#ON DU CHENG'S DESK??? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thegreatdandilion · 20 days ago

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Writing a whump fic because there wasn't enough whump on Under the skin 2 ep 20

The moment Gu Yitian was restrained and the girl confirmed safe, Shen Yi felt the tension in his body unravel, leaving him trembling in its wake. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat sending a sharp ache radiating through his ribs. He stayed still, forcing himself to focus on seeing Du Cheng securing the handcuffs on Gu Yitian.

“You look like hell,” Du Cheng muttered, noticing Shen Yi’s shuddering form.

Shen Yi gave a faint nod, swallowing hard against the dryness in his throat. “I’ll be fine,” he lied, his voice rasping like sandpaper. His knees threatened to buckle beneath him, but he locked them in place.

The air felt too thin, his lungs struggling to pull in enough oxygen as a faint ringing built in his ears. He blinked several times to clear his vision, only for the world to blur further.

“Let’s head back,” Du Cheng said, gripping Shen Yi’s arm lightly.

Shen Yi forced himself to straighten. Each step back to the car felt heavier than the last, his legs dragging like they were weighed down with lead. The seatbelt pressed uncomfortably against his chest on the ride back to the station.

Back at the station, Shen Yi made a beeline for the restroom. Once inside, he wiped away the makeup and leaned heavily against the sink, gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles turned white. His reflection in the mirror startled him—his skin was ghostly pale, his eyes bloodshot and sunken, and a faint sheen of sweat clung to his forehead.

He splashed cold water on his face, hoping the shock would snap him out of the fog clouding his mind.

Somehow, he made it to his desk, his movements slow and deliberate. He didn’t trust his legs to carry him much farther, and his head throbbed relentlessly. He set to work, flipping through his notes with trembling fingers.

“Shen Yi,” Du Cheng’s voice startled him, and he looked up to see his partner’s sharp eyes scanning his face. “ We’ll go over the brief together and I'll take you home to rest. You look like you're about to keel over and die.”

Shen Yi nodded, following Du Cheng into the briefing room. He told himself he could push through just a little longer.

The fluorescent lights felt harsher than ever, piercing through Shen Yi’s skull as he sat across from Du Cheng. The papers in front of him blurred, the words swimming before his eyes. His chest tightened, a deep, crushing pressure spreading like a vice.

He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on Du Cheng’s voice as they discussed the presentation. But his breathing grew faster and shallower, each inhale feeling like he was dragging air through a straw. His hands shook as he reached for a pen, but his fingers refused to grip it properly.

“Shen Yi? I think you should sit down.” Du Cheng asked, his tone shifting to one of concern.

"Huh... sit down?" He realizes that he is standing up and shaking on his legs like a bambi.

Shen Yi doesn't remember standing up. He opened his mouth to respond, but his words caught in his throat. A wave of dizziness hit him like a tidal wave, and he grabbed the edge of the table for support. His vision darkened at the edges, the world tilting violently.

“Shen Yi!”

Du Cheng’s shout was the last thing he heard before his legs gave out completely. The sensation of falling was brief but terrifying, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut. Du Cheng sees how Shen Yi's eyes roll back, neck and body going completely limp as he runs to catch him. Shen Yi barely registered the impact of the floor against his side, the pain drowned out by the roaring in his ears.

When Shen Yi woke, it was to a cacophony of noise—voices shouting orders, the blare of sirens, the sharp beeping of medical equipment. His chest felt like it was on fire, each breath a monumental effort. The weight of an oxygen mask pressed against his face, but it wasn’t enough.

“Du Cheng…” he gasped, his voice weak and desperate.

“He’s right here,” a medic assured him. “Focus on breathing.”

He tried to turn his head, to see for himself, but the effort made the edges of his vision darken further. His limbs felt like lead, too heavy to move.

The next thing he knew, he was in a hospital bed. The beeping of the heart monitor was steady, but every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he tried to shift. His whole body ached with a deep, bone-deep soreness, and his head throbbed like a drumbeat.

“Finally awake?”

The familiar gruffness of Du Cheng’s voice drew his attention. Shen Yi turned his head slowly to see his partner sitting beside him, arms crossed and an expression that was equal parts anger and worry.

“What… happened?” Shen Yi croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.

“What happened?” Du Cheng snapped, standing abruptly. “You overworked yourself to the point of collapse, that’s what! You scared the hell out of everyone, Shen Yi. Do you ever stop to think about the damage you’re doing to yourself?”

Shen Yi tried to reply, but his chest tightened painfully, cutting off his words.

“Don’t even try to argue,” Du Cheng continued, his voice cracking slightly. “You almost didn’t make it. The doctors said your heart was under too much strain, and you were severely exhausted. What were you thinking?”

Shen Yi’s lips moved, but the effort to speak made his vision blur again. His breathing grew erratic, and the heart monitor’s beeping sped up alarmingly.

“Shen Yi? Sh## Sh##... Damn it, stay with me!” Du Cheng’s voice rose in panic as Shen Yi’s consciousness slipped away once more.

When Shen Yi woke again, the world felt quieter. The oxygen mask was gone, replaced by a nasal cannula. Du Cheng was still by his side, his head resting in his hands as he sat slumped in a chair.

“Du Cheng…” Shen Yi whispered, his voice barely audible.

Du Cheng jolted awake, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer. “If you ever pull something like that again, I’ll kill you myself,” he muttered, his tone rough but his eyes glistening.

Shen Yi managed a weak smile, “I understand" and drifted off.

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whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst · 10 days ago

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Incident Reports from Under the Skin, part 1

Incident Report of Fraternization, written by Jiang Feng (and by necessity, censored by a killjoy edited by Li Han)

Incident Information: November 16th, 8:09pm, Captain Du’s office

Responding Officer: to my regret Jiang Feng

Reporting Party: why hermione why Li Han

Victim/Suspect weird way to talk about position preferences Information:

Du Cheng (bitchy and witty generally belligerent, gave conflicting statements literally said “fuck the police oh shit wait that’s me”)

Shen Yi (pissed af generally pleasant and amiable, drew extremely graphic filleted torso on the interrogation room wall with permanent marker)

Witness Information: Despite canvassing the area, no witnesses were forthcoming I mean He Rongxue threatened everybody with inconclusive autopsies for a week sooo

Narrative: The precinct afternoon shift proceeded as usual if only we’d known. At approximately 7:00 this evening, Captain Du Cheng walked into the main bullpen and lost his shit called at high volume for Officer Shen Yi to come to his office immediately and discuss Officer Shen’s recent badass but batshit decision to provoke another killer lowkey awesome tho.

In response, Officer Shen Yi took his sweet time walking over immediately complied and entered the office, at which point Captain Du said “don’t knock unless the building’s on fire” then slammed the door shut behind them requested some privacy.

Officer Li became concerned roughly an hour later, when she heard a “series of rhythmic thuds” lol coming from the office. Despite me telling her it was just like an earthquake or something reassurances from fellow officers, Li Han yelled politely requested that someone lucky me check on her superior officers’ meeting to ensure all was going well oh I’m sure.

Officer Jiang entered the room after yelling a warning first because i choose life and ascertained immediately that oh they FUCKIN there was no clear or present danger to either officer just to me for walking in, thanks a lot Li Han.

However, due to possible not gonna ask evidence of officer-officer fraternization good for you bestie, this report has been filed accordingly and is subject to review and further questions on the subject I hate it here.

Property/Evidence:

One slightly dented wall

One extremely clean desk

One traumatized detective

Further questions on the incident itself can be directed to those horny idiots the two officers who were involved that’s one word for it in the incident, as listed above.

Notes: Officer Jiang would like it on the record that he saw gay porn like once or three times is largely unaffected by the incident and unconditionally supports his superior officer that wedding is gonna be LIT Du Qing planning come thru.

Further questions for Officer Jiang about details of responding to the incident please god no can be directed to his voicemail that I never set up, and concerns can be directed to Captain Du yeah if you want to die! but don’t worry, we will solve your case:)

#whomst #under the skin #headcanons #listen I had to do it to em #du cheng x shen yi

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killerandhealerqueen · 3 years ago

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This isn't exactly a detailed prompt, but I would love to see something about Shen Yi's past. I imagine he didn't have an easy childhood. Maybe him telling Du Cheng about it? It being brought up in a way that forces him to tell Du Cheng about it? Basically I would love to see what you think his past might consist of (even just a piece of it), with a sprinkle of our favorite pair and a pinch of H/C.

Lmao, finally got around to writing this! I hope this is what you wanted...little bit of tears, little bit of hurt/comfort, little bit of drunkenness, some bed sharing...all good things

