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dawnsbreaking · 1 year

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One of my favorite things about MLQC is the frequent use of symbolic imagery and motifs to set scenes and center characters. I think it’s incredibly clever, considering the importance of MC’s dreams, that the dreamlike symbolism is present throughout the story. At times, in MC’s confusion of piecing events together, reading the story almost feels like a sort of dream or vision interpretation. I love how consistent these symbols are for the characters and the way conflicting or contrasting imagery is used to add depth throughout the story. Also, since the story is told through MC’s perspective, the use of imagery shows us that her perception of the world is colored by her care for the main cast. When she’s with Gavin, MC notices fluttering leaves, when she’s with Victor, time slows, when she’s with Kiro, the sun is brighter, and when she’s with Lucien, she’s more attentive to light and shadow.

Under the cut, I have written more (1400ish words more) about symbolism in MLQC and how it adds depth to Lucien's characterization in particular.

Aside from adding to the mood of the story, the symbolism can also be used to narrative effect, showing us how MC is interpreting a character’s actions or motivations.

For example, we can look at how MC sorts through her feelings about Kiro/Helios in Chapter 29. Sun imagery pervaded previous chapters that centered Kiro while moon imagery is associated with Helios. In CH29, MC uses the harmony between the sun and moon as a metaphor when she accepts that Kiro and Helios are one and the same. This adds depth to what MC is feeling about Helios and also serves to contextualize the relationship between the two identities. (Note: I just love the idea that Helios has the same “sunshine” as Kiro but that he reflects it in a subtle way rather than being overwhelmingly positive like Kiro. This dynamic is only ever implied by the imagery and symbolism but it’s so perfect.)

In particular, though, I want to talk about some of the symbolism associated with Lucien and what we can learn from the way these symbols interact with one another.

Light and Shadow

One motif that is very present when the story is focused on Lucien is the balance between light and shadow. (Note: It’s very on the nose at times but executed well, I think, so I’ll give them a pass.) This motif is introduced far before Lucien’s betrayal is ever revealed, as early as his first meeting with MC. (Note: I literally wasn’t sure when the motif was first introduced but I went back to Lucien’s first scene and SURE ENOUGH, there it is. I love how consistent the writing is in this regard. The motifs are handled so well and so intentionally.)

During Lucien’s first scene in the game, light shining in from the window obscures his face. Far ahead of the betrayal, light and shadow are symbolically playing at obscuring his identity from MC. The light/shadow motif is used at first to symbolize Lucien being duplicitous, without much hinting toward his internal struggle. Later, when it’s clear that Lucien is struggling with a choice between metaphorical “dark” desire to continue his mission and “light” of protecting MC, light is used to hint at that internal conflict. An example of this is below, from Lucien's first standoff with Victor in Chapter 11.

Notably, though, sometimes, the “light” represents MC directly while the “shadow” represents Lucien. After Lucien’s internal conflict and desire to protect MC is first touched on in Chapter 16, the two are symbolically juxtaposed by scene-settings back-to-back in the last two units of CH16. 16-24 opens with a description of Lucien’s dark, gloomy room and 16-25 opens with a description of the lamp on MC’s desk casting a bright light. (Note: MC’s Evol is also represented by light often, so I think this imagery for her works even beyond its juxtaposition with Lucien.)

The same thing happens again when MC comes back from the Eternal Winter world, Lucien’s office is described as dark and shadowy when he is alone and then it’s cast in an “ephemeral glow” as soon as MC steps into the room.

Mirrors

A large part of Lucien’s character arc is his failure to properly make sense of his own identity, this struggle is represented by mirrors/reflections. Often, mirrors are shattered or distorted, implying an added difficulty of perception.

Because of the expectations that have been put on him from a young age, Lucien is very disconnected from his own identity. Even with Black Swan set completely aside, because of his savant-like personality and inability to relate to others, Lucien doesn’t view himself as a human being. Beyond that, there is also a struggle between the two identities of “Lucien” and “Ares” implied.

I think that the answer to this struggle is MC understanding Lucien and having clarity about who he is as a person. Light reflected in mirrors represents this concept symbolically in the Mirror Painting date. (Note: I believe this date is only currently available in the CN server, I read this translation) In this date, Lucien and MC paint each other and then use mirrors to reflect light onto the painting when it’s displayed. After being painted and, therefore, symbolically seen by MC, Lucien is finally allowed to turn away from the mirrors and stop worrying about who he is. The mirrors that represent his struggle with identity are able to add depth to a beautiful image when paired with the lights that represent MC’s understanding.

Shattered and Distorted Glass

This goes hand-in-hand with the mirror motif but is worth mentioning on its own because the symbolism is slightly different. While distorted mirrors imply difficulty for Lucien to perceive himself, distorted glass implies a difficulty for others to perceive Lucien. Shattered glass also represents a fractured relationship between the identities of “Lucien” and “Ares” in a few scenes.

On the wall of the abandoned Ultima Bioresearch Lab, MC finds a quotation written on the wall from the Bible. “For now we see through a glass, darkly. The truth is projected into the hearts of men through a glass lens. It’s distorted, blurry, and one-dimensional.” (Note: I’m assuming that this verse was translated from the Chinese dialogue and not transcribed from an English Bible translation, because this is, at the very least, not a popular translation of the verse that I’m familiar with. Ironically, it’s more popular to translate “glass” here as “mirror” so there goes this whole section LMAO.)

