Becoming the mask

[depletes]

THE FALSE PRETENSES MEME
a shipping meme


It's only a natural response to want to be shown love and affection, no matter how hard your exterior is. If not in those words - if you truly are that cold - perhaps what you seek is adoration or worship. Regardless of how you slice it, there's something invigorating to the ego in being the object of someone's ardor. And that's what you are now, to put it mildly; the way they look at you, you'd think you hung the moon and stars. In fact, their love for you has lead to a relationship with them. Congratulations! It's all going so well.

Except that it's all based on a lie.

You're not the person they think you are...maybe even literally. They could think you're someone else completely, as such, or it could be more abstract. They don't know what you've really done, do they? The crimes you've committed, the blood on your hands - what if blood they cherished? It's doubtful if they knew what you truly were, they'd look at you with such tenderness. That's not something you can deal with. You've grown used to them and don't want to let them go. Not now.

You love them. They've wormed their way into your heart, and you just can't lose them. You just...can't. Despite what your intentions were at the beginning (you were being purposefully cruel, you were playing along, you didn't want to hurt them, you wanted to give them what they wanted), you've bought into your own hype. Whatever you have to do to keep this ruse up, you'll do.

But, of course, what's done in the dark will be brought to the light. Soon, those eyes that look towards you will be filled with pain and doubt; you can't keep your little secret forever, and it will only gut your lover in the end.

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[magician_king]

Quentin shivers, and tosses his head back, trying to gasp out a soft warning- but succumbing almost right away anyways, maybe because of the slight edge of her fingertips- and with one small, uncontrolled little jerk of his hand in her hair as his body spasms.

He subsides, breathing deep through his nose, eyes gently shut, with a long, dazed hum.

[utselet]

Nina doesn't always swallow, but for him she does. Afterwards, she lays her head against his thigh for a moment, just looking up at his flushed face, feeling peaceful and pleased. Happy.

She moves back up and comes to lie down next to him, curled on her side. She kisses the curve of his shoulder, smiling. "Hi."

[magician_king]

"Hi."

Quentin answers, reaching out to slide an arm over her, rolling to face her, giving her a wide, unguarded smile.

"You're too nice to me."

[utselet]

She brings a hand up to his cheek, tracing her fingers over it. "You make it easy to be nice to you," she murmurs, looking up into his eyes.

She chuckles softly, wondering suddenly: "Can you see me?"

[magician_king]

"You're in soft focus. Like how movies show candlelight."

He says, and smiles wide enough that you see all his crows feet. He's thirty one now and they're coming thick and fast.

[utselet]

"Oh, I like that." She laughs, cuddling up closer, moving her hand back to brush lightly through his hair. "You should have told me sooner. I could have hidden your glasses and then I wouldn't have to spend any time on makeup."

She's joking, of course; she wears it because she likes to, and she's been around him bare-faced plenty of times now. Time has yet to touch her -- but she doesn't mind at all that it has touched him. She's been with older, uglier, meaner... She only sees Quentin's little wrinkles when he smiles, and these days, it's so often for her.

She loves them, she realizes with a sharp pang. She loves him. When had that happened?

[magician_king]

"You shouldn't underestimate how much I love the way you look, glasses or none."

He murmurs, unconsciously echoing her thoughts, reaching down and stroking her hair gently back, and then puts his arms around her to keep her near.

"You know, if we live in New York, I could get laser eye surgery, and never need them."

[utselet]

Imagine here a record scratch.

"You could get what?"

[magician_king]

"They correct your vision with very precise lasers."

He says, opening his eyes very wide and miming back and forth gestures, like a beam coming into them.

[utselet]

The only lasers Nina has ever seen in person are Han's blasters. She sits up a little to gape down at him, looking horrified.

Then, she turns over to grab his glasses and hand them back to him. "Keep these."

[magician_king]

Quentin laughs, and rolls up onto his elbows, leaning in to kiss her. It'll be fine.