cynicalmusings - Tumblr blog

cynicalmusings · 3 days

Text

l(over)

when someone else flirts with you in front of them.

heizou, wanderer, neuvillette ♡ gn!reader

warnings: not proofread, neuvillette may be ooc, wanderer is a little crazy 😊

notes: i played heizous hangout quest and he got me 😭😭

frankly, heizou is amused.

"you're beautiful," some random stranger states, "do you happen to be free this weekend?"

you blink in confusion, glancing back and forth between the detective and the strange person. does he not see the way heizou's hand is linked with yours?

"well, someone clearly isn't a detective," heizou states, not bothering to lower the volume of his voice. when the person still doesn't quite understand what heizou means, he lifts your laced hands up to eye-level, emphasizing the fact that he's not letting go anytime soon.

"please don't interrupt," the stranger states, suddenly feigning ignorance to heizou's presence.

"oh!" heizou exclaims, unbothered. "sorry about that!" you can tell by the look on his face and the tone of his voice that shikanoin heizou is, in fact, not sorry. he's not sorry at all.

heizou brings the back of your hand up to his lips, staring directly at the stranger whilst doing so. still, the random man does not budge.

"what's up with this guy?" heizou mumbles, loud enough for just you to hear. you laugh, and heizou can't seem to tear his eyes away from you, his gaze belonging wholly to your existence.

when the stranger glares at him, heizou merely shrugs, a smirk fixed onto his face. the oblivious person then turns to you, a gentle smile on his face.

"might i have the honor of knowing your name? i am kenzaburou kadenokouji, and seeing you has blessed me with the inspiration to write my greatest upcoming novel: 'i was reincarnated as the raiden shogun's plane of euthymia, where i did nothing for 500 years before finally meeting the love of my life in the middle of the city?!'"

your mouth hangs agape, flabbergasted at this surreal experience.

heizou, however, is not fazed in the slightest. "is this based off of true events?"

"do not interrupt an artist's craft," kadenokouji replies, before extending a hand towards your free one.

so he knows i'm holding their hand, is all heizou thinks. without another thought, the detective pushes the writer's palm away, tugging you towards him.

"you're going to need to find inspiration from someone else! my intuition tells me that this isn't going to work out," heizou declares, his thumb coming to rub the back of your hand, as if he's trying to reassure you.

(you think that it's more for him, though. because although heizou is a self-assured, confident man, he is sometimes shrouded deeply in fear, swayed by the same emotions that make him so human, so lovely.)

(it also doesn't help that you adore novels. a majority of heizou's worries are attributed to how you devour those absurd reincarnation stories.)

"no, no... together," kadenokouji trails off, dismissing heizou with the flick of his hand. "together, we will defy fate! and with you, beautiful stranger, i will publish the greatest novel known to inazuma!"

"he's delusional," heizou mutters, but it sounds as if he's more impressed than incredulous.

"i have a boyfriend," you reply, still recovering from shock. "he's right next to me."

kadenokouji takes it the wrong way. "wow, you move pretty fast! although we just met, and i still don't know your name, i am completely fine with this sudden turn of events!"

"wow," heizou mutters to himself, almost amazed, "this guy's pretty good."

"he's like the opposite of you," you whisper, leaning closer towards heizou, "completely oblivious."

that gives heizou an idea.

"sorry pal, but they only like detectives," he declares.

"that's okay! i've been meaning to write a detective novel, you know, i am always switching things up!" kadenokouji exclaims, not taking the hint (but it's not even a hint, it's a full blown answer).

"oh, really? have you ever heard of shikanoin heizou?"

you and heizou exchange not-so-discreet glances (it's not like kadenokouji notices, anyway). heizou winks at you, as if urging you to stay quiet so he can get the spotlight in a novel that he's always been dreaming of.

"yes, yes! i love doushin shikanoin's work—in fact, i've been meaning to ask him for some information regarding his famous intuition! i plan on basing the main character of that novel off of him, really!"

"that sounds great! you know, doushin shikanoin believes that he needs the publicity, so your novel would be the perfect match!"

