“Not gonna lie, I half expected to have to drag you from your run,” Jinu huffs a laugh, breath fogging faintly in the air as he shoves his hands deeper into his jacket’s pockets.
Rumi rolls her eyes and nudges a loose stone with the toe of her shoe, watching it skitter along the pavement. “I said I wasn’t going to.”
“And you’re known for your honesty in these things,” Jinu deadpans, only to grunt when Rumi elbows him in the side, not hard, but enough to make him laugh again.
“Did you ask to walk with me just to annoy me?” she asks, one brow raised. The path they’ve taken winds wide across campus, the long route, where the early chill still lingers between the buildings. It’s not as early as her runs, yet the air bites the same, sharp enough that her breath escapes in pale clouds. Around them, campus stirs awake, the hum of a vending machine, the clatter of a coffee cup lid, the shuffle of tired feet and hushed voices. A pair of students slip past, clutching steaming takeaway cups, their laughter thin and weightless in the cold. Somewhere, the smell of toast drifts from an open dorm window.
“That was half the reason, yes,” Jinu admits, grinning that easy, lopsided grin that never quite grew up with the rest of him.
Rumi snorts. “And the other half?”
He opens his mouth to answer — and then hisses, stumbling as his foot catches on a slab of uneven pavement.
Rumi reacts before she can think, her hand catching his elbow, the other hovering just shy of his back. The sound that leaves him is small, contained, tight and bitten off before it can become anything larger. the kind that’s more grit than pain but it ripples through her all the same.
It takes her a moment to understand what she’s hearing. At first she thinks it’s surprise, maybe irritation at tripping over the cracked pavement. But then she sees it, the way his hand drops to his thigh, fingers pressing just above the knee as if to steady something that won’t quite hold. The breath that slips between his teeth.
And suddenly it isn’t a stumble anymore.
Something cold settles beneath her ribs. It always does, whenever this happens, that sharp awareness that it’s that knee, the one wrapped, braced, rebuilt. The one that still remembers.
The one she broke.
The guilt doesn’t strike so much as bloom, slow and acidic, curling around her lungs until even her breath feels borrowed.
He straightens before she can speak, before she can steady him further, brushes her off with that same lopsided smile that never quite reaches his eyes. “I’m fine,” he says and maybe he is, but she hates that she can’t believe him. The limp is barely there, just a shift in weight, a hesitation between steps. But she sees the ghost of what she took from him walking right beside her.
“I’m fine,” Jinu repeats and it almost convinces her. Almost.
“It still hurts?” she asks, her voice quieter than she means it to be.
His smile falters, just a fraction, before he pins it back into place. It’s a good smile. Practised. If she hadn’t known him as long as she has, she might’ve believed it.
They’re both good at that — holding their masks where the world can see them, pretending the weight beneath is lighter than it is.
And yet, in moments like this, it feels like punishment more than protection.
If they hadn’t known each other for this long, she wouldn’t recognise the tiny hitch in his gait, the faint tension pulling at his jaw.
If they hadn’t known each other at all, she wouldn’t have learnt to read him this easily.
Wouldn’t have to.
Rumi forces the thought back down where it belongs. Deep, quiet, somewhere it can’t snag on her ribs. The sound of Jinu’s sigh follows, soft and unbothered, as if to steady the air again. He gives a small, lazy flick of his wrist, palm tilting side to side.
“Comes and goes,” he says. His tone is breezy, but the motion of his hand is not. “Whatever’s left is chronic, I guess?” A shrug, light enough to sound dismissive but heavy enough that Rumi feels the weight behind it. He glances her way, clearly reading the worry that’s already gathered between her brows, and adds quickly — deflecting, as he always does, as they both do, “How are classes?”
Rumi presses her lips together, draws in a slow breath that fogs faintly in the cold, and shrugs. “Okay.”
“Wow,” Jinu deadpans, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Riveting stuff.”
