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Tears of Themis: Xia Yan/Luke 【囚月】 Imprisoning Moon - Bewitching Night Rave MR Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist

Transcript below cut:

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“Agent Raven, huh?” Marius gazes at Luke, completely setting aside the tablet Austin had given him earlier. Marius concentrates on Luke directly instead, sizing him up himself, and Luke is used to being looked at like this. Questions from the get go. Are you the weapon I need? Are you the protector who will keep me safe? Are you really the best one they’ve got? “You don’t strike me as one.” Luke is taken aback. “What do you mean?” “Means I see you more as a puppy, actually,” Marius smirks. “I assure you—” Luke eye twitches. “—that I can protect you much better than that.” “Oh, puppy’s got teeth,” Marius’ grin is downright delighted now. This is going to be one very long month... - Luke Pearce is assigned by the NSB to be Marius von Hagen’s bodyguard for a month.

wc: 2k for chapter 1

"i'll write the bodyguard marluke fic for november" i said, like an idiot who doesnt know how impatient of a writer he is. but yayyyy ive finally started writing marluke!!! only took me FOREVER.

this fic's got everything! bodyguard au, marius von hagen's dad being a little shit, everybody thinking both marius and luke are dumb as rocks. i loved writing it and i hope some people out there can enjoy this :DDD

likes, reblogs, tag comments, and ao3 comments give me life!!! pls lmk if u like this :3c

Original artist: Lnny-恩里君 (lnny-en li jun)

Source: here ll permission

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“Luke, Peanut is like, our adopted child. He can’t be in the room when we’re having sex, hard stop,” Ria says. “If you’d feel more comfortable with Peanut in the premises, I wouldn’t mind. A factor to getting aroused is feeling safe, so—” Artem says. “Babe, if unconventional shit like Peanut bothered me, I wouldn’t be sleeping with a super spy,” Marius says. “I think Peanut is fascinating. I’d love to unpack the benefits of an emotional support animal later, after I’ve fucked you,” Vyn says. - Peanut is a constant beady eyed fixture at Luke’s place, which is unfortunate given that Luke has four incredibly hot partners who fuck him into his bed on a regular basis.

rated M. nothing too explicit but sexual content is implied

wc: 2.2k

finally wrote nxx polycule!! with the DUMBEST PREMISE EVER. i hope some people can enjoy this because speedwriting this in 2 hours was a blast for me :DDD......I HAVE TO GO TO WORK NOW KJSDBFKGJSD

Original artist: 混乱混沌杂食bot

Source: here

🍒 Please do not repost! 🍒

wc: 1.1k

disclaimer: spoilers for character backstories within and i can no longer remember if it's in future cn server or global server, also these are all just my OWN interpretations and opinions, also it's 7:30AM here and i wrote this very quickly

so the biogical families (aka families related by blood) of everybody in the nxx investigation team are hugely fascinating to me. this is because each of their biological families creates a character that would LOVE to have the found family (aka people who are not biologically related coming to form very close bonds with each other) trope

lemme go thru everybody one by one

marius is the most obvious. the von hagen family isnt just a huge presence in society but a huge presence in his life. hes never just been marius hes always been marius von hagen. his family has a history and thanks to circumstances (cough, giann just blooping off of the face of the earth, cant wait to see u, giann!!!) a huge responsibility has been put on marius' shoulders to continue what the family does whether he likes it or not. in some card stories, it is implied that marius is seen by others as the weakest link in the von hagen family. hes a brat hes a kid he doesnt know what hes doing. marius is bombarded with responsibility and people doubting if he can follow through.

artem is a bit more lowkey than marius but his biological family also has a history. both his parents are also renowned lawyers and if im not mistaken, it was mentioned somewhere that those parents had Huge Expectations for him in terms of success and shit. his responsibility to carry on the family history is more muted than marius' but also more consistent, if that makes sense? marius had to be a von hagen only after giann disappeared while artem had to be a wing since he was a kid. the responsibility on artem's shoulders is both something that was placed onto him and something he perpetuates himself.

the above two are examples of biological families with a legacy, so to speak. it's clear that marius and artem, despite their family, worked hard independently to be the competent people they are today. their success is because of them. but one of the reasons why they had to go to do that is partly because they know that they dont exist in a vaccuum. they arent just their own person. they are a member of their last name's legacy.

