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my-soul-sings · 2 years

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I dare you to do it. Please do it. In exchange, I'll make one too! -Anon

YOU MADE ME DO THIS

YOU FORCED MY HAND

***

This wasn’t at all what Artem had in mind when he decided to confess to her.

He hadn’t even gotten to the end of the speech that he had prepared for her, when he first spotted moisture growing in her eyes. She then immediately dropped her gaze to the floor while her fingers interlocked into tight fists.

Naturally, he stopped mid-sentence to ask if something was wrong.

It took a second or two before she timidly shook her head in response to his question.

“No, I… I just… didn’t think you would do this.”

It was then that he noticed a tear fall onto her shirt, seeping into and staining the fabric.

Artem didn’t quite know whether those were happy tears or not. But from the way her body language appeared to be clamming up, it seemed more likely to be the latter.

“Sorry, should I have chosen somewhere less public? Do you want to move this somewhere else?” He had brought her to the amusement park, thinking the lively atmosphere would let her feel more at ease. But at that moment, she looked more stressed than she had been when she first arrived.

Looking back, it should have occurred to him that she might have been stressed for different reasons than what he had thought.

“Let’s stop this here, Artem,” she told him, still refusing to raise her face to look at him. He wanted to call her name, to have her meet his eyes so he could find out what’s wrong. But right then, he couldn’t bring his voice to work. All he could feel was his heart sinking in his chest like a boulder into an abyss.

Artem may be dense in the romance department, but he had worked with and known her long enough to know what she was really getting at.

“Okay. Let me take you home.”

She didn’t say anything when he gestured for her to walk ahead, but she kept a noticeable distance between them for the entire walk back to the car.

The sounds of the fountain and children’s laughter gradually grew softer behind them, until they were completely enveloped in an awkward silence.

***

The drive back was a silent one. Artem didn’t know if it would be appropriate to turn on the radio, so he left it as it was. She, on the other hand, looked out the window of the passenger seat the entire time in a seemingly deliberate attempt to avoid looking at him.

Where had he gone wrong? Artem thought he had read the signs right, but had he heavily misunderstood her feelings towards him? Should he have waited a little longer to observe the situation more before making this move? Sure, he had decided to confess because he didn’t want to wait around forever and have any regrets if he was too late, but if she didn’t feel the same way towards him, he might have just put a huge dent in their relationship.

In the worst case scenario, that dent may be an irreparable one.

The car rolled to a stop in front of her apartment building.

“We’re here,” he said, breaking the silence as delicately as he could. “Are… you okay?”

She didn’t respond immediately. It didn’t look like she was crying, but Artem glanced at the tissue box next to him in case she needed it.

Eventually, she cleared her throat, and finally turned to face him. Her expression was grim, her eyes downcast and her lips pursed into a thin line. It looked like she was struggling to think of what to say.

“I’m sorry,” were the first two words that left her. A rush of guilt filled Artem and he tried to interject, but she held up her hand, indicating that she wasn’t finished, so he held his tongue.

“I appreciate all the effort you put in for this, Artem. Really, I do. I just… I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear enough. I’m not sure if I gave you the wrong idea or made you think that I had… feelings for you. If I did, sorry for leading you on.”

“You have nothing to apologise for,” he gently replies, offering her a smile. “I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I misread things between us and that is my fault, not yours.”

“Still, I– I feel horrible thinking about how much effort you put into this and I just— The last thing I wanted was to hurt you.”

Artem wanted to say that he wasn’t hurt, that he was fine, but he couldn’t ignore the dull ache in his chest, or the growing lump in his throat.

Still, he put on a brave face. Just for a little while longer.

“I might need some time to move past this,” he said, surprising himself with how steady his voice sounded, “but I’ll be fine. I should apologise as well; I never wanted to make you cry, but it seems that I have hurt you once again.”

She shook her head. “Artem, I appreciate you as my colleague. I really do. I still look up to you. A lot. You know that, right?”

It was slightly easier to smile this time. “Yes. I feel the same.”

“Maybe we should take some time away from each other. We probably need some time to ourselves to think things through. After that, let’s start working together again like we always have. Okay?”

She had taken the words right out of his mouth. “Thank you. I was worried that I had done something irreparable to our relationship, but I’m glad that you’ll still be happy to work with me.”

“Of course. We’re partners, right?”

It was once a cherished term he would use to refer to them, but hearing it now stung a lot more than he would like to admit. Artem’s smile faded just slightly, but he quickly recovered. “Yes. Always.”

“I’ll see you on Monday then?”

“Yes. Have a good rest over the weekend.”

She looked like she had more to say, but then she seemed to decide against it and chose to open the door instead. “Bye Artem. Thanks for the ride home, and… I’ll see you on Monday.”

He waved her goodbye, and made sure she had entered the apartment building before finally relaxing his strained face and driving off.

A few blocks down the road, the car stopped once again in a quiet parking lot. Artem leaned back against his seat for a moment, contemplating the events of the day. Reaching into his pocket, he found the jewellery box containing the necklace that he had painstakingly handcrafted for her.

He held the necklace in his palm as his fingers brushed over the little red beans. How beautiful it would have been if this had really turned out to be his destined true love. Maybe he had hoped for too much, read too into what the red beans symbolised for them.

Artem closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh as he rested his hand over his eyes. All he could see was the vivid image of her wet eyes and downcast expression at the fountain earlier.

Before long, his own cheeks became moist as his hand clutched onto the fabric of his pants, creasing it in his tight grip.

From the looks of things, it seemed unlikely that he would be alright by Monday.

***

Monday came, and things didn’t seem to have changed. Artem came in on time as usual, fixed himself a cup of coffee in his office, and got to work straight away.

For the most part, she seemed fine as well. There was an air of awkwardness around her when she first entered his office to show him the affidavits that she had drafted, but that quickly disappeared as soon as they started focusing on work itself rather than the events of the previous weekend.

Before long, they were back to talking like they used to, and she was even able to throw in a few jokes here and there to lighten the mood.

Admittedly, smiling still hurt, but Artem played along. It was easier to do it when he focused on the relief from knowing that she was largely back to her normal self around him.

It was also fortunate that there was a lot of work for him to do; it meant another late night for him in the office, but at least it could help him get his mind off of things.

By 11pm, Artem had done whatever he needed to for the day and was ready to go home. He packed his things, switched off the light in his office, and headed towards the elevator.

Just as the doors opened though, he couldn’t help but turn back, allowing his gaze to stray in the direction of her desk. Surely she would have gone home by now, right?

Perhaps he could check just to make sure. It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong; it was perfectly normal to check on a fellow colleague.

The rest of the office was largely dark since everyone had left for the day. But he immediately noticed the single light that was still on, and he walked towards the source, soon realising that it was coming from her desk.

When he arrived, he found her sleeping on a jacket as her makeshift pillow. A quick skim of the documents that were open on her computer indicated to him that she had been in the middle of preparing her cross-examination questions for one of their upcoming trials. He did recall her mentioning that she would prepare the list for him by tomorrow.

Looking at her sleeping soundly on the table, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. She always pushed herself too hard.

Her breaths were quiet, and he noticed a stray strand of hair that had fallen in her face. Without thinking, he was about to reach out to tuck it behind her ear when he suddenly stopped his hand mid-air. His fingers curled into a loose fist, before his hand fell back to his side.

After a moment’s hesitation, he lightly tapped her shoulder, causing her to stir.

“Mm… Artem? What time is it?”

“It’s past 11. You should go back and rest for now, and work on this tomorrow.”

“Huh?” She glanced at her screen, before heaving a sigh and rubbing her temples. “I wanted to finish this before going home today.”

“You’ll be able to think better after some sleep. If you need more time, you don’t have to give me the list of questions by tomorrow. The day after is fine.”

“No, tomorrow is fine. I’m actually close to finishing. But yes, I take your point. I’ll get some sleep and continue this tomorrow.” She offered him a sheepish smile, perhaps knowing that she would only lose if she attempted to prolong this argument.

Artem nodded in approval. “It’s late, so let me drive you home. Just as a friend, of course,” he added quickly, hoping it wouldn’t give her the wrong idea.

She considered his offer for a while. The second stretched so long that Artem started to wonder if he shouldn’t have offered after all. Did he make things weird between them again?

However, to Artem’s relief, she nodded her head. “Okay, but… only if it’s not too much trouble for you.”

He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s on the way.”

“Thanks, Artem. I’d really appreciate it.”

She dozed off in the car less than five minutes after he drove out of the parking lot.

At the next red light, Artem glanced at her sleeping side profile, and he couldn’t help but chuckle wistfully to himself. There was no stopping the warmth that swept through his chest as his eyes traced the curves of her sleeping face.

Even if she didn’t return his feelings, he could be okay with that. It didn’t mean he had to stop loving her quietly from the side; he could still look out for her in his own way like this, at least, until another man who was worthy of her and who could win her affections came along and swept her off her feet.

For Artem, this would have to be enough.

***

A/N: Okay @ the anon who promised you would write one in return, I am WAITING. :))))

Thanks for reading! Not sure if this was as angsty as you wanted/thought it would be but idk. I feel like even a heartbroken Artem wouldn't be fixated on himself/his own broken heart because that's just how the big teddy bear is :"( I love him. How dare you make me break his heart i will bReAK yOu aNOnS

#tears of themis #artem wing #artem fanfiction #tears of themis fanfiction #tears of themis artem #artem wing fanfiction #tot fanfiction #my writing

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emotionalcello-makefanfics · 1 year

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Chapters: 1/4 (click EXPAND for 3k of Chapter 1) Fandom: 未定事件簿 | Tears of Themis (Video Game) Rating: Mature Relationships: Yan Wei | Darius Morgan/Zuo Ran | Artem Wing Additional Tags: Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Darius Morgan centric, Darius morgan POV, POV Zuo Ran | Artem Wing, but only a few of Artem's POV, Pining, and some of my Headcanon

---

Summary:

Senior Attorney Wing and Captain Morgan have a professional working relationship that grants them to meet often, more than they meet their own friends. But Artem and Darius meet for the first time – five years later since they first met – in the cemetery.

It all started with an umbrella.

+++

Senior Attorney Wing and Captain Morgan have a professional working relationship that grants them to meet often, more than they meet their friends. But Artem and Darius meet for the first time – five years later since they first met – in the cemetery.

Artem is leaving, Morgan has just arrived. It’s a cloudy morning, Big Data lab predicts that it’s going to rain heavily come noon. Their eyes meet, equally feeling awkward at seeing each other without their uniform. Artem is clad in a cream sweater over a sky-blue turtleneck and gray slacks, shockingly different than the sharper-than-knives suit he wears that no matter what time of day always looks tidy and sharp on him. Artem’s hair is down and loose instead of swept to the sides. Artem looks soft, very out of character from the stiff and strict Senior Attorney that Darius comes to know for years.

Darius barely looks any different, still unkept and tired but in jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket instead of the slacks, shirt, and trenchcoat. The bouquet of pink lilies and lilac looks off-putting in Darius’ hands as if something so delicate doesn’t belong in the hands of a brute that’s holding them.

“Hello,” Artem says, managing to look all kinds of awkward while saying one word.

Darius isn’t any better though, he’s just standing there staring, dumbfounded. “Hi,” he finally says flatly.

Aside from his looks, the second thing Darius thinks upon seeing Artem is ‘I didn’t know someone close to him recently died.’ He almost said his condolences but held back when he realizes that it was none of his business. Artem didn’t say anything, Darius deducts that perhaps a condolence from an acquaintance is the reason why. Even though they know each other for five years, they’re not close personally.

Darius nods and goes on his not-so-merry way. His destination is quite a hike and he takes his time. He had walked this path for twelve years. Everyone said that it gets better in time. Darius is still waiting for that time to come when the flowers in his hand will stop weighing a ton.

“Captain Morgan,” Calls a familiar voice. It makes Darius tense, and straightened his back, instinctually in work mode. Turning around and seeing Artem in his sweater send Darius on a whiplash, even more, when the man is handing him an umbrella. “I didn’t see any on you, it’s going to rain.” Darius looks to the sky, and it’s so dark it almost looks like it’s closer to the evening than noon, how come he didn’t notice?

Another thing Darius didn’t notice is how flustered Artem looks when the pause lingers too long. “I’m sorry if I’m being overfamiliar…”

“No no, you’re not,” Darius quickly says, eyes switching back and forth between Artem’s face and the umbrella in his hand. Darius decides to take it, he didn’t have an umbrella with him, and it’ll be bad if he’s sick around this time. He’d have to get sick leave and be alone in his apartment, alone with his thoughts at this time, that’d be nightmarish. “Thank you, I’ll give it back to you as soon as I can.”

“No rush,” Artem says, and he lingers a little before saying. “I hope I’m not crossing any lines, but I’m sorry for your loss.”

Darius doesn’t know what to say for a while. He feels nothing for Artem’s words, but he repeats robotically, “You too, my condolences.”

They exchange stiff nods and go separate ways. In the middle of the way, Darius notices the umbrella is as grey as the sky with a gunmetal sheen, it fits Artem’s personality perfectly. Darius was praying over their grave when the first drops of the rain fall. Darius opens the umbrella and was shocked when he sees the blue sky painted under the umbrella along with rainbows, pink and blue clouds, glittery sheen, and cutesy baby angel characters with harps, trumpets, cupids bow and… are those puppies and kittens they’re carrying in their baskets? Also, the illustration is very realistic and detailed, kind of like a Renaissance painting style.

“Huh.”

Never thought Artem to buy this kind of thing.

+++++

Captain Morgan: Cute umbrella.

Attorney Wing: Excuse me?

Captain Morgan: *Click to see the attached picture*

Attorney Wing: I assure you that I didn’t know that. I never use it since my colleagues gave it to me as a gift. I’m at loss as to why they gave me that.

Captain Morgan: I think you’ve been pranked.

Attorney Wing: Yes, I’ve realized that now.

Captain Morgan: Still want the umbrella back?

Attorney Wing: I’m not sure.

Captain Morgan: It’s a gift, so you should cherish it.

Attorney Wing: Are you pranking me too?

Captain Morgan: I plead not guilty.

