Sora the Scribe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cinnamonicles) wrote2012-06-12 03:15 am
cinnamonicles) wrote2012-06-12 03:15 am
Entry tags:
Fanfiction - Wandering Thoughts.
Title: Wandering Thoughts.
Fandom: Luceti.
Pairing: Pao-Lin/Hubert.
Words: 4090.
Summary: Hubert's thoughts keep wandering towards one thing. No, it's not sex, but in his mind it may as well be.
Rating: K FOR KISSU man I'm not even going to take this section seriously anymore, lmao.
Notes: More stuff in the vein of Simple Things, because I can. WHATCHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT, SON????
In all fairness, Hubert mused as he paused in the middle of his reading for the umpteenth time that day, there were certainly far more questionable things that he could be fantasizing about doing to Pao-Lin than simply kissing her. Not that he thought about those things as well — he was no libertine. But as an educated young man, he was aware about them in the abstract sense, and compared to them a mere touch of the lips was hardly something to write home about.
Yet there was nothing "simple" about kissing, in terms of its greater social significance. Short of doing That One Thing, it was the symbol of an intensified relationship between two people. As such, it warranted careful consideration. Admittedly, Hubert wasn't aware of a rule that specifically said when kissing was acceptable, but...surely it would have to be at a moment that was at least half a year into a correspondence, right? No way had he been involved with Pao-Lin for that long. It was much too soon to be considering that kind of gesture for her. But, well, thoughts were one thing, and action another. As long he didn't act on them, everything would be fine.
Hubert was still rather thrown by the timing of them, however. The last time anything resembling this had happened was during that fateful Valentine's Day experiment over a year ago. Afterwards, he'd been too busy trying to pin down the true nature of his feelings for Pao-Lin to worry about any physical expression of said feelings. Then Pascal had crashed into Luceti in the middle of last summer, which had further distracted him from the issue. It had taken until February this year for him to finally realize that he was, in fact, not averse to the idea of becoming Pao-Lin's significant other. Given how long that revelation had taken, Hubert had figured that it would be another few months of him emotionally and mentally settling into the role — or in other words, being too occupied with adjusting to the serious aspects of a romantic relationship to dwell on silly little carnal urges.
On the other hand...it was also possible that these fantasies of his were a side effect of that transition. Hubert wasn't sure what exactly triggered them in the first place, though, or when it had happened. But if he had to guess, it was likely linked to Pao-Lin's penchant for invading his personal space with her affection. She'd asked to hold his hand on day one — "asking" being a relative term, considering that she had still been mute at that point from her second death penalty. And maybe that was why Hubert had gone along with it so early: action had been the easier way for her to express herself at that time. (...still was, really.) Besides, it just made her so happy. It was difficult for him to deny her that.
And so it was that he'd ended up letting Pao-Lin use him as an oversized teddy bear of sorts much earlier than he'd expected to. Hubert supposed it wasn't too bad, technically. As he'd said to her before, such things could be expected (and enjoyed) in a relationship. It was only a matter of the correct time and place for them. But this habit seemed to have started him on a slippery slope with salacious thoughts. If he didn't do something to deal with this irksome development, he'd go soon enough from fixating on kissing to wondering about That One Thing and then where would he be —
Hubert was thankfully startled out of this particular line of thought when Malik knocked at the partially-opened door to his room. "Might I have a word with you?" the older man asked. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this rather interesting prison of ours."
Oh, good. Business. That was much easier to deal with than hormones. Hubert glanced up at the clock. "I'm certainly willing to answer any questions you may have, but I should warn you that I have an appointment to attend to soon, so I may have to cut things short for the moment."
A mild smirk spread across Malik's face. "'Appointment', huh? Is that what you kids call 'dates' these days?"
Hubert twitched. "My training session with Pao-Lin is a perfectly legitimate engagement, thank you!" But if it also happened to be a viable excuse to see her on a regular basis...well.
"Whoah, an engagement already? This Pao-Lin must be some girl to get you to overcome your reservations about marriage."
Hubert refrained from throwing his book at Malik. Instead, he did the more sensible thing of setting it aside on his desk, wishing once again that he hadn't admitted to his housemates what was truly going on between him and Pao-Lin. As expected, the admission had only escalated the amount of hassling he received. At least with certain housemates. "What is it you wished to know, Captain?"
"Ah. Right." Malik leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "I was wondering what you knew about the world outside of Luceti and its immediate surroundings. The guide, while informative, is not very forthcoming in that regard."
"That information is a relatively recent development, gained primarily from the experiences of those who have gone on missions organized by CJ. We try to keep this knowledge low-key, or in other words, off the main journal network, so as not to inform the Malnosso of any potential leverage we may have against them." A resigned shrug. "However, there are precautions set in place on these missions to prevent residents from learning too much. So it's entirely possible that most of what we've collected is simply harmless trivia that the Malnosso feel comfortable leaking to us."
"Tossing us scraps to distract us while still keeping the meat to themselves. I see. Nevertheless, there may yet be hidden gems in the garbage. So what have you learned, relative to what's present in the guide?"
