#he is my MLQC bias and i love him

[simplyotometrash]

Smile for Me

A Kiro x Alex (OC) piece! 

Days dragged on and weighed on his body. He didn’t hate touring. In fact it was the opposite. He loved going on tours, meeting fans, performing onstage. All of those things were great. Superstar Kiro could act, sing, write and play music. He knew he was very handsome and cute. He loved games. He was an international sweetheart. The whole package. But none of the many things that he was, none of his millions of fans, could fill the hole left by the lack of his partner. 

He missed Alex so much! Awkward, adorable, agoraphobic Alex. His little video game designer! They were so talented and no one even knew it because they didn’t reveal themselves as the creator of ALeeGames online. He loved when he would hear people talk about their games or see threads online discussing how cool the designer for the games must be. Oh if only they knew! His little storm cloud would be so embarrassed if they knew some of the things being said. Alas, Alex tended to avoid threads about them. They only looked at threads regarding their games to gain input and insights on what they could do better or what people wanted to see. They even had separate social media specifically for their game handle.

As if on cue, his phone buzzed in his pocket. A video chat request from Alex! Ah! They had to be connected if Alex was calling while he thought of them! 

“Hey, cutie pie~!” Kiro beamed at his phone. Oh the sight of Alex made his heart dance. “I see you redyed your hair. Sticking to green for now?”

“Hiya, sunshine,” Alex laughed, blowing the camera a kiss. He heard a meow in the background come from Alex’s cat-son and his adopted cat-son, Kimchi. “Yeah, I thought I’d stick to green for now. I wanna try blue or purple but I just don’t know if I’ve got the guts to change it up.”

If only they had all the time in the world to talk. Kiro was in his dressing room before a concert. He didn’t have nearly enough time. No amount of time was truly enough to make up for the longing that long distance stirred within his heart. He couldn’t wait to be home with them.

“You would look good with any color, my little storm cloud. Wait until I come home! Then I can help you pick.”

“Ten minutes before go, Kiro,” he heard Savin say through the dressing room door. Plenty of time to get in some much needed Alex time. 

“I hate time zones,” he whined. “I can never sing you to sleep anymore because I’m so busy when it’s night for you.”

Alex laughed, shaking their head. Kimchi the cat came into frame, rubbing his head against Alex’s face. “I know, babe. I miss it, too. But you’ve got meet and greets and CD signings during the day on your tour. And you need to take naps before concerts. I’m just glad we find the time to call each other.”

The time differences sucked. He was so far away. Sometimes he would wake up at 3 in the morning because he heard his phone go off with a good morning text from Alex followed by an apology because they forgot what time it was for him. It only got worse the more he traveled. There were days he couldn’t even remember what time it was because the times changed from place to place. Further proof that time was just a human construct! A construct meant to keep him from his love!

“I will always find time for you! I even squeeze in checking both your personal and work social media accounts! I can’t wait to come home. I can beta test your new game for you, right? Right!?” Alex was almost always had to be their own beta tester. They were a perfectionist and didn’t want anyone to see something that was less than their idea of perfect.

“If my game isn’t finished before you come back, I’ll consider letting you beta test,” they said. There was a brief pause between them. “I...I did design the main character after you.”

Tears of joy pricked at the idol’s eyes. But he couldn’t let them fall! He had to go onstage and crying would stuff up his nose! “Alex, that’s so sweet! I’ve always wanted to be a video game character!”

There was another, much longer pause. Kiro knew the wheels in Alex’s head were turning. They had that look in their eyes. The little hamster in their brain was doing laps. Something was on their mind.

“I miss you so much.” Alex looked a bit downcast. They both knew he still had three months before they could be together again. Three long months.

“Hey, hey, no frowns! Your Superhero Kiro wants to see his storm cloud looking happy! If you smile, I know I’ll have a great concert!” Kiro made a little heart out of his thumb and forefinger, a bright smile on his own face.

Alex couldn’t help but laugh and smile back at their sunshine. He was always so supportive and bright. Like the sun. Alex was more like the moon, reflecting the light of the sun. 

“Five minutes, Kiro,” Savin popped his head into the dressing room. He got a look at the star’s phone screen and shook his head with a smile. “I’ll take care of him, Alex, he’ll be home before you know it.” He closed the door as he left. Savin was strict on Kiro’s routine but he was very caring. Like a father.

“I hate that we’ve gotta end the call but I need to get to my place to go onstage.” He pouted.

“Kiro, wait!”

His thumb hovered over the “end call” button, his head now cocked to the side. “What is it, Alex?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Call me when you get done if you’re not too tired?” Alex sounded hopeful. Though they knew it may be a long shot. Kiro needed his rest after all. They couldn’t be selfish and keep him awake.

“I will, I promise. I wanna fall asleep with you being the last thing I see.”

Thanks for reading!!!

[milki-mlqc]

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

What made you love Victor? Were you a Victor stan from the start or did you stan for other characters on MLQC before fully devoted to Victor? (btw i love your translation works and your rants, keep it up!)

HAHAHA thank you! (・∀・)ﾉ♡

What made me love Victor? That’s a really tough question to sum up the answer in just a few sentences LOL but in all honesty and seriousness, I could really sum it up like this~ :>

Because he is Victor, 盛大的奇迹~ ಡ ͜ ಡ

—

Was I a Victor stan from the start?

No and Yes LOL

Funnily enough, my first encounter with the game was through Victor via a video I randomly stumbled upon and yes, I dug that video out again >.<

as far as I can remember, it was around mid (ish) 2019 when I saw a video of his birthday celebration.

Out of curiosity, I started digging who’s this 李泽言 person whose birthday is being so grandly celebrated. I honestly had no idea back then how popular this game or 老李 are in China LOL.

Then, I found myself walking into the rabbit angst hole of Love and Producer, and casually sped through first 10-11(ish) chapters? Although I wasn’t planning on playing the game, at the time I thought I liked Gavin the best.

So, if you consider that.... then.... I wasn’t a Victor stan from the beginning HAHA. :>

–

Also, upon seeing who 李泽言 is, I do remember thinking to myself, you’re incredibly handsome and hot. But probably that will be it for me and what a clown I turned out to be LOL.

Anyway, later I found out that there’s a global server for this game. During my inattentive speed-run, I did feel the story was interesting (yes the CH 10 HNNGNNN¡¡¡) and wanted to try it out for myself.

And this time, I PAID ATTENTION.

....the game practically starts with this man LOL (somehow I missed the prologue while reading in CN :>). So, this got me interested again, and I wanted to start on a clean slate.

And as my summer vacation was about to end, IT’S THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME IN THAT SUMMER, in ways I hadn’t even realized yet~ 🥺

At that point, I was a toddler to the otome genre of games. But I knew that I’d end up choosing my bias based on with whom I personally find the MC having the most chemistry with~ :>

—

I honestly can’t pin down the fixed point in time when or how or why I fell in love with Victor. Right after I started playing MLQC, I went through all his released dates so far (including the CN ones, of course).

For me, it was a gradual process, much like his relationship with MC. But if I had to pin down a time, I think it’d be “Lantern Date”~

no it wasn’t the proposal foreshadowing that PG gave Victor stans 4+ years ago, well maybe a teensy bit LOL

it was what he wrote on the lantern.

The wish Victor wrote in the lantern is from a poem: “The Night of The Lantern Festival – To The Tune of Green Jade Table” – by Xin Qiji, a Song Dynasty poet.

The line Victor wrote is featured in the last stanza:

—

众里寻她千百度，蓦然回首, 那人却在灯火阑珊处。

And all at once, as I turned my head,

I was startled to find her

Among the lanterns where the candles were growing dim.

—

The writer of the poem was a military general. This poem reflects his unfortunate political circumstances by contrasting the splendor and liveliness of the Lantern Festival and the single-minded search of the narrator for that one, special, woman. And, ultimately finding her in the darkness with the dimming lights.

There are other romantic interpretations of this poem, such as the woman deciding to stop and wait when she realized this man was looking for her, willing to be with him.

Another interpretation is that, the two of them are already lovers, and when he turns his head and sees her it reflects how your happiness was right beside you all along and all you needed to do was turning your head.

This is why even though we’ve seen Victor saying he’ll always find MC no matter what, and vice-versa. Neither of them ever say, “After I found you/After you found me” – when they reminisce, the both of them ALWAYS say – “After I met you.”

“It seems to me that even if I were to travel back a hundred years, the first that’d happen to me would also be meeting you.” – Victor

“....after I met you, everything has changed.” – Victor

“Heheh, isn’t my greatest blessing that I met you?” – MC

“Ever since the day I met you, my whole world has changed....” – MC

—

You see, MC is aware of the 17 year long search Victor did to find her. But when they first met (again), it was because Victor decided to stop time and save a random passer-by. The timing could have been off, he could have not noticed her at all or they could just brush past each other – but all Victor had to do was turning his head!

Of course the contents I quoted are from much later time period, but Victor writing that line as his wish on the lantern back then shows just how deeply he cherishes the fact that destiny was on his side that day and how much he cherishes this girl. And we see MC growing to cherish that just as equally. On another note, if we stretch a little backward, when they both say their lives changed after meeting the other, it does lead back to their first meeting in the playground as kids and everything that happened after~

Anyway, that was the date I knew I was gonna be DOWN SO BAD for this man, and I could honestly not be grateful enough for exactly that happening LOL~ 🥺

– it’s the way EVERYTHING about them screams “You’re my home. Your heart is my home.”

– it’s the way his one gaze tells you the feelings a thousand words never could.

– it’s the way you can tell by one look at her, this girl knows just how loved she is.

– it’s the way she knows exactly what she wants and how to let her man know he’s loved and cherished just as equally, if not more.

– it’s the way he’s SO certain of his decisions and choices. Yes, his most important decision in life was choosing you as his “the one” [His words not mine].

– it’s the way he wastes no time in honoring every single one of his decisions and choices.

– it’s the way her hand fits in his. It’s the way they are ALWAYS holding onto each other’s hands.

– it’s the way he silently brings her into his arms, sheltering you from the wind and rain as your harbor, quietly.

– it’s the way he is her anchor, her heaven [MC’s words not mine]. Needless to say, it’s vice-versa.

– it’s the way he tells you AND proves to you “You are already good enough as you’re now. You don’t need to force yourself to change”.

– it’s the way he tells you AND proves to you, “As long as you don’t stop, I’ll always be chasing you. And when you can’t find your direction, just walk towards me”.

– it’s the way he tells you AND proves to you, “In front of me, you can be not strong and not do well. I hope you can learn to rely on me. You always have the right to be vulnerable when you’re with me.”

– it’s the way he’s mindful about every little details, and how he knows to brighten up your day without even letting you get a clue about what he’s planning on.

– it’s the way he is the first glimmer of dawn who recognizes he is blessed to be born into this world and he has to give back as much as he can.

– it’s the way he knows what needs to be done, and he’ll make it happen no matter how much struggle it costs him.

– it’s the way just how selfless his love and services can be, without ever expecting anything in return.