That earns him an eye roll, though it’s gentler this time, softened by the faint tug of a smile threatening the edge of her mouth. “They’re fine,” she says, a little more firmly, as though repeating it will make it true. “I usually have to catch up on notes in the evenings and go over everything again on weekends, along with whatever extra work they give us, but…” she exhales, a quiet gust of air that drifts between them, “I’m managing.”
The words sound steadier than they feel. She pauses, kicks at a pale leaf caught in a crack of the pavement, watches it spin once before it falls still again. “The reading takes forever,” she admits, “and the work’s starting to feel a bit… much, sometimes. But I’m managing.” She says it again, slower this time, as if repetition will make it sink in, will convince her lungs to believe it. She’s not sure if she’s trying to reassure Jinu or herself.
There’s a beat of silence, broken only by the distant hum of a bike bell and the soft thud of their shoes against the path. Rumi can feel his gaze on her even without looking. Steady and knowing, the same way it’s always been since the day he decided she was worth watching out for.
“If you need help—” he starts.
“Yeah, I know.” Her voice is quick to cut him off, quicker than she means it to be. She sighs, then peeks sideways at him, catching the curve of concern that’s still etched between his brows. “Thanks.”
Jinu hums, the sound somewhere between acknowledgment and understanding. The morning breathes around them again — crisp and slow — and Rumi focuses on it. The crunch of gravel underfoot, the faint sweetness of roasted coffee drifting from a nearby café. Anything to keep her thoughts at bay.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Thinking about HuntClaire. I like it when Hunt tells Claire he's "all in" (quest 5; First Date). I think it's an important moment to their relationship, and it's something that defines it. It's interesting especially when you take Claire's character in consideration. Here is my essay under the cut. It is very long, sorry!
Before anything: in my timeline for Hollywood U, quest 5/“First Date” takes place in Jan/15, so around 6 months have passed since “On the Hunt”.
As I've written before, Claire spent her entire life with a distorted view of love. This led her into less than ideal situations (this one included). She has deep rooted self-esteem issues she's not aware of, she just knows she thinks she's not worth... "it" ("it" = always being a self-destructive gesture, risking "something"; she destroys herself to prove herself, so the other must too). This has much to do with how she first established "love" with her parents. Attention is love! Claire believes the people she's in relationships with will, inevitably, lose interest in her; and she believes this, because she truly thinks there's something extremely off-putting about herself. And she's much better as an idealised concept than a person. People don't like her naturally, so she must make them love her.
And, see, Claire has a terrible death drive: she's stuck in a cycle that will cause her pain; she's always pursued relationships with men that will not give her what she wants, which in turn will reaffirm her beliefs about herself, which will make her look for assurance from other people. It is through these relationships that Claire tries to find this feeling of worthiness: her main deal is trying to shift the power imbalance between her and her partners (because there always is one), and most of the time it comes through the simple act of these men crossing boundaries to be with her. Giving her attention when they should not be giving her any.
So, Claire saw her therapist as something to be conquered. Would her parents' divorce lawyer muddle the waters to be with her? Would this guy mess up his campaign plans just so he can go on a few dates with her? Yes, probably. But they're not committed to her: they also see her as something to be conquered, a fling. There is not much thought put into Claire, or into the relationship as a whole. No consideration for consequences. Claire is something. For Claire, this is not empowering, this is self-destructive behaviour. And when time comes, these men leave her and blame her for their ruin.
This is all part of her characterisation as a perceived femme fatale. "Perceived" because Claire does not do this out of malice. This is not conscious behaviour; at least it's not something Claire realises she's doing when she's doing it. I will return to this later.
