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so far this week has been...exhausting so i haven't gotten as much writing done as i'd like but i'm doing my best!

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minho leaves, and all bolin can do is let him go. there's still this nagging question, no matter what his manager had insisted, in the back of his head, but now he's confronted with being with so-yi alone, just the two of them face-to-face, for the first time in six years, and if she had something to tell him, then she would have the opportunity to do so. if she doesn't, then that would just affirm what he has been told. that's the coward's way out, really, as he could ask the question all on his own, but the space is still too public for such a confrontation.

his eyes still linger on minho, having caught that so-yi had been a call right beforehand. it feels as if he's being intrusive, somehow, as if he's invading her life when his unexpected reunion hadn't been planned by either of them. it had only been made possible at all because of her son, and he is not in a place where he can be grateful for it. not when she occupied enough of his thoughts when she had been out of his life.

still, he does not anticipate that this would last. not even this second encounter would have happened if minho hadn't sought him out and appealed to bolin's compassion. this could really be it, their last interaction, and that still feels wrong, somehow, bolin's heart aching and his throat running dry. "you don't have to apologize." not for this, not for anything, really. not even for breaking his heart. "the whole point of this event is to interact with the kids, so..." yet that kid is no longer there to be a buffer between them.

"he said that i upset you. that i should apologize for that." he remains matter-of-fact, hands curling into fists at his side before he stuffs them into his jacket that was covering up his otherwise bare chest. "i couldn't exactly explain to him that we...knew each other." or the history that comes with that. "and i —" he swallows. "i did not mean to upset you, if i did. i know that last night was a shock to both of us. i didn't — i never could have imagined seeing you under such circumstances. with your son, with him being ill." he can't help but ask. "is he set to get a new heart soon? he's — he seems so vibrant, it's hard to imagine him being sick." talking about minho is easier than talking about them.

minho is determined and pointed, but there's a small appreciation in the way that the man bends down to speak with him eye to eye, like a real conversation, like the way his mama always speaks to him, not like he's a dumb kid, but like he's a whole person who just happens to be smaller. it's also appreciated when the man takes his hand, because, despite the fact that he's not a baby and can certainly walk on his own, the crowd is starting to thicken around them, and he's starting to feel uncomfortable, and having someone big enough to navigate it is nice.

the boy leads the man to the edge of the crowd, a handful of steps away from where his mother is still chatting on the phone. "i'm gonna go say hi to my friends right over there. thank you for being nice enough to apologize." his words are still the firm ones of a boy too old for his age, but there's a hint of something else, too. he's still a child, after all. he just wants to make his mama happy. make her not cry anymore. this, he reasons, is the best way to help.

so-yi, meanwhile, is oblivious to this, finishing her conversation with her father in a mix of english and korean that makes no sense to anyone who doesn't speak both languages. "... call your lawyer, but i don't think it's going to matter. maybe when he's grown up, we can revisit... no, dad, i don't think it's fair to throw this on him when-- no, i know i did this six years ago! i know! i was ther-- i'll call you back later, okay? minho and i are at the waterpark and i want to keep an eye on him. you know how he gets in the sun after too long." and her eyes lift just as the phone call hangs up, spotting her son, spotting bolin, feeling something in her chest seize a little as she shoots up to stand.

"minho, baby, what're you up to? i think we took up enough of mr. zhang's time yesterday." she already has an email in her inbox, a very firm and very clinical reminder about the terms of the contract she signed, and already her eyes are worriedly looking around for that bitch of a manager, probably ready to hit her with a lawsuit right here in front of everyone. "i'm sorry, bo, i have no idea what he said to you, but i know you have plenty to do, please feel free to..." a wave of her hand, a quick glance at her son, already pulling his hand away from the man and wandering over to the group of friends he's made in the hospital over the years, chatting excitedly and seemingly forgetting the pair of them all together.

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THE PITT (2025-) 1.14, “8:00 P.M.”

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This is a cruel thing, what Sterling is doing. If she were to stop and think too long about it, she would shame herself for going down this path. And that is precisely why she chooses to not think about it, silencing any intrusive thoughts that cross her mind, a task made easier when she's had plenty of alcohol in her system. Because she doesn't want to give this up, give Jack up. Not again. Even if they could never again reach the heights of what they once had, she is willing to accept scraps.

