#Riko Moriyama is a fuck-face

[quintessential-candles]

I FUCKING HATE RIKO MORIYAMA

[jeanmoreausautismstickers]

the riko apologist / the baby girlification of riko that has happened since tsc needs to be studied

[chryseiswriting-blog]

I want to know:

- Will Jean keep his ‘3’?

He said it is a point of pride to him, but it is also proof of Riko’s ownership and the hold he still has on our sad French boy even from the grave. Surely as he learns to fight back again he will want to change it…

And if he DOES change it:

- Will he pay to have it removed?

Or

- Will he pull a Kevin Day and cover it, and if so, what with?

For a 3 the only thing I can think of is a clover for luck… maybe a flower?

Too much beef with Kevin to choose another chess piece so what? Tell me? Someone please, put me out of my misery.

[dcvina-claires]

the year is 2006. you’re an avid fan of collegiate exy. kevin day recently transferred from the best team in the league to the worst after breaking his hand in a skiing accident. before the season starts, janie smalls attempts suicide. she’s a fox, so absolutely no one is surprised by this. however, this means that david wymack has to find a new striker. he picks up a neglected, unremarkable kid from millport. for some reason, this mysterious nobody thinks it’s okay to publicly humiliate riko moriyama, king of exy. apparently, neil josten and kevin day talk shit about riko all the time (this confuses you. kevin and riko are supposed to be best friends). not long after, seth gordon dies of an overdose. once again, it’s the foxes, so no one should be surprised, but something is… off. seth was clean, and it didn’t seem likely for him to throw it away. the foxes don’t get anyone to replace him. despite being short a player, they’re performing better than ever before. you don’t want to admit it, but neil josten can probably be credited with a lot of the foxes success. and something is off about that kid, too. he’s a 5’3 brunette with brown eyes, and then suddenly he’s not. he comes back from winter break with red hair and blue eyes, but more interesting than that is the number four tattooed onto his face, marked for the ravens, marked for the perfect court. the normal minyard twin murders someone in cold blood. neil josten is actually nathaniel wesninski. his father, the butcher of baltimore, tortures him and burns his tattoo off. the trojans throw away their shot at winning. kevin covers up his tattoo with a queen chess piece. he’s never been skiing, the theories behind what happened to his hand are endless. jean moreau transfers to the trojans. this isn’t helping with the abuse allegations. despite everything stacked against them, the foxes beat the ravens. the unhinged minyard twin shatters riko’s hand to stop him from murdering the mafia kid on live tv. for some reason, this is riko’s final straw and he kills himself. some people are blaming kevin, andrew, and neil, but you personally believe that it’s a tad bit dramatic to commit suicide after losing one game and breaking a hand. the rest of the ravens don’t seem to agree, as they’re all suddenly in the most fucked up game of “follow the leader” known to man. jean moreau is spotted being escorted from the foxes dorm room a bloody mess, but that’s only the beginning. one of the ravens stabs himself with a letter opener, another steps onto the subway tracks, and a third overdoses. it’s 2007, and you started saying that the ravens were in a cult as a joke, but you don’t know if it’s a joke anymore. you’re seriously starting to consider that your favorite sport was created solely as a front for the mafia

[awildtei]

I know this is not new information, but I've seen a fresh wave of people confused about what the fuck Andrew planned to do as a 5'0 man with a knife against the literal mafia, so.

I think the fact that neither Neil nor Kevin lost their faith in Andrew’s ability to protect them after he was attacked by Drake (unable to stand his ground against a single man with a bottle, let alone the Yakuza/Nathan with their guns) is the best proof we have that the deal was never about physical protection. This is confirmed by the way Neil never expects Andrew to save him from his father, in fact cuts him loose before Baltimore as soon as danger is truly near.

Andrew is a pretty self-aware character, and he wouldn't make promises he knows he can't possibly see through, so I think he knows what Kevin and Neil also know: what they need from him, and thus what he promises, is not physical protection.

To Kevin, he promises safety from the Moriyamas, and the way we see him enact that safety (at Kathy's show, at the banquet) shows exactly what it's about: when Riko starts getting into your head, when he makes you doubt yourself, makes you think maybe you should go back to Evermore, I won't let you. I will get you away from him, I will treat him like he's just some dude to remind you that you can face him without kneeling. I will be your spine until you find your own, I will stand my ground for you until you can do it yourself.

That's why the scene when Kevin gets to the dorm with his tattoo and Andrew's eyes show so much feeling is huge not just for Kevin but for Andrew: because that was the whole point of their deal, Kevin has found his spine, Andrew bought him the space and time to do it.

To Neil, he promises safety from the people hunting him down, and that means: I will give you something to build a life around (keys, drives to nightly exy practices, someone to lean on, someone who will listen without flinching). When you feel like running, I will be someone you can call to come pick you up. When you forget, I will remind you who you are: Neil Abram Josten.

