๏ผ well-aware that it's fruitless, he is nevertheless spending much of his free time mapping out each room with the perfect recall of the sharingan.
this one, it seems, is home to several of the small, barking creatures. they are not quite dogs, the way the other animals he has come across are not quite cats, or horses, or birds, but the differences are minute at best. multiple tails, odd mandibles that are capable of becoming almost entirely unhinged to swallow prey, et cetera. they do not seem unfriendly, necessary, but neither does he wish much to do with them.
which seems to likewise be the case for wei wuxian, who is halfway up a tree to avoid them. itachi uses shunshin to seemingly teleport beside him, standing on one of the tree's branches, his slight weight barely displacing it. ๏ผ
Can you not use one of your talismans to distract them?
[At the sound of a voice—a familiar one at that—Wei Wuxian dares to lift his head and peek out at Itachi over his arm. When he spots not only Itachi but also the pack of dogs still standing there, he lets out a soft whimper and ducks his head again.
Scourge of the cultivation world right here ladies and gentlemen.]
Can't. [Is all he says. Like, he could, in theory. If he wasn't too paralyzed to do it and if he had the wherewithal to think about it, but there is something about dogs that just makes his entire brain shut off.]
Itachi-xiong. [His voice is muffled, head still pressed into the tree.]
๏ผ he is a genjutsu expert, who has had especial cause to pay mind to people's fears and phobias. his vivid gaze drifts to the circling dog-like creatures, and with the faint flicker of a one-handed seal, he summons a clone who drops to the ground and proceeds to raise a wall of fire between it and the creatures. they yelp, and scatter backwards, turning to lope into the trees. the clone follows, and itachi cocks his head faintly — it makes little sound as it disappears into the brush, but he knows his own skill. ๏ผ
It will ensure they are kept back. Are you bitten?
[He flinches hard at the yelp and then blinks his eyes open at the familiar warmth of a fire talisman, watching the wall of fire scare the creatures off. He doesn't let go of the tree yet, his eyes glued to the path the dogs and clone had taken for another solid minute before he finally glances Itachi's way. His eyes are wide and his pupils dilated, breath still coming a little irregularly.]
N-no. No, I just...[He makes a sound in the back of his throat and after another glance in the direction they'd fled, he slowly lets himself down from the tree, immediately beelining for Itachi.]
I don't like dogs. [It's said with the shame of someone who has enough self-awareness to know that he's being dramatic but is ready to argue his point anyway. He can't help it, no matter how stupid it is.
A yelp in the distance has him jumping closer to Itachi and instinctively reaching for his arm, his gaze locked on the bushes once more.]
๏ผ he looks down at that hand on his arm, his expression inscrutable but nevertheless having a very faint 'eaux de touched a cockroach in the dark' mien to it. ๏ผ
Then perhaps you should not be in this room.
๏ผ he pulls his arm away with cold deliberacy, please don't cling to him, gross. ๏ผ
[When the arm disappears, Wei Wuxian makes another whining sound but he doesn't reach for him again, instead content to stand way too close to his back and huddle there.]
[He yelps and then lifts his head to watch their surroundings as they move forward, worried that the dogs might come and attack them like the vicious creatures they are while Itachi is not watching his back.
Don't worry Itachi, he has your back. ๐
Somehow they make it through the door in tact and Wei Wuxian sighs deeply in relief, eagerly squirming out of his hold and then melting to the ground in a heap.]
That was terrible. You're my favorite person. I promise if ever there is a need I will gladly risk life and limb for you Itachi-xiong
๏ผ as if he, uchiha itachi, is one to fucking talk. once they're free of the room he just sort of gives wei wuxian a long look and then turns to walk away. free him from this conversation, maybe?? ๏ผ
[That earns a soft laugh and shaky smile and he climbs to his feet, embarrassed but still unrepentant.]
I know they're just...I know it's an overreaction. I can't help it. So I'm allowed to be grateful! [He smiles again and this time it's closer to one of his normal smiles, less shaky and more sure. Dusting himself off and rubbing his hands together to shake out the strain from holding so tightly to the tree for so long, he jogs the few steps to Itachi's side and gestures to the hall ahead.]
I expect my response will not change what you do one way or another.