Because of the way it’s presented, I think that this image of distorted glass represents not how MC actually perceives Lucien but, rather, how Lucien believes he perceives her. Obviously, this is also foreshadowing the betrayal so, in a way, he’s correct in asserting that she is not seeing all of him. But, on the whole, this distorted glass imagery is delivered in a way that implies the distortion more as an insecurity on Lucien’s part rather than the reality of MC’s vision.

Rainbows

Keeping with Lucien’s themes of paradox and duplicity, one of his main motifs is the appearance of rainbows, despite the fact that he is colorblind. This is, again, representative of MC’s “light” being transformative to Lucien because the rainbows appear when they are together. I think that, rather than being a symbol for Lucien alone, rainbows represent Lucien’s relationship with MC. It’s a sort of combination of MC’s light imagery and Lucien’s refraction/distortion imagery. In the right circumstances, they can create something beautiful together.

It’s also implied throughout the story that Lucien is able to see colors when he’s around MC, so he is truly only able to appreciate the beauty of rainbows when he is with her. (Note: It’s unclear how this works but I think that it’s a side-effect of his Evol mimicking hers. There’s a footage mission where it seems like Lucien has to ask MC to look at something before he can tell the color of it so I think that he is somehow able to see the world through her perspective, possibly by using her Evol to have real-time visions. Does this make sense? Who knows, but I refuse to accept it just as soulmate magic!!!!)

If you haven’t, I highly recommend reading Lucien’s “Rainbow Luck” R&S. (Note: A recording is available here!) In this story, told from the perspective of Lucien’s pen, Iridescent, MC and Lucien see a rainbow together and it’s implied that this is Lucien’s first time being able to see a rainbow because MC is there. (Note: Iridescent as a name itself is an instance of Lucien’s rainbow motif.)

(Note: Lucien's Moments also features a rainbow paperweight at Bond Level 40.)

TLDR: Imagery and symbolism are used in MLQC to imply things about the characters and their relationships with MC. In particular, with Lucien, recurring imagery is used to represent his internal conflict and his desire for love and understanding from MC. The symbolism of light and its reflection/refraction is used to great effect throughout Lucien’s story, implying a complex web of internal struggles.

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otakusparkle · 11 months

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Hmm... Somehow

Roy is similar to Lucien/Xu Mo/Shimon (MLQC)

Both are doctor/researcher and also act mysterious

#nekodroid shitpost #life makeover

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stellariuwu · 4 years

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#mr love queen's choice #mlqc #love and producer #koi to producer #mr love gavin #mr love kiro #mr love victor #mr love lucien #mlqc kiro #mlqc victor #mlqc gavin #mlqc lucien #koipro zen #koipro kira #koipro haku #koipro shimon

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mlqcconfessions · 4 years

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Your headcanon about someone hitting on mc was awesome! How about a reverse of that situation where someone is hitting on the guys and you’re getting kind of jealous and annoyed because hey, that’s your boyfriend! How would our guys react?

“We’ve seen a couple of jealous boys HC’s, now can we see the boys reacting to a jealous MC? ;) (i can already hear birdcop’s “i’m not the type girls like” like from his right beside you)”

Since these two asks were similar, I bunched them together into one headcanon. Enjoy!

MLQC Headcanon - Now it’s my turn

Victor

Some guests from a partnered company were planned to visit this afternoon

You were, of course, involved with this deal (much to Victor’s worries)

You had to literally push him out the door while you were gathering your materials

“Victor, you’ll be fine!”

“Dummy....do you really think I’m worried about myself?”

The meeting was underway and you were getting prepared to leave

As soon as you walk in, you see Victor sitting across from the door

? He looks somewhat annoyed....

And you immediately understand why (it took everything in you to not barge in)

One of the business partners was getting a little too close to Victor (is....is that CLEAVAGE?!)

You let out a small cough to make the others aware of your presence

Victor looks at you with indifference (but you can sense a slight welcoming glance)

There’s no choice but to sit on his other side, since the lady was hogging everything else

The meeting itself goes by with no major problems

Except that one instance where you accidentally intentionally spilled tea on her

Her co-worker had to stop her from lashing out at you

You just hid behind Victor, who heaved a deep sigh (he sighed a total of 34 times today; Goldman counted)

When the head secretary showed the two guests out, you were left alone with Victor

“......I’m sorry”

“For?”

“.....almost ruining today’s project”

“Because?”

“because..........(you’re struggling to say the words) I can’t say it!”

You get up to leave this awkward situation, but he grabs your hand and pulls you towards him

“Tell me. Because?”

“.......because I was jealous over how she was getting too intimate with you” (you don’t like his satisfied expression)

He takes your hand and kisses the ring on your finger

“Dummy.....how unfaithful of a husband do you portray me as?”

