watch it burn out

[viktcr]

⌠ OLIVER STARK, 25, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, VIKTOR HENRIKSSON ! according to their records, they’re a FOURTH year, specializing in PROTECTION & ENFORCEMENT; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of  ( wild flames in a fire pit ; grease stains on worn out jeans ; old rock blasting through headphones ; speaking only when spoken to ; birthmark giving the impression of post - fight wound ). when it’s the (taurus)’s birthday on 05/19/1995, they always request their KROPPKAKOR from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation.

I know that things they never tend to stay the same.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“No, no.” Miray shakes her head though she doesn’t make any move to lift her head up from where it rests on his chest. Partially because she’s feeling vulnerable at the moment and also because it is one of her favorite places to be. “I just…” She pulls away a little only so that she is able to look up at him. “I don’t want you to leave.” Her voice is loud enough for Viktor to hear and even if she feels like she’s about to ruin the moment they’re sharing with her worries, she also knows she can talk to him about it. 

          there’s  a  time  to  play  around  and  another  to  be  more  grounded,  knows  from  her  voice,  from  the  way  she  looks  at  him,  this  is  no  teasing  territory.  it’s  never  been  something  they  hid  from,  only  pushed  that  moment  as  far  as  they  possibly  could,  even  though  it  was  inevitable.   ❛  i’d  stay  if  i  could.  ❜   of  course  he’s  looking  to  be  reassuring,  to  tell  miray  he  wants,  or  in  this  case  ;  doesn’t  want  the  same  thing.  though  it’s  not  about  the  school,  he  doesn’t  want  to  leave  her.    ❛  let’s  go  out ?  ❜   and  if  he  can’t  give  her  what  she  wants,  he  can  give  her  a  safe  place  to  talk,  a  crowded  room  with  pulsating  music  is  not  the  right  space.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

While the conversation is sweet and there is a large part of her that knows everything about it should make her feel safe and secure there is also a part of her that refuses to accept it can be this simple. That she doesn’t have to struggle in order to win his affections or to be worthy of dating him. “We’re equally amazing, I think.” Miray leans hear head on his chest after a moment, something in the air shifting for her but she’s trying to will any of her worries away. 

          viktor  hums  in  agreement,  feels  like  this  is  a  fair  way  to  settle  this,  finally  willing  to  accept  a  compliment  thrown  his  way.  he’ll  still  need  time  to  not  struggle  with  it.   ❛  losing  some  steam  already ?  ❜   viktor  slows  down  the  way  he  moves  so  she  can  be  comfortable  against  him.  maybe  the  last  shot  should’ve  been  avoided  after  all.  she’d  been  on  pace  for  that  three  nights  partying  idea.   ❛  an  early  nap  could  be  part  of  the  party  plan.  ❜   he’s  teasing  her  some  more.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

Miray grins as she watches his actions. How something so seemingly small and simple can make her feel as great as it does. Despite wanting to go around and make sure to talk to all of her friends and get to spend time with them she wishes she could spend the entire evening with him. “You don’t always have to.” That sounds exhausting. “You’ll still be the most amazing person in a room to me, regardless.” 

          it’s  not  exhausting  to  him,  not  if  it’s  her.   ❛  i  won’t  take  it  for  granted.  ❜   he’s  been  told  in  the  past  that  he  didn’t  put  enough  efforts,  and  he  doesn’t  want  to  make  that  same  mistake.  he  wants  this  to  work,  wants  to  make  her  happy,  that’s  all  that  matters  to  him.  moments  like  these  are  ones  where  he  avoids  to  look  at  his  watch,  doesn’t  want  to  see  time  clocking  away  when  it  should  be  allowed  to  freeze  instead.   ❛  but  second  most  amazing,  if  you’re  in  the  room  as  well.  ❜   of  course,  he’ll  turn  the  focus  back  on  her.  

[viktcr]

REI.

