(no subject)

[tooprettytodie]

Valkyrie was more excited about this whole Rapture thing than she would ever admit. It was new and exciting and best of all it was dangerous. The dangerous part was what she was absolutely not admitting to anyone because she recognized that it probably wasn't healthy.

It didn't stop her from making plans with Jessica though to go explore the place. Jess was just as eager to go as she was, although she was more curious about what sort of technology and supplies were down there and where everyone was coming from. Which was, you know, sort of exciting in a boring way.

Before they were about to head down though, Valkyrie had something for Jess.

"I got this for you," she said, handing her a bundle wrapped in plain brown paper. "It's, um, an explorer outfit."

The crimson color had been a pain to match, especially since she had only seen Jessica's costume the once, but she was sure she was close. There were red cargo trousers with lots of pockets for storage, a red and white striped tank top, a matching jacket, and some red boots to top it all off. It had taken her forever to put the outfit together, mostly because it was a pain to find stuff in the right color and size as well as be flexible for all the acrobatics Jess might need to do. It was similar to Valkyrie's own outfit, only hers was in black and her trousers were a bit less practical and she had a katana slung across her back.

Comments

[notaparker]

Last time I was down in Rapture, I ended up with a punctured lung and achieved exactly nothing. Does that make me a sucker for punishment? Maybe. Probably at least a little, but I'm going to think of it as dusting myself off and trying again. It's better than sulking up here, and maybe I can do something, this time. And if there's a chance, I've got to try, that's how the whole deal works.

Besides, Valkyrie's probably going down there either way, and someone has to watch her back. It's a good back. Happy to watch it.

"An..." I say, raising my eyebrows at the idea, before sneaking a peak. "Gosh, you're good at this girlfriend thing. These are my colors!"

[tooprettytodie]

"Oh, are they?" Valkyrie asked, looking as nonchalant as possible. "Happy coincidence then."

You know, if a coincidence was the culmination of hours and hours of digging through the clothing box, pleading with and threatening it to give her what she needed. It was absolutely worth it though, because Jessica seemed to like it, and that was the entire point.

Valkyrie actually really liked doing things to make her girlfriend happy, go figure. That probably meant she was growing as a person or something.

"And I would like credit for the fact that despite wanting to have the outfit consist of tight trousers, I opted for something you'd like better and was far more practical."

[notaparker]

"Pockets," I breathe, letting the pants unroll so I can take a look at them and their, yes, non-tightness. Not that I have fundamental issues with tightness, what with the costume and all. I just don't consider it as essential as Valkyrie may.

"You have no idea how much I miss pockets when I'm in costume. No good for anything science-y or research-based, this is better, you're great." I lean forward to peck her on the cheek. "Now turn around so I can change."

[tooprettytodie]

Valkyrie beamed a smile at Jess, glad that she approved of the outfit. It was sort of fun having a girlfriend you could find awesome outfits for. Especially when Jessica was so cool about it.

"My kingdom for a mirror behind me," she said with a sigh as she turned around. She was only half joking though. Valkyrie wanted to peak, sort of. Besides the fact that it was not okay at all to spy on someone when they didn't want you to seem them sans clothing, she was a little afraid of the reaction she might have to seeing Jess in that sort of state.

Kissing Jess was good. It was awesome, actually. The problem of what to do with her hands? Not as awesome. You could only wrap them around someone's waist or neck so many times before that got boring. How did you transition to other areas? Would Jess be as hesitant about that as she was some other things?

She'd have to worry about those later though. Right now she was just going to try really, really hard not to think about what Jessica was doing behind her.

[notaparker]

"Your kingdom would need to also provide a blindfold, then," I say, but smiling a bit as I shuck my pants and put on the new ones, taking a moment to appreciate all the things I can put in the pockets before I get to the rest of it.

"I'm assuming this isn't you saying you disapprove of how I usually dress, bee tee dubs," I add. That's kidding, too, since I do assume so. It is admittedly not the most fitting mode of dress for wandering around an underground city where crazy powered-up lurkers might jump out at you.

Maybe there isn't an appropriate get-up for that that isn't, like... armor.

[tooprettytodie]

"My kingdom has a very healthy respect for different levels of modesty," Valkyrie said. She was only joking anyway. Not that she didn't want to see Jessica all... yeah. But it's not like she was all ready to bare it all.

