#trust me there's still plenty of tension/chemistry/flirting going on lol

[phoenix-downer]

34

Thanks for the ask! This prompt is from this list, and this particular one is “A kiss to pretend,” so without further ado…

Kisses and Lies

“Oh shoot, I think they’ve spotted us!” Kairi said as she anxiously glanced over Sora’s shoulder at the men in uniform behind him. They were supposed to be tracking these guys undetected through this mall, but apparently their cover was blown. 

Sora quickly looked around to see if there was anywhere they could hide. A cart? A bush? Anything?

Kairi had a more immediate solution in mind. She grabbed his face and said, “Quick, kiss me!”

A confused, “Kairi, wha—” came out of his mouth before she managed to cut him off, smooshing his lips against hers. His arms hung dumbly at his sides while she wove a hand into his hair and did her best to devour his lower lip.

She broke away long enough to hiss, “Sora, don’t just stand there, kiss me back!”

“Er, sorry—”

He was used to fighting Heartless and stuff, not going on undercover missions. But if this would throw the local guards off from noticing they were here, well… 

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, then joined their lips together once more. This kiss was much more successful than the first attempt, probably because he hadn’t been taken off guard this time. Memories of warm summer evenings spent on the Play Island together filled his mind, and he let his eyes flutter shut as he lost himself to the kiss. It wasn’t like Kairi was doing anything to stop it, either. She was letting the kiss go on and on and on in a way that would’ve scandalized all their friends back home. Maybe this meant… maybe this meant she still—

She pulled away and glanced behind them. “All clear,” she whispered, then blushed as she realized there was still a strand of spit connecting their mouths together. She quickly wiped her mouth and cleared her throat, as if that could wipe away what had just happened between them. 

“Sorry for springing that on you,” she said with a sheepish smile, “I kinda panicked and didn’t know what else to do. At least it worked though, right?”

“Oh, um, yeah,” he said. “No one wants to watch two people making out. Good thinking, Kairi.” 

He turned away from her for a moment to get it together. Of course that kiss didn’t mean anything. Kairi was serious about this mission, and the kiss was just one step along the way to successfully completing it. It was a distraction, a diversion to throw the guards off their trail.

Too bad it had distracted him too. 

“Sora? You okay?” she said, and even without looking he could picture the concerned look on her face. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied as he adjusted the baseball cap on his head and straightened his jacket. 

The truth was, he was anything but fine. That kiss had awakened old feelings in him, feelings he thought had been dealt with a long time ago. Before he and Kairi were assigned on this mission together, the painful fog that had clouded his thoughts and memories had finally started to lift, but now—  

“I’m sorry, that was out of line,” she said. “Very unprofessional. My brain just… blanked, and that was the first thing that popped into my head.”

He plastered on a smile and faced her. “It’s okay, really. We needed to keep our cover intact, and now the mission can continue. No harm, no foul.”  

“If you say so,” she said as she chewed her lip. “I know… our breakup was really hard on you—”

Sora really wished she would drop it. The less he thought about how she’d chosen to break up with him, the better. So much for the paopu fruit keeping them together forever. He hadn’t tried using One Heart, the most powerful magic he and Kairi were capable of, since the night of their breakup, either. The last thing the worlds needed was another one-winged angel. 

“What’s in the past is in the past,” he said. “We don’t have to talk about what happened. It’s all behind us.”

He started walking towards the food court, and she followed after him. She had to walk quickly to keep up with his long strides, and he hoped that meant she wouldn’t try to talk.

No such luck.

“But that’s the thing,” she said, her voice low. “We didn’t really talk about it at all. You just… ran off the next day, and I didn’t get to see you for months.”

“That was the point,” he muttered. “It’s what happens with a breakup, Kairi. You stop seeing the person you were seeing so you can both get over it more easily.” 

“Did it work?”

He sighed. “You tell me.” 

She dropped the subject after that, thankfully, and he figured now was as good a time as any to eat.

“Here,” he said as he handed her enough munny to get herself lunch. “Get whatever you want. I’ll meet you at that table over there in ten.” 

“Okay.”