"Well, to start with, we're not alone in our predicament — there are at least ten other similar enclosures in the greater world. However, they are all smaller than Luceti, and are much more prone to Third Party raids than we are. The 'experiments' that are a near-monthly annoyance here are practically nonexistent elsewhere...hm." Hubert reached for his journal, flipping through it. "It may be easier if I just show you what has been learned."
"It's been recorded? I thought you said it was kept off the journals."
"There's a secure system in place that allows entries to be transmitted without the Malnosso's knowledge. It's through this system that a man named Albert Silverberg compiles periodic reports on what we know about the Malnosso Organization, the Third Party, and our situation in general. They are filtered solely to Luceti residents such that previous reports cannot be accessed from the journals of those who were not present in Luceti at the time they were released — which is why I'm lending you my own for the time being." Having found what he was looking for, Hubert got up from his chair to hand his open journal to Malik. "This is the report that was released less than a month before you were brought here."
Malik took the journal and quickly rifled through the pages, gauging the length of the material. "There certainly does seem to be a lot to take in here. No wonder you were concerned about our discussion bleeding into your date."
"It is not a date — "
"But are you sure you should just be giving me your journal like this? I could end up reading some steamy details about your previous trysts here as well."
For the love of... Hubert started to raise an exasperated hand to his face, but turned it into an emphatic finger instead. "First of all. You already know full well that these aren't 'journals' in the traditional sense, so even if I did record things like that — which I don't! — you wouldn't be seeing them there. Secondly, it isn't like we — it's none of your business what has or hasn't transpired between myself and Pao-Lin!"
"True enough. However, I confess to being a little pained at the thought of a wonderful young woman being potentially deprived of attention she deserves and desires while trapped in these unfortunate circumstances. It would be so simple to soothe her troubled soul, yet you would cruelly withhold your affections from her..."
"Oh, save your histrionics," Hubert grumbled, crossing his arms. "Pao-Lin's a practical girl, hardly inclined towards the sentimental fancies you seem to be thinking of." True, she'd become fond of increased physical contact with him, but chaste as it was, it functioned almost like a logical extension of their previous friendship rather than as some sort of romantic overture. And Pao-Lin seemed entirely content with that. Were that he could be so innocent...but better him than her, Hubert supposed.
"You never know. There might be a swooning princess inside her yet, waiting for love's first kiss from her dashing prince."
Hubert was about to argue Malik's assumption that he hadn't already kissed Pao-Lin, then swiftly stopped himself — he was not falling for that bait. He did have to admit that the idea of Princess Pao-Lin held a certain appeal (for a tomboy like her to be secretly so feminine...!), but there wasn't any point in entertaining baseless daydreams like that. She was who she was, and he was fine with that. He liked it, even. "Are you seriously suggesting that I am wholly unaware of the predilections of my own girlfriend, Captain? I have known her for far longer than we have been involved, you know."
"A romantic relationship is a different beast than friendship — it can bring out sides you didn't even know a person had," Malik said, turning a page in Hubert's journal. "Sometimes they're good sides, sometimes they're bad sides. But learning both kinds is necessary if a relationship is to last."
"I'm certainly not arguing that point." Hubert held out a hand. "What I'm saying is that if you knew Pao-Lin as I did, you'd surely conclude that she is far more likely to be the prince than the princess."
"Ohhh?" Malik glanced up from his reading with a glint in his eye. "Does that mean that you are the swooning princess in this relationship, then, and Pao-Lin your prince?"
Hubert choked. "Wh-what?!" Oh, dammit, that was not how this conversation was supposed to go. "No! I just meant that — "
"Hmm, but you're right that I don't know Pao-Lin as well as you do," continued Malik, rubbing his chin in thought. "I only just arrived here, after all, and haven't had the opportunity to talk to her much yet." He gave a nod then. "Very well, it's decided. You'll have to officially bring her here, so that I, as the head of this family, can decide whether she'll be a worthy wife for you."
Head of this family — worthy wife — !
No. Just no. The idea was ridiculous, the captain was ridiculous, and everything about everything right now was the epitome of ridiculous. What in the world had he ever done in his life to deserve any of this?
"The last thing she needs is for you to shatter her innocence, Captain!" Hubert huffed, storming past Malik and down the stairs, nearly bowling Asbel over in the process.
Asbel glanced over his shoulder at Hubert's retreating back, then up at Malik. "What was that all about?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"
Malik chuckled. "Oh, it's fine. Your brother's just rushing off to save his princess, that's all." He shrugged. "Or perhaps he's the princess who needs to be saved. I'm not sure at the moment."
"...huh?"
***
With one hour of kung fu lessons behind him, Hubert was feeling considerably more relaxed, and consequently less likely to throttle something (or someone). Training in general tended to at least clear his mind, so cooling down was to be expected, but these lessons with Pao-Lin felt less like "training" and more like a different kind of conversation with her.