Andrew stands between Kevin and Riko and between Neil and his father not as an impenetrable wall but as an obstacle in their vision: not shield but focal point.

(Makes me think of that scene in The Haunting of Hill House, Hugh holding Steven's neck to keep him from looking at the ghosts, saying, Look at me, just look at me, keep your eyes on me. That's what Andrew’s constantly doing --even literally, when Kevin is spiralling after Wymack tells the team about the district change and Andrew makes him look away from his broken hand and up at him).

[jtl-fics]

In honor of April Fools day I will talk a bit about an AU with my favorite fool - (Redacted) Smith that I will probably never write fully but have thought about a bunch of scenes for.

I call it 2 Fluent Freshmen.

Due to a clerical error at both the school and during the local government's push to digitize their documents Smith is noted down as being 2 years older than he actually is and (perhaps a clerical error or maybe no teacher can say if they've had him in class or not) Smith also has enough credits to graduate. Gran has passed away early and there's nothing for him in Washington other than more anxiety.

Wymack & Dan come to Smith when he is 16 and Smith takes the chance to escape from his family IMMEDIATELY. Sure the Foxes are the worst team and sure there's some drama going on with Kevin Day having joined them after his injury but a full ride scholarship is a full ride scholarship!

Smith is rooming with 2 upperclassmen and his only other fellow freshman - Neil Josten. He is not hiding the fact that he can speak Russian, he is hiding the fact that he is 16. Smith ends up pretty close to Seth and Allison due to sharing a dorm / position respectively and just doing his best not to get to close to crazy Andrew Minyard. He does get a bit close with Neil but it's not something he's trying to do.

He's trying to keep his head down and get through the year.

It's a little hard when he is sat on the couch with the Kathy Ferdinand show. It's a lot harder when Riko Moriyama shows up and doesn't realize he's there and just...sits in Smith's lap?? Smith remains as blank faced as ever and what the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT HE FUCKED UP?

Do you know how hard it is to intimidate someone when you're sitting in the lap of some dude? The answer is VERY. Kevin can't take him seriously at all, especially after Smith made a comment that Riko's ass was bony.

Riko goes after them the same but Smith doesn't really get that his anger is at Kevin. "Hey, I'm sorry I called your butt bony on national television. That was rude of me. You should try some squats though." and like what the fuck is Riko supposed to say in the face of some dude genuinely apologizing to him.

It buys enough time that no one is grabbed or slammed.

Seth and Allison drag him out to the bar that night and after a few minutes sitting with Allison Smith realizes that he actually does have to pee and oh god someone's trying to assault Seth! Smith calls upon the powers of Gracie Hart and Seth has a black eye and a concussion but he graduates.

Neil wants Smith to come with him to the Thanksgiving because Neil has latched on a bit. Smith ends up going and also ends up going upstairs to go to the bathroom because oh god he cannot handle Nicky's parents hearing him take an anxiety shit. He's making his way to the end of the hall and sees a penny on the ground so he bends over to grab it.

And Drake Spears is unbalanced from missing his swing and falls right out the open window to the ground below where he breaks his neck. Naturally, Andrew is watching this scene unfold from the stairs and just starts to laugh his ass off. Smith turns around after flipping the penny over (it was tails side up and therefore not lucky) unaware of what has happened.

Smith asks if Andrew wants to use the bathroom. Andrew insists that Smith goes on ahead. The Hemmicks keep asking if they saw anyone upstairs and Smith has no idea what they're talking about, Andrew does but plays dumb out of spite. A day later it's wild that Nicky's parents got arrested. Like they seemed so normal, how did they kill someone and dump him in the side garden??

The Winter Banquet happens and well...it's dark. It's dark and Neil has brown hair and brown eyes and Smith has brown hair and brown eyes. Riko is not the best at judging heights so he calls Smith to threaten him and tell him that he's joining the Ravens for a Winter Break training camp. Jean is doing the most anyone has ever done not to laugh right now.

Riko only realizes his mistake when he's finished threatening Smith with his father and Smith ruins it. Smith is elated to have somewhere to stay over winter break. He can't mention he has nowhere to go so he'd thought he'd spend the break homeless. Now here comes Riko Moriyama inviting him to a camp where room and board will be provided?

What a nice guy. To thank him Smith compliments the gains he's noticed on Riko's ass. "The squats are really helping you, or are you doing something else?" he asks.

What the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT THAT HE FUCKED UP? Tell Smith that he's been doing squats and leg lifts before asking that he hand the tickets back and go get Neil???

Fuck that.

He'll just turn Smith against the Foxes and-

Well Riko kept talking about Smith's dead dad and so Smith may have a slight misunderstanding about the full scope of this training camp. He may think that there is some sort of seance element to it at this point and he's kind of excited at the idea of talking to his dad. "I've never spoken to a dead man before, this will be fun." and it's delivered flatly with no expression.

