;; Tenebriism - Tumblr Posts
Angela was scribbling down notes as the speaker rambled on about majority of things she knew, even if she wasn’t retaining knowledge. She sighed quietly to herself as she started to grow a little tired of it, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a certain someone sliding her a note, whom she was still upset with, but took the note and opened it. It held her favorite piece of chocolate, she knew that.
“ A message or something would’ve been nice. I know you get busy and lost in your work I would’ve understood and been a little less upset instead of just being stood up all together.. “
@pockethealcr ;; STARTER .
Whatever this SEMINAR is about, she's hardly paying attention, confident enough in her own intellectual capabilities to assume it's useless drivel that she already knows ( and will not use. ) Instead, she's not-so-discretely bundling up a piece of swiss chocolate into a sheet of paper, with a note that has the audacity to make her intentions known near immediately.
' Here, in case you are still upset with me for failing to show up to dinner the previous evening. '
Angela shook her head as she quickly at the chocolate still looking down at the notes she had taken, basically doing anything avoid eye contact with the woman beside her. She sighed at her words and rolled her eyes slightly, she knew she was right but, it didn’t hurt to take a break every once in a while. “ I know — but.. “ Her words trailed off once she felt her finger graze her chin, a small blush creeping upon her face. “ I.. I do forgive you.. But, what do you have in mind.. “ She spoke softly, her eyes wandering down to the woman’s lips and then her eyes.
Angela was scribbling down notes as the speaker rambled on about majority of things she knew, even if she wasn’t retaining knowledge. She sighed quietly to herself as she started to grow a little tired of it, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a certain someone sliding her a note, whom she was still upset with, but took the note and opened it. It held her favorite piece of chocolate, she knew that.
“ A message or something would’ve been nice. I know you get busy and lost in your work I would’ve understood and been a little less upset instead of just being stood up all together.. “
Though Angela has a clue what the doctor was doing she couldn’t help but give in to her. Angela had a feeling Moira knew she was wrapped around her finger. The doctor never used her for her smarts, Angela felt like she wanted her for her not what she knew. A small smile graced her face when she offered dinner and a movie at her place. She always did enjoy her quality time together. Especially if it pulled the other away from her work. “ We can agree together I won’t make you suffer another romantic movie. But, I would absolutely love that. “
Angela shook her head as she quickly at the chocolate still looking down at the notes she had taken, basically doing anything avoid eye contact with the woman beside her. She sighed at her words and rolled her eyes slightly, she knew she was right but, it didn’t hurt to take a break every once in a while. “ I know — but.. “ Her words trailed off once she felt her finger graze her chin, a small blush creeping upon her face. “ I.. I do forgive you.. But, what do you have in mind.. “ She spoke softly, her eyes wandering down to the woman’s lips and then her eyes.
Angela leaned in when the other planted a kiss on her cheek, she smiled and took the woman’s hand and held it in her own placing their hands in Angela’s lap as she turned back to watch the seminar. Surely it was almost over, she just wanted to get on with her night so, her and her partner could actually spend time together seeing as they didn’t get the chance to the night before.
As the seminar drug on for what seemed like forever the speaker finally cut it after a while. Angela has to let go of Moiras hand in order to start packing the bag. Once everything was pack she threw her bag over her should and stood as she waited for the woman. She liked standing up first because for just a moment she was taller than her.
Though Angela has a clue what the doctor was doing she couldn’t help but give in to her. Angela had a feeling Moira knew she was wrapped around her finger. The doctor never used her for her smarts, Angela felt like she wanted her for her not what she knew. A small smile graced her face when she offered dinner and a movie at her place. She always did enjoy her quality time together. Especially if it pulled the other away from her work. “ We can agree together I won’t make you suffer another romantic movie. But, I would absolutely love that. “
After moira she also had signed the sheet and then held her book close to her chest and she felt her arm around her waist. She always felt safe in her presence, she didn’t have to worry about a single thing when the doctor was around. She walked down the hall as she listened to her girlfriend talk to her, her eyes looking at everything but the people who stared at the two. Was it judgement or jealousy? Maybe both.