– it’s the way even his biggest self-proclaimed competitor can become his admirer.

– it’s the way he gives all of himself to her and embraces all of herself as his own AND vice-versa.

– it’s the way they can just chat for days without running out of topics. And if they do run out of topics, they can just sit in silence with each other for days without feeling the need to force themselves.

– it’s the way being together comes SO naturally for them.

– it’s the way they trust each other. It’s the way they fight by each other’s side – with each other, for each other. It’s the way they are willing to travel to the end of time for each other AND THEY BOTH DO.

– it’s the way he ticks all the boxes ✨

– it’s the way you can ALWAYS complete the circles in their journey together, from childhood to adulthood ✨✨

– it’s the way MC i.e. PG’s writing team recognizes he is too good even for the 2D world....

“Victor, do you know.... what a grand miracle it is to have you in this world.”

– it’s the way this man truly holds the power to transcend time and space, and be my comfort in my worst of days.

– It’s the way I’m about to walk into the 4th summer with this man. And yet, with every single content, his character keeps getting better and better. And somehow, I fall in love with him even more than before, even though I thought it would be impossible to love him any more than I already did.

– it’s the way, somehow along the way I knew what the “Victor black-hole” I willingly devoured myself into was, and yet I let myself sink in even more knowing EXACTLY what it is HAHA~ 💘

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

[lancermylove]

Drunk MC (HC)

Fandom: MLQC

Pairing: Gavin x fem!Reader

Warning: None

Requested by: Anon

Prompt: I am in love with your mlqc hc series and I’m always happy to see that you published some new things 🤗 I see that you often write for one character specifically so I wanna ask about some Gavin stuff: what he would do if Kiki calls him in the middle of the night and tells him that MC is in the night club with her work team but she got totally drunk and got into trouble with some clingy guy? I hope life treats you well in this hard times ☺️💝

A/N: Aww thank you for kind words!❤️❤️ I didn’t notice until you pointed it out that I write for Gavin a lot. XD Hehe, he is my second bias, Victor being #1. I’m going through a few things right now, but hopefully everything will calm down soon. Hope you’re doing well and take care!

———————————————

As soon as Gavin hears "(y/n), is in trouble", he flies straight out of his window and listens to the rest of Kiki's explanation on his way there. 

When he sees the clingy man touching your hand, Gavin has to stop himself from lunging at the guy and breaking his nose; instead, he walks up behind you and shoots a chilling death glare towards the man.

Once the guy is out of sight, Gavin takes a good long look at your face. Your low-lidded eyes, flushed face, and a cutely stupid grin are enough to make his cheeks burn. 

Without saying anything to you or your friends, the agent scoops you up in his arms and flies back to his home.

Gavin helps you change into a pair of his pajamas while listening to you complaining about the day. After which, he tucks you in his bed, ignoring all your protests, and asks you to go to sleep, not expecting you to latch onto his. 

"Gaaav, I'm not sweepy. Don' leaf me." 

"You need to sleep even if you're not sweepy," he chuckles and mimics your slurred speech. "Now, try to sleep.”

“Also,” he planted a kiss on forehead and whispered, “I promise I won't leave - not now, not ever."  

———————————————

➣ MLQC Masterlist ➣ Buy me a Ko-fi or Commission?

[lia-jones]

hello once again, lia! how are you doing today? ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ i'm so glad to hear that you love my ideas for your story! you're welcome to use all of them of course, and if you want more ideas for something specific, i'm always happy to help!

~⁕~⁕~⁕~

ok so, i have some questions for you as well (and i'll answer yours below this!): 1. when is your birthday? (so i can wish you a happy birthday when the time comes (❁´◡`❁) ) 2. what's your favorite sport? (either to play, or just watch on tv) 3. what would you do if you won the lottery? 4. so i know english isn't your first language...yet your writing is amazing! do you have any tips for learning a new language? i'm thinking of picking up japanese again after exams! 5. are you a morning or a night person?

now my answers to your questions: 1. You said you had exams coming, what do you study? this one is a little hard to explain, so hopefully you understand. i'm currently writing an exam that's supposed to be kind of a "prelude" to university. the subjects i'm doing are math, physics and computer science, and i intend to do something along those lines in university (although i'm not sure what yet...)

2. What's your MBTI and enneagram? i'm an istp, and my enneagram is 5w6!

3. I assume Victor is your bias, is it? Better phrasing it, who is your MLQC bias and why? oh, my bias is definitely victor, although i liked lucien the most at first. i actually disliked victor the most at the start because i just couldn't stand how everything he said seemed to turn into an insult (and well, mc isn't very good at giving him a taste of his own medicine), but when i started doing his dates apart from the main storyline of the game, he definitely became my favorite. his personality seemed much more endearing and comfortable. all the guys are really unique in mlqc, as compared to other otome games i've played, but victor really stuck with me the most.

~⁕~⁕~⁕~

that's all i have for you today! as usual, i'm so excited to hear from you again, and i'm really looking forward to reading the next few chapters of your story (i'm very interested in seeing how victor is gonna approach telling andrea about her evol ���) goodbye for now! have a good weekend!

- 🌸 anon

Hello my dearest!

So good to see you again! My week was utter crap, but I'm a week away from 10 days of no work, so all good! I think I got the gist of what you're doing right now, yes, and all of those subjects sound super interesting. I remember having this subject in college called Logic Applied to Linguistics (I'm a linguistics major) and being super hard, so you have to be super smart to get into any of those fields. As a forever Theory of the Big Bang fan, I secretly hope you get in Physics, it sounds really interesting. As for ideas, I love trivia, fun facts, unknown cultures, etc. I love working with them and using them as metaphors. If you have something you'd like to share, go ahead. I love it! Ok, now to your questions:

1. when is your birthday? (so i can wish you a happy birthday when the time comes (❁´◡`❁) ) Same as Andrea's, June 11th, because I'm lazy. (PS: I want to know yours as well)

2. what's your favorite sport? (either to play, or just watch on tv)

Ha, again, I'm lazy and I don't watch or do any sport besides hiking. Sometimes, I play tennis and badminton with my kids because they are both players and I want to keep them motivated. But that's pretty much it.

3. what would you do if you won the lottery?

Buy a house by the ocean and write to my heart's content. I could say traveling, buying fancy cars, yada yada, but what I really want to do is to write. And that's it. I'm easy to please.

4. so i know english isn't your first language...yet your writing is amazing! do you have any tips for learning a new language? i'm thinking of picking up japanese again after exams!

First, thank you so much. Now, advice... Immersion. Read and watch and listen to as much Japanese as you can. If you can get a learning buddy to practice and speak Japanese to daily, the better. The more you listen and speak, the faster you learn. Don't limit it to school hours.

5. are you a morning or a night person?

Morning person. I wake up naturally early and if I sleep in (like ten am, for example, which is not incredibly late) I get frustrated because it feels like I missed half of the day. Although I work pretty well after 10 pm (when the house is quiet). But writing, for example, flows way better in the morning.

I'm super stoked about the next chapters as well, and looking forward to reactions. I'm releasing the next one tomorrow and a chapter of the Keeper's Journal by Wednesday (with juicy info). These next chapters are super important for the story, because they tie up the theory and make it more understandable (while I have been basically hinting so far) so I hope I do them justice. And once again, my characters took me down a path I seriously wasn't expecting, but I must respect their wishes, so things took a small turn. Let's see what comes out of it! Thank you so much for your questions! I'm so looking forward to hearing from you soon! Lots of love and have an outstanding week!

[tartagilicious]

spoken love > gavin, mlqc

→ Pairing | gavin x reader

→ Genre |  angst w happy ending

→ Word Count | 9555 

→ Warnings | tw; kidnapping and mild torture, + general heartbreak/feeling like you’re not good enough + the fluff at the end might give you cavities

→ Songs | orbit by hwasa and stefan’s theme by michael suby

→ Note | this plot took all of my brain cells to put together rip but at least I’ll be able to start working on requests again :) and yes, I love harassing victor in these for some reason. the poor boy deserves to be the one to win mc’s love 😔

@n3verending16​

Flowers don’t bloom in the dark. Biologically, it’s impossible, but there are other factors that weigh in — things that stunt its growth just as greatly. It’s quite an open ended question, but this time, perhaps simply, the flower just felt as if growing any more was useless without her sun there to see it.

Call it a personal bias, but you think that must be it. Because as Gavin utters the very words you dread to hear, you feel as hopeless as a flower cut off from the sun.

“___,” he sighs. And it’s pained — too pained for someone who has just single-handedly snapped your heart in two. “I’m sorry. But it wasn’t something I could keep from you forever.”

I don’t love you anymore.

The words echo in your head so forcefully that you barely register Gavin’s voice. His apology only goes in one ear and out the other, much to both of your dismays.

“...I don’t understand.” Your voice is flat, but you know it’s only a matter of time and how particularly strong you’re feeling today until that breaks. “Why all of the sudden...?”

Gavin bites his bottom lip, as if holding back something before he only fesses up a shrug in response.

“I’m sorry.”

He sounds sorry, but you know from the bottom of your heart that there’s something underneath it. Gavin, a boy you’ve known since high school, who would always keep an eye out for you, who always picks you up and flies you home, who is always the first person to be there for anything -- is someone you know just as well as you know yourself.

“I don’t want to hear that. Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Your voice raises slightly with irritation, but in lieu of your unclear communication Gavin only stands and takes it. Like he should, you think, but you know that you don’t want to yell at him. He doesn’t deserve that — he never will.

“I really am sorry.”

You‘re at a loss for words as he shifts past you and silently lets himself out of your apartment.

Stay safe.

You frown as you whip around to the closed door, recalling the words he’d whispered to you when walking out. They fill you with a hopeless sense of dread and irritation that you can’t possibly manage to keep at bay for long.

And your frustrations do quickly surface — in the form of hopeless tears, with soundless sobs sneaking out of your throat that have you crippling to the floor.

That was almost 3 months ago.

By now, you’re not over it. You’re not over it in the least, and you’ve never lied to yourself or anyone else about that. That doesn’t mean it’s any less harder, but denial is simply just another fruit that you’re not willing to pick in the end.

Because there are already plenty of other nights that fill in the absent spots that denial leaves. Times where you’re too empty to eat, when you’re too lonely to sleep, and plenty and plenty of nights where your sadness tries to blame Gavin for your troubles — but, you can’t. The part of you that still believes something isn’t right just can’t bear to.

And so, you spend every moment of every sorrowful minute reminiscing, even if every single one of them is not your choice.

You don’t want your heart to drop into your stomach at the mention of his name. But it does. You don’t want to let a single person control your emotions like this, but you do. It’s meaningless to even claim that you want to feel this way, but it’s all too worth it to be the only one that knows you at least deserve better than your worst.

You want to get back to working at your best. You want to enjoy your favourite things again. All you want — all of it’s just out of reach for now. But, without him, without the reason that had torn you apart, you fear it’s impossible.