(which, sidenote: marius and artem's family shit is, among the boys, the most glaringly culturally asian to me, HAHA. ofc i cant speak for all asians, but personally as a south east asian, the attitude of "carrying on the family legacy" and "you are not just you, you are your biological family" is just. ive seen those types of families, ive met them. hell, im IN ONE. moving on.)

vyn is a bit trickier. SPOILERS AHEAD, but vyn is the son of a duke, lol. hes a fuckin royal blood. absolute hilarity to me but he obviously hated it and made a choice to actively leave it. he did not erase his biological family history, he just skedaddled from it. noped himself out of there and then established himself as an individual independent from his royal bloodline. the background of his family is hugely still apparent in him but he doesnt rely on them and doesnt do anything for them as well. this is his life now, he seems to be saying. fuck off, he says as well, elegantly.

luke is depressing, but whats new. his biological family was ripped away from him the moment his parents died and he became an orphan. in a literal sense, he has no more blood history. theres no legacy, theres no responsibility, theres no past Pearce to call on. of course, he did get taken in by mc's family and that did come with its own set of history and legacy, but it's a bit different because he was adopted (and bc mc's fam history is...well, thats in the next paragraph). but yeah, luke doesnt have a biological history.

and lastly, mc. mc's family (aside from growing up with luke) is largely left up to interpretation. her parents were there during childhood and at some point disappeared for a "secret government research" which lord, i hope that gets addressed at some point jKBJSKF. but mc has some kind of biological history. we just dont get to see it.

vyn, luke, and mc have biological family situations that are more focused on the Lack Of It. vyn left, luke lost, and mc just has [REDACTED] over hers. they all, like marius and artem, establish themselves independently and work hard to be who they are now but theres less of a looming shadow of family legacy over them.

so whats this about found family?

i love nxx investigation team found family. ever since i started playing this game, i wanted all five of these idiots to come and love each other one way or another. but looking at all of their biological families, it makes me even happier because now i realize that these five idiots would very much enjoy a found family.

heres the thing (among many things) about found family that sets itself out from biological family: it's a blank slate that can only be written on by the members of the unit.

biological family, well, thats been there before you were even born. you can write the future, but the past is set in stone. you can make choices on how to deal with it but you cant change what has already happened. found family is a collaborative effort of a new history. a new chapter. one where everybody present has not only the choice but the power to make whatever this is mean whatever they want it to mean.

to metaphorize: biological family does not dictate who you are but their fingerprints, so to speak, will always be on you. found family also does not dictate who you are, but for once, theres no fingerprints of the past. it's new and youve got a say somehow in how the love of it can play out.

i feel like all of them need this. a blank page that can be built from the bottom up. no legacies or histories or lacks or whatever. just like

a bunch of people stumbling into the nxx hq and eventually, one by one, saying to themselves "yeah, im gonna ride or die for these idiots."

vaguely irt to nxx investigation team and tiktok

jsdbgkskjBKJSKDF, GHOST, IM LAUGHING AT THIS

dr. vyn richter having a twitter...hes a hot professor at a big university, i KNOW this dude has a bunch of followers, mostly students who thirst-followed him and then theyre frustrated because all vyn DOES on twitter is tweet primarily about how twitter is a horrible place for mental health well being and generally also terrible for nuanced discussions all in all.

marius jokingly replies to his tweet (and marius uses his alt twt where hes not glaringly a von hagen, just some random internet dude whos an asshole, perfect anonymity, but vyn clocks that it's marius in a tenth of a second) with "lol then what does it say that UR here, doc?"

and then vyn blocks marius

but marius bribes luke with lunch and/or snacks to hack vyn's account every time so that marius is unblocked

vyn, of course, knows that luke is doing this. not because he has any computer coding expertise but because luke has never successfully hidden guilt in his ENTIRE LIFE.