She'd begun teaching him her trademark fighting style in the barracks a few weeks ago, following Hubert's admission that he was not as proficient at unarmed combat as he should be. He had some mild reservations about the arrangement at first, given how close they were; he feared there would not be enough mental space for actual learning. But he soon found there was nothing to worry about: though inexperienced as an instructor, Pao-Lin seemed to have a knack for the role. She was patient, focused, and kind, if more casual than what Hubert expected for a teacher, and she was as eager to pass on her knowledge as he was to receive it. And in retrospect, perhaps it was precisely the more intimate nature of their relationship that allowed the lessons to flourish. He was at complete ease with Pao-Lin, even when she gently teased him about some of his missteps, and she seemed to instinctively know how to work with him. So Hubert wasn't too surprised that he was making progress at a faster rate than he expected. But he knew better than to think of getting even halfway to her skill level. If he could sufficiently defend himself without a weapon, that was acceptable. And there was satisfaction enough in being able to perform the routines side-by-side with her, even as a mere novice. He liked the resonance of it, the synchronization.
Alas, Hubert was thinking of a different sort of "synchronization" with Pao-Lin smiling cheerfully up at him after their lesson, her arms around his waist. "You're doing great so far!" she bubbled. "You just need to work on your kicking a little."
He nodded, laying a tentative hand on her back and averting his gaze a little. "I'm no stranger to footwork," he said, "but this is a marked difference from what I'm used to."
"You'll get it in time — I know you will. You're already a good fighter!"
Hubert cleared his throat. "It's true that I have previous combat experience, but...I daresay much of it would be wasted without a good teacher like you to help me utilize it in a different context."
Pao-Lin blushed then, and hid her face in Hubert's chest. Hubert himself had to pretend valiantly that his heart hadn't just melted at the sight of her being so flustered. "I'm glad to hear that," she mumbled. "Sometimes I think I'd like to teach kung fu when I retire from being a Hero."
Dragon Kid, retiring from Hero work...what a sad thing to think about. But inevitable, Hubert supposed. Being a Hero was a dangerous, strenuous occupation. He had full faith in her abilities and her enduring spirit, but there was only so much those things could do in the face of Time and other things beyond her control. A combat instructor was a more than suitable secondary occupation for her, however. "Were you considering retirement already, even before you came here?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I want to stay for at least ten years, like Mr. Tiger. So...at least until I'm twenty-one. But I'd like to stay longer, as long as I don't get seriously hurt and my sponsors keep me."
Another nod from him. "I support this, of course. It is a worthy line of work, one that you both enjoy and are skilled at." He briefly entertained a moment of regret that he could never actually follow the arc of her career on HeroTV for himself. "I see no reason for any of that to change."
"Mmm, I'd hope not, either. Anyway, are you hungry? Let's go get something to eat. Unless you'd rather go home and rest first?"
Absolutely not. Even if he were excessively tired at the moment, Hubert would have been planning on staying as far away from House 28 as possible tonight. "I'm fine. Let's head out."
They made their way to Seventh Heaven, chatting about their respective careers. Despite the workout he'd just had, Hubert found himself disinclined to eat once he actually sat down and ordered food. He'd been occupied enough with talking with Pao-Lin on the way here, but with the girl now focusing her attention on devouring her substantial meal, Hubert was left with too much idle brainpower to fritter away on mulling over Malik's words from earlier.
Could Pao-Lin really be wanting more, and simply not telling me? Hubert wondered, watching her gleefully dig into a bowl of noodles. He wanted to say that that was unfathomable; he just knew her to be so carefree (almost careless) with her thoughts and emotions. But it was impossible to forget that she'd spent the better part of a year hiding her true feelings from him, even going so far as to actively encourage him to be with Pascal instead out of the belief that she was the better choice for him. That more than proved that Pao-Lin had the capacity for deep deception. The question was whether she was employing it now.
The obvious way to find out, of course, was to ask her. Which wouldn't be a particularly onerous task in some regards, since Pao-Lin was open to conversation on nearly anything. However, this was an even more awkward topic of discussion for him than trying to explain to her about public displays of affection. But this could be easily dealt with by spending a few more nights considering the most tactful way of putting things to her. And by "tactful," he meant "the wording least likely to make him look like a perverted idiot." At least if he messed things up, it would either go completely over Pao-Lin's head or she just wouldn't care much.
But it was precisely her innocence and openness that made Hubert determined not to mess up. He simply didn't want to take advantage of those qualities, even by accident. Plus it was still embarrassing to mess up in front of anyone.
"Are you okay?" Pao-Lin asked. "You're not eating."
Right. That was what he came here to do, wasn't it? "I'm fine," Hubert said, poking idly at his food. "I'm not overly hungry at the moment, that's all."
"Really?" She slurped her noodles, and Hubert had to suppress a wince. "Training doesn't make you hungry?"
"I ate a little before I came to the barracks." A few cookies that Cheria had baked earlier in the day. "I suppose that mitigated any hunger I would have incurred from training."
After dinner, Pao-Lin offered to walk him back home, but Hubert insisted on flipping that around. He accompanied her back to her apartment, even going so far as to walk her up the stairs to her top-floor abode (something he rarely did). Unfortunately, that was as far as he could go with this excuse for staying out, and he was forced to accept that he'd have to go back to the house soon. Despite that...