Shen Yi didn’t like talking about his past. Hell, he didn’t like talking about himself in general. He was personable, sure, but anything he told you was superficial and surface level information…nothing truly deep or to the heart. But Du Cheng…fucking Du Cheng somehow managed to worm his way under his skin and know things about him that he…never wanted people to know. But he didn’t know everything…and Shen Yi was determined to keep it that way. ~*~*~*~*~*~ It was a quiet, normal evening as Shen Yi sat at his desk in his apartment, grinding up pigment to make his make his own paint while Xiaoxuan played nearby. While he worked, there was a sudden knock at his door, making him look up in confusion. “Who the hell is knocking at my door this late at night?” he grumbled before he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the door, unlocking it before pulling it open to reveal Du Cheng standing outside his door, smiling. “Evening” he greeted. Shen Yi huffed. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. Du Cheng smiled. “Uh…visiting you?” he replied. Shen Yi gave him a look. “At one o’clock in the morning?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Du Cheng shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. And I take it, you couldn’t either, considering that you’re still up” he stated. Shen Yi huffed. “You know I don’t sleep” he reminded. Du Cheng chuffed as he stepped into his apartment. “Maybe you should work on that” he suggested. Shen Yi shot him a look as he closed his door after him and watched as he looked around before noticing Xiaoxuan. “I see you still have the cat” he mused, making Shen Yi huff. “Her name’s Xiaoxuan. And yes, I still have her. She makes sleeping at night…easier” he murmured as he walked back over to his paint making station and sat down in his chair, Xiaoxuan walking over to him and hopping into his lap. “Oh? Do you have a hard time sleeping at night?” Du Cheng asked as he walked over to him and knelt beside him, reaching out to pet Xiaoxuan, who gently bit his fingers. At her gentle nips, Du Cheng pulled his hand away before he held it out again, allowing Xiaoxuan to sniff him and realize that he’s not such a bad guy. Once she realized he wasn’t a bad person, she nudged his fingers, making him smile and gently pet her head before he looked up at Shen Yi, who was staring at him, and raised an eyebrow. “You never answered me” he stated. Shen Yi quickly shook his head before he cleared his throat. “Yeah…sometimes. But I’ve always had a hard time sleeping” he murmured. Du Cheng hummed before he stood up and began looking around Shen Yi’s studio, noticing that it was full of more art than anything else. “You know…I noticed that you don’t have any pictures of your family. Neither here nor at work” he mused. Shen Yi froze before he cleared his throat. “Yeah…we never really…had a lot of pictures together” he murmured. Du Cheng hummed again. “I see. Maybe you should do that” he suggested, making Shen Yi turn and look at him. “Do what?” he asked. Du Cheng shrugged. “I don’t know…find time to take a photo with your family. You can’t just have paintings decorating your house, you know” he stated. Shen Yi huffed. “Did you come here to talk, or did you come here to judge my studio?” he demanded. Du Cheng chuckled. “I guess a little bit of both” he replied before he looked over at him. “How good are you with holding your liquor?” he asked. Shen Yi frowned. “Liquor? Like wine?” he replied. Du Cheng shook his head. “No. Like liquor liquor” he stated. Shen Yi blinked before he shook his head. “I’m not really a big drinker…I’m probably a lightweight” he stated. Du Cheng hummed before he removed his backpack that he had brought and opened it, pulling out a bottle of liquor. “That’s too bad…I was hoping you’d be my drinking partner for tonight” he declared. Shen Yi looked at him in shock. “What about Jiang Feng? Why didn’t you ask him?” he asked. Du Cheng huffed. “Because we’re not partners” he replied before he motioned to himself and Shen Yi. “We are. And I wanted to drink with you” he declared before he reached into his bag and pulled out a glass, holding it out to Shen Yi. “So. What do you say?” he inquired. Shen Yi looked at the glass, then at Du Cheng, before he sighed and pushed himself to his feet, Xiaoxuan jumping to the floor as he walked over and took the glass from Du Cheng, motioning to his bedroom. “Come on, let’s drink in my room. There’s not really a place for us to properly drink” he stated. Du Cheng smiled and followed him into his bedroom, taking a seat on the floor while Shen Yi sat on his bed, holding out his glass. Du Cheng chuckled before he cracked open the bottle of liquor he brought and poured some into Shen Yi’s glass before pouring some into his own. He then clinked his glass against Shen Yi’s before he downed the alcohol, Shen Yi raising an eyebrow at him before he knocked back his own liquor, making a face as it went down. “You can drink wine, but you can’t drink baiju?” Du Cheng asked, surprised. Shen Yi huffed. “Baiju and wine are two totally different types of alcohol” he grumbled before he held out his glass. “But I never said I couldn’t drink it” he stated. Du Cheng smiled and poured him some more baiju before pouring more for himself, both men clinking their glasses again before they downed the liquor like shots. “I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be sipping this…not shot gunning it” Shen Yi murmured, a slight slur to his voice. Du Cheng hummed. “Not really in the sipping mood” he replied as he poured himself another glass before holding out the bottle to Shen Yi, Shen Yi sighing as he held out his glass, Du Cheng pouring him some more. As Du Cheng knocked back his baiju, Shen Yi opted to sip on his, starting to feel a little lightheaded from the alcohol. “Could you really not sleep, or do you have some ulterior motive?” he murmured, making Du Cheng look over at him before chuckling softly. “No, I really couldn’t sleep and felt like drinking. So here I am. Drinking” he explained as he placed his glass down and opted to drink straight from the bottle. “I guess we should be glad it’s Friday then and not a weekday because your hangover is going to suck” Shen Yi declared. Du Cheng laughed again. “Yeah, probably” he agreed as Shen Yi took a sip of his baiju and sighed. “You know…you said that I didn’t have a lot of photos of me with my family…” he started, making Du Cheng look over at him as he sighed again. “The reason I don’t have a lot of photos of my parents is because…I don’t know them. I don’t have any parents. Laoshi was the only father figure I really had” he explained. Du Cheng looked at him in shock. “What…were you an orphan?” he asked. Shen Yi shrugged. “I guess so…I don’t remember much of my childhood. I must have come from somewhere…but from as early as I can remember, I was out on the streets, drawing murals or street art. I don’t even remember my old house, other than the one I lived it with Laoshi. And those years…those were good years. I was happy. I enjoyed doing art. It made me realize that I didn’t need to have a family to…have a family, you know?” he asked, looking at Du Cheng, who nodded. Shen Yi then sniffled as he knocked back his baiju, sighing again. “That’s why I don’t have any pictures of my family…and the picture of my teacher I gave to his son…so it’s just me here” he murmured, just as Xiaoxuan padded into the room and walked over to the bed, hopping up onto it. Shen Yi then let out a laugh as he gently pet her head. “And Xiaoxuan, of course” he added as tears suddenly came to his eyes and he began to cry, making Du Cheng look at him with wide eyes. “Ah! Shen Yi-ah!” he exclaimed, quickly pushing himself to his feet before slightly stumbling over to the bed, sitting down beside Shen Yi. “Shen Yi. A-Yi. What’s wrong?” he demanded, reaching out to cup Shen Yi’s face in his hand, gently wiping away the tears that was streaming down Shen Yi’s cheeks. Shen Yi sniffled and shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just…I have no family. I don’t have any parents; I don’t have my teacher…I don’t have anyone” he croaked. Du Cheng looked at him before he scoffed and gently pinched his cheek, making him cry out in surprise and look at him with wide eyes. “What the hell?!” he exclaimed. “You silly boy, saying you don’t have anyone. You have me. You have our team, our kids. You have Xiaoxuan…you don’t have anyone, my ass” Du Cheng chided. Shen Yi looked at him, his eyes still wide and doe like, before he let out a wet laugh and leaned against Du Cheng, Du Cheng wrapping his arms around him. “You have people who love you, you idiot. And just because you don’t have a biological family…you still have a family. Didn’t you say that with your teacher, you realized that you didn’t have to have a family to have a family?” he asked. Shen Yi hummed as Du Cheng huffed. “That applies here too” he declared. Shen Yi smiled and chuckled softly as he leaned against Du Cheng, letting himself relax and even fall asleep. Du Cheng looked down at him and smiled softly as he reached up and gently pet Shen Yi’s hair before he carefully scooped Shen Yi into his arms and stood up, carefully pulling the covers back before he placed him down and tucked him in, Xiaoxuan quickly making herself comfortable on top of him. Du Cheng chuckled before he began to clean up, putting away the alcohol and glasses back into his bag (he would clean them up at his apartment later) before he looked towards Shen Yi and the bed, humming softly. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I just…stayed the night’ he thought to himself before he walked over to the bed and carefully sat down on it, making sure that Shen Yi was still fast asleep before he laid down, letting out a soft sigh as he shut his eyes, sleep nearly taking him in an instant. ~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning, when Shen Yi woke up, he let out a soft groan and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the headache that was pounding in his head. “This is why I don’t drink” he grumbled, just as he heard a soft snoring coming from in front of him, making him blink before he slowly looked up to see Du Cheng fast asleep in front of him, his arm draped over his waist. At their closeness, Shen Yi’s eyes widened and he quickly shot up, shocked as all hell. What the hell was Du Cheng doing in his house, in his bed more specifically?! He then remembered earlier that morning, with him and Du Cheng drinking some pretty strong liquor, and let out a soft hum of realization. ‘Right…we were drinking’ he thought to himself before he looked at Du Cheng, remembering how…safe his arms made him feel after he had talked about his past. He then sighed softly and slowly laid back down, carefully snuggling up to Du Cheng, who immediately wrapped his arm around him again, pulling him close. Shen Yi blinked in surprise before he chuffed softly and buried his face in Du Cheng’s chest, smiling mentally at the realization that he fit quite nicely in Du Cheng’s arms, almost like they were missing puzzle pieces who had found each other. “A few more minutes couldn’t hurt…it is the weekend anyways” he murmured, almost immediately falling back asleep, safely and securely wrapped in Du Cheng’s arms.

#sass writes #Under the Skin #du cheng #shen yi #dushen

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beauregardlionett · 3 years ago

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my cheeks are smeared with charcoal (kiss my watercolor lips)

AO3 Link

Shen Yi was never an overly tactile individual. It had less to do with a specific event—he just had always been that way. Of course, certain life events didn’t help that aversion to touch, but that was neither here nor there. The bottom line, Shen Yi did not seek out or initiate contact. He also wasn’t overly talkative, content to observe and sketch in his own bubble.

Du Cheng was different. Du Cheng always reached out—to correct Shen Yi’s posture, to squeeze a shoulder, to clap a hand to someone’s back. It was almost like Du Cheng couldn’t get through a day without reassuring himself of the solidity of those around him. When Shen Yi sat back and thought about it on a grander scale, he supposed he couldn’t fault Du Cheng for that.

Even now, in the late hours of the night, when everyone else had gone home, Du Cheng lingered. He stood in Shen Yi’s office doorway, highlighted by the soft lamplight in golden glows. Shen Yi’s fingers twitched with the sudden urge to paint him. Instead, he grinned in response to Du Cheng’s sleepy smile and resumed his sketch.

The portrait was for a minor case they had been assigned earlier in the day. Eyewitnesses at a store robbery had given Shen Yi enough detail to work with alongside the shitty CCTV screen-caps that he placed together enough of a profile to get started. He was nearly done now, after hours of drafts and redrafts.

Du Cheng’s warm, calloused hands slid onto Shen Yi’s shoulders as he leaned over to get a better view of the paper clipped to Shen Yi’s desk. The heat from his palms settled and spread through Shen Yi like a balm to over used muscles. Inadvertently, Shen Yi uncoiled a fraction beneath the steady weight with a tired breath.

“You’re almost done, right?” Du Cheng guessed, voice pitched low with the late hour.

Shen Yi nodded, fighting the sudden urge to lean into Du Cheng and sleep.

“Brilliant, as always,” Du Cheng said with a light chuckle.

The hands disappeared from Shen Yi’s shoulders as Du Cheng wandered over to look at a painting propped on the easel in the corner. Shen Yi took the reprieve to draw a deep breath. He needed to focus. He needed his sticks of charcoal to finish the sketch.

Pushing to his feet, Shen Yi winced as his back protested and knees cracked. Du Cheng glanced over at the pop of joints with a knowing smirk that lacked any pity. Shen Yi ignored him and strode over to his desk to grab the tin of charcoal sticks he had left there. Why he hadn’t dragged them over to his drawing station, he couldn’t remember. He was so tired as of late it was a miracle he got dressed properly most mornings.

Shen Yi twirled a stick of charcoal between his fingers and turned back around to find Du Cheng closer than before. There shone a familiar intensity in his eyes, but Shen Yi was unused to that fixation being on him. It was usually reserved for the things that excited Du Cheng—like when they finally got a lead on a troublesome case. More often now, Shen Yi saw it when he presented hard earned sketches to the team.

Du Cheng sat down on the stool that Shen Yi had previously occupied, while Shen Yi slowly moved toward him, looking far too at home in said place. In fact, everything about the way Du Cheng occupied his space in Shen Yi’s studio was far too comfortable and familiar for Shen Yi to process. It all felt like so much. It seemed like even more when Du Cheng reeled Shen Yi in to stand between his legs with a gentle hand on Shen Yi’s waist.

“I’ve never drawn your face before,” Shen Yi murmured abruptly, eyes roaming thoughtfully over the lines and planes of Du Cheng. This was an angle of Du Cheng that Shen Yi was unfamiliar with. Usually he looked up at him, not down. The slope of Du Cheng’s nose, the soft cupid’s bow of his upper lip, and the arch of strong eyebrows enamored him. Shen Yi could have drawn this angle of Du Cheng’s profile without witnessing this perspective, of course. But now that he stood here, who was Shen Yi to deny the pleasure of perception?

“Liar,” Du Cheng said softly, eyes trained on Shen Yi, locked in place. His statement startled Shen Yi from his study.

“What?” Shen Yi said, eyes flickering from Du Cheng’s steady gaze to his forehead. That insatiable fixation was hard to face head on.

“You drew me as a child the first time we met.”

Shen Yi looked back at Du Cheng before huffing an amused breath of laughter.

“That doesn’t count,” Shen Yi countered, eyes wandering again. “Also not what I meant, anyway.”

Shen Yi reached up as Du Cheng hummed in acknowledgement. Maybe it was the new perspective, but Shen Yi hadn’t realized just how prominent the short scar on Du Cheng’s forehead actually was. It stood in stark relief just above his right brow—a fixed memory from childhood, according to Du Qing. He smoothed a reverent touch over the length of it with the pad of his thumb. The charcoal he had forgotten about on his fingers left a grey smudge behind, an unnatural shadow further highlighting the divot of the scar.