Kiro

It’s not easy dating a celebrity

Especially when he’s a ultra star like Kiro

You’ve never had a chance to go on proper dates (at least, without disguises and bodyguards)

The only time you can see each other is when you tag along during his working hours

This time, he invited you to one of his commercial shoots

It was to advertise various pool supplies (it was summer, after all)

He was clothed accordingly, showing off his beautiful abs with the brand’s shorts

His partner, an equally famous actress, was dawning a high-waisted bikini (now THIS is a summer bod)

If you said you weren’t jealous, that would be a lie

You had to watch your boyfriend act like a couple with someone else

To top it off, it was planned like a pool date (something you haven’t even done with Kiro)

At one point, you were too pouty to watch any longer

You found some shade next to Savin (he kept complaining about how hot it was today)

When the shoot was over, Kiro comes to where you’re sitting

“MC! Did you see how cool I was back there?”

“Of...of course! You were really cool....”

You tried your best to hide your disappointments, but it doesn’t get by Kiro

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No...! No, it’s just that....it looked fun....the pool date”

Kiro’s speechless for a moment (but bursts out laughing right after)

“Haha! So that’s why!”

“Don’t make fun of me, Kiro....” (you glare at him, half-hoping Savin will make him stop he doesn’t)

“Well if that’s the case, let’s go to the beach tomorrow!”

Savin is triggered

“Wha- tomorrow? But won’t you be exhausted after today’s filming?”

“Of course not! Not when we can finally go on a normal date!”

Lucien

He’s always observant with his surroundings

Especially regarding you and your reactions (when he’s close with the other professors)

“Ah, Professor Xu! Here’s the research you asked for yesterday”

“Thank you, Professor Chen. I really appreciate your help”

“No worries. See you tomorrow (he slightly nods to you), and you as well MC”

“Yes....” (you awkwardly bow back)

The two of you head towards Lucien’s office to get ready to go home

As you’re helping him pack up his papers, you can’t help but be curious about this research from Prof. Chen

“....what are you researching?” (you slowly reach out to open the folder)

He smiles and closes it before you can read what’s inside

“Just some reference materials”

You’re a little stunned at his discretion (not that it’s anything new, but he’s never openly hid work-related stuff before)

“Is it only between you and Professor Chen?”

“In a way, yes”

“Is this why you’ve been sending me home earlier lately?”

“That too, yes”

“Is it something you can’t tell me?”

He pauses for a moment, and places the folder in your hands

“Of course not. If anything, I’d like your opinion on it as well”

“My opinion?”

You open the folder to find a series of pictures and reviews of what appears to be a restaurant

“I would have liked to keep it a secret for a little longer (he rests his chin on your shoulder). But I can’t help it when you’re this jealous”

“I’m not....! I’m wasn’t jealous.....”

He chuckles lightly before redirecting your attention to the pictures

“So? Which one would you prefer?”

“In terms of what? Like where I want to go to eat?”

“Hmm...not necessarily”

“Then in terms of what?”

He’s playing with your left ring finger

“In terms of where you want to be proposed to”

Gavin

He’s never really seen you jealous before

He just assumed you weren’t the type to

bOY he’s wrong BIG TIME

You can get jealous, alright (he just doesn’t realize his indescribable charm)

“Don’t lie to me, Gavin!”

“No really! I’m not the type girls like”

“Then why were those girls so desperate to take a picture with you?”

“Because.....they’ve never seen a police officer wearing animal headbands before?” (you were on an amusement park date on his day off)

Huh! Unbelievable.

You get so pouty after he says this

You find a nearby bench and plop down, with your back turned towards him

“MC?”

Nothing.

“.....MC?”

Nothing.

He softly sighs and sits down next to you

“...I’m sorry” (you quickly turn your head)

“Why are you apologizing?” (you knew that it wasn’t his fault that he’s so attractive)

“Because I made you mad?”

“I’m not mad”

“....but you are....?”

“I’m....I’m not mad, I’m just..... (you bury yourself in his chest)”

He’s thrown off guard at your sudden push (this is a public location!)

“I’m just jealous! That’s all....”

He goes wide-eyed at your faint confession but instinctively hugs you back

What is this small creature....! I must protect!

Birdcop keeps trying to make you jealous afterwards

But he’s always the one getting jealous in the end

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sweet-pinkitty · 4 years

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恋とプロデューサー～EVOL×LOVE～

Mr Love: Queen’s Choice

Anime TV Series (Trailer PV3)

▶ MLQC Trailer PV2

Coming in July 15, 2020

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kegendary · 3 years

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some concept art i did while recovering from my surgery, i just wish all my drawings didn't look like children lol. I also wanted to make it clear that he is completely nude in this picture ;)

#mlqc lucien #mr love lucien #mr love queen's choice #mlqc #shimon mr love #mr love queens choice fanart #mlqc fanart #mlqc art #lucien fanart #lucien #professor lucien #lucien mlqc fanart

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mlqcdrabbledabble · 4 years

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MLQC - Anime episode 9: “Why are we here-- just to suffer?”

Choo-choo! Incoming first impressions, thoughts, and drabbles here we go folks!

Warnings:

Some mature themes

Mentions of violence and self harm

This anime got an M Rating real quick maybe PG 13 at least

You know the drill! Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! ga-LORE~

Previous episode 8 drabble here

Continue at your own peril risk.