Riko starts to wonder if maybe Smith is the Butcher's son? Did the Butcher have two sons? He's sweating all the sudden.

It does not help that Smith brings a Ouija board to camp or that his dad was a legit Butcher before he died so Riko's tentative questioning only sends him further into an anxious mess about if Nathan had twins and Riko, due to being kept away from the family business, might just not be aware of it?

Smith has a nice Christmas break.

The last scene I've got dinging around in the noggin is in Binghamton. Smith has been left behind at many a stadium at this point. There's a solid and fast rule.

Neil cannot get on the bus without Smith. They are buddies. This is the buddy system. So when the riot starts and Neil seems to be getting pulled away in the crowd?

Well Smith grabs his hand and pulls him towards the bus, "Buddy system."

The bus starts and they're on their way shortly after. Neil's an anxious wreck but that next morning he wakes up to the news that the Butcher of Baltimore died in an FBI raid the night before as well as his men.

Smith watches the news with Neil, "Wow, that's scary." as he sips some orange juice.

[belonareyna]

"Riko is dead. Ichiru took care of him" If Aaron could crash Josten's head between his hands right know, he would.

Surprised and horrified faces turned to look at Neil, who was the only one smiling.

It happened so fast it was all a blur. Kevin running to the bathroom, Aaron's racquet slaming into Neil's stomach when he tried to follow, he throwing the racquet to his twin and a single "No" before rushing to the bathroom himself.

He heard Renee behind him, but couldn't care less, he knew she wasn't coming, which meant she was literally acting as a human barrier.

He found Kevin kneeling facing the toilet. And acrid smell filling the room.

Green eyes filled with tears found their way into his gaze "Are you coming to say I shouldn't cry for my abuser death"

Aaron smiled a little "You shouldn't cry for your abuser death" Kevin looked back to the toilet "But I shouldn't had cried for Tilda's death either and here we are..." He snorted "I blocked Neil, I think Renee is containing Andrew, and I know I'm the twin you haven't got a deal with... But I think I can help more than that stone heart bastard"

"Like you were a fucking dream with people"

"When we're talking about crying because our mean mean bullies died, yes, I'm a fucking piece of cake. Or you would rather be with Mr. "Let's hope he doesn't end up like the last woman he loved?""

"You know how to hold a grudge" Noted Kevin

"He's been holding one since i didn't jump into his arms like a damsel to his knight when he ended Tilda." Aaron smiled sarcastically "must be our twin thing. And stop talking about what is wrong with me, and let's focus on you"

Kevin appreciated he didn't say "and let's focus on what's wrong with you"

"I rather not. If Ichiru killed Riko, it must have something to do with how he used the Moriyama's contacts, including Prust. I shouldn't be crying fuck, I shouldn't..."

"You're not grieving Prust. You're not grieven Riko. You're grieven what Riko could have been. You're grieven a brother, a friend, you lost long ago, and now forever. You are grieven your own tragedy. And there is nothing wrong with that. Don't let any dickhead tell you otherwise"

Kevin must have sensed the look of adoration he was giving Aaron, because he tried to change the subject.

"Shit, Jean is alone in the dorm" Kevin tried to stand up, just to be dragged back down by Aaron, who sat by his side "Jean is Renee's problem for now. Let her deal with him, while I deal with you".

[ninyard]

do you ever think about how Kevin and Riko's relationship was set up for failure by the Moriyamas because what Riko wanted more than anything was a relationship with his birth family, the brother he wanted was Ichirou, but then he's given Kevin and Kevin is called his brother but that's because Kevin isn't even good enough for Tetsuji so he's given to Riko. Riko wants Ichirou but is told he isn't good enough for him and that he is only worthy of someone not good enough for even his uncle, of course he internalized that in fucked up ways. Like Riko was a bad person but he became that way because all the adults in his life made it so cruel was the only thing he could become

Like the perfect court was NEVER going to work. Riko set up the perfect court and he just presumed he was going to be on it, when he knew Kevin was always going to be better than him. Kevin was always going to be worth more than him. Even his own family seemed to afford Kevin more respect sometimes. Because Kevin was Kayleigh’s, at least. Riko was nobodies. He called himself number one because he was the only person that was ever going to do it. Nobody saw worth in him except for when he demanded it by making himself number one. By branding himself the best. Riko was designed to fail because Kevin was always going to come out on top.

So when he knew it was going to be said by Tetsuji that Kevin was better than him, no matter the numbers on their faces, he had to stop it. He couldn’t let it be said out loud. If Kevin was going to be better than him, fine, now he would never even have the chance. If Kevin can’t win, then it has to be Riko. The title of the best has to go to him, because the family have no choice. There’s nobody else to give it to now.

He is jealous, he is angry, he is desperate for approval. (He’s a piece of shit, he’s a piece of shit, he’s a piece of shit). But he needs power. He needs to own something. Because so long as Kevin Day is alive, he will never own Exy. So long as Kevin can play, it will never rightfully belong to Riko.