Yet, ironically, he was the one to teach you that nothing is impossible. He taught you that anything you chose to put your mind to, you could do, and now, you’ll be trying to use that very advice to piece everything back together.

Starting with him, of course.

There’s, of course, still that aspect that sticks out to you as wrong; something you haven’t been able to shake even after months of general, yet still mutual, silence on the subject. Whether it was the hesitance in his eyes or the sadness in his voice, you refuse to believe that it’s the end of the line. Especially considering Gavin’s own personality in regards to you -- it had always been in his best interest to keep you in the safest hands, even before you began to see each other as more than friends. So, it’s not as if you can completely rule out that possibility yet.

But, Gavin is like a lock. And sadly, it’s one that you lost the key to long ago.

Every time you encounter him, whether he flies you home, or helps you with a detail concerning something at work, he’s nothing but friendly and lithe in the ways he interacts with you. There’s little evidence of the hesitation you could’ve sworn that you saw that night, and it discourages a certain part of you greatly.  

Still, you don’t want to give up. You feel like doing that would be like casting it to the side -- or more accurately, labelling the situation as plainly unimportant. And no matter what, that isn’t true. You want answers more than anything; concrete ones that won’t leave you with a bad taste in your mouth anymore. Answers that even if you didn’t like them, they settle your questions all the same.

Yet, you can’t help but feel pressured to.

Time after time he ignores the unsaid words floating in the air above you, and smiles without pain even when it’s obvious that you do.

maybe I was wrong?

You think hard to yourself one afternoon, right after Gavin had just dropped you off at home; unincidentally, of course. You can’t think of anything else, really, but the heartbreaking possibility that you’re concerned over nothing and Gavin really has just fallen out of love as he said haunts you more than anything else ever has.

That night spent alone is by far the worst.

But unbeknownst to you, a certain someone’s nights vary little.

Gavin feels tremendous regret. It’s a gnawing, aching feeling to know that while not only he lied to the love of his life, he is by no means closer to solving the problem that forced you apart. Three months have passed with only average progress on the particular case, and without you by his side, he can’t help but feel anxious every step of the way.

He feels time and time again the urge to tell you the truth, even if you choose not to accept it. And not just for himself -- but also for you. The way you’ve changed over time is terribly obvious to him if no one else.

But you aren’t a switch he can turn on and off at will -- your happiness is relative to only yourself. He just finds himself wishing that if not him, at least you could find the opportunity to live happily without him for now. He sees the way the emotions in your eyes rise and fall whenever he interacts with you. And though it gives him little insight into what goes on behind closed doors, it makes him feel bad all the same.

Because he knows it’s his fault, and wants nothing more than to get things over with so he can tell you the truth you deserve.

And finally, one day he realises that he might be closer than he thought.

“Gavin.”

He looks up to greet the man who’d just walked in, but thinks better of it when he sees his expression. This particular case had been handed to Eli first, as it fell more under his category than Gavin’s, but was extended out to him in lieu of progression.

That much alone told Gavin that this mission was unlike any he’d done before.

Usually, missions take mere days to complete -- up to about a week at most, but this one has been stretching on for months. It makes him anxious when he thinks about how long Eli had been at it before him, but all Gavin knows he can do nothing more than try his best to shorten it.

“What is it?”

“I think you should see this.”

A newspaper, dated to only a few weeks ago, is tossed on the table in front of him. It doesn’t really look to be anything special, with the headline only referencing business moguls and trivial local news rather than information they’re looking for.  But, just as Gavin goes to open his mouth, he notices an article on the bottom of the page. It’s small, barely even noticeable, even, but the moment he reads the first words his eyes widen.

His eyes flicker up to meet Eli’s, who’s standing there with a small smile on his lips.

“Is this--?”

“Yep.” Eli nodded. ”Good thing I actually stopped to read it this morning, huh?”

Gavin’s lips curve up into a distracted smile, his attention returning to the newspaper and ultimately the little article about a missing persons case -- one of the very same they’ve been following. Listed under a few incidents is a woman’s name and information -- all average details such as height and weight that would inform anyone in the public of any specifics.

It’s nothing that they haven’t already uncovered, but there are certain details in the article itself that strike him as odd.

“Time and place of abduction.” Eli fills in the blanks before Gavin can even find the words to speak. “Whoever wrote this article somehow managed to get a hold of the cctv footage from that night and put it out to the public.”

“Spiteful of them to do that,” Gavin mumbles, his grip around the newspaper tightening and loosening with every absentminded flex of his hand. “Especially when we’ve been trying to get it for months.”

“I don’t know, but, let’s not jump to conclusions. Maybe they were just lucky.”

He turns to Eli with a dubious look on his face. “The footage is protected under the ownership of the residence, and not to mention, the permissions you need for it can take months. There’s no way they were just lucky.”

“Look, fine. I agree, okay? It shouldn’t have been possible, but here we are.” Eli shrugs, cutting the argument off even as there was more hanging in the air. “What if they just got special permission from the courts or something? Isn’t that possible?”

Gavin shakes his head. “No way. These processes take a while no matter the circumstances, remember?”

“Fine, then let’s find whoever put this article out and make them tell us how they got their hands on all this stuff.” Eli obviously can’t hold back a smile any more, patting Gavin on the shoulder a bit too lightheartedly for the other man’s taste. “Maybe we’ll be a little closer to finishing this all if we do.”

Finishing.

Gavin turns the word over in his head what feels like a hundred times, but no matter how he looks at it, it’s good -- really good.

He stands up and ceremoniously returns his partner’s smile. “Okay, then let’s do it.”

But, before they even have time to breathe, a new setback finds its way into their plan

“Wait.” Gavin does a double take when, hours later, Eli finally announces the company responsible for the article.”That can’t be right, it’s--”

Eli interjects with a sigh. “___’s company. I know.”

“It’s a production company, though. They don’t do articles and stuff, do they?”

“It’s not uncommon for companies like that to have different departments or whatever.” Eli shrugs. “And the article in question would check out, I guess, considering how close they are to the street with the cctv we’re trying to get.”

“But last time I talked to her, she wasn’t doing anything like that…”

“When was the last time you talked to her, then? Maybe it’s just a recent change or something.”

Eli asks the question nonchalantly, but is really none the wiser about Gavin’s situation than he was when everything began months ago. And so, the words do nothing remind Gavin of memories and mistakes, sending an involuntary strike of pain through his chest.

When was the last time I talked to her?

Not long ago, he thinks. Not long ago at all. He remembers distinctly all of the times he had encountered you on the street, or the times he’d flown you home after a carefully acted day out.

But when was the last time he’d really talked to you? Held a normal conversation?

He finds himself squeezing the hem of his shirt, so hard that his knuckles begin to fade into a sickly white. It’s like a punch in the face to realise something so late, but he can’t help but consider it a bit of a blessing to even recognise it in the first place.

“You know, this makes it easier if it’s just ___.” Eli interrupts Gavin’s downspiralling thoughts, resting his chin on his hand as he says, “We can just ask her about it face to face, then we don’t have to bother with the paperwork for requesting an official interview.”

And around an hour later, that’s how Gavin ends up in front of your company’s doors, cursing Eli and his cluelessness.

He swallows the ball of nerves in his throat and fidgets with his hands for a moment, but he knows that he can’t stay there forever. Everyone around him moves unabridged and casually, whether it be while talking on bluetooth or out on a late afternoon jog. He may not be the only one around that’s stuck in the past, but he sure is the only one taking time to dwell on it.

He uses that much to prompt himself inside.

The inside of the building is just as he remembers it to be, if not the same as it was months ago. It’s the little things he notices, like the familiar fake plants sitting in the corner of the waiting room, or the painting hanging on the wall that you’d mentioned was a gift from your dad a few times.

He’s relieved at least one thing is still familiar.

“Hey stranger. How can I help you?"

Gavin instinctively turns towards the voice, his eyes momentarily widening when he sees who sits behind the reception desk.

"Anna? What are you doing up here?” He gives your friend a polite smile as he makes his way over to where she sits. “Where’s the receptionist?”

She sighs, shaking her head. “He quit a few days ago, so your girlfriend put me up here on duty.”

Gavin pulls his lips into a thin line, trying to hold back his surprise. She didn’t tell them?

“Um, anyway, speaking of ___, where is she right now? I need to talk to her." He changes the subject as quickly as he can manage, and thankfully, Anna doesn’t seem to notice that was the intent.

“Right now? Should be up in her office finishing paperwork.”

“Okay, great. …Do I need a pass or anything?” He asks this, but regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth. They're suspicious, of course, and it’s a dumb question regardless.

Anna gives him a deservedly strange look.

“Um, no, of course not.” She tries to ease the suddenly tense atmosphere with a laugh. “Just go. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

“Right,” He laughs nervously and briefly giving his thanks, steadily walking towards the direction of the elevator. When he steps inside, though, he lets out a long sigh. The previous awkward interaction left an embarrassed sting in his chest, and the familiar oncoming heartache of seeing you again will no doubt only add to it.

So, he spends the entire minute of the ride downright terrified.

It’s not like everything is magically resolved when your door opens either, though. The moment he hears your voice acknowledge his presence from inside the office, it’s appropriate to say that his heartbeat doubles -- or even triples, in just seconds.

But contrary to what he expects, your eyes still light up upon registering his face. He doesn’t understand why you’re happy to see him, but he welcomes it regardless.

“Gavin! It’s nice to see you.” You give him a friendly smile, but the all-too familiar feeling of anxiousness still lingers in your expression.

Startled, he just smiles back as he says, “Yeah, likewise. How are things here at the office lately?”

“Ah,” You sigh out a laugh. “They’re fine, but I’m sure you’ve already heard from Anna that our receptionist just quit. It won’t be hard to find a replacement, but it still kind of sucks since he was responsible for coffee runs.”

Gavin winces novelly, playing into your slightly joking tone. “That does suck. Who’s been going instead, then?”

“Minor offered, thank god.” You smile, a sliver of joy finally peaking through your tired eyes.

“That’s good.” He nods, slightly relieved at the sight. “I wanted to ask you, though, I saw an article in the paper that said it came from your company. Since when have you thought to put articles in the paper? I never heard anything about it from you, so--”

You interject, “Articles? We don’t write articles. That’s not the type of company we are.”

He blinks.

“Your company, though--” Gavin fishes his phone out of his jacket, where he pulls up the article in question. “This traces back here.”

Your brows furrow as you lean forward to read the screen in his hand, unaware of the way his face begins to heat up when noticing your concentration. On the other hand, he’s very painfully aware of how your brows twitch as you read it over, and even more so to the way your lips twist in apt concern.

Gavin spits out an explanation in place of the straining silence, and you nod along, though you take in every word at half its worth due to your own racing heart.

“We have basically no contact with the owners of that building, so we wouldn’t be able to get the footage either even if we wanted to.” You explain steadily, hiding your nerves in the squeeze of your knuckles beneath the table. “I don’t remember giving anyone permission to even write something like that, anyway.”

“Would someone else have given permission, then? Or, alternatively, do you think someone put it there for any other reason?”

