Aiden Pearce (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_vigilante) wrote2020-05-04 05:10 pm
the_vigilante) wrote2020-05-04 05:10 pm
inbox_wanted with a bounty on my head
_INBOX
text / audio / video / action
chances are you dialed this number by mistake. if so, hang up now. if you're trying to find me, you're not going to, so hang up now. there won't be a beep.
code credit
encrypted text ; number reads 0X0
So, is it a kitsune thing or a trickster thing? Maybe a seducer or someone a little too obsessed with Pokémon, only Vulpix isn't as mysterious as 'Fox'.
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[Aiden's mind goes to DedSec and the Daves, next, then. he doesn't think they'd be so casual with him, considering he blew their one chance at a backdoor into ctOS, because they happened to ask for it at the wrong time, even if it was the only time. they'd have no problem encrypting a text, though, and maybe this is an olive branch. he doesn't think so, but it's a possibility, unlike Ray, who's definitely off the table, even if this is absolutely his jam. he actually still has Ray's number saved; there wouldn't be a mystery here, if it was him]
[so -- who? who does that leave? an outside player is all he can think of, maybe someone working for Blume, and he really doesn't like it much. he doesn't want to get caught with his pants down, later, either, in ignoring the text, and so, his paranoia getting the better of him, he pulls up his hacking app and starts trying to decrypt the source of the text. if he can find out where whoever it is sent it from, he might be able to figure out who it is, period]
Wrong number.
[unfortunately, he might need a couple more text, to chase this thread]
Who's this?
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_november_action / _WhenIWentThroughTheWorstICameOutBetter.exe
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She was six years old, and he wakes up gasping, soaked in his own sweat, despite the cold.
On reflex, he reaches his his gun, tucked away safely in the nightstand. It's a bit of a shock, when he finds it's not there, and he swings his legs out of bed, about to get to his feet, to go look for it, to deal with whoever the fuck has his gun, because clearly someone broke in a took it. He remembers, just short of standing, that his weapons are in Ray's room, for the time being, just in case. No one wanted to run the risk of him blowing his brains out, and despite the fact that that ship seems to have sailed, he hasn't reclaimed his things yet. Probably for the best, right now, haunted again by the ghost of his niece's eyes.
Blowing out a breath, he sinks back into the bed, and just sits there, head lowered, eyes closed. If he's realized he's not alone, he can't find it in himself to care, at the moment.
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_january_text / IOnlyWantSympathyInTheFormOfYouCrawlingIntoBedWithMe.pdf
Are you busy?
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[and if he was, he will be deliberately not, right now, for her]
Why? What's up?
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Ends ~ 5:58
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Be Good Children Event / action - lmk if this works?
He had lived through the Depression, and the War and a particular prison camp. He knows the signs of dehydration and lack of food too intimately well. The lethargy, sunken eyes, dried lips. None of it passes his notice, even if he doesn't know everyone involved. He can hazard enough guesses, and knows how it feels.
He can't stand it, watching it, knowing it. And the last thing he's ready to do is venture after Barbas himself, likely risking worse punishment for everyone. No, that wouldn't do.
Instead, he does what he can and sneaks food from meals. As he has a house, and helps in the kitchens, he takes food then, too. Then, on the days he doesn't go out to Hellburbia, he leaves food in Natalia's suite, maybe makes a meal intended to stretch. And above all, when he can tell one of Natalia's suitemates is suffering, he puts together what he can.
He's a little paranoid, not completely convinced Barbas won't somehow find out, even in the suite, looking around him when he knocks on Aiden's door, a sandwich tucked away in a pocket inside his jacket, and a bowl of soup (it's not much, but it's something) in one hand.
it absolutely does
Either way, he startles at the knock on his door, then hesitates for a moment after, half-expecting demons to pour in and grab him. He relaxes when it seems no one will be just bursting in, and without getting up then, calls, "Yeah." A beat. "It's open."
He wasn't doing much, just cleaning one of his guns, to keep his hands busy, to keep from falling asleep.
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voicemail.
It's Elena. This is not a mistake and I am not hanging up.
[ she is the most stubborn person alive, aiden, you just wait and see. ]
I'm worried about you. When you get this, when you're able — please get back to me?
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[it takes four or five days, between the lashings and his time in solitary, but]
Hey.
[he sounds exhausted]
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Be Good Children - Just the beast under your bed, in your closet, in your head
He all but shoulders the door open, spinning to check behind the door before he turns his attention to Aiden. It doesn't take long for him to realize it's nothing physical - or nothing he can shoot, at least - and he lowers the gun and reaches out with his free hand for Aiden's ankle.