However there was not a care in the world in Angela’s eyes she was happy and content with being with Moira and if the angel herself had anything to say about it, Moira wasn’t going anywhere. She then came back from her thoughts and looked up at her. “ I’m sure we can find something at your place to eat. No need to stop by the market. ”
Angela leaned in when the other planted a kiss on her cheek, she smiled and took the woman’s hand and held it in her own placing their hands in Angela’s lap as she turned back to watch the seminar. Surely it was almost over, she just wanted to get on with her night so, her and her partner could actually spend time together seeing as they didn’t get the chance to the night before.
As the seminar drug on for what seemed like forever the speaker finally cut it after a while. Angela has to let go of Moiras hand in order to start packing the bag. Once everything was pack she threw her bag over her should and stood as she waited for the woman. She liked standing up first because for just a moment she was taller than her.
Angela scoffed at her comment, she was only easy to satisfy if Moira was involved. Her work was a different story and those who worked in that field knew it all to well just how particular and picky the angel truly was. But, she knew Moira meant ‘easy to satisfy’ was referring to dinner, which in that was was true. She loved almost anything the doctor had made for her. Angela still had a hint of anger towards the woman. It was fading with time.
“That sounds delightful! But, excuse me. Maybe you shouldn’t make food that’s delicious and I wouldn’t fall asleep so easy.” She rolled her eyes at the woman playfully as she bumped into her. Once they got closer to the door. She stepped out of Moiras grasp to open in and hold it open as they walked into the fresh air. She did love learning but, she also did enjoy the outdoors a bit as well.
After moira she also had signed the sheet and then held her book close to her chest and she felt her arm around her waist. She always felt safe in her presence, she didn’t have to worry about a single thing when the doctor was around. She walked down the hall as she listened to her girlfriend talk to her, her eyes looking at everything but the people who stared at the two. Was it judgement or jealousy? Maybe both.
However there was not a care in the world in Angela’s eyes she was happy and content with being with Moira and if the angel herself had anything to say about it, Moira wasn’t going anywhere. She then came back from her thoughts and looked up at her. “ I’m sure we can find something at your place to eat. No need to stop by the market. ”
please. this is worse than i imagined and i need your help. // from Baizhu!
— @tenebriism
diluc certainly hadn't expected the doctor to need his help so desperately, but he isn't one to ignore conflict or trouble.
he releases a sigh and he nods, adjusting his coat sleeves.
"very well. i'll try my best to help you. lead the way."
@tenebriism // yusuke & akechi!
the contact was something unfamiliar with him.
perhaps that is why he was so insistent on saying something, even when a sluggishness unable to be hidden in precise carnelian eyes, dexterity faltering in what is often used by such precise hands, a darkness discoloring the undersides of skin like cheap, shiny decoration — paint applied with a sensitivity often lost on Akechi, but one that was not so easily when it applied to the flesh; attention unending, monitoring, almost clinical.
perhaps it was that then, the unexpected from someone he has learned what to expect from, that championed him onwards like a curse he was bound to — eternally, Akechi was cursed, or at least that's often how he thought he was. how strange it was, for that moment of pinpoint notice, the contact an unfamiliar heavy pressure 'pon his shoulder, then; clumsy compared to the specific phrasing Akechi was talented in puppeting to prompt it, more natural than he ever was; its removal & its explanation. — if Yusuke had explained it sooner, Akechi hadn't been listening.
Initially, Akechi does not understand ; a thing he hates. he bites back the part of him that, impulsive, hears the reason & motive and calls Yusuke foolish. Uncomprehending, a white-hot moment of unwillingness to try met with the unkillable part of Akechi that denies the mocking, as if he is better than Yusuke, his eternal knowing he is not ; before he sets himself upon the task of seeing it through the lens of something he better understands. critical eyes scanning the lines, the progression, nipping at the edges of strokes of graphite or ink in his effort to understand why this mattered, why this was worth it.