“I can’t think of another reason, but there are definitely other people in the building who can give permission to employees, of course. “ You push a laugh. “I’m not the one sole source.”

“Anna can do almost everything I can, so maybe she did. Try her next.”

With that, the conversation trickles off weakly. It’s unbearable to do so, but Gavin leaves the room with a clambering heart. He has no doubt that things ought to be difficult if this is what he’ll be returning to, but still saves face for the chance that everything will turn out okay.

And around an hour later, he exits the building carrying all the information he needs.

“Eli, the guy’s gone and quit.”

His partner looks up at him with locked brows when he returns to the STF. “Our article writer?”

Gavin purses his lips and goes silent in thought, but it’s all the answer Eli needs. Gavin’s chest is heavily wrought with regret and disappointment that spans over multiple reasons, but he merely shakes out his shoulders and takes a seat down next to the other man, concealing his face in the way he always has.

Eli only turns a blind eye to Gavin’s front.“I guess that’s just our luck, but it’s still okay right now. Did you get any details about him?”

“Yeah, I managed. I’m not completely sure they’re real, though.”

Gavin hands Eli the small slip of paper that Anna had scawled the man’s information on and explains as he reads it over.

“Anyone else probably wouldn’t get anything out of this,” Gavin says, referencing only the name and phone number of the man in question written on the paper. “But since we’re here, we can probably do something with it, at least.”

Eli nods along as he speaks, and upon skimming the information, a pleased smile curves at his lips. “At least? We’ll have to run them, but it seems viable enough to me -- maybe even enough that this can finally give us the info we need to close the case.”

He returns a smile at the thought.

“I hope it does.”

Gavin’s mind brings him back to a few hours prior, where he watches himself trip and stumble over himself around you through the pitiful eye of his own memory. It takes a lot of him not to frown outwardly at his mistakes, but little to gain the determination needed to fix it. What happened then, that’s not how it’s supposed to be, and he knows it.

The memories switch to happier times when his heart finds it in him -- the starry and clear night he finally kissed you on the ferris wheel, the buzzing warmth of your arms around his torso when he goes a strategically fast speed on on his motorcycle, and of course, the moments where all he can see is you smiling in front of him, looking just as delighted as you always have been.

It’s just out of his grasp, but Gavin finds himself hoping that it’s still in his reach.

Because, in his mind, nothing is truly unattainable. And that philosophy goes for everything, but is most virtuous when it becomes the bearer of good news.

“Everything about this guy checks out for now.” Eli says this from his spot at the database station days later, turning his head over his shoulder to where Gavin is checking the contents of his utility belt from across the room. “So, I’m not sure that much precaution is necessary, Gavin.”

The other doesn’t even look up at his remark.

“Better safe than sorry. You know that.”

Eli just laughs and nods, obviously in a good mood regardless of his partner’s hesitance. “Ok then, whatever you want.”

Gavin gives him a dubious look, but otherwise goes back to his business.

“It’s not like we have much to expect, anyway.”

But, whether or not you expect something doesn’t deter fate. It seemed easy enough at the time, anyway -- so there was no reason for Gavin to doubt their plan even as he walked up to the man’s presumed address.

He eases into the situation by knocking on the mahogany door softly, calling out with what Eli had long called his ‘business’ voice.

“Police! Is anyone home?”

Gavin notes a candle in the window out of his peripheral vision and instinctively furrows his brows. Whoever’s here, the perp or not, it’s clear that they’re at least not one step ahead of him.

So, with that in mind, he makes the split decision to try the door. And much to his surprise, it opens without a lick of trouble, even the hinges not making the slightest sound. He purses his lips slightly as he comes face to face with the dark entryway he was expecting, yet still chooses to silently draw his weapon before stepping into the building.

And the moment he locates a pair of eyes in the dark, he knows his decision to do so was correct.

He clicks his tongue with the shift of the safety lock, his expression instinctively hardening even though he’s sure that the person can see just as much as he can.

“Come out with your hands up!”

Gavin’s voice doesn’t waver, but neither does the faceless figure in the dark.

Multiple sets of footsteps echo throughout the entryway, but Gavin doesn’t let them make a show. His eyes stay locked on the same unblinking ones that had drawn him in, and cocks his gun as if in warning.

Maybe they actually are one step ahead.

“I’ll say it one last time -- and that goes to anyone in the room. Come out with your hands up.”

His voice is cold, and if it were ordinary people standing around him, perhaps they would have listened. But, the thugs surrounding him have little in common with the regular citizen, most startlingly obvious in the weapons they hide sheathed in their belts; daggers engraved by the agency they belong to:

BLACK SWAN COLLECTIVE

The last thing Gavin can recall is the sharp pain of someone thrusting the handle of one of the said weapons into the back of his head, immediately sending him into a darkness he tried so hard to avoid.

Maybe it’s futile, useless even, but as everything goes black, he can’t help but think of you.

“You aren’t seriously planning on wearing that, are you?”

You look back at the exasperated voice that interrupts your shoot preparation, the recording equipment in your hands shifting slightly with your deep sigh.

“Victor, it’ll be hot once we’re on set, I promise.” Sending him only a brief smile, you continue to wrap the cords up. It’s quiet long enough that you naturally assume he’s left, but a few minutes later, you feel a presence at your side taking the last microphone and starting to mimic the same process you’ve been at for what feels like hours.

Victor takes in a near silent breath as he places the microphone in its case, zipping it shut with such familiarity that it momentarily muddles your brain. It’s been almost two years since you’d met him for the second time, walking into his office only to meet his cold voice and fearsome business methods. You’re subconsciously glad that you’ve gone through so much together, albeit tough, because your relationship has moved far because of it all.

“...I’ll grab a jacket before we leave.” You look up and flash another smile at him, but this time, you try to make it seem like you mean it. He seems to notice your hesitance regardless, but the look in his eyes still lifts slightly as he nods wordlessly.

The location of the shoot itself isn’t very far-close enough that the transportation won’t be taxing-but the stakes are still high nonetheless. A reputable American fashion outlet had reached out to Anna around a month ago asking if your company would consider filming an episode featuring some of their pieces, and even without asking you first, she had accepted in a heartbeat.

You couldn’t be mad at her for obvious reasons, of course, but you almost considered thanking her for a separate reason, too -- because it somehow seemed to line up on the perfect date.

It’s a hard pill to swallow even as you think about it, but today, the date of the shooting, is your and Gavin’s would-be year anniversary.

Without this shoot, there’s no doubt in your mind that you would be sulking at home otherwise, halfway through your second or third depression nap of the day. But instead, here you are, conversing quite normally to Victor and feeling a little less hopeless than you expected.

Your mind momentarily flickers to him, though, as if habitually. You can only imagine what he’s feeling like right now, sadly, but you still can’t help but pray that at least a fraction of him feels the pain you do

“___!”

Then someone calls your name, and suddenly, you’re back to work again.

One of the main focuses of the episode for your team is the outfits people on-screen wear, of course. But otherwise, the episode itself features a local meteorologist aiming to spread more information and awareness about the conditions of the recent continuous snow. It may not be known to be directly related to superpowers as of now, but as the producer of Miracle Finder, it’s your job to find miracles, and not only those of the supernatural kind.

“Okay, Victor, let me know when everything on that side is good. I’ll check over here.” You say this and wait for nothing more than a nod before going ahead and double-checking with all of your employees that stand ready to record.

All of your operations for the day seem to be going smoothly, so you shoot a quick thumbs-up to the main cameraman. As soon as your arm is back down at your side, though, you notice your phone buzzing from the pocket of your jacket.

Anxiety habitually runs through you as the screen lights up with a blocked number, unwillfully taking you back to all the times you’d been directly contacted by the unknown officers of Black Swan. It startles you so much that you think about letting it ring, but in the last moments, you decide to pick up.

You release a short breath of relief when an automated voice reaches your ears, and you even find yourself feeling a bit dumb about freaking out over nothing. Yet, while you think, a few words the robotic voice says catch your attention and send your heart into another panicked frenzy.

a wind evolver.

You bite down on your lip subconsciously, hoping that you heard wrong.

The voice says an address with its now eerie-seeming tone, and you squeeze your eyes shut as tightly as you can when the line cuts off without warning.

It’s a prank call. You think, not noticing the way Victor’s eyes finally find your worried ones from across the room. Gavin’s completely fine.

You stuff your phone back in your pocket with a resigned huff, a sour feeling settling deep in your stomach the longer you just stand there. Certain possibilities begin to habitually fly through your mind at a rate where you can barely discern them from one another, but each one leaves you with the same aching in your gut -- the same aching that has saved you so many times.

So, you take your phone out again and dial the number you know by heart.

The line’s continuous ringing suddenly seems ominous, and somehow worsens when you’re greeted by Gavin’s voicemail. But, you don’t want to give up just yet, so you find another name in your contacts that could potentially help.

Eli and you don’t communicate often-at least, not much outside of the times you see him-but he had given you his number soon after realising how close you were to Gavin, only just in case. You didn’t think there would ever have to be a ‘just in case’ scenario -- at least, until now.

Thankfully, he picks up after the first couple of rings, his familiar voice bringing a small smile to your face.

“Hey Eli,” You return, your smile growing slightly at the soft sound of recognition he lets out.

“___!” It sounds like he sits up straight before continuing. “It’s nice hearing from you. What’s up?”

You take in a hesitant breath before starting. There’s still a small chance that you’ll be asking baseless questions, and as embarrassing as that might be, you know you’d rather take it than the alternative.

“Well, it’s something with Gavin.” You say. “I just got this weird phone call saying something about him, and now I can’t get a hold of him. Is he with you?”

Eli doesn’t respond for what feels like a millenia, but then, the soft sound of a keyboard fills your ears, so you opt to wait patiently. He unabashedly picks the phone back up a few seconds later and sighs.

“..Do you remember what the phone call said?”

You recount the automated voice’s words and wince at how Eli curses under his breath. If anything, you know it’s at least not a good sign.

“What? What is it?” Dread spirals through your chest as you ask, habitually expecting the worst.

“Gavin went on a mission last night. He told me he’d get in touch when he finished, but he hasn’t yet.” You can almost hear him contemplating from across the line. “___, thanks for calling, but I’ve gotta go now--”

“Wait!’ you quickly interject, garnering the interest of a few production crew around you. But, you pay no mind to them. “Let me come with you.”

“What? No, ___, you’re not coming with me. Gavin would kill me if I got his girlfriend hurt!”

“Eli,” You sigh, a fingertip’s length away from sitting down to massage your temples. It seems that Gavin had chosen not to tell his colleagues about your breakup as well, but that doesn’t help the massive headache it causes every time to explain when someone catches on. “Gavin and I broke up 3 months ago. And now that that’s out of the way, I’m meeting you at the STF in 20 minutes, and if you aren’t there, I’m going to that address myself.”

He’s silent for a few moments before he lets out a reluctant agreement, only to peg on a few rules at the end that you just nod to.

“...20 and that’s it. Any more and i’m leaving without you.”