"is that really so? that's incredible! i must reach out to him immediately!" kadenokouji says, his attention belonging wholly to this newfound idea.

"i can relay the message to him," heizou replies, "what would you like to ask?"

"yes, thank you! please ask him if he's willing to meet me outside the tenryou commission for an hour or two for me to ask questions! and if he's willing to tell me about his intuition and how it works! my novel's main character will also have something akin to his intuition, but not exactly because i am always original and meaningful with my work—"

"alright, i will!" heizou declares proudly, "he'll hear of it by today!"

"thank you, kind sir! if i might be so bold to inquire, what is your name?" kadenokouji asks, suddenly becoming heizou's biggest fan whilst forgetting about your presence. how the tables have turned.

"shikanoin heizou," he states, the smile on his face never wavering. "my intuition tells me you're going to fall to the floor in utter shock!"

his intuition, as always, is correct. kadenokouji collapses to the floor as if he had just witnessed the most terrible thing, all the color draining from his face while his jaw hangs wide open.

"d-doushin shikanoin?!"

"that's me! also, could you include me in the novel's credits? you know, being a detective isn't always just about skill. in this day and age, we need publicity! we need a name for ourselves!"

kadenokouji faints.

"did you come from another world?" someone asks. "'cause you look otherworldly."

"that was ridiculous," wanderer mutters, "and redundant."

"is he bothering you, your highness?" the person queries, taking a step towards you. their hand reaches out for yours, as if they're trying to take you away, but wanderer is quick to intervene.

he blocks you with his figure, the vision on his chest beginning to glow vividly as a gust of wind rushes through the akademiya's library, sending papers and books flying. scholars panic as their research projects flutter all across the marble floor, and usually, that'd be enough to deter a sane man.

unfortunately for you, your admirer (the other one) is no sane man. you suppose that you attract a certain group of people.

"so you think you're a big shot 'cause you have a vision, huh?" the stranger asks, unimpressed.

"hah! you don't even know who you're talking to," wanderer replies, clenching his fists. he takes a step toward your admirer, the air around him becoming tense and unwelcoming as it begins to manifest into something grim, something violent.

you're not in the mood for a suspension right now.

"wanderer!" you exclaim, tugging at his sleeve. "let's go somewhere else. this guy's just weird."

"you go first. i have things to deal with," wanderer replies, irritated. but the way he looks at you doesn't quite match the tone in his voice, because when the wanderer's cornflower pupils fixate on you, they melt. you mold him into something quiet, something lovely, when you do so much as exist.

briefly, the wind brushes past your face, kissing you with its tender touch.

(all you have to do is exist, and that'll be more than enough for him.)

"he's not worth your time," you say, not releasing your hold on the puppet's wrist. even though wanderer could easily escape your grip, he chooses not to—instead, he basks in your touch, inching closer towards you, letting you hold the strings of his artificial limbs to move him as you please.

wanderer relinquishes himself to you. wholly. and he trusts you with his fate, with his severed strings.

"whatever."

his severed string manifests anew, wrapping around his pinky and yours, turning red—not red from blood, but rather, from love—and knotting.

you are bound to him.

and then he gives in.

(he does a lot of that when it comes to you.)

"surrendering already, huh?" the stranger asks, clearly not knowing his place. "i knew you were nothing but bark."

oh, you think, sighing, this guy's an idiot!

"does the akademiya accept anyone who applies?" wanderer asks, contemplating murder. still, he doesn't release himself from your hold.

"that's what i was thinking when i saw you. leave us alone!"

a category 5 hurricane begins to brew in the akademiya library at the word "us." scholars begin to evacuate the premises whilst the insane man stands amidst it all, still trying his best to court you despite getting blown away.

i tried my best, you tell yourself, glancing away.

you let go of wanderer's hand, and then you close your eyes.