the only reason vyn lets this continue is because he finds it vaguely entertaining that marius is using this whole situation to hang out with luke more and marius REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE what THAT means about him

//slams my hands on the desk repeatedly. MARIUS HONEYPOT, MARIUS HONEYPOT, MARIUS HONEYPOT!!!!!!!! sorry this response turned out to be a marluke minific tho. pls heed wc and contents

wc: 1.7k words

contents: marius/luke, honeypot (acting as seductive bait towards another person for a reason other than wanting to get with that person. not marius to luke, marius to other characters), allusions to sex (none happens), and unresolved sexual/romantic tension

-

u hit a trope sweet spot of mine point blank. i love spy movie tropes and this trope is a guilty pleasure of mine and ur mind is just SOOOOO HUGE LIKE

man the moment the team realize that their target will most probably only give out their information (and there are two targets, husband and wife, this detail is important later) only towards somebody they are attracted to (the reason for this, vyn explains, is that this couple has been documented to tout around valuable intelligence as a bargaining chip as lure for people they desire) the meeting room goes quiet and awkward.

and mc has seen spy movies, she knows it's usually the woman who has to do the sexy undercover honeypot, and she KNOWS that none of the boys are going to force her but also she wants to solve this case.

however, before she can volunteer it's like

marius: okay, i'll go

everybody else: WHAT!!!

marius: what?

marius explains the obvious pros of him being the honeypot. first off, the most obvious thing, is that hes well known and hot shit in the media and the social class that these targets are. it wouldnt be out of place at all, it wouldnt raise any alarm bells for him to arrive at the hoity toity event the couple is going to be at. second off, he confidently says that HES confident. he acknowledges vyn tho, like vyn is sublimely confident in an elegant manner, but marius says hes Better because hes younger and nearly everybody underestimates him at first glance. vyn puts people on guard while marius is aware that people have the tendency to put themselves above him, which is catnip for targets like this who love to feel in power.

and lastly he smirks and says "everybody here knows that im the most attractive person here."

the team roll their eyes at his last point but they also concede that the rest of his reasons are sound. he really is the best choice for this specific task.

immediately, they all get to work on planning. vyn wants to run marius through how to hone his "confident but please show me ur soooo much cooler than me" vibes. artem and mc start working on the specifics on the information they need to get from the targets, outlining certain dialog prompts or lines thatll help steer the conversation. marius listens intently, absorbing all the information and asking questions when he needs to, and hes so focused that he almost forgets the little tremble of his heart because

luke hasnt said a word

luke has barely looked at him the moment marius volunteered

the meeting comes to a close and luke breaks his silence. "marius," he says. his voice is controlled, uncharacteristically betraying not a single emotion. "stay here for a bit. there's some things i want to talk to you about."

and it's not a suggestion. it's a declaration. so marius stays.

the conversation between them that happens, both of them alone at the nxx hq, is, in one word, ridiculous. luke is trying to convince marius to NOT do this thing, trying to bring up other methods. marius shoots all of luke's alternatives down, citing how theyre not as efficient, not as foolproof. luke gets angry, he says that these targets could get dangerous, he confronts marius as to why he has such little regard for his own well being. and marius snaps, confronting luke back and hissing why the fuck are YOU so interested in MY well being?

because heres the thing: theyre not dating. luke and marius arent in a relationship.

but they are...something

neither of them are stupid. they can tell theres a tension between them that grows stronger and stronger with every fleeting yet lingering touch, with every moment their gaze locks onto the other first and for much too long. they both know what theyre running from, but they both also dont want to stop running.

luke concedes. he cant reveal why he cares, thatd be disastrous. so he allows marius to go through with this on the condition that marius follows every fucking order luke gives him on the mission.

"i'm the one with undercover experience, here," luke says and hes right. "youre going to follow what i say."

"fine," marius grouses, looking away, trying not to examine too closely just how much he'd follow luke pearce to the ends of the earth.

