@nicawlette continued from here - babe pls im still clinically depressed
It'd be nice if he could keep sleeping forever, but life never gives him what he wants. Meeting up with Eiden three days ago and panicking over his injury had been the last time he'd really felt anything. After that every emotion had slipped away with the hours and days, slowly leeching out of him until he was...
Was what?
Was back to what he'd always been, before he tried to be something he wasn't. Senses had dulled in the darkened room, leaving him mired in the center of a placid pond. It was peaceful here, if quiet. So, so quiet. He'd barely heard the commotion at the entrance until Nicolette brought it to his doorstep. First comes light, then the kick to the mattress. The second one finally jolts his eyelashes open as he looks blankly at the figure wreathed in the doorway.
What are you doing here?
He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.
' ......? '
Curiosity dies as quickly as his attempt to speak before Wang Yi shuts his eyes and turns toward the walls.
😙 for my muse’s reaction to yours being super affectionate.
The first one goes down with a single punch and it'd almost be embarrassing if she hadn't made sure to strike hard enough the first time. The second manages to get a lucky hit in, fist grazing her chin before Nicolette turns out of the way and kicks a leg out, heel slamming into his jaw. Once he hits the ground, neither of them make any move to get up.
❝ Oooi, is that really it? ❞ She scoffs, stepping close before squatting down beside a head. She leans over his face, inspecting the broken nose gushing blood down grimacing mouth. It's at that moment that the man on the ground coughs, sputtering around the fluid and effectively spewing it into her face. ❝ What the Hell?! ❞ She shrieks, standing up quickly and backing away as scarred hands scrub at her eyes. ❝ That is so fucking gross! Ew! EW!! ❞ It's not the first time she's been covered in blood, but she's usually more prepared for it. Being coughed on is so not cool or sexy!
It must be obvious that she's about to start throwing a fit, because Wang Yi decides to move closer from where he'd been watching, invading her space. Bemoaning ceases as he takes hold of her face, wonderfully tender in the way his palms cradle both cheeks. ❝ Wangyyy, ❞ The familiar pet name spoken with a pitiful whine as Nicolette relaxes into the touch, ❝ get it off— hurry, please! It tastes gross! ❞ Lips are practically dyed crimson, stained by a drop dipping past cupid's bow.
❝ Yeah yeah, I'm working on it. Be good and sit still, I'll handle it. ❞ It sounds like a scold, but the corners of Wang Yi's mouth curl up with something like fondness, or perhaps amusement, as his eyes grow dark with interest. He's always liked the sight of her dressed in blood.
Two-tone hues are both pleading and intense boring into his own before she obediently closes them. He runs his thumbs gently through long lashes and over flushed cheekbones, smearing the evidence across her fair skin. She feels one brush slowly over delicate cupid's bow and seam of her lips, and they part slightly as if on command. When her eyes flutter open, Nicolette finds— to her immense satisfaction— that Wang Yi's attention seems to be directed elsewhere. The pad of his thumb rests at the corner of her mouth as it upturns into a smile, and surely he feels the movement, just as he can see it happening.
❝ What are you looking at so hard? ❞ She asks, voice quiet in the space between them while Wang Yi tracks plush lips forming around the words. The silence might as well be an answer. The smile grows, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners— a telltale sign of its sincerity. ❝ Am I pretty, Yiyi? ❞
His instinctual response has him arching a brow, eyes rolling at her fishing. ❝ Obviously, ❞ he answers, but then Wang Yi looks at her— really looks, and seems enraptured all over again. ❝ You look beautiful like this... ❞ A compliment she's used to hearing, but spoken without a hint of irony from one whose sole focus she always aims to capture— Nicolette can't help the way heart jumps and blush darkens, crawling towards her ears.