"let me know when you're done," you mutter, voice drowned by the whistle of the winds and the screams of scholars whose projects are getting engulfed by the storm.

wanderer, of course, hears you. he can always hear you, picking out your voice from the cacophony, taking the sound and placing it deep within his empty chest, letting it resonate and replay there. instead of a heartbeat, wanderer has your voice echoing throughout his torso, fusing into his artificial ribs.

he is bound to you.

a breeze wisps past your nose. even with the whirling winds and the threat of suspension lingering around your figure, no harm ever comes your way.

you are in the eye of the hurricane.

the eye of the beholder. it melts.

neuvillette is flabbergasted.

back in fontaine, he had the luxury of comfort. everyone knew that the two of you were together, so he never had to deal with someone trying to court you, much less in front of him.

this is how he experiences culture shock. not by the customs of other nations, but rather, by the sheer audacity that some people have. especially when your hand is laced tightly with his.

"i think... i think..." the stranger trails off, his voice filled with an adoration that makes neuvillette's stomach churn. "... i'm getting lost in your eyes, beautiful."

the stranger reaches his hand out to give you a rose, a dashing grin on his face. you smile awkwardly.

"sorry, i'm taken."

"taken... by my good looks?" the stranger asks, putting a hand under his face to emphasize his features. neuvillette squeezes your hand.

"no, they are taken by me. we are partners," neuvillette explains, his tone remaining polite.

"partners in work?"

"yes, but—" neuvillette starts, but is quickly interrupted. you spare him an endearing glance, charmed by his honesty.

the tips of his pointed ears begin to blossom red. again, he squeezes your hand.

"no, we are married," you state blandly, and the stranger's gaze flickers over to your hands, searching for a ring. neuvillette doesn't like the look on the stranger's face; it's evident in the way the iudex narrows his eyes, the way he steps forward a little even though he'd usually try to avoid confrontation.

"i could get you a ring," the stranger says, clearly not getting the hint, "and you wouldn't have to lie about being married."

"there is nothing we owe to you that requires us to prove our marriage. we are married, and that is all you need to know," neuvillette declares firmly, his tone becoming harsh.

"but words alone don't mean anything," the stranger replies with a shrug.

neuvillette furrows his brows, clearly stumped by the stranger's statement. he disagrees—words don't mean everything, but they are definitely worth something.

"just back off," you suddenly chime in, tugging neuvillette closer to you. he lets you string him along to your whims, allowing his figure to inch towards yours, finding its place by your side.

"i'm not interested in you. i already have a lover."

the stranger rolls his eyes.

"ugh. i didn't even like you anyway."

neuvillette frowns. "now that is completely incorrect. just moments prior, you were—"

"just shut up!" the stranger yells, not even bothering to listen to neuvillette's explanation.

clouds begin to form.

"let's go, neuvillette," you say, rubbing the back of the iudex's hand with your thumb. "don't worry too much about that guy."

he looks at you, and the sun emerges.

"you're right. thank you, [name]."

a ring dangles from the silver chain on your neck; it's a vibrant shade of blue.

it glows.

"and you wanted to try this land's water, right?"

he lets you string him along, a gentle smile on his face.

"yes," he vows, "i do."

his hand slots perfectly into yours, and the world is engulfed by a radiant glow.

#i’m obviously biased towards the heizou bit but the heizou bit was great #and like i said it’s so nice to see you’ve joined the heizou appreciators! (we need more of them)#r’s reblogs

765 notes · View notes

cynicalmusings · 5 days

Text

being slightly delusional and thinking about yiju (and jing yuan) again and how their backstories sort of parallel each other’s, yet are different enough to give them vastly different views of the world (and themselves)…

(get ready for a tangent incoming)

the thing about both them and jing yuan is that they both lost the people closest to them in very short succession; jing yuan with the high cloud quintet, and yiju with their family after 1) the cangcheng was destroyed, which killed their parents, and 2) the time it took for them to be accepted onto the luofu as refugees, during which both their siblings (older and younger) died. as jingliu’s character story says, “The Cangcheng fell in calamity with very few survivors. I don't know what you experienced before the rescue team arrived...” but yiju never received any sort of master or guidance to help them cope with ‘what happened before the rescue team arrived’.