"Nope, just me being the most fantastic girlfriend to you ever."

[notaparker]

"Well, you're pretty swell at it, no wonder they put you in charge of the kingdom," I say, shrugging into the jacket and taking stock. I wonder if it works with the rest of my stuff? It's a good jacket. I wish Maxxie or Olive were around to ask. Or... around, full stop.

"Okay, you can turn, witness the fruits of your labors."

[tooprettytodie]

"Damn, my fruits look good," Valkyrie said, giving a low whistle as she turned around and looked at Jess. The whistle had little to do with how the outfit looked and mostly just Jessica in general.

"Or maybe it's your fruits. You look really good though, as always. Feel like you're ready to go exploring?"

[notaparker]

"Eyes above the fruits, please," I say, with a primness that's mostly kidding. Partially kidding. I am genuinely unsure what proportion of kidding it is.

"Gimme a sec to-" I say, grabbing and sliding on the webshooters and then sticking some research gear in the ever-so-handy pockets, before saying, "-be ready. Ready. Creepy underwater city here we come."

[tooprettytodie]

"Your most desirable fruit to me has always been inside your head, Jess," Valkyrie reassured her. And it was true, which was nice because she knew it was pretty awful to lie to your girlfriend about something like that. Of course, the rest of Jessica's fruits were pretty awesome too.

"So what sort of crazy stuff do you think we'll find there? I only went down after everything happened last time to look for weapons and stuff."

[notaparker]

"You want to eat my brain," I say, shaking my head. "I knew it. I should have always- um, anyway. Actually, that is sort of what to expect. Creepy people in masks that seem like the brain-eating type. Some of them rampantly stealing my schtick by sticking to walls. Little children of the corn types jabbing needles in corpses. Big... needle theme, actually."

[tooprettytodie]

"Well, no one can say we go on boring dates," Valkyrie said, trying not to smile too much at the idea of all the crazy stuff they could see down there. Not that she was all that fond of needles, but danger and helping sounded awesome.

"Wait, why are the children doing that?"

[notaparker]

"It's hip with the kids?" I venture, with a faint shrug. "No, it's- they're kind of harvesting them because they're full of crazy-making superpower juice. I would like to emphasize the crazy-making at this point."

And maybe not mention that last time this happened I did actually end up jabbing myself with the stuff. Look, it seemed like the only option at the time, okay? Not that it even did me any good, as it turned out.

[tooprettytodie]

"Superpower juice?" Valkyrie said, suddenly a bit more interested now than she was a moment ago. Superpower juice sounds pretty interesting. She remembered hearing a bit about that last time, how it only worked down there, but it did work.

"Didn't tons of people inject themselves last time and get all sorts of abilities?"

[notaparker]

"...yeees," I say, wincing. Now I've done it. And I'm going to have to admit to it, too, I don't want to be the liar girlfriend. "All sorts of abilities and also all sorts of risks. I might have done it a bit."

[tooprettytodie]

"Wait, wait, wait," Valkyrie said, holding up a hand to stop Jessica from doing... well, from doing anything except what Valkyrie wanted her to do for the moment.

"Please tell me what you did with my girlfriend who mans the water table at parties and why you replaced her with a girl who shoots up to get special powers."

[notaparker]

"It was a bad idea! Sometimes I also have bad ideas, it just seemed less bad in the moment," I say, throwing up my hands. "There were crazy people in masks threatening everyone and spider-powers in a bottle, it seemed the thing to do. It probably wasn't the thing to do but it seemed like the thing to do."

[tooprettytodie]

"Ugh, now I want to do it but I know it's a horrible idea. Even then I probably would except now I know you'd be disappointed in me," Valkyrie said, making a face.

She really, really wanted to have abilities again, even if it was just for a short while. Knowing it was a bad idea was a surprisingly poor deterrent.

"Guess I'll continue to enjoy my normal, no abilities existence."

[notaparker]

"It'd be kind of hypocritical for me to come over all disappointed," I say, shrugging awkwardly and stuffing my hands in my pockets. "I'd still really rather you didn't, though, who knows what could happen with that stuff. I mean, it's been known to cause mental instability, and what if it knocked something loose and you came over all, um, you know who."