"Wait," he started as Pao-Lin turned to leave.
She paused in the middle of her doorway. "What is it?"
Yes, really. What was he even doing? Hubert stood there for a second or two, trying to work through the impulse that had just seized him.
"You never know. There might be a swooning princess inside her yet, waiting for love's first kiss from her dashing prince."
It was true that Pao-Lin was open to discussion...but she was an action-oriented girl at heart, wasn't she?
Hubert stepped forward, grabbed her by her shoulders, and kissed her, hard and quick.
"..." Pao-Lin gazed up at him, her green eyes blinking and her mouth slightly parted with surprise. Then she cocked her head.
"What was that for?" she asked.
Wonderful. She was completely unfazed. That wasn't a hideous blow to his ego or anything.
"I shouldn't have done that," Hubert muttered, his face hot. "Sorry." He turned, intending to make his exit as fast as possible.
But Pao-Lin grabbed him by his wrist, pulling him back into her arms with a soft laugh. Startled by her response (if also a little relieved), Hubert let his arms just dangle at his sides. He had no right to return that embrace when he'd just overstepped his boundaries.
"I'm sorry for upsetting you," he apologized again. Because clearly Pao-Lin cuddling him in the middle of the hall was an indication that she was angry with him. His deduction skills were well-honed.
"I'm not mad, silly! Just surprised, that's all. I didn't think you were interested in that kind of thing."
Yes, I've wanted to do that to you for weeks now, please forgive me. "N-no, I just...I thought that...I was under the impression...I mean..." Hubert hissed out a sigh, letting his words putter out. He really had no good response to this, did he? Crap.
Pao-Lin giggled again. "You really are shy, aren't you?"
Hubert was about to protest that he was cautious and prudent, not shy, there was clearly a difference, but then Pao-Lin gently pulled him down by the lapel of his jacket to kiss him and suddenly he didn't care so much about nitpicking semantics.
Oh. Oh. This was...nice. Except for the part where it was over far too quickly despite it lasting considerably longer than that first kiss of his. He'd just begun to relax into it when Pao-Lin stepped back into her apartment with that adorable smile of hers and wished him good night. Had he said good night to her, too? He didn't remember, but he hoped he had. She deserved one. Also, it was good manners.
What Hubert did remember as he began to amble away from her apartment was the feeling of Pao-Lin's lips against his, something he hadn't registered the first time around because he'd been too busy freaking out about actually doing the deed. All those cliches about kisses being warm and soft and maybe even a little thrilling? All true, as far as Hubert was concerned. (Dare he say it: kissing Pao-Lin was electrifying, even.) Though he supposed they wouldn't be cliches if there weren't a grain of truth to them. Either way, he thought this was something he could "adjust" to, as well. Something that could be as routine to him as Pao-Lin's hand-holding and cuddles were now. But not too routine, obviously. That still wouldn't be proper. And Pao-Lin had to be the one to take the initiative from now on. Hubert couldn't be doing it, because then he'd just look like a pervert, and besides that —
Huh. Where'd that wall come from and why did it want to slam him in the face? Strange. And how rude of those stairs, trying to trip him up like that. It was so rude, in fact, that it was almost funny. That had to be the only explanation for why he suddenly felt like laughing upon realizing he'd narrowly escaped breaking a bone or two.
On second thought, Hubert mused, gripping the stair railing for balance, perhaps this shouldn't become a routine. Not if this was what was going to happen to him afterwards. He didn't think it was a good sign when the first things that came to mind upon reviewing what he was feeling were descriptions he'd heard of being drunk. The disorientation was definitely there, and the giddiness as well...though thankfully nothing resembling nausea. But his stomach was still doing odd fluttery things and his heart was bouncing in his chest like a hyperactive child. Was he even going to make it home tonight? God, he hoped his housemates were all sleeping by this point. The last thing he needed was for them to see him so utterly out of his mind. They'd certainly be asking questions, and it was plain that he was in no fit state to even be talking in the first place.
As Hubert wobbled out of CH7 and huddled behind a nearby tree, trying to get himself to stop smiling, he had to grudgingly admit that Malik might have been right about one thing.
Maybe I am the swooning princess here, after all.
Fandom: Luceti.
Pairing: Pao-Lin/Hubert.
Words: 4090.
Summary: Hubert's thoughts keep wandering towards one thing. No, it's not sex, but in his mind it may as well be.
Rating: K FOR KISSU man I'm not even going to take this section seriously anymore, lmao.
Notes: More stuff in the vein of Simple Things, because I can. WHATCHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT, SON????
In all fairness, Hubert mused as he paused in the middle of his reading for the umpteenth time that day, there were certainly far more questionable things that he could be fantasizing about doing to Pao-Lin than simply kissing her. Not that he thought about those things as well — he was no libertine. But as an educated young man, he was aware about them in the abstract sense, and compared to them a mere touch of the lips was hardly something to write home about.