[lucky-slice]

Something that TSC has me thinking about is the contrast between Kevin and Jean after leaving the Nest.

Like Jean is very confused by being confronted by the fact that his treatment in the Nest (and the Raven's as a whole) is deemed as fucked up and weird.

But you don't see that same dissidence from Kevin. Part of that is that the timelines are off so we never got to see Kevin's acclimation into the real world and we never got Kevin's pov, but another part is how different their experiences were. And I don't mean like in terms of actual treatment in the nest.

Kevin and Riko were the only ones permitted to do press. They were out of the Nest and presumably talking to other teams / people outside of games even if it was still in a controlled environment. It is more than likely that Kevin was aware that the Ravens and the abuse against him was not normal even if he didn't view it as abuse. Riko was his brother and Tetsuji was not just his coach but also his guardian. He was very aware of his place and fully bought into the Raven mind set.

However, he had media training from a very young age for a reason; to lie his pretty little face off.

Which is why I think Kevin was probably very good at hiding his coping mechanisms and trauma. Obviously, we see him using alcohol to deal with anxiety attacks, but besides that, Kevin blends fairly well into what could be deemed as normal (at least by fox standards). Wymack explicitly states that Kevin does not talk about his time at the Nest. He only reveals what is necessary for Wymack/ the foxes to understand the situation with Riko and the Moriyamas and that's it. There are no hints of anything personal.

There was a post going around about Kevin doing night training partially because his body was accustomed to doing 16 hour days for the majority of his life, but how many other things was Kevin doing (whether subconsciously or consciously) to cope? Even something as small as allowing himself to wear colours other than black.

[kevinmonth]

hey so is there anyone in the aftg fandom that read blue lock or vice versa ? am i insane or a combination au for aftg and blue lock would go so hard? i think blue lock lacks a bit of seriousness in its premise (or im biased bc of aftg) because if you don't care much about football when you take a step back their intenseness seems a bit silly. but if you put blue lock in a world where the nest and the moriyamas and the whole shebang happened (with a really generous timeline and ignoring of plotholes) suddenly you get really interesting interactions. imagine itoshi sae turning really cold and mean to rin bc he met riko and got involved with the mafia. noel noah being on a payroll from the moreus. ego being buddy buddy with tetsuji (because why the fuck is blue lock presented as a good idea and we're supposed to root for it😭😭) neil having a face off with chigiri. nagi and andrew just chilling. the blue lock team getting therapy. female characters other than just anri👀 and with personalities to boot. idk im losing my mind here

[margareturtle]

I haven’t seen this in a fic yet (pls send me links if you have!!) so I’m doing it myself:

How Jeremy+Cat+ Laila find out about the 80% deal (set after the news about Jean’s family has already been released) (pt 1)

The gang is in the kitchen:

Jeremy: Jean, I’m telling coach to bench you for just this one match! You’re sick (or minorly injured). Just take a break and you’ll be back next match!

Jean: No! I’m fine! There are scouts for Court coming to this game!

Jeremy: yes and you’re just getting over the flu (or a twisted ankle idk)! Just take a rest, the Court scouts will be back next year!

Jean: I’m good to play! I need to play! I need to sign to court!

Jeremy: And I’m sure you will be! Kevin was just signed, no one doubts you will be signed as well ! What difference does a year make?

Jean: what difference does a year— I need to prove myself or they’ll think I can’t and— I can play! I will play!

Jeremy: no— I already told the coaches you aren’t playing— they’re in support

Jean: YOU WHAT? *panicking* they’re gonna kill me they’re gonna kill me

Jeremy: *softening* oh Jean it’s ok. You’re with the trojans remember. You’re not at the nest. You’re safe. Riko is dead. Tetsuji is gone. Everyone respects your right to a break. You’re free of the Moriyamas now.

Jean: You insolent fool! I will never be free of the Moriyamas!

Jeremy: ok Jean, I know it may feel like that sometimes. But you are free with us now. There are no more Moriyamas that will hurt you.

Cat: *thinking* well there’s Ichirou

Jeremy: *glares at Cat*

Cat: what? As smart as you are Jere you still haven’t learned to take the things Jean says at face value. He just said “I will never be free of the Moriyamas”

Jeremy: yeah but that’s not— Ichirou is a business man, all he cares about is money and his new fiance!

Laila: yeah but what really is the Moriyama family business? I haven’t really thought about it before but Ichirou looks rich af so it’s gotta be smth good…Jean you must now what it is.

Jean: *doesn’t respond to non questions*

Jeremy: Come on, this isn’t related to why Jean is so freaked out he can’t play today!

Cat: judging by his silence rn it def is! So what is it Jean? What’s the Moriyama business? You must know!

Jean: *stressed* it’s not important

Laila: clearly it is, now you can tell us or I’m happy to start guessing!