Alright Lucien centered episode (It’s his turn on the chopping block)

Mr. Love Queen’s choice: evol x love --aka-- Koi to Producer --aka-- Love and Producer --aka-- I’m calling you MLQC -anime OKAY!

Episode 9:

“Monochrome”

The term monochrome comes from the Ancient Greek: μονόχρωμος, romanized: monochromos, lit. 'having one color'. A monochromatic object or image reflects colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey (with or without black or white) are called grayscale or black-and-white.

These titles... the creators think are sooo clever... (but they are)

MC looking for Lucien:

Damn this girl is actually got a very good investigative mind

but no real sense of danger and is sooo dumb sometimes... Like was she dropped as a baby? Oh wait she’s a “journalist” ... IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!

Oh cool boy Lucien arrives just in time to save the day. Hooraaaaay

Awww she got a tiny scratch and thanks Lucien for being a traveling first-aid kit!

But he must carry band-aids on him because he works with kids... and ohhhh boooy are they accident prone. Like MC! Wait MC is like a kid... the way she acts sometimes...

Lucien sees through MC’s strong girl facade:

ooo I like that!

He’s *clap* too *clap* smart *clap* to *clap* fall *clap* for *clap* that... *clap*

Makes strong points about him helping her to shut down her annoying “I don’t need no one” arguments.

Look I know she wants people (especially evolvers) to stay away from her right now but...

- Basically: “MC Lucien is like a genius researcher and probably the best person to ask for help and go to for this kind of thing. Now isn’t the time to “play the hero” (that comes later) And you need his help.”

-HE’S SO WOKE

LET HIM HELP YOU DITZ! (ahem sorry)

Lucien and MC doing great collaborative and investigative work:

Heck yeah! collaboration!

TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM-WORK! BBY! LET’S GOOOO!!

Awwwe he gave her his lucky rainbow pen

Again we are reminded of what he sees (or lack thereof)

and Again I am reminded of his pain. Excuse me for a moment as I go cry in corner.

Lucien and MC are on the CASE!

Que mission impossible music

Ooo MC’s precognition powers coming in clutch now~

MC pushes Lucien into a corner

W-Well damn girl take him out to dinner first

And Lucien protect MC~

Ugh Lucien it is pointless to tell someone with a... hero-complex? to protect themselves.

Lucien and MC on the run from BS agents?

I’m... Actually kinda confused about why Black Swan (BS-heh) wants her alive, but also dead?

Common BS enough with all this flip-flopping. DO YOU NEED HER ALIVE OR NOOOOT?! Enough with this BS hehehehe

Lucien’s power revealed: the power of “hippity-hoppity your evol is now my property!”

And now...

THE BETRAYAL THAT NO ONE SAW COMING-- BUT WE DID LIKE IN EPISODE 1 or 2...? I don’t remember but it was early on we knew he was Ares and with BS...

anyways...

MC was fully unaware. Like she truly is clueless. Surprising for someone who has a “selective precognition evol”. Guess she... DID NOT SEE THIS COMING!

(I will proceed to the nearest shortest 2 meter fall cliff)

(like that part was sooo unnecessarily overly dramatic)

(MC got nooo athleticism. But that is accurate in the game sooo)

Okay... Sooo she like is holding herself hostage? Like damn girl...

Really goes to show there nothing more dangerous than a person with “nothing left to lose”...

I guess Lucien wants her alive (because he cares-- pesky feelings)

I guess she’s a back up too? And a short-cut for evolution? If this whole TV tower plan thing blows up.

Oh and now Lucien has lost “his color”

So saaad

But... why he stab his own eye though?

I have a theory that he did that to be like “She stabbed me in the eye and got away”?

idk

Gonna have to see what happens in the next episode!!

Kiro! you’re next!

I’m not ready for the TV-tower part.

I’m not ready for sooo much to come.

All aboard the pain train choo-choo!

End part:

Oh hey Victor! How’s the Loveland 2030 Expo?!

can he bring back MC a souvenir?

can he bring me back a souvenir?

and whatever he do. DO NOT MEET WITH YOUR OLDER SELF!

(you know probably cause the end of the universe? And wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.)

Extra little drabble:

Ummmmmmm sooooooo is Gavin still like going haywire?

(where’d he go? lololololol)

(Oh too bad! Other boys gotta get the spot-light!)

#mlqc anime #spoilers #mlqc spoilers #koi to producer #evol x love #this game and anime have waaaay to many titles #mlqc episode 9 #monochrome #lucien #shimon #victor #Zen #Kiro #kira #F in the chat to pay respects to the boy missing in this episode

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momochii-kun · 4 years

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Seems they've decided on the anime names!