[tooprettytodie]

"Oh. Right," Valkyrie said, looking away. She hadn't even considered that possibility, which she really should. What did it say that her girlfriend thought about that more than Valkyrie did?

"Don't really need me to be the Dark Queen of Rapture. But don't worry. I've got something else now that makes me feel special."

She gave Jessica a grin. Small but genuine.

[notaparker]

I catch her hand and bring it up to press a kiss to the knuckles, because hey, making someone feel special makes a girl feel special. It's a nice little loop.

"Even if you can't shoot fire from your hands, you're my Queen of Rapture," I say, and then pause. "...woooow does that sound tacky romance-novel if you take the 'dark' part out. That was bad."

[tooprettytodie]

Valkyrie felt her cheeks flush as Jessica kissed her hand, because it was entirely unexpected and completely sweet. She felt kind of ridiculous getting a warm feeling from that, but it felt nice so she wasn't going to complain.

"I think it also sounds a little dirty," Valkyrie pointed out. "And how do you know what tacky romance novels sound like?"

[notaparker]

"...pop culture osmosis?" I say, trying to figure out where my idea of what a tacky romance novel sounds like actually came from. "I just feel like that's what they sound like. Awkwardly rhapsodic. And a little dirty."

[tooprettytodie]

"Uh huh," Valkyrie said, giving Jessica a skeptical look before grinning. "You sure you don't secretly read romance novels? Because I would find that highly amusing."

She wondered if Jessica read anything besides textbooks and scholarly journals. Maybe some fiction? Sadly, probably not romance novels though.

[notaparker]

"As I much as I like to go for the comedy option, I'm gonna have to disappoint you," I say. "I may have occasionally secretly read gossip magazines? Those are kind of scarce on the island, although, ooh, you would not believe who Xenalizzz'x of the Third Cluster left her lifemate for."

The bookshelf gets stuff from all over, like, all over. Some of it's pretty weird. And not just that folks in the Third Cluster print their gossip magazines in English.

[tooprettytodie]

"And if they can't make it, what chance do the rest of us have?" Valkyrie asked as they headed toward the entrance to Rapture. She'd never actually looked for gossip magazines, but ones from other realities or planets like that actually sounded pretty amusing.

"So back home, you must have been in magazines all the time. At least pictures of you all dressed up and stuff."

[notaparker]

"Back home the reaction tended to be more 'there's a Spider-Woman?'" I say, making a slightly grumpy face. I'm not in it for the fame, and it's not that I want to be in magazines or anything, but it'd be nice to be acknowledged, honestly. Especially with my particular brand of issues.

"The Ultimates, those were the famous guys. Iron Man, Captain America, those guys."

[tooprettytodie]

"Yeah, but I don't want to put a poster of those guys up in my room," Valkyrie said. Of course, that might weird Jessica out, but Valkyrie was still pretty sure that it would be really awesome to have.

"What's the point of having a super agile girlfriend that swings around in skintight clothing if you can't even get a poster of her?"

[notaparker]

"You wouldn't," I say, shooting her a look of amused incredulity. Not that it isn't nice to be aware that your girlfriend enjoys looking at you, it just also feels a little alien, makes me both kinds of nervous. The good kind and the bad kind. So, business as usual in the contradictory head of Jessica Drew, really.

"Well, unless they're from a different dimension, I don't think they exist. And you are not putting up a poster of a different dimension's pin-up Spider-Woman."

[tooprettytodie]

"I wouldn't," Valkyrie agreed, before amending with, "Probably. I would, however, pretend to just to freak you out a bit."

She liked looking at Jessica, but that really wasn't what attracted her most. Or first. The looking was kind of a bonus, although Valkyrie was honest enough to admit that if Jessica was hideous that they probably wouldn't be dating.

"A poster doesn't have a super brain or witty quips or an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture. It isn't selfless and it doesn't put itself in danger to save others. Which are all the traits you possess that I lay in bed at night thinking about with a stupid grin on my face that I will not admit to in public."

[notaparker]

"So I'm fine until Jessica Drew from the poster dimension shows up," I say, nodding along, the studied nonchalence kinda taking a hit from the pleased blush. "How did I luck out with a girlfriend like you? I swear, my luck doesn't usually run to this. A hulk once punched me right into the floor, that's how my luck usually runs."