Akechi is leaned forward, the worn booth of Cafe LeBlanc shifting as if moving to follow Akechi's lead hovering above his shoulder in one of the fewest times Yusuke is harbored within it's walls, as he shifts closer to examine. the same one might examine wounds, understanding the hands that made them, understanding what they were at all. ( Akechi struggled with the concept that Yusuke, or anyone at all, and himself were at all alike, however to say they were not similar in such a manner as this would be untrue. Goro's attention artistic in of itself, in the intensity his eyes always have. perhaps that is why Yusuke liked him. maybe Yusuke didn't like him at all. )
a perfectly trimmed finger-nail nips at the barest edge of a line at the bottom of the page, not tearing at the medium used to apply it, but rather only a pressure to it; as if by sinking his claws in, he could know it. — know it better.
"that is…" intrigue begins to strike him, rattling up into his nerves. his nail indents deeper into the fiber of the paper, never breaking through, only pushing it down. he understands it in the way detectives understand evidence, the way Akechi understands everything, the way he has to. "interesting."
he reels himself in, realizing that for all his intrigues, he is still expected to be the reasonable one. Yusuke was eccentric, blindingly intelligent in the ways Akechi took time to fully know just beneath the surface, but depravation and exhaustion were just the same regardless. human things, unhealthy in their intentional pursuit. what kind of friend would he be if he allowed this to persist? ( not friends. never friends. the way he always hesitates. ) — how hypocritical of him.
"By all means." a hand waved, eyes glancing to Yusuke's in his familiarity with the request before finding themselves back at the page "How long have you been conscious, Yusuke-san? However in-depth, and fascinating this study is, your health is a vital priority."
don't look at him like that he's just a little guy would you judge a little guy on his birthday ( it is not his birthday )
" O-oh- No, man! I know when my birthday is I don't━ I'm good━━ " ( quickly googling 'help i tricked my friend into thinking i'm ill what do i do' )
don't look at him like that he's just a little guy would you judge a little guy on his birthday ( it is not his birthday )
" I'm not frantic! I'm chill as a c━ " Ryuji finds himself reeling back from the hand without thinking as he talks before hearing the request, blinking for a moment in response, then a ( somewhat reluctant ) defeat at the convincing notion that it'd soothe Yusuke to find that contact, just incase.
" If you gotta " he meets Yusuke's hand midway, almost on his tip-toes to reach a little easier ( jeez, who let him be so tall? )
" . . . and, yet, you appear to be a tad frantic. " He reaches a palm forward, with the intent to set it against Ryuji's forehead. " May I ? Just to confirm to put my mind at ease. "
@tenebriism // ryuji & yusuke!
Maybe he was right. ━ Right. in the way there was no maybe about it. He knew better. Ryuji wasn't stupid like that. He knew where his limits laid, claws in the sand, unregretful of their own existence like he at times wished they would be, and thus was on their behalf. He knew what was not enough and what was too much, pushing became shoving became something else ( something he doesn't like to talk about. Something that keeps finding him. )
but Ryuji's always been stubborn ━ it's just that this time, maybe it wasn't just being stubborn ( that something else conjuring a byproduct; hands heavy enough to be cruel, only to himself. only to himself. )
Claws in the sand, wishing he was more than he was, pushing then shoving then falling; being caught. being told something he knew, but wouldn't listen to. Slowing down.
Slowing down. Slow down.
Ryuji takes the time as Yusuke talks to catch his breath, chest heaving with a greater weight than it should, two times his size. convulses in relapsing effort to get enough air to the rest of him ( almost lightheaded ). a body rebelling against itself when pushed too far; one leg shaking that ripples throughout him as if a reminder of the consequence, a scar like a lightening strike across his knee back and along to his calf ━ visible at the hem of gym shorts as if reaching up to meet the fabric in familiarity of a time where it was born, and then revoked from.