Victor: Zen

Gavin: Haku

Lucien: Shimon

Kiro: Kira

Credit: mlqc official Japannese Twitter

#mr love queen’s choice #xu mo #mr love gavin #victor #mr love lucien #mr love kiro #mr love queens choice #mr love queen's choice #mr love victor #mr love queen s choice #mr love #mlqc kiro #mlqc gavin #mlqc lucien #mlqc victor #mlqc #mlqc anime

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cuddletime-blog · 3 years

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letterfromajax · 4 years

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My favorite thing abt mlqc is how they all have their Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, and English names right like yeah different translations bc it’s popular in different places but somehow Lucien in the Japanese version is Shimon which is literally Simon..like Gavin is Haku, Victor is Zen, and Kiro is Kira but Lucien is just Simon and that kills me

#twinkling.txt

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dawnsbreaking · 1 year

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set before Ch13, no spoilers pairing: Xu Mo | Lucien/Original Female Character word count: 4,002

She hadn't intended to come to the lecture today, she'd texted Lucien as much, but her morning at work had been too hectic to bear without a break. Rose had a lot to do but she thought that she could treat her visit to Loveland University like taking her work to a cafe. Lucien's soft voice would be the perfect calming soundtrack for answering emails, and the promise of getting to spend time with him after class was an inherent motivator. - Rose doesn't pay enough attention to Lucien's lecture, she tries to make up for it after class.

my goal for this was to write a lucien fic that is fun and fluffy but could be a little bit angsty with more ch13 and beyond context, and i think i did that! reblogs, comments, tags appreciated!!

read on ao3

Rose hadn't realized how commonplace her "auditing" of Lucien's lectures had become until this morning, walking into class, when one of Lucien's students greeted her by name as he held open the door for her.

"Good morning, Miss Prichard," he said, nodding his head respectfully before continuing to his seat.

Rose's eyes immediately darted to the lectern where she found Lucien, smiling knowingly. He mouthed, "Good morning, Miss Prichard."

The teasing light in his eyes filled Rose with a dizzying warmth. She felt caught, somehow, like this student had announced something precious about her to the world.

Another student's voice followed, and then another. Rose waded through a sea of good-mornings on her way to her usual seat at the back of the classroom.

"Good morning. You're all supposed to ignore me, remember?" Rose laughed, trying at an easy tone.

The first time she'd attended one of Lucien's lectures for this class, she'd introduced herself—somewhat unnecessarily—as the producer of Miracle Finder. Lucien had instructed his students not to mind her, telling them that she would be auditing lectures from time to time as a matter of personal interest. Then, she'd only expected to attend a few classes, just to better understand Lucien's style as a presenter. She thought that, in doing so, she might improve her skills in directing the professor's segments on her show. This original intention was far gone, now, as she'd been attending classes faithfully every week since her first.

Lucien's instruction to ignore was offered in vain. Rose drew attention naturally over time, by nature of the popularity of her show among Lucien's classes. The classroom rumors about Rose and Lucien's relationship certainly didn't help, either, as it was getting harder and harder to hide her familiarity with the professor from his students.

After taking her seat and unpacking her things, Rose chanced another look up at the front of the classroom. As if sensing her glance, Lucien pulled his eyes from the lectern and met her gaze at just the right moment. Again, he gave a sly smile.

She hadn't intended to come today, she'd texted Lucien as much, but her morning at work had been too hectic to bear without a break. Rose had a lot of work to do but she thought that she could treat her visit to Loveland University like taking her work to a cafe. Lucien's soft voice would be the perfect calming soundtrack for answering emails, and the promise of getting to spend time with him after class was an inherent motivator.

"Good morning, class," Lucien said, nonchalant yet effortlessly commanding of the room's attention. As his students responded in kind, he spared a quick glance at his watch, as if to subliminally call attention to the time. "I hope you've all been well.”

As Lucien eased into the lecture, Rose surreptitiously opened her daily planner and uncapped a pen. If she could respond to at least ten emails and finalize her shooting schedules for the week in the next hour and thirty minutes, she would have the rest of the afternoon free to spend with Lucien.

She read and responded to emails, checking off names and tasks in her planner as she went. Then, she moved on to the schedule, referencing notes from the emails she'd just responded to and calls she'd made that morning. The lecture faded into sweet background noise as she worked, the words hardly registering above the buzz of her thoughts.

It wasn't until Lucien mentioned Rose by name that she realized he'd been talking about an episode of Miracle Finder and returned her attention to him.

“This was when I first began working for Miss Prichard, of course,” Lucien continued, though the context for the statement was completely lost on her. She thought back to early episodes that Lucien had consulted on, trying to find a thread that connected to the topic of the lecture. Unfortunately, however, she was also drawing a blank on the topic of the lecture.

When Rose raised her head, clearly giving away her sudden shift in attention, she was met with another knowing look and teasing smile from the professor.

She gave him a sheepish grin, hoping to convey sincere apology. In response, Lucien shook his head at her as he continued speaking. To the auditorium of students, the swish of his dark hair and momentary crinkle of his eyes were surely taken as natural micro-expressions. To Rose, however, they were clear communications. He didn’t mind that she wasn’t paying attention, not really, but he was planning to tease her about it for the sake of it.

Lucien was fond of meaningless pretenses, taking advantage of any opportunity to turn a friendly conversation into a battle of wits. Rose suspected that being playfully antagonistic toward her was Lucien’s way of flirting, though calling him out on this was her trump card. She knew that she couldn’t let him see her hand until exactly the right time.

“I’m afraid I’ve gotten off topic.” Lucien chuckled as he let his eyes fall to the lectern in front of him. He was lecturing without the use of any notes, so he was purely glancing away to give Rose the mercy of broken eye-contact.

Rose felt her shoulders naturally fall as Lucien’s eyes left her. She returned, somewhat stubbornly, to her work. She was doing this for his sake, after all, working during his lecture so that she could give him her time after class.