“Oops,” Shen Yi breathed, making no move to wipe it off. He wondered what it would be like to sculpt the planes of Du Cheng’s face—pondered if he could do it from memory. He had a fleeting thought of tracing the contours of Du Cheng’s face with charcoal stained fingertips—just for the pleasure of it.

“You got pencil on me, didn’t you?” Du Cheng asked without making it sound like a question. Shen Yi only smirked at him and left another smudge of charcoal on the bridge of Du Cheng’s nose, settling a brief desire.

“I think you look good like this. Contrast is a flattering look on you.”

Du Cheng smirked and Shen Yi fought the urge to press a line of charcoal to the now pronounced crease of his nasolabial fold. Shen Yi studied faces—micro-expressions, anatomy, and shapes—for a living. There was a certain detached reverence with which Shen Yi conducted his work in the day to day. But standing here, bracketed by Du Cheng’s thighs, held steady by large hands on his waist, was different. Shen Yi felt privileged to gaze down at Du Cheng from this proximity, trusted and trusting in return.

The sensation of Du Cheng’s fingers tightening slightly on Shen Yi’s waist drew his gaze back. He raised an eyebrow in silent question to Du Cheng, who licked his lips as his eyes flicked back and forth over Shen Yi’s face. Something warm coiled beneath Shen Yi’s sternum.

“Shen Yi,” Du Cheng murmured. And oh—there was something so reverent about the way his named sounded, rolling off Du Cheng’s tongue. It sounded different here, in the scant space between them, shrouded by the gentle night. Du Cheng could ask Shen Yi to burn the world in that tone and he would do it.

Shen Yi swallowed hard and held his gaze.

“May I kiss you?”

The request was perhaps more startling than it should have been. Shen Yi was familiar with violent delights in matters of affection. He had never had a gentle lover who stuck around through the night. It was merely how Shen Yi conducted his life. Previously, he did not have the emotional capacity for it. Recently, he did not have the time for it.

But Du Cheng. They worked the same hours, kept similar company, and understood the risks that their occupation threaded through every other aspect of their lives. Here Du Cheng was anyway, staring up at Shen Yi like he possessed the answer to something important, something treasured. And Shen Yi’s reflexive notion to deny him was smothered almost immediately by the overwhelming desire to trust someone completely for the first time in his life.

He hesitated for a moment, able to pinpoint the first ebb of uncertainty in Du Cheng’s eyes. Oh, the privilege of proximity.

“Please,” Shen Yi murmured at last. His hands shifted from where they sat, draped over Du Cheng’s shoulders. He trailed his charcoal stained fingertips up the length of Du Cheng’s throat to cup at his jawline. Shen Yi drew Du Cheng in as he leaned down to meet him, eyes fluttering shut at the last possible second.

A simple press of lips, enough to taste the coffee Du Cheng had been nursing all evening. On the surface, it was a relatively stagnant embrace of affection finally untethered.

But Shen Yi pressed his lips to Du Cheng’s and behind closed eyelids saw a spread of watercolor. Du Cheng’s lips were chapped and warm, a paintbrush ladened with spent watercolor dipped into a cup of water. The ink burst through the translucence, curled through vacant space, and stained every corner it could reach. The electric warmth of kissing Du Cheng spread and settled like liquid on a parched surface, like an electric current between his lips and his hands on Shen Yi’s waist.

Shen Yi felt like a live-wire. He existed in that moment as a canvas, soaking up every ounce of pigment Du Cheng left behind. He was the water, happily stained a new color. Shen Yi was a new metaphor every second Du Cheng kept kissing him.

Du Cheng pulled back first and Shen Yi pressed his forehead to Du Cheng’s. They breathed in each other’s space, noses brushing.

“Are you alright?” Du Cheng asked, barely a whisper.

“Yes,” Shen Yi breathed.

“You should get some sleep. I can drive you home.”

“I’m not finished with the sketch.”

“It will be here come morning.”

Shen Yi meant to keep resisting, wanting to finish the sketch almost as much as he wanted to stay exactly where he was. But he made the mistake of pulling back to look down at Du Cheng. He thought he would find his resolve with less proximity. Instead, he was faced with the fondest expression Du Cheng had ever bestowed upon Shen Yi.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Smug at his easy victory, Du Cheng smirked and pushed himself to stand. The familiar angle of his face returned, Shen Yi tipped his head up a fraction to maintain eye contact.

Du Cheng reached up after a moment of quiet stillness. His thumb smoothed across Shen Yi’s brow over his left eye before Du Cheng bent to leave a brief kiss on Shen Yi’s nose.

“You had charcoal on your forehead.”

Du Cheng stepped around a stunned Shen Yi and made his way for the door, a chuckle in his wake.

“I’ll meet you at the front to lock up. Don’t forget to turn off the lights.”

Shen Yi leaned against the lip of his desk, fingers hovering over his lips before moving to his brow. Every place Du Cheng’s touch had lingered felt alight with a tingling heat. The memory of his fingers and lips pressed into Shen Yi’s skin like a pleasurable brand.

As Shen Yi gathered up his bag and reached for the light switch, he glanced at an empty canvas against the far wall. He thought it might be a good size for a watercolor painting.

#under the skin #猎罪图鉴 #du cheng #shen yi #so i might have binge watched under the skin in like four days #and came up with this at an obscene hour of the morning #enjoy besties <3 #[john mulaney voice] thank you you'll never see me again!#writing #my writing #don't look at me i know i just posted a beauyasha chapter but i'm going through it besties <3 #i'm in grad school so there for the law does not apply to me

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domxmarvel · 4 years ago

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Designer and model

Masterlist

Requested by:anon

Pairing:Marinette x Reader

Words:449

Request:Can I have non-binary reader helping Marinette on her gender neutral clothing designs and them gradually falling in love? Idk I’m just really wanting Marinette x reader any way I can get it

You had been modeling for Marinette for a while,you loved that her designs could be worn by anyone. She had invited you back to her place after school,she was working on some new designs.

“What about this one?”She asked,she seemed nervous for some reason. The papers with her designs,scattered all over her desk.

“Why are you so nervous about this?”You saw her blush,she laughed.

“Because I designed these for you” Immediately you hugged her.

“Thank you”You kissed her cheek. You picked up one of the papers. “I’d love to try this one. Or we could make matching ones?” She smiled and got up.

“I’d thought you’d pick that one,so i already made it”She pulled out two matching outfits.

***

"All right now Y/N face me,Marinette stay in that pose" Alya said,holding her phone to take another picture. You loved modeling for Marinette,she and her friends were always so supportive. And the truth was that you mostly agree because you loved her.

"You wanna get some ice cream after?"You whispered to Marinette.

"Sure" The two of you continued to pose for a while.

***

"Thanks for your help," Marinette said,taking a bite of her ice cream.

"I should be thanking you for thinking of me" You laughed. "I can't believe you made so many designs for me"

"Well everything looks good on you"She blushed,scratching the back of her head. As you sat there,eating ice cream you thought back to all the times you modeled her. You had so much fun and grew closer to her,but quickly learned about her crush on Adrien. You tried to help her even though you like her,you still wanted her to be happy even if it wasn’t with you. Yet he ended up with Kagami,Marinette was clearly heartbroken but you were there whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. You waited a while and you planned on telling her today,you waited for her to finish her ice cream. “Should we get going?” She asked,standing up.

“Actually there’s something I wanted to say” She turned back to you and sat down. "I've been wanting to tell you for a while,but then I found you liked Adrien"She looked down at the mention of his name. "And when he got with Kagami,I waited until you got over him. And then waited even longer,but I don't want to keep it a secret anymore. Marinette du-pain cheng I love you" You took a deep breath,relieved to finally have said it.

"Y/N I love you too" She said,her face bright red.

#marinette x reader #marinette dupain cheng #marinette dupen chang #marinette imagine #ml marinette #mlb x reader #mlb marinette x reader #miraculous fanfic #miraculous fandom #miraculous fanfiction #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous ladybug #ladybug x reader #miraculous ladybug x reader #domxmarvel

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achromaticstars-archived · 2 years ago

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@battleguqin x

A familiar face was something that the forensic artist saw when they crossed paths, it was Sizhui that he ended up running into. Not something that was once living. The blizzard tended to make things difficult especially when one was trying to walk through the blowing snow, it wasn’t like they would be able to get their hands on a working vehicle. Most had been destroyed from the explosion that filled the streets, an explosion that caused the air to be filled with nothing, but fire and ash. Shen Yi was safe when the bombs fell, he found a place that thankfully didn’t end up in the blast range, but he was missing something as well. He was searching for Du Cheng, but luck hasn’t been on his side trying to find the tall man despite how many times he has gone looking already. The officer didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know where to look now. It was difficult, should he stop looking? Shen Yi didn’t know, he just wanted to find him. He just wanted to know that he was okay.

The building was uncomfortable to the point of where it could make one’s hair stand up on the back of their neck, it was different from patrolling the streets as a cop. “I do to.” The storm wasn’t helping either especially with the sound of the swirling snow that surrounded them, it would easily cover the noise of anything depending on what decided to make an appearance. Sizhui was someone that Shen Yi could trust, the man did help him with the incident that landed him in the hospital. It might have been luck that he was able to survive this mess that surrounded them, it wasn’t going to be easy for things to get to normal though. It would take time to fix the ruined buildings, the destruction that filled the streets and even more so. It most likely was never going to be normal again though.

It seemed that they easily walked into something that came straight out of a horror movie, not that they had lived through one already. Fingers shifted to the gun that rested against his lips, it was the only source of defense that he had. A weapon that he learned to use thanks to Du Cheng, bullets were a bit hard to come by, but he snagged what he could when he was able to. Glancing around the empty desks, he glanced to see if there was a reason why they left in the first place. Everything seemed normal though. There weren’t any signs that something or someone decided to enter this place besides them “I don’t know, everything does seem normal. There could be a few things missing though if they had to leave in a hurry.”

The weather outside the doors would make it difficult to travel safely, it would be difficult to see wandering through the streets. It was safer to stay inside for the night and wait for morning to come especially if the leftover dead decide to make an appearance. A small breath escaped from him “I don’t know, it might not be safe to do so.” The dog would give them an advantage to figure out if they weren’t alone in this place, it was quiet standing inside this room besides the hum from the flickering lights. He would make sure to praise Duke after the dog finished with his searching.

Glancing at the creepy hallway that lingered nearby, fingers moved to rest against said gun “Maybe someone is back there?”

#A picture paints a thousand words #battleguqin #m: shen yi #v: to paint a thousand words

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iloveitwhen · 5 years ago

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Detective/Rival au

Ok so this is based off of this post by @mysnis but like, detectives. Also robin and ladybug are their codenames. Daminette.

first fic hope the few people who read this enjoy(:

“Al Ghul!”

The police officers and detectives in the breakroom all turned to see Detective Dupain-Cheng in her iconic deep red biker jacket storm in with a file clutched in her hand.

Although she was relatively new she quickly proved herself and was an exceptional detective and surprisingly very kind. The only one that didn’t get along with her was, well, the one that got along with no one, save Jon, the beat cop. Detective Damian al Ghul was definitely not well liked, it was no secret he was easily the best but his title was being threatened by none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the current furious french woman glaring at the man sitting at the table. She had gained the respect of the whole precinct and everyone was well aware of the chaos her anger could bring, so the only logical thing everyone could do was take a step back and clear a path to the one she was staring daggers at.

The room had gone silent upon her arrival and everyone stared between al Ghul and Dupain-Cheng.

“Yes?” he replied from the table, not bothering to look up from his book.

“I’m going to kill you.”

He merely hummed as if considering a business proposal which only furthered her anger.