❝ Like what? ❞ And it's accompanied by the hint of laughter. A barely there giggle, like an exhale. ❝ Covered in blood or smiling? ❞
❝ Both. ❞ He doesn't even have to think about it, but his cheeks grow warm with his overt honesty, anyway. He traces over her bottom lip, reveling in the plush softness as he drags it down slightly. ❝ And, yes, all the time, too— before you ask. ❞ Because he knows her well enough to guess exactly what she's thinking when her lips part wider to speak.
Nicolette preens, shortening the distance as she leans in a little closer, peering up at him with imploring eyes. ❝ You're supposed to be helping me wipe it off, remember? ❞ It lacks all displeasure, and Nicolette contradicts her own suggestion by allowing pink tongue to dart out and lick the pad of his thumb clean. ❝ It still tastes bad, ❞ a complaint, ❝ won't you give me something else to taste, Wang Yi~? ❞ And an invitation.
Wang Yi hardly appears put off by the idea. ❝ Oh yeah? And how do you suggest I do that? ❞ He returns her teasing without missing a beat, digging thumb further into the curled corner of her mouth. His other hand prods at the bruise on her chin before tucking a strand of violet hair behind an ear. Her responding pout only encourages him, and he eliminates the distance between them just enough to press his lips to the tip of her nose.
There's a fluttering in her stomach as Nicolette releases a soft sigh, drowning in the warm affection that still feels new and addicting every time it's exchanged. It leaves her unsteady and high, spoiled enough to always seek out more. ❝ Come on... that's the wrong spot. ❞ With a murmur she tilts her head up, breath ghosting over his face with each word as they share the same air. ❝ If I'm gonna taste blood, I'd rather it be yours, anyway. ❞
The sentiment is shared, but it pleases him all the same. Wang Yi uses his sleeve to finish the job, hands falling way from her face only once he's satisfied. One slides to the bare expanse of her nape while the other fits into the curve of Nicolette's waist. ❝ There— perfect, good as new. Would've been quicker if you were patient. ❞ They both know he's full of shit.
She giggles when Wang Yi bends slightly to brush the curve of his nose and lips against her temple to her hairline, head tilting to match his movements while she grabs for him: scarred fingers wrapping around a wrist and arm encircling his neck. ❝ Stop being mean to me, ❞ says a voice wavering with giddiness. ❝ Heartless man. ❞
❝ So spoiled. ❞ Chastises her cruel lover at the same time he gifts an open-mouthed kiss to blooming bruise. But he must be feeling impatient too, because Wang Yi submits to her insistent tugs closer and finally wipes the grin off her face, replacing every taste with that of his own.
Wang Yi stared down the small floating mote of light in the air before him. No way in hell he wanted to touch the thing, but images were already flickering into his mind's eye as he kept a healthy distance away. He couldn't get much out of it besides flashes of blood and something suspiciously like despair, but the glimpses he saw of her face was enough to make him wary.
I don't want to get involved... He thought of backing off, but noticed other people in the streets going around collecting memory motes like harvest season and hesitated.
It...didn't seem right to let a stranger handle Nicolette's memories. Not that they were actual friends or whatever, but at least he knew her name. Besides, aside from cursing him out and stalking him, she was...okay? A crybaby even, and honestly he couldn't fault anyone who knew how to cry.
A memory sweeper started heading his way, eyes on the Nicolette mote. Wang Yi watched until he was almost within reach before reaching out to snatch the thing with his own bare hands, ignoring the arched eyebrow directed his way.
Shit, why'd I do that... And thoughts voice faded away as the actual memory started to take over his surroundings.
@nicawlette - i only ever loved the best of you in the worst of you babe even if you're stressing me out right now sorry
In hindsight, things had been going a little too well.
He'd dumped a weirdo stalker, gave Zhilan a precious memory, resolved an argument with Sun, and ignored the strange aching in his chest by telling himself it didn't matter as long as he was alive and hanging in there in a strange place. Sao Ling had given him odd looks but didn't comment, while Wang Yi himself lacked any urgency to get back what he never remembered missing.
