misanthropicprinciple | PhanRift IC Inbox

Are you busy?

I'm having a little trouble with something and I think I need to talk to you.

Emergency?

Not an emergency, no.

[ Well, not an emergency yet, anyway, but she doesn't want to freak this poor boy out any more than she maybe already has. ]

I've been having trouble with magic where I wasn't having it before, I guess is the shape of it. Fire magic.

[Fair enough. Despite the reassurance, Junpei doesn't reply by text but rather by bursting onto the scene, eyebrows raised, nowhere near frightened but definitely concerned. He hurries over, reaching for her automatically.]

You okay? Are you hurt anywhere?

[Because she wouldn't tell him outright if she were, now, would she?]

[ And there he is. She's less surprised by his arrival and more surprised that he hadn't arrived two seconds after her first text, really. ]

Yes, I'm fine! Just a little shaken up.

[ Despite what she says, though, her body language is uncharacteristically... timid? Or at least that's how it looks at first glance. On closer inspection it becomes a little clearer that she's really just trying to keep her hands tucked close to her chest, as if she's nervous of letting them brush up against something while she's not paying attention. ]

No one else is hurt, either. The only casualties were my breakfast and one of the books in the library.

In the library or from the library? Hell, Yuuri...

[Uncontrolled fire magic or no uncontrolled fire magic, Junpei closes the distance and carefully gathers her into his arms, against his chest, like he'd bundle her inside his ribs if he could.]

You're already the hottest, you don't need to burn the place down to prove it.

[ Yuuri holds herself stiff for just a fraction of a second, with the horrible thought of flames and burning skin in her mind. But it's impossible for her not to relax when Junpei's holding her and she lets herself lean into him, as her shoulders sag. ]

Oh, don't even joke. I've been over enough nightmare scenarios in my head without you adding new ones.

[ But she's smiling as she says it, and the warmth of it carries into her voice, too. ]

It doesn't seem like it's any danger to me, though. I barely even feel the heat. Mostly I'm worried about... other people getting hurt.

[ The "you" is unspoken, but very obviously implied. ]

[Even as he rubs her back, Junpei cranes his neck down to sort of try to see her face.]

Yuuri. Princess. I know this is a serious moment, but please tell me I've got a fireproof fiancée.

[REMEMBER WHEN HIS WHOLE LIFE WAS DEFINED BY A GIRL WHO DIED/DIDN'T DIE IN AN INCINERATOR yeah that didn't stop being a thing.]

[ Yuuri blinks at him, just for a moment, and then gives a very tired laugh, despite herself. ]

I-- I'm pretty sure! I wouldn't exactly go and stress test it but that's what it seems like. It must come with the territory, that sort of thing.

Do you know what this means?

[Trying to distract her, to get her to loosen all the tension she's holding in, Junpei kisses down the side of her face and nuzzles beneath her chin.]

We could be a superhero duo now. Fire Lady and Time Boy. Eh, the names are a work in progress.

[ It seems like it's working – when she laughs this time, it's warmer, lighter and she stops holding her hands so tensely against herself. They settle on his shoulders but she's certainly not pushing him away. ]

I'm definitely not wearing a costume, if that's the route we're going. Not if you paid me.

[ Magical Girl Rii-san or skintight American superheroine Rii-san. She's not sure which is worse. ]

A mask? [His hands cup her face.] You have to protect your secret identity!

You really think I'd need one? Well, I suppose all those arson charges would start getting pretty hefty in the long run...

[ There we go, that's a proper smile. A proper smile and a very Yuuri look of mischief in her eyes. ]

What about you? You'll definitely need to keep yours quiet. After all, wouldn't it cramp your style if everyone found out you were my sidekick?

How about a roguish bandanna? That'd suit me, right?

[He doesn't even argue being her sidekick. That's just a given.]

It'd look interesting, at least.

[ Yuuri, that's mean. ]

Would you change up your hair, too?

[He'll wear it with the vest. It'll be perfect.]

Hell yeah. Bouncy twintails or bust.

[ She tries – and mostly fails – to keep a straight face. ]

Oh, yes. Absolutely. With the biggest poofiest ribbons we can find. At least twice the size of your head. Everyone would be too distracted by your hair to look twice at your face.

Just as keikaku.