Because it wets her appetite more than her husband ever could. "And you love that about me!" She bops Jack's bottom lip teasingly, her cheeks flushed. Words remain casual, not weighted by the meaning she wishes to say love as it relates to Jack. Cool air dances along her skin when they break free from the dance floor, and she pipes in with enthusiasm, "And a negroni, please! You can put them both on my tab." The least she could offer, really, cozying up next to Jack so that their shoulders connect while they wait for their drinks. "After this, you want to go out for pizza? I'm going to need something to soak up all this alcohol."

She's drunk. Not on three vodka martinis, or the attention of the opposite sex. No, she's drunk on Sterling. Returned to the best parts of them; the fun they could have, how they can look into each other's eyes and just see. It feels good enough that Jack silences the parts of her screaming; this is wrong, it cannot lost, you're fooling yourself. That's the power of their connection. It can circumvent sense and sensibility.

"You're such a tease." Jack goads on, as their lips brush. Fleeting and noncommittal, the brunette pouts just a smidge. She knows what it's like to be kissed by Sterling. That was a pacifying gesture, not the sort of kiss that made her curl her toes. "I'm coming!" Jack says, following her away from the dance floor. Light sweat down her back, and feeling the relief once the heat breaks. "What are you drinking?" She steps in front of Sterling, taking back some control. Pride or foolishness - it's anyone's guess. "Dry vodka martini, and--" She peers at Sterling. A challenge in her eyes; they both know what happens when liquor and affection miss. A bomb, waiting to explode.

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☀︎ — closed starter for @egotistival from james "jimmy" bridges

jimmy had woken up before them, and there had only been so long that she could stand staring up at the ceiling, too afraid that her companion would wake up and catch her staring at them to do just that. so she had peeled away and made herself useful, and perhaps making herself too much at home, pacing around the kitchen and first intending just to make coffee. things, like they often do with jimmy, had quickly gotten out of hand, so by the time that they emerge from their bedroom, she's got a stack of pancakes on one plate and is working on eggs. "g'morning! i, uh, figured we could use a carb loud and some protein after last night. hope that's okay."

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CAILEE SPAENY Photographed by Lindsay Ellary for The Face, March 2020

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"Well, I don't know about that. I would think that Eevee has been granted the same privilege." And perhaps it's out of place to compare herself to Scout's wife, but she tries to feign being humble in an attempt to mask how thrilling it is that Fin continues to acknowledge her in such a meaningful way. Though Mari has been around longer, she hadn't stuck around, but she can continue to support Fin in their career. She tries not to dwell too much on how much more their relationship could have progressed by now if she hadn't let her fear win. "But I won't turn down such a lucrative offer. I already felt bad for missing your Vegas shows!"

Though there is far more that she feels bad about, Mari doesn't dwell on such things when so much good is happening in the moment. She could continue punishing herself for her actions another day. Tonight, she will can let up and be indulgent. She doesn't want anything to squash the happiness radiating from Fin. "Well, you both have always had that excitable dog energy. Which is not a bad thing."

If anything, it's that very energy that had attracted Mari to Fin to begin with. There is something infectious and exuberant that vibrates from their entire being that she had been drawn to, like a moth clinging to the light. And that is what they had been to her: the light, the love, of her life. As they sway, she drinks up the closeness, the warm that radiates from Finley so freely, and the time elapses far too quickly. She could have continued dancing with them forever. With a matching smile, she tucks her bangs behind her ear. "Very ready!"

The dancing may be over, and she wants to remain close, looping her arm through Fin's. "Should we go sit down first? Do you think the couple will make speeches first, or do we want to be first in line?" She's not in any rush, because the more that they do, the closer they get to the night's end.

Finley wasn't sure if it was generosity or rather their selfish hope to always see Mari's face in the crowd whenever they played. While the crowds were getting bigger, they couldn't help but look for her in the sea of people. It had been this way for so long Fin was certain they would always be looking for her. It wasn't just in crowds at shows, Fin was always looking for Mari in other people. Always hoping to find anybody who could light even a fraction of the fire in them that she did. "I think if anybody deserves the fan for life privileges its you."

A chuckle escapes their lips because it was certainly the dynamic between all their friendships. Mari and Sadie had some stories growing up that could rival those of the mischief Scout and Fin got themselves into. "You got a point there. Sometimes I think Scout and I share a singular brain cell."

