Recent Posts

Rebecca hopped onto her Facespace account to pass the time scrolling through a feed of her friends’ activities for the evening. She certainly was not checking to see if someone might be writing a vague status following an argument with that someone’s girlfriend. Nope, she was only interested in whatever nifty little cooking videos her mother was sharing. She was tempted to send her mother a message saying “girls are so confusing” because she knew it would get a laugh out of Mackenzie. Maybe even a reminder that she was a “free agent” if she wanted to enjoy the simplicity of the menfolk. It sounded like a fun idea, but with the sun setting in New York, her mother was likely sound asleep in Paisley.

Mackenzie knew about her daughter’s new relationship because Rebecca liked to keep her updated on her life, and Nessa also came up in videos. She was aware of Nessa, and as always, supported her daughter in whatever pursuits she chose in life, including romantic ones. Still, it seemed like Nessa was not a focal point of their conversations; Nessa updates usually came as an aside to a more central topic. Rebecca might have been hesitant, because she was aware that, once upon a time, her mother was a fan of her first girlfriend. With Nessa and Becca starting their relationship amidst Agnes returning as a presence in her life, she wondered if her mother might have conflicting feelings on the topic.

Like mother, like daughter, as it turned out.

Bzzzzzt!



It was probably the best move on Agnes’s part; she dodged a clear discussion of Rebecca’s issues with her girlfriend, and she earned some points by making Rebecca chuckle again. She almost typed out a smarta** reply back before her phone buzzed again and reminded her that the haiku was not the last thing she sent.



It was an excellent question. Rebecca had known since they recorded that she had to talk to Agnes about what had been on her mind, but it was only now that she considered coming up with something to actually say.


[SEND]

Instead of sending her message as one big chunk, she piecemealed it out in pieces so it did not look overwhelming and follow along with her stream of thought. It was first important to point out that she was not trying to say she was unhappy having Agnes around; that would have been an easier conversation, if anything.


[SEND]

Oblivious to the fact that Agnes would have time between each individual message to scrutinize and question what might come next, Rebecca looked at her screen to think of the best way to confess.


[SEND]

Rebecca might have started on yet another message, but her phone greeted her with another buzz from a different text chain on her phone. She held her breath, switching over to the ongoing conversation between herself and her girlfriend.



Yep, this was going to be a long night, and Rebecca was feeling the sudden need for fresh air, or whatever passed for it in New York. Grabbing her holster and her pocketbook, the redhead gave Domino one last hug for the night before setting out into the city to think of how to handle both conversations she now found herself in.

Jesse was the perfect supportive spouse; they were not going to tell Rebecca that every idea she had was a great one, and that was good. When Rebecca wanted something, she was good at finding ways to make it happen at any cost (with the one notable tragic exception,) which was a dangerous trait. She relied on her partner to ground her when she needed it, keeping her from going too far. As a leader, she found this presence in her life invaluable.

Still, on a personal level, Jesse was often a proponent toward any idea that could make Rebecca happy, and tattoos did that. When questioned about what she would etch into her skin forever, she had to chuckle because she had not thought that far ahead yet. ”Let’s see…” The redhead looked through her drawers for something to wear, (because having a daughter in the house meant sleeping clothed was always a better idea,) thinking about the many tattoo ideas she had been tossing around in recent months.

There was one design she kept coming back to, but she was conflicted by the idea. Maybe it was finally time to get Jesse’s opinion. ”So… there’s been this idea I’ve had since early in our marriage, but… well…” Rebecca was not one to fumble with her words, but she was unsure of how to properly explain the picture in her head and why it was complicated.

”Maybe I’m just being silly, but… I was thinking about a tattoo for the things that matter to me. Crystal feathers,” she proposed as a symbol for her daughter, before hesitantly moving forward with, ”Specifically as the frame for an ornate hand mirror. I’ve even had it drawn up, but…” She struggled to explain how apprehensive and even resentful of mirrors Rebecca had become at a certain point. When she came up with the design, it seemed like a no-brainer, but now… it was hard not to think it wrong to tattoo on her body the thing that stole away the person she loved most.

