexe​ @glitterandstarshine​ @rainbowcoloreddays​ @the-starlight-chills​ @erased-in-stone​

General: @elywritesbydarkness @residentofthedisc @humour-and-hyperfocus @skyfirewrites @viawrites-andacts​

22. Accidents Happen

    A little laugh wasn’t usually too much to pay to buy some time to not have to talk. Azure smiled at the scrawny balding man to her left and leaned back into Trinity as far as she could without bumping him, trying as hard as she could to not make it obvious she did not actually find him funny really at all. Trinity was funny. Trinity made jokes and had wit galore. Trinity could single-handedly make her break character in less than three words. This man had none of that, and his voice sounded a little bit like a dying frog to boot. She flashed another smile and gave another carefully crafted titter before reaching her hand to touch the carafe of water on the table. Coincidentally, it was at the same moment Trinity did the same.

    Their hands brushed past each other, her small calloused hand meeting his larger, softer one for just a moment as they each sought the glass. Azure felt a jolt up her arm, followed by the now-familiar burn of blood rising to her cheeks. She’d held his hand before, fingers intertwined as they entered an event or clasped gingerly in a dance. There was something foreign about touching him casually and without planning or forethought. Something she just hadn’t quite gotten used to yet. Every move had been executed with all intentions known from the start, every touch had purpose and use. The cheek kisses were marking territory and the hand holding was to keep her from getting lost in the sea of people. Linking arms was for showing her off to mothers with too many children and a hand on the small of her back or her hip was to keep the lechers off her when she wasn’t busy keeping the harpies off him. 

    It didn’t help much that if she wasn’t careful to know when she was about to have physical contact and what kind and for how long, it made her nigh-useless. Perry had one time accidentally snuck up on her-- she’d been distracted with something-- and began playing with her hair. She’d become so jumpy the rest of that day she’d needed a sedative from Pthalo to sleep. She didn’t want to know what that would do to her if it was Trinity, the way she’d been lately. She likely wouldn’t sleep for a week. Her productivity in the workshop would grind to a halt.

    She glanced up at him, the strong jawline and the green eyes that beckoned her to never look away. She then immediately looked away, not wanting to broadcast her emotions on her face, and retracted her hand, nudging the carafe to his hand from the opposite side. She focused on everything but his hand, how smooth and soft she knew it was when it was laced with hers. The blush on her cheeks remained mild, nearly unnoticeable. Somewhere nearby someone told a joke, and she faked another laugh. Trinity poured her more water. She nodded in appreciation. She wanted to hold his hand. She’d probably get to later, on the way through the throngs of humanity to get to the car. 

    The thought soothed her, knowing that in the future she’d know exactly what would happen. The events always followed the same pattern, one that she could predict and plan for. She could fake this if she knew when it would happen, could swallow the leaping of her heart and the daydreaming. She might even be able to fake her way out of the feelings, train herself to never think about the implications of tucking her head neatly in the crook of his neck while they danced so she could whisper under the music, or the gentle smile he gave her to reassure her when she got nervous at the beginning of every dinner. She could ignore them and bury them until they died. She only saw Trinity once a month, maybe twice at absolute most if there was an update or maintenance he needed. Plenty of time in between to forget she’d ever had a feeling to begin with and return to that beloved state of platonic understanding. 

    She sipped her water, glancing at him again from the side, satisfied with her plan. As long as these things remained single nights at a time with space between, she could smother this feeling easily. Toss herself into work right afterwards every time. He hated these things still, and he’d never WANT to go to one overnight even if an opportunity did present itself. Yes, she thought, setting her glass down, I’m safe from that. Safe from seeing his face as he slept and witnessing him getting ready for bed. She could have shivered at the idea. That would throw a wrench in the whole thing.

    Good thing she was absolutely certain she would never have to worry about it.

23. Never Too Late For A Disaster

    “It’s an overnight trip. Four days, I think-- over a whole weekend.” 

    Azure could practically hear his gritted teeth and consternated expression through the phone. The phone call was strange enough on its own-- She and Trinity usually texted, or did a video chat. If they called, she was almost always the one to initiate it. She could hear his footsteps pacing back and forth as he continued. “And it’s important. I was asked to go to this one directly by my employer. He won’t be attending, but I have business to take care of.” That would explain the stress in his voice. “It shouldn’t be anything you have to worry about. Any danger we can handle. But… it’s also a couples only event, which is why I haven’t been before. I mean couples only in the sense of we’re going to be one of the few pairs there who aren’t engaged or married. Camilla and I have been together long enough to get invited, but…” 

    On the other end of the line, Trinity was struggling to find the right words. After all this time, he felt like he was right back at the beginning, asking his friend to go with him to one of these stupid things in the first place. It still felt a little like he was taking advantage of her kindness for some sort of overdone closeness that he was missing, using her friendship for something more. It itched at him, churning in his chest. “We’re going to have to sell it. More than usual.”