He watched as she made her way over to a restaurant that served Chinese takeout and sighed. Even with her hood pulled over her hair and her arms stuffed in her pockets, she still looked great. 

Curse his brain for trying to make him as miserable as possible. And no fair that she’d gone to the exact restaurant he’d had his eyes on. Oh well. Guess he’d have to try the Greek place, that looked pretty good. Some of the stuff on the menu even reminded him of the food on Herc’s world, and the line wasn’t too bad. 

When she joined him again, he was about halfway through his kofta and rice. She opened up her white takeout box and attacked the rice and stir-fry inside with her chopsticks, eating gracefully despite how hungry she must be. 

“That looks really good,” she said in between bites as she glanced at his food. 

“It is,” he said. “It’s similar to the stuff on Herc’s world.” 

“May I try it?”

“Sure.” 

He watched as she deftly snatched a piece of the kofta from his fork and savored it, her eyes fluttering shut as she enjoyed its taste. It reminded him of all the food they’d shared on dates, of how much he’d enjoyed giving her new things to try. 

“Wow, that really is good,” she said with a smile. “Thanks for sharing.” 

“Glad you like it.”

She was silent for a few moments, then said. “Sora, listen—”

He shot her a warning look. “If this is about earlier—”

“I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

He grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth. “Really, it’s fine. It was just a fake kiss. Just pretend. We’re both on the same page about that, so there’s nothing to worry about or apologize for.”

Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped a little despite his reassurance. Her eyes were fixed on her plate, too. 

“Yes, of course,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure you… felt the same way I did about it.” 

“No worries there,” he said, plastering a smile back on his face. “That kiss meant as little to me as it did to you.” 

Her head drooped a little more. “I see.” 

“Now,” he said, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his gut and pulling out his Gummiphone, “let’s talk strategy.” 

She was still staring at her plate like it held the answers to the universe. Time to try a different approach. 

“If we put our heads together, Kairi, this mission will be a success before we know it.”  

She lifted her head. “You really think so?”

“Yeah, of course. We work pretty well together.” He smiled sadly. “That much hasn’t changed.”

The sooner they got this over with, the sooner Sora wouldn’t have to be around her anymore. And yet… a stupid part of him wanted to be with her. The old, foolish Sora that wouldn’t let go of her. But another part of him didn’t want to be with her, the newer, wiser Sora that was better at not getting his heart broken.  

Why were feelings so complicated? Following his heart had never been an issue before, but now his heart was pulling him in about ten different directions, and he didn’t know what the right direction was. 

She nodded. “You’re right, we do work well together. It’s no wonder we got paired together for this mission.”

Sora still felt like cursing Master Yen Sid for coming up with this idea, but now that Kairi’s smile had returned, his anger and frustration was dissipating a little. Curse her smile for having that effect on him still. As much as he hated to admit it, that kiss had been anything but pretend for him. It didn’t matter what lies he told Kairi or himself. A small part of him still cared for her. 

No, that was a lie too. The part of his heart that still loved her was anything but small, and their kiss had made that blindingly obvious. Sora, local idiot and laughingstock of happily partnered people everywhere, was still desperately in love with Kairi, his ex-girlfriend of over a year who had willingly broken up with him. And knowing his luck, which was about the worst of anyone he’d ever met, she would figure it out soon too. 

No, that was another lie. As she looked into his eyes and smiled, he knew she already knew. 

Curse his eyes for being an open book. Curse his face for being so terrible at hiding his feelings. Curse his heart for still being in love with someone who was no longer in love with him. He could only hope she would keep things professional. For that, he would pretend for as long as he needed to. 

And maybe, just maybe, it would stop being pretend for her. Maybe it would become real, like the fake smile on his face that was quickly becoming genuine in response to her smile, like the hearts he’d willed back into existence when everyone else had given up hope they’d be saved. Maybe there was more truth to her smile and to the sparkle in her eyes than she was letting on. And if experience had taught him anything, it was that even lies revealed something of the truth. 