๏ผ he could leave, of course — wei wuxian is not fast enough to catch him if he decided he would sooner use shunshin to extricate himself from conversation. but he is not so entirely annoyed as all that.
yet.
so he continues on down the corridor, heading for one of the other endless doors. upon opening it, he gives wei wuxian a look over his shoulder with a faint lift of his brows and then steps past the threshold. ๏ผ
[After another bright laugh, he follows along, glad that Itachi clearly has an understanding of who he is as a person. It makes things so much easier for him.
Taking that look to mean "there are no dog adjacent creatures in this room" he eagerly steps inside after him.
As soon as he's entered the room, his mood shifts again, the lightness of the corridors replaced by dark walls and bright lighting. It doesn't quite have the same look as some of the more sordid areas he'd stumbled onto, but it's close enough to have him wary. There are several tables set up around the room along with a buffet to the side, and it appears to be some kind of gambling den.
Only one of the tables is occupied at the moment and the tension at the table is palpable even as they've just entered. At the table sit five men. Four of them are closer together, their forms turned towards each other, while the fifth seated at the same table seems isolated, his body curved inwards. He's younger than the rest too, younger than Wei Wuxian by several years probably. The four men laugh while the fifth's body curves inward even more, his eyes downcast and head lowered.
Across cultures, times, and universes, there are some things that are universal. Packs of dgs that prey on the weak, he knows, are one of them.
Before he can approach or intervene, one of the men stands from his place and shoves at the younger boy, sneering when the boy trips over himself and ends up on the floor.
"Seriously, why do you keep following us around, dumbass? Just because we came from the same town doesn't mean we're anything alike!"
"It's amazing your stupid parents scrounged enough money to get you here. I bet they stole it, didn't they?"
"Nah, I bet his whore mom worked hard for it."
[The men descend into wild laughter while the boy picks himself up, and Wei Wuxian has his flute in his hands before he remembers that it isn't Chenqing and there are no corpses to raise here.
Waves of dark energy bleed off of him anyway, and he shoves the flute back inside of his robes. His fists will work just as well.]
๏ผ he knows the look of a man who has decided to solve something with violence all too well, in fact. wei wuxian moves forward, and itachi plants a hand against his chest, holding him without effort. he makes it seem deliberate — the touch of a lover, perhaps, rather than the iron-banded pressure of one who knows they cannot afford to cause a scene. he leans in as if he is going to whisper in wei wuxian's ear, but instead he uses the earpiece:
ยซ Do nothing they may retaliate for. We leave when we obtain the orb, and he will be worse-off than before without protection. Either find a way to make your assault completely unrelated to him or we will regroup and speak with the boy privately. ยป ๏ผ
[It's the intimacy of the touch rather than the words that startle him out of his anger, and despite his teasing flirtatious nature, for a second he stares at Itachi's hand on his chest like it's something that might bite him. It only takes a second for him to blink out of his reverie and incline his head in answer. Itachi is right. Even if they act in defense of that boy—especially if they act in defense—it will prove useless and make his situation worse when they inevitably leave the boy behind.
He lifts a hand to rest on Itachi's and curls his fingers around it, gently removing it from his chest as he sighs.
This would be much easier if it weren't a temporary venture. His eyes trail to the boy again and he steps closer to Itachi, continuing the charade of intimacy even as he keeps his hands to himself.]
ยซYou're right, sorry. And kicking their asses now even if I can make it unrelated won't actually help him. Any ideas?ยป
his reaction to the touch was interesting, and itachi does not press the issue. but he does remain close — keeping his back to the table where the worst of the abuse continues.
his left arm is tucked inside his kimono, against his chest. only his hand is visible and that only barely, and it's easy enough to use the space between he and wei wuxian to hide the flicker of a one-handed seal from sight. the result is the deepening of this impression of intimacy, intensified by the way he lifts his right hand to cage wei wuxian in against the wall, the sort of playful, predatory thing done for show between couples.
the clones come into existence just outside the door, and each of them transform in turn. he has no awareness of this — just the knowledge he would have impressed upon them at their creation. it does not matter what they look like, only that they do not look like him.
they enter the room in a loud, riotous fashion. drawing attention, squabbling amongst themselves. itachi turns to look at them, his expression one of wariness, faint concern creasing his brow — the consummate actor.