The moment the two of them find themselves finding an easy rhythm on the dance floor, Finley finds themself wishing it was just as easy to fall into tandem in their personal lives. "You're right. There's actually a severe lack of head banging happening today actually," they laugh. As Mari's fingers gently graze their hair they instantly relax, as a soft sigh escapes their lips involuntarily. It was a simple sensation they missed so greatly: Mari's hands running through their hair, her hand casually on their chest while they talked, fingers tangling without a second thought. Coming from anybody else it felt like just cheap imitations.

One song fades into the next and before Fin realizes it been the better part of an hour as they do not want to even entertain letting Mari out from an arm's distance. Then the music pauses to announce the couple are going to cut their wedding cake. "Ready to refuel?" They grin.

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love is the one thing that grayson's entire life has lacked. his parents had not loved him as his existence had merely been a tool, an ensure that the company would have a successor, and he had never deviated from that path. his siblings resented him, and the 'friends' that he had came from the same social circle and with the same privilege that he had been born into. his wife had been after financial security, and not even platonic affection had bloomed between them over the years. loneliness is something that grayson wears as a second skin, and eva is not the first person that he has ever paid in an attempt to quell that longing inside of him. but she is the first that he has kept beside him this long, as well as the youngest. he had traded one night affairs for what he had with her, and while it's not something that should be described as stable, it offers him such comfort. she stirs emotions in him that have long been dormant, forced into hibernation so that he could go about his duties. with eva, he comes to life. it can't be love, but it's something more than just lust. he craves her, not just her body. though her body is something that he does adore, humming in response as he waits for her to reveal her 'secret.' when she does, his hands move and he sucks in a breath. "did you now? were you that eager to see me again?" he seeks out the evidence, fingers hooking along the line of her panties to feel for himself just how much she wants him. "and what thought made you this wet, hm? what fantasy was playing in your head?"

the truth is, she likes to be adored, spoiled and ravaged. grayson provides everything she desires in a lover — except love. but this should be enough, right? it should be more than sufficient, considering it aligns with their mutual agreement. something mutually beneficial. as she kisses him with passion that is genuine, not feigned — aware that it might backfire on her soon — she reassures herself that this is merely a game she chose to play, a game that should have no losers. but is it truly possible for a game to have no losers? if there must be one, who will it be? these are the questions she promptly ignores, pushing them to the back of her mind, demanding they remain silent — hopefully forever. yet, there is a good chance they will resurface later in the evening when she is left alone with her thoughts. and loneliness loves misery. more on that later. her breath hitches in her throat when he reaches down to touch her clothed core, a smirk playing on his lips as he teases her with fingers that know her body all too well. although it may appear otherwise, he is not the only one deriving pleasure from this encounter. “do you want to know a secret?” she whispers, planting kisses along the curve of his jaw until her tinted lips find the shell of his ear, nibbling playfully on his earlobe. her secret, a lighthearted one, not the kind that complicates everything or makes things heavy for the heart. she waits for his confirmation amidst their heated kisses and ragged breaths. “i got so wet on my way here, just thinking about you.”

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sera is an ice cold bitch. she embraces this about herself, has truly molded those ice walls around her purposely, and she's not someone that is open to being in love. or so she convinces herself. she is the last person that someone like seren, who is sensitive and new to all of this, should be with. that doe snot make sera happy no matter if she can acknowledge the reality of it. she would much rather be selfish and insist that she could be the one to give seren hands-on lessons, and perhaps the fact that she won't do that is an inclination that seren has managed to chip away some of her ice. enough that she would hand her off to someone far more gentle and warm. even if jealousy already bubbles in her guts. she can already anticipate what she would be dreaming of tonight, and it would be a nightmare. if she wasn't convinced that seonho was not the type to sleep with someone on the first date, she would feel even worse. "that's the spirit! it's just practice, after all. and you're in good hands." though she would much rather have her hands all over seren, exploring her thoroughly and with perfectly manicured nails. "but if he steps out of line, you tell me, okay? i'll kick him in the nuts on your behalf if i have to."

