#limel1ghts

laoban said compressing -

❝ no, wait- ❞

(     *     VALENTINE’S DAY ALPHABET   ! @limel1ghts

M   :   MOONLIGHT. what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

tatsu's really easy to please! they just really love having quality time with all of their significant others and friends, so they'll approach a quiet night in with just as much enthusiasm as an outing. at the same time, they are huge on adventuring, so if left to their own devices and paired with someone who also enjoys adventuring, tatsu would enjoy a roadtrip or a long walk through a city or a national park, hiking - they also love the beach and the ocean, and a trip to the aquarium or like a boardwalk would make them really happy, too.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

this answer is kind of verse dependent, but either way they didn't really develop a crush on anyone until high school! in tatsu's verses with @sukareo's rin, tatsu and rin attended the same high school, though in most cases they didn't really interact much directly until in blue lock or even later in other verses (even though tatsu admires and crushes from afar in most cases 😭)

in other verses, i kind of lore-dropped about this the other day and will recap it in the next question, but the person mentioned was someone tatsu fell in love with in high school and had been with for a couple of years leading up to when things fell apart.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

In the glove box of Liu Xiao’s car are paper remains. The first envelope he slid to the passenger seat got left behind after Xia Fei counted its contents. He kept it. It bears Felix’s name in neat cursive letters, and he kept it, because it reminds him of that evening — of fronted belligerence skewed toward curiosity.

Xia Fei tried to analyze him back then. He still does, though with less urgency than before. Liu Xiao understands. They meet often. He conjures odd jobs to buff an already fair paycheck. On colder mornings, he even treats Xia Fei to drinks at a cafe and drives him to campus, claiming that ‘ I can’t in good conscience let Vein’s top model freeze. ’ Their relationship is one of give and take, and Liu Xiao is content with that. He expects to forever seek Xia Fei out.

So he does not expect, when he passes the blond on his way to class, for his usual smile to barely reach his cheeks. He’s stopped short. Xia Fei’s lips are on his own, and he tastes like something stolen. Forbidden fruit. Fate unbound. The rush in Liu Xiao’s chest is so sharp, so sudden, he dizzies. Textbooks clutched by his breast nearly drop free to the floor.

Warm, warm. Almost hot. Too hot. Too much. All at once. Liu Xiao breathes to no avail. It’s as if the air around them professes envy. It wants to see him gasp.

For how short the kiss is, he should be embarrassed by his silence. Xia Fei introduces distance between them just as quickly. If he meant to say anything, he lets it go, and turns around with red cheeks. Liu Xiao can do nothing but watch him leave, helpless. The tips of his fingers touch his lips, tracing the burn’s remnants twice before he forces himself to fix his glasses.

He should follow after him. He wants to.

He thinks better of it.

THE WINE IS NEARLY GONE, despite her having ordered a full bottle roughly twenty minutes ago. perhaps being six foot four lends to her tolerance. or perhaps she just has a problem.

she always comes in right at midnight — stays through the last hour of business, when all that's left are the drunkest customers swaying and nodding off in their seats. she always settles at one end of the bar, and always sits facing the pub with her back close to the wall. long black case at her feet, nondescript, often whispered to be a musical instrument of some sort. when the pub closes, they'll leave a generous cash tip. they'll be the last one out the door — if drunken patrons have dozed off, she'll kick them square in the gut and tell them to get out. then, she'll get on her motorcycle and fuck off to who-knows-where.

it is always, always like this.

the difference is, the server has never tried to talk to her before. she's also never ordered wine. but her boss recommended that she try this one, so begrudgingly, she got it instead of the usual several glasses of toki.

❝ whiskey's better. but — fine. ❞ she watches the server, narrow-eyed and accusatory, as if they saw him steal a bottle from the bar stock. contrary to the attitude, the hound actually prefers customer service workers to the rest of the detritus that makes up society. gas station workers and cooks are the closest one can get to their favorite type of person, but servers aren't all that bad either. maybe it's because one of the only people she has ever trusted is an impossibly-old blind woman who runs a noodle shop by herself back in tokyo. ( can't fear the monster if you can't see it; that's how she justified it to herself, back then. )

they're a little impressed that this one can hold up under the weight of her glare. most crumple like wet paper and give her a wide berth for the rest of their days — understandably so, given the fact that it is purposefully nasty.

