✧ — you call me POWERFUL and you mean: without mercy, sharp fists and sharp heart, the RAGE of mountains when they tremble. you call me STRONG and you mean: unshakeable, unbreakable, unkillable. i wound myself up like CLOCKWORK just to make it true, turned myself into an earthquake just to shatter the mountains inside of me. you called me BRAVE and i realized that the things i’m most afraid of are living in ME. ezra park + jia liao.written by bettina.
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Text
ofnaeuns:
just at the word ‘hotdog’ naeun’s entire face scrunched up in disgust. “i really can’t believe, one that hot dogs are still sold and two that somebody ever thought to make them,” she gave a short amused laugh following her words. “now, pickle relish? not as bad, it’s actually a good addition to a veggie burger,” she gave the other a nod. her smile only grew wider and wider at jia’s words, “closest friend? oof, you spoil me with words jia,” she mused, “i wouldn’t say they’re terrified of you,” nae started her lips pursing as thought about her next choice of words, “i’d say intimidating, and that’s because they don’t know you like i know you,” she knocked her friend softly in the side. “no laziness, noted,” she nodded, she already knew how seriously jia took her parties and that’s why they were some of the best at the school, “i say impose as much as you want, there hasn’t been a good theme party in a while,” she begun rambling on her ideas for themes already popping into her head, “but, we can’t do anything too overdone, you want to be original.”
jia shuddered, shaking her head. “i get it for a last-minute meal, but it’s just not for me. plus if i were really desperate, i’d get something else. like a sandwich or something. i’ve never understood the appeal of a hot dog, and i’ve lived here for practically my whole life.” sometimes she still felt a little out of place with american culture, but she wasn’t going to admit it. “oh, really? guess you should show me where to get the best veggie burger then, change my mind,” she said, eyebrows wiggling. she gasped softly, clutching at her chest. “miss park, of course you are!” and it was true. jia didn’t have many friends, but the ones she did have she kept close by, just like naeun. she chuckled softly, shrugging. “well, i take pride in being an enigma. people who aren’t close to me don’t deserve it.” what she didn’t want to say was that it was likely they’d get hurt in the end, or she would. she didn’t want to deal with it. she grinned. “yes, of course. maybe we should do something on trend, like... through the decades, but make it specific. 60s to the 80s only.”
#( ✗ now watch me set the tone / jia's interactions. )#jia ft. naeun.#it's not trash!! still love u!!
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
ofnaeuns:
nae held up a packet of barbecue sauce and ketchup to the other with a short raise of her eyebrows, “the nugget usuals,” she said opening one back and squeezing it on to the plate in front of her. “it really taste normal to me, but i’ve been vegan since like freshman year of high school so, i have kinda of forgotten what ground beef tastes like,” she shrugged her shoulders taking another bite. “good, i would have been offended if i wasn’t,” she mused to her friend giving her a goofy friend, “could you imagine how terrible a party with all people you don’t know would be?” she shook her head with a short laugh, “oooh, you came to the right person then, what were you thinking? like full costume thing or something more chill?”
jia nodded in agreement. “good. as it should be.” at naeun’s next words she shrugs, tossing her dark her over her shoulder. “totally get that. i haven’t had a hotdog in five years and just thinking about it makes me a bit sick.” she cringed at the thought, shaking her head. “pickle relish, too, just — ugh. no. not my thing at all.” changing the subject, she waved it off playfully. “of course! i can’t have my dearest friend absent at my party, who am i going to talk to? besides, anyone that knows of me is terrified of me. i could look their way and they’d cower in fear. as they should.” she smirked, winking at naeun. “but hm. i don’t want to impose too much on people, but i also don’t want them coming in casual wear and calling it a day. laziness is not — and will not — be a thing at any of my parties, thank you very much!”
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
nami.
any amount of confidence nami might have previously held on keeping himself composed faded when ezra’s arm slung around his figure, pulling them closer. it didn’t help that nami felt grossly warm in comparison. even with the cold sinking into his skin - the bonus of that being that it excused the pink tinted cheeks that took over his face, now. “… very big,” he agreed, clearing his throat after as he attempted to re-compose himself, somewhat. “oh, yeah! that sounds really good. i really like the tom kha kai! really? if it’s being called bomb, it has to be good,” he said with a dramatized roll of his eyes. “no, no - you look good.” for the briefest of moments, nami imagined himself stopping to place his gloved hands on the other boy’s face in a cheesy attempt to warm his face up, but of course, actual nami merely shook his head in argument. “it’s… it’s cute on you, anyway. i can’t imagine what i look like…” with that, he attempted to cross his eyes and focus in on his own nose, but after a few seconds of failure, he moved on. “uh… what made you wanna go to dinner with me? or is it just because you saw me?” with a nervous brow raised, he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer. he was confident it was the latter, but there was a small amount of hope that ezra purposely searched for him. “we can do it more often, too! i really like the family dinners, but they can be pretty stressful sometimes, too. it’s hard to keep up conversations sometimes when you’re scared of… your parents overhearing, and i don’t know - my parents are pretty dramatic. i say one wrong thing and i’m sure they’d act like they had to move across the country and get new identities.”