In the back of her mind, Rose began assembling a bulleted list of counter-arguments to the jabs she anticipated. By the time Lucien had concluded his lecture—four minutes early, by the time displayed on Rose’s laptop—she’d finished enough of her work to justify a few hours away from the office and armored herself for a sparring match.

Lucien watched patiently as a line of students filtered out of the room. A few of them wished Rose goodbye, unfortunately giving Lucien more license to tease her.

Once the last student was gone, Rose stayed in her place, intentionally slow in putting away her things as she enticed Lucien to approach her first.

“I’d like to congratulate you on your perfect attendance in this class, Miss Prichard,” he said, coming to stand in front of her on the other side of the desk table, “I didn’t think you were going to be here this morning.”

Rose shrugged coolly, keeping her eyes trained on the zipper of her work bag as she pulled it closed. “Gotta keep you on your toes.”

“Hm,” Lucien hummed. “Is that what you do?”

“Well, truth be told…“ She finally stood at full height, raising her chin so that she could meet Lucien’s eyes. She found a fiery expression on the professor’s face. He was enjoying himself already. “I’ve always wondered whether you perform better with or without me watching.”

An almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth told Rose that she’d almost made him laugh, but he just managed to maintain a placid smile.

“Do you have a hypothesis?” Lucien asked.

“Not sure,” Rose said, “it could go either way, I think.”

“Well, regardless, you would be unable to test any hypothesis without paying attention to my lectures in the first place.”

There it was. Rose was disappointed at not being able to effectively distract him, but she switched gears without difficulty nonetheless.

“I brought my work with me so that I could get ahead of some things. I’ve earned at least three hours away from the office.”

Lucien frowned. “I was expecting an apology.”

“Would you accept three hours of my time as an apology?” Rose asked, drawing the connection between the two points in bold.

In response, Lucien leaned away and crossed his arms. Either his ego was bruised or he’d anticipated this point and was readying himself to deliver another cutting remark. The anticipatory silence alone was enough to make Rose waver in her resolve.

“It’s not very sincere as an apology if you were already planning on giving your time to me.” His voice took on a distant, musing quality, as if he were speaking to himself, reasoning through a difficult problem. “I’ve gained nothing for my trouble.”

“You’re right,” Rose relented on one front, no longer able to bear the worry that she might have truly hurt his feelings. She rounded the desk and came to stand in front of him. As she wedged herself in between Lucien and the table’s edge, a thought came to her. Another trump card. “I’m sorry that I didn’t pay attention to your lecture, Professor Xu.”

Her voice pitched just so, Rose sounded like a student apologizing after being pulled aside by the instructor. And, judging from the smirk on Lucien’s lips, he had gotten that impression exactly.

This did its job to break the tension, freeing them finally from the previous conceit. Lucien’s shoulders rocked with a hearty laugh as he loosened his posture and dropped his arms back to his sides.

“Alright, that’s enough,” he said. “I’m very grateful that you aren’t one of my students, please don’t ruin that by roleplaying as one.”

“Uh-huh.” Rose hopped up onto the desk behind her and reached for the lapel of Lucien’s jacket to make up for the new distance between them, only to find that he’d stepped forward already, completely in sync with her. To occupy her hands, she took hold of his lapel anyway, tugging at it before smoothing away an invisible mark. “Then, don’t call me ‘Miss Prichard’.”

“I was trying to be professional in front of my class,” Lucien answered without missing a beat. “Wouldn’t it seem odd if I called you by your first name in front of them?”

"Well, it would be much more professional if you didn’t say my name in such a sultry, gruff voice." She dropped her voice down into a lower octave and spoke in a poor impression of his gravelly tone. "Miss Prichard."

Lucien's hands found Rose's waist and squeezed slightly as he pushed even closer to her. He was fighting a smile at her teasing. "You're in rare spirits today."

"Just trying to make myself worth the trouble," she shot back.

"By being more disagreeable than usual?"

"You're pretending you don't like it." This wasn't exactly the trump card, but it was just as good. The exact diction seemed unnecessary when his hands were already on her waist and her hands were playing with his collar.

Lucien laughed, a low chuckle that reverberated physically through Rose due to their proximity. The feeling almost made her lose her nerve again.

“Furthermore,” she pressed on, the implication of his previous statement not lost on her, “I’d like you to elaborate on something for me.”

“What’s that?” Lucien’s head dipped lower, further closing the distance between them. His broad shoulders shielded her face from the sunlight that filtered in through a window, giving her a feeling like he was closing her off from the rest of the world. The thing between them was undeniable now, but she still wanted to hear him say it.

Rose dropped her hands from his collar and leaned closer, resting her wrists on either side of his neck, letting her hands fall limp behind his head. "Why wouldn't you like to have me as your student?"

The hands around Rose’s waist tightened and she could feel an intrepid thumb slip between two buttons of her blouse and brush against her bare stomach. Lucien raised an eyebrow, as if to confirm consent, and she nodded permission without thinking.

He cleared his throat and looked away, an uncharacteristically timid expression momentarily clouding his face. When his gaze returned, there was a new light of resolve in his eyes. “Do you have a hypothesis?”