Maybe his mind was trying to block out what his heart craved because it'd eat him up otherwise. But waking up this morning, the realization hit him like a truck smashing through his forehead. Actually regaining his memories had been painless, even gentle; it was sifting through them again to make sense of what he lost (gained) that cut him to the bone.
They diED, all of them that was last night and HYPOCRITE but I'll do it for you, he says, soft and aching sweetly inside (what a strange new emotion that was) until gET OUT because you don't care (not true, he knows this but accepts it, it's what he deserves) and then trying to drown in it, the guilt and the confusion, but she came for him and dragged him out and I'm yours because you're mine and oh, god.
Gods, what had he done to Nicolette.
He hadn't seen her after the cafe row—she never texted or called him again, and he was supposed to be glad for it, even though he kept checking his phone to wonder when. Then he'd picked up her memories and kept it safe—yeah, safe like shit since it's gone back to its owner now—and lived his life like some la-de-la guy without a care in the world. Shithead doesn't come close to describing him, and he's the one who starts texting Nicolette back, then calling her when she doesn't reply.
"Dammit."
Yeah, why would she answer him when he'd told her to scram?
He's dressed and out the door in five minutes flat, hair a mess and red jacket haphazardly tugged over his shoulders—that cuts him like a knife too, and he wondered whether she'd kept his hers–then running to catch the next ride to Golden. At the doors of her apartment he starts knocking, then pounding to get her attention.
"Nicolette!" Shit, is she even home?
"Nicolette, it's me! It's—" What does he say? Your friend? The bastard who dumped you in public? Local backstabber come to twist the knife in your body again?
Does she even want to see him after his last stunt?
Fuck it, she can kill him if she wants, he needs to see her face right now to check if she's okay.
[ LIFT ] she's just showing off how fucking STRONG and COOL she is 💪😎
ACTIONS MEME ⟶ [ LIFT ] for the sender to lift the receiver up!
It starts like any other day. Wang Yi runs into Nicolette, who smirks as he snaps, until they end up insulting each other nonstop for the next three blocks.
"God, don't you ever get sick of your own shit, Yi-Yi? You're so full of yourself."
'Yeah well, who's to blame for force-feeding crap into my ears for the last ten minutes?'
"Oh come on, you know you just eat it all up~" She suddenly spins to block his way forward, one hand resting suggestively on his shoulder. "Admit it. I'm a shining spark in your dull, boring life."
'How shocking. That's the first time I've heard of it.' He arches a brow as he brushes her hand aside, but it just slides down his shoulders and around his back until suddenly—
Whoosh!
Gravity disappears as the world tilts, and before Wang Yi knows it he's...off the ground and cradled in Nicolette's arms...again?
'What the hell?!' Wang Yi glares at her before looking around frantically. 'What are you doing?'
Nicolette smiles a little too cheerfully back. "I just swept you off your feet and that's all you have to say to me?"
'You lunatic, we're in public!'
'Put me down!'
He thrashes in her grip, but her slender arms belie a monstrous strength that holds him fast. He suddenly understands how she managed to get him out of the ocean and into the woods while still running, but that didn't mean he wanted to relive the experience.
"I could, but I'd have to throw you for insulting me," she taunts, and he makes a frustrated noise in his throat. For five seconds, he seriously considers just punching her in the chest but uh, you couldn't really hit a lady above the belt without looking like a jerk.
What lady, his brain scoffs, she's probably not even human, tch.
When she resumes strolling with him in her arms, Wang Yi really starts to panic. 'Wait, no—why are you walking?'
"What, you want me to stand there carrying you forever? We've got places to be, sweetie."
'I never agreed to go with you?'
"That's why I'm taking you myself."
'You're such a—' Whatever expletive breaks off as a child's voice interrupts them.
"Mommy, look! It's a princess!"
Wang Yi doesn't want to look. But he does anyways, and sees a little girl with her mother walking on the sidewalk across the street.