    At the mere mention of an overnight trip, Azure’s mouth went dry. She found herself grateful that he’d called but wishing desperately he’d texted so that she had time to make a joke or something. She wanted so badly to not want to go, to laugh at it and tease him for not having a better option than her this whole time, but instead she was, of all the terrible terrible feelings in the world, excited.

    And then he said they’d have to sell it, and she was worried again. About his reputation and her poor defenseless heart. She sighed, more exhausted than she intended to sound.

    “We have no option, huh?” Her voice was clipped, pitched higher than usual. He recognized it: she was nervous as all hell. “Four days? As in overnight three times?”

    “Yes.” He sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry. I can find a way around-- maybe I can still do it alone. Or I can find a way to handle my business besides on the cruise. He can’t argue if the work still gets done…”

    Her dumbass heart still hadn’t gotten with the program her brain was trying to send out, and she spoke before she could think. “I mean listen, what’s a weekend cruise in the name of keepin’ your boss off your back?” The answer was the fact that she was now absolutely screwed and needed a new “get over Trinity before he figured her out and never spoke to her again” plan because this was not going to help. God, and it was a cruise? The thought of all that water made her cringe, knowing full well she’d be spooked half to death the whole time. But there was no way she could let him go it alone. There was resignation in her voice, tinged with something else. Frustration, maybe? “It’ll be fine, I’ll sit in your lap once or twice and pretend to plant one on ya or somethin’ and it’ll be squared away right as rain. If it’s all gooey couples they’ll be too busy thinking about each other to pay too much attention to us.”

    “S-sure.” In his living room, Trinity finally managed to stop pacing, forcing himself to agree with her. He wasn’t about to objectify his friend just at the thought of spending a few nights together and cuddling a bit in public, he told himself sternly. He just hoped that somehow, maybe, there’d be two beds in whatever little suite they were given on the ship. Or at least a couch. “Well, if you’re sure… I’m sure your brother will be delighted to outfit us for that whole time. I’ll come to pick you up at the end of the week?”

    Azure nearly dropped her receiver. That was not enough time for her to convince herself that this would not be a big deal. Her tongue felt like it took up her entire mouth. It was already Tuesday. “He loves a deadline. I’ll tell him to keep it kind of casual, I’m sure he’ll still find a way to expose my whole ass instead of just most of it to the entire boat anyway though.” She managed to inject her joke with the appropriate cheerful tone, but the idea of her being nearly naked in that high-fashion way and Trinity perceiving her with his real, actual eyes at the same time made her feel a sickly sweet sort of nervous. She had told him how she felt about the high slits her brother always cut into her gowns. It was a staple at this point, the signature that said it had been made especially for her. Crim claimed it made her look taller. She claimed he was an asshole. They were both right.

    The bit about swimsuits caught Trinity off guard somehow, though it really should have been obvious. This was a cruise, and yes, that’s how swimsuits tended to work. And that’s what she was planning to sit on his lap with. No wonder she sounded nervous. She was leered at enough at these events, she must be worried about what people would do-- what even he might be thinking. He hated the idea of himself becoming part of the problem, making an already difficult situation even harder for his friend just because she was pretty. “Don’t worry. I’m the one who’s asking you to go, so I’m not going ask you to do anything that makes you any more uncomfortable. You can always borrow a shirt of mine if your brother’s designs are a little... too much.” Or too little.

    She could hear him trying to be helpful, trying to reassure her in that practical way he did where he offered a solution to the problem he thought he was perceiving right as soon as he saw it. It would have worked, if that charming little solution didn’t make the war tattoo in her chest speed up even further, the battle between her heart wanting and her head screaming only getting more chaotic. His shirt. On her body. Probably with the fucking smell still on it? No, no thank you, she wanted to live at least another month or two.

    “...Azzy?” She said nothing. Trinity cleared his throat. “Az? Are you still there?”

    She squeaked, unaware she’d zoned out trying to remember that citrusy smell that hung around him. “Sorry, sorry, I was just tryin’ to think about how hard I should knock Crim on his ass if he makes even half an attempt at somethin’ nude ‘n sheer again,” she lied, “Thanks for the offer. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

    “Oh, I see.” Trinity frowned-- he wasn’t completely convinced. Then again, it wasn’t really any of his business what she thought about when they didn’t have the comms in. Just because Azzy was a truly bad liar didn’t mean he had to call her on it every time, especially not when she was this nervous. She liked her privacy. No need to invade it further. “So… Thursday, then?”

    “Sure thing. I’ll see you Thursday. L-”, She caught herself, cheeks flaring. Love you, bye was not the appropriate sign off. “-ater, bye!” 

    They hung up near simultaneously, and planets apart, rested their heads in their hands with twin groans. Somehow, they could both see the writing on the wall-- things were about to get a lot more complicated.

[halfhumanhalfasleep]

pthalo blue my beloved

why is it some of my best work is done on the scraps of other work