*/ 完人

EACH UTTERANCE EQUATES TO WASTED BREATH, meaningless intakes  &  expels, warm puffs couple with nonsensical sounds.  lin ling might as well not have said anything at all  &  even the sound of his own frightened breath would have been all the same.  so bold to speak whatever had hastily been scrawled out to call a cheap script  &  was not ready for the suggestion of a brawl that could only come from one so embroiled in wrath.

but the flames that had momentarily fanned him peter out, destruction's crown tilted upon his head, drooping down on a single side that it nearly conceals his face.  the features that make up his visage do not matter much anymore, typically dolled up for production's sake when the producers are able to get their hands on him.  whoever that is, whatever man might have more readily complied with miss j or treeman's wishes initially, had crafted their own villain out of some horrific scraps  &  bits scattered about his own quarters.  let loose here, he is no better than a stray aching to pick a fight in hopes that it might be his last chance to feel  &  expire all at once.

he looks towards the familiar face, anger easing out of his brows in favor of letting them sag down heavy.  his lifeless hues not enough to support the weight, he momentarily shuts his eyes, steps back while shaking out his hand.  the imposter is right.  this is not a fair life to lead  &  his existence still amounts to being fodder in the presses.  only ever meant to bolster.          ❝  i still have my contract.  ❞          voice lacking luster, the hatred taking a backseat, such a piece of paper with his signature preserved in ink means little to him.  he could tear it up  &  live with never being represented again.  there could be other ramifications he's not entirely aware of too, once upon a time blindly signing just to be with his friend.  without treeman he would be nothing.

the truth is not for the man who wears his dead friend's skin.   a passionate adoration that had been harbored in secret while the rest of his world went on ahead of him.  wreck's fate had always been sealed.   &  the world would only mock him with the passage of time, even up till now.  nice's face staring back at him despite his passing.  beneath his gloves, his palms start to bleed from the puncture of nails.

wreck shakily releases the tension in his palms.          ❝  he hadn't been texting me back for days ...  even weeks at a time,  ❞          he begins, slow  &  unsure of himself.  he can't meet lin ling's gaze as he continues.          ❝  i jumped at the opportunity to see him that i was blind to the rest of the details.  i didn't read the script.  ❞          not an apology for jeopardizing the new hero's life nor the lives of others in the vicinity but it was his reasoning for being present when he had already been in such an unstable state.

lin ling had felt a thief when he held moon's hands in his own during the night of the true love recipe live episode. yet the adrenaline of standing for justice had obstructed his gaze like a veil forced over his eyes , guiltily riding the high of what it meant to become nice. even when they had made that scheme together in order to let her go , even when he had first laid his eyes on his supposed nemesis.

lin ling raises his arm to glance at the glitching numbers on his wrist , quick to letting it fall to his side , smoothing over his form and looking up to meet the exhausted expression on the man's visage. spine straightened , lips pursed as he listened intently when wreck spoke once more , breaking the tense silence between them. he feels like he's been stripped naked , raw , underneath his scrutiny. of course , sister juan and moon were different ─── he was able to play a role with careful attention as the former wished , and to the latter ─ he'd lend an ear to. indulged in the pastimes she wasn't able to fully enjoy when the predecessor── nice , was still alive and treeman's eyes weighed heavy. like a canvas that could be dyed any colour. here , he was what he was: an ordinary person thrust into a grand masquerade.

his confidence on what he could provide falls short now , and lin ling could do nothing but listen as wreck spoke , the early tightness around his shoulders falling away as he speaks of the ghost that haunts them both in different ways. it doesn't go lost on lin ling when the man looks away from his face ── well , lin ling couldn't blame him. some days , he couldn't bear to look in the mirror too long ; he almost felt like a marionette with invisible strings. alien fascination at the face before him mimicking his same movements.

" i can't blame you , " lin ling responds , a soft , hollow laugh escaping his throat. " you weren't told anything , i wasn't ... informed of everything either. " he looks away momentarily.

STRAW HOLLOWS OUT AS HE GETS TO THE BOTTOM OF HIS DRINK.  the hacker dressed as mundane as any other passerby stands before a broadcast displayed on a large digital screen.  though one of his hands wants to reach out to see how he can interact with the piece of technology, he keeps the one free of the cup shoved in his pockets.  even though he isn't exactly known nor worried about someone seeing, he is attuned to the breathing to his right.  someone slightly taller gazing up, same as he.

❝  fan of TREEMAN ?   ❞          uncharacteristically, he interjects.  he sucks on the empty drink before adding,          ❝  this ad is a whole lot of bullshit.  ❞

his racing thoughts are interrupted by a newcomer's voice , also observing the billboard screen. it takes everything within lin ling not to react rashly , only offering a twitching smile. fan of treeman ? god , their reputation was leaning on a less favourable note in lin ling's books because of their demands , their constant call for revisions, especially for nice and xiao yueqing's campaigns.