"What are you talking about, dear?" the woman bends down to listen to her child.
"Over there!" And the girl points at them openly. "A pink haired princess! The prince is carrying her!"
"Oh honey..."
Whatever the mother says is drowned out by Wang Yi's internal screaming as he buries his face in his hands.
Nicolette snickers and jostles him slightly. "Feeling shy, princess?"
'Shut. Up.'
(And so, they lived happily ever after. In theory.)
nonverbal starters | steer place a hand under their chin to make them look up; kiss a kiss on the cheek, knuckles, forehead, in their hair - you’ll get your playlist but im shuffling the songs :)
Days had passed since their last kiss, and life was...slow. But it was the kind of pace that neither of them minded. They ate, they slept, they lounged around. Nicolette suggested they get books so Wang Yi took a trip to the library and back but found he couldn't read them without straining his voice. That was okay, she read them to him instead, both of them huddled up together under the covers at night.
Sometimes he nodded off first, and she'd keep reading just to feel his head on her shoulders and soft breaths tickling her chest. Sometimes she fell asleep before him, only to wake up later in the night to find herself all tucked in, the book set aside, and him asleep by her with one arm draped over her torso. She preferred the latter better, because it meant she could scoot closer by turning towards him and feel his arm following along until he cradled her close.
There were movie marathons where they watched fearlessly as monsters chased after hapless victims (horror didn't really phase them as much as it should and for some reason Nicolette found them funny?), quietly debated in whispers over the murderer (mysteries were nice but they'd read all the books and knew half the plots), and suffered through crappy romance flicks where Nicolette snorted and criticized everything on screen while Wang Yi numbly sipped on his drink and fed her popcorn between speech breaks.
It was kind of like a vacation and a dream rolled all into one, where they shut out the rest of the world and just withdrew into themselves for a while. There was an interlude where Wang Yi met up with Zhilan to get his birthday present, but then he'd came right back to Nicolette waiting for him by the door, kissed her on the cheek, and showed her a few of his neater tricks before setting his new basketball in a corner of her room. That night he'd made longevity noodles and they shared Zhilan's cake and that was it, because it was getting near bedtime by then and obviously that meant going the hell to sleep.
By the second week Nicolette had proposed reading a chapter book for bed and Wang Yi had agreed, not minding one way or another. Except she ends up choosing a collection of love stories of all things, which means he's stuck questioning the motives of the characters and what they'd do for their feelings every other page.
Also, why the hell was everyone so sappy all the time! Nobody acted like that in real life!!
(Getting transmigrated into novels with the same tropes didn't count as real life either!)
"Wait," he finally spoke up one night, voice softer than usual but much better than before—his vocal chords were healing along nicely. "That part, right—I don't get it, he raised her chin and she starts blushing? It says she likes it, but isn't that more like assault?"
"It's super romantic!" Nicolette huffs back. "I mean, imagine if someone lifted you up by the chin..."
"Yeah, I felt super attacked and embarrassed, which I figured was kind of the point?" Wang Yi nods. "When I did it to someone else, I was goading them to bite me. Didn't work, though..."
"Ok, what," Nicolette blinks, but shakes her head and decides not to ask. "It'll make more sense when someone you like does it to you instead."
"Show me, then?" Wang Yi turns to her expectantly.
And as warm as the unspoken hint of I like you feels, Nicolette still smacks him. "Not when you're expecting it! It has to be a surprise."
"What, there's so many rules..." Wang Yi mumbles, but shuts up when Nicolette starts reading again. Of course he nods off in the middle of the couple's heartfelt confession and Nicolette starts to question her choice of literature because she's not getting the he dozes off later and tucks me in treatment but whatever, at least his forehead's free at this angle to steal all the kisses she wants.
One for I like you, two for sweet dreams, and three for please, stay with me.
—
“When are we going to do it?” Wang Yi asks first thing next morning as he’s serving up breakfast.