That was the best thing about make-believe. If they pretended long enough, maybe, just maybe, they might get their storybook ending and happily-ever-after in the end. It was no guarantee, and yet… maybe the legend of the paopu fruit wasn’t wrong, after all. 

Whether it was a lie or the truth, Sora would allow himself to believe in it again. And maybe with time, Kairi would too. 

[lizacstuff]

Bölüm 45 asks

Plus a few asks from 44, and one about the fragman for 46

Read more under the cut

Anonymous asked: I cannot believe that Ayse revived the "Kemal is Serkan's real father" theory but I think I'm down for it? At least now Kiraz has one decent grandparent and he seems like genuinely nice man. I've been wishing for him to have some scenes with Serkan because the way they set up this S2 plot, they could relate to one another and I was sad to see that he spent 5 years hiding instead

I'm down for this plot! See, now that I know they're doing the long-lost-father plot, it makes all the sense in the world why Serkan doesn't like Kemal and they didn't forge a relationship in the last five years. If they had, then finding out he's his dad would have been a lot less jarring and dramatic. Finding out now and then forging the relationship I think will be a bit more meaty story so it works for me.

To me this story works on a lot of levels, and makes sense with who Serkan is and his very strained relationship with Alptekin. It's like Alptekin sensed it, and resented Serkan his whole life. For those worried that Serkan will no longer have the last name Bolat, I'm not sure where that's coming from. Maybe I'm just not familiar with other cultures, but that is his name, Alptekin raised him, adults don't just up and change their name because of genetics. If you're adopted and you meet your bio dad as an adult, you don't change your name to your bio dad's.

Serkan's name is very much a part of his identity. Which is why this story has so much potential, because it could shake Serkan to his very core to find out who he thought he was, was wrong. He thought he was unlovable, most importantly maybe he'll finally realize there was more at play there and it wasn't at fault.

Anonymous asked: There were a couple things in the last episode that didn't sit well with me. 1. I can't believe Eda made Serkan sleep outside at night and didn't feel bad in the morning when she realized he got sick! 2. The way Seyfi announced Aydan and Kemal's secret relationship. It wasn't his secret to tell, though Aydan did deserve the way everyone reacted. So I got over that pretty quick. 3. Burak!!! He's not the one for Melo. She deserves better and if they end up together in the end, I'm gonna protest.

1. Unless you're going to put the same energy into not believing that Serkan had the gal to remove his bed on the floor as a way to maneuver himself into Eda's bed before she was ready, I really can't relate. It was done for comedy, my advice is to unclench and just giggle along.

2. Or you could look at it as being unfair of Aydan to burden Seyfi with that secret and require he lie to his other employer for five years. I mean I don't disagree that it wasn't his secret to tell, but Aydan had plenty of chances, and it was time for it to come out.

3. This one we are in 100% agreement about. MELO DESERVES BETTER. I will die on this hill.

Anonymous asked: Hi! Do you think Serkan actually believes in Kerem's abilities (he trusts Eda's faith in Kerem) or is this part of his plan to win Eda back? Either way I'm okay, just wondering what you think.

No, I do not think he gained a sudden belief in Kerem's abilities, but I do think he believes in Eda. And if Eda believes in Kerem then when push comes to shove that is enough for Serkan. Of course, he did it as part of his plan to win Eda back. Serkan is taking every opportunity to let Eda know that he respects her and believes in her and I think this was another example of that. There was also an aspect of him trying to win over another person in Eda's circle who was suspicious of him. The fewer people he has working against him, the better! He knows he has no shot with Burak or Ayfer, so this episode he worked on Melo and Kerem. But mostly it was him trying to make Eda's life easier, by smoothing over a personnel problem she was having, thus making working out of Art Life a more attractive option for her. All of those things in one!

Anonymous asked: What do you think about Eda and Piril's friendship? This episode really highlighted how close they've gotten.

Yes, they have gotten close, and I'm happy Eda has a friend, but at the same time I don't trust Piril. This is a woman who discarded Eda and embraced Selin when she was manipulating and abusing a brain-damaged Serkan.

Eda might be able to forget, but I can't. Also as a character she's just boring, rigid and humorless. One of my least favorites on screen.