” No, Yusuke, I just━ I needed━ “ the sentence dies, half focused on in its utterance in the first place, the attention cut then tapered. he finds himself white knuckling a support as his breathing begins to even out.
his entire body quakes with the intensity of that consequence, a vital support refusing the pushing to be pushed too far, refusing the criteria of its creation to be met twice. the scar; an ugly reminder. he finds himself staring at it as Yusuke speaks, hunched, kneecap shuddering as if given its own mind and the tendons down his calf like guitar strings in conviction of the same cause, before his attention gathers itself back to Yusuke when he begins to pull something from his bag ( confusion, then surprise. how often he forgets, how people love him. how they remember. )
his expression is not one of instant gratitude, or even of anger that spills from his shoulders into his collarbone and floods him, its indescribable, almost unnatural on his features ; Ryuji, always feeling in extremes, unable to solidify what he was feeling in the first place. ( This, too, was an extreme. you just didn't know the name of it. )
… the expression caves in on itself — 'softens', too romantic of a word — after a long moment to dissolve resolution and Ryuji limps, pain jolting up the back of his leg into the pelvis then echoing up his spine of which he understood better than anyone ever could, and he allows himself to — lacking grace — haphazardly drop into the spot assigned to him by Yusuke. His leg refuses to stop shaking despite the lack of pressure ( the pressure both was and was not the problem; always the strain. always the strain ; until it becomes too much. )
he feels pathetic like this, acid through steel, rust still creeping and eating at him. he tries to shake it off.
” Yeah. Thanks, Yusuke, I just… “ he trails off, and an unwillingness to admit what had driven him to extremes clumps in his throat like congealed blood from an old wound that wont close.
” I really want to be strong for the team. Guess I kinda got too in my head. I didn't mean to worry you or nothin'... Sorry... “
he sees law attorneys, occupational hazards, homosexuality and chaos on the dash. a particularly uproarious day, to be sure, but nothing out of the ordinary.
@tenebriism ━ x
"Ah. ...Thank you for admitting to your mistake, Yusuke." ( IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE. )
No wait everyone shut the fuck up you've been what hold on y
the ro━
.. "Ah, please forgive my lack of awareness, however uncharacteristic it is for me. I suppose I'd simply become accustomed to those kinds of compliments from those who don't... know me, as you and the others do."
"... I am not uncomfortable with such attention, if that is a concern of yours."
. . . he truly hadn't realized it ? Granted, Yusuke tends to explain things in the most intricately worded manner possible, and likely would have helped by just summing it up with a simple ' You're Beautiful, ' but where is the romance and poeticism in THAT ? If a compliment is earned, why not put one's ALL into it ?
"Your habit," Akechi stresses with a polite ━ friendly ━ but outspoken tilt of his head "is not one to apologize for. If anything, in my opinion it is only right to follow such an... intricate, sincere nature as yours."
"That is a high compliment from you, Yusuke, thank you. Even if I lack your expertise, I would return the sentiment to you as well."
" There is no need to apologize. I am largely at fault for not being outright with it and . . . refraining from practicing my usual habit of being too wordy. However, it is . . . good to know that my opinion of you is not poorly received. I do truly find you to be a work of art. "
The lack of hesitation; the lack of doubt in his reassurances somehow agitates the wound worse, one in which he doesn't like to acknowledge is bleeding at all, infected & corrosive and a limb doomed to fail — it isn't. it's not there anymore, but it ripples throughout the rest of him ; pond water, the cruelty of breaking through the scum like a second skin, skipping rocks ; and leaves its effects regardless.
it might've been easier to believe you if you hesitated, if you had to think about it for a moment ( an agonizing moment of the judgement of what he's worth, pendulum swinging, swinging, swinging ), to concede that yes, he's strong. a reminder that he's human, maybe, in that. a reminder that 'strong' isn't all he is. a reminder that while these fears permeate and seep through his skin like water in paper, they are not as consuming as they must be now ━━━ turning his plight into an understandable one, an understood one, but still one they couldn't support.