Before he knows it, he’s texting back and forth with the attorney. Darius hates weekends, he never spent them doing anything of worth. He’d smoke, watch a movie he’s watched hundreds of times, and hang out with his cold girl Julia. If he’s lucky, he gets to work on these empty weekends. Alas, after pushing himself to those working weekends for a month, his supervisor noticed and kicks him to the curb and made him spend his weekend ‘relaxing’. Darius knows it’s just politics for ‘I’m not gonna grant you any more overtime money for this’. So, no, Darius isn’t relaxing. Or, wasn’t.

Darius doesn’t have any friends he can call close enough. He has drinking buddies but that’s an entirely different category of people than friends. Never in his wild imagination that he’d ever think that Artem can be his friend. They see each other almost every week strictly for work and it’s been five constant years of that so Darius never thought it was a possibility. Then there’s work, which they’re both too invested in whenever they met, socializing nor pandering didn’t come to mind.

And yet, the stupid umbrella is just so stupid that he can’t not bug Artem about it. He was supposed to be mourning that day, but the cupid babies loom at the corner of his eyes as the umbrella opens to dry. Darius could’ve sworn the inside of that umbrella is glowing like it has a light source. Where did Artem even find that thing?

++++

Darius never gets to return the umbrella, both of them are always too busy to remember. Darius often forgot his umbrella at home, then forgot them at the office. When he finally brings it into the glove box of his car, he forgot to mention it until Artem leaves in a hurry.

Two months later, the imprint of the ridiculous umbrella left his memory. His text with Artem bantering about the umbrella had been buried with texts about cases.

Then comes the rain.

Darius remembers to bring an umbrella today. He slips it inside this coat pocket. He’s assisting Artem and his partner, young Attorney Chris. They’re at the back garden of the victim’s mansion while Artem is inside the house investigating with one of Darius’ officers. The rain starts and he opens the umbrella to shield himself and Chris. She looks up at Darius, opening her mouth to say something until she sees the abomination that is under the umbrella. Darius even forgot that this umbrella was THAT umbrella until she was badly covering her smile and cupids dancing at the corner of his eyes.

“How come you have Artem’s umbrella?” Chris says.

“Ah, so you’re the one that gave it to him.”

At Darius' teasing smile, Chris blushes, “Uh, well, I was one of the people that suggest it, sure, but I’m not the one that constructs it.”

Darius’ eyebrows raise, “You’re saying you and another person custom-made this umbrella to prank Wing?”

“Me and three other people, yes. We just thought it was funny!” Chris says all of the sudden.

Darius can’t help the chuckle, “Yeah, it is, kinda.”

He walks Chris to Artem’s car and goes back to get Artem. Sure enough, the Attorney looks at him with wide eyes when he sees Darius with the umbrella.

“It really is offensively adorable, yet somehow artistic,” Artem says out of nowhere.

“If by artistic you mean uncanny-ly realistic, sure.”

To his surprise, Artem laughs, not noticing Darius having an internal 404 error. Had he ever seen Artem laugh? No, he had never even seen him crack a smile in all the five years they’d known each other.

Huh, so that’s what it looks like, Darius thinks, and he doesn’t look away. Not until Artem catches him staring and looks away almost sheepishly, which makes Darius thinks that he might’ve passed out at some point and dreamt all this.

“If you don’t mind,” Artem says after clearing his throat.

Darius flustered, much to his horror, “Ah, yes, let’s go.”

And it must’ve been a ridiculous sight for a gruff middle-aged man and another stiff-faced man nearing thirty to walk together in the rain under an umbrella that looks like a child’s bedsheet. Both of them can’t see how ridiculous they are, so the embarrassment doesn’t stop their conversation.

“Is this another case of a family fighting for inheritance gone bloody?” Darius asks.

“I won’t assume anything until I have all the evidence.”

Darius scoffs, “You say that, but every time they called the cops on an allegedly natural death of a rich guy, it’s always murder and it’s always about inheritance.”

“Not always,” Artem says airily.

“When? Wing, I assist you in every case you take, I know.” And doesn’t that take Darius back. He didn’t realize that yes, ever since Artem became an attorney in the city, Darius had always been the one that assist him, how did that happen?

“Premeditate opinion is a recipe for misinterpretation.”

“Ok Mr. Senior attorney, wanna bet?” Darius doesn’t know what possessed him to say that, but upon seeing Artem's playful smirk, everything is worth it.

“What would we even bet?”

Darius lits up. At some point, they stopped walking and had been standing face to face. Their chests almost touched under the umbrella too small for the two of them with the curtain of rain shutting the whole world from their private little circle. Darius looks at those dark blue eyes, mysterious like the ocean deep, they glint in mischief as if they’re hiding something. Looking at those eyes any longer, Darius would’ve drowned.

“The winner buys the other drinks,” Darius goes with the classic.

“You’re on,” Artem says with an amount of sass that Darius never knew he possessed.

Darius is completely mystified by what he just experienced. So much so that he kept looking at Artem as he steps into his car, said goodbye, and drives away into the road.

Only after a few seconds did he realize that Darius is still holding the blasted umbrella.

++++

It took a month for Artem to wrap up the case they’re betting on. The memory of the bet had been pushed to the back of Darius’ head by other responsibilities. Artem isn’t the only attorney he works with, and there’s more to police work than just investigating death and murder, there are also these damn reports.

So, it takes a few seconds to discern Artem’s text, which is a link to a news article.

‘The Evil Mistress of the Reindhart Patriarch declared Not Guilty! The shocking truth reveals a heartbreaking story of the Billionaire’s decades fight with illness.’

Attorney Wing: I win.

Darius laughs, shocking his coworkers that never once hear any joyous tone from their strict no-nonsense captain.

Captain Morgan: And I’m a man of my word. The winner picks the time and place.

Friday, 9 PM, at a place called Dionysus. It sounded posh, and honestly, what is it with this city and greek gods? They’re nowhere near Greece.

++++

The place isn’t as posh as it sounds. Darius was expecting to burn all his life savings because Artem seems like a wine guy. The name of the bar sounded like a wine place, and Darius knows wine can cost a liver and a limb.

The bar seems cozy. Earth tones, dim lighting, jazz music, couch seats. It’s getting crowded with office workers since it’s 7 PM on a Friday. Darius takes the bar seat where he can see both the emergency exit and the front entrance. Darius only waited for five minutes when Artem walks in through the door, his suit jacket in his arms.

Darius sips his whiskey to mask his instinctual gulp. This overreaction is pathetically caused by Artem without a layer of suit jacket. What is wrong with him lately? He looks at Artem and suddenly his composure takes a nosedive. He sees Artem often, sure this is the first time they meet up outside work hours –second if you count the cemetery– but Artem doesn’t look any different. Artem is Artem, which is exactly the problem now that Darius thinks of it. Artem had always been Senior Attorney Wing and he’s never just… Artem.

Hey, know what? Darius is an honest man. Artem is attractive, Darius had always found him attractive. This is only the first time that he lets himself react to it since he’s bound to his professional work ethic. There’s no harm in noticing that their colleague is attractive at the appropriate non-working hours, right?

“Sorry I’m late,” Artem says, taking the bar seat next to Darius. He smells like expensive perfume and rain.

“You’re not, hope you don’t mind me having a head start,” Darius motioned to his glass.

“I don’t mind.” Artem gestures to the bartender, “I’ll have what he’s having.”

“Oh, come on, Attorney Wing. Treat yourself to the top shelf, I’m a gracious loser.”

Artem sips on his quickly-served glass of two shots of whiskey, “Aren’t the winner able to get whatever they want?”

“Hey, suit yourself.”

“Artem.”

“Hm?”

“We’re off the clock. Isn’t it weird to be so formal?”

Darius disagrees, it’s weirder to call each other by their given name after years of calling their last names tightly knit to their title, and yet, “Artem,” he says, testing the sound of Artem’s name in his mouth. “Darius, then.”

“Darius,” Artem nods with a smile.

And it’s a little pathetic how the sound of his name in Artem’s voice sent shivers down his spine.

“Well,” Darius smiles and raises his glass to Artem, “For your win. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Artem toasts his glass with Darius’.

Even though both of them are outside work hours in a bar, they’re workaholics by nature and all they talk about is work. It started with Darius asking how the case wrapped up and they went deep into investigation talk.

Sober Darius would’ve panicked being so close to Artem, watching him talk and loosen up, his hair softly falling apart from the side-swept style he kept, seeing how delicate the white shirt on Artem’s body is. Pleasantly buzzed Darius, however, shamelessly enjoys the view.

Out of nowhere, Artem chuckle, and it makes Darius chuckle too.

“What?” Darius asks.

“We’re off the clock, yet I still talk about work,” Artem sighs dejectedly.

“We’re workaholics, and I don’t mind,” Darius shrugs like it’s nothing, hoping it’ll cheer him up. “Also, you’re not much of a drinker, are you?” Darius notices that in an hour and a half they’ve been here, Artem hadn’t finished his first glass while Darius is already on his third.

Artem chuckles mirthlessly, “You caught me.”

Darius watches Artem, finding a conclusion, “You didn’t have to agree to go drinking if you didn’t want to. We could’ve gone wherever you feel comfortable in.”

“That’s the problem though,” Artem says dejectedly, finally finishing the drink. “I don’t know where to go either. I work all the time, and the only thing I do outside of work are the necessities: Sleep, bathe, eat, and…” Artem pauses at the last point, something he can’t say in public then.

“Sex?”

Artem swings his head so fast Darius thought it would spin, eyes pop open so comically that Darius laughed.

“Don’t laugh at me, you caught me off guard,” Artem huffs, his face flushed with a pretty pink tone. “I was about to say I was doing… special cases.”

Ah yes, special cases, the NXX investigation team. Darius is partially let into the knowledge of their existence, though Darius knows he was only let in so the team can do under-the-table work with him. Darius had agreed with the condition that they do him a favor in similar weight. Three years after he works with Artem and gains respect towards each other, Artem finds him trustworthy enough to know their existence. Imagine his bewilderment when he’s faced with a team of a baby-faced super spy, an aloof prince-like psychologist that talks to him like he’s a lab rat, the youngest Senior Attorney in the city, and a 19-year-old Vice-CEO of the multi-billionaire company that runs half the world.

It worked out mutually beneficial. Darius gets to pull in reasonable favors, and they get fast help from the police force and confidential files.

“Sorry, sorry,” Darius says after he calms down. “We’re both adults and it was an honest question. Some argue that sex is a necessity.”

“Not to me,” Artem says carefully, watching Darius as he says it, “It’s… no, I don’t do that casually.”

Darius is pinned to the board with Artem’s strong gaze, enjoying every moment of it. “I get it.”

“You do?”

“Uh-uh,” he says, not willing to elaborate.

“If not the bar, where would you’ve suggested we go?” Artem asks, moving on.

“The workaholic with no life asks another workaholic with no life, I suggest you refer to a different source.”

Artem scoffs, his eyes glinting with amusement, Darius pats himself on the back for that.

“You don’t seem to be worse off than me.”

“It’s not a competition, Artem,” Darius’s heart has no business skipping at saying Artem’s name. “We can suffer in our lack of life together.”

To Darius’ dismay, Artem smiles at him and blushes, “It’s not so bad then.” Oh, and that one does a number on Darius.

“Are you already drunk?”

“Maybe. I don’t have the greatest tolerance for alcohol. The last time I got drunk was humiliating, I swore to never touch alcohol again, in public.”

Darius sighs, “And you still agree to my invitation.”

“Well, it was the first time you ask me to meet up, I couldn’t say no.”

“Why couldn’t you? It would’ve been fine.”

“It wouldn’t. I’d… never mind.” Artem slumps, dejected towards himself.

Darius knocks his knee with Artem’s, getting the younger man’s rapt attention, “If you have no idea where to go because you’ve never been there, then how about going to a place you’ve been wanting to go?”

Artem is holding his breath for whatever reason. He’s leaning his face on the palm of his hand, and he seems to be hiding behind said palm. To torture him, Artem starts biting his lips before blurting out, “Dinner?”

“Sure, we could’ve gone for that.”

“Could’ve,” Artem says wistfully, “Now I have to find an excuse to ask you.”

Darius chuckles, “You’re so drunk.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t need any excuse. We can just, go.”

“We can just go,” Artem repeats as if still not believing what he hears or say.

“Yes.”

“That easy?”

“Was it supposed to be hard?”

“I don’t know, but it felt like it. I never knew how to do… you know?”

“No, I don’t know. To do what?”

“Having a casual relationship.”

“… Friends, you don’t know how to have friends.”

“I was trying to not make myself look pathetic, but you see right through me I guess.”

Darius barked a laugh, and he might’ve imagined the stars in Artem’s eyes, “Hey, I applaud you for still trying. I’ve given up at some point.”

“As my friend said to me once, it’s not a competition.”

Friends. Damn, isn’t that nice?

#tears of themis #tears of themis fanfic #tears of themis fanfiction #artem wing #artem wing fanfiction #darius morgan #darius morgan fanfiction #tot artem #tot darius #tot fanfic #tot fanfiction

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yaesnovels · 1 year

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my toxic trait is walking past corporate buildings and thinking how much of a good fuck i would get from marius or artem 😁 NAH BUT LIKE oh my fucking god imagine all the windows are all fogged up and you’re pressed up against it all out of breathe AND THEN JUST WAIT either celestine or vincent walksup to the door and goes “there’s a client here for you” and they continue railing the fuck out of you and they breathlessly go “i’ll be ready in a bit, just finishing something” PHEW like wow

cw; mentions of semi-public sexual encounters

commissions are open! check this out!

okay i don‘t know about artem in this case (simply because i see my second husband as a more sweet and romantic type, who’s just the more traditional lover-ish thing) but

i always felt like marius is a kinky bastard (affectionately) so he would simply fuck you against a window because he wants to experiment on what the limits are that he can push before getting caught.

then again, he is his own boss, so who gives a shit anyway? vincent would probably be so used to this that he would understand not what, but who marius is „finishing up“ (lol) and would ask the client for some patience and marius would come see them in a few minutes.

poor vincent, already having seen marius fuck you so good on the table, against the window, you riding him on his chair, on the couch in the big office, everything. now he‘s just used to the fact that whenever you come visit marius at work to „bring him some lunch“, he knew not to interrupt you two or he would probably have to actually resort to bleach his eyes (/hj)

oh and also, imagine he has you pinned against the window and he just draws a tiny heart on the fogging that appeared with your heavy breathing against the glass — just to make you giggle and play around.

as for artem, since i feel like he is more the traditional lover, he would at least wait until he thinks everyone is out of the office before he goes ahead and gets down to his favorite type of business (like for lunch or for closing times)

imagine he thinks everyone went out for lunch, having heard them talk about how theyre going to try out this new place around the corner and even celestine saying she‘ll stop by there; so artem just kisses you, acting totally out of character for him as he was absolutely needy for you.

little did he know that celestine actually had one of the important clients come in randomly, leading them to artem because he is the best (and in that moment, the only other lawyer at the firm as everyone else went for lunch break).

he halts his movements, before he just keeps on going, holding his hand against your mouth to muffle your noises before he says he‘ll be out in the meeting room in a few moments, that he has something to finish up real quick.

little did celestine know that he was not talking about paperwork.

i just wrote this on my phone without really thinking about it, just what came to my mind lol; this is just word vomit.

my hand hurts now from typing so much at once send help.

anyways, i‘m headin off to sleep, gn people <3

#. flowers for : marius von hagen !#. flowers for : artem wing !#tears of themis #tears of themis fanfiction #tears of themis smut #tears of themis artem #artem wing #artem smut #artem fanfiction #tears of themis marius #marius von hagen #marius von hagen smut #marius smut #marius fanfiction

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mysweetgirl2-love · 1 year

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After A Long Day… - Artem Wing x Reader

Please, this one is maybe the simplest and, honestly??, it was kinda my favorite write so far.