he's still looking at her. was that not enough? must she be subjected to the scourge of this world that is small talk? quickly, they look him up and down to ensure that he isn't armed or telegraphing any harmful intent. leather-gloved hand taps the bar top, impatient. ❝ ... what. what do you want, two-tone. ❞

               Liu Xiao barely registered their disappointment — if anything, their simmering anger only seemed to amuse him. He moved through the room like a shadow sliding across water, every step a riddle, every glance a puzzle begging to be solved. There was something about him that drew you in, even as you told yourself to stay away. Soon, the pieces would snap into place, exactly where he intended. They just didn’t know it yet.

the things one has to lose are limited.

the world narrows under the public’s scrutiny, the focus shifting into all that remains within reach, either a barricade to hide the true self or to merge into an identity. a need to hold onto something, the fear of falling into chasm. lies are about the same, a lone spider-thread leading the way out of this personal hell.

he gives xia fei a long look, undecided what to make of this.

lying to protect a stranger, lying to protect oneself. it could be either, or none at all. he doesn’t appreciate the former, doesn’t think he wants an explanation at all. maybe vein was right, he’s grown a little too attached to xia fei, in the short time they’ve known each other. he steps closer to the shelf, absently brushing his fingertips across each book’s spine as he makes way for the end of the hall, where shadows would be cast over, giving them more privacy to speak.

“you’re usually honest, that’s what i like about you.” a halt to the motions, liu xiao procures a book to skim through, idly going about the paragraphs. finding nothing of value, he filled the gap back in, moving onto the next book, “as to why you would choose to withdraw that sincerity, i won’t ask about the details. though i’m curious what exactly it is that you gain from it that i couldn’t possibly give you.”

ah, that must be it. he’s annoyed.

not at xia fei. not at the lies.

all you needed to do is ask, and i would’ve given it to you.

liu xiao turns back to him, his back against the wooden frame, a thin smile on his face. “if i’m to bargain for your truth, the very least you could do is tell me where to start. go ahead, i’d rather you came to me first, or vein for that matter.”

to have his words picked apart without immediate retaliation is a privilege reserved only for vein, and recently xia fei. it brings a smile back to his lips, unable to cointain his amusement. carrying himself like an open book, xia fei makes of this exchange harder to let go of, so liu xiao indulges him further. "is there a way to make it up to you?"

he places the leaf atop his own lips, voice lightly muffled, "what is your definition of proper attention? perhaps i can fix my mistakes with a little guidance..."

" if i didn't know better, i'd think you take some measure of delight in irking me. " he loosens his grip, threading his fingers between his. another night alone under the stars, away from prying eyes - a moment of respite from castle life. prince xia fei's pleasant smile, cheeky and smug, spreads wider, " you set foot here uninvited, then you will not leave until i say so. " guides liu xiao's arms around his waist. " sunrise won't be here for a while. stay. " he's too proud to admit the loneliness stings, so he expresses it the only way he knew how.

Ah, the nerve of this heart. Xia Fei dismisses it, but he is not wrong: delight comes from all manner of irritation, and Liu Xiao lacks shame.

A loosened grip invites one hand into another. Liu Xiao glides the pad of his thumb over the prince’s knuckles. Soft skin meets the practiced callouses of a mage. There is no one out to see them tonight save for the stars.

It’s for the best. If the sun ventured out, it would sour at the sight of Xia Fei’s smile. There is someone brighter, someone stronger, someone so vibrant he puts all lights in the sky to shame. Gold-spun hair and rosy cheeks. Envy is unsurprising.

Liu Xiao exhales a sound not quite a laugh when instructed to stay. He planned to with or without an order, but he will never dissuade reminders of how much he’s wanted. Xia Fei guides him to hold his waist; so he does, drawing royalty into an embrace, nuzzling their foreheads together.

“ I will always grant your wishes, ” he promises. There is a reason he studies so astutely. Ink under his nails, paper cuts on his palms; he has read more tomes than he can count. He could claim he craves knowledge. Wit is power. The information he retains places him above the common folk. Noblemen seek him to solve their problems, and because of it, he is well-off.

Truth be told, all mortal possessions in the world would dim beside the treasure in his arms. He’s not the only one who thinks so. Cupping Xia Fei’s face, Liu Xiao pulls back to examine the sight of fiery eyes and soft lashes. What a gem. What a joy. To have. To hold. To keep. He brushes their noses together as he leans in, tenderly kissing Xia Fei’s cheek.