one of the clones picks up a tankard of liquor from the table and pours it steadily into the lap of one of the men seated there, and there's some bluster exchanged about whether they will or will not apologize for it.
the fight, when it breaks out, is more brawl than anything. his clones, containing all his sundry knowledge of combat and of spycraft, vary their body language, their style, their manner of attack. the only thing they all have in common is an uncanny ability to not be hit — for such a thing would destroy them, and it isn't something they can risk being found out.
the boy has backed away from the table, and turns to run. except, his path (shepherded perhaps by a clone or two along the way) takes him right past itachi and wei wuxian. itachi pushes himself away from the wall and grabs the boy by the back of his shirt, tugging him in near them (conveniently, this avoids him getting hit with a mug that's sailed the distance between them and the brawl, the boy's eyes are wide as it hits the wall just beyond where he'd been.) ๏ผ
Sorry! Sorry, there wasn't any time to warn you. ๏ผ everything about his tone is wrong. it's warm and apologetic and affable all at once, sweet in a way his sonorous voice never is, as cold and dark as the ocean floor. ๏ผ It seems like they were being pretty hard on you, huh?
๏ผ the boy is watching the fight, shifting his weight back and forth. they aren't bad guys, he says haltingly. you know, they just give me a hard time because we know each other. ๏ผ
Oh? ๏ผ itachi cants his head to one side, the motion meant to hide the fact that he slips his elbow lightly against wei wuxian's side. ๏ผ Should we help them, then?
[There are many things that happen in very quick succession and though Wei Wuxian is always quick to adapt, even he stalls just for a moment when Itachi cages him against the wall. After the hand on his chest, it isn't nearly as surprising, but it still trips him up for a moment and makes him lose his focus, all of his attention narrowed in on his proximity with the other man.
It would be hard not to be distracted with the way Itachi is in his space, breathing in his air, leaning in, intimate and sincere. The way all of it makes something inside of him twist and jump and generally sends his insides spinning. (He isn't stupid, he understands the ruse and what Itachi is going for. It's an easy feint in this world where—like so many others he has heard about—people don't even blink at the sight of two men or two women.) Something close to but not quite discomfort roils inside of him, and he leans in, metaphorically and physically.
Out of his element or not, Wei Wuxian won't leave room for anyone to argue that he doesn't know how to play along.
Wiping the moment of shock from his face, he eases his expression into something smoother, something playful. He drapes one arm around Itachi's neck and lets it settle there, fingers idly tangling in Itachi's hair. It's then the group of men enters and it takes him another second to realize they're a part of Itachi's plan.
Then the brawl breaks out and the boy comes running. He watches in stunned amusement as Itachi becomes someone else entirely and he shifts away from the wall to join them.
At Itachi's question, the boy shifts his gaze to the side, conflicted, and doesn't answer. Wei Wuxian lets out a soft hmm from the back of his throat and sets a hand on the boy's shoulder to catch his attention.]
Hey, they're not you're responsibility. You know...[He pauses, considering his approach.] I've seen a lot of kids here your age. I'm sure you have too?
[A pause and then a nod.]
I'm guessing you don't know any of them from before though, right?
[The boy nods, eyes downcast.]
They're the only ones I know from home. It's...I mean, they give me a hard time, but that's just how they are. They don't mean it.
Hmm maybe not. But I bet it'd be easy for someone like you to meet some new people. Face like yours? [He grins.] You'd be sure to charm them.
๏ผ the boy makes a sort of self-conscious sound, and rubs a hand against his cheek, the abortive gesture of someone used to wiping away tears.
itachi's gaze, which is currently steeped in adoration, slides from the boy to wei wuxian himself. ๏ผ
Or,๏ผ he says mischievously, ๏ผ you could help them. You know, there's no friend like an old enemy. This one here used to pull my hair all the time back in Giva, and look at us now. ๏ผ he smiles in a way that crinkles his nose and pats wei wuxian's shoulder gently, barely making contact with the fabric of his robe. ๏ผ But it's up to you. After all, you're the one they've been picking on, right? You're the only one that can decide.