“Then I'll be there in 15.” You challenge, unable to contain your smile when you hear his resigned laugh.

“Then I’m counting down, ___.”

You say your goodbyes and hang up the phone, quickly thinking to find Victor. It’s unethical to leave during the middle of a shoot and you know he’ll give you crap for it, but you pray that the case of emergency will balance him out, even if it’s just a little bit.

You whisper his name until you’re able to wave him down, unable to help your nervous smile as he approaches you.

“___? Why aren’t you over there monitoring those--”

“I’m really sorry, but there’s an emergency that I need to--”

You cut yourself off when you notice Victor’s surprisingly unreactive face.

“I need to, um, be there. To help with it.”

Victor’s sigh feels heavier than usual as he crosses his arms, hitting you with his signature dubious look. But, the words that come out of his mouth aren’t at all what you expect.

“You look like you’re expecting me to decline something I have no right to keep you from doing in the first place.”

His words take a few moments to process in your jumbled brain, but before you can even react, he begins to shoo you away.

“That means go, dummy.” A soft laugh escapes his lips as his expression begins to melt. “I’ll tell your coworkers, just try to hurry back so I’m not blamed if something goes wrong.”

Your face perks up at the unexpected but appreciated development, shifting with a wide grin as you thank Victor as many times as possible before slipping away. While you weave your way through the distracted crew members, your phone mimics a lead weight in your pocket-- something that’s almost painful to ignore

But you only keep walking, putting on a brave face and praying that Gavin is okay.

“Nineteen minutes, ___.” Eli tells you this as soon as you hurry through the STF’s doors, tapping his smart watch with a familiar smile. “What happened to that fifteen you were talking about?”

“Shut up,” You scoff, unable to hold back your smile as you shake your head. “Would you really have left without me, anyway?”

“You know the answer already. But enough about that, come with me and I’ll catch you up a bit before we head out.”

You descend into silence as you follow Eli to the research room most frequented by the duo over the past few months, listening to the man skim over the events prior while somehow still leaving no semblance of a detail out. It’s faster than you expect, his explanation, yet it leaves you with very little gaps in the story between Eli’s and your own accounts.

“But, ___,” Eli begins as he picks up his jacket, meeting your eyes with such intensity that you almost flinch. “Make sure that when we’re there, you stay behind me no matter what. If they took Gavin down…”

He doesn’t need to finish.

“Yeah,” You choke out softly, berated by the hazy image your head provides of Gavin being so easily overpowered. “I will.”

Eli gives you a small reassuring smile before leading you out of the room, checking that every piece of his equipment is on correctly as he walks. An involuntary chill runs down your spine at a catch of his expression -- his usual carefree smile replaced with the solemn air that you would expect from an officer.

And you don’t like it one bit.

Gavin’s eyes shoot open, drawing a sharp gasp from his lungs as he slowly begins to regain consciousness. But the crackling sensation that floods his chest cuts him off before he can even so much as catch his bearings, begetting an irritated wince from the already tired man.

His vision is clouded by not only exhaustion, though, as the room is also dark in what feels like an unreasonable manner. Absolutely nothing is clear, whether it be what had happened beforehand, or even what lays a few feet in front of him. But in the meantime, another sharp pain forces him to look down and find out.

Rope burns his wrists as he twists his hands, trying to gauge a location for the extreme pain that has suddenly popped up. Gavin curses under his breath as he looks at the gruesome beds that used to hold his fingernails, snippets of memory coming back to him as his eyes rake over the beaten skin.

“You’re in no position to protect her anymore. Give up.”

A curt voice had induced Gavin to look up hours before, glaring into the tepid eyes that already stared back into his own.

“Ya hear that, pretty boy?”

The second and last black swan officer in the room had leaned over slightly as he engaged Gavin, but stood up straight again when the first gave him a subtle yet strong look of warning.

Gavin was silent throughout the exchange, though in his mind, he knew they were talking about you. Black Swan’s interest in you had all but lessened in the recent months, much to his and the STF’s displeasure. Knowing that they were after someone so powerless but not having the slightest idea why -- that scared him beyond belief.

“Your silence will change nothing,” The first man said, calmly re-buttoning his long coat. “Wind evolver, I’m afraid this is it for you.”

Gavin squeezes his eyes shut upon recalling the interaction he’d tried arduously to forget, inadvertently biting his lip so hard that it disturbs the blood already dried there. Disappointment and pain go hand in hand while flaring through his chest in equal measures.

He even briefly considers using his evol despite how little energy he has left, but is painfully aware of what it would take to escape if he did.

So he stays still, his mind racing far too much to notice the pain. Because even if he should, it’s not him that’s he’s worried about --

It’s you.

Meanwhile, seemingly worlds apart from the danger Gavin perceives, you sit in Eli’s passenger seat, safe and sound yet fueled by the vehicle’s general silence. A part of you thinks that you should be scared, but only because you know it wouldn’t be refuted as much as if you said how you really feel.

It’s not necessarily wrong to be determined, though. And because you’re sure that if your roles were reversed, Gavin would think the same, you don’t ponder on the subject any longer. There’s no use in worrying about something you’ve already set your mind to.

And your intuition proves to be correct.

Upon arriving at the designated address, Eli immediately comments on how normal everything looks, and you can’t help but nod your head in agreement. It’s a small traditional style house that you stop in front of, yet to have signs of people inhabiting it other than the few candles to be seen behind some of the shaded windows -- too ordinary for a place that supposedly serves as a lockhouse for Black Swan

“...It doesn’t really look like anyone’s home.”

“Good. Let’s just hope the bastards have left so we can get in and out, then.” Eli says, squinting at one of the windows while noiselessly drawing his gun. “We don’t want to spend any more time here than we need to.”

Eli wastes no time after you hastily concur, very obviously ready to stay true to his words and making quick work of the lock. The entryway is small and homey, but it has an odd smell to it -- one that’s familiar, but not so much so that you can directly pinpoint it.

It sends an involuntary chill down your spine just thinking about it, though Eli says nothing about it, so you choose to do the same even if it’s difficult. He’s too busy surveying the area to notice your hesitance anyway, and you don’t blame him. If your sources are correct, Gavin is somewhere nearby. There’s no time to be distracted, no matter the circumstance.

With that in mind, you force all of the bad premonitions away and focus on the matter at hand -- and the fact that Eli is looking more sceptical with each passing second. It’s understandable, how his eyes flit around uneasily enough for the both of you combined, but you feel yourself getting impatient just watching him.  

“Eli…” You mumble, elbowing him and giving him the liberty of pretending not to notice when he flinches. “Let’s start looking.”

His gaze falls to meet yours, and after a moment of thought, he nods. “Fine. Just stay close, okay?”

You don’t have any qualms with that.

Following Eli around as he checks each room is an unexpectedly stressful job, not knowing if Gavin lies beyond the doors until you get the chance to peek inside yourself. The call you’d received earlier burns hot in your memory each time you do so, the voice’s words of warning towards a so-called wind evolver damning.

It’s a scenario you don’t want to delve into, but is unfortunately a reality you have to be ready to accept.

It takes a few attempts to locate the right place, though it’s all-too easy in the long run; almost worryingly so. But even so, that doesn’t stop you from nudging Eli aside to see the scene better for yourself.

The smell you’d noticed at the entrance is potent here, and with a scrunch of your nose, you finally put a name to the hazy smell. It’s the same one you’d become acquainted with after spending so much time in the hospital months back, and while grotesque, it’s almost intimate in the way you remember it.

Narcotics; the pills and liquids you were given to ease your pain each day and night, hang in the dense air.

Tears fill your eyes as you make your way over to where Gavin sits abandoned against the wall, uncertain of where to start. Bruises litter his exceptionally pale skin almost to the point of disfigurement, and the parts of his hands that are visible from where you crouch down show the empty beds that used to hold his fingernails.

You’re afraid to touch him.

Eli comes up beside you, his hurried footsteps conveying the worry you both feel. But unlike you, he has little problem in taking action immediately, taking Gavin’s wrist and feeling for a pulse.

He doesn’t speak, but Eli’s expression tells you enough.

You take your leave quickly after, relaying Gavin to the nearest hospital and tearfully handing him off to the startled nurses. As you sit, Eli takes the opportunity to fill in the doctor assigned to Gavin, even showing his badge to stress the severity of the situation.

The entire ordeal takes days.

Life all but goes back to normal afterwards, your schedule ultimately flipping on its head with the man you love unconscious in the hospital. The rounds you make to visit him are constant enough that you even acquaint yourself with some of the nurses that frequent his room in the time you’re not at his side.

But even they are incapable of soothing your worries.

Gavin feels nothing but sparkling white pain. Whether it’s burning or freezing to the touch, he can’t tell, but it’s an awfully persistent sensation. It’s confusion personified, and like quicksand, he finds himself unwillingly drowning in it. It’s similar to the lights he sees when he first opens his eyes again -- washing everything out with little effort.

Gavin’s gaze adjusts to an unfamiliar ceiling in due time, and soon after, his ears catch up to pick up the faint sound of a beeping heart monitor. Copious amounts of his senses return to him at once, launching him into a coughing fit that makes him very abruptly aware of the warm presence at his side.

They call his name, though their voice is hardly distinguishable.

But, then they reach out and cup his cheek, delicately rubbing their thumb over the shallow cut that lies there. The intimate touch is unmistakable from then on, the way it caresses his skin familiarly soothing him.

“___…”

Your name leaves his lips in a single pant, his eyes squeezing shut as his coughing suddenly begins to cease. You almost find yourself holding your breath as you look on at him, waiting for another sign of life.

And soon enough, his eyes begin to open again, slowly focusing on your face from where you lean beside him. Gavin’s lips turn up in a small smile, and he makes no attempt to hide the affection that oozes from his gaze.

“___.” He repeats your name, his emotions stretching out control as tears come to his eyes. A thousand things flash through them at once, baring both things you expect and things you don’t.

“...Are you okay?” You ask hesitantly, your hand shifting to cup the side of his head as you study his expression. “Does something hurt?”

Gavin only smiles in response, bringing a hand up to cover his eyes as his body shakes silently. You stare at him for a moment, at a slight loss of what to do when you realise you can’t distinguish whether he’s laughing or crying.

“I’m so sorry, ___.”

You don’t understand.

“What?” Your brows furrow as tears begin to prick at your eyes yet again. “What are you apologising for? None of this is your fault..”

Gavin shakes his head, inadvertently cutting you off.

He lets his hand fall back down to his side, allowing you to see his puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. You can only stare at him as he continues to avert his eyes, ultimately surprised at his uncharacteristic outburst.

“I thought limiting our contact would help keep you safe.” He weeps quietly, his cheeks flushing from what you assume is a healthy mix of embarrassment and emotion. “But I caused us both so much pain. Every day I was held back by the possibility of messing everything up and never being able to see you again…”

Your heart flutters and drops all in the same motion.

I was right after all?