“Okay, Viktor. Sip your drink.” Rei almost regrets asking, because that’s the cheesiest thing she’s ever heard, and yet she can’t wipe the smirk off her face that she drowns in scotch. He’s pointing Miray out but Rei’s looking the other way, trying to find her girlfriend in the crowd. She turns back just in time to catch who he’s staring at, and she’s quiet for a moment too. “Hm.” She can’t really fault him anymore, it’s Miray. “I asked a simple question.” She doesn’t think she’s probing. She has more questions but now she doesn’t want to ask so she takes another sip. She elbows him lightly, hand barely outstretching her glass to gesture to Satomi in the distance, concocting drinks for strangers. Now they’re just two bros, standing in silence, looking at the two most beautiful people in the room. Disgusting.

          he  has  been  nothing  but  honest  his  short  time  at  gallagher,  so  while  it  might  be  a  little  corny  to  hear,  he  would  say  it  again,  because  he  means  it.   ❛  told  you.  ❜  her  small  nudge  hits  his  arm  as  he’s  taking  a  drink,  makes  him  almost  spill  some,  so  he  chuckles  it  off,  his  eyes  find  who  she’s  pointing  out  to.  and  there’s  something  almost  bonding,  how  two  persons  who  keep  private  most  of  the  time  willingly  letting  the  other  know  about  the  people  in  their  lives.  he  was  only  joking  around,  didn’t  really  think  she  was  nosy.  but  if  she  doesn’t  want  to  pry,  he’ll  do  it.   ❛  you  coming  back  next  year ?  ❜   that’s  a  question  he’s  been  wondering  about  for  a  few  days,  seeing  that  a  lot  of  people  might  not.  he  can  count  on  one  hand  the  people  he’ll  truly  miss  once  he  gets  the  paper,  and  he  won’t  say  it,  but  his  curiosity  towards  rei’s  future  speaks  for  itself.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“I’m super strong, remember?” Miray grins, thinking that it’s kind of him to not want to step on her but she also doesn’t think he could do it. “Won’t be breaking any toes.” Holds up her pinky finger to him as if it’s a promise that she’s making even though the onus is entirely on him. She doesn’t think she’s all that difficult of a person to impress but nonetheless she appreciates any sort of effort. “Well, consider me impressed.” A pause. “I’m always impressed by you.” 

          ❛  the  strongest.  ❜   gives  her  pinkie  a  squeeze  with  his  before  he  pulls  her  hand  up,  laying  a  small  kiss  on  top  of  her  fingers  as  to  solidify  the  silly  promise  even  more.  it’s  not  something  he  though  needed  one,  but  he  sure  intend  to  keep  it.   ❛  really ?  i’ll  make  sure  to  always  keep  it  up.  ❜   that  might  be  a  much  bigger   promise  than  their  previous  one,  but  he  wants  to  go  out  of  his  ways  for  her.  to  give  her  his  all  in  everything  he  does,  feels  like  she  deserves  nothing  less  than  his  best  efforts.  squeezes  her  finger  he  still  holds  for  good  measure.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

She’s glad when he makes the conversation lighter again because she doesn’t think that she’d be able to thinking that hard on their relationship at the moment. It deserved to be given more than her drunk thoughts. “I don’t think that’s lucky.” Miray grins, looking up at him and he might as well be her whole world right now. “I think you’re just really good at everything you do.” As if it came naturally to him even when he didn’t think it would. 

          he  thinks  it’s  sweet,  though  definitely  isn’t  true,  her  faith  in  him  is  a  little  too  high  for  this  specific  thing.   ❛  i  just  really  don’t  want  to  break  any  of  your  toes.  ❜   he  grins  back,  because  that  is  the  truth.  he  would  hate  to  cause  any  silly  accident  like  that  and  put  an  end  to  the  night  abruptly.   ❛  and  maybe  i’m  trying  to  impress  you.  ❜   by  picking  up  things  quickly  as  to  not  embarrass  her.  he’ll  still  need  a  lot  of  practice  dancing,  though.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