"Aiden. Aiden, brother, hey, wake up," he says quietly but firmly as he squeezes lightly, moving out of the light coming in through the door to let it into the room.
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It's about that time that he realizes who, exactly, he has his sights set on, and he relaxes all at once then, lowering the gun he'd brought up when he'd gotten a hand on it. A moment of silence follows, Aiden closing his eyes briefly, tightly, and then he mutters, "Jesus."
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don't let me drown in this room_
"How you feeling?" Aiden asks, watching him carefully. He's pretty sure he can trust the drugs here as far as he could trust any of the drugs in Hell, but even for all of the uncertainty in their relationship right now, he doesn't want to see Ray sick or worse. More, he doesn't know what to expect beyond that, to know how long it takes to take effect or how strong it will come on.
Turns out the answer is 'not long' and --
-- well, it starts easily enough, Ray likely starting to come aware of the weight of the trench coat on Aiden's shoulder, as if the thing had been draped over his own, the press of his gun at his hip, the baton against his thigh, albeit a little more distantly so, in that case, for all that the thing's in his pocket. The feeling grows, solidifies, brings with it the sense of Aiden's pulse in his ears and a sense of almost-unpleasant warmth on the top his head, the hat trapping his body heat there. It builds beyond that, faster now, an avalanche beginning, tightening in Ray's chest as he starts to get a sense of the myriad of emotions Aiden is carrying.
He hurts, the pain borne of a hundred different things. The fact that Ray didn't think to tell him he almost died stings; the fact that Ray thinks he deserves it more so, for how much he honestly believes Ray didn't, hoping for collateral damage or otherwise. The idea that he wasn't there, wasn't there to save him, cuts even more, and there's a flare of hate for who they become, who he becomes, two years from now, apparently. (Traitor, traitor, where the fuck was he? He should have let Nicky go. Ray needed him. Fuck.) A whisper of fear threads through, beyond, that if Ray didn't tell him about that, there are other things he'll keep from him. He trusts Ray to tell him the relevant things, still, things that might get one or both of them killed in the long run, but what if he's keeping his hurt to himself? (He has to be. Ray's dealt with a lot of his shit without expressing any of this own, and God knows this place breeds hurt, trauma, more. What if it gets to be too much and Ray breaks because of it? (He can't lose him like that anymore than he can stand the thought of losing him physically. Why won't Ray trust him, talk to him?) Why won't Ray let him help? (Help.) He loves him, fuck, but he loves him, even if he's terrible at saying it. (Hey.) He's afraid they're going to lose each other now, tonight, because nothing is sure, still, they're not out of the woods, and they'll have died with bad blood between them. (You should never go to bed angry.) He's afraid he's going to lose him beyond, because he can't seem to make himself clear in any of the arguments he and Ray have had, thus far, can't seem to make him understand how much he means to him, and he hates every motherfucker who ever made Ray feel so unimportant that he doesn't understand he's the world. He hates himself, his future self, that much more, for not being able to communicate that any better than he can now, even two years later. (He should know, he should know.)
And the beat goes on. And Aiden weathers it all, has been weathering it all with a straight face, at best, or an angry one, at worst. He's never been good at expressing himself, his feelings.
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"This is some..." he begins - but then that, too, is cut off as the rush of emotions starts to fill him.
Ray stops, swallowing a few times, gaze going far away. It's a wave that almost takes his feet from under him, does take the breath from him, and he swallows hard, reaching up to swipe at his eyes as his own emotion partnered with what he's feeling from Aiden overflows - and then he steps forward, bringing up both hands to plant one of them on Aiden's shoulder, the other cupping the back of his neck.
He opens his mouth once, starting to speak - and then he tries again. This time, he manages, his voice rough. "You are the...." he begins, squeezing Aiden's shoulder tightly, trying to literally hold on to his composure. "You are the first person that's meant a goddamn thing to me in... I don't know. Since that shit happened. Said I wasn't gonna get attached, said I was just gonna use you to get my shit outta Blume, take care of your shit, and then get my happy ass outta Chicago. Damien mucking up my baby gave me an excuse to come back, but. He didn't..."
Ray swallows again, and the tears won't stop falling, now, and he's not even trying to wipe them away, now. "It was an excuse. Leaving in the first place was me being afraid, and me pushing anybody away is still me being afraid, and I'm... you know shit about me nobody else does already, and that scares the shit outta me on some levels, but I'm not... I'm not trying to keep anything from you. Not on purpose, and I'm sorry when I do. Talking about shit's not my strongest skill, but. If you can be patient with my stubborn old ass, I'll try and do better."
He trails off for a moment, looking down and shaking his head before he looks back at Aiden. He can't deal with this, can't begin to absorb all of that, but he's got to try. He misses Aiden, has missed him through this whole "argument", and he wants to clear things up for both their sakes.
