Amelia, Ch 403
After our dance the music became more subdued. Paige's power could be inhibited, but not completely blocked without simply removing her powers. The Tinkers and Vicky would make sure there was never too much in to influence our personalities beyond keeping everyone in a good mood. Not that we expected any problems, but still, it was a nice addition. Paige wanted a way to thank us for pulling her out of that hellhole, along with the other unjustly railroaded capes.
I gave a brief moment of thought to my father, who was not, and would not be freed. I made peace with that long ago. He is where he belongs. And so am I. I reached over and put my hand on Taylor's leg under the table, then I leaned against her. "Thank you for putting up with all my bullshit baggage." I meant it, too. Between the weird sister complex, and the weirder adopting a fugitive Class S threat with a kill order as a sister, and the drama with my adoptive parents, any sane person would have noped the fuck out before I got through the first half of the things wrong with me.
AmusementAcceptance. "And thank you for putting up with all my bullshit baggage. Now dig in. The band may be free, but we're paying for the food. Plus it's delicious and we'll need the energy tonight." EmbarrassedOhGodThatSoundsHorrible. "I meant for the dancing! We're not going to be allowed to avoid that forever!"
Mark laughed. "You girls don't have to be embarrassed. You're a healthy, happy, newly married couple, so it's to be expected. Besides, we remember what it was like to be kids. Or have the rest of you finally become old?"
Healthy. To be expected. I tried not to think about that too hard. FineAcceptableWe'reHappyNoRegrets. Yeah, no regrets.
Danny smiled. "Oh, I definitely haven't forgotten. Every time the weather changes I'm given a detailed reminder of every last stupid thing I did between the ages of fifteen and yesterday afternoon."
"But the memories are worth every ache," Aunt Sarah agreed, giving Taylor's dad a far too dreamy smile for my comfort.
OhGodEww. Oh god, eww. CanNeverThinkAboutSexAgain! If we weren't celibate before, we would be now.
Carol perked up, just a bit more smug than usual. "Speak for yourselves. One of those little perks of having a Breaker power."
"You should try this," Taylor offered me a bite from her plate. "it's delicious." I accepted it readily enough. She was right, it tasted wonderful. I accepted another bite and resolved to pick some of it up my next trip past the buffet.
I focused on ignoring the conversation, as the adults played their games. Mark constantly trying to play the energetic one with no worries, Carol acting the one who didn't need to worry, and Danny and Aunt Sarah trying very hard to be the adults at the table by steering things back to safe conversations like sports, not-cape-news, and anything else on the planet that didn't have to do with family or each other.
Instead, my concern was on Taylor. My wife. The thought was going to take some getting used to. I loved her, and she loved me. More than I could have hoped for in life. We had good music that just so happened to serve the function of alcohol since this was a 'dry' ceremony. We had good friends seated out there chatting with their friends. Everything was perfect. Sure, we had the occasional outlier like Lisa who was only really here for Taylor, but that was fine.
And a bunch of people who were here more because we wanted to show our political friends some respect and pad the guest list than because they were actually our friends in any significant way. In that manner, Alexandria and Legend being here was both an open nod to the Protectorate and Guild, and a subversive one to Cauldron. And then there were the ones from Haven, the Adepts, Akaihana and her date for the Japanese groups. All in all, a broad and multicultural showing that the celebrity rags would just love.
....
And of course we had to make our rounds, eventually. No one could spend the whole night dancing. Except Sveta and Weld, who were apparently the proper combination of motivated and impossible to tire out. Taylor and I reluctantly split up so we could talk to everyone and thank them for showing. It didn't escape my notice that Taylor volunteered for both Akaihana and Narwhal. She was cute when she was jealous. I was on my way to talk to Alexandria and Legend for a moment when Rapture pulled me aside.
She was all smiles, her armor leaving her face open. One of the few who never accepted a biosuit, relying instead on her own technology. "I wanted to congratulate you on your on your marriage in person. And let you know how much Halo appreciated you asking him to officiate."
I felt a little uncomfortable at that one. "No, we should thank him."
She shook her head. "Don't worry, we know it was a decision made by pure politics. He was proud to do it anyway. For the political reasons, yes of course. But also because that's just the kind of man he is. It's a pity we, our teams, never got to know each other better."
I smile at her. "So much to do, so little time." ConcernAreYouOkayOverThere? Yeah, just trying to thread the needle of politeness.
"And, well, one piece of advice I wanted to give for you. Because you deserve it." Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "This should be the kind of advice your mother would tell you before your wedding, not a functional stranger." But that's not an option here. "I know about the sexual issues between you and Taylor."
I froze up for a moment. No, Taylor, just keep doing your thing. OkayIfYou'reCertain.
"An unfortunate side effect of my powers, I wish I could turn it off. I just wanted to tell you how to fix the problem."
I thought back at all the options at our disposal. Brain rewrite tech, my powers, sex alteration, sensory loaded changelings. "We're not really lacking for those kinds of tools, and we've rejected them for a reason. I don't see what else you could offer."
She shook her head, smiling softly. "Ah, the inexperience of youth. I can offer advice. Sexuality is an incredibly fluid thing, with more variables than a sane person would ever dare try to explain. Taylor is straight, and there's no way to change that which isn't a crime against both God and all human decency."
Then why are-
"But that's not the only aspect of her subconscious that you can play on. Like I said, there's a lot of factors that go into anyone's identity. She already loves you, on a level I've only rarely seen between any couple. And believe me, I know how to look. More than that, she trusts you completely. Those are massive head starts, especially for someone who has so many reasons not to trust anyone."
Of course Rapture knows that. She's met Taylor, she's seen the stuff about what Emma did. It's doesn't even take a Thinker. "Okay, so, you're saying I can talk Taylor into wanting to..." I flushed a little. AreYouOkay?What'sHappening? It's fine, I'll explain later.
"Not exactly. Some people are that flexible, but she's not one of them. In her case, you want to do the exact opposite. You have to take away her ability to say no." I was too shocked to protest. "Don't worry, I don't mean doing anything evil. Just take command of the situation. If you initiate, she won't stop you. After that, just lead and she'll be happy to follow. Like a lot of powerful men and women who are used to being in charge, there is a certain part of her that wants to allow someone else to be in charge of her for a change. And there's no one she'd prefer to be that someone else than you."
I thought about it. The times when she was impressed with me when I took command of a situation. I could actually see that working. I was even looking forward to it.
Rapture nodded. "That's the spirit. But don't think about it too hard right now. You've still got a party to concern yourself with. Save your enthusiasm for the honeymoon."
She's right, that can wait for later. "So, why are you telling me this? I thought that, well..."
"I'd be all 'you're both sinners, rawr, except I can't say that because it's politically unpopular so I'll be a passive aggressive bitch instead'?" Rapture's voice was a blend of mockery and amusement. "Yeah, no. See, I've actually read the Bible, in the proper languages. There's nothing in there for you that isn't also true for straight couples. As long as you don't plan to do it in a church or in front of other people or with anyone other than your spouse, we're pretty much golden. You can agree not to do any of those, right?"
I nodded my head. No, those are definitely not things I am ever going to do.
"Well then, no particular problems there. At least in terms of that. Your team could afford to visit a few confessionals. Get some baptisms. An exorcism or two, maybe."
Wait a second. "How long have you been sitting on this advice?"
She shrugged. "I think approximately three hours after I first met the two of you."
"Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" Fuck, the troubles we could have avoided...
"You weren't married, before."
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A/N- I've missed Rapture. Also, she spends too much time around Rey.
Oh, and yes, Lisa figured this advice out, too.