For a moment she considers protesting when he leans closer but it’s only because she would like to continue screaming to all of Gallagher how attractive she thinks he is. The way that he speaks to her, however, makes her stop any thoughts of pushing him away, instead clinging onto him tighter for a moment. “How lucky for me.” She repeats the words with as much gentleness as he had spoken to her, laughing as he twirls her around. It’s true, she feels incredibly lucky to have him but a part of her can’t help but wonder for how long. 

          he  feels  like  they  could  go  back  and  forth  on  who  really  lucked  out.  he’s  confident  that  between  the  two,  he  is  the  lucky  one  to  have  met  her  when  he  thought  his  time  here  would  be  nothing  but  meaningless.  he  had  been  well  prepared  to  not  remember  anything  of  gallagher  the  moment  he  set  foot  there.  but  now,  he’ll  have  her  to  thank  for  all  of  his  fondest  memories  of  the  place.   ❛  know  what  else  is  lucky ?  i  haven’t  stepped  on  your  toes  yet.  ❜   now,  that  is  luck.  he’s  sadly  not  only  looking  down  to  see  her  smile,  but  to  watch  his  steps.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

Miray doesn’t notice his hesitations the way that she normally would have because she’s enjoying the moment too much and the amount of drinks she had before the party with Nico as well as during don’t help. Still, she grips onto one of his hands as she begins to move to the beat of the music. “You are so hot.” She feels the need to yell over the music to ensure that he hears her. “I can’t believe you’re just so….mine.” 

          just  like  the  time  on  the  roof,  she  seems  to  get  a  little  more  bold  and  outspoken  when  she’s  had  a  few  drinks.  and  just  like  back  then,  he  finds  it  incredibly  endearing.  and  it  brings  him  to  laugh,  still  not  too  used  to  compliments  like  those.  instead  of  going  to  loud  way,  he  opts  to  lean  down  and  speak  low  into  her  ear,  trying  his  best  to  move  along  with  her.   ❛  you’re  beautiful.  ❜   he’s  told  her  before,  only  feels  right  to  say  it  again.   ❛  you  can  believe  it,  miray.  ❜   wants  to  say  he  wouldn’t  want  to  be  anybody  else’s,  but  it  feels  a  little  much  to  say  right  now.   ❛  i’m  all  yours.  ❜   pulls  back  to  make  her  twirl  once  again.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“Guess you’ll have to find out.” Miray raises her eyebrows teasingly though part of her mentally wonders if she could actually be bold enough to kick all of her roommates out for one night. Quickly her mind has already moved on, however, and she’s thinking about the drinks waiting for them. Clinking her shot glass with his, she gulps it down almost immediately before taking a sip of the drink. Setting it back down on the bar top, she reaches out to grab the collar of his shirt to bring him down closer to hear before pressing a kiss actually on his lips this time. “Hm, let’s go dance.” 

          ❛  i’ll  nudge  you  awake  if  you  do.  ❜   he’s  got  a  little  more  banter  in  him.   and  he  takes  his  shot  a  beat  later  than  she  does,  which  doesn’t  give  him  the  chance  to  wash  it  down  with  anything  before  he  feels  the  tug  on  his  shirt.  he  might’ve  found  his  new  favorite  way  to  chase  a  shot  down  in  her  kiss.  viktor  isn’t  much  of  a  dancer,  lacks  a  certain  fluidity  that  should  go  with  it,  but  he  still  pushes  himself  off  the  bar  without  hesitation,  determined  to  make  sure  she  has  a  good  time  tonight.  if  that  involves  making  a  fool  of  himself  on  the  dance  floor,  he’s  more  than  willing.   ❛  you  lead  this  one.  ❜   hear :  can  you  show  me  how  to  dance.

[viktcr]

REI.