“So. What’d you do this time?” Rosa, this isn’t a brooklyn 99 au i just need her in here cause i love her back off the only one other than Damian not afraid of the sunshine-turned-hellspawn, asked. She reveled in the chaos those two brought.

Damian stood up and placed his book down, only for the purpose to look down at Marinette he refused to be looked down on. With a malicious glint in his eye and a smirk he said, “I didn’t do anything-”

“Yeah right, you, di-argghh-”

The man scoffs. “Still won’t curse? Pity.”

“Shut up!” she snapped back. “I wouldn’t have the need to if you MINDED YOUR OWN BUSINESS!”

This had Jon raise an eyebrow, he did not take angering sweet Marinette lightly, it was dangerous business to do so.

“Damian,” he began at the man who still wouldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman in front of him, “what did you do?”

“He invaded my stakeout, got what he came for then left so I had to deal with the FBI and post operations. If you had the decency of a normal human being then you could have at LEAST helped me! But no! You got in my way then left it a bigger mess than when you came! And made me deal with the aftermath! And guess what Birdbrain? Now I have another month at least to tie up the loose ends because of your interference!” al Ghul didn’t step down, instead his smirk grew wider.

“Well if I hadn’t you would’ve missed your opportunity, they were about to initiate their plan and that would have been an even bigger headache for both of us. So,” he crossed his arms, “you're welcome.”

The only one to not take a step back from the red clad woman’s anger after that was Damian, which in hindsight was very foolish as he was the only one in danger. Her hand twitch, eager to wring his neck.

“Detective Dupain-Cheng,” the captain warned after stepping into the breakroom from all the commotion, “stand down.” She growled in response and stormed off while Damian’s smirk only grew.

Rosa only rolled her eyes and muttered, “wow, not even a single punch. Losers.”

---

Marinette sat at her desk with several people gathered around, laughing at something on her screen when Damian stormed into the precinct. No one took notice of him until he barked out a “HEY!” and everyone's laughter died out. Everyone’s smiles left their faces at the sight of Detective al Ghul, well, everyone except for Marinette who ignored him and started typing something else up on the computer. The group of eyes flickered between the two as Damian’s clear target was Marinette and he was practically burning holes in her head.

She merely glanced at him and said, “hey Damian,” as if nothing was wrong. The only tell giving her away was the devilish smirk growing on her face.

He stomped over to her and spun the chair to face him, placing his hands on the armrests and leaning inches away from her face, but she didn’t budge.

“Don’t "hey Damian" me,” he seethed.

“Ok, bye Damian.”

A deep growl escaped him. “Stay out of my way, Bug. You might get squashed.” With that he stood up, looked down at her with a snarl, and left, leaving his threat hanging in the air.

As he left Marinette caught everyone’s attention again with a “hey look what I made everyone,” and clicked on something she had pulled up during the man’s entrance. The group once again howled in laughter at the compilation video labeled: “Our “Greatest” Detective Being a Brat for 5 Minutes”

---

Marinette and Damian were currently sparring in the underground workout room, it was mostly empty except for Detective Diaz who liked to follow them around and add to their chaos or just watch for her amusement and the thorn in her side, Jon Kent, the beat cop.

“Damn,” Jon commented, munching on popcorn he brought from the breakroom. They had been going for ten minutes trading hits and kicks without a breather.

“Yeah. They’re crazy.” Rosa cackled, throwing popcorn in her mouth.

Marinette’s eyes shone with determination as well as Damian’s, both refusing to back down and admit defeat but they were also running out of stamina. They had taken their work clothes off and wore simple shorts and tank tops, running shorts for Marinette and basketball shorts for Damian. They had fought each other so much that they knew each other too well, each unable to surprise the other.

“When do you think they’ll just go for it and have like, a really aggressive make-out sesh?” Jon asked, glancing at the woman beside him before turning his eyes back on the fight. Rosa grinned maliciously, eyes sparkling at the thought of the chaos that could bring.

“Two weeks. Tops.”

“Nah, no more than five days.”

The captain appeared next to Jon who flinched and flung the half the bowl of popcorn on himself and Diaz. “I think within the month but after two weeks, they have no idea what they’re feeling.”

Jon and Rosa looked at each other, then at their captain with growing grins.

“Deal.”

---

Marinette was fuming in her anger.

How? How did this happen? She asked herself, screaming in her mind since she wasn’t in her bed and couldn’t do it into her pillow. She unintentionally let out a growl and felt Damian al Ghul’s chuckle through his chest.

They had been compromised, Ladybug’s informant had been bugged, pun not intended and they weren’t aware until their informant arrived at the pickup and was immediately taken hostage, they were forced to hide in the rafters and there were more thugs than expected as they had come prepared for the two detectives.

Which led to Robin covering her under his stupid long cape in the rafters of the warehouse and waiting for her to come up with a plan as they hid in the shadows.

“See, this is why I bring this ‘dumb black cape’ with me.” Robin whispered in her ear to which she growled again in response. She hated when he was right about anything, especially about something so dumb. And it definitely wasn’t helping that she could his breath on her neck or his arm wrapped around her waist. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t think of a plan to escape.

She internally cursed herself for letting her thoughts carry away and focused solely on her breathing for a few moments then to the commotion below them.

---

“I am never working with him again.” Marinette complained to the captain, both her and Detective al Ghul had been brought into the Captain’s office to discuss their distracting relationship.

“Why not? You two are better together, your strengths weigh out the other’s weaknesses.”

“He’s a brat!”

Damian scoffed, “At least I’m not naive, you imbecile.”

“Detectives!” the Captain dragged his hand across his face in despair. “You two will get over your differences, one way or another, and do it quickly if you want to work another case.”

“WHAT?” they both shouted in unison.

“You will not work another case until you figure out how to be civil with each other.”

Immediately they both started yelling over each other at their captain, protesting the terrible idea and gesturing to each other as proof of the terrible idea.

“Enough!” He shouted over them and just as quickly as they started, they stopped and glared. “I know you two love your jobs and are unhealthy in your obsession with them so I can and will hold this over your head until you get over your differences. No cases. You are dismissed.”

The two detectives glared at their captain, no doubt thinking of petty ways to get back at him for doing this to them and they stormed out.

---

One week later, Jon lost the bet Detectives al Ghul and Dupain-Cheng were sitting in the captain's office again.

“How was your time off?”

“Fun.”

“Lier.”

“Shut up, Robin.”

The captain sighed. “So I see that you two are not civil.”

“What? No we are, right Damian?”

“... yes me and miss Dupain-Cheng get along rather well. We had a discussion earlier this week and have agreed to be civil with one another.”

“It’s just banter.” Marinette chuckled, waving the notion away.

The captain looked between the two, his two best detectives, one sat in stoic, perfect posture with an unreadable, emotionless face and the other was beaming at him with a blinding smile.

“Ok perfect. Here’s your next case,” he slid a thin file over to them, “I went over it already and you will have to begin with a stake-out to gather more information.” With that Damian’s ever present scowl deepened and Marinette’s smile became strained and her eye twitched.

That’s what they get for lying to me, thought the captain. Hopefully they won’t mess up this investigation.

As they left he heard Damian mutter “way to go imbecile,” to Marinette who growled back a “you started it,” before the door clicked shut behind them.

---

There was a knock on Damian’s door. He sighed in annoyance, he was stuck with Dupain-Cheng so the person on the other side of the door could only be her.

“What do you want?”

“I’m bored Damian, let’s spar.”

“No, go away.”

“Please?”

Ugh, stupid cute voi- what? No. No no no. Stupid annoying voice. “We sparred yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that.”

“Well you won’t do anything else with me.” her muffled voice complained. It was true, he didn’t want to be in her presence because for some reason he enjoyed it because she was a nuisance.

“Fine!” he got off of his uncomfortable mat and swung the door open to find a hopeful expression on Marinette’s face and twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes. “What is it you want to do?”

---

This investigation was not fun nor was it enjoyable. They had a measly little refrigerator and constantly ordered take out to not be seen by the goons across the street. Marinette, however, snuck out in broad daylight to go grocery shopping because “it’s more obvious to go at night than during the day, besides, do you really want them to see a pretty girl in the middle of the night and kidnap me?” Damian had to agree with her and let her treat her childish needs while he stayed and kept watch. He was thinking about these things, rereading the same sentence of his book without grasping what it actually said when his partner burst open his door.

“DAMIAN!” Marinette glared at him from his most likely broken door with focused fury.

“What?” he asked without looking up from his book.

“What is wrong with you? I've tried so hard to be civil, to be friends with you, but no! You want to be a brat. You're not better than anyone and you’re a fool to think so!”

“Well too bad I guess.”

“Damian look at me.” he glanced up for a moment then back down to his book which only heightened Marinette’s anger. “How could you eat the ice cream from the bottom up just to trick me into thinking there was more! You piece of sh--monster! You monster! You are coming with me right now. I need to take my anger out on you, I want to punch you in the face so bad right now.”

“No, I'm good.”

Marinette smirked. “So you’d rather admit defeat now? Knowing you can’t beat an angry Marinette?”

“No, I know I can beat you, I don't need to test out my abilities.”

Marinette barked out a laugh. “You’ve never beaten angry Marinette and you know it,” she snapped.

Damian closed his book with a snap and replied “fine” before following her to the mat.

“You’re going down.”

“I beg to differ, Dupain-Cheng.”

They took opposite sides of the mat and took their stances. Circling one another Marinette sized up her opponent, she knew that he was a little more reckless and aggressive when he was angry and of course she wanted an excuse to pummel him so she needed to rile him up. She took a jab which he easily grabbed her wrist instead of swatting it away and pulled her to him. She ran at him gaining extra momentum and twisting her wrist to grab his, she jumped on top of him and the imbalance toppled them to the floor. With his right wrist trapped in her grip she got one good punch in his face before his left hand pulled her off him. She released his right wrist only to trap it again under her leg as she shot her left hand out and grabbed his other before falling to the mat, quickly maneuvering her legs to pin him. As he tried to wiggle out she tightened her grip till he relaxed and he tapped her cheek with his fingers in defeat. She let him go and they restarted.

Each time only lasting for a few minutes, every time Marinette won Damian’s anger rose and every time Damian won Marinette’s determination grew. Soon both were breathing hard and glaring at each other, circling the mat like two alphas in a battle for dominance.

Damian attacked, throwing a punch which she easily ducked under and tried to counter with an uppercut but he backed away only to attack again just as quickly. She dodged and weaved around his advances barely having time to think until she swatted one punch only to be little too slow to dodge his second punch. Pain struck her cheekbone and he faltered, not expecting to actually land a punch, even if it only skimmed her face. She took his surprise to her advantage and took a step back and kicked into his stomach, sending him to stumble backwards. Before he could recover she gave him a flurry of punches until he threw on of his own, forcing her to step back. As she did he quickly swiped his foot under her, catching one heel, forcing her off balance. Before she could save herself he was on her, pushing her back onto the mat with a heavy thump.

He straddled her with the weight of his body trapping her and his hands clamped around her wrists. She squirmed under his weight but she knew she was stuck so she gave up the struggle.

She glared up at him, both breathing heavily and completely exhausted, not that either would admit it of course.

“Looks like I pinned a bug.” he said to her, smirking, only inches away from her face

Marinette glared at him, pushing the thought out that he was so attractive with that smirk.

She couldn’t help her eyes flicker to his lips, he was so close.

“Fine you win this round, just get off.”

His grin slipped away and licked his lips but didn’t move, only loosening his hold on her, she watched his own eyes flicker to her lips then back again, only to find her eyes on his lips. She didn’t know what she was doing, he was so close. He was slowly moving his head down until she lifted her head off the ground to meet his, finally crashed their lips together.