"I don't get it," he says, finally. "I don't get why you decided this run-down, has-been code monkey was worth giving more than two shits about, but." He swallows again, one corner of his mouth lifting up in a smile. "You fucking know I'm glad you did, Aiden. You gotta. Because I love the hell outta you, man."
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Action ; _IknowyouaretheonlyoneAlittletasteofheavenYouknowIamtheonlyoneYourbittertasteofhell.docx
And yet, she's slipped into something starry and befitting, hair braided with metal and stars to match, because her fox wants to do recon. And knowing him, Aiden will rope her into doing something, be it winning a prize at some frivolous game or ride a precarious ride. So why not get dolled up?
The redhead emerges from her room while hiding a blade on her person, lips pursed in faux irritation in his direction. "What do you want to bet something happens? Besides my right to claim 'I told you so'?"
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He's practically expecting something to happen. That's part of why he wants to go. He'll feel terrible later, when something happens to them, to her. He's not trying to ask for trouble here -- he just doesn't want to be blindsided by it.
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" I..uhh... a little favor, I need you to look after Waverly for me." there is a pause there, " I have some business I need to take care of. Please? With cherries on top?" she knows Aiden isn't dumb, he knows the events that have happened. But part of her is just hoping he would leave it at that.
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That in mind, then, he doesn't start with anything resembling a proper hello when she answers the phone. Instead, he leads with, "What're you planning?"
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backdated text ; post-MamMom marriages 🕸️ _I'veGotLoveSongsInMyHeadKillingUsAway
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[he doesn't think Ray would have said anything to her, but]
→ audio ;
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Before Spirits Awaken in the Depths (September 2021)
After showering and dressing, red hair contained with a white bow the same size as the outfit's, she calls out for Aiden at the top of their home's stairs, a hand delicately resting on the barrister, ready to either text or send Liho out to locate him.
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Either way, when he spots her, he asks, "You yell for me?"
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post spirits awaken; un: earp
well that was a shit show, wasn't it?
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[he's rattled enough, in fact, that he's taken to hiding behind the armor of Being a Hardass. which is probably why there's a long pause before he texts again, because it doesn't occur to him to be pleasant or make small talk]
You go through all the ghost shit, too?
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_There'sNoEscapeForMe_ ItWantsMySoul_ItWantsMyHeart.json
If there's a Bingo card for Hell alterations, then someone may have won on mine if they were able to use the freebie square.
[ Because she's suddenly gone from one to four, in total. ]
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[he gets that that means that something else has happened, something else has changed, but he's not putting together that it was more than just one thing. you'll have to forgive his inability to make the logical leap there. he's distracted. he's working like a madman to try and find and stop the Order. he can't go through all that again. he can't]
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Welcome To The Neighborhood event ; 11.21
I get tired of explaining
As these seasons keep on changing"
Natalia catches Bucky departing from his home around the time that Lord Barbie moves in, and judging from body language alone, she doesn't think he's simply going about his day. After a few tersely exchanged texts, it's revealed that Barnes is temporarily moving into the hotel. With his spouses. She offers to watch his home in his stead (though it's a begrudging offer) and then fills Aiden in on said decision.
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He's not opposed to camping out in Bucky's house with her, if she wants company. He promises he'll be good tagalong, too, and not touch anything, much as he may or may not want to. He wouldn't want someone going through his shit, if he had to ask for that kind of favor, after all.
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Post-Striking the Hammer; 01.22
It's been a day or two since the spell broke for Natalia, three at most, when she feels like she’s in a place enough to catch up on things other than recovery and rescue. Updating a list of who remains Inside, who has been brought back. Seeing how the returned are holding up since regaining their true selves. And there are conversations that need to be had, both about things within the bubble and things from before. Because before Talia tried to be a double-agent, someone else had argued and begged for another way. And as the conversation took a drastic turn in another direction, it had ended badly. The redhead can think of a few certain individuals who deserve to know that things with Bucky are no longer stable, and for that, Natalia moves through the house in search of Aiden. However, she hasn't had the energy or motivation to to get dressed.
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He looks up when she enters, however, and when it seems she's looking for him, tucks a marker into his book and sets it aside. "Hey."
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Be careful how you lick your wounds
Come to the room. Please.
[Message sent, he drags himself up and out of the room Mordecai left him in. His head swims and his stomach roils as he gets upright, feeling the after effects of the torture and whatever Mordecai dosed him with, and he stumbles toward the elevator. He knows he's leaving bloody smears on the walls, but he wouldn't be the first, and all he can focus on right now is keeping on his feet.]