“Did you come alone?” She’s not going to say it because this is as nosy as she’s going to get, but her expression is speaking volumes. @viktcr​

          ❛  i  didn’t.  i’m  with  the  most  beautiful  girl.  ❜   turns  on  the  side,  eyes  glancing  over  some  of  the  crowd  to  easily  find  miray,  motioning  in  the  direction  with  the  hand  holding  his  drink  so  rei  can  also  easily  find  her.   ❛  why  so  probing ?  ❜   it’s  not  like  the  rei  he  knows.  though,  he’ll  never  mind  talking  about  miray,  takes  a  few  more  seconds  before  actually  looking  back  at  rei.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“You think that I snore?” That isn’t what he has said but it’s what she wants to say if only to poke fun at him for it. She has to stop for a beat and look at him when he says the words, her brain immediately taking her back to a completely different moment they’d shared together. “Maybe I did it on purpose.” Raises her eyebrows as well almost as if challenging him. As they arrive at the bar, she leans her elbows on it and rests her head on her hands. “Yes, please.” Bats her eyelashes up at him. 

          ❛  you  could.  ❜   it’s  a  little  battle  of  how  long  they  can  keep  the  teasing  going,  and  it’s  a  thing  he  could  see  carry  out  the  rest  of  the  night  easily.  there’s  a  clear  pressure  absent  from  his  shoulders  tonight,  way  more  relaxed  than  what  the  last  couple  of  weeks  have  been.   ❛  i’ll  earn  another  one,  then.  ❜   his  response  is  to  press  a  small  kiss  on  her  forehead  like  he  did  then.  orders  up  another  round  of  what  they’ve  been  drinking  until  now,  along  with  two  shots  as  well.  he  did  say  he  had  some  catching  up  to  do,  but  why  not  have  more  fun.   ❛  we’ll  nurse  that  headache  tomorrow.  ❜   indulging  tonight  is  the  move.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“You’re acting like napping isn’t an equally delicious part of the experience.” Miray shakes her head and her index finger at him. “You don’t even look like a lightweight, though, I’m just…so strong.” The air is momentarily filled with her laughter which only grows as he twirls her around. “Then we need to get you to the bar immediately!” Her tone is very serious for a moment but she breaks it with a grin and leans up to kiss the corner of his lips. 

          ❛  as  long  as  nobody’s  snoring.  ❜   it’s  one  of  the  few  times  where  he  allows  himself  to  feel  a  little  loose,  teeth  showing  smile  growing  by  the  sound  of  her  laugh.  her  energy  makes  it  feel  like  it’s  okay  to  simply  be  a  college  kid  for  the  night,  to  simply  enjoy  a  party  the  way  it’s  meant  to  be.  she  makes  him  want  to  have  fun.   ❛  the  strongest,  that’s  fair.  ❜  he’d  have  to  dig  deep  into  his  partying  skills  to  have  a  chance.   ❛  you  missed.  ❜   there’s  a  quick  raise  of  his  eyebrows  as  uses  words  she’d  told  him,  still  doesn’t  lose  his  smile  and  brings  them  both  towards  the  bar  to  get  a  refill.  ❛  you’re  ready  for  another  round,  too ?  ❜

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“Well, we would obviously nap during the day but yes that’s the idea.” Miray said no sleep! bus, club, ‘nother club, 'nother club, plane, next place. With the way that she’s feeling at the moment it’s easy for the answer to come almost automatically. “Duh.” She’s teasing, leans up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. 

          ❛  and  miss  day  partying ?  has  to  be  72  hours  straight.  ❜   as  if  he  has  any  experience  with  that.   ❛  yeah ?  you’re  letting  the  lightweight  appearance  fool  you.  ❜   takes  her  hand,  he  takes  a  step  back  extending  his  arm  to  make  her  twirl,  not  much  of  a  dancer  but  he’s  trying  to  keep  her  going.   ❛  i’ll  need  a  couple  more  than  that.  ❜   shakes  the  cup  in  his  other  hand.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

@gallagherstart​

Miray had perhaps started her drinking too early but who could blame her considering the atmosphere surrounding the school still. “We did it!” Turns to the person nearest to her that looks mildly familiar. “We survived this whole year and we deserve, like, three nights of partying!” 