Jean: don’t—

Laila: let’s see it’s prob smth shady if you won’t say. Let’s see, do they deal in exotic Animals? Is Ichirou secretly tiger king?

Jean: No?! Just stop!

Laila: Or is it some business offensive to french culture? Oh no Jean, is their business in wine? Do they sell prosecco and call it champagne?

Jean: it’s not—

Laila: Oh or it has smth to do with why you learned so many languages while you were there? They’re secretly in the spy industry training to be spies??

Jean: of course not! Now stop asking I won’t tell you.

Cat: oh jean 😭 way to get us all more intrigued.

Jeremy: yeah let’s return to the topic of—

Laila: *who’s been thinking for a sec* pfft I know *sarcastically* Ichirou is secretly a mob boss too who has been in kahoots with—

Jean: *flinches*

Laila: your dad and neil’s dad which means—

Laila: Wait what the fuck?!! I was joking—I know the Moriyama’s business is just some boring corporate shit! But you just—What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK!! You only flinch when I land spot on I—

Jean: *lunges for a knife with one hand that Jeremy catches. Lunges for his throat with the other that Cat gets a hold of first*

Laila: holy shit. No way. What. You’re kidding— I can’t. I wAs jOkinG !! Do the foxes know? Kevin must know if you do—

Laila: *picks up Jeremy’s phone he left in the kitchen counter*

Laila: *calling kevin*

(Pt 2 call with kevin coming soon)

[swampthingking]

i’m excited for a million things in tsc, but right now i’m thinking about if/how nora will write the dynamic between jean and jeremy. (even if jerejean doesn’t happen, i anticipate jeremy’s kindness towards jean to be a part of the story.)

i can see jean wanting to push jeremy for a multitude of reasons. i can see jean feeling untrustworthy of jeremy’s optimism and wanting to push him, like, “there’s no way you’re really like this. i want to see who you are behind the cameras.” jean kind of starts prodding jeremy to see what makes him tick. what makes him snap. what he does when he snaps, what he says. if he’s violent. especially if they’re rooming together (my hc is that jeremy volunteers himself to room with jean. he trusts his teammates, but feels responsible as the captain for making sure jean gets settled). in that case, i imagine jean would either:

1, rile him up on purpose so he doesn’t have to anticipate when jeremy snaps, that way he can control when it happens. and once he knows the signs, he can protect himself in the future.

i think eventually, jeremy will get fed up at jean’s antagonism (because let’s face it, jean is going to be a bitch at some point or another and i cannot wait for it) but jeremy won’t react the way jean is expecting. maybe his face gets red, his ears turn pink. he starts to breathe a little heavier, maybe his fists clench, and jean is preparing to be hit. he went through jeremy’s things—knows he doesn’t carry any weapons—but jeremy lifts enough to pack a punch. so he waits. but jeremy just says, “i am not in the right headspace to have a conversation right now.” and leaves the dorm. jean doesn’t feel bad necessarily, just perplexed. a little pissed, honestly. like, “i put in all this effort to piss you off, and you just walk away?” and kind of wants to be hurt. exy and pain were the only constants in his life for years—they went hand in hand, that doesn’t just go away overnight. if jean pulled this shit at the nest, he would have been dealt with ages ago. not being hit is almost worse, because he at least was expecting that. he wasn’t expecting an emotionally intelligent, “i need space to think.”

eventually jeremy comes back, sees jean sitting on the bed, just waiting, and he says, calm and collected, “i can understand your transfer wasn’t ideal, but i’m not trying to make your life harder. i want you to feel safe. i want you to feel independent. and eventually, i want you to be happy, whenever you’re ready. but you’re not going to take your anger out on me, and you’re not going to take it out on the rest of the team.” and jean is just kind of??? stunned??? like?? is this a fucking joke?? but jeremy is just standing a safe distance away, with his arms crossed, waiting for jean to say something. so jean nods, kind of dumbfounded, still a little on edge, because what the fuck do you say to that? how do you argue with someone who saw through your bullshit plan and completely disarms you? and jeremy asks if jean’s eaten, if he wants to go get food with him, or if he wants to be alone.

or 2, jean will stay very silent and still and try his hardest to steer clear of jeremy as to not attract any attention to himself. make himself small and avoid conflict. “if i don’t make any noise and i am a ghost, i can’t be hurt. if i do nothing wrong, i can covet this minuscule, yet fleeting comfort. my bones just healed, let me prolong this feeling.” maybe jean doesn’t want to even try to push jeremy. maybe he doesn’t speak for awhile after he arrives at scu, doesn’t want to say anything to incriminate riko or the ravens or the moriyamas; the blind, forced loyalty still ingrained into him. i can see him just observing his new surroundings. analyzing his new team, watching how they interact with one another, being stunned at the individualism that’s normal to these people. they don’t need to be paired at all times— the raven buddy system doesn’t exist here. i can see jean kind of paralyzed and overwhelmed at all the places he could go if he wanted to, but not leaving his dorm very often at all.