he nodded, the thought of the hot soup starting to warm his insides. “ooh, shit, yeah, that one’s really good too,” he said, sighing dreamily. “we’ve got our orders all sorted out, then!” even though ezra was usually someone that could keep his facial expressions in check, nami’s compliment seemed to slip right through the cracks. the tips of his cheeks got redder, as did the bridge of his nose; and he was thankful that it didn’t seem as obvious. there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes before he reverted back to his smile. “you think so? thanks, man. good to know i’m still adorable after turning into a withered old man at the tender age of twenty-one,” he joked. in response, he chuckled, lightly tapping nami’s nose. “you’re cute too. works in your favor ‘cause you’ve got a boopable nose.” he let his eyes gaze up at the starry sky, and at the street lights that left the road in a warm glow. ezra puckered his lips in thought, shrugging. “wanted to hang out.” he definitely wasn’t going to mention that the second option played a part in his decision too. “get to know you better too, y’know, without my darling cousin shooting daggers at my beautiful face.” he gave the boy a wink, wrinkling his nose slightly. when they arrived at the restaurant, he led nami in, sighing in relief from the warmth. “yeah, parents can be like that,” he agreed, heading towards a table for two. shrugging off his jacket, he draped it over the chair before he continued. “you better not move and get a new identity. not when we’ve just started having our own dinner dates, nami beom, that’s simply not fair.”
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
hadley.
was ezra an evil person? definitely. was he just out to make hadley’s day worse and worse, just to get a kick out of it? also definitely. but she wasn’t about to let him know how much his words and choices affected her - they were both skilled liars actors, so all she did was give him a smile. she wasn’t an idiot. “well,” she repeated mockingly. “of course, i know that, dear cousin. it’s not the snails. cheese, butter and wine are major parts of french cuisine, and they have a negative effect on my skin. i did my research. both dishes you mentioned contain wine. now please, mind your own business.”
maybe lying was a shared family gene. it would definitely be able to explain why he and hadley always forced smiles at each other without their parents ever sending glances towards them — if anything, ezra could swear they thought the two actually got along. ha, if they only knew. “you’re allergic to these ingredients? hm, you should have told me that time i offered to cook dinner that one time,” he said, tapping his lip. the thought of hadley whining over the breakouts she’d get made ezra chuckle, even if he knew he shouldn’t. “they do have a salad here, by the way. it’s got anchovies, but no butter, cheese or wine, so it might work for you.”
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
zoe.
of course, zoe had spotted jia before. she was scary, intimidating, and she wanted to stay far away from her. this gut feeling she had was telling her not to go anywhere near the girl, who seemed just so much older (although zoe knew from reliable sources that she was only 20). but, you know, when you’re spotted on the streets, walking with your books in hand because your messenger bag is too heavy already, and she asks you a question, you don’t say no. that would be even worse than answering - and besides, zoe had overheard a bit of the conversation already, and she knew the right answer to please jia. “yes, of course. what can i help with?”
upon closer inspection, jia could see that this girl was familiar. she couldn’t place exactly where she’d seen her, but she was very sure they’d crossed paths at least once. “perfect!” she said, clasping her hands together. she turned to face her before continuing. “my... classmate and i are having an argument and i need someone with all of their braincells in use to delegate. you look incredibly intelligent, so you definitely know the right answer to this question: briseis is one of the reasons of conflict between achilles and agamemnon in the iliad, right?” she raised an eyebrow at her, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms in anticipation.
1 note
·
View note
Note
♡ (jia + zoe!)
♡ — zoe complimenting jia.
“you think that highly of me?” her voice resembles honey, sweet and slow. “that’s so cute.” she steps closer to zoe, arms crossing over her chest and head tilting up to meet her gaze. “you know, it’s courtesy for me to compliment people back, but only if you want me to. or you can tell me more of what you like about me.” a little self-centered, sure, but it’s how she works.
0 notes
Note
♣ (ezra + hadley!)