[tooprettytodie]

There was the blush that Valkyrie adored so much. She would try for it a lot more if she wasn't worried that Jessica would built up some sort of immunity to the sayings that would make her blush.

"I think I am the payback for all the terrible luck you had before. I am equally as amazing as all the bad things you have had or will have happen to you. And you, obviously, are my reward for saving the world a few times."

[notaparker]

"Well good job, karma, finally doing something right," I say, deciding not to try and tally up said bad things. We'll just take it as read. "Now if some of that luck extends down to Rapture, we'll be fine."

I almost said 'to a drama-free trip,' but let's be honest, I'm not entirely for that. I do swing around and do the superhero thing, I like a little excitement in these things. Serious harm, no, interesting situations, for certain.

[tooprettytodie]

"I really hope something interesting happens," Valkyrie said, the words sort of rushing out all at once. It wasn't really the most considerate thing to hope for, some kind of trouble, but she felt a bit on edge holding it in, like she wasn't sure if that made her a bad person.

"Is that bad? I feel like it might be bad, but I just... I am not used to living the quiet life on an island. That was my life the first 12 years of my life and I wasn't a fan of it."

[notaparker]

"It's not bad," I say, and then reconsider. "...it might be bad, but it's understandable bad. It's a bad I also feel. I mean, as we've already covered, skintight costume, punching guys in mechanical rhino suits. I also am used to a little less mangos and a little more Mango-Man the Juice Powered Supervillain."

[tooprettytodie]

Valkyrie felt better knowing that Jessica felt the same way. Almost a sense that if Jess felt it, then it couldn't be all that bad. Now she wondered if it was bad to rely so much on someone else as a moral compass. That could be thoughts for another day.

"Do you think if we were in the same world it would be a sort of comedy of errors if neither of us knew about the others secret life? We'd always be dashing off mid-date or cancelling dates to deal with some sort of crisis."

[notaparker]

"We'd be a total sitcom," I say, nodding along, wide-eyed at the realization. "Wacky antics everywhere."

I throw up my hands in mock dismay. "Good job, Cain, now I'll never be truly happy, because I know our relationshop could have been so much more." I pause, consider whether the idea that follows is ridiculous, and then decide to go with it because what is my life if not, you know, ridiculous. "...do you think we could have a pretend wacky antics date?"

[tooprettytodie]

"Normally I don't really do wacky antics," Valkyrie admitted. Antics, maybe, but not wacky. Usually witty antics, if that was such a thing. But for Jess though? She could absolutely do wacky antics.

"But I think we can manage that sometime no problem."

[notaparker]

"Yesss," I say, with a fistpump. "You're the best. We're on. Not today, though, Rapture seems best handled with... a minimum of antics."

[tooprettytodie]

"Minimum antics," she said, smiling over at Jessica. She really was adorable. And pretty, which wasn't fair. Valkyrie knew that she was pretty, but no one would ever say she was adorable.

"Totally in detective sorcerer mode now. All business. Mostly business with some snark. Business related snark."

[notaparker]

"That's right, missy, don't let me hear you cracking any non-business related jokes," I say, because, okay, expecting there to be no jokes is a bit much. I'd be a hypocrite, anyway, I'm big on the humor as defense mechanism and combat strategy.

Although hopefully no combat strategies are going to be needed, this time.

"And there's our creepy caves to the creepy transport to the creepy city. So, I am an innocent science-girl and you are my bodyguard detective, yeah? For ITF purposes."

[tooprettytodie]

"Of course," said, putting her arm around Jessica's waist and giving her a quick hug before moving away. She had been pretty sure that Jessica would be on board with the business related jokes.

"And I promise to protect my delicate flower, genius of a girlfriend," she said with a nod. "No harm will probably come to you while we're down there. Possibly minor harm, I'm not responsible for stubbed toes or things like that."

[notaparker]

I let out a bit of a laugh, delighted at the absurdity of delicate flower because I might not be She-Hulk but still, not so much with the delicate. Which was the joke. Obviously.

"Oh, no, if I catch my big toe on a table that you didn't get out of my way, I'm holding you responsible and insisting you kiss it better," I say. "I'm a delicate flower."