there's something like jealousy that seren has found towards sera. she's confident, collect, beautiful. she's everything that seren could never see in herself nor thinks that she could be. she's embarrassed of the nights she's laid awake thinking of sera. how she walks in a room and all the air is seemingly sucked out of everyone's lungs. she's envious. but seren knows it's more than that. there's a desire for sera that she tucks away into the back of her mind, knows that it would never play out. but sometimes when she closes her eyes, head laid against her pillow, she thinks of sera. thinks of sera's lips against her neck, the way her words feel like whispers against her ear. the thought of the other's girl's hands inside of her. and then seren's filled with such embarrassment the only thing she can do is turn over and turn off her light, the moan of her name left lingering in the air. snap out of it, seren! she blinks hard, coming back into focus. "oh! um. well, if you think it's a good idea then let's do it. i mean what is there to lose, right?" nervous laugh, she tucks stray hair behind her ear, shifts body in her seat.

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he longs to bury himself in the deep end of a pool, but that's not what a water park offers bolin. after this, he can anticipate that he would be spending the rest of his evening swimming at his home, olympic-regulated pool, roaming back and forth not to measure his time but just in a desperate attempt to keep his mind from swimming in the deep end. he is all too tempted to pop his ear-buds in, something that he would do anywhere else and if he wasn't obligated to interact with whatever kid might approach him. it's good work, a good cause, but it's hard to keep his thoughts from being fragmented.

it does not help when the child that approaches him ends up being minho. the sight of the child without so-yi in tow is enough to make him pause, and all he can do is listen as he's...chided? his mouth grows dry, and he longs for a cup of black tea to calm his nerves. "you are rather observant, aren't you?" much lik ehe had been as a child, an old man trapped in a young body. but he had not gone through a fraction of what he anticipates minho has endured due to his illness, and it tugs on his heartstrings that despite it all, the little boy champions for his mother.

"you are right," he acknowledges, dipping down with the bend of his knees to speak to the young boy eye-to-eye. as if speaking him man-to-man. because that is how he wishes he had been spoken to at that age, rather than pushed and forced to play pretend.

"that isn't very nice of me, and i should apologize. where is your mother then, hm? could you take me to her?" he then stretches up to his full height. the crowd is only becoming bigger, and he reaches out to grab onto minho's hand. that is the adult, responsible thing to do, isn't it? he doesn't want the little boy to get lost. he hadn't spoken fondly of swimming, after all, and if he were to break away, who knows what could happen?

even if he is not looking forward to what happens when he is taken to so-yi. all he can do is attempt to prep himself for that moment as best as he can, large fingers curling around small ones. this little boy looks after his mother so well that it's endearing. at that age, already bolin had been a withdrawn boy, preferring to keep to himself, playing mahjong and thrust into sports because his parents merely wanted him to properly interact with kids his age.

its a long night, with a lot of really hard to answer questions from her son, a few very pointed questions from her sister that seems to only confirm her suspicions and a long, too hot shower that she sits in and lets herself cry in only after minho has already gone to sleep for the night. she's already promised him that they would go to the water park tomorrow, that she would let him swim with his friends, that it would be another day full of fun, and there was no reason to back out of it, even if it meant a few more uncomfortable minutes and a risk of running into bolin again, letting that already reopened wound bleed a little more before it scabbed over again.

perhaps the only blessing is that the place is crowded. she's sitting on a chair in a corner, under the shade of an umbrella and carefully applying sunscreen to her son before settling in to sit and watch him splash around in the kiddie pool that a group of his friends are already collecting in, and it's only by chance that her phone rings as he's bouncing from foot to foot to get away from her. "stay where i can see you, okay?"

and the boy promises he will, but there's a look of determination in his eye that she doesn't catch, one that misses her completely as she answers the phone call from her father that she's been dreading. where they have a conversation she knows will be uncomfortable, but probably necessary.

minho, meanwhile, has slipped away, but not directly to the kiddie pool with his friends. the boy had clearly spotted bolin, and makes a beeline to the man, approaching him with all of the grit and determination of a grizzled old man, perhaps some borrowed age from all the time he's spent in the hospital. and when he reaches the man, all but ignoring the people around him, he tugs at bolin's sleeve, then pointedly folds his arms.

"i'm not sure what you and my mama were talking about yesterday, but you made her cry and i just want you to know that isn't very nice. i know it's hard to talk to other people sometimes, but i think you should know that. i know you're a busy man, but i think you should apologize." there's a pause, and then, as the young boy looks toward the corner where his mother is animatedly chatting on the phone, he remembers the manners he's been taught and adds, quickly. "sir."