Rebecca had been in America long enough to learn she could not get offended when people could not parse through her accent. She chuckled at Devon’s comment, doing her best to be polite to the host of the evening’s event.

The vlogger did she could to lighten up her accent, but she was not going to go so far as to slip into her “American” Voice Acting accent, because as far as she was concerned, that would be like asking Devon to speak in a bad Australian accent all evening. ”Sorry! Ah’m just quite interested in the lang term plans of yers, an’ Ah’m sure mah fanbase is, too.” If she liked what she heard, Rebecca was looking forward to putting out a video on “Haven” when he returned to her apartment. The subscribers who also followed her on Speedigram or Chirper already caught sneak peaks of her at the event, so she was creating buzz for an eventual recap.

Flattery was not going to win Rebecca over, but it was not a bad place to start. She curtseyed, which seemed like an appropriate thing to do in such a gown. ”Thank ye. Ah don’t get many chances tae dress up like this for X-Men work,” she admitted. She was there mainly as a member of the new media, but she was publicly known as a member of the X-Men, so she had to see herself as an ambassador for the team as well.

”But Ah’d like tae believe we’re both working toward th’ same things. Tae make the world safer; a place for mutants an’ humans tae feel at home, right?” There was nothing stopping Devon from lying to her, of course, but she wanted to hear the man's opinions on what he was setting out to do. When an organization emerged and clearly indicated it was looking to take care of both humans and mutants, it was a welcome step forward, but humans eyed it with suspicion. Maybe it came from a place of ignorance, but as an advocate for peaceful coexistence, Rebecca wanted to be a woman asking questions to calm anyone's doubts.

Now that the video was over, Rebecca was more aware of Nessa’s presence. It was not like she forgot her girlfriend was there with them, but making videos narrowed the vloggers focus in until she was only aware of the things and people who were sharing the screen with her. After so much time keeping her focus on Agnes, Becca was consciously glancing over at her girlfriend and struggling to read her. She was smiling, and she was cheerful, but Nessa could smile as she told someone to go to hell, so that said nothing of what was going on past those eyes.

After the hug, it was possible all three women in the room were feeling unsure of what to say or do next. Blushes came liberally, even if Becca and Agnes partially hid their own behind masks of light makeup. If anything, this was another reminder that the girls needed to take their own advice and work out some boundaries, or even space away from one another as a safety measure. Rebecca needed to come to terms with the scent of honey and lavender that would always linger on Agnes when they hugged, or in the rare instances where she had to borrow pajamas. (An instance she should possibly increase the rarity of to “never,” given their last sleepover.)

Agnes was sweet, complimenting Rebecca’s work on the channel and the community she had built with it. The creator smiled and was ready to speak before Nessa cut in, replying, ”Credit goes to her. I was just here to keep an eye on the camera.” And her girlfriend. ”She’s the one putting all this effort in like some over-eager internet mom.” It was probably a compliment, but Rebecca was still struggling to figure out intent.

Instead, she looked back to Agnes as she felt a hand inadvertently resting on her knee for a second. It was brief, but the gesture felt so genuine and filled with support. Rebecca’s hand moved to rest on Agnes’s, but her ex pulled away before she made it, leaving the redhead’s palm pressed against her own knee. ”Ah appreciate it, Miss Philharmonic,” she replied, wanting to point out that Agnes had done some building of her own, creating a reputation for herself as a musician just as she always wanted.

They wrapped things up, but Rebecca discouraged Agnes from looking at the video so far. Once it was edited and cleaned up a bit, she would share the finished product with Agnes so she did not obsess over small mistakes that would not make it to the final cut. With more than one camera, there were shots of the two of them, as well as individual angles in case one of them was making an awkward face or something. Agnes did not seem to want to stick around, and that was probably for the best. Rebecca almost gave her a hug on the way out of the door, but she still remembered the awkwardness of their post-video hug and held off. ”We’ll gab soon, Aggie,” she said as her friend left, knowing they had some air to clear, as seemed to always be the case these days.