Okay, well. Hunt checks all the boxes, right. He's her professor and by God, he does not want to cross any boundaries. This guy literally runs away from Claire in more than one occasion. Unfortunately for him, this is a dream come true to her. This does not play like in canon; like I said, Claire doesn't do this out of malice. She just sees a man who does not esteem her, and this is outrageous to her, and she needs to prove him wrong; and she needs to show him that, actually, she's totally nice and pleasant and, like, interesting! Claire is not even pursuing him romantically, at first. She doesn't even like him as a person that much. She just feels she has to prove herself to him, somehow. She must make him love her. It simply gets entangled in the midst of it all, as it often does with Claire.
I've talked before (in tags) why I think they work together. Hunt does not give Claire attention. At least, not in the way she wants to (positive attention.) There is something about Claire that is very offensive to Hunt: she is too much like him! This relationship is not about Claire wearing down a guy until he dates her (which, honestly, that's what it feels like in canon). This is about two deeply flawed people who see conflict as a form of connection. They cannot interact sincerely with each other because they are both too deep in their own prejudices. Claire has a distorted perception of herself. People dislike her not for innate, mysterious reasons, but because she is pushy and brashy. Hunt needs to get over himself. He is not being frank, he is just being rude and unpleasant most of the time. And these are two people who love pointing fingers at others, and then they decide to point it at each other.
They're deeply attracted to each other because one constantly challenges the other. And as much as they do not like to admit this (the great flaw of pride), there is something to be admired in a person that manages to humble you. These are characters that need to be wrong every once in a while. And they found that in each other. Claire has the unconscious need to make Hunt like her, but she's unaware of what makes her unlikeable. And he will make her aware of it. And Hunt thinks of himself as the judge of everything that is good in the world. Claire tells him he's not that important, actually.
There is mutual investment in this relationship. And I think that's what levels the ground between them. Not whatever Claire was doing before.
Once they get together, the issue with Claire and worthiness does not go away (and it won't for a long while); but this is a different relationship than any other she has had, because Hunt is a different person from all the men she's dated before. He is not a person who does things haphazardly, unplanned, not thought through. Most importantly: once he chooses something, he commits to it. So, when he decides to date Claire he's not doing it in precipitation. He has given thought to it, he has given thought to the consequences and he has given thought to Claire. Thence, when he tells her he's "all in", he means it and he is willing to risk it all for her (which does happen; he loses his job) because he thinks she, as a person, adds more to him.
This is probably when Claire realises that she's falling for him (and truly!). I think hearing that from him means a lot to her. It touches a wound in her. Oh, so there are people who are willing to do... things for her. And, of course, not implying this is healthy. This is not fixing anything, because that is not the point. Claire will not mature in this aspect through a relationship... and this all kinda reaffirms her worldview. As for Hunt: he literally throws his career away for her, so maybe he should visit an analyst as well. The point is that this is an important moment to Claire and Hunt's relationship; and this is why this, out of all the relationships Claire has had, lasts. There is a commitment from him in a way that enables her complex, but there's also being seen as a person in a way that she'd never experienced before.
I also like how this subverts Claire's archetype of a perceived femme fatale, slightly. Hunt does lose his job so, in a way, she would have "lead him to ruin". The difference here is that Hunt is fully aware of the consequences, he has given thought to the situation, and he still chose her. She has not "deceived him" (and I'd say she never deceived any man; they knew what they were getting into). The point here is that Hunt does not shift the blame to Claire at any moment: if he lost his job, then that's his doing. Claire is only a person! She has no way of coercing him into anything. He could've said no. And he chose not to.
I need to postface this with: Claire is a complexed person. And as all people with complexes, not everything fits neatly. People are not A to B to C! And neither is she, and there will be contradictions most often than not. I do think most aspects of her personality makes sense in relation to one another, but it's hard to break down a person in parts when they're a totality. This is just a general overview! Lastly, Hunt and Claire will always have a weird dynamic going on between them; they work well, but it's very easy for them to not work well. And maybe that’s what keeps them together.