and i can see jeremy just wanting jean to be comfortable. he could either:

1, watch jean, learning how he moves, what makes him startle, what he does and doesn’t like based off his body language. i can see jeremy picking up quickly that the nest was a horrible place, just based off his interactions with the ravens on the court, but also from the press. being so deeply disturbed to see the aftermath of the nest in the way jean reacts to loud noises. how jean shuts down after a trojan claps him on the shoulder. i wonder if, after a winning game, jeremy will try to talk to jean about it and say, “you played so well, are you proud?” and jean replying, “i’m relieved.” and jean didn’t know the gravity of the truth he gave away, but jeremy understands. can read between the lines well enough to understand why jean is relieved. so jeremy says, “well, i’m proud of you.” and jean doesn’t look at him, but he’s a bit too expressive to hide his feelings, and he fidgets when he’s nervous, despite how desperately he tries to tamp down his feelings, because burying them is easier than letting them seep to the surface.

or 2, he could accept that jean is going to take a long time to come around, if at all, and not really bother with trying so hard. i could see jeremy treating jean like every other trojan, just without the touches and hugs, as they all learned quickly that jean hates being touched. he tries to include jean, always offers for him to tag along, to join them in doing whatever they’re going to do. he wants the best for jean, yeah, but he doesn’t give him any special treatment. and maybe that’s what could help jean come around, just a tiny bit. even just joining jeremy to the cafeteria for dinner. even just sitting in the living room to do work, rather than in the bedroom. maybe being treated like everyone else would be beneficial to jean, seeing jeremy model positivity and reflecting that treatment back onto jean. and of course jeremy would be proud if/when jean came around, but there’s no expectations, and maybe that’s what puts jean at something resembling ease. that nobody expects anything of him and here’s no pressure to be any type of way, and for once in his life he can figure out who he is and who he wants to become.

anyway, sorry for the essay. i have ample thoughts about aftg in general, but tsc has kind of been on my mind a lot :)

[stabbyfoxandrew]

mafia restaurant? ^-^

WIP Wednesday (3/20) | Mafia Front Restaurant AU (Part 117)

After scarfing down some room service with the others, Andrew climbs into bed hoping to fall asleep quickly but alas, when has he ever? Instead of Kevin though, he finds himself thinking about Neil. The gorgeous phony waiter with a pistol tucked into his waistband, obvious mob ties, and numerous scars on his face. He’d had a thought the other day that Neil could’ve been an ex-Raven because the scars on his cheek line up with Riko’s insane perfect court nonsense. 

But… He doesn’t remember this guy. Andrew has a perfect memory for fuck's sake. Even if he didn't, he's sure he would remember auburn hair and blue eyes. Andrew rolls around to grab his phone and, into the search bar, enters, ‘edgar allan ravens exy roster 2007’. He finds the team’s lineup from his sophomore year and scrolls past several familiar faces. One, two, and three…

Four. 

That’s where the face tattoos stop. Huh. Andrew is familiar with Moriyama, Day, Moreau. But a Wesninski he doesn't remember. Andrew pauses on the image of a beat-down looking young man. And after giving him a long look, Andrew realizes it is Neil. Neil with a black buzzcut. With dead eyes. With smooth skin and a four inked into his cheek. 

Neil was number four on the perfect court?! So why doesn’t Andrew remember him? He searches the name and finds that Nathaniel Wesninski was often on the bench due to injuries sustained in games. Andrew wonders whether that’s true or just another ski trip.

The clock at the top of Andrew’s screen tells him it’s far too late to be conscious so he puts his phone down, content with what he’s learned. Neil was a Raven. That’s why he’s wrapped up with Kevin and Jean. It doesn’t explain his appearance or the name change, but Andrew supposes he can’t say much considering that he’s changed his own. Curiosity sated for the time being, Andrew rolls over and finally goes to sleep.

[willowbird]

for the fic prompt any trans Andrew thoughts? Or trans Neil or trans andreil lol dealers choice

DID SOMEONE SAY TRANSDREIL!?

But I would like to raise you... trans!Kevin. Because it has been STUCK in my HEAD for MONTHS now.

---

The knock on the door was heavy but sluggish - more of a crash or a thump than a knock at all. At first, David thought that it was some dumb kid being a jackass (even 5 star hotels had shitty guests), but then it came again. And again. And again.

Then, as David sighed and begrudgingly rolled off his bed to go to the door, he heard a thin, rough voice call through it: "Please... I don't know where else to go..."

David picked up his pace. He did not know what he expected when he jerked the door open, but the teenager standing there was not it - especially not in the state that they were in.

"What the actual fuck, Kaitlyn?

