InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "oh no you didn't!"

Morgan Happy Stark (maguna) wrote in somerealityrpg,
@ 2019-12-22 17:53:00

Entry tags:

active: morgan stark, inactive: markus

morgan & markus
First Christmas

Who: Morgan Stark and Markus
What: First Christmas
Where: Markus’ Apartment
When: Forward dated to Christmas night
Warnings: TBD but much mush
Status: Threading

Morgan’s first Christmas in Goodland was nothing short of magical. Spending the day with her entire family and extended family alike had been something she dreamed of for years, and having Markus there with his family as well had made it that much more perfect. To say she was incredibly happy would be a colossal understatement. The holidays were her favorite time of year, and she was reasonably sure that this was her best Christmas yet.

As the day wound down, she found herself anxious to have her private celebration with Markus. The girl had worked tirelessly for days in her lab on his present. Sending Markus ahead, she promised him she would join him soon. She would have just left with him, but she needed to gather his gift from her room.

A small part of her worried it might be too much or over the top, but she tried to remember what her father told her; that he would love it because of the thought she put into it. So, shaking off her worries, she threw her bag over her shoulder, told her parents how much she loved them and set off to his apartment.

Grinning outside his door, she gave it a knock.

CODE BY TESSISAMESS

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jericholeader
2020-01-02 01:28 am UTC (link)

Markus smiled at her words, not doubting Morgan's affection for a second. Something magical had happened between then and he would never stop feeling like the luckiest person in the universe to have found her. Not would he take her for granted. "I love you too," he said with his eyes fixed on hers, wanting her to see that it wasn't simply a pat response.

"Sounds pretty damn perfect to me too," he answered brushing her hair behind her ear and tracing the line of her jaw with his fingers. Markus cocked his head and listened, always happy to learn a new fact from Morgan. "So it's a little like Neuschwanstein Castle?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Built to look like a fairytale but actually based around Wagnerian theatre sets? At least, the same idea on a far larger scale," Markus had to admit. "People want to bring the theatre to life in their own homes," he gave a nod of approval at the concept as a whole. "We should go to the theatre some day soon," he said with a smile, "we're in New York, after all, it should be a must, right?"

Markus gave a tentative nod, still a little shell-shocked from both the vision and emotion Morgan had allowed him to share. "I think you put that perfectly," he said with more emotion than he could possibly explain. She allowed him inside her head, which was no small show of trust. "Should I see it all, though?" he asked softly. "Don't you want to keep a little just for yourself?" As much as he would experience her memories entirely and with a thirst she wouldn't be able to understand, he never wanted to intrude where she didn't want him. The honesty they had was immense already and Markus treasured it. This enriched it, but he didn't ever want her to feel she had to share.

"I had hoped you would say that," he said with a small smirk of satisfaction. "You really are quite the most incredible person I've ever met!" It took less than a second for Markus to come up with a memory he wanted to share back, one that Morgan hadn't been present for, but it had meant just as much to him as their first meeting at the coffee shop. He pressed his palm against hers and closed his eyes, letting the first day at school play out in front of Morgan's eyes. How nervous he'd been about being accepted and how worried he'd been that he wouldn't be good enough to do the job that he craved. And then he walked into his classroom and on the desk was her gift. The jewelled apple. The first time anyone had deemed him worthy of such a favour. The emotion it had unlocked in him, that Morgan had seen him - really seen him - as a person. He'd kept the apple there all day and any time he'd felt doubt, he'd glanced at it and it had bolstered his belief in himself. She had not only given him his first gift, but hope of a new life.

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maguna
2020-01-02 09:20 pm UTC (link)

Morgan's eyes closed briefly as his hand ran through her hair and brushed over her face. "I have the best ideas," she murmured- trailing her fingers up his arm slowly. Opening her eyes to look at him again, she smiled as he seemed to understand the tree tradition a little more. "Yeah, it's a little like that. People wanted to bring some of the magic they witnessed on stage into their homes. All traditions begin somewhere, but they change over the years as well, so while it may not be exactly how it was back then? At least now you know the origin." She raised her eyebrows when he spoke of going to the theatre. "It's definitely a must, but it has to be a musical."