That being said I do like the triad dynamic of Kiraz/Can, Serkan/Engin, and Eda/Piril, it was fun when they were calling each other at the same time.

Anonymous asked: Idk if they reached out to Maya just because she looked like Hande considering she had no acting experience, but this little girl is like the best casting I've seen. The chemistry with Hande and Kerem is amazing. She's so expressive. I am a Kiraz stan.

She's doing a fantastic job, precious thing! I have no idea how they found her, I know she was an instagram model, but the SCK casting director strikes again. This season doesn't work if we don't fall in love with Kiraz. Thankfully, we did!

Anonymous asked: Hi! Since it seems that we will have 13 episodes, do you think that Edser reconciliation/wedding will be left for the finale, 12-13 ep? Cause Ayse loves to drag and keep them apart.

I think the wedding might be closer to the end, but I think reconciliation will be a bit sooner than that.

However, I have to say that it's really not like they're apart.. is it? I mean this episode we had them living together, sort of casually planning their future together. Next episode we have them pretending to be married and ramping up the sexual tension to white-hot-sun levels, these are all good things. With episodes like this, I don't personally consider the show dragging it out.

In fandom I see a lot of peeps upset because Eda isn't getting immediately back with Serkan and I am feeling inpatient as well, do you think the writers are making a mistake keeping them apart?

Again, I guess my response to you is, by what definition was this episode "keeping them apart?"

Yes, they aren't having sex, but they are living together, working together, raising their daughter together, and I'm a-okay with having a couple of delicious episodes of that while they are still not fully back together romantically. Let's be real, they're still waking up in bed together, flirting, and having a romantic dinner together, so it's not like things aren't moving forward, they are. I'd advise putting aside your impatience, and just sit back, relax, and let the story take its course. There is no need to be anxious with this one. They are going to end up with their happily ever after together, but what we're seeing right now is delightful. It's them in family and domestic situations, them with their child. Most shippers only dream of getting to see this.

This sort of goes back to my stance on episodes 16-24, I know that was a frustrating time for a lot of fans because they were "broken up" but I've always said they may have been officially broken up, but they were in a committed relationship that entire time. And I enjoyed those episodes from that perspective, that tension of them being "apart" but still functioning as a unit and still being emotionally tied together underneath it all. There's kind of a similar situation here, they aren't officially back together, Eda is resisting him, but they are in a committed relationship and I don't understand what the need is to rush through this part? Enjoy the sexual tension of them living together, but not sleeping together. Enjoy the rom com romp of Serkan trying to get in her bed, and Eda taking steps to keep him out. Enjoy their daughter putting them in situations that force them into close proximity, and enjoy them falling into easy compatibility without even trying. Enjoy Serkan planning romantic dinners, and Eda enjoying it despite her every effort to protect her heart.

To me this is very good stuff, and spending this time being impatient and wanting what didn't happen yet, instead of enjoying what did happen is pretty much the recipe for unhappiness not just with this show, but life.

Anonymous asked: i feel like i've seen the exact same frustrations ppl have had with eda right now back around the 20s too after serkan told her about her parents' secret. it was like, now that he's told her the truth, she should automatically forgive him and get back together. same thing happening here, with him accepting his role as kiraz's father. it feels like the same impatience that's put on eda to just forgive him already bc everyone wants happy edser and she's in the way lol.. like girl needs time!

Agreed, and it makes me wonder if these folks have ever watched television before, lmao. Patience! There's a story unfolding and from the first 6 episodes it's clear they have a season long arc planned. All in due time.

Eda spent five years thinking that Serkan stopped loving her, and discarded her for work. The second time he used that excuse to break her heart. My goodness, it's more than okay if she needs a little time to adjust and learn how to trust him again. PLUS that means we get to watch him work on her, try to make inroads, romance her, forge a relationship with his daughter and earn Eda's trust back. What's bad in that?

What did you think of the fragman? It's kind of dumb and unrealistic that they have to dance for a school admission interview.

LMAO. Yes, yes it is, but my question to you is, sana ne?