At least, he started heading in a positive trend writing wise. Very much enjoyed describing this small shared moment between you and the best lawyer in Stellis 🙈 Live, love, Artem.

Warnings: None, this is pure soft. Very sweet interaction :)) don't let the prompt deceive you, I promise ^^" Prompt #10: Undressing Word Count: 2.8k

✦✧✦✧

“You’re doing WHAT tonight?!”

Cringing slightly at how Kiki’s voice screeched over the phone’s receiver, you found yourself panicked in the middle of your boss’ living room, wondering if you just should end the call before he could hear your co-worker yelling at you on the line. Even when she wasn’t on speaker, the voice was just a little too loud for the setting you found yourself in.

“Yes. Yes! Now, if you would just shut. UP. Maybe! Maybe my cover won’t be blown.” You growled over the phone, causing your tone to be more intimidating than possibly need-be but knowing it was better that way if it got the message you needed relayed across to your excitable friend.

It was late on a Friday night where you found yourself infiltrating the space you were just starting to grow more accustomed to. You and your boss, also known as the youngest and most successful lawyer of his time, recently had started seeing one another. Not like you were just hired and your boss was starting to notice your hard work-kind of seen, no. In all honesty, to your unbeknownst self, Mr. Wing had been noticed truly since the day you started working at his firm. A spunky, up-and-coming young woman in his office was hard to miss for anyone, and the talent in which you displayed in a courtroom wasn’t unforeseen by him either. Arguably, he had grown to be enamored with you before ever having the chance to ask your name.

He wasn’t invisible to you either, obviously. Being someone of his status in the world of law, along with his undeniable looks and physical beauty, it was hard to turn a blind eye to him for those reasons and more. If not you trying to keep your head in the game of the work field, and not hopelessly falling for your boss, both your co-worker and the firm’s executive woman were quick to point out the tension around you both whenever you had interacted. It was increasing in complication with every passing day you both came into work, and finally both Kiki Bennett and your bosses boss, Celestine Taylor, ultimately convinced you to approach the man and profess your growing crush before it “became too much of a distraction”.

Thus, taking the Artem Wing by surprise, a relationship formed from business turned into that of involvement. Something he didn’t quite know how to handle, or if he should feel good about indulging in anyway. Another personal note in himself, he truly did find himself to have a certain infatuation with your person, he ultimately said yes because of words from Ms. Taylor. Whereis, in a previous conversation, the woman had talked you up and your teamwork on the floor of the firm, claiming you to be a strong, independently willed person, who always knew what they were doing.

That, on top of the silent praises Artem held internally for the lawyer you were turning out to be, was what reassured him that saying yes wouldn’t halt his work… and that it was alright to indulge in what fate was kind enough to give him a chance with.

So, he agreed to your asking of grabbing a bite to eat after work—the time now being two weeks since your first outing with one another. Where drinks were shared, drunk talk maybe too quickly came off of your tongue, and feelings were no longer able to be denied as he asked the details of how you felt about him, the intoxicated haze your drinking had put you in making it hard to have any filter. Admitting to things like how you admired the broadness in his shoulders, and lovesick words centered around how “the blue of your eyes makes me feel like I’m drowning in an endless ocean of sight,” and maybe how he should be a glasses model.

All to which you were very apologetic and embarrassed for the following morning, he reassured you over the phone by saying it wasn’t a big deal. That he found your ramblings “endearing,” and wouldn’t be opposed to hearing more when eventually given the chance.

It had at least a month since that night out, and though it wasn’t the only time you both had reserved time one another outside of work since then, nothing had yet to compare. You blamed your endless babbling on how great of a boss Artem was in your eye’s, but Artem had claimed it was because his workload had since spiked over the course of that month and it was hard to find time for something quite like it again.

With that in mind, and having recently acquired personal access to his penthouse of an apartment, you took it upon yourself to maybe help relieve some of the tension from a work day by surprising him with a night in together. Now, was entering his apartment without outrightly telling him you’d be there when he got home a good idea? Arguably, no. You were never great at giving surprises, and with Kiki’s reaction to where you had bustled yourself off to after work… you could only hope Artem wouldn’t find this incredibly invasive.

Kiki’s whine resounded again from your speaker, your name being dragged out in a tone that all too nagging, “I didn’t think you’d be so quick in getting a spare to his apartment!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s crazy, no I don’t think we’re moving too fast, the place is great, yada, yada, yada,” You threw another throw pillow up on the couch in trying to make the place more homely. When you first had come over, the apartment barely looked lived in; even the bedroom had crisply pressed sheets and just all around smelled like fresh laundry. Before ultimately returning this evening, you had run to a department store—purchasing a few seasonal appropriate decorations that you thought would fit his space. “Are we done here?”

“No! No way are ‘we done here,’ I need details!” You rolled your eyes at your phone, then moving to just hold the device against your ear with your shoulder, hands too busy with the pillow details.

“Look, Kiki, as much as I love being your friend and gossiping about all the good, bad, and the ugly—“

“This isn’t even that!” She interrupted, much to your very irate dismay, “This is BIGGER than just gossip! You’re—“

There are approaching footsteps you can distinctly hear from outside the apartment, and you’re suddenly bounding back up the stairs to your boss’ bedroom to hide from the incoming man himself. Only when you were in the securely out of sight from the

“Look. Kiki. I have to go.”

“Wait—“ you heard just the beginning of your name leave her mouth as you hit the end call button and cut her off. Further turning your cell on do not disturb, you placed it face down on Artem’s dresser and planned on leaving it there to avoid any bombarding texts you were bound to receive in plenty after your phone would send Kiki to voicemail each time she tried calling back.

You eased your body against the frame of the bedroom as you intently listened to what was happening beyond the room, clearly hearing Artem now moving into the space and going through his evening routine. The shoes clicked on his tiled entry as he slipped out of them, knowing this is where you would ultimately be found out.

There was a pause in noise from beyond his doorway, maybe a light shuffling as you imagined him looking over the familiar dress shoes also by his step. A beat or two more, and slowly you heard him step into his living room with a weighted pause.

Softly, not quite a whisper but lower than his familiar ‘inside-voice’, he hushed your name. Breathed it into the space, and upon its calling, you step out from behind the wall and found him already to be peering up at the balcony over his living room, anticipating you.

It was subtle, but you swore you saw his eyes brighten with your appearance from the room. Bubbly giddiness guiding you back down the stairs and back to the first floor of the penthouse. “Hi…”

Artem barely gives himself time to breathe at your greeting before he’s already pacing your way, arms extended and open for you if you chose to accept them. And, you were not going to be the person to deny his welcoming hug.

Taking your own step forward, you pressed into his chest and let his arms wrap fittingly around your shoulders, pulling you in and pressing you to the fabric of his dress shirt—his comforting smell of mixed cologne and office smell calming any senses previously heightened by the interaction with Kiki.

“When’d you get here?” His voice is still quiet, hands curling gently around your shoulders and holding you in place.

You shake your head in starting to respond, “Not too long ago… maybe a half hour?”

“Ah,” Artem shifts, and suddenly you’re pulled away from his front and instead held at a distance, his eyes giving you a once-over, “were you alright getting in on your own? The doorman didn’t give you any problems?”

“He saw I had the key and didn’t question twice. Artem, please.” Your own hand reaches and gently wraps around his wrist, giving the larger man a reassuring squeeze, “You worry too much.”

Artem’s eyes warmed with the comment, a light shrug shifting through him, “I would like to argue that it’s almost my job to keep worrying…”

“Sure, but not about me!” You giggled, shaking your head gently before your eyes fell on the tie he always wore. The sleek fabric almost shining in the warm overhead lights of his apartment. Slowly your hand fell from his wrist and, with the other, reached for the accessory decorating his center—slipping your finger in its knot and pulling down. “You shouldn’t feel so responsible at home.”

“I—Well, yes— But—“ Mr. Wing was suddenly a stuttering, stumbling mess as you continued in your actions, “When-When it comes t-to you—“

“Please, I feel like me being here should be your biggest relief,” You openly teased as the tie slipped out of its bonding and simply laid around his collar. “I don’t think there’s a place safer in Stellis for me to be.”

“M-Maybe,” finally lifting a hand, Artem cleared his throat and leveled his emotions, getting ahold of himself, “but, you didn’t want to wait for me to also get off work?”

You couldn’t help but grin at the question, promptly shaking your head, “No. That would ruin the surprise.”

“Surprise?” Suddenly then Artem lifted his gaze to peer around the room, his eyes falling on the throw pillows separately adorned in both fall leaves and gourds, looking to find a candle lit in the center of the coffee table, quickly turning once over his shoulder to the table where he kept a few framed photos and seeing the grouping of differing-colored pumpkins bunched together. He let out an easy chuckle with now having lasting touches of you affecting his apartment, finally peering back towards you with a gentle nod. “I see now�� very nice.”

You grinned so hard it caused the skin on your nose to scrunch and it gave your smile a new pureness in excitement, happy to be here, physically, emotionally, with him. His approval just made your enthusiasm all the more prevalent, like he could feel it radiating off you in waves.

“So, you like it?” You ask carefully, reaching up and then pulling the tie out from under his collar. He seemed to shiver at the sensation of the silk slipping out, maintaining his smile this time.

“Mhm.* He slowly nodded, his attention now fixated on watching the tie gently fall through your fingers, “I don’t think ‘like’ is the right term…”

You raised a brow lightly up at him, your head falling on its side to emphasize your curiosity, “Oh? You’d call it something else?”

“I love them,” he answered swiftly, and you were taken by such a meaningful word falling from his lips, your cheeks then feeling warm on your face, “it’s like a little touch of you can finally stay in the apartment.”

The increasing beat of your heart then faltered, and you gasped as if it would help restart its beating. Artem’s warmth quickly fell with a panicked look creasing into brows, his hands hovering around your elbows.

“Did I say something wrong?” He suddenly asked, worry etched into his brow that he might’ve taken it a step too far, “I didn’t mean to overwhelm—“

“What? Oh! No, no, Artem,” You lightly laughed and let your hand not preoccupied with his tie fall lightly on his shirt’s breast pocket, “you’re totally fine. I just wasn’t expecting such a… poetic statement.”

“Poetic?” He spoke the word with an awkward, “I don’t believe I’ve ever been associated with the word.”

“You’re a lawyer, you’re not supposed to be.” You grinned with your joke, “Hence my surprise~”

Artem laughed gently through his nose, his head leaning in and allowing the bridge of his nose to gently press against the skin of your forehead. You melted at the point of contact, the smile hurting your cheeks with how wide you were continuously beaming.

“Thank you, by the way,” He murmured softly, his breath washing over your face and lulling you further into this hazy comfort, “I’m very grateful for this surprise.”

“I appreciate your feedback,” You chimed, your hands slipping now under his topcoat and pushing the article of clothing from his shoulders, it sliding down his arms just from its weighted material, “but it’s not even the highlight of the evening?”

“Really?” He’s now eager to shrug himself of his outer layer of clothing, get comfortable, “What else would you have planned?”

“Does a movie night-in sound fun? Something easy for the season?” You both gave each other some distance to keep admiring the other, not seeming to be able to stare long enough in being able to comprehend just how attractive the other was. You felt corny in that moment, but the giddiness you saw in him at the suggestion of a movie was clear.

“You truly do know the way to my heart.”

It wasn’t a secret to you that Artem had a certain appeal when it came to watching films—both asking you with your co-workers what you all thought about recent films that had come to theaters, and ones that had already existed for an extended period of time. Being able to give him the space for something comforting like a movie night, as well as listening to his ramblings about certain choices behind one’s film-making, was certainly a good outlet to provide him with after a day at work.

“I try to pick up on things,” You relent afterwards, grabbing the jacket which finally slipped from his wrists and clutching it around one arm. You held it between the both of you, nodding at Artem with your chin, “Hurry up, then. Go get comfortable and I’ll start making popcorn.”

“Do you have a movie in mind?” He asked while watching you step away for the kitchen.

“Thought I’d give you the honors, silly.” You chimed while reaching one of the many cabinets over his counter, reaching up for one of the handles, “It’s your surprise.”

“Then, I’ll be right back.” He cleared his throat, you having to laugh before shooting him an amused look. Finding it almost hard to believe you allowing his choice made him flustered, and yet you still found the tips of his ears were certainly brighter in color than the rest of him; such was the truth.

Artem didn’t hesitate any longer, quickly pacing up his stairs and turning into his bedroom leaving you down below. The greeting was sweet, and being able to relax in his arms seemed like a great way to end your night, end off the busy week at Stellis Law Firm. You couldn’t ask for a better outcome.

Artem suddenly called your name from the room, you promptly turning and widening your eyes to find the man with his shirt now halfway unbuttoned. White, broad shoulders further showing themselves to you along with the dips of his collarbone. He was focused elsewhere, though, and you quickly realized he was dangling your phone out in your direction.