Nessa and Rebecca took a break before jumping into the editing process, choosing to watch an episode of Grey before they got to work as a reward for the shoot. They curled up on the couch, as was their custom, and on a superficial level, things seemed as good as they had ever been. Rebecca was picking up on the subtle differences though. There was a conspicuous lack of Nessa joking about the similarities between the show’s main character and her own redheaded lover. The whole cuddling session felt… half-hearted? Becca bit her tongue, assuming she was over-thinking the situation.

It was not until editing began that Rebecca knew definitively that the problem was not a figment of her imagination. Becca was watching the footage of her own camera to determine segments that could be usable if necessary when Nessa spoke up. Looking over the wide shot of both ex-girlfriends, Nessa flatly pointed out, ”Jeez, could this eye contact have any more sexual tension?”

Narrowing her eyes, Becca leaned back to look at the screen where Becca and Agnes’s eyes lingered, locked on each other for a moment before resuming talking. Thinking back, she was sure there were a few instances like that through filming. ”Yer daft, tha’s nae sexual tension,” she said, dismissively.

”Emotional tension, then,” she corrected in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rebecca furrowed her brow. ”Tha’s nae funny.”

”Not trying to be.”

This was going well. Rebecca got up from her chair, looking to stretch her legs and get her blood moving, feeling things could only get worse from here. ”Ah thooght ye waur fine wi' us daein' thes video?”

Nessa shrugged, knowing she technically agreed to the recording in the first place. By definition, it was her idea. Instead of speaking more honestly, she opted once more for flat sarcasm. ”Yeah, I am so excited to watch you two reminisce about your relationship. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the commenters who ship this once the video comes out.”

”Did ye e’en watch th’ video?” Rebecca replied in frustration. This was becoming their first real fight, and it was new and unwelcome. ”Thaur ur things tae wark on, but we want tae be friends!”

Nessa’s reply was quick. ”Are you sure that’s what you two want? Because that doesn’t look like a friend-hand on a friend-shoulder,” she accused, pointing to the moment on screen where Rebecca’s hand was resting on Agnes.

”It’s a comforting hand!” she shouted back from the kitchen area. Even without looking at the screen she could guess what Nessa was talking about. She had been pacing around the apartment as they argued, and now that she was in the kitchen, she was out of sight. Nessa seemed content carrying the argument by yelling at one another from separate rooms and did not chase her around.

Rebecca was growing annoyed with the accusatory nature of her girlfriend’s comments. She was trying to make things better for everyone, and she was working through too many complicated feelings without Nessa getting on her case. She did not even know how Rebecca was planning on talking to Agnes to establish better rules for their friendship. That was so clearly for Nessa’s benefit; if not for her, why would Rebecca put barriers between her and Agnes?

Oblivious to the dangerous implications of those thoughts, Rebecca instead eyed her phone on the kitchen counter. She was stuck in her apartment having it out with her girlfriend, and the longer the fight went on, the more she wanted the comfort of being able to vent her frustrations to someone who actually knew how to listen.

It was a terrible idea, but Rebecca opened her phone to the text chain between herself and Agnes.

Rebecca would likely merit a spot on the list. Claims to infamy include:
Publicly part of the X-Men as Lodestone;
Ability to manipulate magnetism and disarm many conventional weapons;
Internet Celebrity with a substantial/growing following who routinely encourages mutant/human relations and who is outspoken on anti-mutant legislation;
An advocate for self-defense and the right to carry for both humans and mutants;
Involved in an altercation at a political function for an Anti-Mutant Senator which would have been kept quiet, but which likely was found out by some of the Bird Hunters;
Scottish Immigrant

So yeah, place her where you feel appropriate

For all her complaining, Rebecca put a lot of time and effort into The Rock Bottom Pub. It paid the bills, and it was something that was hers, even if it was just a hole-in-the-wall dive bar. They did good enough business to keep the doors open and keep herself and Astrid from starving. Before Rebecca took over, rebranded, and hired on new (semi-competent) blood, “The Cove” was a losing proposition. Rebecca owned the identity of a dive bar, and her regulars loved it because it was their dive bar and it was not trying to be something it was not.

Jesse was the one who supported her through the growing pains of taking over a failing bar and making it survive. At times the support was financial, when profits were thin to non-existent, and at all times emotional. When Rebecca was stressed out, Jesse was always her rock.