๏ผ the boy bites his lip. i don't know if i want to be friends with them, he says finally, agreeing with wei wuxian's position that he should seek out better company, but i don't think it's right to let them get hurt, either. he straightens up, squares his narrow shoulders and marches back to the brawl.
some of what he says is lost in the din, but he gets the clones' attention enough that parts of his speech filters back to them— you should be ashamed of yourselves! we're in taeum! and then itachi shakes his head faintly as the boy holds out his hand to help one of his bullies back to his feet.
quietly, to wei wuxian, ๏ผ
We should go. I'll leave a clone to keep an eye on the situation, but I imagine he has it in hand from here.
๏ผ but if they linger, the boy may drift back to them. no sense in it. ๏ผ
[Watching with a soft smile on his face, Itachi's voice pulls him from the scene and he holds that gaze for a moment too long before nodding. It's a best outcome all around. Even before the resentful energy, Wei Wuxian doesn't think he'd ever been so gracious to his enemies but he knows that the boy had taken the higher road. (He thinks to himself that it's a move Lan Zhan would have been proud of.)
He waits until they've left the room behind entirely before he lets his gaze flick back to Itachi, eyes searching his face for any signs of the smiling eyes and crinkling nose.]
That's terrifying, you know that right? [Despite the words, there's only soft amusement in his eyes and a grin on his face.] Where do you keep that smile hidden all the time?
๏ผ no traces of the man he'd briefly invoked remain. his face is as impassive as always — even his body language is entirely different, each move purposeful and sure, no hint of that lingering playfulness or the easy comfort of a lover's familiarity.
wei wuxian is hardly the first person here to see him slip into another skin. he spent most of their mission in scorpion's bend pretended to be sabriel's husband, after all. ๏ผ
[He shrugs and shakes his head, still greatly amused but far less interested in Itachi summoning an insincere smile than the thought of him actually carrying that joy.]
Only in that now I know who to go to for tips if I ever need to brush up on playing a part. I thought I was decent, but I don't come close to you. [He shakes his head and then glances at him, the amusement dialed back down into a soft smile.]
Good call with the kid. I wanted him to ditch them. Your idea was better. [Kinder, certainly. And more empathetic.]
Have you ever been a teacher? You're good with kids.
๏ผ he wanted to be, once. he had been excited at the eventual prospect of having his own genin team, before the world washed it all away. his own teacher had been resentful of him, his skill and ability, and had once left him to die. he would have done better. he wanted to be. ๏ผ
But I learned from a man who had a natural talent for teaching.
[Itachi is always guarded, always keeps his cards so close Wei Wuxian never knows what the man is thinking—except on the few occasions when he's managed to drag out exasperation from him. Even so, there's something in that admission. Not emotion. Not anything so obvious as a tell.
Something in the fact that he shares the detail at all that makes him think it matters. Maybe the person mattered. Maybe something else. Whichever it is, he holds the detail close.]
In my experience, teachers like that are rare. Most of them just want to force information into you or make sure you make them look good. [He quiets then, smile dimming just a little.] I like to hope I was a teacher like yours, back when I had students.
It was one of my favorite things to do. I love kids.
๏ผ there are a variety of things at which he is passably proficient, well within the tolerances for teaching children. wei wuxian does have the personality for it. affable, pleasant, cheeky in that way that children find charming and rebellious. he reminds him more than a little of shisui, who had been all those things and more. the lines do not blur here — he has far too strong a grasp on who uchiha shisui had been — but he does ache to hear those echoes in the beat of someone else's heart. ๏ผ
I was the head disciple of our sect so I managed their training. [He keeps his voice light as he speaks, his smile still pasted on. Even then threads of mourning and nostalgia wind their way around his words.]
That included archery, sword work, and cultivation. I was even in charge of teaching our youngest disciples to ride the sword. [The memory makes him laugh, and when he turns his smile on Itachi, his eyes are far away.]
No one came away from that without a dozen bruises, but it was all worth it for that first moment they managed to stay on their swords and realized an entire new world was open to them. [First the awe, then the joy, then the excitement, nearly always aimed in his direction. It was the best. His disciples were the best.]