Yet there was nothing "simple" about kissing, in terms of its greater social significance. Short of doing That One Thing, it was the symbol of an intensified relationship between two people. As such, it warranted careful consideration. Admittedly, Hubert wasn't aware of a rule that specifically said when kissing was acceptable, but...surely it would have to be at a moment that was at least half a year into a correspondence, right? No way had he been involved with Pao-Lin for that long. It was much too soon to be considering that kind of gesture for her. But, well, thoughts were one thing, and action another. As long he didn't act on them, everything would be fine.
Hubert was still rather thrown by the timing of them, however. The last time anything resembling this had happened was during that fateful Valentine's Day experiment over a year ago. Afterwards, he'd been too busy trying to pin down the true nature of his feelings for Pao-Lin to worry about any physical expression of said feelings. Then Pascal had crashed into Luceti in the middle of last summer, which had further distracted him from the issue. It had taken until February this year for him to finally realize that he was, in fact, not averse to the idea of becoming Pao-Lin's significant other. Given how long that revelation had taken, Hubert had figured that it would be another few months of him emotionally and mentally settling into the role — or in other words, being too occupied with adjusting to the serious aspects of a romantic relationship to dwell on silly little carnal urges.
On the other hand...it was also possible that these fantasies of his were a side effect of that transition. Hubert wasn't sure what exactly triggered them in the first place, though, or when it had happened. But if he had to guess, it was likely linked to Pao-Lin's penchant for invading his personal space with her affection. She'd asked to hold his hand on day one — "asking" being a relative term, considering that she had still been mute at that point from her second death penalty. And maybe that was why Hubert had gone along with it so early: action had been the easier way for her to express herself at that time. (...still was, really.) Besides, it just made her so happy. It was difficult for him to deny her that.
And so it was that he'd ended up letting Pao-Lin use him as an oversized teddy bear of sorts much earlier than he'd expected to. Hubert supposed it wasn't too bad, technically. As he'd said to her before, such things could be expected (and enjoyed) in a relationship. It was only a matter of the correct time and place for them. But this habit seemed to have started him on a slippery slope with salacious thoughts. If he didn't do something to deal with this irksome development, he'd go soon enough from fixating on kissing to wondering about That One Thing and then where would he be —
Hubert was thankfully startled out of this particular line of thought when Malik knocked at the partially-opened door to his room. "Might I have a word with you?" the older man asked. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this rather interesting prison of ours."
Oh, good. Business. That was much easier to deal with than hormones. Hubert glanced up at the clock. "I'm certainly willing to answer any questions you may have, but I should warn you that I have an appointment to attend to soon, so I may have to cut things short for the moment."
A mild smirk spread across Malik's face. "'Appointment', huh? Is that what you kids call 'dates' these days?"
Hubert twitched. "My training session with Pao-Lin is a perfectly legitimate engagement, thank you!" But if it also happened to be a viable excuse to see her on a regular basis...well.
"Whoah, an engagement already? This Pao-Lin must be some girl to get you to overcome your reservations about marriage."
Hubert refrained from throwing his book at Malik. Instead, he did the more sensible thing of setting it aside on his desk, wishing once again that he hadn't admitted to his housemates what was truly going on between him and Pao-Lin. As expected, the admission had only escalated the amount of hassling he received. At least with certain housemates. "What is it you wished to know, Captain?"
"Ah. Right." Malik leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "I was wondering what you knew about the world outside of Luceti and its immediate surroundings. The guide, while informative, is not very forthcoming in that regard."
"That information is a relatively recent development, gained primarily from the experiences of those who have gone on missions organized by CJ. We try to keep this knowledge low-key, or in other words, off the main journal network, so as not to inform the Malnosso of any potential leverage we may have against them." A resigned shrug. "However, there are precautions set in place on these missions to prevent residents from learning too much. So it's entirely possible that most of what we've collected is simply harmless trivia that the Malnosso feel comfortable leaking to us."
"Tossing us scraps to distract us while still keeping the meat to themselves. I see. Nevertheless, there may yet be hidden gems in the garbage. So what have you learned, relative to what's present in the guide?"
"Well, to start with, we're not alone in our predicament — there are at least ten other similar enclosures in the greater world. However, they are all smaller than Luceti, and are much more prone to Third Party raids than we are. The 'experiments' that are a near-monthly annoyance here are practically nonexistent elsewhere...hm." Hubert reached for his journal, flipping through it. "It may be easier if I just show you what has been learned."
"It's been recorded? I thought you said it was kept off the journals."
"There's a secure system in place that allows entries to be transmitted without the Malnosso's knowledge. It's through this system that a man named Albert Silverberg compiles periodic reports on what we know about the Malnosso Organization, the Third Party, and our situation in general. They are filtered solely to Luceti residents such that previous reports cannot be accessed from the journals of those who were not present in Luceti at the time they were released — which is why I'm lending you my own for the time being." Having found what he was looking for, Hubert got up from his chair to hand his open journal to Malik. "This is the report that was released less than a month before you were brought here."
Malik took the journal and quickly rifled through the pages, gauging the length of the material. "There certainly does seem to be a lot to take in here. No wonder you were concerned about our discussion bleeding into your date."