          ❛  and  keep  the  same  pace  for  three  nights ?  ❜   if  she  still  has  that  much  energy  by  the  end  of  the  night,  he’ll  be  impressed.  it’s  nice  to  see  her  have  fun  after  this  year,  though.  takes  a  drink  from  his  own  cup,  feels  like  he  has  catching  up  to  do.   ❛  think  you  could  make  me  tap  out ?  ❜   there’s  a  challenge  in  his  smile.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

Miray can’t help her own excitement at the sight of the bird. Truthfully, she’d almost forgotten that they had made it together. Not that they had shared that very special day with each other but it all sort of blurred together and the only thing remaining was him. It always came back to Viktor. “You should have told me you were still working on it.” She speaks softly, holding onto the bird as if it is the first time that she’s so. “You’re giving me the best part. Hardly seems fair.” Though she realizes that it’s his way of making up for not letting her help with the actual finishing of the bird. It’s more than a little satisfying to have these memories with him, to think that there’s potential for them to share so much more. “Wait…you said there was something else! A question?” 

          he  knows  he  should’ve,  and  that  she  would’ve  been  eager  to  help  finish  it  too.  he’d  taken  a  guess  to  continue  with  it  well,  because,   ❛  i  wanted  to  surprise  you.  ❜   and  do  something  nice  for  her.  and  the  reaction  he  sees  from  miray  only  makes  him  think  that  he’d  do  it  all  over  again.   ❛  you’ll  do  the  hard  parts  next.  you  have  to  ease  into  it.  ❜   he’s  playing  around  a  little,  because  seeing  the  excitement  in  her  eyes  and  across  her  face  is  worth  any  amount  of  efforts  he  put  into  it.  to  him,  it’s  plenty  fair.   ❛  yes,  there  is  one  —  would  you  want  to  go  to  the  party  with  me,  as  a  date ?  ❜   grins,  it  was  just  announced  and  he  won’t  make  the  same  mistake  as  last  time,  wants  to  make  up  for  it,  too.

[viktcr]

MIRAY.

“Hey, you.” Miray can’t fight her own smile that appears naturally whenever she gets to look at him. Though lately it is accompanied by the feeling at the pit of her stomach, the knowledge that she’s losing him soon. “Don’t I feel spoiled.” Her tone is sarcastic though it remains light still, trying to peek over him as if that were somehow possible to see what’s behind him. “I’ll take whatever it is you’re so actively hiding from me.” 

          there’s  a  short  chuckle  coming  from  him.  he  doesn’t  have  a  lot  to  give,  can’t  really  spoil  her  the  way  other  people  might  spoil  the  one  they  like.  but  he  thinks  she’ll  like  it,  and  he  hopes  he  didn’t  create  too  grand  expectations.   ❛  sorry,  didn’t  find  any  wrapping  paper,  ❜   viktor  brings  his  hand  between  them  from  behind  his  back,  holding  in  it  the  small  bird  sculpture  they’d  worked  on  the  first  time  they’ve  actually  talked  to  each  other.   ❛  i  went  back  every  few  days,  to  make  sure  it  stayed  workable,  and  to  finish  it.  ❜   well,  it’s  not  completely  finished.  the  shape  and  details  very  much  done,  though  it  is  still  without  any  colors.   ❛  i  thought  maybe  you’d  like  to  paint  it.  ❜   she’d  mentioned  once  how  she  would  sometimes  paint  back  home.  it’s  not  exactly  the  same  thing,  but  he  also  thought  she  would  like  to  take  part  in  the  last  steps  of  the  thing  they  started  together.