The memories recall moments stretching back to months ago, to all the moments you spent doubting that everything was really done; that you were really expected to move on like nothing was wrong. But hearing that your suffering wasn’t in vain somehow makes it seem like it was all worth it in the most twisted way.

“But look at you,” You interject softly, releasing a stagnated breath as Gavin looks on at you. “You’re here, next to me, and Gavin -- I won’t leave you. You won’t mess up, and everything will be fine..”

Your words fall out little by little as your eyes well with tears, but every single one is wiped away by the hand of the man in front of you.

Your reach up and place your hand over his. “I promise.”

Things are not all well, and little is fixed when you leave the hospital for the night. But somehow, you still feel like it’s just enough.

Gavin arises hours later feeling like his body is full of lead, unable to even open his eyes enough to focus on the dull light of the setting sun. But it’s with that alone does he realise that you’re no longer asleep next to him.

It makes him anxious in his delirium to think about how you’re probably home well by now, doing a face mask and scrolling casually through social media despite the unceremonious hour. You’re in the perfect spot for someone to take advantage of, namely referring to the Black Swan officers he’d recently become acquainted with.

But you’re blissfully unaware of his worries, making your way back home without an inkling of similar emotions in you. If anything, after months of your future appearing gray and blurry, the unexpected clarity of the situation eases something in you.

It’s a relief how lucky you’ve been.

Gavin’s thoughts go to the same concept as he pulls the thick hospital blanket off of himself, lips twisting into a thin line. It’s a miracle you’ve both managed to get so far -- and luck, unfortunately, only stretches so far.

It’s easy to get his original set of clothes back from the nurse, who seemed weak in the knees from the moment he approached her. The shirt smells distinctly of bleach, though his head feeds him the putrid scent of his own old blood regardless of how well it had been scrubbed out.

Getting out is the harder part. While the on duty nurse had been kind enough to slip things like his phone and badge back into his pocket, it was hell convincing the receptionist to let him check out even when he opted to show them his badge. Though eventually, with his name and number written down haphazardly on a loose scrap of paper, he’s given tight permission to leave temporarily.

The night air sends a chill down Gavin’s spine, and the quick change in temperature has the bandages covering his body sticking awkwardly to his skin. He tries to alleviate the discomfort, but the air currents feel odd in the way they swirl around him, somehow unfamiliar in the few days he’d spent locked away.

Though he shakes this away, writing it off just as he has hundreds of times before.

It’s harder than he expects to fly the short distance to your apartment. His healing wounds give way to a slight headache that only interferes more with the air around him. When he drops himself on your balcony, he practically has to lean over to catch his breath.

Gavin’s brows twine delicately together as he clears his throat a final time, straightening up and making sure there’s no sign of his trouble before knocking on the glass.

He smiles when he notices you padding over in your slippers through the sheer curtain. You seem casual enough that it lets him release a breath, relieved that his worries were for nothing. But then you suddenly open the door, catching him off guard once again.

“Gavin?” You’re rightfully shocked at his sudden appearance, the moonlight lining his quickly drooping figure in silver. “Why are you here instead of the hospital?”

He sighs gingerly, averting his eyes with a sheepish smile.

“I… was worried about you.”

You purse your lips lightly, your eyes going up and down his injured body. It’s hard not to notice the way he stands unevenly, no doubt to hide his limp and alleviate the pain in his torso -- but that much shows in just the way he slouches.

As if on cue, Gavin fumbles, letting himself come down into your waiting arms. His breathing is hard in your ear as you stroke the back of his head, cutting down a bubbling sigh in your throat.

Of course he came to check on me.

“You can barely stand, Gav. What were you thinking coming all the way here?” You lean back to see his tired face and chatsey him gently. “You need more time.”

“I was worried about you, ___.” He reaches up hesitantly to stroke your cheek with his thumb, silencing you for a split second as you watch him.

Gavin’s voice is raspy, showing not only his fatigue but also the pain he tries so hard to hide. “Can you allow me that much?”

You pull your lips into a line and look over his face. His eyes search yours simultaneously, but for what, you aren’t sure -- a sign of forgiveness? Leniency? You only know that whatever he wants to find, he probably won’t.

“Why would you be worried about me?” You ask, brows coming together in a delicate sign of frustration. “You were on the verge of death only days ago!”

He lets his hand fall from your cheek as he exhales. “I know. But your name is passed around a lot when it comes to the black swan officers. This time was no different.”

You don’t respond.

Gavin takes your silence as an opportunity to continue. “So, I decided that after my evol leveled out, I would come and check on you. Just to be sure.”

“But what I don’t get, is why you couldn’t wait?” You say, your eyes narrowing slightly as his ajar mouth closes slowly. “You’re nowhere close to being healed. And if you were that worried, I’m sure Eli or someone would’ve--”

He interjects, his eyes darting away. But you don’t miss the way they soften. “Because I owe you this much, ___. I hope you can understand what I mean.”

You do. The things he had said when he first woke up in the hospital, about the situation and the pressure he hoped to alleviate, it all connects back to where you stand now. So, as much as you hate to admit it, Gavin isn’t completely in the wrong for coming.

You nod, sighing in renouncement.

“Yeah. Yeah, Gavin, I do understand. Sorry.” You say it a bit reluctantly, your eyes shifting down until Gavin catches your face in his hands again.

His lips turn up in a small but attractive smile as he nods. “Hey, don’t apologise for being concerned. I love you for caring.”

You could almost swear that you’re hearing things, but looking up into his eyes, you know you aren’t. Your eyes narrow again, but this time in a more goading manner.

“What’s that?” You hum quietly, smiling up at him as the distance between you slowly begins to close.

Gavin gives you the charming smile you missed, his lips brushing yours as he speaks. “I’ll say it as many times as you want, as log as you never forget it.”

The kiss is soft and slow at first -- as meaningful as it should be, but it steadily transitions into what you’ve been holding back since the moment you met eyes again. His hand shifts languidly to cradle the back of your head, augmenting the already rising feeling in your chest.

His hands mould to you as time drags by, seemingly slowing down in your interaction alone. It makes you happy knowing that some semblance of your buried attraction is still eager to pop out again.

Everything passes by quickly after that point, to the moment you’re standing inside again, pulling away from him.

“Gavin, it’s late, you need to rest.”

He looks at you with a boyish glint in his eyes, his lips twisting slightly.

“Let’s stay up later.”

You step aside to pull back the covers on your bed for him. “But it’s sleep! You know, that thing you need to function--?”

He cuts you off by pulling you back up for another kiss, laughing with you as you ultimately decide to return his affection. But, then he catches you by surprise and lifts you into his arms.

“Ok!” You squeal in delight as you’re dropped right down onto your open bedsheets, your hair splaying messily around you. “Five minutes, that’s all!”

“Ten!”

The worst day of loving someone is the day that you lose them. But, one of the best is when you earn them back.

[all-things-mlqc]

Okay, I just ask these random questions, just so you know. 😅Have you played MLQC game? Have you watched the Anime? What you think of it so far? Who is your favorite?

No worries at all! I love answering any and all questions you guys have~ Answers under the cut!

I do play the game! I’ve played MLQC since the release day and am fully caught up in the main story (I read new chapters in a day). I’m a MAJOR Gavin stan, have all of his dates unlocked and done as well as his rumors & secrets so my knowledge on the man is more than it should be and I am open to any questions regarding him. Same goes for Shaw even though he’s still quite new in the game and only has one karma in the eng version at the moment.

I’ve watched the anime as well! Been waiting over a year for the anime so you bet I was there and ready to watch the live stream even without English subs don’t worry I rewatched each episode like 5 times with the subs. I’m actually pleasantly surprised with how well done the anime is. They’re covering very important parts of it without spoiling too much. The game definitely covers more minor details than the anime but we’ve also had some unknown details confirmed in the anime which has actually helped game players piece things together. The anime is fast paced which I don’t mind at all. I actually prefer it this way since the beginning of the story is pretty slow overall. The story gets A LOT darker and intense so I’m excited to see how far the anime will cover.

As you probably guessed, Gavin is my bias with a side of Shaw and Kiro. I love Kiro to pieces. To be honest, this week was the first time I haven’t finished an episode the hour it dropped just because Shaw appeared. I was maybe expecting him to show up next week but MAPPA said “ha u thought” so I’ve been recovering from that all day. I’ve loved Kiro from the start as well but Gavin has had me hooked ever since I saw that bird cop flying around like it was a normal Tuesday.

Thanks for the ask! I’d love to know your thoughts as well so feel free to leave a comment~

[crimson-snowfall]

I'm gonna give you one from each fandom. Ikevamp: Vincent Ikesen: Yukimura Ikerev: Luka MLQC: Gavin (Seems I have a bias, either soft Bois or soft Bois with a touch of Tsun 😂)

I've already done Gavin from MLQC (see previous ask) and I haven't really read Yukimura nor Luka's route yet (I started playing both Ikesen and Ikerev just this year ;w;) so I'll choose Vinny from this one~

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

best quality: He's an absolute ray of sunshine and his route was actually one of the best that I've read, he's so sweet and has made me smile countless times. 1000/10 i would die protecting this sunshine god

worst quality: uhhhh... he can't cook. that's all. other than that he's perfect!

ship them with: MC... sometimes I self-ship with him too

brotp them with: Theo, platonically. Definitely not in the yaoi way lol no

needs to stay away from: SHAKESPEARE

misc. thoughts: ngl out of all the ikemen guys i stan Vinny is undoubtedly the kind of guy I'd date in real life... if such a guy existed, that is. oh but then i'll feel bad for that guy too if they'd have to put up with me

alright folks i definitely didn't expect this to blow up so fast, i still have a few of this on my ask box but I'll get to them when I get some free time later... or tomorrow. tomorrow most likely

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Fluffy alphabet, please for Kiro! Letters A K T Z!

Hello! Oh, Kiro! He's my second bias in MLQC. Anyway, here you go...

A - Affection (How affectionate are they in day to day life? Do they show their affection publicly or are they more affectionate in private?)

Kiro is king when it comes to Public Display of Affection! This guy needs to have skin contact 100% of the time when you're together. He's the type who would stand very close to you such that your shoulders or your arms touch while you're standing in line at the newly opened Ice Cream shop down Sunshine Road. If you're standing in front of him, he'll wrap his arms around your waist, bury his face in your hair, and breathe in the cherry blossom scent of your shampoo. He also wouldn't mind dropping kisses on your shoulders from time to time, all while asking why the line isn't moving. You don't even object or stop him from his excessive display of affection because you know it's a lost cause anyway. 

He's more affectionate in private. He'll prepare your favorite snacks and tell you to sit on his lap while you both go over the script of his latest project. Every now and then, he'll take a break from reading to gaze lovingly upon your face. He'll kiss your cheek and say, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world because I get to be your boyfriend."  

This sweet guy wouldn't mind being spoiled by you, but he would really rather spoil you.  

K - Kisses (What kind of kisser are they? Are they passionate or shy?)

He showers you with many different kisses. There are feather-light kisses he usually gives when you're out in public, and there are bolder, more passionate kisses he gives you behind closed doors. 