[He practically falls through the door of the suite they've been squatting in since they've been locked out of their house in Hellburbia, trying to make his way to the bathroom.]
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T-Bone, hey.
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text; a few days after the feast when she's back to normal
she went into hiding again after the spell broke.
(she means waverly, of course. )
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You know where she went?
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Text during Roses Are Red event - auctions ; 02.22
[ Because Teddy is drugged with aphrodisiacs. Because that blonde bastard will hunt them...her down. ]
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Where?
[he'd rather the check-in be face-to-face]
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text | @angelpants | somewhere around the february tdm
She's not if it's still the fragility coming out of Hellburbia, or if it's just not feeling like dying today, but she opts for a text instead.]
I'm fine. I heard you were looking for me.
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[another part still is worried about her, regardless, for all that he knows she was in Hellburbia. another part is just fucking tired of all of this -- it's been a long few months, and this is taking its toll on her just as much as anything else]
[finally, what he decides on is this:] Didn't think angels were supposed to be able to lie.
[he calls bullshit on her being fine]
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Backdated to after the auction
[He lets Aiden avoid him for a couple of days, gives his husband some space - but when it's clear Aiden intends to keep avoiding him, he waits until he sees Aiden come home - and then he follows him into the kitchen.]
You planning to talk to me again anytime soon?
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[back to Ray, he closes his eyes briefly, exhaling a breath. he doesn't turn to face him]
Depends.
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'Dark shadows of an evil mind // God, he would be amused // To see you at my feet!'
She manages to get off a warning text to Aiden before departing the scene of violence.
Fought broke out. OMW
Natalia hadn't been in contact since their last text and yet it's not such a drastic turn of events considering the context of their previous conversation. She returns bruised, bloodied, disheveled. Her sweater dress is torn (the belt is gone) and stained with more than just her blood. Fucking Rogers's is on there for sure, possibly Squalo's. Talia enters with a slight limp, waiting for the serum to do its fucking job and heal the excessive wreckage done. Unable to speak because he tried choking her to death, she grunts and rages with a hoarseness becoming of a damaged throat, throwing random things around the apartment in a rare display of emotional distress, of unchecked animosity and visceral anger. Natalia is seething. They almost killed him. How she wishes they had, that they could again and again and again.
Not everyone deserves to be here.
Steve Fucking Rogers does.
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"Talia," he starts, gently, when she takes to throwing things around.
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Late April-ish
But in any case, Aiden is escorted into the cell with a guard demon who lingers at the doorway, just in case something stupid happens before release. "Think you can leave some duct tape over his mouth?" is muttered before Aiden is left alone with him.
Fitz sits at the edge of his cot and gives a nod in greeting. This doesn't have to be tense, he thinks. It's just a regular sort of fitting.]
I'd like to examine the unit before you lock it in. If you don't mind.
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[he waits, then, that said, until the demon is gone, before moving towards Fitz. despite that little exchange, though, he's at least trying to keep his body language nonthreatening. he really doesn't want to have to beat Fitz's ass, if and when he spooks him and he tries something stupid, or decides he doesn't want to cooperate, or -- ]
[or that]
[Aiden pauses in step, frowning at the question]
Why? So you can try and figure out how to take it apart?
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Backdated 2022 birthday ;
It was not a hasty decision, nor one without many a back and forth. Talia had been mulling it over for some time now, testing it out, tasting it.
When Aiden's birthday approached at last based off the humanmade time the sinners clung to keeping humanmade, she had, at last, landed on going with it. It still wasn't paper-official, but it was just one more step towards it. His name claimed a rib. His ring would now , occasionally, claim her right finger.
Natalia waited for Aiden in their freshly restored home, relaxing in the new hammock she'd constructed. She languidly pushed the thing to swing with Liho and Ton wedged in beside her, wearing the Chicagoan's favorite dress, barefoot and hair spreading like fire behind her. Her smile was small, simple, and content, eyes closed and vocals humming one of the lullabies he taught her.
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Either way, it doesn't take him long to spot her, and he approaches with a smile that only grows as he registers what she's humming. "M'I interrupting something?"
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text - un:whitewolf
[Bucky's obnoxiously short at the best of times, sometimes, but yes, he's even more taciturn than usual on this one.]
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I'll be waiting.
[and he will, with a couple of beers]
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It has been years now since Hell has been redone and made even greater than ever before. And you, my prized guest, have made it twenty-four months in your journey towards redemption. I know that there have been bumps along the way and we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I do wish to show my gratitude. Together, we will all leave Hell one day.
I have handpicked gifts specifically for you to commemorate this anniversary. I do hope you enjoy them.
Yours,
Lucifer