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seren cannot hide from sera, though she is doing a swell job tucking her own feelings underwraps. it's only appropriate that she do so. sera knows how she is, recognizes her own intensity, and that is something that seren is neither ready for nor likely would ever be interested in. seonho is safe. "he would get good company out of it? trust me, seonho would never agree to something just because he feels obligated to," only that is a lie, and he very much would, but still, she knows that her brother would be kind, attentive, all the things that seren needs from someone at her current sociable levels. "you are totally someone he'd want to get to know." that much is true, and the part that matters. "you are sweet and interesting. if anything, he may be too boring for you, but he's someone that is stable, and knows how to hold a conversation. but it's fine if you don't want to do it. i won't be offended."

seren simply nods along to the other's words, curious about this so called plan. she has a million and one questions to ask about all the little details but she supposed they didn't really matter. this wasn't a real date. unless it was. then what would she wear? would her brother like her back? would seren even like him? she glances down, attempts to hide the flush that rises to color her cheekbones. if overthinking was a sport then seren would be a top player. she fidgets with her cardigan sleeve again, managing to loosen the threads so slightly. "great so. what would he get out of it then? or is just that he'd do it for you because you're siblings? that would be very kind of him if that's the case. i just don't know that i'm someone he'd want to sit down to dinner with." all the confidence once had is gone within a wave of doubt.

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what else is he supposed to think? bolin bites at the inside of his cheek, as that is what she had led him to believe, after all. perhaps her memory is faulty, and she can't remember everything that had transpired between them. unlike him who remembers ever word that had been said down to the letter. since they had just been something 'fun' to her, and she had far more on her plate, it would somehow make sense to him that she would not recall with the same clarity that he has. he had been a blimp in time for her, whereas she had been dangerously close to becoming everything to him.

he retreats and comes to his manager's side, and the questions spiel from her as soon as the two of them are perched in the car. bolin has no real answers for her, but has questions of his own, and it's then that she breaks down and reveals to him that so-yi had known that she was pregnant when she left, that there had been 'no way' that bolin could be the father, and his manager had told her to come forward but instead so-yi had supposedly taken the cowardly way out. yet bolin does not know what to truly believe, though he nods along dutifully to what she is saying anyway.

the truth is less clear than the water when he is running laps and not wearing goggles. it would be so much easier to accept what his manager is saying at face-value. sleep does not come easy to him that night, and he is sluggish at the water park as he wanders aimlessly. kids are laughing around him, and his heart is aching at the sound. perhaps he does not even have to worry about running into so-yi and her son. perhaps he would never see them again. that would not stop him from thinking about them, his focus fractured just a month before the summer olympics are due to start.

its the final crack in her armor, a dig so subtle that she might have missed it if she hadn't been so pointedly aware of him, understanding still buried deep in her chest somewhere. she had done this to herself. she had shattered this entire relationship into pieces, because she had been told that was what was best for him, and she gets to forever be the villain in his story because of it. "if that's what you think." the words are clipped and pointed, stern in a way that so-yi, pre motherhood, would have never used, and she refuses to look at him again as she reaches up to quickly swat away at a tear gliding down her cheek.

she shoots one more look at the manager, instead, a very pointed one, ice clear in her wet eyes, before stepping away and moving to kneel down beside her son. "baby, mama needs a couple of minutes alone, okay? auntie hari can take you to play some games, and i'll catch up. is that okay?" and her son, that brilliant, thoughtful little boy, far too smart for his own good, far too wise to be a five year old, simply gives her a nod and a light and clumsy pat on the cheek with his free hand, one of those smiles that she knows is him trying to put on a brave face for her, that that's all the resolve she can muster before she quickly stands and excuses herself into the crowd.

she's unaware of the way that her son then rounds on bolin, narrow eyes, arms folded, a child trying his best to look intimidating, and perhaps if auntie hari wasn't there, he would have stormed over and berated bolin for making his mama cry, even if the sweet boy doesn't understand the full story, doesn't get the deep lore or the truth of the matter. there's no doubt, though, that if they do see one another again, at the water park tomorrow or otherwise, if so-yi isn't careful, that her son will have something to say, then.