๏ผ riding... what? for a moment he reaches up to touch at his earpiece, as if the device itself has malfunctioned in its translatory abilities. when that does not seem to have amended the nature of the conversation (and he does in fact repeat the sentiment again) he quirks one eyebrow faintly. ๏ผ
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this one, it seems, is home to several of the small, barking creatures. they are not quite dogs, the way the other animals he has come across are not quite cats, or horses, or birds, but the differences are minute at best. multiple tails, odd mandibles that are capable of becoming almost entirely unhinged to swallow prey, et cetera. they do not seem unfriendly, necessary, but neither does he wish much to do with them.
which seems to likewise be the case for wei wuxian, who is halfway up a tree to avoid them. itachi uses shunshin to seemingly teleport beside him, standing on one of the tree's branches, his slight weight barely displacing it. ๏ผ
Can you not use one of your talismans to distract them?
๏ผ bruh. ๏ผ
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Scourge of the cultivation world right here ladies and gentlemen.]
Can't. [Is all he says. Like, he could, in theory. If he wasn't too paralyzed to do it and if he had the wherewithal to think about it, but there is something about dogs that just makes his entire brain shut off.]
Itachi-xiong. [His voice is muffled, head still pressed into the tree.]
Help me, please. Please make them go away.
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It will ensure they are kept back. Are you bitten?
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N-no. No, I just...[He makes a sound in the back of his throat and after another glance in the direction they'd fled, he slowly lets himself down from the tree, immediately beelining for Itachi.]
I don't like dogs. [It's said with the shame of someone who has enough self-awareness to know that he's being dramatic but is ready to argue his point anyway. He can't help it, no matter how stupid it is.
A yelp in the distance has him jumping closer to Itachi and instinctively reaching for his arm, his gaze locked on the bushes once more.]
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Then perhaps you should not be in this room.
๏ผ he pulls his arm away with cold deliberacy, please don't cling to him, gross. ๏ผ
Come. I will not let them near you.
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They weren't around when I walked in!
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then he simply turns, picks wei wuxian up, hefts him over one shoulder and walks doggedly (ha!) to the door.
deal with it or perish. ๏ผ
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Don't worry Itachi, he has your back. ๐
Somehow they make it through the door in tact and Wei Wuxian sighs deeply in relief, eagerly squirming out of his hold and then melting to the ground in a heap.]
That was terrible. You're my favorite person. I promise if ever there is a need I will gladly risk life and limb for you Itachi-xiong
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๏ผ as if he, uchiha itachi, is one to fucking talk. once they're free of the room he just sort of gives wei wuxian a long look and then turns to walk away. free him from this conversation, maybe?? ๏ผ
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I know they're just...I know it's an overreaction. I can't help it. So I'm allowed to be grateful! [He smiles again and this time it's closer to one of his normal smiles, less shaky and more sure. Dusting himself off and rubbing his hands together to shake out the strain from holding so tightly to the tree for so long, he jogs the few steps to Itachi's side and gestures to the hall ahead.]
Mind if I join you?
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๏ผ he could leave, of course — wei wuxian is not fast enough to catch him if he decided he would sooner use shunshin to extricate himself from conversation. but he is not so entirely annoyed as all that.
yet.
so he continues on down the corridor, heading for one of the other endless doors. upon opening it, he gives wei wuxian a look over his shoulder with a faint lift of his brows and then steps past the threshold. ๏ผ
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Taking that look to mean "there are no dog adjacent creatures in this room" he eagerly steps inside after him.
As soon as he's entered the room, his mood shifts again, the lightness of the corridors replaced by dark walls and bright lighting. It doesn't quite have the same look as some of the more sordid areas he'd stumbled onto, but it's close enough to have him wary. There are several tables set up around the room along with a buffet to the side, and it appears to be some kind of gambling den.
Only one of the tables is occupied at the moment and the tension at the table is palpable even as they've just entered. At the table sit five men. Four of them are closer together, their forms turned towards each other, while the fifth seated at the same table seems isolated, his body curved inwards. He's younger than the rest too, younger than Wei Wuxian by several years probably. The four men laugh while the fifth's body curves inward even more, his eyes downcast and head lowered.
Across cultures, times, and universes, there are some things that are universal. Packs of dgs that prey on the weak, he knows, are one of them.
Before he can approach or intervene, one of the men stands from his place and shoves at the younger boy, sneering when the boy trips over himself and ends up on the floor.
"Seriously, why do you keep following us around, dumbass? Just because we came from the same town doesn't mean we're anything alike!"
"It's amazing your stupid parents scrounged enough money to get you here. I bet they stole it, didn't they?"
"Nah, I bet his whore mom worked hard for it."