Maybe that was why she felt so insufficient as a partner. Jesse always seemed to say the right thing, which had never been Rebecca’s forte. Jesse was patient with her, and patience was not one of her strongest virtues. She did, however, excel at spotting small details, like the faltering of Jesse’s smile on the other side of the mirror. This was hard enough on the both of them, and the last thing she wanted to do was make the person she loved feel guilty about something they had no power over.

She was thankful for the good humor of her partner. It helped when she was discouraged to hear her wife’s joking voice teasing her about her chest, or making the requests only she could get away with. ”Of course. Far be it for me to stop you from ogling what’s yours,” she answered with a grin to match Jesse’s own.

Knowing Astrid was asleep, Rebecca pulled the tank top over her head while they were still in the living room. Under normal circumstances she would be more cautious, but her marriage was no longer a normal circumstance. Maybe she wanted to push the envelope and remind Jesse she still wanted to put in the effort to be romantic through it all. She tossed the discarded piece of clothing on the couch, leaving her in a black lace push-up bra (because she was not dumb enough to shy away from tips from perverts,) as her long legs took strides to the washroom.

Her walk through the hallway passed at least three mirrors, so she made sure to shimmy out of her cut-offs, putting on a little show for her wife as she got to the door. ”Please join me?” She would brush away the condensation and fog from the glass as many times as she needed to; the stupid mirror world could not take away something as necessary as showering with her lover.

Rebecca remembered one night when her and Jesse were still dating, and her future spouse-to-be asked if she had a preference for how the shapeshifter appeared. Given the nature of their mutation, Jesse had no “default setting,” and no appearance they seemed to identify with more than another. It was a sweet gesture to give her the pick of what her “ideal Jesse” might look like.

The X-Leader gave the question some thought, but in the end, let Jesse know that in her eyes, there was no “default Jesse,” at that was part of the fun. Variety was the spice of life, and every day she came home, she could return to a different face with the same loving look in his or her eyes. That was what made Jesse beautiful.

She turned in the direction of her wife’s voice and smiled warmly at the olive face greeting her. Astrid was indeed asleep, and while she missed being able to say goodnight to her daughter, it was nice to know she was catching rest of her own and Rebecca could have some time to share with the woman she loved.

Jesse came closer, and when she called Rebecca “lovely,” the cynical woman’s heart warmed and she could feel a tingling across her skin, sending goosebumps. Something about the way she spoke still felt like the way her lover’s arms used to wrap around her after a long day of work, releasing the stress of the day from her body.

It was comforting, even if it was not perfect. She did not like to talk about the things that were not perfect. It was more important to focus on the good.

She could still whine and complain to the supportive ear of her partner, and that was good. ”Another shift on my feet all night covering for one of the girls, pouring drinks for regulars and college kids, one of whom spilled a cocktail on me, while patrons of all ages kept checking out my chest.” Rebecca covered her mouth to stifle an exhausted yawn. ”Another perfect night,” she half-joked. For all her complaints, bartending could occasionally lead to surprisingly enjoyable conversations and stories, and when no one was playing with the jukebox, she could dominate the bar with her tastes for hours at a time.

Finally looking to take a moment to relax her body after a night of being on her toes, Rebecca winced when she realized how much tension she was carrying around her neck. Using her thumb and the tips of her fingers, she did her best to kneed the spot where her shoulder and neck met. ”I didn’t realize how sore I was though. I’d kill for a massage,” she said off-handedly, before turning to face the braid-adorned woman on the other side of the mirror.

She felt guilt immediately. It was just a comment that slipped out, but Rebecca felt like she was unintentionally reminding Jesse of the times when she would work through all the knots and all the tension she brought home with her before the redhead would reciprocate. It was a sweet gesture they both remembered fondly, and one that was off the table. Once again, the types of things she would rather not talk about.

Looking to change the subject before it could stick, she followed up with a chuckle and revised her desire. ”Though really, I’m sure a hot shower is exactly what I need right now.” Smooth, Rebecca. Wife of the Year material right here.