Marinette slipped her hands out of his grip wrapping her fingers through his hair and around his neck, pulling down. Damian let himself fall on his elbow using his other hand to snake around her waist to pull her up into him. He lifted his leg and slid it between her thighs before doing the same with his other to comfortably press their bodies together.

Damian could feel the adrenaline pumping through his body, he didn’t know how badly he wanted to kiss her, to touch her, until now, and he didn’t want to stop.

Marinette heard a groan escape Damian, or was it her? She didn’t know, he tasted so good....

Damian pulled away, both were breathing heavier than before and they locked eyes.

“Holy shit.” Marinette said, not believing what was happening was real and lifted her head again, capturing Damian's lips, each giving each other softer, more gentle kisses than before.

“You cursed,” he said, pulling back again.

“Yeah well you taste like my fuckin ice-cream.”

---

BONUS:

I’m a Wayne.

*gasp* oh wow.

You knew?

Wow you must really think i’m dumb.

Wha-no i do not!

I found out the second day I was here.

… wow I guess that makes me the dumb one

It’s ok i still love you

You love me?

Shit. Rosa! Save me!

Hell no get away from me, how dare you break my trust like that.

Hope y’all enjoyed, please let me know if i misspelled or have bad grammar or anything like that or if you like it. or not thats fine too.

Thank you for reading!!!😁

#daminette #maribat #damimari #maridami #marinette x damian

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lunarriviera · 1 year ago

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why Du Cheng can't hold a grudge: a little 猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin meta

When Shen Yi first joins the Beijiang City precinct, Du Cheng can't stand him. Not only is he still pissed off about Tragic Backstory, but he doesn't believe a sketch artist can hold any real value, especially not in our era of policing via surveillance. In another drama, he might have continued to nurse his animosity for the duration of the season. But there's one moment very early on which expresses Du Cheng's whole character so succinctly that you know he'll very soon give it up, and quite quickly succumb to Shen Yi's charms usefulness.

First, though, he stomps into Bureau Chief Zhang's office pitching a fit about Shen Yi, of all people, occupying the late Captain Lei's office. But Zhang-ju is not a woman to be messed with. She promptly calls his bluff.

Du Cheng, still hacked off, doubles down. He throws his badge on her desk. Fine! Fuck being a cop! He'll deliver pizzas! Anything, not to have to work with THAT VERY PRETTY GUY.

But then Jiang Feng comes to the door to announce that a body's dropped. Try to sound a little less thrilled, please, Jiang Feng.

A murder you say??? This is Du Cheng catnip. Can he hold out?

Look at his big dumb head swiveling around helplessly, like someone's just announced there's free cake in the break room.

Zhang-ju is canny as fuck, though. She looks down at his badge and idly wonders aloud who's going to catch this one. No idea really. Who could it possibly be.

At this point, Du Cheng has managed not to be a police officer for a whole fifteen seconds.

UGH FINE GIVE ME MY BADGE BACK YOU WIN. But Zhang-ju has not finished winning.

(This woman is a mother of twins or I will eat my laptop.)

Du Cheng has to pretend to think about this for another whole three seconds or so.

UGH FINE JUST GIVE IT BACK I'LL TAKE HIM WITH ME OKAY? OKAY???

(And then they proceed to drive off without him anyway, so that our little hero must ride to the crime scene alone on his bicycle. But the ways in which Shen Yi returns everyone's cold shoulder with this kind of serene tai-chi-like nonresistance is another meta entirely.)

All of this underscores two things: 1) Du Cheng's compulsive need to clear cases himself, and 2) his imminent practicality about so doing. When it turns out that Shen Yi is actually incredibly useful, Du Cheng stows his shit with remarkable rapidity and they do an enemies-to-friends speedrun in like three episodes, because nothing else matters to Du Cheng like solving crimes. It's truly the way to his heart. And when Shen Yi gets captured by Cai Dong in episode 3, what does Du Cheng say? "He's got one of our own." It's not just blind loyalty to the force; Shen Yi has already proven to Du Cheng that he really is a cop.

(And, ACAB; and China suffers from massive police corruption. So this procedural, like all the others, isn't reality, isn't a valorization of police work, but is probably some secret third thing.)

#under the skin #猎罪图鉴 #du cheng #shen yi #jin shijia #tan jianci #under the skin meta #zhang-ju #jiang feng

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gizkasparadise · 5 years ago

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cdrama rec/review: le coup de foudre

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: le coup de foudre / love at first sight / i don’t like this world, i only like you Episodes: 35 w/ a special Genres: then & now, slice of life, high school to adult life, romance, reunion/getting back together, working with the ex Spoilers in the Rec: for set-up/light ones for character backgrounds If You Like, You’ll Like: the reply series, sad-looking dogs that are loved very much, because this is my first life (VERY similar male lead), sibling love, my sunshine but if people were nicer and had significantly better hair, multiple couples that are all a lot of fun

Rank: 10/10

PREMISE

flashback to 6-8 years ago (because the OP here can’t remember lol): it’s desk selection day in qiao yi’s classroom! a very dramatic moment for all high schoolers, qia yi has to select who she sits next to. because she’s at the bottom of the class ranking, she gets last pick, which essentially narrows down her choices to that creepy kid who writes love poetry to every female student in the class and yan mo, the scary genius student who has placed 1st in their class since...forever.

taking a gamble, qiao yi goes with yan mo. yan mo eventually agrees to tutoring qiao yi outside of class and they become friends. then...friends? if you know what i mean. it’s very sweet and cute. only problem is that yan mo is both a genius and from a Family of Means, and so is already planning on attending cambridge (yeah, fucking cambridge) after graduation. not wanting to separate, yan mo asks qiao yi to come with him and she agrees to study hard so she can get accepted to a university in the UK, too.

but then, well, bad shit happened.

qiao yi ended up staying in their home town, yan mo left for cambridge, and we got two v heartbroken teenagers on our hands.

4 years later, yan mo returns after studying in the uk, and by chance they end up bumping into each other. angry because qiao yi hurt him, yan mo puts up an ALOOF AND COLD AND I DONT CARE AT ALL front that she sadly buys. but after he leaves for the big city to pursue a business opportunity, qiao yi harnesses some amazing big dick energy to go after him, in a sort of inverse DONT LET HER GET ON THAT PLANE! move. very abba.

the plot bounces between their (and their friends’) high school years, their lives as reunited adults, and their future lives as married folks. i love it very, very much.

MAIN CHARACTERS

zhao qiao yi

as a high schooler, qiao yi was a quiet girl with low self-esteem, who consistently ranked at the bottom of her class and was always attempting to retreat into her school tracksuit like a turtle. despite this, qiao yi has some solid friends and is always kind if somewhat shy or uncomfortable in certain situations. as a adult, qiao yi works as a television producer and is clearly more confident.

she buys truly awful graphic t-shirts as thank you gifts that one feels obligated to wear. falls for scams easily. will help you fold 1000 paper stars for your boyfriend even if she hates your boyfriend because she’s ride or die like that. look at how cute she is no one is allowed to be mean to someone as cute as this.

yan mo / “frank”

if you liked se hee in because this is my first life, you’re in luck because here is a 10% angrier version. at first, yan mo seems cold, aloof, snobbish, pretentious, arrogant...

okay, but he’s ALSO got a lot of feelings and will help people out. well, at the start of the show, he’ll help two people out. but that expands to like 10. so, progress! in high school, he falls for qiao yi in the typical Cannot Spit It Out fashion, buying her sentimental cans of coke, PUTTING IN ONE EARBUD SO SHE CAN LISTEN TO THE BEATLES WITH HIM, feeling Weird about her tying his tie, and single-handedly ruining a for-profit afterschool tutoring business in about 30 seconds, because they weren’t teaching qiao yi anything, and he knew he could do it better. tbh he completely fucking destroys a lot of things and people in under a minute. #ruthless

he’s very protective of qiao yi and rather than explain it, here is a clip from the special episode where yan mo confronts another student who left a love confession meant for qiao yi in his desk by mistake (subtitles have to be selected under settings, but it’s subbed in english):

youtube

zhao guan chao

zhao qiao yi’s twin brother, who has always placed 2nd in their classes after yan mo. despite his high grades, he comes off as a laidback teen heartthrob and has a reputation for being a flake and a playboy. BUT he’s legit a chill dude and clearly popular for a reason--he gets along with (almost) everyone. he loves his sister and is extremely protective of her, especially since she’s so shy and has low self-esteem for Reasons That Will Be Explained in the Tragic Backstory. he’s such a good brother. the best brother. also looks out for qiao yi’s best friend, wu yi. understands the value of shoes.

hao wu yi

qiao yi’s best friend, and another classmate of The Crew. i say this with so, so much love, but she’s got a lot of chaotic dumbass energy. struggling along the bottom ranks with qiao yi during high school. she has the worst taste in men as a teenager, falling for the guy who literally bullied her in like. ep 2. thankfully she’s got qiao yi and guanchao.

the trio are close, and that doesn’t change as they grow up. wu yi ends up becoming a novelist who writes pop and steamy romance novels and has a significant teenage girl fanbase. it’s amazing.

fei da chuan

my boy. another classmate, he, qiao yi, and wu yi make up the official Dumbass Trio of their high school class and have adorable adventures + solidarity in it. he’s also yan mo’s uncle. somehow. because rich people families are wild. while he’s got a place to live, he more often than not crashes at yan mo’s, who Does Not Like It. but da chuan does not notice or care.

abrasive but 100% sincere about everything and toward everyone. people will think he’s an asshole or a gangster but then he’s secretly feeding abandoned kittens in the corner or something. as an adult, has the best business casual outfits. serves as a big brother figure to a lot of people, but qiao yi in particular. cannot, cannot fucking do math.

SUPPORTING

“alicia” / cheng youmei. an old family friend of yan mo’s who is very posh and rich and dignified. studied abroad with him at cambridge, and is cold toward qiao yi after arriving back in china. cosplays B)

teacher gao. everyone’s high school teacher who later owns a bar that seems to be there only for dispensing advice. seriously. there is no way this bar is economically sound as the only customers you ever see are gao’s students coming in one at a time for Wisdom and you never see them pay for anything. also the bar has no fucking roof and is directly above traintracks. i have hang-ups about this bar

lin shu. yan mo’s mother. very sweet and pretty and a ballernia turned program director. is almost never home but clearly loves her son. du chaun’s sister. somehow.

zhao suyin. qiao yi and guan chao’s mother. one of her kinks is roleplaying condor heroes characters? okay okay okay

tian weimin. qiao yi and guan chao’s stepfather who works as police officer. best dad award. he’s so sweet and corny and peak dad humor. he loves them kids & they love him back

grandpa. yan mo’s dog in high school. a very old basset hound with sad eyes:

dollar or d. i cant tell you anything about him, other than he used to be a stray and yan mo says he’s ugly, which, rude.