“Do what?” Nicolette asks, sipping her orange juice and browsing her phone for the latest Spinstagram updates.
“The chin thing.”
Nicolette stops scrolling to arch her brows at him. “Yiyi, not now.” She told him already, it has to be a surprise move!
“Nini, why not?” he asks, mimicking her tone exactly.
“You—oh! Did you just call me Nini…!”
“Why, what’s wrong?” he creases his brows.
“You barely call me any nicknames, Wangyyyyy!!”
He looks at her and blinks. “That’s not true, you used to be ‘demoness’ in my phone.”
“God, don’t ruin the moment,” Nicolette gets up and all but leans across the table. “Say it again.”
“You’re making it embarrassing…”
“Yiyi, come onnnn~” she pleas. “It’s only fair!”
“Ugh, fine…” Wang Yi puts up a resigned face, but his small smile gives him away. “…Nini?”
“What about some other ones?”
The smile slips. “You want more?!”
“Why not! I have at least two for you!”
“I guess…” Wang Yi trails off to think. “Letty? Nico? Colette…? Uhh…I guess Coco works too…”
They’re not all spectacular, but it’s fun to see him try.
“And your favorite one?” she urges on, excited to see what he’ll pick.
“…Nicolette.”
She sits back in her chair with a sigh. “You’re such a moodkiller, Wang Yi.”
“So, the chin thing…”
“You’re not getting any!”
“All right, all right…”
Nicolette waits for the inevitable backtracking—because it’s common knowledge that the less you get, the more you want, right? But Wang Yi actually drops the subject and goes right on eating his eggs while browsing his phone too. She takes a peek: he’s on his own account on Spitter, scrolling past a timeline that’s a mix of weird science facts and sports videos.
With a private huff, she gets her own phone to take a picture of her yet-untouched plate (thoughtfully arranging a few of the garnishes for aesthetics), fiddles with the filters, and posts it to her Spinstagram with the caption:
nicawlette: bf made me breakfast ❤️ #personalchef #malewife
Annnnnnd post.
Seconds later, Wang Yi’s phone dings without fail, and she has to suppress her satisfied smirk as he clicks on the notification and tabs to her account.
"...Nicolette, it's just eggs and tomato on toast."
"But you made it," she crows. "For me."
"Also for myself?"
"Take a compliment when I give it," she huffs back and picks up her toast for a munch. "Mmm, delicious~"
"What's a malewife?"
"Another nickname," she replies back easily. "Aren't you going to like my post?"
"Yeah, yeah..." he presses the heart and she eagerly refreshes the page, checking for his username in the list of likes...
Besides her usual friends and commenters, all she sees at the bottom is a very unobtrusive heart from the username "crcl3." It doesn't even have a profile picture besides the default blank avatar for new users.
"...Yiyi, why are you still using a burner account for Spinstagram?"
Wang Yi blinks at her, then flushes slightly. "I don't have any other ones. I just made that one to follow you...like, way back."
Okay, fair, and she's weirdly flattered that he's still doing it now that they're long past their stalker-victim accusations. "Why'd you make yourself sound like a bot?"
"Huh?"
"Your username!" she shakes her phone at him. "It's just a bunch of letters and a number!"
"What are you talking about?" he scoffs back. "That's the chemical formula for chromic chloride."
"Wangy, in English please."
Instead, he just gulps down his orange juice and looks evasive. "It was just a spur of the moment thing. I chose it because it makes the brightest purple I know..."
Purple? Unexpectedly, warmth floods her chest at the statement. "Was it..." She's almost afraid to ask, but she has to know. "Did you pick it...because of me?"
Wang Yi concentrates on the phone screen in his lap. "A shitton of stuff happened to us the first time we met. I can't name all the details, but I did remember your hair. And your eyes? Three shades of purple aren't easy to forget. Well, and the attitude. So I used that to find you online..."
"You mean the same damned attitude that saved your life?" Nicolette retorts, though there's no real heat in it.