“Ms. Bennett seems to be calling…?”

You groaned, your head falling into a facepalm, deciding then maybe the lack of Kiki could make it better.

“Don’t worry about it,” you waved your hand back up at the balcony, placing the microwavable popcorn into his microwave, “just… her trying to get the details about tonight.”

“I see…” You could hear the smile in Artem’s voice as he retracted back to his room, “Well, she’ll be glad to hear about it from me, personally, on Monday.”

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nagisadelune · 1 year

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Headcanon: Cooking For Artem

(Definitely not edited)

YEAH BOIIIIIIIIII! IT'S OUR FAVORITE SENIOR ATTORNEY, MR. ARTEM WING'S BIRTHDAY! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Okay, so I wanted to write something for Artem's birthday that is coming up (April 26th) because why not? Anyways, I know that I haven't written anything in awhile, but I hope that this kind of makes up for the sudden increase of workload. Either way, I hope you enjoy this one!

For our timeline, you can basically imagine any timeline. Whether you want to be dating, married, engaged to him; imagine this however you would like to. Also, I would like for you to imagine that you're working at Themis as Artem's partner if you decide to not be Rosa.

⭐⭐⭐

"How come you're yawning so much?" Kiki asks you in the middle of her story. With the new case that you and Artem received a couple days ago, you two are both swamped with work, trying to sort out the paperwork and known evidence. As much as you love working here, it definitely needs a lot of time and effort to get it done.

After taking a sip of your fresh coffee, you look at her to explain, "Mr. Wing and I just started a new case, so we needed to put in some overtime to get through what we wanted." Kiki only nods in response before taking a sip of her coffee. Suddenly, you notice the confusion in her eyes.

"I don't think that explains why you're so tired though?" she asks, staring into the reflection of her coffee to put the pieces together. "Even if you and Mr. Wing work overtime, he would make sure that you two get home decently on time," she continues before squinting at dark circles, "and you seem to be yawning more than the previous times that you two worked together into the night." You look back down at your coffee cup to hopefully hide your face a little; you didn't want her finding out about your plan and blurting it out to the entire office.

"Y-Yeah, I just didn't sleep well," your voice trails off before you take another sip of coffee. Although you can't exactly see her face, Kiki's studying eyes seem to bore a hole into your forehead. When you finally pull the coffee cup away from your face, Kiki's eyes seem to widen, seemingly putting the pieces together.

"Did you prepare something?" she asks teasingly, poking at your arm. With the blush in your cheeks, you realize that she knew your plans. With a sigh, you can only nod at her response where she excitedly places down her cup and claps her hand like a child who just figured out the hardest math problem in the homework. "What did you prepare? A gift? Or something more?" she begins bombarding you with questions, trying to figure out more about your little surprise. Suddenly, her voice seems to cut off, and you watch her freeze up in front of you. "G-Good morning Mr. W-Wing," she greets, stuttering on her words. Confused, you turn around for your eyes to meet with a familiar chest.

"Good morning," Artem greets with a slight nod. "If you don't mind, I would like my partner for the new case we're working on." Kiki can only nod and excuse herself awkwardly before escaping the senior attorney's gaze. You look back at Artem confused before he looks down at you. "Sorry to disturb your conversation, but I think I found another clue for the case," he explains briefly, catching your attention. The two of you start walking back to his office as you discuss the details.

"Does it regard the testimony of the main suspect?" you question, your thoughts returning to the case. Artem nods to confirm your suspicions before explain his train of thought. While you try to keep your mind on the task at hand, you feel the drowsiness catching up to you, making your steps slow down. Before Artem catches you lagging behind, you try to catch up to him again, but you awkwardly trip over your own feet, causing you to yelp slightly. Closing your eyes to brace for the impact of the hard floor, you feel yourself hitting a softer surface, hands on your arms and a familiar scent hitting your nose. Opening your eyes, your eyes land on the fabric of a suit, making you rush to stand.

"Are you okay?" Artem asks worriedly, looking over your body to visually check everything. Feeling the blood rush to your cheeks from the situation, you can barely give him a verbal response and look at him, making you choose to nod instead. With a sigh of relief, Artem appears to relax a little before checking you one more time. "Did you not sleep well last night?" he wonders aloud, and you're sure that he noticed the dark circles under your eyes.

"I slept well, but I guess I didn't sleep enough," you answer carefully, your voice small enough for only Artem to hear. Artem shakes his head helplessly before you two step into his office. The thud of the door shutting wakes you up slightly, but you can't help but to yawn and take another sip of coffee.

"It is nearing the time for lunch, so maybe you need some energy?" Artem pieces together before grabbing his phone from his desk. "Let's order some food, so we can eat twelve. Do you want your usual order?" he asks, scrolling on his phone screen. With your tired brain, you just process the situation, making you wake up instantly.

"A-actually, I don't think we need to order anything," you suddenly state, making him looking up from his phone confused. Without another word, you walk towards your bag and rummage through the contents from the specially packaged items. With your back facing towards him and his eyes on you, the nervousness finally hits you; you can only hope that he likes your little surprise for him. Your hand brushes against a familiar fabric texture and holds onto it. Carefully, you begin to dig it out of your bag, making sure your wrapping doesn't get too ruined. When you lift the two surprises out of your bag, you turns towards him, and his eyes stare at the two items in your hands confused.

Before you get the chance to explain yourself, Artem suddenly pieces the clues together, "Did you wake up early to cook for us today?" When he completely figures out, you can only nod at his response.

"I decided to cook today since you always cook for us and handle my meals even though that's supposed to be my responsibility," you explain quietly. With a small pause, you realize how the air in the office turned awkward, making you explain yourself further. "W-well I technically didn't really cook much; I only made the rice, cut up some vegetables, cooked it together with some meat, and arranged it. It really isn't much compared to what you do, but I just wanted to return the favor after everything you've done for me," you ramble quickly before realizing that you just made the situation even more awkward. In an instant, you try to hide your face and clear your throat. "W-we don't have to eat it if you don't-" you shyly start again before Artem cuts you off.

"You cooked for me?" Artem whispers, his tone reflecting his touched and confused feelings. You nod again at Artem before you hear his steps approach you. The load in your hands seem to lighten, and you see one of the lunch boxes you packed in Artem's hand. "Let's just eat here then," he softly offers, a small smile on his face. You nod with a smile on your face, feeling slightly relieved that he accepted your gift. After unwrapping and reheating the food, you two are seated on the couch and eating the meal you prepared. However, there's a slight problem: you messed up the seasoning; you only realize it after you take a bite and realize how bland the meal is. Sadly, Artem already had a couple bites while reading the document on his tablet, making you cringe at your mistake. You can only await his comments about the food, making you try to distract yourself by reading a document for the case.

An awkward silence lands over you as you nervously scan through the lines of the document. Although you feel like you need to break the silence, you know that it would still be too awkward for you. The most you could do was to shovel your bland stir-fry into your mouth and to cry internally about forgetting to season your own food. Seriously, how do you forget to season vegetables and meat? While you're mentally kicking yourself about this, you manage to not hear Artem trying to call your attention to the point that he needs to tap you on the head. When you realize what just happened, your cheeks burn red from embarrassment. Trying to compose yourself, you look up to see Artem staring at you blankly.

"W-what is it? D-did you f-find anything?" you stutter out, making you internally scream at yourself again. At the worst possible moment, your tongue slips on the syllables of your words, and you can only hope that Artem notices your nervousness.

"Not yet," he answers softly, "but you have been awfully quiet. Is everything okay?" Of course, he would notice; the top attorney of Stellis would definitely notice any abnormal behavior out of his partner.

You only sigh in defeat before you admit your mistake: "I forgot to season the food, so I just gave you bland food." You want to bury yourself into the ground, so your embarrassment can disappear. However, Artem's reaction catches you slightly off guard.

"The food was fine," Artem responds in an attempt to ease your feelings. "Yes, it was bland, but that's an easy fix compared to cooking it incorrectly." While honest with your cooking, you can't help but feel him picking at his words to not offend you. Because of this, you still feel upset about your lack of memory and don't notice him watching your face twist at your cringe. He carefully sets down the empty container and gently places his hand over yours. Not expecting his warm hands on yours, the blood suddenly rises in your cheeks, and your heart pounds against your chest. "Bland food is better than burnt food. I'm just glad that someone even tried to cook for me, alright?" Artem comforts you as his fingertips slightly press into your skin. You can only nod at him and not make eye contact, slightly relieved by his reaction.

"Next time, I'll make you something better then!" you promise out loud, finally making eye contact with him. With a bright smile on your face, his eyes widen in shock before a moment before returning your smile. His hand squeezes yours for a moment before letting go and turning his body towards you.

"Maybe you should try to cook when we're not overloaded with a case. I know you forgot to add the seasoning because you didn't get enough sleep last night," Artem reasons, patting your head. In shock, you stare at him, trying to piece together how he figured it out.

When you get stuck, you finally ask, "How did you know that?" Your eyes try to blink the tiredness away from your eyes as he stares at you with a smile on his lips.

"I know the work we have to do, and we're partners. Do you really think I wouldn't be able to figure out that you didn't sleep enough after seeing you get more coffee?" he asks. Trying to figure out how he knew you grabbed more coffee for yourself, he awkwardly clears his throat to cut off any questions you have, "I mean, you rarely get coffee around noon since I tell you that I'm going to order lunch soon." Understanding his logic, your cheeks grow red from embarrassment as he seems to read you like a book. Hiding your hands in your face, you hear Artem move off of the couch for a moment and walk to somewhere near his desk. You look over at him as he searches for something in his closet.

"Do you need any help looking for something?" you ask cautiously before standing up. You are about to walk over to him when he finally pulls out a folded blanket from the closet. Glancing over at you, he shoots you a small smile before closing the door and walking towards you.

"Lay down," he tells you, and you can only warily relax your body on the couch. He sits down beside you before unfolding the blanket and covering your body, adjusting the edges of the blanket to cover the entirety of your back and shoulders. "Take a rest. I have energy because of your food, but you must be exhausted from cooking in the morning," Artem quietly explains as he carefully tucks a pillow underneath your head. Before you can protest that two minds are better than one in the new case, he cuts you off, "Not having enough sleep will impede your logic and thinking. It's best if you sleep and let your mind process it for a bit." While you acknowledge that his explanation makes sense, you can't help but feel like you're not doing your part of the work for the case.

"But I want to finish another part before I rest," you complain quietly, almost feeling your lips pout. Although you want to keep working, your body feels warm under the blanket, slowly lulling you to sleep. "I should at least finish reading the document," you mutter out as you curl up under the blanket. Within another minute or two, your mind already eases your thoughts into silence, and you're sleeping soundly with the blanket covering half of your face. When you stop talking, Artem glances over to see you sleeping peacefully like a child and chuckles at you. His hand carefully brushes your hair away from your face, and his voice quietly mutters something.

"Thank you for today. Sleep well."

⭐⭐⭐

Okay, I'll admit that this one is really sweet. I swear someone is going to get diabetes from reading these sort of things lol. Anyways, I hope you liked this one! I know that this isn't exclusive to Artem's birthday, but I still wanted to write something sweet because it is his birthday. Anyways, I hope to see you in the next one!

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etheries1015 · 6 months

Text

TEARS OF THEMIS MASTERLIST

Characters' who the fanfiction revolves around will be highlighted in RED

NSFW list will be placed beneath the SFW list

Link back to OG masterlist

SFW

His type- Vyn Richter

Their opinion on tattoos- All suitors

Studying and affections- Artem X reader

NSFW

Nothing here yet~

#Tears of themis #Tears of themis x reader #marius von hagen x reader #luke pearce #Vyn richter #Artem wing #Tears of themis fanfictions #tears of themis masterlist #etheries fics #Etheries masterlist #Tears of themis headcannons #Artem wing x reader #Vyn richter x reader #luke pearce X reader #marius von hagen X reader

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alstroemeriadissonance · 2 years

Text

NXX Turns into Cat - Part 1 (Meowrius)

Each NXX duder turns into a cat. Everyone else—Rosa, mostly—deals with the mess.

Separate Timelines for each NXX duder.

Hijinks and absolute pettiness (pun intended) ensue.

The same thing has been happening in the conference room, yet again.

The din of rising voices escalated gradually at every exchanged line, the argument easily becoming the focus of this week’s meeting. Eventually all the preparations for the meeting: the data projected against the wall, printouts of confidential data, softcopies meant to be pushed to each attendee’s devices—all became worthless.

Even under the dimmed lights of the conference room Marius could easily pick out the shrugging of Rosa’s shoulders; Luke had also quit bothering to be surreptitious with playing his mobile game, even laying his phone flat on the table, its screen showing miniature soldiers fighting for dominance in yet another tower defense game.

“I am telling you right now, Richter, the course of action you are proposing is unwise. Someone has to stay and process the data here in the Headquarters, and the best candidate to do that will be the owner of the sys—”

An elegant, yet seething voice cut in. “If you were listening for the past hour, Wing, I did say that the manual input required for this case is very minimal, and that it can easily be done remotely.”

“You are just looking for excuses to run off with my junior, and as her boss I do not—”

Marius’s ears started to tune out the bickering between the two oldest NXX members, who unfortunately also acted most childishly whenever the point of contention involved a certain someone.

He sighed as he shifted in his seat, uncrossing and crossing his legs. The meeting has been running for more than an hour now, and yet very little has been achieved.

God. Let this end already.

The pile of printed documents—all bearing important, confidential information handed to them under the table by Captain Darius Morgan—remained untouched; a good indicator as to how much time had been wasted within the confines of the NXX conference room.

Oddly enough Marius remained reticent all throughout; he kept to himself ever since they started to convene for their regular meeting.

Usually he would’ve joined the fray, or oftentimes even start the bickering; but all Marius had been doing for the past hour and a half was stare at Rosa, who sat across from him at the conference table.

One of his hands propped up his chin as he made googoo eyes at her—which the junior lawyer deliberately ignored, her eyes stubbornly glued to the holographic display projected onto the glass wall—while his other hand fiddled with cloth charm that he received a couple of days ago under very, very strange circumstances.

“I just need to hold on to this while making my wish, huh.” Marius’s quiet voice was easily drowned out by the argument now made worse with Luke joining in. His eyes were still glued to his favorite Missy Lawyer, wishing and hoping she’d spare him a glance; maybe even throw him just a crumb of acknowledgement.