DRAWBACKS

plot...hm. there’s SOME plot, but this is about characters + romance + friendship + family. if you’re looking for scheming mothers-in-law or tragic car accidents or secret destinies this isn’t the one for you. similar in vibe to Reply 1988 (they even watch the show in the show :’D / make references to it)

OKAY SO every plot summary i’ve seen says that yan mo is in a relationship with someone else when he gets back to china. no he is not. i say this because it was a huge turn off for me/initially put me off watching the series. he is definitely a one-and-only type. there’s no cheating in this show. lmao, hell, neither of the mains are even interested in anyone else but each other

i liked du chuan and his love interest a lot, but they definitely didn’t get as much screen time as the others

while it’s clear qiao yi + yan mo are the mains, another couple gets a lot of screen time as well. this might be a skip if you don’t like multiple couples/secondary relationships in a show

i surprisingly enjoyed the high school storyline a lot more than the adult one? which is super weird for me, but idk i was sad when it was over because it was so cute.

some...weird technical decisions. every once in a while, the camera will have like a nostalgia filter and then it disappears and then the edges get a bit blurry and idk it feels very film school 101 to show that what’s on screen is a ~memory. the soundtrack/music is sometimes also too loud--to the point where it can drown out the actors (particularly janice wu in the high school arc, since qiao yi is soft-spoken)

REASONS TO WATCH

the lead actors (janice wu + zhang yujian) are legit two of my favorites and they have great/easy chemistry. all the actors are amazing. everyone’s loveable

SIBLING GOALS the zhao twins are amazing and they’re both each other’s biggest fans. gaunchao had some really heartwarming brother moments

i love love lmao. this spoke to a lot of my favorite dynamics: exes reunited/having to work together, childhood sweethearts reuniting as adults, “gangster” and princess, childhood friends turned lovers, bickering couples, cold man who actually has a lot of feelings, lots of people being overprotective, idk. everything was just great. 0 complaints on any of the ships.

i genuinely liked every character other than that one piece of shit poppa zhao. even alicia, who’s put into the stereotypical rich bitch role, was actually really fun and subverted a lot of expectations for this trope

it’s just. real cute y’all. probably my favorite cdrama and definitely in my top 10 (maybe 5?) dramas overall.

FINAL THOUGHTS

i love them ;;

#le coup de foudre #janice wu #zhang yujian #eden zhao #ma li #cdrama #gizka does kdrama #!my post #why yes i am procrastinating please have another in this trying time #this one's my favoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiite

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thegreatdandilion · 3 days ago

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Just a cold - Another quote by Shen Yi

Shen Yi knew the day was going to be rough as soon as he woke up. His head throbbed, his throat felt scratchy, and his body ached all over. Yesterday’s work—chasing leads in the drizzle—had done its job. He fumbled for the medicine cabinet, downed a couple of cold pills, and pulled on his coat. Despite the pounding in his head, there was no time to rest. They had cases to solve, and he couldn’t afford to fall behind.

"Just a cold," Shen Yi muttered to himself as he grabbed his bag. He took the cab instead of riding the bike.

When he arrived at the station, Li Han was already waiting with a folder of witness statements.

"Morning, Shen Yi Laoshi," she greeted him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You don’t look so good."

"Uh…Just a cold. Already took medicine," Shen Yi replied, brushing off her concern. He took the file and started organizing his materials. His movements were noticeably slower than usual. He had three suspect sketches to finish—one based on the hazy evidence they’d collected the previous night. One from Li Han and the other one from an urgent case of a nearby precinct.

Meanwhile, Du Cheng was busy interrogating suspects and questioning witnesses. Li Han had already informed him that Shen Yi is not feeling well. So he glanced over at Shen Yi occasionally, his brow furrowing deeper each time he noticed how pale Shen Yi looked.

By mid-morning, Shen Yi’s cold had worsened. He coughed into his sleeve, his breath hitching slightly as he tried to stifle it. His hand trembled faintly as he adjusted his sketchpad. Du Cheng noticed how he paused more often to rub his temples or press a hand to his forehead.

But his hands were tied as well. He could not let Shen Yi take a leave considering the severity of the cases they had to finalize. Well, if he can’t let him leave, he has to take care of him.

As the hours dragged on, Shen Yi’s condition became harder to ignore. His sneezes echoed through the otherwise quiet office, and he shivered visibly despite the warmth of the room. His normally steady lines on the sketchpad wavered, and he had to erase and redraw more frequently than usual.

Du Cheng knew Shen Yi would let himself collapse before he took a breather. Finally, during a brief break, he approached him.

"Shen Yi," Du Cheng said, crossing his arms as he stood by the desk. "You look like you’re about to keel over. Take a few minutes off."

Shen Yi didn’t look up. "It’s fine," he said, his voice hoarse. "We need this sketch. The sooner it’s done, the sooner we can catch him."

Du Cheng sighed as his eyes narrowed. "You can barely hold the pencil steady. When was the last time you ate something?"

Shen Yi hesitated, then mumbled, "Breakfast."

"Yeah? And what did you have?" Du Cheng pressed, his tone skeptical.

Shen Yi sighed, his exhaustion making it harder to mask his frustration. "Look, I’ll eat later, okay? I have to finish this first."

Du Cheng frowned. "Fine. Just don’t blame me if you pass out."

He left immediately and asked Li Han not to give the rest of the statements Shen Yi and ordered her to try and find some additional footage to find the suspect.

By evening, Shen Yi’s exhaustion was painfully evident. His head drooped over the desk, and he blinked furiously to keep his eyes open. The pencil in his hand slipped occasionally, and he had to grip it tighter to regain control. His breathing had grown heavier, his chest rising and falling with more effort.

Du Cheng, who had just returned from speaking with another witness, came to check on Shen Yi. The younger man’s face was ghostly pale, his lips slightly parted as he struggled to catch his breath. For a moment, Du Cheng just watched him, his jaw tightening.

"Shen Yi," Du Cheng said sharply, walking over. "Stop. That’s enough."

Shen Yi shook his head weakly, his voice barely audible. "I’m close to finishing it."

"You’re close to collapsing," Du Cheng retorted, pulling the pencil out of Shen Yi’s hand. "How do you know this is accurate when you’re too sick to think straight?"

Shen Yi tried to protest, but his words were slurred. "I can’t let another... life be taken."

Du Cheng sighed heavily. He walked out of the room and returned minutes later with a cup of tea, a packet of biscuits, and cold medicine. "Here," he said, placing them on the desk. "Take a break. Eat something."

Shen Yi stared at the items, his tired eyes widening slightly. "I don’t—"

"Just shut up and eat," Du Cheng interrupted, his tone gruff. "I don’t want to hear excuses."

Shen Yi pouted a little before grabbing on to the tea slumping on the chair, relaxed. ‘The pout is new. He must be feeling super off.’ Du Cheng thinks.

Du Cheng was right. When he looked at the sketch after the break, he noticed that he had missed some details. By 11 PM, Shen Yi finally finished the sketch. As he stood to hand it to Du Cheng, his legs wobbled, and his vision blurred. He swayed, then stumbled forward. Du Cheng reacted instantly, catching him as his knees buckled.

"Shen Yi!" Du Cheng exclaimed, his voice tinged with panic. He pressed a hand to Shen Yi’s forehead and grimaced. "You’re burning up. Damn it, I knew this would happen."

Shen Yi mumbled something incoherent, his eyes half-lidded as he struggled to stay conscious. "My legs fell asleep…s nothing..."

"It’s not nothing," Du Cheng snapped. He eased Shen Yi into a chair, then grabbed the sketch. "Stay here. I’ll handle this and get you to a doctor."

Du Cheng handed the sketch to Jiang Feng, giving firm instructions to run a match immediately. When he returned, Shen Yi was slumped over the desk, his head resting on his arms. His breathing was shallow, and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.

"Come on," Du Cheng muttered, lifting Shen Yi to his feet. "We’re going."

“Home?”

“Hospital!”

Du Cheng drove Shen Yi to the nearest hospital. The doctor confirmed a high fever and prescribed rest, some meds, fluids, and assured that there’s nothing to worry about. Du Cheng thanked him curtly and helped Shen Yi back into the car.

At Shen Yi’s apartment, Du Cheng guided him inside, practically carrying him to the couch. "Sit here," Du Cheng said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Shen Yi’s body felt unnaturally light, and his head lolled to the side as Du Cheng eased him down.

Du Cheng frowned, crouching to study Shen Yi’s pale face more closely. He touched his forehead, "Still burning up," he muttered under his breath. Without wasting time, he went into the kitchen, rummaging for a clean bowl to fill with cold water and grabbing a soft cloth. Returning quickly, he knelt beside Shen Yi and began dabbing his forehead and neck gently.

Shen Yi stirred slightly, his lips parting in a faint murmur. "Stop…fussing…too cold," he whined, his voice so weak it was barely audible.

"Who’s fussing?" Du Cheng shot back, his hands never stopping. "You’re the one who decided to play the hero while running a fever."

Shen Yi’s lashes fluttered briefly, but he didn’t argue further. His head tilted slightly into the touch of the cool cloth, a barely perceptible sign of relief washing over his strained features. Du Cheng noticed this and softened his movements further, muttering, "See? Not so bad."

He fetched a blanket and tucked it around Shen Yi, making sure he was warm but not stifled. Then, he prepared a glass of water and gently tilted it against Shen Yi’s lips. "Drink," he urged. "Small sips."

Shen Yi obeyed, though his hands trembled slightly when he tried to hold the glass. Du Cheng steadied him without a word, his brow furrowing as he watched Shen Yi’s delicacy up close. "Why do you always push yourself like this?" Du Cheng muttered, almost to himself. "You’re allergic to asking for help."

That was a statement. Shen Yi gave a faint smile, his voice rasping out, "Teamwork, right?"

Du Cheng huffed, half amused and half exasperated. “Teamwork works when one of us isn’t half-dead."

Over the next couple of hours, Du Cheng stayed close, rewetting the cloth and ensuring Shen Yi stayed hydrated. He even coaxed a few spoons of porridge into him when he stirred again. Shen Yi’s fever gradually began to drop, and the tension in his features eased, though he remained deeply fatigued.

Du Cheng fetched the damp towel, gently wiping Shen Yi’s face and arms for the last time. He then adjusted the blanket around him. Shen Yi stirred slightly, his lips parting in a faint murmur.

"Du Cheng... don’t fuss," Shen Yi whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Who’s fussing?" Du Cheng muttered again, his hands never stopping.

When Shen Yi finally drifted into a deeper sleep, his breathing was steady, Du Cheng leaned back in relief. He ran a hand through his hair and let himself fall asleep on the couch next to Shen Yi’s bed.

Du Cheng woke to Xiao Xuan’s soft meowing. The cat had climbed onto his chest, pawing at him insistently. Groaning, Du Cheng sat up and checked on Shen Yi. The fever had finally broken, and his breathing was even.

"Shen Yi," Du Cheng called softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him gently. The younger man stirred, his brows knitting together before his eyes fluttered open, still glassy with exhaustion. For a moment, Shen Yi’s gaze was unfocused, and his lips parted as if to say something, but all that came out was a faint mumble.

"You awake?" Du Cheng asked, crouching to meet his eye level.

Shen Yi sat up, blinked a few times, his expression adorably dazed before rubbing his eyes from his paws palms. "You stayed? What time is it...?" he rasped, his voice scratchy from sleep.

"Morning," Du Cheng replied with a faint smirk. "Don’t push yourself. Fever’s down, but you look like a ragdoll that’s been through the wringer."

Shen Yi gave a weak huff, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "I don’t... look like a ragdoll."

Du Cheng raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh, no?" he teased, ruffling Shen Yi’s messy hair even messier to make a point, "Take a look in the mirror."

Shen Yi tried to bat Du Cheng’s hand away but missed, his movements sluggish.

Du Cheng wasn’t sure why he did that. He gained his grumpy cop personality back on. "Alright, sit tight. I’ll get you food. Don’t try anything stupid while I’m gone."

As Du Cheng walked off, Shen Yi leaned back against the cushions, a small smile tugging at his lips.

#tan jianci #whump writing #pain fiction #under the skin 2 #du cheng #under the skin #ao3 #shen yi #jin shijia #fever #Chinese male whump #Whump #Asian whump #Fever fic #writers on tumblr

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salthaven · 5 years ago

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Stupid and in Love: Origins, Part Two

Chapter Two: Origins, Part Two

Nino’s first day of school was okay. He supposes that it could have gone better. On one hand, it sucks that Miss Bustier forced him to sit in the front. But on the other hand, he gets to sit closer to Nette, so that’s rad.