“Possibly.”

“Go on.”

“I’d rather you just tell me what you meant.” Rose almost didn’t recognize the assertiveness in her own voice. She’d reached her limit with Lucien’s game.

Lucien, unfortunately, seemed gratified by her desperation. A smug grin overtook his face.

“If you were my student, my feelings for you would be frowned upon,” he said, as matter-of-factly as if he were commenting on the weather, “as would whatever it is we’re doing now.”

“‘Whatever it is’,” Rose repeated. “What are we doing, Lucien, really?”

She realized a moment too late the weight that the question held. It was something she often wondered, an anxiety kept at a low simmer in the back of her mind. All of the flirtation and silly games and sweet moments together that amounted to nothing but gossip amongst college students did worry her. Why didn’t Lucien just ask her out? They were adults, they could just date.

It was worrisome that Lucien preferred drawing out this ambiguous flirtation.

The hands on Rose’s waist stilled, then withdrew themselves entirely as Lucien took a halting step back. Rose frowned, feeling as though she’d made a mistake, pushed him too far. Her hands fell from Lucien’s shoulders and into her lap.

Lucien didn’t look upset, necessarily, but his placid smile no longer reached his eyes. It was that faraway look he got sometimes, that Lucien-is-deep-in-thought-give-him-a-minute look that Rose occasionally teased him for. With no better option presenting itself, Rose resigned herself to wait for him to come back to her.

“It is complicated, isn’t it?” he asked, finally. He offered no other consolation or counter-argument. That was all. It was complicated, wasn’t it?

They worked together in a public capacity, they were busy people, Lucien’s students already had their rumors…

Rose felt suddenly ashamed, almost as if she had really been a student trying to seduce her professor. She looked down at her hands, trying to find the right words to undo what she’d just done. There had been a spell over them before she’d broken it. All of the flirting had almost amounting to something.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—“

“You didn’t—“

“It’s okay, I should—“ Rose hopped down from her place on the table, wobbling a bit and instinctively taking Lucien’s offered hand to steady herself. As soon as she was right on her feet, she dropped his hand as if it could burn her.

“Rose,” Lucien said, his voice taking on a more firm tone than she was used to from him. He didn’t touch her, didn’t move, but she felt trapped there with him nonetheless, she stilled completely just at the sound of his voice.

“What?”

Lucien sighed, suddenly looking a little bit helpless. “You were going to spend the next three hours with me.”

"I..." Rose faltered, unsure what to say to this. She didn't particularly want to spend three hours pretending that she hadn't just tried to kiss Lucien in a lecture hall in a building with his name on it. "I am really busy today, maybe I should just go."

"Rose," he said her name again, more gently this time. He brought a hand to her chin, pushing her to look into his eyes. "Tell me what just happened."

Frustration shot through her unbidden and she spoke without thinking. "You stepped away. And you're right, things are complicated. I'll leave you alone."

Lucien took another step back, leaving a wide space for Rose to pass through. The frown on his face, though, gave her pause. She stayed still, a little dumbfounded at how easily he'd given up.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"You're—“ Lucien paused, then cut himself off with a laugh, further compounding Rose's confusion. "Why should you be sorry?"

"Because I..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lucien interrupted. "You didn't do anything wrong. I was worried that I'd made you uncomfortable, which is why I stepped away. If that isn't the case, then I should be the one apologizing for confusing you."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," Rose said, "but I was worried."

As much as it pained her to bring attention back to her earlier insecurity, Rose couldn't just move forward without addressing the root issue.

"Worried?"

Seeking physical stability that might bolster her confidence, she leaned against the table again and crossed her arms. She felt a bit safer, closed off from him as she spoke. "Sometimes it feels like you only like me when it's convenient. Or when you feel like toying with me. Sometimes I feel like a mouse being tossed around by a cat."

The look on Lucien's face made it clear that he was holding back a smile at her colorful analogy. He straightened and waited for her to continue.

"You know what I mean? The constant play-fighting and flirting and late night phone calls and walks home from work and—“ Rose shook her head, she was getting off-point. “—and nothing. It feels like you want all of this time and attention from me with none of the commitment. None of the clarity. And it's driving me completely insane, Lu."

Dappled light from the window flickered across Lucien's face as he turned away, avoiding Rose's eyes as he took in her words.

"I see." He spoke without turning back.

"Unless I'm making all of this up, in which case I really am sorry."

"No, no, I suppose I just didn't realize." It was a mercy when he encroached upon her personal space again, when his cool hands came to rest on her shoulders. It was a mercy when he looked at her with wide, clear eyes. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that way. I worried that it would be more complicated for you if our relationship were to change.”

“You’re not entirely wrong.”

It would always be more complicated for Rose if their relationship were to change. She was a woman in the entertainment industry, often scrutinized much more heavily than her male counterparts. She couldn’t even count the number of times that rumors about her had surfaced, just by nature of her proximity to the men that she worked with. Dating scandals with Kiro, rumors that she somehow pandered to Victor in order to increase her company’s funding, and the fact that gossip about her relationship with Lucien sometimes overshadowed online conversations about Miracle Finder itself.