Yet Rosa was still hellbent on ignoring Marius, still upset at the relentless teasing he did while they were waiting for Vyn to arrive at the Headquarters’ lounge before the meeting started.

Everything had come to a head when he, still riding that exhilarating high he usually experienced whenever he was around her, saw it fit to steal her packed lunch of chicken nuggets and fries.

Then proceeding to eat each and every piece in front of her.

Marius had meant to buy her a new lunch out of the goodness of his heart—that way she’d have something fresh and hot when lunchtime came—yet he just had to run his mouth and made his already vile deed worse several magnitudes over by proclaiming she deserved something better, maybe cooked by one of the chefs under his family’s employ, believing that the chicken nuggets were merely bought from some fast food joint nearby.

As it turned out, Rosa herself cooked the nuggets, and was particularly proud of how she managed to pull off a certain fast food joint’s secret recipe.

Needless to say, he accidentally wounded her pride in the worst way possible.

How do I make her look at me again? His fingers flipped the small silk charm in his hand over and over, as he looked at her with such pining. Can’t stand the thought of letting the day end without her forgiving me for being such a dumbass.

He sighed once again.

It seemed that all he could do at this point was to merely sigh.

No longer seeing the point of the meeting, Marius took out the silken charm from underneath the table, placing it on the glass surface so he could appreciate its details: A cartoonish depiction of a rotund calico cat was embroidered onto the pink silk; Marius found it extremely endearing, for something that had been promised to him as a precious artifact powerful enough to grant wishes.

I wonder…

===

Two days ago.

“Mr. Von Hagen! Mr. Von Hagen!”

Normally, Marius would ignore any unfamiliar voice who called for him, striding faster in an effort to get away from yet another enterprising distant whoever who saw it fit to take their chances with the ‘young, impressionable Von Hagen’.

Yet this time, Marius immediately stopped and turned around to face the man, for one simple reason: They were both in the corridor leading to his own bedroom.

Which meant that the total stranger managed to get past their usually formidable security and infiltrate his family’s private residence.

Marius was ready to deck the man who dared —and probably whoever was in today’s security detail—but he stopped dead in his tracks the moment he laid his eyes on the little man who trailed him.

To say that the little man was strangely attired was a severe understatement: a voluminous red silken belted robe over loose black trousers; the entire outfit topped off with a black silk ceremonial cap sporting a long tail that trailed along the short man’s back.

The entire costume wasn’t too outrageous by Marius’s standards—he vaguely recognized it from the depictions of Japanese shrine priests he’d seen on television—but the fact that there was a Japanese shrine priest lurking in his home had him pinching the side of his arm to check if he was dreaming or snoozing in the middle of a particularly boring board meeting.

“No, no. This is no dream, I can assure you, Mr. Von Hagen,” the strange looking man simpered. “I am only here to make a delivery. Yes.”

Having had his share of dubious gifts sent his way, Marius had to raise his hand in objection. “Whoa. Hold on there.” He gave the other man a once-over. He wasn’t carrying anything that could be taken as a particularly expensive gift; both of the man’s hands were empty. Maybe there’s a small jewelry box hidden somewhere in those huge sleeves? He threw a cursory glance at the man’s clothing, including the voluminous trousers made of flowy fabric. Maybe something jade?

The Shinto priest’s eyes further narrowed into slits; his mouth curved in a sly grin. “If you are looking for anything suspicious, you will find nothing. No.” His hand finally slipped into one of his trousers’ side pockets, producing a flat embroidered flat silken pouch sealed on one end with an elaborate knot. “This. Take it.”

Tiny hands grabbed Marius’s closed fist, planting the silk charm onto his palm and closing his fingers over it. “The girl wished for you the best. She is a kind, pure soul.” The priest’s grin widened further. “You are lucky, yes. She got the best luck; she chose to give it away. To you.”

This is getting ridiculous. Marius slipped his own hand into his pocket, pressing the hidden side button of his smartphone designed only to be used whenever his life in his danger; and this was a good moment for him to believe he was indeed in danger: someone snuck into a place where he is most vulnerable, whose behavior was too unpredictable that Marius may probably not be able to talk his way out of it should things go horribly south.

“To use this charm, just hold it in your right hand and make a wish. That’s it. Easy peasy .”

“Hang on. Who sent this? Who’s ‘she’?”

“Eheheh. That, Mr. Von Hagen, is a trade secret.” Marius could almost make out a flashing of teeth as the man grinned. “An exchange of favors, then? Yes?”

Marius gulped. He had listened to many proposals enough for him to know that agreeing to anything with this sort of person, even verbally, was dangerous.

“I’m just asking who she is. Not interested in making a blind deal, old man.”

The device was supposed to send the closest security to his location within a matter of a single minute or less; yet Marius found himself still talking—and trying to suss out more details on the gift and the identity of the sender—for way longer than a few minutes and yet no one has arrived yet.

Shit. Did he…?

No. Impossible.

“...like I said, Mr. Von Hagen, if there is no exchange, then I am honor-bound not to let you know who she is, no.”

“Alright. Okay, how about this, then. How the hell did you manage to get here?”

“I have my ways, yes.”

Marius had a few choice words for that kind of sassy reply—some people actually did pull that on him—yet he was briefly distracted by a small flash of light off the other end of the corridor behind the suspicious man, his eyes only leaving him for a few seconds. “Wait—what hap—”

Then, a flick of a bushy tail in the shadows.

“—pened…”

When he set his sights back to where the priest stood, there was no other soul in the otherwise empty corridor but his.

A few seconds later frantic footsteps thumped across the carpet; security had finally arrived, and each and every one of them swore that only less than a minute passed between them receiving his distress signal and their arrival at the scene.

A later review of CCTV footage revealed that Marius was standing by himself in the corridor for a few moments; no one was with him, strange-looking little man or otherwise.

Marius had then chalked the hallucination up to work fatigue.

But the silk charm was still in his fist.

===

Loud scuffling sounds pulled Marius away from his reverie. Artem and Vyn would have already traded blows, if it weren’t for Luke restraining Artem by holding onto his arms and Rosa doing the same to Vyn, trying her hardest not to let go.

Look at her. Wish she’d hold on to me like that, Marius idly mused as he ran his thumb across the charm’s smooth fabric, conveniently ignoring the context behind why Rosa was clinging to the doctor’s arms. I wish she’d hold me, tell me I’m a good boy …

…

“Meow.”

===

“What the actual fuck.”

Luke ran towards Marius’s chair. “Marius. God fucking damnit I can’t deal with your stupid jokes right now.” His voice came out strangled in utter frustration as he stared at the slate gray-colored cat sitting on a pile of Marius’s discarded clothing, heaped haphazardly all over the latter’s seat. “This is the worst time to be pulling jokes, Marius. Come out now, or I’ll make sure the Von Hagens won’t have their next generation.”

Vyn let out an inelegant snort. “I suppose our squabbling bored him. If you only listened to reason, Wing, instead of forcing onto me your insecurities—”

“All of us can see through you, Richter—”

Luke had had enough. “Hey, Watson. Remember how we fixed this kind of problem back in middle school?”

“Wait what do you mean—oh.” Rosa's lips slowly cracked into a smile as comprehension dawned on her. “Yeah. How we always solved quarrels in the playground back then?” She winked. “Let’s do it, for old time’s sake.”

“That’s my Watson. On the count of three, then… One.” Luke cracked his gloved knuckles. “Two.”

Artem and Vyn, both too preoccupied with each other, failed to notice the other two sneaking into position behind them: Luke once again behind Artem, and Rosa slinking into Vyn’s shadow.

“Three..”

Luke and Rosa both grabbed and pulled the back of the other two’s collars, then—not giving Artem nor Vyn any chance to react—collided Artem’s and Vyn’s heads against each other’s with such force, that the impact produced a thud sound loud enough to make Rosa wince.

Vyn let out a scathing string of unheard-of curses; Artem held his throbbing, stinging forehead quietly as he doubled over in pain.

“Right. Have you guys had enough already?” Luke crossed his arms, glaring at his older colleagues carefully rubbing at the red, swollen lumps forming on their foreheads. “I would have just stuffed both of you in a Get Along shirt, but I never expected I’d see use of it in a room full of adults, so I don’t have one in my pocket.” He jerked his thumb towards the cat now rolling on the glass conference table. “Can we now move on to whatever shit Marius just pulled?”

Vyn let out a long, pained sigh. He was about to retort, but bit back his words as soon as he realized that it was Rosa who pushed his head towards Artem’s. “Fine,” he snapped. “Let us review the security footage in the server room.”

===

Yet looping the footage that captured the exact moment when Marius was replaced with a cat yielded absolutely nothing. “It’s not even edited,” Luke murmured as he ran that particular clip in his own laptop over and over, at the same time checking for any telltale irregularities in the footage’s metadata in a separate window. “The video is clean.”

Artem walked over to Luke and peered at the detective’s screen. “If it’s clean, then what does that mean about whatever Marius did?”

Luke merely shrugged. “I’m at a loss. Either Marius really did disappear, or…” He craned his neck to look outside the server room door, right at the spot where Marius’s seat was located. “Is there a trap door…? Vyn?”

However, Vyn wasn’t paying attention to their review of the footage—which he himself proposed—and was instead in the middle of a hushed conversation with Rosa, while Luke and Artem were busy trying to make heads or tails of Marius’s disappearance. “He looks like a Russian Blue,” Luke heard Vyn whisper as the doctor peered at the wide-eyed slender cat currently ensconced in her arms, purring loudly as it licked its paw. “Color-wise, he is a Marius -like cat indeed.”

She giggled. “He acts very Marius too.”

“With how he bit my finger? Yes.” Vyn concurred, as if he wasn’t talking to someone who played a big part in inflicting the unsightly bump on his forehead. “Mayhap this is really Marius. If so, I very much prefer him to stay in this form.”

“Hey, Vyn, can you please stop flirting with Rosa for a second and work with me?” Luke groused, almost about to lose it himself. If Vyn pushed even a bit further, his trained fist may even find its way to the doctor’s irritatingly pretty face. “Please?”

Vyn tsk-ed. “I was merely staying out of your way,” he muttered as he approached Luke. “Well?”

Luke tapped onto the CCTV screen that displayed the portion of the floor underneath Marius’s chair. “I was going to ask if this basement allows for things like trapdoors.”

Silver hair oscillated as Vyn shook his head. “Impossible. As you said, this is the basement. There are no other floors underneath, only this building’s foundation and the bedrock it is anchored to.”

Luke buried his face in his hands. Well then.

“I…I don’t have anything else to say. That cat,” he pointed to the one now purring loudly in Rosa’s arms, “Is Marius. Unless I am mistaken. Whatever.” He threw up his hands, pulling away from the CCTV panel after he tucked his laptop underneath his arm, slinking out of the server room. “I give up. Just call me when I’m needed.”

The detective silently gathered his things and noped out of NXX Headquarters.

“Um. Mr. Wing? Dr. Richter?” Rosa piped up as she watched the two men gather their own things after Luke. “What do I do with Marius here?”

Artem looked at the cat warily. “My apartment building does not allow for pets, unfortunately.”

“I cannot take care of a pet,” Vyn said a little too quickly. “I have too much on my plate right now. But for you, Rosa, I can explore other options that we could take. Like surrendering the cat to a shelter—”

“NO!” Rosa tightened her hold on the gray cat, its small vibrating body now pressed firmly against her chest. “We will not hand Marius over to a shelter. You hear me? No!”

“Rosa, listen to reason, please.” Artem started to loosely fold the Pax acting CEO’s garments, slipping them inside a foldaway shopping bag he always kept in his briefcase in case of any sudden grocery runs. “A shelter will attend to a cat’s needs better than a busy attorney who lives alone.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Ohh, so if it’s against Marius, both of you know how to agree with each other.” She shifted her hold on the cat, letting it nuzzle and lick her chin. “I’ll be taking care of him then.”

Rosa gently slipped her hands underneath the cat’s front legs and held it out in front of her. “Aren’t you such a cutie pie?” she cooed in a singsong voice. “I’ll take you home tonight!”

The cat squirmed a little in her grasp. “Nyaa.”

Hearing those words—and finally understanding just how intent his rose was in looking after the cat’s welfare—Vyn said, “Let me drive you to the nearest pet—”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this Dr. Richter!” Rosa cut in with a forced cheer as she gathered her things with one arm; her other arm already full of purring cat. “Do your stuff!”

Artem also could not help but take his chances to see if he could outdo Vyn this time. “I can help you with that, Ro—”

“Nuh-uh!” Rosa interrupted her boss with as much forced enthusiasm as she did with the doctor, already well on her way towards the door. “I know you’re also swamped with work, Mr. Wing. Don’t worry about me, this is all taken care of.” She winked as she pushed open the heavy glass door with her hips.

Then, under her breath: “Assholes.”

===

An hour’s worth of pet supplies shopping later.

Rosa finally made it to her apartment, flopping onto her sofa as soon as she reached her living room. The cat—which she already called Marius, even if the veracity of the cat being him was still debatable—then proceeded to jump onto the carpet. It rubbed its warm, purring body against her calves that ached after all the walking she did, while carrying a cat and several shopping bags, at the same time.

“Meow.”

She reached down to give it a few chin scritches. “You’re cute, Marius.” The cat then let out another mewl of delight, then rolled onto his back, as if beckoning Rosa to touch its fluffy belly.

“This isn’t a trap, is it?” Rosa said, as if she was certain that Marius could understand her even in its feline form.

“Myaa.”

Rosa exhaled, then proceeded to tempt fate by running a hand across its belly…which promptly sprung the cat trap, as she initially expected.

All four paws ‘captured’ her hand, with the forepaws dragging sharp claws across the skin near her wrist.

“Ow! I knew it—” Rosa hissed in pain, rubbing at the growing welts on her scratch-streaked skin. “You’re still a gremlin, no matter what form.”

Grumbling, she pushed herself off the sofa then—after dabbing alcohol onto her shallow cat-inflicted scratches—set out to do her chores before tiredness could latch onto her for the rest of the night.