Morgan trusted Markus completely, and allowing him inside her head was a testament to that trust. While she was an open book with him and had shared things with him before that she hadn't shared with another soul? This was entirely different. For years, she kept certain things locked up so tightly. She became an actress who wore a mask to benefit those around her, and sometimes it was hard for her to remember she didn't have to do that here- especially not with Markus. "There will be things I keep for myself," she answered quietly. "Places in my mind that even I don't want to see." Such places like the fear she had that she might one day push him away. "I promise I won't ever share anything that I don't wish to."

She bit her bottom lip with a smile at his words. Her cheeks flushing ever so slightly. "I'm so glad you like your gift. I was worried. Anxious that it may be too much? I try to reel in my tendency to go over the top." When his palm pressed to hers, and the scene unfolded, Morgan couldn't help but gasp. Markus had told her what the apple had meant to him, but to actually witness the memory through his eyes was indescribable. Seeing the impact she had on his life, firsthand was emotionally overwhelming, and when it ended, she realized that tears were falling from her eyes. "I didn't know," she began softly. "You told me, but..." Allowing her suit to retract back into the gloves, she discarded them quickly so she could lean forward and wrap her arms around him. "...I didn't know."

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jericholeader
2020-01-03 01:58 am UTC (link)

"I think it's quite likely you do," he answered with a broad smile. "And how am I just learning you like musical theatre?" Markus asked with a soft laugh, that contained no judgement or ambivalence. It just seemed such an odd match. His futuristic, robo-princess and Andrew Lloyd-Webber? An odd match indeed, but he was game for almost anything. "What's your favourite musical? We'll find it, somewhere, and add it to our list," he told Morgan with a bright smile.

He gave her a gentle hug, letting her know that he entirely approved of her response. "I trust you with everything I am and everything I've ever been," Markus whispered into her hair, "but, I think, there are some experiences I'd like to protect you from." His world had been harsh and ugly, not only to androids. At times there was little respect for human life either and though he would tell her about the things he'd seen he didn't think Morgan needed to see everything either. "I love you more for wanting to keep those parts secret," he said with a kiss, "and that we get to share our highs and lows is just incredible!" As was Morgan, in every sense.

"You don't ever have to worry about that with me," Markus told her with a smile of amusement. "It's not too much... it's just right," he said happily, "and it's the best Christmas present I've ever had," he couldn't help it. It was his first Christmas and the gifts he'd received, although lovely, couldn't possibly match up to this! Morgan knew it, too. "We're out-gifting each other, remember? There's no such thing as over the top," he told her with a grin.

When her suit retracted, Morgan wasn't the only one with moist eyes. Seeing her live the moment with him was like a shot of electricity to his veins. "Hey, you're not supposed to be crying," Markus said as he brushed the tears from her eyes and enveloping her tightly in his arms the second she made the move to. "You see? When I told you you made me a better man, I meant it with every ounce of my being," he said clutching her tight. "And know you know what you mean to me, too," he said softly.

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maguna
2020-01-03 02:46 am UTC (link)

"I'll have you know I have quite a few secret interests you have yet to discover," she said with a smirk and a playful nudge to his shoulder. "Phantom of the Opera, although I am loathed to admit it." Shaking her head with a laugh, she arched her eyebrows again. "And now you know my secret."

Morgan laid her head against his chest, her fingers fiddling with the collar of his shirt. "There are things I want to protect you from, too, things that I don't want you to see, not because I don't trust you but because I'm not sure I want to go back there." She thought about her childhood, and what a dark place she could find herself in back then. Then she thought about the maze, and how she had been ready to die. These were not things that she ever wanted him to see. Sure, she had and would tell him everything...but telling and experiencing were completely different animals. Looking up, she returned his kiss sweetly. "I love you for understanding without me having to say so that there are some things that I want to keep secret. Just like I love you for wanting to protect me from things you've experienced...and I would never push you to show me."

