synflux | closed.

[ Studying, university, a regular office job....how mundane. Peaceful, even. He's past the point where he might have felt jealous over someone else's idyllic life, and in any case it's not like things had stayed that way for Ishmael if all their previous conversations had been anything to go by. ]

Being kept busy did lead me to you, so I can't say it was all bad.

[ Is this real? Is this all part of the act?? The world will never know, because he is too busy straightening and loosening his arm from around her waist so she can slide off. If she wants to be free then he will certainly give her her freedom....even though it would definitely be warmer if she just stayed on his lap. But unfortunately Wriothesley drinks his woman-respecting juice every day and will not keep someone where they don't want to be. ]

Only if you're sure you won't fall off your chair. At least take my coat if you're feeling cold.

[ Homegirl truly is wearing so little in comparison.....and I didn't even get to take advantage of half of it (tears streaming down my face). ]

I have to say, you chose quite the career jump after that.

[ wtf happened there ]

[ at least that line isn't as heavy-handed compared to earlier attempts. it could've been warmer on his lap, yeah, but she (and i) wanted something more discreet than that position... trust me, let me cook here. ]

I won't, I won't. Give me...

[ she'll take his coat when he offers it, draping it over her shoulders before sliding off his lap and onto the next seat. and normally she'd just hide her head on the bar counter for this, but she decides to lean sideways and lean her head on wriothesley's shoulder instead.

there, much better. ]

Mm, is it...? [ she closes her eyes, shutting out the neon lights and trap music and focusing on the warmth of the man beside her. ] At the time, I didn't really know where I wanted to be in life. And I still don't. But...

[ her hand twitches, letting herself indulge to one tiny sliver of affection by wrapping her pinky around his. ]

I may not have dated before, but I'm glad you're my first.

[ this doesn't make sense, of course. they're supposed to be engaged for starters, and this isn't the first time she'd gone out on dates in neo-tokyo either (thanks hsy) (except not really because they don't really count as dates??)

but in this haze of inebriation, she'll let herself pretend for tonight. ]

Edited 2024-03-09 08:40 (UTC)

[ They look like a true couple now, with his coat draped across her shoulders and her head leaned against him. Really carrying out this mission to a T. Too bad it's all just pretend and none of it is real.

(closes Kia's mouth before she can say anything)

Still, just because it's pretend doesn't mean he can't let himself be deceived into believing (and enjoying) the illusion for one night. Whatever path he might have painstakingly trekked forward one, whatever space he'd carved out for himself is gone now, and once again he's been taken away from all that's familiar and comfortable and forced to start all over again.

Funny how fate works sometimes. But he's older and wiser now, more capable of grabbing his wants in both hands. Or is one pinky in this case?? Stay tuned. ]

Keep that up and you might just make me weak in the knees. [ Good thing he's sitting down huh. ] Any other firsts we should knock off the list while we have the chance?

[ This literally doesn't make any sense, hopefully no one is eavesdropping on their conversation. ]

[ please, she's so not good at rizzing, unlike rizzley here. if she could roll her eyes here, she would. he sure can pull off a rather convincing act though; anyone who thinks they aren't dating here would be out of their minds. ishmael's just relieved that they don't have to playact too much as a lovey-dovey couple. no forcing of sappy nicknames, no ridiculous gestures of affection -- they just acted like they always did, as amicable... friends? are they friends? she likes to think they are now, if they've gotten this far. small steps.

she hums thoughtfully, thinking of other ways to really sell it. if she were less drunk she'd just tell him no and call it a night, but we aren't here for that rn dammit. ]

Mmm, let's see... We haven't kissed since coming here, for starters.

[ just says it matter-of-factly ]

No pressure, though. I don't think we need to at this point.

[ She can get better with practice….Also does she really need to be good at rizzing when her straightforwardness is part of her charm? She really went for it just like that, huh.

It's enough to prompt a huff of laughter from him, small but genuine. He's not sure what answer he was expecting but it sure wasn't that. Though he's not complaining. As far as requests go, this one's pretty straightforward. ]

You make it sound as though kissing you is some sort of punishment.

[ Hello??

All things considered, a kiss shouldn't be that big of a deal. But there's been a surprising amount of honesty on display so far these evening and she has had three drinks already. How much of this is what Ishmael actually wants and how much of this is her booze-fueled mind filling out any remaining holes in their story?

He glances down at their entwined pinkies and then links the rest of their fingers together so he can bring their hands up to press a quick kiss onto her knuckles. That's not the real kiss though. ]

You sure? No take-backs.

[ kissing her isn't going to be that bad, tf. right? literally her only reference is toji that one night, but this is different. she's not sober this time, they have to keep up with this pretense till the mission is over - and let's be real, there is no way they can proceed with the auction with how wasted she is. she'll have to apologize to him for that next time u_u

moreover, it's wriothesley. she can't deny the fact that they've grown closer these past few months, enough to make her consider him as a friend if asked. but would friends ever go this far? would he continue to treat her as this precious and sacred thing after the clock strikes twelve?

she doesn't know. what she does know is that he won't leave her hanging.

it's a good thing the interior is dim enough to obscure how red her freckled cheeks are when he teases her with a kiss on the hand - a prelude for what's to come. she shifts her head slightly to look at him, eyes half-lidded. she normally isn't one to pay close attention to looks, but... he's rather handsome like this, isn't he? ]

...There's nothing to take back. It's just you.

[ that doesn't make sense at all. none of this does. and maybe that's okay. ]

[ Just him.

Said with any other inflection and it might have come off as insulting or demeaning, but he appreciates the words for what they are: a reassurance of her comfort around him, where once she would have been prickly and standoffish. The booze probably helps too. Well, if Cinderella (Ishmaella??) wants a kiss then her prince for the evening will deliver it to her. They can both indulge in a little bit of fantasy before having to return to cold harsh reality. There's nothing wrong taking hold of one's wants, even in a situation like this.

He lowers their hands and leans forward to press a soft kiss on her lips. Honestly as far as kisses go it's pretty chaste, and the only thing that saves it from being entirely perfunctory is the way his mouth lingers a second too long before he finally pulls back.

No tongue though, sorry. :/ They can save that for next time. ]

Satisfied?

[ Or is she going to make him do it again? ]

[ liquid courage has yet to fail her. what was supposed to be daunting has been muted thanks to the rum in her veins, along with the simplicity of their kiss. on the outside it may not have lasted long, but to ishmael and her addled brain they may as well have kissed for hours, squeezing his hand the entire time like a lifeline that she refuses to let go of.

and just like that, it's over. she blinks at him twice once he pulls away, as if she couldn't believe what just happened, and smiles. a wide one that's almost cheeky before she leans her head back on his shoulder and closes her eyes again. clearly she's more comfortable just resting her poor head on his side like this than making out. at least for now. ]

...Whatever's enough for you is enough for me.

[ there's always next time. whatever they have right now... it's all right. and she wouldn't have it any other way. ]

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