After a few minutes she managed to lay out everything a cat may need for a week’s stay: assorted cat food, litter box with a bag of litter sand, a few cat toys, among other sundry cat care items. “I think that’s about it.” Rosa then turned towards Marius, intending to let the cat familiarize itself with the location of the litter box.

However, it wasn’t by the foot of the sofa where she last saw it. “Marius?”

No response.

Refusing to give in to panic worsened by fatigue—there was no reason for her to worry: her apartment was perfectly sealed and there were no open windows, not even gaps underneath her door that even the sneakiest cat could slip through—Rosa took a deep breath and counted 10 to 1 slowly to calm herself down, just as Dr. Richter had instructed her after he witnessed her losing utter shit in front of him not too long ago.

She crept to the kitchen, thinking that the remnants of last night’s chicken nuggets may have attracted its attention. “Marius?”

There was still no hide nor hair of cat to be found, even as she moved the oven so she could peek behind it. “Marius…don’t you like chicken?”

She remembered just how upset she was for the stunt he pulled with her chicken nuggets this morning; yet Rosa was already more than willing to forgive Marius as long as she could find the cat safe and not caught up in something that could harm or injure it. “Marius?”

“Mrowr.” The sound was faint, and quite a few ways away from where she stood.

Is Marius upstairs?

Rosa quickly made her way towards her upstairs loft bedroom, making sure to proceed slowly with light footfalls to avoid startling the feline. “Marius…”

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as soon as she turned on the bedroom lights.

There was Marius, indeed, in all his slate-gray furry glory…perched on an opened drawer full of her underwear and lingerie.

Draped over its head were her still unused red silk panties, which she bought with the intention of having something to use...in the event of something spicy possibly happening during a totally platonic, just friends only date.

“Meow.”

“MARIUS. VON. HAGEN. PUT IT BACK. NOW.” Rosa, utterly mortified, lunged towards the cat without thinking.

“MROWR!”

Her loudly expressed humiliation may have started the Marius-cat; it jumped out of her reach, her silken panties still wrapped around its body even as it dashed downstairs.

“Marius!” Her face burning red with shame, Rosa clambered down after him in an effort to retrieve her Just in Case underwear. “Come back here!” Agony saturated her embarrassed cries. “PLEASE!”

“Mrowr.” Still intent on hiding away from Rosa and possibly any perceived hostility aimed towards it, the cat hopped onto the windowsill, trying to wedge itself between the glass wall and a large crystal vase full of water and freshly-cut roses.

Oh no. No. No!!

Her cries of “Marius” were completely drowned out by the sound of glass shattering onto the floor; myriad glittering pieces clattering across the smooth linoleum.

===

“Heya. Um. Luke?”

“...Hahaha what?” Rosa found herself laughing despite having traces of tears running down her cheeks. “You totally expected this to happen?”

A smile slowly formed on her lips as she listened to her childhood friend through her phone’s speaker. “Don’t tell me you’ve been hanging around waiting for me to call you.” A pause. “What?”

She laughed again as Luke told her that yes, he had been on a stake out in a nearby convenience store for a couple of hours as he waited for her SOS.

“Whew. I love you Luke,” she told her childhood friend, drunk in such utter relief. “You’re a lifesaver. Come on up, I’ll leave the door open for you.”

Her mood had lifted considerably as soon as she cut the call, placing the phone beside her on the sofa.

She then took a deep breath and buried her face in her hands, staying put on the sofa as she waited for Luke. Right. In a few minutes Luke will be here with some warm food, and he’ll help out with the clean-up…

Rosa stayed in that position—face in hands, breathing slowly and deeply—until she heard a slightly morose “Mrowr.”

After taking one last deep breath, Rosa peeled her hands away from her face, allowing herself to look at the gray cat sitting by her feet. It was no longer wearing her sinful panties—they must have been dropped somewhere as the cat scampered around for a hiding place—and instead had a piece of leftover chicken nugget clamped between its jaws.

Marius-cat then placed the chicken nugget by her feet.

“Meow.” It looked at her with wide, blown-out pupils, as if begging for attention.

Or forgiveness?

“Oh, you.” Relenting, she picked up the gray cat by the scruff and let it perch on her lap. “Are you trying to say sorry, Marius?”

“Mrrr.” It rubbed its body against her stomach, then promptly curled up on her thighs. The barely-there vibration of its satisfied purring soothed Rosa somewhat, and she gathered the cat into her arms, holding it close against her bosom.

“You think a chicken nugget is enough for me to forgive you?” A fingertip gently booped its pink, moist nose. “Nuh-uh. You have to behave, Marius. Not even being a cute cat gives you a pass!”

“Myaa.”

Rosa giggled. “Oh you.” She nuzzled the top of its head, cooing at him gently as she relished the soft fur tickling her nose. “You’re such a good boy after all, giving me that nugg—”

Neither Rosa nor Marius—Marius von Hagen, human—could comprehend what exactly happened, but there he was, in all his naked glory, lying over Rosa’s lap.

Both of them were too stunned to even react.

Rosa, in particular, was too stunned to even properly react to having a totally naked man, with all bits accounted for, on the same sofa as her.

Being a bit too large for the furniture, Marius’s arm dangled over the edge of the upholstery, his hand chancing upon something smooth that got caught in his fingers when he—in a rare flash of clarity—saw it fit to cover his delicate bits with both of his hands.

The sight of smooth, vivid red—Rosa’s missing panties—making contact with Marius’s manhood was the catalyst for the night’s climax.

Rosa screamed into high heavens, her brain now on the fritz with shock and humiliation. She frantically pushed and kicked Marius to the carpet. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY PANTIES?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!! I DON’T KNOW!!” Marius cried out as he shielded himself from Rosa’s frenzied kicking with one arm, his other arm desperately trying to protect what remained of his now shredded dignity. “I DON’T KNOW!!”

This was the tableau that greeted Luke as soon as he stepped into Rosa’s apartment.

===

Back in the NXX Headquarters, Conference Room. The next day.

“Miiiiissssssy. Look at me, pleaaaaase,” Marius groveled in front of Rosa, who was seated in her usual swivel chair, arms crossed and still refusing to look at him. “I didn’t mean it! I swear. God.”

There were many conspicuous traces of mauling evident on his person: several patches of gauze taped over particularly bad cuts—some of them Vyn had to redo himself as they were shoddily done by the same person who doled out the injuries—and medical tape wound over a portion of his left hand that for some reason held Rosa’s unspeakable scrap of garment all throughout the thrashing.

Marius laid down on his back by Rosa's feet as he continued to grovel, as if he was still a cat begging for a belly rub. “MISSY. PLEASE.”

A few paces the three other men looked on at the pathetic exchange unfolding right in front of them, with varying degrees of indifference on their faces.

“I told Rosa Marius would be better off living the rest of his life as a cat,” Vyn whispered as he watched, with barely held back amusement, Rosa’s mule-clad foot jab at one of Marius’s bandaged cheeks. “But even as a cat the brat still manages to be an absolute imp. Incredible.”

Luke shook his head. “Nah, it’s better that he’s back to normal.”

Vyn had to raise an eyebrow. “Interesting. I thought you hated Marius.”

“I can see why,” Artem passively watched as Rosa tried to flip Marius over with both her feet. “Kicking a cat is a criminal offense.”

“Aaaand Marius is fair game.” Luke said, with finality.

#tears of themis #marius von hagen #vyn richter #luke pearce #artem wing #lu jinghe #mo yi #xia yan #zuo ran #tears of themis fanfiction

165 notes · View notes

iceysghost · 2 years

Note

gold for artem?

GOLD 》 luxury, prestige, elegance

◇ He gives you a new set of glittering jewelry.

COLORS OF ROMANCE EVENT

Artem Wing x Female! Reader

Word Count: 819 words

Trigger/Content Warning: kissing

“Your tieclip, it’s so pretty.”

A quiet whisper, only five words; a whisper enough to make his heart beat quicker. Your hand tugged on his tie while you sat on top of him.

Comfort lied in how the law firm, often busy and unrelenting, was now quiet. It was a safe space, his lap, in his office, the two of you alone in the building as the city lights shone through the glass.

“Hm?”

ARTEM, leaning into his office chair, gripped your cheek.

“It's the same as your cufflinks, isn’t it? They look like your eyes.”

“Do you think so?”

“Mhm. Or, it can go the other way. Your eyes look like sapphires.”

“You think my eyes look like sapphires?”

He proved your point further as his albeit tired eyes seemed to light up. You could see so much in them: the bright sky, the night sky, the deep sea. Once a glimmer hit them, you saw the fluffy clouds, the twinkling stars, and the way the moon’s reflection bounces off the calm waves. You saw the world in his eyes, your world, your future.

“Yeah, I do think so. Your eyes are beautiful.”

“Never as beautiful as yours.” he hummed.

You pulled his tie. He focused so much on the sensation of his tie being pulled that he didn’t notice your face moving closer to his.

You gave him a gentle, simple kiss. He wanted more, more of you, and ran his tongue over your lips. And who were you to refuse?

His office is messier now, you thought, as you walked around, looking for one of your files, waiting for Artem to get back from lunch. You tidied it up a bit, cleaned the empty coffee cups, took out the trash, putting stuff into its respective drawers....

A box caught your eye. It didn’t seem to belong in an office. Covered in black velvet, almost flat—

“[Name], you’re here.”

Your head snapped back at him and you shut the drawer with a loud boom.

“Ah, Artem!’ you exclaimed.

He brisked towards you.

“Something wrong?”

“No, nothing!”

Your eyes flit to the drawer. What would happen if he found out you were looking through his stuff?

“Ah...” he sighed, “it seems you’ve found it.”

“Found it? what do you mean?” you smiled awkwardly.

He bent down and opened the drawer. The black velvet box was now in the palm of his hand.

“I was planning on giving this later, but I guess now wouldn’t be too bad.”

He opened the box to reveal a glittering, gold necklace. A deep, blue sapphire pendant sat in the middle. His eyes, it looks like his eyes.

“I suppose you’re thinking it looks like my eyes, yes?”

The events of last week flashed through your mind. His eyes, like the sky, the sea, and his lips as soft as pillows.

“Is that why you—?”

“I thought, maybe, if you really felt like my eyes looked like sapphires, maybe you could carry a piece of me with you.”

You looked up at him. This necklace was beautiful, so beautiful, but nothing beat the smile in his real eyes, the pink of his cheeks, and the way the parts of his face sat perfectly together to make his classic, slightly flustered face.

“Artem, you...”

You touched the pendant. It ran smoothly over your finger.

“Thank you.”

“Would you like me to put it on for you?”

You agreed and turned around. the necklace was cold, but as you glanced at it, it looked and felt as if it fit perfectly on you.

His fingers grazed your nape, making the hairs on it stand up, and even more so when his lips graced your skin.

“Artem, this is the office, they’ll see...”

One firm hand on your waist, the other on your shoulder, he kissed your nape and sucked on it lightly. You had to cover your mouth to stifle a moan. The necklace was the last thing on your mind. Since when was he so needy, so clingy, that even in the office he’d do such things?

Knock knock. You froze.

“Who is it?” he asked calmly.

“Celestine here, lunch break’s over. Here’re the files.”

You frantically pulled away from him. He walked over to Celestine at the door and received the files. You sighed in relief, as she didn’t seem to pick up on anything, until right before she stepped out of the door...

“[Name], care to help me handle one of my clients?” she looked at you.

“Ah, sure!”

You looked back at Artem. He stared with a look of confusion.

You followed Celestine outside. The moment the door shut she held the both of your shoulders and shook you violently.

“Nice necklace you’ve got there.”

She let go and walked off.

“But what about the—”

“There is no client, [Name]. Just wanted to tell you how nice that looks on you!”

All works belong to @iceysghost on Tumblr. Reblogs and shares are allowed. Do not repost on other social media platforms without permission. Do not reproduce or plagiarize any part of my works in any shape or form.

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imongmamabitch · 1 year

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Mornings (Artem Wing x Male Reader)

notes... part two of the diluc fic should be soon, sorry!

contains... male reader, mornings with artem wing, cooking breakfast

Waking up to Artem’s sleepy face in the morning is something you love to see. The sun was shining through the curtains, making him glow like he was a drop of sun himself. Which to you, he was. You move a stray lock of hair away from his face and smile. ‘He looks so peaceful.’ you thought to yourself, admiring your beloved partner.

Dark spots under his eyes indicate the late nights he’d been working. You wished he would stop overworking himself so much. While you were deep in thought, you didn’t notice that Artem had already woken up. “Good morning.” He said in a groggy voice, burying himself into your neck. “Good morning to you too.” you greet back, “How did you sleep?”

“Well.” he responded, burying himself further into your neck. “I was thinking I would make breakfast today.” you tell him as you were playing with his hair, “It’s the least I could do for you.” He smiles against your neck, “A breakfast made by my boyfriend sounds great.”

“You have to let your boyfriend go for him to make you breakfast though.” you smiled cheekily, attempting to pull away from your boyfriend. He just groaned and pulled you back to him, “Noooo.” You laugh, “Darling, I can’t make you breakfast from here.” He pulls you closer, “Five more minutes.”

It took you an hour to be free from him to cook breakfast.

do not repost, translate, heavily reference any of my works and please reblog

#◛✧˚ · . ataraxia reporting #artem wing x male reader #artem wing x you #tot artem wing #tears of themis x male reader #tot x male reader #tears of themis fanfic #tears of themis fanfiction #tears of themis

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kurooblossom · 1 year

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Diabetic!Reader Headcanons (Tears of Themis Edition)

♡ Characters: Artem, Luke, Marius, and Vyn

♡ Warnings: gender-neutral, mentions of alcohol, blood, dieting for health, needles, and other medical supplies, not proof read

♡ A/N: Okay. So this has been sitting in my drafts for awhile. Full disclosure, I have not touched this since I first started playing the game and I didn’t bother going back and edit it. So I do apologize for any possible ooc-ness. I wrote this shortly after my original post and before the second post for the Obey Me cast so... yeah. 😅 Like last time, I did write this with type-1 in mind, but this should also work with type-2 as well. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about anything!

♕ ARTEM

Artem’s reaction to your diabetes depends on how long you’ve had your official diagnosis.

Diabetic or not, Artem naturally slips into an caretaker role when it comes you. He wants you to be at your best and he will do everything within his power to get you there.