[I hate that he can do this. I hate Junpei Tenmyouji.]

You're an embarrassment.

[ She says, not sounding embarrassed in the slightest. ]

In fact, I might be reconsidering you as a sidekick. I think you'd just cramp my style.

You love me. You love my style.

[Grinning, he lifts her up a little and buries his face in her neck.]

If you wore my vest as a disguise, literally no one would ever believe it was you.

Absolutely not!

[ She's trying so, so hard to sound deadly serious but it's a bit hard to buy it when she's laughing even as she speaks. ]

It'd keep my identity secret, but at what cost?

[Smooch smooch smooch.]

The cost of being warm and comfy and totally fly.

[ Deadpan: ] If you really loved me, you'd promise to never say the words 'totally fly' again.

[ But she's being smooched so she'd not quite as deadpan as she'd like. ]

If it wasn't part of my charm, you'd never have fallen for me. That's how it works, ojou-sama.

[He sweeps her hair back from her shoulders and kisses her one more time on the forehead.]

Hey, look at that. Five whole minutes and I haven't been stricken yet with my usual rate of stupid death. You must not be as dangerous as you thought.

[ And would you look at that – going by the look on her face, it looks like the apparent threat of imminent immolation had left her mind. Of course, now he's gone and reminded her, her stomach lurches but she makes herself ignore it. ]

... You're probably right. Especially once I know what I'm doing with it. It's just... if I ended up hurting you, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself.

Shh.

[He rubs the back of her neck.]

We'll be fine. I'll be fine. And I'll grab a fire extinguisher for the bedroom.

[ Yuuri laughs, nods and then tips her head forward so she can bump her forehead against his shoulder. He'll be fine. When he says it so confidently, maybe she can convince herself of it as well. ]

Okay. Alright. We'll work it out somehow.

[ Hopefully without anybody else getting set on fire. ]

[Hey Junpei, what are you doing? Well sometime when you're doing something at a table, there's an Uncle Shitweasel sweeping by and leaving a... cake? near your elbow.

It says Thanks for making my idiot brother talk about his healing powers on the top in what seems to be blackberry juice applied with a quill pen of all things.

It's. It's really kind of emblematic of everything Izunia is, as a cake.

If you want to say anything about it, you'd better catch him before he leaves.]

[Junpei turns in his chair, eyes the cake, and then gives Izunia a look so utterly baffled, I don't have an icon powerful enough to express it.]

How the hell did you fit all that on one cake?

[Izunia pauses... and then chuckles, pulling out a fountain pen and flipping it in his hand.]

Berry juice makes a wonderful natural ink.

Wouldn't writing on the icing, I don't know, fuck up the icing?

[Here he is to poke the cake and RUIN THE PRETTY ART. For tasting purposes. Yum.]

You've got to be very gentle with it and not press down hard enough to leave a deep furrow. Elsewise, it's fine.

Hmmm.

[He pulls a fork out of Ardyn's Armiger and gets to nomming.]

Eh. Not bad. [He takes another bite and waves his fork a little.] And you're welcome. He kinda didn't have a choice at that point, though, we basically puzzled it out.

It doesn't change that I'm grateful. Actually confronting him about hiding things... If I'd done that more often, things might have been very different.

[The smile he wears is melancholy.]

So, thank you.

[Junpei's isn't.]

Don't mention it. I love confronting people.

[It gets a surprised laugh out of Izunia, at least?]

Well, I make it a point to show my appreciation anyway.

[With his mouth full:]

Mm mmpreciame ymm mmpreciahmm.

You're welcome. I'll leave you to it.

[THUMBS UP!]

[ It's not immediately obvious what it's about, but it's hard to miss the fact that Yuuri's got a bee in her bonnet about something or other. Nothing bad, given that she's not sulky, just distracted and she seems in good enough spirits when she sets off on her business for the day.

It's a bit of a change then when she catches up to Junpei a few hours later with her arms full of books from the library and her eyes practically sparkling. It's the unmistakable look of Yuuri with an idea. God help us all. ]

Junpei, you're not busy, are you? Can I steal you for a second?

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text - evening of the day of the 🔥🔥🔥 log

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SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME AROUND NOW

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i forgot to check the date but it's whatever day that network post went up