Plus, he sits alone. So he can chill out and not worry about getting in a desk partner’s space.

He kind of wishes he had the nerve to ask Nette to sit with him. But she seems happy beside that new girl...Alya, yeah? Yeah. She seems chill. He’s glad Nette made a friend, she needs them.

The rest of the day went as usual, you know? He got told off for trying to listen to music when class started, he got distracted by seeing Nette for a minute (just a minute, he swears), and, oh yeah, his classmate turned into a supervillain and started rampaging all over Paris.

Fun times, fun times.

Okay, no, this is a fever dream or something, right? Nino imagined yesterday, right?

Wrong.

It’s all over the news. Every news channel talks about Stoneheart’s rampage from yesterday, covers Ladybug and Chat Noir’s superhero debut, and then panics over the sudden appearance of stone monsters that are as still as statues.

Nino passes one of them, frozen in place. It’s bizarre. It’s unreal.

Nino slips through the entrance, then pauses. Turning around, he sees Marinette, who stares at a stone monster with...guilt? Or maybe it’s fear.

Either way, Nino finds himself walking over to her, slowly moving his hands to tug down his headphones.

“Nette!” Nino calls out, and she jumps, eyes darting away from the monster.

“Hey, Nino,” she says, smiling awkwardly. “How are you?”

He shrugs. “Doing as well as I can. It’s surreal, isn’t it?”

“More like awesome!” Alya shouts as she races up to the two. She waves her phone frantically. “Guys, I got the best footage of Ladybug yesterday! She was so cool!”

“Really?” Marinette asks, and the word seems strangled. “But look at all of these Stonehearts. Don’t you think she should have stopped this?”

Alya brushes off Marinette’s concerns. “Don’t worry, girl, I bet Ladybug will have this fixed before we notice! She’s epic, I’m telling you. I think I’m going to make a blog about her- I could call it the Ladyblog! That has a nice ring, don’t you think?”

Nino watches how Marinette shrinks in on herself, shrugging. “I, I don’t know. What about Chat Noir? He seems to have a hang of the whole hero thing, maybe you should base the blog on him?”

Alya shrugs. “I can’t come up with a good name for a Chat Noir themed blog, but good idea!”

“So you’re like a, uh, Lois Lane?” Nino asks. “Reporting on the heroes, fangirling on the side?”

Alya shrugs, a smirk growing. “Hey, if it means Chat Noir wants to sweep me off my feet, he can go right ahead.”

Nino snorts and holds open the door to the school. The girls pass him, and then he says, “So, see a hero for one day and fall for him?”

“What can I say? I love superheroes.” Alya pockets her phone as she shoves open the locker room’s door. “And if I can’t be a hero, I might as well report on them, you know?”

“But if you could be a hero, would you?” Marinette asks. Nino blinks, surprised by the urgent tone in Marinette’s voice. Is she...is she okay?

‘She’s just stressed,’ Nino reasons with himself. ‘She needs to focus on something, get her mind off of the frozen Stonehearts.’

“Of course!” Alya doesn’t hesitate, grinning. “I’d be thrilled to fight beside Ladybug and Chat Noir! Imagine that.”

Marinette tugs on one of her pigtails, a nervous habit of hers that Nino has caught onto. “What about being Ladybug?”

Alya snorts. “Yeah, right. Like I could replace her.”

Marinette frowns. “I’m sure you could. She didn’t do that great yesterday.”

Nino pauses, then sets his textbook back in his locker. Turning to Marinette, he asks, “Nette, why don’t you like Ladybug?”

“Huh?” She seems startled by the question, and Nino flushes.

“You just, well, you keep talking about how bad Ladybug was, and that she messed up...do you not like her?”

Marinette waves her arm frantically, shaking her head. “No! No, I just meant that, uh, she’s just getting so much praise and Chat isn’t but she doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing and I-”

“Girl,” Alya says calmly, patting Marinette’s shoulder, “it’ll be fine. I know it’s scary, but you need to relax. Ladybug is new, but she’ll figure it out. She’s smart.” Alya winks. “I’ve seen her up close, the girl is clever.”

Marinette slumps. “If you say so.” She shuts her locker and turns to Nino. “You have everything you need?”

Nino grabs his textbook, then nods. “Yeah! Let’s go.”

The walk to class is a bit quiet, but Alya rambles on about how Ladybug’s crazy plan to defeat Stoneheart yesterday. Nino can tell that Alya is trying to help Marinette calm down, but Marinette just seems defeated.

He hopes that Ladybug and Chat Noir will fix everything, and soon. He hates seeing Nette look so down.

Stepping into the classroom, Nino is surprised to see a new student. The boy looks, well, he looks annoyed, throwing out a piece of gum as he scolds Chloé.

“Seriously, you can’t put gum on someone’s seat just because they upset you!” He admonishes. Chloé, for her part, just rolls her eyes.

“Of course I can, Adrikins. Listen, you haven’t been here before, but you’ll understand. She’s awful!”

“I doubt anyone deserves that, Chloé,” ‘Adrikins’ responds.

“Oh what’s she doing now?” Alya asks, glaring at Chloé.

The blond boy turns to face her, eyes wide. “Are you Marinette?”

Marinette clears her throat, eyes inquisitive as she steps forward. “I’m Marinette.”

He smiles awkwardly. “Your seat might be a little...sticky. I tried to remove most of the gum, but I’m not sure if I was able to get all of it.” He huffs, side-eyeing Chloé. “I wouldn’t have had to worry about it if someone had just restrained themselves.”

Chloé scoffs. “Puh-lease. Adrien, she’s horrible. She deserves it.”

“Oh, I’m horrible?” Marinette asks, and it’s like a fuse has been lit within her. Suddenly, she’s glaring at Chloé with a venom Nino has never seen in the sweet and timid girl. “Because, last I checked, I’m not the girl who goes around bullying everyone in this class, and kicking kids out of their seats because their precious ‘Adrikins’ is going to sit in the spot in front of them!”

Nino blinks, surprised that Marinette yelled at Chloé. It was kind of hot, he’s not going to lie.

Chloé laughs, sitting down in Nette’s old seat. “Oh no, I’m so scared. What are you gonna do, Dupain-Cheng? It’s not like you’ve ever done anything before.”

Marinette inhales deeply, summoning her courage. Then she speaks calmly. “Move.”

“What?”

“Get out of my seat. Move.”

“Puh-lease. It’s my seat, fair and square!” She smirks. “So you can just shut up and go back to your new seat.”

Marinette scowls, opening her mouth...and then shuts it. Suddenly, the fight goes out of the bluenette. She backs up, looking down. “I…” the bell rings before Marinette can finish her sentence. She sighs and slips into her seat.

Nino glares at Chloé before sitting in his spot. Adrien awkwardly sits beside him.

“I’m sorry,” Adrien says, and Nino can tell that the blond is sincere. “Chloé and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, I didn’t know she was like...this. She’s been my only friend my whole life.”

Nino cringes. “That’s rough, bro.”

He shrugs. “I tried to talk to her, but I’m not sure how much Chloé cares. Is she always like this?” He looks afraid of the answer, fidgeting with a silver ring on his finger.

“Yeah, man, Chloé is the worst.”

Adrien sighs. “I never knew. Wow, I stink at making friends.”

“Hey, I’ll be your friend!” Nino smiles, patting Adrien on the back. “So now you have a better record. And I bet Nette and Alya will want to be your friends, after seeing how you scolded Chloé. That was epic, man!”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Adrien smiles. “I’m glad. Marinette didn’t deserve that.”

He’s right. She didn’t. She doesn’t deserve any of Chloé’s comments or insults. Nobody does.

Maybe it’s time that Nino starts standing up for himself, too. Like Nette did, even if it was just for a moment…

The door slams open as Miss Bustier calls Ivan’s name, pulling Nino out of his thoughts. Stoneheart stands in the doorway, growling.

“Chloooooé,” he drawls out. “Mylèèèèèène.” He walks towards the two girls, grabbing them and stalking out. Nino is vaguely aware of screaming, of footsteps pounding as his classmates race away in fear. He watches Adrien as he darts off, muttering something about hiding, stares at Alya as she pulls out her phone, as she says something about how she needs to record the fight, sees how Marinette darts after the girl with wide eyes and frantic words falling out of her mouth, carrying Alya’s bag with her.

He jumps up, chasing after Marinette. He can’t let her get hurt!

He can’t find her. He can’t find her, and she’s going to get hurt and-

Nino watches as an old man trips and falls over. He rushes over and helps.

“Are you okay, du- sir?” Nino asks. The man nods, smiling slightly.

“Yes. Thank you, young man. Are you alright?”

“Huh?”

“You seemed to be worried,” the man says, resting on his cane. “Is something the matter?”

“My friend, Nette,” Nino finds himself saying. “She raced after our friend Alya, and I’m worried Nette will get hurt. I can’t really tell Alya to stop, I just met her, but Nette is one of my first friends and I don’t, I can’t let anything happen to her.” Words. They make sense, right?

The old man smiles knowingly. “She’s special to you, isn’t she?”

Nino nods, unsure of what to say.

The man hums. “Perhaps you should head back to your school. Maybe you will figure out what to do there, yes?”

Nino shrugs. “I, maybe?”

“Lockers are a good area to hide, if the monster comes by,” the man advises, and then hobbles off. Then he pauses, and says, “Take good care of your friends, okay? I’m counting on you, Nino.”

Determination fills him. “I will, du- sir!” He turns to head back to school, then freezes. Turning around, he starts, “Wait, how did you know my-”

The man is gone.

Nino shakes it off. Maybe he told the man? But he doesn’t remember mentioning his name. Does it matter?

Nino heads to the locker room, trying to come up with a plan. Alright, so he lost track of Marinette, there’s a bunch of Stonehearts all over Paris, and he’s supposed to protect Marinette...how?

Opening his locker, Nino finds an oddly shaped box. Confused, he opens it.

A turtle shaped thing flies out, and eyes him with a somewhat downcast expression.

“You must be Nino,” the turtle greets. “Very well. I am Wayzz, your Kwami. We must act quickly, to help out Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Suddenly, Nino has a way to protect Nette...and all of Paris, too.

This’ll be interesting.

#Stupid and in Love #ninette #nino you're already in love slow down let the story catch up #give nino more showtime i love him

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cara-terra-pace · 5 years ago

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Those Miraculous Kids

Miraculous Mysteries AU

Hey friends! I’m back with the actual (slightly more) fleshed out version of the MM AU. Quick note, it doesn’t take place in France, more like a made up place with made up towns. It is still Francophone, so they will still be speaking French.

Prologue

Here’s the original base for the au!

Anyway, onto the story!