♣ — hadley discovers ezra crying.
he looks up to see his cousin standing over him, making him narrow his eyes at her. “this is whatever,” he says, sniffling. “i don’t think you’re here to console me ‘cause, like, you probably think i’m just lying.” he wipes his tears away with the back of his hand, sighing. “you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, you know. if anything, i think it’ll be easier if you pretend you didn’t see anything.” why does it hurt him to say that?
0 notes
Note
☽ taehyun & ezra
☽ — taehyun wandering late at night, and ezra sees him.
it feels like a punch to the gut. ezra knows he shouldn’t be staring or that it’ll be incredibly obvious, but it’s not like he wants to keep looking. it just feels like his feet are planted to the ground, refusing to move. thank god he’s got his hood pulled over his head, low enough to cover his eyes. there’s a part of him that wants to approach him, but he can’t. he knows he can’t. so he takes a deep breath, and walks away. that’s all he can do.
1 note
·
View note
Note
↱ for jia and naeun !
↱ — jia and naeun getting lost.
jia whips out her phone and looks up the details, trying to breathe slowly so she doesn’t hyperventilate. she doesn’t like getting lost, it makes her feel like she’s slowly losing control. “this was supposed to be the right way, but whatever,” she says, huffing. she bites her lip and clutches her phone tightly, smiling. “guess the street directions were wrong. i’ll get us out of this sticky situation, nae. now, what street is this?”
0 notes
Note
☂ minki & ezra
☂ — minki giving ezra his sweater.
“are you sure?” he asks, mouth dropping slightly. “aren’t you cold, man? wouldn’t wanna get your sweater if you’re gonna be freezing.” he’s about to protest again but he pulls the sweater over his head, offering a bashful smile after he’s adjusted it. the sweater immediately provides the warmth he needs, and he hugs himself to keep it all in. “thanks. you sure you’ll be okay?”
1 note
·
View note
Note
▤ nami & ezra
▤ — nami falling asleep on ezra.
his eyes open slowly, blinking to adjust to the morning light. there’s someone resting atop his chest, and his hand slowly moves towards the top of his head. it’s almost a reflex at this point, from the numerous times he’d fallen asleep on others. his hand hovers for a moment before setting it back down, settling to gently shaking the boy’s shoulder. “hey, hey, nami,” he says sleepily, gazing down with half a smile. “morning. you sleep okay?”
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
♡ jia & raven
♡ — raven complimenting jia.
compliments have always been one of the few things that fuel jia. and for one to come from someone like raven made her smile even bigger. the grin on her red lips is genuine, and she tilts her head towards them. “thank you,” she drawls, tucking her hands under her chin. “i could say the same for you, honestly, but it might turn into a compliment battle.” at this her eyebrow raises daringly, one corner of her mouth turning up higher. “just so you know, i never lose.”
0 notes
Note
✮ ezra & raven
✮ — stargazing with raven.
“can i join you?” he asks, gesturing to the spot next to them. he shoves his hands into his pockets, staring up at the sky. “i’ve always liked stargazing, you know.” he rocks on his heels back and forth, sighing softly. “i was one of those kids that always wanted to be an astronaut but gave up when i learned there was a lot of math involved.” he points up to the stars, squinting. “hey, raven, isn’t that aries in the sky?”
0 notes
Note
maggie & ezra ♣ +
♣ + — maggie seeing ezra cry.
ezra likes to think he’s a strong kid, that he can hold any and all negative feelings back unless he has to. crying for something other than attention isn’t something he likes doing. he lets out a sad laugh when his head tilts up to see maggie standing above him, vision blurry with tears. “i’m — i’m fine, maggie, really,” he whispers, trying to straighten himself out of the ball he’s currently curled up in. leave it to him to lie when he shouldn’t.
0 notes
Text
ofnaeuns:
nae took a quick bite of the nugget in her hand as she cocked her head to the side,·“i think it’s tvp,” she shrugged,·“oh, also known as textured vegetable protein. i only really care that’s not made from a poor helpless animal and it’s tasty, so whatever it is it’s good for me,” she answered with a curt nod, she knew she sometimes fit the annoying vegan trope but it was just who naeun was.·“i like how you gave me a studious and fun answer there,” she eyed the other playfully a small amused smile turning on her lips,·“wouldn’t expect anything less of you with antigone and the party, am i on the invite list?” she asked lips quirking even further up.
jia nodded, swirling her fork in her noodles again. “right. what dipping sauce do you have with it?” she asked, peering over. “i hear tvp’s got the texture of ground beef.” she grinned as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, shrugging. “well, you know me. i’m a firm believer in enjoying what i do — could you imagine if you got roped into doing course you absolutely hated? how sad. my dad almost crucified me for doing classics until i told him it was for pre-law reasons.” she let out a chuckle, nodding. “of course you are! it’d be a travesty to not invite people i actually like. even worse if it’s all people you don’t know.” she leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief. “i’ll need your help figuring out the theme. and snacks.”