"It is not a date — "
"But are you sure you should just be giving me your journal like this? I could end up reading some steamy details about your previous trysts here as well."
For the love of... Hubert started to raise an exasperated hand to his face, but turned it into an emphatic finger instead. "First of all. You already know full well that these aren't 'journals' in the traditional sense, so even if I did record things like that — which I don't! — you wouldn't be seeing them there. Secondly, it isn't like we — it's none of your business what has or hasn't transpired between myself and Pao-Lin!"
"True enough. However, I confess to being a little pained at the thought of a wonderful young woman being potentially deprived of attention she deserves and desires while trapped in these unfortunate circumstances. It would be so simple to soothe her troubled soul, yet you would cruelly withhold your affections from her..."
"Oh, save your histrionics," Hubert grumbled, crossing his arms. "Pao-Lin's a practical girl, hardly inclined towards the sentimental fancies you seem to be thinking of." True, she'd become fond of increased physical contact with him, but chaste as it was, it functioned almost like a logical extension of their previous friendship rather than as some sort of romantic overture. And Pao-Lin seemed entirely content with that. Were that he could be so innocent...but better him than her, Hubert supposed.
"You never know. There might be a swooning princess inside her yet, waiting for love's first kiss from her dashing prince."
Hubert was about to argue Malik's assumption that he hadn't already kissed Pao-Lin, then swiftly stopped himself — he was not falling for that bait. He did have to admit that the idea of Princess Pao-Lin held a certain appeal (for a tomboy like her to be secretly so feminine...!), but there wasn't any point in entertaining baseless daydreams like that. She was who she was, and he was fine with that. He liked it, even. "Are you seriously suggesting that I am wholly unaware of the predilections of my own girlfriend, Captain? I have known her for far longer than we have been involved, you know."
"A romantic relationship is a different beast than friendship — it can bring out sides you didn't even know a person had," Malik said, turning a page in Hubert's journal. "Sometimes they're good sides, sometimes they're bad sides. But learning both kinds is necessary if a relationship is to last."
"I'm certainly not arguing that point." Hubert held out a hand. "What I'm saying is that if you knew Pao-Lin as I did, you'd surely conclude that she is far more likely to be the prince than the princess."
"Ohhh?" Malik glanced up from his reading with a glint in his eye. "Does that mean that you are the swooning princess in this relationship, then, and Pao-Lin your prince?"
Hubert choked. "Wh-what?!" Oh, dammit, that was not how this conversation was supposed to go. "No! I just meant that — "
"Hmm, but you're right that I don't know Pao-Lin as well as you do," continued Malik, rubbing his chin in thought. "I only just arrived here, after all, and haven't had the opportunity to talk to her much yet." He gave a nod then. "Very well, it's decided. You'll have to officially bring her here, so that I, as the head of this family, can decide whether she'll be a worthy wife for you."
Head of this family — worthy wife — !
No. Just no. The idea was ridiculous, the captain was ridiculous, and everything about everything right now was the epitome of ridiculous. What in the world had he ever done in his life to deserve any of this?
"The last thing she needs is for you to shatter her innocence, Captain!" Hubert huffed, storming past Malik and down the stairs, nearly bowling Asbel over in the process.
Asbel glanced over his shoulder at Hubert's retreating back, then up at Malik. "What was that all about?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"
Malik chuckled. "Oh, it's fine. Your brother's just rushing off to save his princess, that's all." He shrugged. "Or perhaps he's the princess who needs to be saved. I'm not sure at the moment."
"...huh?"
With one hour of kung fu lessons behind him, Hubert was feeling considerably more relaxed, and consequently less likely to throttle something (or someone). Training in general tended to at least clear his mind, so cooling down was to be expected, but these lessons with Pao-Lin felt less like "training" and more like a different kind of conversation with her.
She'd begun teaching him her trademark fighting style in the barracks a few weeks ago, following Hubert's admission that he was not as proficient at unarmed combat as he should be. He had some mild reservations about the arrangement at first, given how close they were; he feared there would not be enough mental space for actual learning. But he soon found there was nothing to worry about: though inexperienced as an instructor, Pao-Lin seemed to have a knack for the role. She was patient, focused, and kind, if more casual than what Hubert expected for a teacher, and she was as eager to pass on her knowledge as he was to receive it. And in retrospect, perhaps it was precisely the more intimate nature of their relationship that allowed the lessons to flourish. He was at complete ease with Pao-Lin, even when she gently teased him about some of his missteps, and she seemed to instinctively know how to work with him. So Hubert wasn't too surprised that he was making progress at a faster rate than he expected. But he knew better than to think of getting even halfway to her skill level. If he could sufficiently defend himself without a weapon, that was acceptable. And there was satisfaction enough in being able to perform the routines side-by-side with her, even as a mere novice. He liked the resonance of it, the synchronization.
Alas, Hubert was thinking of a different sort of "synchronization" with Pao-Lin smiling cheerfully up at him after their lesson, her arms around his waist. "You're doing great so far!" she bubbled. "You just need to work on your kicking a little."