━ he hates asking things of Yusuke, of the rest, of those he loves, so he doesn't ask. sitting with him like granite in his collarbone, lace & lined, just for him.
that stone gets heavier as the guilt sets in, sat on the floor next to Yusuke's chair, listening to the rustle of packaging & porcelain ━ he's right, Ryuji just takes it the wrong ways, too afraid of if he sweetens the deal too much that he poisons the pot he's eating from ; what would happen if he went too far, if he pushed and they were left without him? abandoning them in his selfish desperation? ryuji knew well that they were strong, unimaginably ( more than him ), but he also knew that it could be the deciding factor in a fight: who was there, who did what, and when.
the granite cracks loose from his collarbone, weighing him down with a slouch worsening as if being pushed down by the shoulders, and falls instead into the pit of his stomach. ( already full up on fears & the consequences of them, sorry, he's not hungry )
” you… “ Ryuji's heart takes a moment to shift its footing in his throat, out of the way: let him speak, please, let him speak ━ he scratches at the back of his neck, clammy with sweat ” .. yeah, you're right. I just wanted to get better, you know? help out a little more when we need it. I'm… not the most versatile guy. “
he accepts the towel & water with a note of surprise & a 'thank you', which bleeds into fondness. the granite lessens, these little acts of kindness, these little efforts to make it easier, eroding some of it in him. an appetite for that kind of love, he just keeps filling up on guilt instead.
Ryuji scrubs at his face with the towel as if to scrape off the feeling that drove him here in the first place ( too stubborn to leave, but a touch better now. a sweeter marble of care in the deposits of something other that drove him insane ), face emerging pinker than it was before, splashes some of the water on his face before taking a drink from the bottle.
his curious eyes give way on their internal battle for just a moment to glance at the noodles cooking in the bowl ( okay, maybe he was hungry )
” ... also, uh.. why'd you just have that on you? ” he wasn't complaining—!
Yusuke, too, knows he is correct, and he needn't verbally reiterate it; Ryuji, evidently, was doing it FOR him in the way his body was fully RETALIATING against his stubbornness. The athlete's resolve was admirable, COMMENDABLE--- truly, the extent to which they ALL pushed themselves to meet their goals, to achieve their dreams, was deserving of the highest praise imaginable, but what GOOD would it do ANY of them if it landed them a spot in the hospital ?
It's precisely why Yusuke has endeavored to improve his OWN habits, and why he's being a tad PUSHY when it comes to looking after his FRIENDS ( friends ? Not something he thought he'd ever have. It makes it all the more critical that he does this . . . that he takes CARE of them. ) Instead of sitting in the background, observing, too afraid to speak up with how USED to being drowned out and overshadowed, he was, now . . . now ? He's taking the mic HIMSELF.
" You are strong, Ryuji, " Yusuke reassures near immediately, fixing his attention on tearing the lid off the bowl of noodles instead of making Ryuji UNCOMFORTABLE with his gaze ( but Yusuke can tell, even without examining Ryuji like he's some painting with open interpretation hanging in a museum, that he is not in the best condition. Thank goodness Ryuji hadn't been ALONE. )
" In fact, from my recollections of our battles, you are one of the strongest on our team. So, what would you expect us to do WITHOUT you, should you find yourself incapacitated by your own overexertion ? We would be tragically at a disadvantage. " His voice is so gentle, that it seems to wage war for dominance over the rustling of the ramen seasonings, as Yusuke begins to pour, first, the dehydrated vegetables, and then the powdered broth. Sure, it was no AUTHENTIC ramen, but when one was on a budget ( or, a budget spent too heavily on art supplies and statement pieces ), this may as well be the equivalent of a gourmet meal.