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
nami.
there were plenty of reasons for nami to hate the dinner parties, but he always focused on the positives. namely that he got to see ezra. his crush on the other boy built up until nami was counting down days until the next big get together. usually he mentally prepared himself beforehand, having enough time to plan out all the questions he’d ask and compliments he’d try to throw out without sounding too desperate. he hadn’t expected to bump into ezra beforehand, and the second he heard the familiar voice, his body tensed, looking down at himself. he looked… presentable, he guessed, but it wasn’t ideal. when a hand pressed against his back, nami’s eyes widened, letting out a nervous puff of a breath. “hey,” he said, his nose crinkled as he peaked up at the other. he still looked as pretty as ever, and nami nearly pouted at the sight before reminding himself to keep it together. “… right now? uh, sure.” he had homework, but it wasn’t like he could turn it down. it was his one chance of being alone with the other boy. the idea was as exciting as it made him feel queasy. “where do you wanna go? we can go wherever, i’m pretty hungry,” he lied, nodding eagerly. “i could eat anything. well… not, like, anything. i’ve never really liked that little german place around the corner? it was, like, okay, but definitely not a favorite for me… but that’s probably a weird thing to crave, anyway, right?” he paused for a breath, but not long enough to be interrupted. “unless you were really wanting to to go there - then, uh… that’s okay, too! i really don’t mind, i’m sure i could find something that doesn’t make me feel… disgusted. okay, disgusted is a strong word, more - ah, forget it. what were you thinking?”
there were very few people that seemed to handle era’s shit without getting incredibly annoyed, and one of those people was nami. he wasn’t totally sure why, but it was nice for someone to pay attention to him. he’d always made doubly sure to make his personality extra sparkling whenever he was around, picking up on tiny reactions to make sure he got the best version of himself whenever they were hanging out. and besides, he was pretty cool, and didn’t seem to get too annoyed whenever he’d start rambling. he was huffing and puffing from the short run, and he hoped and prayed it didn’t seem as unattractive as he thought it was. the last thing he wanted was to look like an unfit, sweaty mess. he kept the smile on his face bright, eyes curving into crescents. “awesome!” he exclaimed. he absentmindedly pulled the other boy closer to him, trying not to shudder too visibly from the lingering chill. he steered them out of campus and towards downtown, his free hand digging deep into his pocket. he let out a little chuckle at nami’s ramble, tilting his head. “well, yeah, i guess it’d be. i usually go there for a schnitzel and beer but, like, have you seen the size of ‘em? fuckin’ huge. i think they got bigger, i have no idea how. but okay, no german, got it.” his lower lip stuck out in thought, eyebrows crinkling together. “hm. there’s a thai place that just opened up that’s got some bomb pad thai. that’s what the senior in my broadcasting class said verbatim. and i could go for tom yum too, i probably look like rudolf from the cold right about now. you down for that?”
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
send one for my muse’s reaction to your muse ---
veilled:
alternatively send ‘ + ‘ after the symbol for the roles to be reversed where possible !
✘ = hugging them . Δ = playing with their hair . ❤ = kissing them . ₪ = asking them out for dinner . ☀ = giving them a gift of ___ ( asker’s choice ) . ♘ = stabbing them . ♕ = bowing down before them . ♒ = lying to them . ✿ = buying them flowers . ☾ = being found shirtless . ♢ = reading them a story . ☂ = giving them their jumper to keep warm . ✎ = speaking in a different language . ✏ = teaching them a different language . ▄ = telling them a joke . ♬ = singing to them . ☹ = insulting a loved one . ஐ = slapping them . ✂ = threatening them . ❃ = dancing with them . ▤ = falling asleep on them . ☮ = waking them up after a nightmare . ♣ = discovering them crying . 回 = patching a wound . ✮ = stargazing . ▓ = caught stealing their belongings . ☽ = wandering alone at night . ♡ = complimenting them . ≡ = offering a place to stay overnight . ☢ = falling over . ✦ = being well-dressed . ❂ = wiping blood off their face . ◎ = taking care of them while ill . ☁ = being caught in the middle a storm with them . ⇕ = holding their hand . ↱ = being lost with them . ☠ = pushing them against a wall .
154K notes
·
View notes