He nodded, laying a tentative hand on her back and averting his gaze a little. "I'm no stranger to footwork," he said, "but this is a marked difference from what I'm used to."
"You'll get it in time — I know you will. You're already a good fighter!"
Hubert cleared his throat. "It's true that I have previous combat experience, but...I daresay much of it would be wasted without a good teacher like you to help me utilize it in a different context."
Pao-Lin blushed then, and hid her face in Hubert's chest. Hubert himself had to pretend valiantly that his heart hadn't just melted at the sight of her being so flustered. "I'm glad to hear that," she mumbled. "Sometimes I think I'd like to teach kung fu when I retire from being a Hero."
Dragon Kid, retiring from Hero work...what a sad thing to think about. But inevitable, Hubert supposed. Being a Hero was a dangerous, strenuous occupation. He had full faith in her abilities and her enduring spirit, but there was only so much those things could do in the face of Time and other things beyond her control. A combat instructor was a more than suitable secondary occupation for her, however. "Were you considering retirement already, even before you came here?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I want to stay for at least ten years, like Mr. Tiger. So...at least until I'm twenty-one. But I'd like to stay longer, as long as I don't get seriously hurt and my sponsors keep me."
Another nod from him. "I support this, of course. It is a worthy line of work, one that you both enjoy and are skilled at." He briefly entertained a moment of regret that he could never actually follow the arc of her career on HeroTV for himself. "I see no reason for any of that to change."
"Mmm, I'd hope not, either. Anyway, are you hungry? Let's go get something to eat. Unless you'd rather go home and rest first?"
Absolutely not. Even if he were excessively tired at the moment, Hubert would have been planning on staying as far away from House 28 as possible tonight. "I'm fine. Let's head out."
They made their way to Seventh Heaven, chatting about their respective careers. Despite the workout he'd just had, Hubert found himself disinclined to eat once he actually sat down and ordered food. He'd been occupied enough with talking with Pao-Lin on the way here, but with the girl now focusing her attention on devouring her substantial meal, Hubert was left with too much idle brainpower to fritter away on mulling over Malik's words from earlier.
Could Pao-Lin really be wanting more, and simply not telling me? Hubert wondered, watching her gleefully dig into a bowl of noodles. He wanted to say that that was unfathomable; he just knew her to be so carefree (almost careless) with her thoughts and emotions. But it was impossible to forget that she'd spent the better part of a year hiding her true feelings from him, even going so far as to actively encourage him to be with Pascal instead out of the belief that she was the better choice for him. That more than proved that Pao-Lin had the capacity for deep deception. The question was whether she was employing it now.
The obvious way to find out, of course, was to ask her. Which wouldn't be a particularly onerous task in some regards, since Pao-Lin was open to conversation on nearly anything. However, this was an even more awkward topic of discussion for him than trying to explain to her about public displays of affection. But this could be easily dealt with by spending a few more nights considering the most tactful way of putting things to her. And by "tactful," he meant "the wording least likely to make him look like a perverted idiot." At least if he messed things up, it would either go completely over Pao-Lin's head or she just wouldn't care much.
But it was precisely her innocence and openness that made Hubert determined not to mess up. He simply didn't want to take advantage of those qualities, even by accident. Plus it was still embarrassing to mess up in front of anyone.
"Are you okay?" Pao-Lin asked. "You're not eating."
Right. That was what he came here to do, wasn't it? "I'm fine," Hubert said, poking idly at his food. "I'm not overly hungry at the moment, that's all."
"Really?" She slurped her noodles, and Hubert had to suppress a wince. "Training doesn't make you hungry?"
"I ate a little before I came to the barracks." A few cookies that Cheria had baked earlier in the day. "I suppose that mitigated any hunger I would have incurred from training."
After dinner, Pao-Lin offered to walk him back home, but Hubert insisted on flipping that around. He accompanied her back to her apartment, even going so far as to walk her up the stairs to her top-floor abode (something he rarely did). Unfortunately, that was as far as he could go with this excuse for staying out, and he was forced to accept that he'd have to go back to the house soon. Despite that...
"Wait," he started as Pao-Lin turned to leave.
She paused in the middle of her doorway. "What is it?"
Yes, really. What was he even doing? Hubert stood there for a second or two, trying to work through the impulse that had just seized him.
"You never know. There might be a swooning princess inside her yet, waiting for love's first kiss from her dashing prince."
It was true that Pao-Lin was open to discussion...but she was an action-oriented girl at heart, wasn't she?
Hubert stepped forward, grabbed her by her shoulders, and kissed her, hard and quick.
"..." Pao-Lin gazed up at him, her green eyes blinking and her mouth slightly parted with surprise. Then she cocked her head.
"What was that for?" she asked.
Wonderful. She was completely unfazed. That wasn't a hideous blow to his ego or anything.
"I shouldn't have done that," Hubert muttered, his face hot. "Sorry." He turned, intending to make his exit as fast as possible.
But Pao-Lin grabbed him by his wrist, pulling him back into her arms with a soft laugh. Startled by her response (if also a little relieved), Hubert let his arms just dangle at his sides. He had no right to return that embrace when he'd just overstepped his boundaries.