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he shouldn't be this candid with eva. grayson is aware of that fact, as it is a way to have the curtains be pulled from their rouse, and he does not want that sunlight to shine too much on him and how he truly is. if she were to see him, all of him, then eva would no longer be at his side. and he isn't so delusional to forget the arrangement that they have. she would not be with him forever, but for that duration that she is, he wants this to be something that is not burdensome for her. he does not wish to have her pity. all he does want is her attention, no matter how fake her interest may be. because his interest is a genuine thing, and that is another burden for him to bear all on his own. "mm, that is right." and while he does appreciate that she can understand where he is coming from, he does not want to dwell on the topic for longer than they have to. all he'd intended is to be transparent with her to a point, peel back one layer and not all of them. so when she stops talking about it and prodding further, he sighs in relief. this is what he would much prefer to focus on. "i think that i can handle it..." his words are also coarse, scarcely qualifying as a whisper. but how can he manage to speak when eva so deftly straddles him, when he can breathe into the space that closes between their lips. he responds to her kiss with fervent passion, his hands scoping up her leg once more and hiking up her dress until it settles at her hips. this is what he wants, she is what he needs, even if he cannot hold onto her forever. but he can for now, palming against her clothed core and moaning into the kiss. he'd gladly sacrifice their food to consume her instead.

eva nods as he continues to reveal more to her than initial agreement entails, finding it almost morbidly amusing that she has instigated this situation and he is allowing it, despite her initial, rather hostile reaction to his unexpected announcement about his marital status. it is human nature to be curious, she tells herself. it is only natural for her to want to know more about him as a person, given the time they have spent together. this desire has nothing to do with her deepening attachment to him, which extends beyond mere physical attraction; perhaps she is simply confused, and who can blame her? they engage in nearly everything a typical couple would, with him showering her with intimacy, gifts, and affection, all while she must constantly remind herself that she is treading a thin line and must not forget the original plan. “i can see why one wouldn’t want to bring a child into such an arrangement.” children in loveless marriages suffer and she wouldn’t want that for herself if she were in his position. she stops there, aware that she has already said too much and asked too many questions, realising that her thirst for answers might soon backfire, leaving her with no one to blame but herself. the teasing touch of her tongue over her lip brings an amused smile to her tinted mouth. “or… i could be giving you a preview of what could happen later… only if you could handle it, of course.” she whispers instead, straddling him with her long, slender legs before settling on top of him. before her mouth finds his again, she claims his lips in a kiss that begins lightly and temptingly, deepening with a sense of urgency. this is what she is here for, she reminds herself: to make him feel good and help him forget his troubles, not to have him recount them to her with sadness in his eyes.

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— nn. (via eternaldroplets)

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"that...makes sense. we can do that." and it is the first thing that has made any sense to him since all of this had happened. gage is still struggling to wrap his head around all of this, and it's a blessing that noemia is there as someone that is willing to put in the research and who does so with such fervor that he recognizes that she's almost excited about all of this. yet he can't be. he swallows, the spit not at all quelling that hunger literally burning his insides. "i know you may not want to, but i have to make you promise me, noemia. you have to promise me that you won't judge do damage to me if it comes to that. you have to be willing to kill me, because doing this has the potential of killing you. i can't do this if you aren't willing to take it as far as you need to in order to stay alive. i'm already dead, so it has to be you over me, you know?"

“yeah, so we can track trends. see how this can be the most efficient for you.” noemia isn’t sure efficient is the word but maybe if gage has processes and facts to focus on, he might be able to calm down a little. at this point she’s just grasping for straws in trying to pull together the things she knows that he likes and all this new research buzzing around in her head. “i was just meaning a light stab. i don’t want to maim you or anything. just distract you enough so that you know you need to—” stop eating her? she quickly trails off form saying that. “you’re going to be feeding on me, i don’t think i’ll struggle giving you a warning shot if i have to."