He loves kissing your lips, and won't ever forget the first time his lips captured yours right before he went on stage during his anniversary concert. You had been going out for a month already, but all he's ever done was kiss your cheek after each date. That evening, he was feeling a little bolder, so when you stopped by backstage to wish him good luck, he took the opportunity to back you up against the wall, and lock his lips with yours. His sudden attack made you nervous at first (because what if someone walked in on the two of you, right?), but you soon lose yourself in the heat of the moment. Since then, whenever you could watch his concerts, he'd always ask for a good luck kiss. 

T - Together (How clingy are they? How long do you spend together per day on average?)

Since he's often away for weeks at a time on concert tours or filming on location, he values every single minute he gets to spend with you when he's on break. While on the road or in between takes, the charming superstar diligently surfs the net in search of ideas for your next outing as a couple. He also makes it a point to call you everyday because he knows what a worrywart you are. 

On his precious time off, he'd usually go straight to your apartment and hang out with you there. This boy is clingy! He wants to spend every minute with you to make up for lost time, so he follows you around like a puppy. 

Z - Zzz (How heavy of a sleeper are they? How do they sleep? What mood do they wake up in?)

Depending on the kind of day he's had, Kiro is usually a light sleeper. He usually sleeps curled up on one side. You remember him telling you how he was always lonely before you met, so on your first night together, you spooned him and for the first time in his life, he slept peacefully. 

He's usually chipper in the morning when he wakes up next to you. You can expect to wake up to a flurry of kisses because he couldn't help himself, especially since you helped chase his demons away while he slept. 

I hope you like this, Anon. Sorry for the wait. 💕

[simplyotometrash]

Kiro Headcanons!

He’s my MLQC bias ❤ I adore this sunshine boy so fucking much

Mentions of sex

Kiro is the self appointed King of Fun

Spontaneous dates at any and all hours of the day or night? Hell yeah! You’d better be ready to just be pulled into random dates! 

He does this for one main reason: He knows he is away a lot and he wants to make as many memories as possible.

He loves his job so much but because of his love for you he has a love-hate relationship with it. It keeps him away from his honey and he doesn’t like that!

But he does everything possible to show his love. Affection all the time.

If he is free and you are free, you’re together.

Theme parks, going out to eat, video games, picnics. You name it, you’ll do it. He’s even ready to whisk you away on a vacation out of the blue just so he can spend time with you.

So many songs about you!!! He can’t write about you by name but he makes sure you know they’re about you.

Personal concerts in your living room or kitchen at 2 a.m. when you guys can’t sleep and are making noodles.

He doesn’t have to be Superstar Idol Kiro. He can just be....Kiro. No gimmicks, no tricks, no nothing. Just Kiro. He can truly give you everything he has and more.

He has two love languages: Touch and gifts. 

Let’s start with touch

When you’re together, Kiro can’t keep his hands off of you. This is not inherently sexual. He just loves little touches.

Like draping your legs across his lap while watching movies.

Or hugging you from behind in the kitchen

Running his fingers through your hair or holding your hands in his

He loves sitting you in his lap and teaching you to strum a guitar, his hands guiding yours.

Of course touch also translates into intimate moments with sex. A lot of times there are quickies, he’s a busy man with a packed schedule.

But when he can, he prefers things to be slow and sensual. He wants to take his time and map out every last inch of you. He wants to hold your hands while you make love. 

Kiro can be serious when he feels like it after all.

Now onto gifts

This is a man who is definitely beyond rich. He could give you anything and everything because of what he makes as a star.

He does get you gifts from everywhere he goes. If he sees something he thinks you would like, he gets it for you.

But he gives you more than that. He makes music solely for you. There are songs he will never release because they are gifts for you. 

Sometimes he can’t just take you on tour (most times) because Savin won’t let him. So instead he takes you on vacations and day-trips. He considers them gifts as well. They’re things that are just for you.

He will spoil you rotten.

He gets to just let loose and not be an international sensation when he’s with you. He gets to feel like a person.

Being a star, it’s easy for people to forget that he’s still just a human like everyone else. But you let him be normal. You don’t treat him differently besides joking comments or teasing words.

If he’s the sun, then you’re the stars.  

Thanks for reading!!

[cuddletime-blog]

My Reactions to MC Meeting the 4 MLQC Male Leads

Victor: Very handsome, but he's just not my type. Standoffish boss man and critical CEO, but my opinion of him has changed somewhat since then.

Gavin: I would stan Gavin if only I wasn't so interested and attracted to Lucien first. Gavin is an ideal first love/true love.

Kiro: I appreciate his bubbly, sunny personality and enthusiasm, but it feels over the top for me. He feels like a younger brother to me, but my opinion of him has changed somewhat since then.

Lucien: He is my precious darling. Please don't hurt him anymore. I just want him to be happier.

Other people: Lucien has brainwashed/corrupted you.

Me: I could write pages and pages about this man, but I prefer writing poems to keep it short and sweet sometimes. For me, loving Lucien is like living in a rosy, purple fluff haze. My brain is still functional, but my heart is weak for him. Lucien is my bias. Enough said.

[mitiyou]

MLQC: First Impressions/What I Think Now

Alrighty so I’ve finished Chapter 10 and now I wanna look and see what I thought at first!

Gavin: Seems fine although not as interesting as the other suitors, just kinda there

Victor: Asshole™️

Lucien: Creepy? Voice is really nice sounding but he’s got something going on behind the scenes

Kiro: Best Friend material!! Just all around a quality boyo he seems like he’s always happy

And now for what I think after finishing!! Aka: Now you get to see my obvious bias

Gavin: Actually has personality!! Just seems like an all around pretty sweet guy who just cares a lot about MC’s well-being and happiness. He’s a cool dude!

Victor: Asshole who actually has a heart but is too emotionally constipated to show it. He’s a cooking boy!!! I love food so that was nice!! He does have funny lines and has made me laugh but just,,,, be nice it won’t kill you man.

Lucien: He’s still got something up his sleeves!!! What’s he hiding!!!! I got a lot of his dates and they’re constantly hinting at his spookiness but never fully explain it like I wanna know!!! All in all he seems fine but he does have moments that make me go “ehhhhh that’s a lil suspicious”

Kiro: This guy is amazing!!! From the moment MC meets him he just seems so kind and sweet and that definitely doesn’t stop!! He’s a genuine friend and always radiates optimism. My absolute favorite moment was when they were running around with the camera and filmed the shoot by themselves. It just seemed so adorable and something I’d definitely do with my best friends. They just click well in personality and I’m loving the development from friends to something more! He also is happy a lot but does have moments and just- ugh I don’t want to spoil too much but he does have a deeper layer!!! This guy is pretty much my match in terms of an actual relationship I’d have. We are the one brain cell club and I’m living for it.

[theincompetentgenius]

hi! I saw that you do matchups; I’ve always wanted to receive one!! so, I was wondering if I could please get a match up for IkeRev and Mr. Love if possible? I’m very quiet and sort of shy. I’m quiet, I’m afraid to speak unless spoken to. I’m funny, that’s what my friends say. I like making people laugh! I really love writing photography. I’m also interested in history and linguistics. I really love cats. I have two at the moment — one at home and one with me at college. Thank you!!!

Alrighty! I know I’ve been almost MIA, but I found the time to write some matchups. So let’s get started!

Ikemen Revolution

Blanc Lapin

With Zero’s route finally out, my first thought was to pair you two together. Both of you are shy and sweet, which would be absolutely adorable to watch. The soft, blushy interactions would make my heart burst!  He’s the best boi who’d always keep you happy, but I’m not sure how you two would open up. Both of you can be very quiet, resulting in long silences. Hence, why I went with the bother best boi--- Blanc! Just like Zero, your best interest is his top priority, but he’s much easier to engage in a conversation.

Blanc is everyone’s favorite tour guide! He’s super easy to get along with because the man has absolutely no problem talking to other people. From the moment he introduces you to the Cradle, the tension in your stomach slowly disappears.

The record-keeper will be initiating most of the conversations, making sure that you’re feeling situated in your temporary home. It would be rude of him to not ensure your safety when it’s partially his fault that you even got into this mess, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to speak and display more of your personality.

Your humor gives Blanc quite a few chuckles. It’s nice to see someone who knows how to make others laugh, especially when the Red and Black armies are going through one of the most turbulent periods in history. While you may not realize it, Blanc has a soft smile plastered on his face every time you make a joke. He just can’t get enough of it.

Since you’re super interested in history, you’ll understand his fascination with the Cradle’s history. While he can’t tell you many of the Cradle’s secrets, there are harmless historical stories that he can share with you (because they are common Cradle knowledge). You’ll listen to him with your full attention, pointing out the parallels between the history of the two dimensions. In return, you can’t help but burst with all the cool historical moments on our dimension. 

If you’re not quite ready to share it with Blanc, he’ll ask you about historical events in our dimension. Although he’d been there before, he doesn’t know a lot about it. He’s more than happy to hear you speak and won’t pressure you into talking for more than you want. To him, just your presence is enough to make his day.

Another Possibility: Zero

MLQC

Lucien

My first option was to hurl you at Kiro. Why? Because you’re a soft little introvert while he’s a plushy extrovert! Again, a super cute combination that I would mark with an A+. However, I read over your description with multiple times to ensure my introvert x extrovert trope bias wasn’t affecting your matchup. And lo and behold, it was. It didn’t take long before I realized you had a better suitor for you.  That’s right, our shady king Lucien! I swear I did not cheat and look through your blog I SWEAR

Lucien is very charismatic-- there’s something about him that draws you closer to him. Some might say he’s a walking red flag, but he has a natural charm to him. It only natural that your guard down around him.

Besides, he’s such a gentleman. Lucien is really good at reading people, so he’ll understand when you’re feeling uncomfortable or have something to say. He’ll do whatever he can to include you in the conversation. The scientist is interested in hearing your thoughts. Your quiet demeanor makes you a puzzle that he wants to solve.

Although the man is buried in his research, he’ll make time for you and your writing. Lucien notices that something you really like to talk about writing, so he makes it his unofficial duty to be your editor. Even though you’re considered about his well-being (he’s already writing millions of research papers at the expense of his sleep, should he really be editing your papers?), your favorite neuroscientist enjoys reading your latest creative pieces. It’s a productive break from all his other work.

He’s an amazing editor. Because Lucien has lots of experience writing papers, he’ll be able to help you find errors in comprehension, organization, and grammar. Additionally, he can provide you with extra information and resources if you want to write about the human body (especially the brain). However, if you ask him about the brain, Lucien will begin to ramble. While he’s super cute when he talks about his passions, he’s completely lost you within the first minute. Don’t worry though, he’ll make a simple analogy to help you understand all that mumbo-jumbo.

As I said, I’m a major fan of blushy interactions and who else would give the perfect amount of blushy interaction? Lucien teases you because he loves to watch your cheeks grow rosy pink. While you stammer and trip on your words, Lucien can’t help but let out a small chuckle. You’re so adorable to him and your embarrassment only makes you cuter.