Even still, Rose couldn’t find it in herself to push feelings for Lucien away. For one thing, she already had to deal with the gossip regardless. Being with Lucien might not actually change anything for the worse.

“But?” Lucien prodded, though the look on his face told Rose that he probably knew what she was going to say already.

“But I don’t think I’d mind. I mean, if you don’t.”

Having heard all that he needed to hear, Lucien moved his hands back to Rose’s waist and lifted her gently back onto the table. They were almost exactly as they had been, reset as if nothing had happened.

“I’d like to offer some clarification,” Lucien said, leaning even closer than before, speaking into the crook of Rose’s neck. “I feel lucky just to have you in my sight. I didn’t want to trouble you with concern for my feelings, but now I feel like a complete fool. I’m sorry to have made you feel insecure.”

“I understand the hesitation, really.” Rose smoothed Lucien’s lapel, then trailed a hand to his neck. His skin was always so cold. She felt as though she’d leave scorch marks where she touched him.

“Mm.” So close to her collarbone, Lucien’s hum reverberated pleasantly through her. He pulled away just slightly, allowing him to look her in the eyes. “Still, I apologize.”

He was stalling. Rose smiled, squinting her eyes at Lucien to let him know that she’d caught onto his game. “You know what they say about actions speaking louder than words, Professor?”

Lucien smiled back, unable to deny that he’d been teasing her. “Right.”

“Well?”

“I’d like to kiss you,” Lucien said, his voice steady and lacking intonation. The line was delivered in such a casual manner that Rose only made sense of the it second after the butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

A quick nod was all it took to grant Lucien full license with her. He kissed her jaw first, chuckling at Rose’s obvious disappointment.

“I have to be absolutely sure that you want this.” He trailed lower, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck. “And, besides, am I really such a tease if I deliver on the result?” He lingered just above her shirt collar, sucking gently at the base of her throat.

While Rose could easily go back and forth with Lucien in a verbal match of wits, she was completely at his mercy in her current state. She felt him continue to trail kisses back up to her jaw before finally pulling away to study her again.

“You’re absolutely a tease,” she huffed, “regardless of your final output.”

“Poor Miss Producer,” Lucien laughed, feigning a pouty voice, “you’re rarely this irritable.”

“And you rarely make your delight in my suffering so obvious.”

“Suffering?” Lucien’s words fell on her neck as he returned to suck on her throat again.

“Lucien. Please.”

He was more gentle than Rose anticipated, considering the way he’d been kissing her neck before. His lips just barely brushed hers, as if he was breathing her in.

Having had enough of his teasing, Rose threaded her hands through Lucien’s hair and deepened the kiss, feeling him smile at her taking of initiative. Tit for tat, he slid his tongue into her mouth. It was this that allowed Rose to see the new game; he was holding back, making her work for it.

She tugged Lucien’s hair, earning a gratifying, low groan, then spread her legs just slightly to rest them against the inside of Lucien’s thighs. Every point of contact between them buzzed. Every minute reaction from Lucien deepened Rose’s resolve. It was just like a fake argument or a friendly game of chess; even if she couldn’t beat him, she could make herself a formidable rival.

One of his hands travelled down from her waist to her thigh, where he traced a careful line below the hem of her skirt. Rose gasped into his mouth when he pinched her leg, finally breaking their kiss.

“Was that too much?” Lucien ducked his head lower as if to check Rose’s face for signs of duress.

Rose gave a breathy laugh. His concern was deeply endearing. “No, you just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Good.” He pecked her lips again. “You’re so…” Another quick kiss. “God.”

“We probably shouldn’t go any further,” Rose said, earning a frown from the professor. “I mean, not here.”

“If you’re worried about my reputation, let me assure you that I locked the door as soon as my students left. The windows are also too high to be seen into and tinted on the outside, besides.”

“Do you bring girls here often?” Rose giggled. “You sound very sure of yourself.”

Lucien narrowed his eyes at her and pinched her cheek. “Funny.”

“That’s not a no,” she teased in a sing-song voice.

“Hey.” Lucien threaded his fingers through her hair, suddenly looking very serious. “This isn’t just a casual encounter, is it? To you?”

“Lucien.” It ruffled Rose that he even had to ask. Of course it wasn’t.

He nodded, seeming to understand implicitly. Rose loved that about him, the way that he saw right through her, sometimes. The way they could speak without speaking.

“How much more time do you have?” He kissed her neck again, then slumped against her, resting his head on her shoulder. The emotional sincerity seemed to have momentarily exhausted him.

“I don’t know, two hours?”

“Why don’t you let me take you to lunch?”

Rose laughed. “So all that talk of high windows and locked doors…”

Another soft kiss, this time on her cheek. He was as casually intimate with her as if they’d been dating for years.

“Keep it in mind for another time,” he said. “Maybe that will help you to stay alert during my next lecture.”

thanks so much for reading!! <3

i've been having a hard time creatively lately and i think that it helped to write something for a fandom i've never written in before. i have played mlqc for more than three years and lucien is one of my favorite characters of all time, but i've never really gotten involved in fandom until now. i hope i was able to do lucien justice here.

if you're missing me, i've been more active on twitter lately, and have made an account specifically for mlqc, mysme, obey me, and the ssum. my username there is @/pdbutterfly

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