HELLO YOU MENTIONED SHRINES BY PURITY RING? CAN WE TALK? Belispeak is THE Sasori and Chiyo song in my humble opinion. All of the others are also so Sasori but Belispeak is my favorite for sure
I'm foaming at the fucking mouth over that song it literally stopped me dead in my tracks at the grocery store last night i had to send screenshots of the lyrics to @lcevinolusola and go fully
I mean HELLO?? HEY HI FOR THE LOVE OF GOD H E L L O I'm not literate enough to analyze this to the level it deserves just know I'm clawing my carpets out like a feral cat over it!!
My entire dash: *screaming joyously about a ship that I know makes sense, is a multiple-times-over “diversity win,” and has tremendous narrative/writing potential*
Me: *watching my favorite character be ripped by the roots from my OTP and made (once again!!!!!!) the convenient in-house villain* T_T
One of the reasons I am struggling to get the seventh chapter of Bound up is because it’s a whole monster. To the degree that I am just now noticing that the “friends” mentioned in the tease don’t even show up until 9,000 words in.
It had been a pleasant day, Paris was calm and there didn't seem to be a chance of an Akuma attacking today, well at least that's how it seemed until Adrien found himself in the arms of his favorite red and black clad superhero, Ladybug.
"W-woah! Ladybug, what's the matter?" The blond asked, as he swung through the air, gripping tightly to Ladybug's neck.
"I need you're help." Was the only response he got from the heroine, leaving him to not only be confused but delighted that Ladybug needed his help.
She gently landed on the Effiel Tower, setting him down. With one swift swing of her yoyo, Ladybug had pulled out a miraculous box and was holding it out to him.
"Adrien Agreste, this is the miraculous of the snake and it grants you the power of a second chance. You will use it for the greater good and then return it to me." Ladybug stated, her cheeks dusting a very light pink.
Adrien stared, blinking a few times. "What about Luka? Wasn't he more useful with the snake miraculous?" He questioned, biting his lip. He knew the answer. Luka was more efficent with this miraculous, especially since Ladybug's plan often involve Chat Noir in someway. As if the universe was reminding him of his role as the black cat, Adrien felt Plagg move around in his pocket, tiny claws digging through the material of his shirt.
Ladybug began to flounder, her face turning the same shade of red as her mask. "Oh- uh he's gone! On a trip! Ya that's where he is! Besides this is a mission only you can pull off. . ." She trailed off, glancing around quickly.
"Ladybug, are you alright? You seem a little tense." Adrien took the bangle from the box and slipped it on, concern lacing his green gaze.
"I just need you to listen, Adrien. Recently I've been, well, getting a lot of flack for not being in a relationship with Chat Noir, now don't get me wrong I love him, but only as a friend."
If Ladybug noticed Adrien's face twitch at her words she didn't say anything, continuing with her speech.
"I may or may not have accidentally told The LadyBlogger, Alya she's in your class right? That I was in a relationship with Aspik. . .and apperantly by deductive reasoning, and my multiple visits to your window. . .how she saw those I don't know."
Adrien blushed at her words. He knew exactly how Alya knew, he had told her, and Nino, and Marinette the exact thing a few days prior. How embarrassing.
"She figured out you were Aspik. I made her swear not to tell anyone and so far she's kept that promise, but if I'm going to keep this up I need you to be on board with this. . .will you pretend to be my boyfriend as Aspik? Just for a little while?" At this point Ladybug almost seemed to be pleading with him, her crush on Adrien completely forgotten in this moment.
Silence washed over the two for a long time before Adrien spoke up again. "Sass, it's time to hunt!" He called, letting the pale blue grey light wash over him.
When the light faded he noticed the relieved look on Ladybug's face, along with the bright red blush accompanying herr new relaxed look. Her blush in turn made him blush, leaving the two blushing heros standing atop Paris's biggest landmark.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching as the sun set in the sky, someone who knew what was going on, someone who saw the two as they joined hands and began to laugh, someone who was going to tell her bestfriend all about this new development now that she actually had picture evidence, not only of the two heros together but of a certain blond boy transforming.