"I know." He pauses, then murmurs, "You kept me from going under this time, too."
He's still looking at his lap, and suddenly Nicolette has an overwhelming urge to see his face. She circles around the table (ignoring the wince she makes when she moves a little too quickly) until she claims the spot in front of his chair, wraps her arms around his shoulders, and kisses his hair, still soft and sweet with the scent of her shampoo.
His hands move to cling to her even as Nicolette croons, "Of course I did."
"Nicolette..."
"Because I wasn't going to lose what's mine?"
She hears him exhale with enough intensity that can only mean a raging blush, and giggles to herself.
"I—" Wang Yi begins, but never gets farther than that.
Because Nicolette's gotten him by the chin and steers his head up gently until they're looking eye-to-eye. He blinks at her, bright red and a little panicked, but doesn't try to turn away. It's a little endearing how he always looks like someone facing his crush for the first time, every time. Still grinning, Nicolette asks, "Are you feeling attacked?"
With the tiniest of movements, he shakes his head.
"What about embarrassed?"
A slightly bigger nod.
"Are you going to bite me?"
He side-eyes her (or rather, the teeth marks still peeking out from her collar) before croaking out, "Only if you want me to?"
"Not this time," Nicolette whispers. "It's different, isn't it?"
"...yeah," Wang Yi breathes, and his hands begin moving up her chest and over her shoulders until they're hooking around her neck. "But I still don't like this chin thing."
"Ohhh?" she lets him embrace her, fingers still caressing his jawline as she teases. "Why not?"
"It keeps you too far away."
He turns to take her thumb into his mouth even as he pulls the rest of her into his lap, like a persistent puppy leading its owner home. When she collapses onto his legs, he lets go to rain soft kisses on her nose, cheeks, and forehead. Laughing, Nicolette lets him take the lead for awhile before seizing the win by stealing his lips for the day.
—
"There are still things I don't understand," Wang Yi whispers to her when they're done.
"That's okay," she murmurs back. "I'll show you what they mean, one by one."
Until he gets it. Until he feels it. Until what starts as like can grow and turn to love.
She thinks, now that we've promised ourselves to each other, we have all the time in the world.
(They go to bed holding hands and wake up next to each other as strangers.)
👁 👂 I ALREADY SENT 2 U DONT HAVE TO ANSWER THESE BUT ALSO... I caved. No impulse control
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐒
👁️ …the way your muse looks.
' Oh, I got this. '
' She's sexy. ' There it is, the perfect answer. Huh, is there more to say?
' Uhh... I mean what else do you expect from a nice-looking woman? She has uh...the legs. The waist? The chest...oh but she's different in that she has scars all over. The three across her left eye are pretty neat? '
Shit, he's just listing body parts now.
' ...I think she'd look really good murdering someone, actually. Well, not the actual murder, maybe like just a little bit so you know it. Sticks. Oh, um. If that's a crime maybe I can let her sort of murder me? Because you know, there'll be blood and she honestly looks great in red, on principle. Also I'd get the best view that way? '
' Though I think I'd prefer if we switched roles in that case. Do you think she actually gets hurt if she gets stabbed with her own blood... '
' W-wait! I just remembered, she has hair too. She uh, the hair is good too! It's soft. Yeah, soft is good, right? '
👂 …the way your muse sounds.
' It's not high or low, it's kinda in the middle. '
' Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the porridge that's just right? Or the chair? The bed too... '
No. No, he has to try again.
' Ok, so it's like when you're slicing bread and you find the perfect angle so the knife goes in just clean without all the crumbly bits attached? But the bread is also buttered. '
' O-or like when you throw a hammer just right so it smashes through a pane of glass on the ground, that satisfaction when the whole thing cracks? Or um, wiping blood off a sword with a cloth—silk of course, in one try... '
' It's just smooth and mellow with uh...an accent at the end. Like baked tilapia. But with lemon. '