Morgan's face lit up when Markus said that it was the best Christmas gift he ever received. Sure, she knew it was his first Christmas, and he really didn't have much to compare it to, but it made her incredibly happy to hear it all the same. "Speaking of out-gifting. Is it time for my award?"

"I can't help it," she whispered- leaning against his hand as he wiped her tears before curling up against him, one arm wrapping around his waist. Although usually, Morgan didn't like feeling vulnerable, all of that went away with Markus. He was her safe place, and she felt at home in his arms. "It's almost hard to believe. That any of this is possible? That one person can have such an impact on your life, and can change your entire world for the better."

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jericholeader
2020-01-06 12:49 am UTC (link)

He raised his eyebrows in curiosity, "and I look forward to discovering your layers, one by one," Markus told her with a tender smile. "Personally I preferred Cats, though I never could figure out the story," he said with a laugh. "Always was a sucker for T.S. Elliot, though, so I suppose it's a given I would like it." And now Morgan knew one of his too. He had no doubt they'd find more as they spent time together, because there was so much to do with this lifetime they'd been given.

Markus nodded as she spoke, his hand covering hers and stroking it tenderly. "We've both been to some pretty dark places," he said softly, remembering some of the things he'd been forced to do during the revolution. "I think that's why we're so ready to be happy now," he said meeting her eyes tenderly. "You never have to go back there, not for anything," he told Morgan softly. "But, I'll always be open to seeing whatever you want to share," he told her with another soft kiss. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you," always.

Ahh, the subject of her gift... Markus should have given it to her earlier, when they'd been with her family, but he couldn't help but want that moment for the two of them. "Yes. It's definitely time for your award," he said leading her away from the sofa and towards the bedroom, which he'd made into a work room and study. In the corner, where it always stood, was his aisle, with an oil cloth covering it. "Go on," he said giving her a gentle nudge towards the painting, that had taken him countless hours to get just right.

The picture depicted Morgan, though you wouldn't know it unless you knew exactly the time and place it had been captured. At the centre was an ice-skater - hair-flipping around to cover her face, with just a hint of a smile showing amongst the strands. He'd caught her mid-jump, showing the catlike agility and strength in her muscles. As beautiful as she looked, this was no swan, this was a goddess taming the environment to her will. And in the foreground was a shadow, just touching the surface of the snow and, if you knew how to read it, it might look a little like him. "I couldn't stop thinking about that day," he said softly. "Do you like it?" Of course, there were up to date editions of her comic book too, but those could wait for now.

Markus answered with one phrase, that he knew he'd use so often when it came to their relationship. "Don't question it, it's just magic," he told Morgan with a tender smile of love.

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maguna
2020-01-12 01:43 am UTC (link)

Morgan let go of a happy sigh when his hand covered hers. She could always count on him to calm her fears, and to slow down her mind when it was spinning in relentless circles. "I think that's why we're ready to be happy now, why we found each other when we did. Somehow whoever is pulling strings knew." She held his gaze, her eyes soft and full of adoration. "You never have to go back to where to you don't want to go either, and I will always be here for you- in whatever way you need."

She couldn't help but feel giddy as he led her away from the couch and into his study. Her eyes were scanning the room and easily finding his aisle that was covered- hiding its secret beneath. Looking at him, she smiled brightly before moving to lift the oilcloth slowly.

What she saw beneath took her breath away. "Markus," she uttered in barely a whisper. The way he had captured that day on the ice made tiny little goosebumps raise up across her skin. For a few moments, she couldn't form words at all. He had somehow managed to make her look more beautiful than she had ever felt in her entire life, and when she finally turned to face him, there were fresh tears in her eyes. "This is...I..." Morgan was struggling to find the proper words to describe just how much she loved it. Markus did have an uncanny way of leaving her speechless, and surprising her in the most wonderful ways.

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