He pulls himself up from his seat, long legs carrying him over to the kettle to pour the steaming hot water into the cup. With the noodles now set to gradually soften and cook, it gave Yusuke a chance to somewhat cautiously tend to Ryuji's condition, but . . . with a slow, considerate approach. A damp towel, to start, with cold water that he hoped may aid the rising temperature of his body, and of course, a bottle of water for hydration. It would do him no good to receive a bowl of hot, somewhat SPICY noodles without moderating his temperature first.
" Here. Drink, and rest. Breathe. Your noodles will be ready soon enough. "
He reaches a hand out, gently cupping Akechi's chin to turn his head, ever so delicately, towards him. "Turn to me, please? I want to ensure I capture the best angle." He smiles softly, and nods. "Perfect. Truly perfect." // Yusuke to Akechi c;
the gesture is a minute one, one that does not matter. ━ thoughtless, lacking purpose beyond the simple effect borne from its request and stated, gentle out of necessity : nothing, nothing, nothing. ( the mind answers, and yet the body is beyond reason. )
Blood is beyond debate, beyond argument, beyond opinion nor honesty nor deceit, it rises past like the sea & the shore; overwhelmingly. ━ heat, a compulsive flushing of the skin of which is out of his hands from the moment Yusuke nods & the sincere delicacy remains like porcelain in tea-sets; his face warms, the skin of his cheeks, across the ridge of his nose, the set of his jaw flush redder, and a stiff embarrassment collapses into its own creation in his stomach. It takes a lot to keep himself from looking away. there's a stubborn, sharp persistence as he keeps his eyes focused on Yusukes. ━━ but he moves smoothly, without reluctance.
how indulgent. ━ some might call it trying, annoying, to take such action, take the time playing model ( or was it muse? ) for something as minor, and while Akechi felt the itch of anticipation in his legs ━ the eternal knowing that his hours spared are few and far between, always so fleeting on what to do with them, always knowing there's something more productive to spend them on ━ the solidified thought remained that if he ever met any individuals of such an impatient caliber; he would very much like to break their jaw.
━ but a sharpness in his eye is the only hint to such harsh, angry thoughts.
"Best angle?" Akechi finds himself inquiring, which isn't to say he doesn't think before he speaks ━ he always does ━ but rather to say he still finds some level of... unexpectedness in his own words. He tries, very hard, to ignore the flush across his face ( and perhaps, were he more religious, pray that Yusuke do the same. ) "Usually, I'm told side-profiles are the most appealing. I must wonder if I've been misled, or your eyes simply see me differently."
a twang of bitterness strikes in his chest like a brass bell, and abruptly he feels sick, as though a liar; the way he'd spoken as if Yusuke and the others knew him at all, leading them to believe such a false-truth, despite a level of honesty to the statement ( even when lacking a necessary wholeness to it. )
the stark edges dull as it spreads throughout him, if nothing else, becoming bearable. ( Yusuke might only see aspects he wants him to, certainly, but... well. At least such an attitude is useful to him, no? It justifies nothing. ) ... ... ... were his eyes truly gentle, beyond something sharp and analytical and uncomfortably observant? he didn't know if he believed that. ( maybe he'd like to. )
"I'm glad, truly. I hope you have some peace of mind not to worry about such things with me, at least." Akechi smiles, gently, then his expression bleeds into one of thought. ( a handful of more particular ones are denied trial. )
"... If I may, what about yourself? Your attraction, I mean. I wouldn't want to assume."
" . . . " Akechi's internal beauty seems to match that of the external, which comes as a pleasant, reassuring surprise to someone who most would describe as ' weird. ' " That you would lend your ear long enough for me to state my full piece, and encourage it, even on a topic like this . . . it is no wonder you are adored. Your personality is as easy to get lost in as the gentleness of your eyes, or the pleasant tenor of your voice. "
" I will surely think back to this moment on a rainy day, when I need it most. "