Artem sometimes goes overboard, especially early on in your relationship. He does relax some the longer he spends time with you. He still worries, but definitely becomes more rational about it.

He personally sees that both his office and the firm’s pantry stays fully stocked of foods that you like and that are good for stabilizing your blood sugar.

He keeps an eye on you when you work, making sure you don’t over do it and put yourself in danger.

He keeps spare alcohol wipes, napkins, and more in his car just for you.

Artem will reassure you anytime you go to an some type of party that it is okay to refuse drinks. Drinking too much alcohol will effect your blood sugar dangerously after awhile after all.

If you don’t listen, drinking out of an sense of obligation, he will swoop in and lighten the load... if not completely. Please take care of him. Artem is an lightweight.

He may overdo it at times, but he has your best intentions at heart and you really appreciate it. Just be gentle if you need to tell him to dial it back.

♕ LUKE

Luke worries about you a lot in general, but especially your health. So naturally, he is on top of everything in regards to your diabetes.

Low blood sugar? He’s got snacks.

High blood sugar? He’s got the spare insulin you keep at his place.

Need someone to help you change your insulin pump? He’s got you. He’s practically a pro at it.

You’re passed out and need your glucagon pen? He’s got you.

Luke keeps an emergency kit just for you at his apartment and regularly renews items within the kit if they’ve expired. So if you were to ever leave your home accidentally without grabbing your necessities, he can quickly bring you the supplies he has.

He always asks you if you’d like to join him for his jogs and other regular exercises. When you go out with him, he slips some snacks into his pocket or bag just in case. While you don’t want your blood sugar to be high, definitely don’t want it to be too low.

Luke is prepared for the worst case scenario and it has helped you out on a few occasions.

♕ MARIUS (cw: possibly suggestive scenario?? I don’t think it is, but just in case)

Marius is one of the more relaxed about your condition. He knows you know more about, not only diabetes, but your body than he does. So he lets you take charge 99% of the time. You’re probably nearly about to pass out or something during that 1%.

He asks Vincent to keep an decent size supply of any of the products you will need while you are with him both in the office and at his home. He doesn’t want you to stress out about it when you’re with him.

If you are self conscious of the light bruising that is sometimes left over from all the times you’ve had to prick your skin, he will pepper kisses in those areas and tell you how beautiful/handsome you look, bruises and all.

He tries his best to learn as much as he can so if the occasion arise to where he does need to step in, or someone else, can get you the help you need.

♕ VYN

Much like Artem, his reactions are based on how long you’ve had your diagnosis.

Vyn is mostly hands off when it comes to you, only stepping in to help when you ask or things seem to be going into an dangerous territory.

Along with Luke, Vyn does well with all the needle work you have to deal with. So any help you need with changing your insulin pump, for example, is no problem.

Much like the others, he will keep various of supplies you might need around his place. You guys spend most of your free time going out, but there are occasions when you either go to your apartment or come to his. So it’s good to be prepared just in case.

He brushes up on his diabetic knowledge when he started to get closer to you, wanting to be able to care for you if an emergency came up.

He quickly picked up on the physical signs you give when you are either high or low. If you haven’t checked in awhile and you are showing those signs, he gently asks if you have checked in awhile. 9 times out of 10 he has been right.

#tears of themis x reader #tears of themis headcanons #tears of themis fanfic #tears of themis fanfiction #artem wing x reader #artem wing fanfic #artem wing fanfiction #marius von hagen x reader #marius von hagen fanfic #marius von hagen fanfiction #luke pearce x reader #luke pearce fanfic #luke pearce fanfiction #vyn richter x reader #vyn richter fanfic #vyn richter fanfiction

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my-soul-sings · 2 years

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how to flirt: ch 1

Fandom: Tears of Themis Characters: Artem x Reader

Summary: Artem Wing is hopeless at flirting, so he looks to others for some inspiration.

You can also read this on AO3! Check the replies to this post for the AO3 link.

***

“You’re too stiff!”

It’s the first thing Celestine exclaims when she enters his office, jolting him to attention from the contract he had been in the middle of drafting.

“What is it now?” Artem has worked with her long enough to know that whenever she starts something in that tone, it means she’s about to nag at him about something unrelated to work.

Celestine plops onto the chair opposite his desk, and with a vexed sigh, folds her arms across her chest. “Couldn’t you do a better job at asking someone out?”

“What?”

“Your crush told me that you asked her to accompany you to the movies for “work purposes”. Pray tell, what kind of work is that?”

Heat begins to crawl up his neck like fire, spreading to his face and then to his ears. His face remains as straight and composed as he can manage, while he struggles to recall the excuse he had come up with earlier.

Thankfully, he doesn’t stutter. “It’s regarding the copyright infringement suit concerning that film. I believe you were there at the client meeting last week as well. I thought it would be good for us to watch the film together so we can have a better understanding of whether it infringed the copyright of the other film released three years ago.”

“Hmm.” She’s not impressed by his answer in the slightest. As expected, it’s harder to pull wool over the eyes of a fellow senior attorney, and especially when that senior attorney is Celestine.

“That sounds convenient and all, but you really couldn’t just ask her to go out on a date with you?”

“It’s not a date, it’s for work.”

“That’s exactly my point! If you want to ask her out, do it properly and stop using work as a cover excuse.”

“But… it’s really for work.”

A loud, exasperated sigh escapes her. “If it was really for work, you could have just watched it separately over the weekend and then discussed it in the office,” Celestine counters easily. Artem remains silent as he mulls over her words. She does have a point, but he won’t admit it.

“Artem, this isn’t how you ask a girl out on a date with you,” she continues, long-winded as always. “At this rate, she’s never going to consider the possibility that you’re interested in her, let alone see you as a potential partner.”

He frowns then, the first time his face changed since she stormed into his office to lecture him. “Then what should I do? I don’t know how to ask her out “properly”.”

“Read a book or something,” she says with a small smirk. He knows she’s referring to the book that he already read cover to cover at least twice now.

Narrowing his eyes, he replies, “I have, and it wasn’t helpful. The book doesn’t give practical advice on how to ask someone out; it can’t read the room for me.”

“Artem, you don’t have to follow it to the letter. There’s no instruction manual for dating or flirting; you just get a general guide for some tips and then apply some common sense to make it work. Surely you have some in that head of yours. Then again, if you did have some I’d have seen you ask her out by now—”

“Celestine, if you came here just to mock me…”

“Relax, I’m just having a bit of fun,” she grins in response to the hot glare he shoots her way, but then her expression turns a little more serious. “Look, as a friend, I’m just concerned about you. I don’t think I’ve seen you like a girl as much as you like her. She’s a good catch, and so are you. I don’t want you to miss out on this chance, or you might end up single forever.”

“Being single is perfectly fine—”

“Not my point. Just try harder, okay? Stop overthinking things and just do it. Ask her out on a date.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to “just do it”,” he replies with a frustrated sigh. “I can’t. I don’t know how to ask her out.” In truth, this might be one of the few things that he doesn’t know. Artem is well-read and is far more knowledgeable than the average person, but no matter how many books he reads about the subject of love and dating, the same barrier remains whenever he tries to approach her.

He doesn’t know what to say, what to do, how to act, what he should do, what he can’t do…

“It feels… awkward.” The syllables roll miserably off his tongue as he looks down at his lap.

“Then, what if you look at how other people do it?” Celestine suggests. “That might give you some inspiration.”

…Hmm.

For all the tips and advice she’s given him so far, this might not be the worst one yet.

“Different people have different ways of asking people out. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from the people around you and figure out how you want to do it.”

“...I’ll consider it,” he eventually says, not about to readily admit that Celestine might have some good ideas once in a while; she’ll never stop bragging about it.

“Yeah, yeah,” she replies with an eye roll. “Take my advice and just ask her out properly, okay? I need to go back now. Good luck, Mr Hopeless Romantic. Enjoy your “work” this weekend.”

Not letting him get in another word as usual, she hurries out of his room and leaves him in the blissful silence of his office once more.

When he’s alone again, Artem leans back in his chair and stares into empty space for a moment to gather his thoughts.

Inspiration, huh? It’s not a bad idea.

The only question is, who should he observe first?

***

NXX meetings are boring and dreadful as always. Instead of being in his office doing work, Artem is stuck in a meeting room with three men whom he can’t really call his friends; outside of the NXX he would prefer to have nothing to do with them. At best, they’re business partners or colleagues on civil and speaking terms. Sure, he can rely on them to get the job done, but would he go out with them for a drink after they complete a case? The answer is an immediate, resounding ‘no’; not unless there’s a gun to his head.

The only redeeming point of these NXX meetings is the fact that she’s with him now as their new member, although that itself has its downsides. It’s clear to anyone with half a brain that his other three partners in the NXX are all interested in her, and Artem can’t help but feel threatened each time they interact with her. It’s like watching a pack of wolves surrounding one unsuspecting little rabbit.

Today is no exception.

“Jiejie, do you have plans this Saturday? How about going to the museum with me? Z’s works will be featured in an exhibition this weekend and I have an extra ticket… You’re not going to make me go alone, right?”

Marius, as Artem has learned, has mastered the art of whining until he gets what he wants. But even though the pitiful baby act is easy enough to figure out, for some reason she falls for it every time. Perhaps it’s the boyish charm that Marius has as a younger man. Not to mention, he’s clever enough to know exactly what to say to rile her up and leave her with no choice but to accede to his requests.

As annoying as it is, Artem has to admit that at least Marius has something working for him. Perhaps this is what Celestine meant by observing others for inspiration.

Still, he can’t imagine himself doing something like that. For one, he’s well past the age for whining or putting up a cutesy act the way Marius does. For two, he doesn’t enjoy the idea of guilting her into doing something she doesn’t want to; if she doesn’t want to go out with him on a date, then he won’t force or manipulate her into it.

So, Marius is out. The only person who’s closer to him age-wise is Vyn Richter, but Artem dislikes the man for other reasons.

“What a coincidence,” Vyn chimes in as he steps in between them, “I have a friend who’s been dying to see that exhibition, only to find that the tickets have sold out.. Since you only need one ticket, perhaps you can sell the extra to my friend? Or the both of you can go together since you don’t want to go alone.”

If Marius is a whining baby, then Vyn is the scheming babysitter with a chopper.

Vyn is a shrewd man with a frightening understanding of the human psyche. Sometimes Artem hates speaking to him alone because it’s unnerving whenever Vyn makes that half-smile that suggests he can see right through him. Perhaps that’s how he’s able to charm women; he’s sensitive to their emotions, and knows exactly what to say and when to say it.

But then there’s also his gentlemanly qualities and the seemingly poetic but confusing way in which he speaks. Perhaps women enjoy the thrill of being with a man who is gentlemanly and charming in an old-fashioned, outdated way. Perhaps they were hypnotised. Artem doesn’t know which, but on the whole, he doesn’t see himself being able to copy what Vyn does.

“But I got the extra ticket to go with—”

“Without asking her? That’s not very good manners, Marius.”

Not to mention, Vyn can be a little bitch sometimes. It’s not exactly a trait Artem would want to adopt in front of the woman he likes.

“It’s fine, Marius,” she says, finally interrupting the both of them and putting an end to the ceaseless noise they’ve been making in the meeting room. “I can’t go this Saturday anyway. I’m catching a movie with Artem.”

Silence ensues. Everyone’s heads turn towards Artem’s direction at the same time. There’s a mix of bewilderment, shock and confusion in their gazes.

“Really?” Marius asks, wide-eyed and in disbelief. “You’re going on a date? With him?”

The disdain in that last word doesn’t escape Artem’s notice, but he decides to ignore it.

“It’s for work,” she explains. “Right, Artem?”

Their eyes are back on him now. With a sigh, he clears his throat and nods. “Yes, it’s for work.”

“You’re making her work even on a weekend…” Vyn comments in disapproval, shaking his head. “Shouldn’t you be more considerate of your employees?”

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion on the way I manage my office,” he snaps.

“Guys, stop arguing. We have more important things to do right now than talk about weekend plans.” Luke’s voice echoes in the room and everyone looks to him just in time to see the agent turn the computer screen towards them.

“I’m done hacking into the system. Now can we get back on track?”

No one has any objections, and the meeting resumes as if the little kerfuffle earlier hadn’t happened.

While Artem is attentive and focused during the meeting as always, he can’t help but find his mind wandering towards the relationship between her and Luke.

It’s no secret that the two used to be childhood friends, and it’s clear in the way they interact with each other. There’s no barrier, no need for formalities between them. There’s a closeness that they have that Artem envies and wishes he could have with her. The only problem is that they’re like siblings, which, to Artem’s mind, might be the worst position for Luke to be in given that it’s clear the young man has feelings for her. Luke might keep it all under a tight lid, but there’s no mistaking the way he looks at her; it’s the same way Artem looks at her too.

All in all, it looks like his three colleagues at the NXX are useless specimens to him. There’s no way he can do what they do; the only thing he’ll accomplish is make a huge fool of himself.

But, then again, it’s not like there’s anyone else he can observe to get some insight into the nebulous concept of flirting and dating. This might be the only way for him to learn something.

Should he just give it a shot? But what if he humiliates himself so badly and he loses all of his chances with her?

When he looks up again, still deep in his thoughts, he notices her, in the centre of the room, surrounded by his three colleagues from the NXX. They may look civil and polite, but all Artem sees is a hungry pack of wolves circling her, ready to pounce as soon as the others take their eyes off of her for even a single second.

Maybe Celestine is right. He’s overthinking it like he usually does. What he needs to do is to stop worrying about all the ‘what if’s in his head; he needs to stop being paralysed by his thoughts and just make a move, before someone else snatches her away and it becomes too late for him to do anything.

He breathes in once. Exhales. Then, he takes a step towards the middle of the room. Then another. And another.

If he’s going to regret something anyway, then he’d rather not regret standing by and watching someone else take her away from him.

When he stops in front of her, she pauses from her conversation with the other three men and looks at him, her lips parting into a curious ‘o’.

“Do you need something, Artem?” she asks.

“Yes,” he says, clearing his throat uncomfortably once he feels the other three pairs of eyes fall on him. He can feel them shooting daggers into his skull.

He’s nervous, but that’s alright.

There’s no need to think too much.

He just needs to do it.

Something.

Anything.

“We need to head back to the office. There’s a client meeting in an hour.”

A beat of silence passes.