Chapter 1- Running into people, plotting, and The Movie Trailer Voice

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Marinette Dupain Cheng had lived in Topaz Tills her whole life. It was a small town, nothing odd about it. Just the way she liked it. So when her parents decided to uproot her and move to a town called Moonstone Bridge, she was understandably upset. “Maman! Why can’t we stay in Tills? We don’t need a new store in Moonstone!” She complained as they drove to Moonstone. Marinette was sitting in the back of their delivery van, which her mother was driving while her father drive their personal car. “Ma fille chérie, you know exactly why we are going to Moonstone. Why do I know that? Because this is the seventh time you’ve asked in the last 3 hours and the 23rd in the past three days!” Her mother exclaims in the front seat, raising an eyebrow at her daughter. Marinette sighed and folded her arms. She leaned her head against the window, the smooth road keeping her head from bumping against it. She had left a lot behind. Her home, her bakery, and most importantly, her friends. Allegra, her best friend. The girl was a killer flute player. Claude, her next door neighbor. He always got the lead in the play and always made sure she designed and made his costumes. Allan, her friend since she was born. Their mothers set them up on play dates when they were little and they had been friends ever since. And Felix. She hadn’t known him nearly as long as the others, but he was dear to her, always keeping her on track. Tears started dribbling down her face. She still had their phone numbers, she reminded herself. They could still talk. But it wouldn’t be quite the same. Marinette was so busy wallowing, she didn’t realize they had arrived at their new “home”. It was a fairly big place, with the bakery on the bottom floor, with plenty of seating for guests. The top three floors all being her house. They had a basement where the kitchen for the bakery and storage was, and an attic which they had offered to help Marinette turn into a fun space to hang out in. Her parents had been working on this for months. Marinette had known about this for months. But now it just felt real. Marinette’s mother parked the delivery van in the driveway around the back and started unloading things. Marinette grabbed her backpack, purse, and suitcase to go check out her new room. The rest of her boxes with her stuff was already up there, all she would have to do was unpack. Her room was already partially decorated. A pale pink color covered all the walls. There was a built in desk that had designated areas for different things. There was a loft where her bed had been placed, and the furniture was all in the proper place. Having nothing better to do, Marinette started to unpack her clothes. She folded them, organized them, and then moved onto her jewelry. It took a while, just because Marinette was hesitant to unpack. But she finally ended up finishing unpacking her clothes and jewelry only to realize how much time had passed. It was 8 at night. She hadn’t eaten since lunch! Marinette dragged her backpack towards herself and pulled out all the sweets and foods she had stuffed in there. She shoved some of them into an empty cabinet above her desk and put the other on her empty desk, pulling out her laptop. She clicked the Skype app and clicked on Allegra’s contact. Allegra’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “Marinette! I know I saw you yesterday but I already miss you so much!” She cried, looking at her friend. Someone in the background moved closer to the screen. “Mari! We miss you little coccinelle! My mom won’t stop talking about you and how much she’s going to miss your family.” The person was Allan, who pulled Felix onto the screen. “Fe wants to say hi too but is a little bit embarrassed. Claude would say hi too but...” Allan continued as the screen was turned to Claude, who was sitting on Allegra’s bed complaining. Marinette didn’t know why until she saw the cast on his leg. “What did the Roi du drame do this time?” Marinette asked, biting into a pain au chocolat.

“Fell off the stage during bows. Not really his fault though, someone decided to push him to the front so he could get a solo bow, not thinking of how close they were to the edge. He’s lucky it was only his leg that was broken.” Felix supplied, since he was back to sitting on the ground behind Allegra again.

Marinette choked on her food and Allan started laughing as she started yelling for Allegra to bring the laptop over to Claude or she’d hang up. So Allegra toted the laptop over to the pouting actor and set it in front of him.

“Oh Claude! Now I’m really glad my parents left the leftover perishable sweets with your mom!” She said, Claude brightening at the mention of sweets.

“Thank your parents for me petit gâteau! For I am on extreme bed rest for the next week and a half and I am extremely bored already!”

Marinette talked with them for a little while more before she was told by Felix that she should go to sleep. Looking at the clock, she agreed. It had been 2 and a half hours and she still had to unpack tomorrow. She pulled out her blankets, pillows, and sheets and quickly made her bed. She plugged her phone into her charger and almost immediately fell asleep.

……. Marinette woke up to see her mom in her room, putting her stuff away. She looked up at her when she realized she had woken up.

“I figured you should go out, maybe explore Moonstone a little bit?” That translated to “Get up and go try to find friends. You aren’t allowed to be a shut in.”

So she reluctantly rose from her bed, slowly getting dressed into black flowy fabric shorts and loose pale pink t-shirt, tying her hair into a bun and wrapping a pink ribbon with black spots around it. I went downstairs and grabbed the tartine that her father had left on the counter for her. There were still tons of boxes littering the house, but Marinette just sidestepped them and slipped on the white sandals she had left downstairs. Her mom saw she was ready and handed her her purse and phone from her room before shoving her out the door, tartine in hand.

Stepping down into the bakery, Marinette reluctantly walked outside and began to explore. There were plenty of businesses nearby. They were all fairly busy, as summer vacation would start for the schools in only two weeks. Her parents had decided she wouldn’t start school until the fall because there was no purpose if they weren’t going to be learning anything. So when she walked past the school, she saw tons of teens walking inside, all excitedly chatting about summer. She was so focused on trying to get past the crowd of people and over to the library a few buildings down that when she bumped into a group of people she completely wiped out.

“Oh mon dieu! I am so sorry!” Marinette blurted out, quickly standing up and running to the library.

When she finally reached the library, she hid in the section with design history. She was looking through the books when one fell in front of her from the top shelf. She leaned down to pick it up and looked at the title. History of Moonstone Bridge: Volume 13.

“Volume 13?” She muttered, flipping through the pages while walking to a nearby table.

She only realized she should’ve looked up sooner when she slammed into someone, falling backwards and almost hitting her head on the floor, but the person she bumped into grabbed her before she could.

“Sorry!” Marinette squeaked, picking up the book and standing back up. She had slammed into a guy who looked about her age. He wore a blue and red hoodie and gray jeans, and there were two people behind him who were staring at her like she was crazy and that’s all she could focus on.

“It’s fine. We were actually hoping to bump into you.” The girl behind the blue and red hoodie boy said, walking up to her.

“Uh… why?” Marinette wondered aloud, pulling the book closer to her chest as the girl looked right at her.

The girl laughed and tossed her brown and red hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we just wanted to know who you were, since this is the second time you’ve almost injured yourself while walking. Hi, I’m Alya Cesaire. The hoodie dork is Nino Lahiffe and blondie right there is Adrien Agreste.”

Marinette blinked for a second before introducing herself.

“M-my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m really sorry about bumping into you!”

The blondie, Adrien, stepped up to her.

“Hi Marinette. Sorry if you mind me asking, but what book is that? I’ve never seen it before, and the library barely gets any new books.” He asked.

She handed him the book and Alya, Nino, and Adrien all gasped. Marinette looked at them, rather confused as to their surprise.

“This book… doesn’t exist. There’s not even a volume 1 for this book. It’s just volume 13!”

As they all begin to talk to each other, they walk to the checkout counter to get the book. Alya checked it out under her library card and led the group to a small cafe next to the library. They sat down, ordering snacks and drinks, and Marinette finally spoke up.

“So, we need to talk about this book. I only just got here yesterday, so I have no idea what this town’s deal is. Would you guys mind giving me the rundown?” She said

Alya cleared her throat and started speaking in a movie trailer narrator voice. “Moonstone Bridge is a small and quiet town with a dark past that no one talks about. The mayor’s son, the police and fire chiefs’ oldest son, and the restaurant owner’s middle daughter are the only ones to actively question what is going on. They explain this to the baker’s daughter, who they invite to a stake out that night.”

Alya smiled and switched back to her normal voice. “So, you in?”

Marinette shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do.”

Alya threw her arms around the girl and Nino and Adrien laughed. Marinette gave Alya her phone number so they would be able to contact each other and they began to talk about the book again.

“So, we should skim through the book and see if anything catches our eye.” Alya said, putting it in view of all four of them.

They quickly skimmed through the first two chapters the less interesting history of the town being in those chapters. But when they reached the third chapter, it was like they’d hit the jackpot. One half of the chapter was torn out, which was interesting. The first half of the chapter was the story of how the town became cursed.

It basically blamed this guy named Peter who met a girl named Tilly, who was the daughter of the mayor. Apparently, he was “the human embodiment of darkness and bad luck.” As the book put it. Tilly was madly in love with Peter, which no one could understand since Tilly was “like a rainbow in a rain storm, like a little ray of sun that made everyone’s luck increase tenfold.”

Peter was accused of plotting against the mayor and though Tilly defended him, he was convicted and put in jail. Tilly managed to break him out and they went off to get married when they were caught by Tilly’s childhood friend Tamara. Tam let them go and promised to cover up their escape. Tilly was overjoyed and let go of Peter’s hand to hug her friend. But Peter’s bad luck came through. Right after Tilly let go of his hand, he was shot in the back by her father, who had followed Tam without her knowledge.

Peter’s blood soaked into the ground, marking the town with the darkest kind of magic. Tilly screamed, her heart breaking. She was brought back home and locked in her room. But they didn’t count on what Tilly would do. She was able to detect Peter’s magic and linked onto it. She then placed a slightly different curse. It didn’t specify what it was, but the last sentence was the most ominous.

“Is it finished or has it ever really begun?” Marinette said, closing the book.

“That’s insane! I’m pretty sure that’s real too! My great-great grandmother was Tamara Cesaire, and she lived right next door to where they said Tilly lived.” Alya replied, her eyes sparkling.

Nino, who had been listening to the story very closely said something neither of his friends expected, but Marinette was pleased to hear.

“W-well, I guess that means that we should stake out the school. That’s where the former mayor’s house stood.”

Marinette cheered and jumped up, taking the book with her. Adrien, who had been pretty quiet up until then, leaned down to pick up something that had fallen when Marinette jumped up.

“Is this yours?” He asked, holding up a necklace. It was a simple silver chain with a ruby and a black gem that she couldn’t identify imbedded in a little circle on the bottom.

Marinette took it from him and her eyes widened as she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She held onto the book and necklace tighter, falling back into her seat.

“Did you feel that when you touched it Adrien?” She asked, her voice muffled a bit as her head rested on the table, the sour feeling slowly fading, being replaced by warmth.

“Felt what?” He replied quizzically, Alya and Nino also looking quite confused.

“This weird feeling. It felt… unwelcoming. Almost like it was telling me to leave. It’s gone now. Now… it just feels warm, like I’ve suddenly been welcomed inside to a warm fireplace or something.” She explained, lifting her head up and sliding the necklace towards Alya.

Alya looked at the necklace, then Marinette, and then picked up the necklace and walked directly behind Marinette.

“Lift up your hair.” She instructed, unclipping the necklace.

Marinette did so, and Alya clipped the necklace into place, making sure it didn’t tangle into Marinette’s hair.

Nothing happened after that, so they got up to leave the cafe.

“Wait, why aren’t you guys in class?” Marinette said, suddenly realizing that it was still just 10:30 in the morning.

“Exams finished for us yesterday. We basically just have to come back for role call and dismissal. Other than that, us Juniors can do whatever we want!” Alya’s exclaimed, twirling.

It was also probably helpful when your parents were some of the most powerful people in town, Marinette thought.

They began walking to the bakery, which wasn’t opening until the weekend. Since Marinette couldn’t get in through the front, she went around to the back and jumped up to pull down the fire escape that was attached to her rooftop garden. She started climbing up, making it up to the roof without only a bit of struggling.

She looked down at the shocked teens and giggled, a light and melodic sound.

“Come on up you guys, I’ll make sure you get back in time for dismissal!”

They scrambled up to the rooftop, Alya tucking the book into her side satchel so she didn’t drop it.

Once they all reached the top, Marinette smiled and gestures for them to sit down on the brand new pink lounge chairs. They were surprisingly comfortable.

Marinette settles in the last lounge chair, and crossed her ankles.

“So… will I see all three of you tonight at the school? Because I need to know how many snacks and flashlights to bring.”

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Chapter 1 is finished! Hope you enjoyed it! I worked really hard on this. The stakeout will be in the next chapter, I just didn’t want to cram it into this one, it kind of felt forced when I tried that.

(Edit: The link for AO3 isn’t working for me right now, maybe it is for you but I’ll try to fix it. If you want to read all this on AO3, just search the title of this story)

-Avery

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #alya cesaire #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #adrien agreste #Nino lahiffe #those miraculous kids #miraculous mystery au

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