I mean why do you care if the set up is dumb or not? Or if it's realistic? It's a device to get Serkan and Eda to pretend to be married before they're fully back together and an excuse for us to see Edser smash themselves together in a sensual tangle of limbs while they pretend to be unaffected, while both are being engulfed in USTy flames.

I'm not complaining, why are you?

Come on, this show is silly, it has been from day one, enjoy the fact that we are getting silly plots that force our couple into hilarious and hot situations, because Hande and Kerem are going to give us gold, I guarantee it and I'm going to smile through every second watching it.

xxxxxxxxxx

These asks are from episode 44, they came in and I didn't have time to answer before 45 aired:

Anonymous asked: Do you think there is a point when there are too many “parallels” and it becomes more like scenes are being recycled? Because I kinda felt that way in the last episode. Like she’s just tossing in as many things as she can from those first 11 episodes but I’ve already watched those and Id rather we focus more character progression. I feel like they regressed from those honest conversations last week and were back to being petty this week.

I guess my answer is... no, I don't think there have been too many parallels. Episode 44 was partly about truth bubbling to the surface, with the biggest truth being that Serkan has been in love with Eda every minute of every day since they parted. That is a very important thing for Eda to understand and know and they really can't move forward until she does, because she felt unloved and forgotten all those years. Most of the parallels were illustrating that by showing that he held on to their history, he remembered their history and he honored it. Okay by me.

Anonymous asked: There were some amazing dialogues in the episode. I have two that tie for top. One was when Kiraz said that Serkan was her wish (when blowing her birthday candles), and the other was when Serkan said Apollo was never going to give up on the woman he loves nor on the cherries! Oh my heart had feels both times. What were your favourite dialogues in the episode?

Oh man my head is in 45 now, but both of those examples of yours were great. I loved both of them.

The other than springs to mind is while fishing, Eda telling Serkan that he didn't need to be perfect for Kiraz to love him, he just had to be himself.

Swoon.

That's so important for Serkan to hear, because he doesn't think he's worthy of love as himself, so hearing that from Eda is impactful.

Anonymous asked: reading your ep review, i think a big reason some people are hanging on to hate the s2 plot no matter what are just bc they hate the writer. of course not everyone, but a lot of people will just hate on anything she writes out of spite, even if objectively the episode is very good. idk why that is or when ppl decided they hated her but it's not warranted at all imo. i can understand not liking the premise of this season, but after watching it so far there has been SUCH an improvement edser-wise.

People can like, dislike, love, hate anything they want. Consuming entertainment doesn't have to be a team sport. That being said, from what I've seen I'd agree with your assessment. Teams have formed (Anti-Ayse, Pro-Ayse, etc) and the former are too invested in hating everything she does, the former possibly too forgiving at times. That's their choice, but I have to say I feel bad for the anti brigade, this is a show they loved, and most of them are still watching, but they've completely sabotaged themselves from finding any joy in any of it and I think they're going to regret it once it's over.

Also season 2 is so much better than I thought it could be. I honestly thought there was no way to get back to the early quality, but it's here. The show is really watchable and fun this season, and it's a shame for those who've let their attitudes get so negative that they can't enjoy it.

Anonymous asked: Ok so I'm aware this would be highly uncharacteristic of a dizi - but if they know there's only 6 eps left, my dream would be no more big bad events and just spend it rebuilding EdSer as a couple and a family. Would that be too much to ask lol. They've jumped from one disaster to another. Since we're at the end & they have the luxury of knowing it, I just want to see them working through things as a real unit. They've dated for like 7 eps out of 45? Can we get that above 10 at least????

Congratulations! Because that's exactly what we've gotten so far in season 2. Once we got past the trauma of the 5 year time jump, all the drama has been internal to Eda and Serkan and their relationship. The whole season so far has been about rebuilding Edser as a couple and a family. And if you're watching without the tauntruming twitter teens in your ear, you'd realize we ARE watching them work through things as a real unit.

I'll say this until I'm blue in the face (apparently) just because they are not currently sexing each other up, does not mean they aren't emotionally doing all the things necessary to reach their full potential as a couple.

They are. It's happening. Enjoy it.