[The men descend into wild laughter while the boy picks himself up, and Wei Wuxian has his flute in his hands before he remembers that it isn't Chenqing and there are no corpses to raise here.
Waves of dark energy bleed off of him anyway, and he shoves the flute back inside of his robes. His fists will work just as well.]
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ยซ Do nothing they may retaliate for. We leave when we obtain the orb, and he will be worse-off than before without protection. Either find a way to make your assault completely unrelated to him or we will regroup and speak with the boy privately. ยป ๏ผ
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He lifts a hand to rest on Itachi's and curls his fingers around it, gently removing it from his chest as he sighs.
This would be much easier if it weren't a temporary venture. His eyes trail to the boy again and he steps closer to Itachi, continuing the charade of intimacy even as he keeps his hands to himself.]
ยซYou're right, sorry. And kicking their asses now even if I can make it unrelated won't actually help him. Any ideas?ยป
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his reaction to the touch was interesting, and itachi does not press the issue. but he does remain close — keeping his back to the table where the worst of the abuse continues.
his left arm is tucked inside his kimono, against his chest. only his hand is visible and that only barely, and it's easy enough to use the space between he and wei wuxian to hide the flicker of a one-handed seal from sight. the result is the deepening of this impression of intimacy, intensified by the way he lifts his right hand to cage wei wuxian in against the wall, the sort of playful, predatory thing done for show between couples.
the clones come into existence just outside the door, and each of them transform in turn. he has no awareness of this — just the knowledge he would have impressed upon them at their creation. it does not matter what they look like, only that they do not look like him.
they enter the room in a loud, riotous fashion. drawing attention, squabbling amongst themselves. itachi turns to look at them, his expression one of wariness, faint concern creasing his brow — the consummate actor.
one of the clones picks up a tankard of liquor from the table and pours it steadily into the lap of one of the men seated there, and there's some bluster exchanged about whether they will or will not apologize for it.
the fight, when it breaks out, is more brawl than anything. his clones, containing all his sundry knowledge of combat and of spycraft, vary their body language, their style, their manner of attack. the only thing they all have in common is an uncanny ability to not be hit — for such a thing would destroy them, and it isn't something they can risk being found out.
the boy has backed away from the table, and turns to run. except, his path (shepherded perhaps by a clone or two along the way) takes him right past itachi and wei wuxian. itachi pushes himself away from the wall and grabs the boy by the back of his shirt, tugging him in near them (conveniently, this avoids him getting hit with a mug that's sailed the distance between them and the brawl, the boy's eyes are wide as it hits the wall just beyond where he'd been.) ๏ผ
Sorry! Sorry, there wasn't any time to warn you. ๏ผ everything about his tone is wrong. it's warm and apologetic and affable all at once, sweet in a way his sonorous voice never is, as cold and dark as the ocean floor. ๏ผ It seems like they were being pretty hard on you, huh?
๏ผ the boy is watching the fight, shifting his weight back and forth. they aren't bad guys, he says haltingly. you know, they just give me a hard time because we know each other. ๏ผ
Oh? ๏ผ itachi cants his head to one side, the motion meant to hide the fact that he slips his elbow lightly against wei wuxian's side. ๏ผ Should we help them, then?
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It would be hard not to be distracted with the way Itachi is in his space, breathing in his air, leaning in, intimate and sincere. The way all of it makes something inside of him twist and jump and generally sends his insides spinning. (He isn't stupid, he understands the ruse and what Itachi is going for. It's an easy feint in this world where—like so many others he has heard about—people don't even blink at the sight of two men or two women.) Something close to but not quite discomfort roils inside of him, and he leans in, metaphorically and physically.
Out of his element or not, Wei Wuxian won't leave room for anyone to argue that he doesn't know how to play along.
Wiping the moment of shock from his face, he eases his expression into something smoother, something playful. He drapes one arm around Itachi's neck and lets it settle there, fingers idly tangling in Itachi's hair. It's then the group of men enters and it takes him another second to realize they're a part of Itachi's plan.
Then the brawl breaks out and the boy comes running. He watches in stunned amusement as Itachi becomes someone else entirely and he shifts away from the wall to join them.
At Itachi's question, the boy shifts his gaze to the side, conflicted, and doesn't answer. Wei Wuxian lets out a soft hmm from the back of his throat and sets a hand on the boy's shoulder to catch his attention.]