He doesn’t need to look to know that his three colleagues are probably staring at him with pity in their eyes right now. Or at least, that’s what he can gather from Vyn’s stupid smirk that he can see out of the corner of his eye. The other two probably look the same.

Perhaps Celestine is right after all. For all his complaints, maybe he could learn a thing or two from them.

And so, for the rest of the humiliating ride back to the office, Artem sets about planning his next move.

***

A/N: It's been !!! 4.5 months since I started working !!! It's been a while since I last found time and inspiration to write and I'm super excited to get started on yet another series that revolves around making fun of my favorite character in TOT :D

Thank you so so so much for reading up to this point and if you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this chapter! <333 Till the next one!

#tears of themis #tears of themis artem wing #artem wing #tears of themis fanfiction #artem wing fanfiction #artem fanfiction #my writing

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otomeauntie · 2 years

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Closer and Closer Still

Summary: Over time, the distance between them shrinks. A series of vignettes focusing on the progression of Artem and Rosa's physical relationship, from Rosa's point of view.

Words: 4193

Pairings: ArtemRosa

Genre: fluff, smut

Rating: very spicy

- I -

Artem insists on waiting to have sex until after marriage, which doesn’t surprise you in the slightest. In fact, a part of you is even relieved. You know he would never in a million years pressure you into doing anything you weren’t ready for, but his personal conviction only reinforces your belief. He even insists on both of you keeping your own apartments, which again is comforting. You’ve never had a serious boyfriend before, and now the looming pressure to “perform” is gone, for a while at least. In addition, you’ve grown used to living alone and enjoying a certain amount of privacy and independence.

The most encouraging fact is that, despite his hard line about waiting, Artem is utterly committed to discussing sex with you whenever either of you feel the need to. He blushes from his hairline all the way down past his necktie (you check) when he first brings the topic up a month after the two of you become official, but his voice is for the most part steady. When you hear that your old Women’s Studies professor is offering an online course in the basics of sex, sexuality, and anatomy, you suggest that you both sign up. He only chokes on his coffee briefly before stammering an embarrassed, but enthusiastic, ‘Of course’ and bringing a notebook almost as red as his face to the dining table to take notes for every class. (To your amusement, the ‘return to school’ environment seems to help him acclimate to the subject matter. His notes are impeccable and easy to understand. But he still turns away to hide his blush after telling you he aced the end-of-unit test.)

Over time, both of you discover that there are plenty of other ways to please a partner. Slow and teasing kisses in the morning after a night of snuggling, flirtatious glances and “accidental” reveals of bare skin while getting dressed, and long, sensual massages after a rough day at work. Learning your way around Artem’s body, his favorite places and ways to be kissed (gently, on his temple) or touched (feather-light, just above the waistband of his trousers) is a scandalous game for the both of you. And of course, you learn as much about yourself as you do about him (you can’t help smiling when he slips his arms around you from behind you as you do the dishes, and there is something about his hand on your knee when he’s driving that is infuriatingly arousing). Everything is just so magical and wonderful and new that it seems infinite.

#artemrosa #artem wing #tears of themis #fanfiction #tears of themis smut #tears of themis fluff

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johnbly · 1 year

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[FIC] partners in everything

Summary: Celestine is pushing everyone to participate in a local trivia night, and there's only one person you can imagine being partners with.

(My full piece for the Flickering Dreams zine, which is now open for leftover sales until May 13 -- themiszine on Twitter & Storenvy!)

Word Count: 2,480

read on ao3

Excerpt:

It’s been a busy few days at Themis Law Firm, though sometimes you wonder if there are any other kinds of day. You’ve just finished a piece of paperwork that has taken over your morning when Celestine calls for everyone’s attention. You look up.

“Just a quick announcement,” Celestine says. “As usual, you’ve all been working hard. To make sure we all take care of ourselves, I’ve signed us up for trivia night at Sid’s Coffee.”

“When is it?” you ask.

“Tonight.” Celestine’s smile is innocent, but you know she means you’re all participating. She’s always taken team bonding seriously. “I’ve already assigned most of the teams, except…”

Artem walks in. He looks vaguely tired, as he usually does whenever Celestine has a new, grand plan for the team. You offer him a small smile of greeting. He’d been busy when you arrived at the office, so it’s the first time you’ve seen him today. The corner of his mouth turns up in reply.

“Artem, perfect timing. I was just telling everyone about how we’re participating in tonight’s trivia night at Sid’s. The prize is a gift card.” Celestine consults her phone. “I did my best to set up our teams, but because of the rules for team size, the math didn’t quite work. I don’t have anyone for you to compete with, Artem—”

“That’s fine,” he says. “I have paperwork to—”

“—but I know with some shuffling, we can have everyone set up.”

If anyone deserves a break, it’s Artem. He’s the only one that can rival you in terms of overworking. Before you can think, you’re speaking.

“I can partner with Artem,” you say decisively. “I don’t know what team you had me on before, but this makes the most sense anyways.”

You sneak a glance at Artem. There’s a definite pink in his cheeks, and his eyes are slightly widened at your confidence in the idea.

“That’s an excellent idea.” Celestine taps away on her phone to make the update. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. Okay, everyone, here are the teams.”

As she reads off the groupings, you find yourself sitting up straighter. You and Artem make a great pair at work—who’s to say you won’t do the same at trivia night? He walks to your desk, smiling down at you.

“Why don’t we prepare for the competition during lunch?” he suggests.

“That sounds like a good idea, Mr. Wing. I want to be as ready as we can be.”

He nods. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours, then.”

#tears of themis #artem wing #artem wing x reader #tears of themis fanfic #tears of themis fanfiction #my writing #it's wild posting this when i haven't played tot in a year now fjdlhk #actually over a year i think i stopped in feb of last year

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aitereu · 1 year

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Another Bite

Artem x Vyn, Dom!Vyn, warm, semi-smut fanfic

Artem doesn’t think the warm sun rays on his feet are what wake him up in a cold late January morning. And it’s not how late he’s waking up on a weekend. It’s not the body pressed to him either; but the hands of it’s owner gently making circles on his back.

Artem takes a deep breath, and sighs quietly; causing the man whose chest Artem lies his head on to vibrate as Vyn spoke. “Good morning Arty.” Artem stiffs temporarily, and scrunches his nose as he softly groans. Vyn chuckles at the other’s embarrassment; as he had met Artem’s parents not long ago. His mother at this age calling him Arty still.

“.. morning… what time is it?” Artem’s voice isn’t as raspy as usual, instead it’s smooth. “It’s already half past 9” Vyn answers, cradling Artem’s head closer to his chest and kisses the top of it continuously and slowly, causing Artem to relax more; not wanting to get up. “It’s already that late?” Artem sighs annoyed.

Vyn pauses, for a few seconds, then takes a small breath “It is okay to sleep in on your days off Artem. You already wake up very early, and overwork into the night on your work days.” Artem moves his head so his face is not seen, probably flustered because of how serious Vyn’s voice became. “If your body wants to sleep in, sleep in.” He pats Artem’s head, scratching it and playing with his hair “..Understood?” “Yeah” Artem sure isn’t one to say any ‘slang’ words, he’d rather his responses are clear. But when he’s embarrassed and wants it to end already, expect him to try to lessen it by speaking in such a way.

Vyn, however won’t let it pass from the moment Artem wakes up. He gets a hold of Artem’s chin with the hand that was once playing with his hair, to -unexpectedly to anyone that isn’t Artem- strongly lift his face to lock eyes. “Understood?” He repeats, and Artem flutters his eyelashes a little, unable to look away. “Yes. Understood.” He says with a pout, Vyn smiles softly “What an attitude.” “I don’t have such a thing.” “Don’t worry, I think it’s adorable on you.” And Vyn was right. Artem was a nerdy perfect student, a good quiet son to his parents, and a strict yet forgiving boss of his department. To see him finally act human, Vyn finds it adorable.

I don’t agree with Vyn on much, reader.. But I have to say this is something not many would disagree on; if any at all.

Vyn holds Artem and continues tracing the slightly taller man’s back, -barely 4 centimeters, Vyn asks me to add- calling a breakfast delivery so neither him nor Artem would have to get up; The doctor gets back to kissing the -barely 4 centimeters!- taller man. His hands falling to Arty’s sides, pushing him u so he could kiss his adams apple-

his neck-

his collarbones-

his shoulders- “Ah..”

and there it goes. Vyn’s sanity and self control, right out the window. Years of self observation and training; at the sound of the -ba-- okay. You get it.- his sigh alone makes Vyn want to commit horrendous crimes.

Vyn pulls Artem in deeper, leaving love signs all over his sweet spots on the neck, going down his chest, Artem singing songs with those moans -don’t imagine that actually- as Vyn goes around his nerve ends -why do I write like this- almost touching it every time, almoooost. Artem loses his mind, his moans becoming desperate pants as he digs his nails into Vyn’s shoulders to bring him up weakly. Pants become whines and Vyn delights in Artem’s misery up until-

Ding Dong.

Vyn backs off, his tongue out and teeth looking sharper than ever in a blood curling smile, for a second Artem sees it blurry, the second it’s disappeared and Vyn’s a doctor again, wearing his glasses and standing up to a flushed, teary eyed Artem. He gives him a sweet gentle smile, and Artem thinks he’s done teasing him just as he says “Come on. Come have breakfast.”

Leaving Artem behind, completely dumbfounded, wears his robe and goes to get it as it rings a second time indicating an impatient delivery guy. Artem lays spread, semi-hard on a wrinkled bed sheet. Marks and bruises left from last night, staring at the ceiling. He gets up, washes his face in cold water, wears his robe and goes down to greet Vyn with yet another pout and sulk.

Vyn smiles devilishly, and takes another bite.

#tot #tears of themis #vyn ritcher #artem wing #vyn x artem #tot artem #tot vyn #moyi #zuoran #fanfiction #tot fanfic

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nagisadelune · 1 year

Text

Headcanon: Meeting Artem in University

(Definitely not edited)

I've been kind of on a roll with Artem headcanons recently because I keep looking at his cards (as a simp for him). Either way, I have another headcanon about him for you guys, and it's actually your first "encounter" with him.

I know that Hoyo already has a story set about how you/Rosa/MC first meet Artem, but I feel like this could happen in the actual storyline outside of the cards (?). Also, there is a tiny spoiler from the game about Artem's relationships with certain characters, but I don't think that it ruins too much about the actual story. Either way, I hope you enjoy this headcanon!

For the timeline and setting, assume that you are Rosa and that this is during your time in university, so imagine this being set a few years above the official start of the game.

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"How do I improve this part of the paper?" Rosa asks the older woman across the desk from her. The tension in the room feels thick as Rosa begins asking questions regarding the quality of the paper. She needed this paper to be perfect.

After a brief reread of the section, the older woman explains, "You need to elaborate more about the details that you interpreted. Your evidence already discusses a lot about the observations of the scene, so you really need to get deep with your analysis." Rosa nods understanding the explanation, already plotting out how to rewrite the essay. Before she could ask another question, her advisor decides to end their meeting, "It's almost five, and I have another person coming in after you. I'm afraid we have to end our discussion here." Rosa looks confused as she glances to the clock in the office and realizes the time.

In a rush to clean up and leave, Rosa bids her farewell to her thesis advisor, "Thank you for your efforts, professor. I'll be sure to adjust my paper with your feedback." She bows towards her advisor before carefully leaving the building. As she walks towards the exit, her heels click against the ground, and she continues thinking about the discussion with the professor just earlier.

While she's lost in her thoughts, a male on the other side of the hallway sighs, thinking about his current workload. Noticing the girl who just exited the office, his eyes follow her figure. Her medium-length brown hair flow behind her as she briskly walks down the hall, and her fingers seem to be counting something. Her concentrated eyes don't detect a certain campus celebrity watching her intently while standing still. She quickly walks past the male, and his eyes follow her figure getting smaller down the hallway.

He barely manages to break his gaze on her when he shakes his head, but it seemingly breaking a trance he was just in. He approaches the office door and knocks on it, the hard wood against his knuckles echoing in the hallway.

"Come in," the female voice inside answers as she pours some hot water into a cup. The male outside grips on the doorknob before twisting it and entering the room. "How were classes, son?" she asks when she sees his familiar figure in the room. He carefully closes the door to avoid the loud thud when the door completely closes before slipping his backpack off.

"They were okay, but it's just been a long day since it's getting darker earlier," Artem briefly explains to his mom before sinking into the chair. The seat is still warm from Rosa which shocks him at first, but he slowly settles and enjoys the warmth. While waiting for his mom to sit down with him, his eyes wander on the room before landing on the large monitor on the desk. He notices a student's essay displayed on the screen, reading the name: Rosa (L/N).

"It is getting darker, so you shouldn't forget to take care of yourself this winter," his mom reminds him as he only half-listens to her, humming in response. His mind wanders as he recalls the focused girl walking down the hall lost in thought. Although they never physically interacted with each other, she already left a strong impression on him.

"Did someone check in with you about their thesis?" he asks, still looking at the computer screen. "The new semester just started, and someone's already finished writing theirs?" Surprised at the pace, he looks at his mom trying to see what she has to say about it.

With a sigh, she replies, "Yes, that's a student's completed thesis. She wanted me to look over it since she wanted perfect it." Artem nods, understanding the situation. Although it surprises him that someone already decided to finish their thesis, it's understandable to finish early to revise. "Not only that, she works really hard to make sure that she does well on these papers," she comments again, finally sitting down in her chair. Her fingers grips the string of the tea bag as she moves it up and down in the water.

"How is this thesis though in your opinion?" he asks in curiosity. His mother eyes him, noticing his new found curiosity and internally chuckles at her son.

"It's just a draft, so obviously there are some things that she needs to change up. However, considering that, it's coming along well for her," she explains before setting the tea bag down. In response, he nods before seemingly reading the paper himself. "Why are you so interested?" she finally questions, trying to figure out what her son is thinking.

"She just caught my attention on my way here; that's all," he mumbles softly while still skimming the lines of text. She scoffs softly before taking a sip of her fresh tea.

Yeah right. Only caught his attention.

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Again, this is probably going to be proven wrong by Hoyo, but I like to think that this is Artem's first time ever seeing you lol. Either way, I hope you liked this one! Don't forget to follow if you like this, and I'll see you in the next one!

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