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he had not meant to make jiyoon retreat, and that's what seonho considers her as doing when she turns away from him. his eyes turn back to the road, hands gripping the steering wheel and going over what he had just said in his head, turning it over and over and wondering what he might have said wrong. but then she's talking again, and all seonho can do is grin, face lighting up with excitement. "i do, actually! i always keep one in my trunk. just in case." since he can't ever know when his old vehicle would give in on him and shut down. this would be fun, like their own moonlight picnic, and he has to chastise himself not to romanticize the concept. "and of course we can! ice cream is literally a weakness of mine, so i'd never say no to a milkshake." and then he's pulling up to the drive thru, one car perched in front of them. "so what all do you want? what kind of milkshake do you like?"

there's a shift in their conversation when jiyoon mentions she's not made of glass. she's been in the industry long enough to know how to read people. or so she would like to think, anyway. a frown on her lips forms briefly, her gaze turning towards the window. had she said something wrong to upset him? jiyoon knows she's excellent in a lot of ways but conversation can be a downfall sometimes. always too blunt. her attention turns back to seonho at the mention of looking at stars. "do you have a blanket we could lie on?" her smile lights up her face at the idea. jiyoon wasn't sure the last time she'd ever done such a thing. maybe the last when was she was a kid if her memory serves her correct. "that sounds amazing. could we get a milkshake too? please?"

[ameliiorate]

he's a polite, sweet little boy. regardless of who and where minho's father is, so-yi has done a good job all on her own. the questions still spiral in his head, but he has to mute them for now. it's far too much for him to continue considering. all he can do now is watch as minho departs and is scooped up by hari. there's an ache in his chest, and he excuses it as the scar on his heart reopening by so-yi's mere presence. he had never wanted to see her again. he had let her in, and she had deceived him. she had turned him into a lovesick fool, and that's not who he is. he's a champion, and that's now all he sets out to be. there is no consideration for him to be anything else. he is a swimmer, more like a fish than he is a human anymore.

he'd never been good at the human thing anyway. so he swallows back that yearning, and straightens his posture as he steps out of the ferris wheel car. it's only when the boy is gone that so-yi finally truly acknowledges him, and he struggles to have anything to say to her. because it's not nice to see her, but it is good to see that she is well, even if it pains him to see that her son is not. he is not so miserable of a man that he wishes for her to suffer.

he just doesn't want to be around her, yet he had offered up another encounter anyway. he has to, doesn't he? he has to figure this out, and his eyes travel to his manager who would be the first one that he questions. it would be easier to talk to her since the trust there had not been broken like it had with so-yi. "yes," he manages to say, "it's good that you seem to have finally found the love of your life. in your son." since she had never loved him.

"mm, i have to go, and it's best that you do, too. that son of yours has a lot of energy and there are plenty of games set up for him to play." while all bolin wants to do at this point is slip away from the event, something that he is sure that he can do since he has fulfilled his obligation of showing face and lingering around longer than he had to. if he had gone when his manager insisted, he would have never run into so-yi at all. perhaps that would have been a cosmic blessing.

she doesn't get much of a chance to really say anything before the ferris wheel has reached the bottom again and the door is flung open. minho, for his part, is polite enough to to shake bolin's hand and offer a quick "it was nice to meet you mr. bolin!" over his shoulder as he ran from the car and straight into the arms of her sister, waiting there for them at the bottom, a conflicted look on her own face while she gave minho a once over. so-yi could see the worry in hari's darting eyes, between the two of them, down to the child. a silent question written on her sister's face as, it seemed, yet another person was clicking pieces of the puzzle into place and figuring out the truth.

she feels stiff in the shoulders, watching her son, their son, interact with his aunt so excitedly, talking about the gears in the cable car, talking about the fish man in there with them. she could catch snippets of it, though he had switched back to korean while he chatted animatedly, something her son often did when he was too excited to contain it.

and then she turns to look at bolin again, smile tight, eyes still wetter than she might like them. her voice is quiet, a little somber when she speaks again. "it was nice to see you. i'm glad you're doing well." but before she has a chance to say more, she sees his manager, those hawk eyes narrowed at her. she has no doubt that the woman remembers exactly who she is, and can only assume that she's conntected the same dots, though so-yi knows better than to break the contract she'd signed with a shaking hand as a terrified girl breaking her own heart.

love is fine and good. but bolin had truly gotten to shine when she'd walked away. she can only assume that means she made the right call. "your manager is glaring at us, i assume you have other obligations. i.." eyes cut to her son again, the sweet boy, just as in the dark as his father, and feels a pang in her chest that makes her reach up a little too suddenly to press a fist against her chest. "we'll see you at the water park tomorrow."