the main difference between yiju and jing yuan is that yiju was much younger relative to losing their family than jing yuan losing the high cloud quintet. the hcq dismantled ~700 years ago, and jing yuan was around young adulthood when it happened, so let’s estimate he’s roughly… 200 or so when that happened, making him roughly 900 years old in total.

meanwhile, yiju barely has any childhood memories left of the cangcheng; they were probably around 50 when the ship was destroyed (let’s just ignore this means canonically they’d be around 1,800 years old because the cangcheng disaster happened in the year 6,300 of the star calendar and it’s currently 8,100 in the present day… shhhhhhh. maybe they got frozen in ice march/aang style and didn’t age during half that time), so when they experienced their trauma clump, they were much less equipped to fathom what was happening to them beyond ‘i don’t know where i am and the people i love aren’t waking up’.

obviously, this doesn’t mean it was any easier for jing yuan to lose the hcq just because he was older when it happened, but i suppose the point i’m trying to make is that a life of not trusting others, keeping personal emotions and information to oneself, etc. is practically the only life yiju remembers living, meaning it’s had a more profound impact on their worldview as opposed to jing yuan, who at least had some grounding in life before things got ripped out from under his feet. he was experienced enough, i think, to begin accepting what happened even if it still hurt, whereas yiju is almost perpetually stuck in those moments of childhood when they were forced to shut their vulnerabilities up because they’ve barely ever known a different way of living.

jing yuan keeps quiet in the present about the hcq and his mourning because his character story implies that although it’s still painful, he’s wise enough to make some peace with what happened. part of it is likely some degree of not being willing to talk about it—he strikes me as the kind of person who’d rather suffer in silence than inconvenience others because of his problems—but, again, he’s been able to come to terms with it enough that mourning alone is at least bearable.

yiju keeps quiet about their past because they’ve convinced themselves that it doesn’t matter, that they don’t care about it, etc., but below the excuses they know they’re simply absolutely terrified of being vulnerable. since the cangcheng’s destruction, they were forced to harden and stifle down their emotions just to survive. vulnerability got their siblings killed and them most likely discriminated against when they first got onto the Luofu for being a foreign child who wore strange clothes and spoke with a strange accent—one they definitely taught themselves to lose. not to mention that the way they acquired funds for to start their tea house, and the business they do in it now, makes it actively dangerous to share personal information or anything at all which could be used against them.

essentially, jing yuan took the wisdom and growth from loss, whereas yiju took the cynicism. they took some degree of kindness and selflessness as well—they don’t want to see the unfair suffering they faced repeated in others, hence why they protect marginalised people and groups in their tea house as long as the discrimination they face isn’t a result of that person’s own actions—but potentially being ‘kind’ is something they will never admit to themselves.

and really, the only possible way i can only see them opening up to somebody is if they got drunk with somebody, and weren’t quite as in control of themselves as usual, and they caught some whiff of their old life back on the cangcheng—maybe a smell which reminds them of a dish, or some image which reminds them of something they saw—and most importantly somebody (cough cough jing yuan cough cough) made the first move in showing them that they’re not the only one hurting because of the past and extending a hand to them to tell them know they don’t have to be so afraid of other people—not everybody is going to twist yiju’s emotions to their advantage—and for one night, just maybe they can admit to themselves that they’re lonely and that feeling that way is okay. and i think that jing yuan would be willing to take that first step, because he has healed at least enough to share a bit of his experiences to them, and at the same time he can see that yiju—a person he does care about—is in dire need of a figure they can actually feel safe around. i can imagine yiju’s original accent would also slip out while they’re drunk.

also, from a preventing-mara point of view, i feel like it would also be good for both of them to share and make peace with their experiences instead of keeping them locked up.

#i don’t know what this is or why i wrote it #it probably doesn’t make much sense to anyone who can’t see directly inside my brain #which is you know most people #but there you go i guess #some yiju and jing yuan brain splurge #jingju? yijing?#anyway #whatever #r’s random thoughts #yiju’s actually a bit similar to aventurine in how their backstory and how it’s affected them #although i would say yiju is a bit kinder than aventurine #and a whole lot more careful

1 note · View note