"I'm sorry for upsetting you," he apologized again. Because clearly Pao-Lin cuddling him in the middle of the hall was an indication that she was angry with him. His deduction skills were well-honed.
"I'm not mad, silly! Just surprised, that's all. I didn't think you were interested in that kind of thing."
Yes, I've wanted to do that to you for weeks now, please forgive me. "N-no, I just...I thought that...I was under the impression...I mean..." Hubert hissed out a sigh, letting his words putter out. He really had no good response to this, did he? Crap.
Pao-Lin giggled again. "You really are shy, aren't you?"
Hubert was about to protest that he was cautious and prudent, not shy, there was clearly a difference, but then Pao-Lin gently pulled him down by the lapel of his jacket to kiss him and suddenly he didn't care so much about nitpicking semantics.
Oh. Oh. This was...nice. Except for the part where it was over far too quickly despite it lasting considerably longer than that first kiss of his. He'd just begun to relax into it when Pao-Lin stepped back into her apartment with that adorable smile of hers and wished him good night. Had he said good night to her, too? He didn't remember, but he hoped he had. She deserved one. Also, it was good manners.
What Hubert did remember as he began to amble away from her apartment was the feeling of Pao-Lin's lips against his, something he hadn't registered the first time around because he'd been too busy freaking out about actually doing the deed. All those cliches about kisses being warm and soft and maybe even a little thrilling? All true, as far as Hubert was concerned. (Dare he say it: kissing Pao-Lin was electrifying, even.) Though he supposed they wouldn't be cliches if there weren't a grain of truth to them. Either way, he thought this was something he could "adjust" to, as well. Something that could be as routine to him as Pao-Lin's hand-holding and cuddles were now. But not too routine, obviously. That still wouldn't be proper. And Pao-Lin had to be the one to take the initiative from now on. Hubert couldn't be doing it, because then he'd just look like a pervert, and besides that —
Huh. Where'd that wall come from and why did it want to slam him in the face? Strange. And how rude of those stairs, trying to trip him up like that. It was so rude, in fact, that it was almost funny. That had to be the only explanation for why he suddenly felt like laughing upon realizing he'd narrowly escaped breaking a bone or two.
On second thought, Hubert mused, gripping the stair railing for balance, perhaps this shouldn't become a routine. Not if this was what was going to happen to him afterwards. He didn't think it was a good sign when the first things that came to mind upon reviewing what he was feeling were descriptions he'd heard of being drunk. The disorientation was definitely there, and the giddiness as well...though thankfully nothing resembling nausea. But his stomach was still doing odd fluttery things and his heart was bouncing in his chest like a hyperactive child. Was he even going to make it home tonight? God, he hoped his housemates were all sleeping by this point. The last thing he needed was for them to see him so utterly out of his mind. They'd certainly be asking questions, and it was plain that he was in no fit state to even be talking in the first place.
As Hubert wobbled out of CH7 and huddled behind a nearby tree, trying to get himself to stop smiling, he had to grudgingly admit that Malik might have been right about one thing.
Maybe I am the swooning princess here, after all.
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I absolutely adore the way you write Malik, by the way--not only is he spot-on, but he's also hilarious. He must be getting so much amusement out of the younger generations romance shenanigans, I can't even.
Not to be hinting or anything
except that I totally ambut, man. If a little bit of kissing has Hubert walking into walls, I can't even imagine what things will be like down the road whenever they finally do the horizontal mambo. /eyebrow waggle (Malik will just about expire from amusement.)And finally, I agree--Hubert really is the swooning princess in this relationship. He should just accept this now, to save him a lot of pain in the long run. :Db
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It was so refreshing being able to write a trolltastic snarker after months of dealing with innocent, earnest Pao-Lin (and now indignant, forever-in-denial Hubert). I really can't help but sympathize with the guy -- stuck with a bunch of flailing, hormonal, emotional teenagers, he has to keep sane and amuse himself somehow. (And perhaps there may be a little bit of "I wish someone had told me this when I was their age" thrown in there. Albeit in the form of teaching-through-teasing.)
If a little bit of kissing has Hubert walking into walls, I can't even imagine what things will be like down the road whenever they finally do the horizontal mambo. /eyebrow waggle
"I just had sex, and it felt so good~"
oh my gods I am an awful person I should not be allowed in any fandoms ever
No, but seriously, wait 'til you see this kid at the end of L&L, when Pascal finally crowns him with a new nickname. He is just...a million kinds of lovestruck stupid. It was fortunate that it took place in a fairly open area, but I think Hubert might've needed a liiiiiittttle guidance from Malik walking back from it all.
He should just accept this now, to save him a lot of pain in the long run. :Db
Honestly, I think he likes the pain and is just too tsun to admit it. :|b
/also, insert joke about "painful finishes" hereno subject
Pfffffffffft oh god I want to see this with Hubert now.
No you should be in all the fandoms ever. ♥♥♥
Awww, oh man. Something to look forward to, then. XD
And mwahaha, I wouldn't be surprised.
/snerk