Kaitlyn Day, daughter of world-famous violinist Kayleigh Day and then adopted by Kayleigh's close friend Tetsuji Moriyama in the wake of her mother's death. David had known her for most of her life, albeit from a distance. He had been close with Kayleigh when they'd been younger, and although they'd had something of a falling out shortly before she became pregnant with Kaitlyn they had stayed in touch enough for him to have developed at relationship of sorts with her daughter.

Kaitlyn flinched away from him, actually stumbling backwards quickly enough that her shoulders hit the opposite wall.

"Shit," David cursed, stopping himself from rushing forward. Instead he lifted his hands in a steady, placating gesture and lowered his voice. "Fuck. I'm sorry kid. Don't worry I'm louder than I am mean, you know that. Come on." He stepped back into the room and held the door open for her, doing his best not to stare at the shadows under her eyes or the blood at the corner of her mouth, the bruises starting to form. David Wymack had seen his fair share bruised and battered kids, though, so maybe that was why it was almost more off-putting that, in addition to the physical trauma clearly on display, from the way she held herself to the blood and the bruises, her hair had been chopped off. It hung in uneven chunks around her face, and as she passed by him into the room David saw that there were some patches that had been so close to her scalp the blades had nicked the skin.

Swallowing his questions for the moment, David glanced quickly down the hall -- one way and then the other -- before shutting and locking the door. When he turned back around, Kaitlyn was standing clear on the opposite side of the room, hugging herself and chewing her thumbnail down to the quick.

David gave himself another twenty seconds to get his shit together, then he took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Kaitlyn, what the fuck happened?"

Even though his voice was calmer now, steady, she still flinched. David grit his teeth against the bubbling of anger that churned in the center of his body -- a vat of blistering, protective rage that was getting closer and closer to boiling over every time she shirked away from him. Perhaps he did not know Kaitlyn as well as he might have if he and Kayleigh had been better to each other, if they hadn't fallen out in the way that they had, but he didn't have to be in the girl's inner circle to know that this... this timid thing before him was not her.

Kaitlyn Day was a fucking thunderstorm in human form. As captivating as she was terrifying, she was a musical prodigy that had been performing in huge, prestigious venues since she was three years old, first on the piano, then on violin, then flute, before stunning the world yet again when she opened her mouth and started to sing. International cross-genre acclaim was achieved when she was only fifteen, after she and her adoptive brother Riko diverted from classical music in a bold move to form a pop band.

She was an idol, with adoring fans on every continent.

She was also, David was remembering very suddenly and with a sharpness that hurt, an eighteen year old kid. She was a wildfire, but she was not invulnerable, and someone had hurt her.

"Kaitlyn," he said again, and he lowered his voice even further. He made himself as small as he could, sinking down to sit on the coffee table that filled out the small sitting area of the hotel suite.

Again, Kaitlyn's shoulders hitched up and her face turned, her brown condensing into a sharp v of discontent. When David opened his mouth to speak again, though, to plea with her to tell him what the fuck was going on and to demand she point him in the direction of the sorry fuck who touched her, her eyes snapped up to his and he finally saw that it wasn't only fear, it wasn't only pain. Burning right beside whatever trauma she was wrestling with was a bright, effervescent rage.

He snapped his mouth shut.

"No," Kaitlyn said. Her voice was rough, raspy. She cleared her throat and held his gaze as she said more clearly, putting in visible effort to keep herself steady to lift up her chin when her instincts were still begging her to duck it.

"No," she said again. "Not... Not Kaitlyn."

David frowned, confused. "What?"

Then she said, "Kevin."

Still not understanding, David shook his head. "Kaitlyn, what? Who is Kevin?" A thought struck him and he had to curl his hands into fists on top of his thighs to keep from standing. "Is he who did this? Point me in his direction, Kaitlyn, and I swear I--"

"No!" This time, her voice cracked, and there was a desperation in her tone that had David pulling back. Her eyes were wide, every muscle in her body taut. She swallowed thickly around the words he could see her trying to say. Her mouth opened and shut a few times, then she grit her teeth and growled, "No. Me. I'm not Kaitlyn. I am Kevin. Kevin."

Tears, a phenomenon that David had never before witnessed with Kaitlyn and had only ever seen once from her mother, welled suddenly in the girls eyes. Her face was flushed, tinged pink around the hurts. With her hair a chopped mess and her eye visibly beginning to well, the tears added a raw sort of wildness that was so far apart from the rigid control Kaitlyn usually adhered to with zealous enthusiasm that he fleetingly wondered if he was instead talking to a different girl entirely. A long-lost twin.

He shook his head, or at least he went to -- but he aborted the gesture mid-motion as the inkling of understanding tugged at him. He studied her, letting her words turn the lights on one at a time until the pieces finished falling into place.

Then he said, "Kevin." A question, a confirmation.

Jade fire eyes held his own and there was so much weight in that single stare.

After a long, tense moment where David didn't think either of them so much as breathed, the bearer of those eyes gave a single slow nod.