Hey, they're not you're responsibility. You know...[He pauses, considering his approach.] I've seen a lot of kids here your age. I'm sure you have too?
[A pause and then a nod.]
I'm guessing you don't know any of them from before though, right?
[The boy nods, eyes downcast.]
They're the only ones I know from home. It's...I mean, they give me a hard time, but that's just how they are. They don't mean it.
Hmm maybe not. But I bet it'd be easy for someone like you to meet some new people. Face like yours? [He grins.] You'd be sure to charm them.
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itachi's gaze, which is currently steeped in adoration, slides from the boy to wei wuxian himself. ๏ผ
Or, ๏ผ he says mischievously, ๏ผ you could help them. You know, there's no friend like an old enemy. This one here used to pull my hair all the time back in Giva, and look at us now. ๏ผ he smiles in a way that crinkles his nose and pats wei wuxian's shoulder gently, barely making contact with the fabric of his robe. ๏ผ But it's up to you. After all, you're the one they've been picking on, right? You're the only one that can decide.
๏ผ the boy bites his lip. i don't know if i want to be friends with them, he says finally, agreeing with wei wuxian's position that he should seek out better company, but i don't think it's right to let them get hurt, either. he straightens up, squares his narrow shoulders and marches back to the brawl.
some of what he says is lost in the din, but he gets the clones' attention enough that parts of his speech filters back to them— you should be ashamed of yourselves! we're in taeum! and then itachi shakes his head faintly as the boy holds out his hand to help one of his bullies back to his feet.
quietly, to wei wuxian, ๏ผ
We should go. I'll leave a clone to keep an eye on the situation, but I imagine he has it in hand from here.
๏ผ but if they linger, the boy may drift back to them. no sense in it. ๏ผ
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He waits until they've left the room behind entirely before he lets his gaze flick back to Itachi, eyes searching his face for any signs of the smiling eyes and crinkling nose.]
That's terrifying, you know that right? [Despite the words, there's only soft amusement in his eyes and a grin on his face.] Where do you keep that smile hidden all the time?
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wei wuxian is hardly the first person here to see him slip into another skin. he spent most of their mission in scorpion's bend pretended to be sabriel's husband, after all. ๏ผ
Does it matter?
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Only in that now I know who to go to for tips if I ever need to brush up on playing a part. I thought I was decent, but I don't come close to you. [He shakes his head and then glances at him, the amusement dialed back down into a soft smile.]
Good call with the kid. I wanted him to ditch them. Your idea was better. [Kinder, certainly. And more empathetic.]
Have you ever been a teacher? You're good with kids.
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๏ผ he wanted to be, once. he had been excited at the eventual prospect of having his own genin team, before the world washed it all away. his own teacher had been resentful of him, his skill and ability, and had once left him to die. he would have done better. he wanted to be. ๏ผ
But I learned from a man who had a natural talent for teaching.
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Something in the fact that he shares the detail at all that makes him think it matters. Maybe the person mattered. Maybe something else. Whichever it is, he holds the detail close.]
In my experience, teachers like that are rare. Most of them just want to force information into you or make sure you make them look good. [He quiets then, smile dimming just a little.] I like to hope I was a teacher like yours, back when I had students.
It was one of my favorite things to do. I love kids.
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๏ผ there are a variety of things at which he is passably proficient, well within the tolerances for teaching children. wei wuxian does have the personality for it. affable, pleasant, cheeky in that way that children find charming and rebellious. he reminds him more than a little of shisui, who had been all those things and more. the lines do not blur here — he has far too strong a grasp on who uchiha shisui had been — but he does ache to hear those echoes in the beat of someone else's heart. ๏ผ
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That included archery, sword work, and cultivation. I was even in charge of teaching our youngest disciples to ride the sword. [The memory makes him laugh, and when he turns his smile on Itachi, his eyes are far away.]
No one came away from that without a dozen bruises, but it was all worth it for that first moment they managed to stay on their swords and realized an entire new world was open to them. [First the awe, then the joy, then the excitement, nearly always aimed in his direction. It was the best. His disciples were the best.]
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Forgive me — riding swords?
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'i am looking respectfully'
there's so much nudity happening where does he look
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