FAST FORWARD THRU THE PREP OF THIS MISSION. key things that happen are

artem and mc running verbal sparring matches against marius to train him and for all that artem and mc are skilled attorneys, marius makes sure to make every conversation lean to his side, in terms of "winning." he has meetings like this with the PAX board every monday, hes got the experience lol

vyn trains marius through the mannerisms and tendencies of the type of person hes supposed to be playing and marius knocks it out of the ballpark because marius has spent his entire gotdamn life learning how to be what other people say he is. give him a role and he'll win the fucking oscar award

and luke goes to marius' office late at night, telling marius about plan a, plan b, and the entire rest of the alphabet of backup plans. because luke pearce is always thinking of the worst case scenario and he doesnt want marius to fall to that.

(and if during these nights in marius' office, both of them get quiet and look at each other, and marius darts his eyes down to the frown that graces luke's lips, and luke notices and his cheeks redden and he turns away, well. nobody needs to know about that.)

once it's mission day, luke is the one who sets marius up with an audio transmitter. gently, he loops it over marius' earlobe (and marius does Not shiver at the touch. he doesnt. and if he does, shut up about it. luke definitely doesnt bring it up).

the transmitter is designed as a silver snake, winding and elegant, the perfect earcuff to complement marius' whole outfit.

"that doesnt switch off. we'll be able to reach you and..." luke backs up, his hands in his pocket. "...everything you say and everything thats said to you within a 1 meter radius, we'll be able to hear it. i'll be---" he stutters. "we're with you the whole night."

"got it," marius says and he goes for a grin, trying to lighten luke up. "dont be so glum, the worst you guys will hear is me moaning maybe."

that. does NOT make luke laugh. that makes luke face go SO RED and he SQUEAKS and he runs away with his metaphorical tail between his legs with a rushed "OKAY, GOOD LUCK!!!!"

marius sighs. when are either of them going to get their act together?

NIGHT OF THE MISSION!! imagine the standard spy movie gala. theres lotsa well dressed people, a fancy bar, waiters walking around with champagne and hors-d'œuvres and marius von hagen walks in and looks undoubtedly like he belongs there. but as the night goes by, after hes chatted with a few company presidents, after hes sidled around and made himself visible, after he sits down at the bar alone, he damn well knows hes made himself known to the people he needs.

LEMME SPEED THRU THIS BIT NOW. the target couple approach him and they have polite conversation about business for a while. then that conversation turns into something a little more alluring and packed with flirting and passes from both parties of the couple and marius is glad that hes so hot that it's that easy. but also he plays hard to get, because he needs this couple to bring out the info that will "convince him"

and get it he does!! honestly it was pretty easy after marius faux rejected them the third time and the couple was like "let's take this somewhere more private" and they go into an empty hallway and they both make it clear they theyve got the power over him. by like, kissing him stupid, duh.

and marius is chill. he figured this would happen and he plays his part, he gasps in shock and groans softly as the two of them start to touch him (and the reason it was important that the targets were a couple is wholly just because i want two people tagteaming marius von hagen, im VALID) and it takes like 10 seconds for them to spill the intel they need. marius knows the audio transmitter got that, that they have solid information, and now all he has to do is make his exit from what is probably going to end in sex if marius doesnt leave soon but his exit is.

something

nobody

fucking

planned for

they all planned for how to make an exit when unsuccessful. there are 85293859 plans for how to make an exit after getting the intel, but none of those plans for when marius is currently pinned between two people who are Into Him. marius is fine with having a fling with these two, but this transmitter is NOT gonna turn off and he wants to spare his entire team having an audio file of him getting his shit rocked and they agree bc he hears them squabble through the transmitter

so marius, voice breathy, says "you'll have t-to help me."

the couple thinks hes talking to them, that he wants their "help" in feeling good, but these words arent for them at all. theyre for his team. theyre for---

"please," marius sighs. "i need you."

---for luke.

"im coming." luke says immediately.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THIS IS luke comes to the unsuspicious rescue SOMEHOW and he brings marius home and then maybe they have one hell of an argument because luke is so upset marius had to go that far and MARIUS is so upset that luke isnt being honest about why he CARES SO MUCH and maybe they angry kiss about it and they FINALLY STOP BEING STUPID.

Original artist: @nelhai ll source

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