Another Possibility: Kiro

[crimson-snowfall]

Gavin from mlqc?

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

best quality: He's really protective of MC in his own ways

worst quality: I'm fairly new to MLQC (and I actually play on the SEA server which is MLDD) and from what I've read so far (only read up to Ch 8)... he's withholding a lot of information from MC? idk how much he's not telling her but maybe it wouldn't hurt to... just let her on a little more about the reality of the situation than just tell her to be careful all the time when it seems that MC is a trouble magnet

ship them with: MC

brotp them with: Lucien (for some reason I ship almost everyone with Lucien)

need to stay away from: no one I guess cuz he can handle himself?

misc. thoughts: I'm still pretty undecided as to who my bias is in MLQC but I'm really leaning towards him as my #1 ~

[cuddletime-blog]

My 100 Days of MLQC with 20 Questions

Since it has been 100 days since I started playing Mr. Love Queen’s Choice (MLQC), I wanted to answer some questions to celebrate my 100 days occasion and share with you some of my thoughts and experiences about the game.

1.    What is my in-game name?

It is Elise and I happened to choose this name because I like Beethoven’s song Fur Elise. Elise also coincidentally happens to be a French name, which is short for Elizabeth (which is also the name of 2 English Queens and Lucien’s name also happens to be French as well.)

2.    What is my current level in the game?

Level 67

3.    Who is my bias?

Lucien

4.    Why is (insert character’s name) my bias? I like Lucien because I fell for the flirt and his sweet talk. I wanted to be wooed. I came to find a romance and Lucien delivered almost ASAP. I was drawn to his mysterious personality and was curious to learn more about him and what his motives were for MC. However, my favorite reason why I knew Lucien was my favorite guy was because I started writing poems about him. I am getting tired of how the writers are making Lucien seem so angsty/sad/tonely/tragic, but I will choose to be patient. I don’t think I would like to change my mind about picking Lucien because he is so interesting and inspires my fanfics and poems. I enjoy discussing and writing about Lucien.

5.    What are the rankings of my favorite MLQC male leads (in descending order)? Lucien, Gavin, Victor, and Kiro

6.    What do I like about MLQC and what do I dislike about it so far? MLQC has a unique and very interesting story, the guys are all attractive, and I wanted to learn more about MC and the male leads’ mysterious pasts and their connection to one another. Also, it is the first female-oriented game that I’ve encountered that has a theme or storyline involving superpowers (Evol) and science fiction. I like how the game gives players freebies sometimes and I like the daily quests. Additionally, I really like how well-written the dates are. They are creative and I enjoy reading the dates about MC and each of the male leads. I anticipate more angst in later chapters so I dislike how the storyline has been developing so far. I dislike the schedule for SR events because they seem to be too brief and we get back to back events one after another without much of a break in between events. I also dislike some of the more challenging aspects of game, such as how difficult it is to acquire more Memory Stardusts and how difficult it can be to succeed at City News sometimes. I find City News to be more frustrating. Farming/collecting items to Evolve and star up Karmas can be repetitive/tiring/boring after a while. Playing the game is fun as long as you continue to collect new Karmas and advance within the storyline Chapters.  I wish City Strolls was better translated sometimes. City Strolls takes longer to complete, but I feel the rewards are quite worthwhile so I am satisfied with City Strolls.

7.    What has been your proudest Achievement so far in MLQC? I would have to say that I am proud anytime I can get 3 Stars on all of the required stages for Normal and Elite Chapters or get past the 24th level of 24 Hours Challenge. Getting 3 Stars for Footages can also be difficult sometimes. I’ll be very proud once I can obtain all of the shards to combine for my first SSR Victor Gentle Confrontation from the 24 Hours Challenge store. I chose to acquire all the SR shards first since I was too impatient to wait to collect more SSR shards.

8.    Are you a free player or not?

I am a free player so I have not spent any money on the game.

9.    How do you keep up with MLQC updates? I follow MLQC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Discord.

10.  ???? (Please help me fill in more questions)

 Please reblog if you are interested in sharing and feel free to comment below. Ask me additional questions about the game or my experiences playing it. I would also like to know why you enjoy playing the game so far.

[theincompetentgenius]

Matchup

Hello!!! I followed you a little while ago and I love your writing! I decided to give this a shot because I would love to see what you think!!

I ask for my three fandoms to be Ikemen Revolution, the arcana and ( if you want ) MLQC! I have very curly hair, grey eyes, and average height. I’m a huge history nerd and can’t help loving a new book/fandom. One I start something I get extremely invested! I’m very introverted yet strong in my opinions and beliefs! I can be sarcastic, and I absolutely love to laugh. Laughter truly is the best medicine. One thing I pride myself in is that I’m independent. Whenever my friends or really anyone needs help I’ll be there and I try to be dependable. I’m sweet until anyone crosses me then it’s hard to gain my trust or loyalty back.

Thank you so much once again! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!

I’m so sorry about the wait! I’ve been so tired lately, but now I’m feeling more energized. Hopefully, this was worth the wait!

Ikemen Revolution

Kyle Ash

Sue me, but Edgar is usually the first person that pops into my head when I see that someone is sarcastic. I just really like the idea of Edgar having a love interest who's just as smart as he is, but I had to go back and double-check to make sure that my bias wasn’t affecting my judgment. At least know you know your second possibility lol. However, I realized that you would make a better fit with Kyle! You (or your description at least) reminded me a lot of Kyle’s MC-- sweet but firm. 

I really like the idea that you and Kyle would have a lot of friendly bickering. Kyle can be rather eccentric and it won’t be long before you feel the need to say something about it. You would throw in a sarcastic comment and Kyle would only add more fuel to the fire by opening his mouth. While you two fight, Edgar is in the back shipping you guys.

But in the end, the entire thing would just end in fits of laughter because you couldn’t help but throw in a silly joke to end the exchange. Even if Kyle hates the joke, he can’t help but laugh because there’s something about you that makes him smile.

Kyle would definitely appreciate your strong beliefs. It’s probably one of the first things he notices and appreciates. Since he can be passionate about his own set of beliefs, Kyle likes the fact that you two have this similarity. Although he won’t realize it (because he can be so dense), this trait will be the thing that brings your relationship from friendship to something more.

Both of you love to read! Although Kyle is more into medicinal/science-related books, that doesn’t mean he won’t be interested in seeing what you are reading as well! Introduce him to a good mystery (bonus points if it’s a medical one) and he’s going to be glued to the series with you. 

The two of you will definitely spend time talking about the different characters, headcanons, and alternative endings that you guys wanted to see. However, you better be ahead of Kyle in the novel because he is definitely the type to accidentally drop the biggest spoiler. He wouldn’t realize it until you’re screeching at him for ruining the entire series. All he can do is apologize and shrug because the damage has already been done.

As a history nerd, you’d probably have an interest in the medical history of the Cradle. Kyle would happily spend all the time in the world talking about the history of medicine in the Cradle as you draw comparisons about medicinal history from our world. The two of you speak with such passion that both of your eyes light up as you two speak. You’ll be amazed how much time passes by while you guys explain these things to each other. 

Other Possibility: Edgar Bright

The Arcana

Julian

Here we go again with my introverted/extroverted ship because this was one of the driving factors that pushed my decision towards Julian (not gonna lie though, Asra probably would have won over if it weren’t for that). If you’re an Asra stan, please don’t come for me. I’m sorry

Now Julian has absolutely no problem talking to you because he does not give a single fuck about your introverted nature. If anything, it only makes him more interested in you because you radiate that mysterious yet cute vibe. And you know Julian, he just has to know everything about everyone. That’s just his nature.

His silly attempts to get your attention would definitely humor you. Although you initially don’t laugh for his sake, you end up bursting out laughing when Julian tries to do a backflip in the middle of a bar and slips a puddle of beer that he spilled earlier.

When he gets up, his face in red from embarrassment and shame. However, you let him know that he got A+ for the effort and that you thought it was really funny. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why you never turned him down (even though he was so extra). When Julian hears this, his embarrassment will disappear and he’ll become his cocky, confident self again. He’ll give you a wink and tell you that no one does humor better than him.

He also loves your sarcasm because it makes you so much more interesting to him. The fact that you can be so sweet yet have a sharp tongue gives him a thrill since he isn’t able to predict when you’re going to be friendly and when you’re going to be sassy. However, you’re not too sarcastic nor are you too sweet. This is good because you’re not completely ruining his soul, but you’re not babying him either.

Julian has also been through a lot of rough times and it’s always at the back of his mind. In fact, most of his recklessness and facade comes from his issue of supposedly murdering Lucio and not remembering any of it. I feel like your laughter and smiles would help him through his harder days. It would give him something to smile about and lift his mood as well. Before you know it, laughter becomes his medicine as well.

Lastly, your strong beliefs are the key to keeping man from going insane. You’re the only thing in his life that’s stable and firm, so he needs you when he’s about to something questionable. Your reminders and input keep him in check, preventing him from doing something too careless.

Other Possibility: Asra

Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice

Victor

Just like your previous matches, I was stumped between two characters for MLQC: Kiro and Victor. Victor was honestly my first choice for you (I still could write an entire thing on why you two would work so well), but Kiro kept popping in my head. I was pretty much going back and forth between these two idiots, but I ended up choosing Victor.

I’m not going to lie, there is going to be a few bumps in this relationship (which is why Kiro kept popping in my head), but resolving these issues would lead to heavy character development for both of you.

Now you sound like an intellectual, so Victor would heavily appreciate that you’re not a moron. However, he’s still going to find ways to chastise you because that’s the way he functions.

Although you may be introverted, you know how to hold your ground. So when Victor goes too far in his bashing, you’re quick to point out that he hasn’t been helping you at all. His critiquing is only hurting your performance because you don’t have a mentor or guiding figure. 

Victor will probably tell you to “grow up or get out”, but he’ll realize that he was indeed being too harsh. It will allow him to take a step back and reevaluate how he interacts not only with his employees, but everyone around him. He’ll also admire the fact that you had the courage to tell him the truth because everyone else is so afraid of him. It’s not every day that someone stands up to his attitude.

Ironically, this will bring you closer towards him because now he respects you and he knows that you’re going to be honest with him. Although you can be shy, you’re not afraid of standing up for your ideals, especially when Victor crosses the line. 

Once you guys get close, Victor’s heart beats faster every time he watched you laugh. Although he won’t admit it, your laughter is extremely cute and it truly brightens his day. He might call you a moron when you’re laughing at something silly, but you’re his moron.

Now comes the issue with your independence. Victor likes to take control is everything and that includes relationships. If he feels that you’re unsafe, he’ll try to protect you with all of his power. However, you probably won’t be fond of it after a while. This might create a clash between you two.

However, I see you confronting him about it and asking him to respect your independence. He’ll definitely be confused and a little hurt by it, but Victor will realize that his grip has been too tight. Once this happens, there will be so much more trust in your relationship and he’ll understand that you can protect yourself.

Other Possibility: Kiro