David took in a slow breath and nodded as well. "Alright. Okay. That's... good. Kevin." Slowly, so Kevin didn't think David's motive was violence, David pushed himself to his feet and approached. He lifted one hand and reached out. When the kid didn't flinch away, David rested it on his shoulder.

"Kevin," David said again, and because he was still holding the boy's gaze he saw the moment when Kevin's resolve shattered. The tears he had been battling back broke the dam. His shoulders slumped. His knees trembled. When he stumbled, David was there to catch him and he pulled him easily into his arms. He didn't pretend not to hear the sobs that came next, absorbed by his chest the same way the tears made their new home in the fabric of his shirt.

No, instead he wrapped his arms around him, around Kevin. He rested one hand on the back of his neck and squeezed gently and he said, "Hey, it's alright. I've got you, son. It's alright. I've got you. I'm here."

[sunriseabram]

fuck yeah nathaniel bodyguard AU! 🔪

Nathaniel Bodyguard AU | Part 6 | 27/12

Nathaniel couldn’t help but scoff at the ridiculousness of it all. It was undeniably true, factual and evident that he was nothing more than an object. He was a chess piece, a porn to Ichirou to utilise in whatever means he deemed necessary and do whatever he pleased.

Being born was a mistake that Nathaniel paid for every day of his life. He would always be a slave to the family, a servant bound by an inherited debt he’d never be able to repay. Until death knocked, Nathaniel would be the property of someone else. He belonged to Ichirou Moriyama and his family.

"I didn’t spend two years watching your back just for you to fuck off back to Riko,” Andrew argued.

Nathaniel couldn’t help but laugh in Andrew’s face. "God. Fuck no. I don't work for that obnoxious little prick. Quite frankly, he knows to stay out of my way, or I’ll fillet him like a fish and feed his insides to his uncle."

Andrew blinked at Nathaniel.

“You can’t say stuff like that,” Kevin hissed. “What if he overhears?”

>

[jtl-fics]

Hi!! For the ask game, perspective flip of andriel reunion in new kings??

New Kings AU | Unusual Fic Asks - Closed

Neil had really only meant to stop by the Hernandez house to let his coach know that he was back. It was like the man was bound and determined to keep him there and a part of him feared that Coach Hernandez had called the Ravens since he had pushed so hard for it before Neil had run away from Riko Moriyama's offer.

He'd had a meal at the Hernandez house and after Mrs. Hernandez had insisted he'd laid down in the bed of the room they had shown him but he had barely slept. Every noise woke him up too nervous that the Ravens would come and take him away in the night if he let himself really sleep.

He'd pushed through longer stretches of minimal sleep.

He'd push through this.

He just needed to make it to when the Foxes came. Just needed to make it until then and then... Neil swallowed.

He could go to something that was sort of like home. He threw his bag out of the window and it felt terribly reminiscent as he crawled out of the bathroom window to drop to the ground below. His ribs ached and he wished that Lola hadn't gotten those shots in before he had blown her to pieces.

He hears the screech of a car and feels his heart in his throat.

It's not Riko Moriyama stomping towards him.

It's...

"Drew?" he asks because there's no reason for Andrew to be here right now. But maybe...

Neil watches Andrew's face go through an entire ocean of emotions. It feels like he blinks and Andrew is slamming into him at full force. It's painful but the pain is easily eclipsed by the relief he feels as he feels Andrew's hand slide into his hair. He wraps his own arms around Andrew and clutches the fabric of his shirt.

"Abram." Andrew whispers into his ear before his face is pressed into Neil's neck and he takes a deep breath.

Neil's knees buckle at the name he's only ever given to Andrew.

Andrew supports him on his way to his knees. "Are you okay?" he asks because at this point Andrew is medicated.

"You're here." Andrew says as if it were an answer and considering Neil's own state right now he supposes it is. Andrew kisses the top of his head.

"I'm here." he promises and Andrew pulls him into his lap and pulls him back just enough to look him over. Neil regrets that he didn't take the offer for a shower or to have his clothes washed now. He can see his poor state in Andrew's growing frown.

Andrew's eyes come to his hair, "I fucking hate your hair." Andrew hisses but presses his lips to it all the same.

"I know." Neil smiles

"I also fucking hate your eyes." Andrew hisses but again presses his lips to the corner of Neil's left eye.

"I'll change it all back. I promise." Neil swears and the laugh promise comes with sounds like it hurts but his relief has it bubbling out of him anyways.

"It's good to see you Neil." Wymack's voice comes from above and Neil is struck dumb because....he looks to Andrew who nods before he looks back at Wymack.

This was their Wymack. The one who cared about them. The one who pieced Neil back together. The one who gave him a second chance. He's alive in front of Neil right this moment and if Neil wasn't so opposed to the idea he would consider letting go of Andrew to hug his college coach.

Instead he manages an awkward smile, "Hello Coach." he greets.